Puerto Rico to hold vote to change its status

The Associated Press reported the following:

July 1, 2024

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Gov. Pedro Pierluisi announced Monday that Puerto Rico’s political status will be on the ballot in the general elections this November, and for the first time the island’s current status as a U.S. territory will not be an option in the non-binding plebiscite.

Voters on the island of 3.2 million people will choose between statehood, independence, or independence with free association, the terms of which would be negotiated regarding foreign affairs, U.S. citizenship, and the use of the U.S. dollar.

“In this way, we assert our rights as American citizens to demand our self-determination through direct voting without intermediaries and to require the federal government to address the grievance represented by our colonial status,” Pierluisi said.

The governor, leader of the pro-statehood New Progressive Party, will activate a 2020 law that allows the current governor to call for a status referendum.

The executive order follows approval of a bill by the U.S. House in 2022, aimed at helping Puerto Rico move towards changing its territorial status. The Puerto Rico Status Act, spearheaded by Representative Raúl Grijalva of Arizona, would exclude the island’s current territorial status as an option. …

In June, two dozen pro-independence and pro-sovereignty organizations spoke before a session of the United Nations Decolonization Committee on Puerto Rico. The committee has affirmed Puerto Rico’s right to self-determination and independence over 40 times. https://apnews.com/article/puerto-rico-status-plebiscite-election-e763c4d11e10a42fb557bd1bbd722614

My family and I have been to Puerto Rico many times, the first being over 20 years ago and the last being last year. I know a couple of prominent supporters of Puerto Rico’s independence movement and know that they want to change Puerto Rico’s status. One man that I know spoke to the United Nations about Puerto Rico a decade ago.

Irrespective of how the vote goes in November, ultimately, Puerto Rico will separate from the USA.

Now see something that the old Radio Church of God published about that and Latin America and the Europeans:

The Book of Lamentations pictures a soon·coming time of great national distress upon Our people. “Among all her lovers”–our allies: Germany, Italy, the Latin American nations that she is trying to woo–“she hath none to comfort her: all her friends … “have dealt treacherously with her, they are become her enemies” (Lam, 1:2). Here is prophesied the biggest international double-cross in history! What could more aptly describe conditions in Europe and Latin America today, where “friendly” nations are becoming more bitter …

Can you see what the emergence of a unified, anti·American, European·oriented bloc means? Just this-the United States is going to be left out in the cold as two GIGANTIC TRADE BLOCS, EUROPE and LATIN AMERICA mesh together and begin calling the shots in world commerce. The United States is going to be literally besieged-ECONOMICALLY -frozen Out of world trade’ (Deut. 28:52.) (Hogberg G. New Threat to U.S. In LATIN AMERICA. Plain Truth, May 1962)

Do not be surprised to see issues with Puerto Rico as one day it will try to unite more with Latin America than the USA. While many in Puerto Rico want closer ties to the USA, almost half do not. When the USA is gone, Puerto Rico will feel it has no choice but to link closer with Latin America, Europe, as well as others in the Caribbean.

As an island, Puerto Rico could be considered as a type of sea gate.

We in the Church of God have been teaching for decades that the United Kingdom and USA would ultimately lose many of their sea gates–we believe they were granted possession them because of blessings from God and be would lose them because of blatant disobedience.

Notice a couple of prophetic warnings that are consistent with that:

58 “If you do not carefully observe all the words of this law that are written in this book, that you may fear this glorious and awesome name, THE LORD YOUR GOD, 59 then the Lord will bring upon you and your descendants extraordinary plagues — great and prolonged plagues — and serious and prolonged sicknesses. 60 Moreover He will bring back on you all the diseases of Egypt, of which you were afraid, and they shall cling to you. 61 Also every sickness and every plague, which is not written in this Book of the Law, will the Lord bring upon you until you are destroyed. 62 You shall be left few in number, whereas you were as the stars of heaven in multitude, because you would not obey the voice of the Lord your God. 63 And it shall be, that just as the Lord rejoiced over you to do you good and multiply you, so the Lord will rejoice over you to destroy you and bring you to nothing; and you shall be plucked from off the land which you go to possess. (Deuteronomy 28:58-63)

24 ‘Do not defile yourselves with any of these things; for by all these the nations are defiled, which I am casting out before you. 25 For the land is defiled; therefore I visit the punishment of its iniquity upon it, and the land vomits out its inhabitants. 26 You shall therefore keep My statutes and My judgments, and shall not commit any of these abominations, either any of your own nation or any stranger who dwells among you 27 (for all these abominations the men of the land have done, who were before you, and thus the land is defiled), 28 lest the land vomit you out also when you defile it, as it vomited out the nations that were before you. (Leviticus 18:24-28)

23 ‘And if by these things you are not reformed by Me, but walk contrary to Me, 24 then I also will walk contrary to you, and I will punish you yet seven times for your sins. 25 And I will bring a sword against you that will execute the vengeance of the covenant; when you are gathered together within your cities I will send pestilence among you; and you shall be delivered into the hand of the enemy. (Leviticus 26:23-25)

So, those that were promised blessings were also told that they would be subject to losing those blessings if they disobeyed God. As far as being plucked from the land, see Will the Anglo-Saxon Nations be Divided and Have People Taken as Slaves?

Also consider that for many years, the major sea gates of the world were possessed/controlled by the United States (Panama Canal and certain locations in the Pacific ocean; watch also The Panama Canal and its Impact on Biblical Prophecy) and the British Empire (Straits of Malacca, Singapore, Suez Canal, Bab el Mandeb, Strait of Hormuz, Simon’s Town/Cape of Good Hope, Malta, Gibraltar, Falkland Islands, Barbados, Mauritius, etc.). And while that is no longer the case for many of them, they seem to have been prophesied to be taken away for disobedience as well (c.f. Deuteronomy 28:52)—and certainly these nations have disobeyed the God of Abraham, as well as actually have lost many of those gates. Thus, it seems logical to conclude that the remaining “sea gates” that the UK has, such as Gibraltar and the Falkland Islands, will be separated from UK control. Spain directly, or perhaps, through the EU (or some other European confederation) indirectly, will force out British control over Gibraltar.

The fact of the losses so far of many of the Anglo-American sea gates should show us that various curses have began to hit the Anglo-nations. More will as well until the Anglo nations (including the USA) will be no more. Puerto Rico will one day separate from the USA.

And while my family and I like Puerto Rico, one of my family’s trips to Puerto Rico was a bit rough. Related to that, we put together the following this sermon:

1:12:27

Puerto Rico, Trials, and Triumphs

On September 26, 2021, Bob, Joyce, and David Thiel flew to Puerto Rico to meet with Spanish-speaking supporters of the Continuing Church of God who were gathered together for the Feast of Tabernacles. The Thiels encountered numerous tests and trials there as well as on their return to San Luis Obispo, California. In this sermon, Dr. Thiel mentions specific trials he and his family encountered on that trip including losses of electrical power, automotive failures, airline problems, and more. He also quotes scriptures from the Apostles, Peter, Paul, and James that Christians should expect trials and have the faith to not rebel like the ancient children of Israel did. Vaccine-complaints are discussed in the light of Jesus’ words in Mark 16:15-18 as well as Revelation 3:7. Dr. Thiel discusses some of the steps being taken and planned to reach more Spanish-speaking people. He also quotes Romans 11:25 and discusses the importance of not just being a witness to the world related to the gospel of the Kingdom of God, but also the necessity of the full number of Gentiles being converted before Jesus returns. He also quotes various leaders once in the old Radio/Worldwide Church of God on this topic. Dr. Thiel discusses that God will offer all salvation in this age or the age to come and that Gentiles being called and converted in this age will help the billions that will come up after the second resurrection. Dr. Thiel quotes the Apostle Paul who wrote, “God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.”