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COGwriter

The World Economic Forum (WEF) just concluded its three day ‘Summer Davos’ conference in Dalian, People’s Republic of China, today.

Today the WEF referred to it as “Annual Meeting of the New Champions” (https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2024/06/amnc-2024-day3-what-to-know/).

Here is some information about its goals and what was said:

Klaus Schwab pushes ‘fourth industrial revolution’ at WEF’s ‘Summer Davos’ …

June 27, 2024

World Economic Forum (WEF) founder Klaus Schwab … said that the participants must “force collaboration” in order to drive economic growth and create a more resilient future.

“To drive future economic growth we must embrace innovation and force the collaboration across sectors, regions, nations, and cultures to create a more peaceful, inclusive, sustainable, and resilient future,” said Schwab.

“At this critical juncture the active participation of all stakeholders is essential to ensure a sustainable development path,” he added.

Schwab also mentioned that technologies coming out of the so-called fourth industrial revolution would make the world a better place.

“We are witnessing rapid technological advances with many opportunities, and with artificial intelligence, rapidly transforming our production and our lives,” he said, adding, “Breakthroughs from the fourth industrial revolution provide new opportunities for global prosperity and growth.” …

The WEF strives to be the “leading global institution for public-private collaboration,” which is the fusion of corporation and state, or corporatism. https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/klaus-schwab-pushes-fourth-industrial-revolution-at-wefs-summer-davos-opening/?utm_source=most_recent&utm_campaign=usa

June 26, 2024

The three-day 15th Annual Meeting of the New Champions, also known as the Summer Davos, opened in Dalian on June 25, drawing global attention to China once again. The initial impression from the outside world is one of “unprecedented scale” – this year’s forum has set new records in terms of number of sessions, and guest attendance, with approximately 200 events and nearly 50 meetings livestreamed online. Over 1,700 representatives from more than 100 countries and regions around the world are participating. This highlights the international community’s strong desire to seek opportunities through cooperation, against the backdrop of decoupling and supply chain disruptions challenging the global economy, particularly in high-tech fields. The Summer Davos, dubbed the “flower of technology and innovation” of the summer, has once again built a bridge for mutual achievements between China and the world.

This year’s forum features the theme “Next Frontiers for Growth,” with key topics including exploring paths for cooperation in the current international landscape, the outlook for the Chinese economy, seeking growth amid complex risks, reconfiguring global trade routes, and addressing the fragmentation of the global financial system. From this, it is not difficult to discern the organizers’ intent: to explore paths for cooperation in a world full of uncertainties. On one hand, geopolitical conflicts and regional trade frictions are placing global industrial and supply chains at a disadvantage; on the other hand, emerging economies, represented by China, are playing a crucial role in the global economic landscape. It can be said that this year’s forum theme is particularly relevant to current realities. https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202406/1314836.shtml

What is the “fourth industrial revolution” that the WEF wants to force? Here is some of what the WEF says about it:

Fourth Industrial Revolution

The Fourth Industrial Revolution represents a fundamental change in the way we live, work and relate to one another. It is a new chapter in human development, enabled by extraordinary technology advances commensurate with those of the first, second and third industrial revolutions. These advances are merging the physical, digital and biological worlds in ways that create both huge promise and potential peril. The speed, breadth and depth of this revolution is forcing us to rethink how countries develop, how organisations create value and even what it means to be human. https://www.weforum.org/focus/fourth-industrial-revolution/ accessed 06/27/24

What the WEF keeps pushing are steps towards a one-world government. One that will have more and more controls on humans.

Notice, also, that the WEF is saying that the Fourth Industrial Revolution includes essentially redefining what it means to be human.

Years back, the World Economic Forum (WEF) posted:

The central premise of transhumanism, then, is that biological evolution will eventually be overtaken by advances in genetic, wearable and implantable technologies that artificially expedite the evolutionary process. 04/10/2018 https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/04/transhumanism-advances-in-technology-could-already-put-evolution-into-hyperdrive-but-should-they/

Now, let’s look at the following report related to aspects of that:

Globalist Klaus Schwab made it clear that transhumanism is an integral part of “The Great Reset” when he said that the fourth industrial revolution would “lead to a fusion of our physical, digital and biological identity,” which in his book he clarifies is implantable microchips that can read your thoughts. …

The agenda is primarily based around dismantling the current capitalist system in favor of greater centralized technocrat rule which will lead to lower living standards, less fuel consumption, fewer civil liberties and the accelerated automation of jobs. …

“What the fourth industrial revolution will lead to is a fusion of our physical, digital and biological identity,” Schwab told the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. …

“As capabilities in this area improve, the temptation for law enforcement agencies and courts to use techniques to determine the likelihood of criminal activity, assess guilt or even possibly retrieve memories directly from people’s brains will increase,” writes Schwab.

“Even crossing a national border might one day involve a detailed brain scan to assess an individual’s security risk.”

Schwab also waxes lyrical about the transhumanist utopian dream shared by all elitists which will ultimately lead to the creation of human cyborgs.

“Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies will not stop at becoming part of the physical world around us—they will become part of us,” writes Schwab.

“Indeed, some of us already feel that our smartphones have become an extension of ourselves.

“Today’s external devices — from wearable computers to virtual reality headsets — will almost certainly become implantable in our bodies and brains.” 11/17/20 https://humansbefree.com/2020/11/klaus-schwab-great-reset-implantable-microchips.html

SpaceX and Neuralink founder Elon Musk suggested that in order for humans to stay relevant in the age of AI, we must merge with machines. He’s not alone. … transhumanism, an idea proposed by World Economic Forum (WEF) founder Klaus Schwab in his book, The Fourth Industrial Revolution. In a 2021 interview with 60 Minutes, a prominent WEF member, Yuval Noah Harari, stated: “We will soon have the power to re-engineer our bodies and brains, whether it is with genetic engineering or by directly connecting brains to computers or by creating completely non-organic entities—artificial intelligence (AI)—which is not based at all on the organic body or the organic brain. And these technologies are developing at breakneck speed.” https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesagencycouncil/2022/09/09/communicating-futuristic-concepts-perception-is-everything/?sh=414563aa1e9b

While transhumanism per se is not explicitly mentioned in the Bible, its appearance is consistent with biblical warnings about what will come to pass with the coming 666 beast power (se Revelation 13:15-18).

As far as the transhumanist agenda that the WEF and others have pushed, we have the following related video:

14:48

Transhumanist Religion?

What is transhumanism? Have billionaires and globalists pushed for aspects of it? What about Klaus Schwab and the World Economic Forum? Is it a type of secular religion that wants to move pass limits of the human body and brain? What about the Vatican, Pope Francis, or the Freemasons? Is it a false religion? Did Archbishop Carlo Maira Viganò warn against it? Did Could it involve Artificial Intelligence? Did Ray Kurtzweil and Yuval Noah Harar promote it? Does the Bible warn about aspects of transhumanist or AI? Can transhumanism bring eternal life or is Jesus needed for that? Does the Bible point to world leaders using religion to promote a globalist agenda? Will Europe or Rome be involved? Could the Beast to come feign Roman Catholicism and help try to change it? Are his followers prophesied to betray the city of seven hills/mountains? Steve Dupuie and Dr.Thiel go over these matters.

Here is a link to our video: Transhumanist Religion?

Many are working towards a world of digital controls with artificial religion that will not lead to liberty.

Many, including World Economic Forum (WEF) founder Klaus Schwab, are looking to Artificial Intelligence to improve the human condition. Notice one such report related to him earlier this month:

Top global elite touts ungodly method as way to live forever

June 19, 2024

German economist and World Economic Forum founder Klaus Schwab made waves on social media this week after a leaked video from a September 2022 WEF Young Global Leaders conference showed Schwab telling his audience that merging human beings with technology could be used as a way to circumvent death and live forever.

A well-known proponent of “The Great Reset,” Schwab envisions a future where all of humanity will live under the yolk of a One World Government, where citizens will “own nothing” and “be happy.”

In the video, Schwab touted the benefits of transhumanism to his audience, stating that a person would be able to have a 50-year career through life-extending technologies that includes injections, and the use of avatars in place of a body after it dies.

In a leaked recording of a private WEF Young Global Leaders indoctrination session, Klaus Schwab promises new recruits that their “avatars” will continue to live on after they die, and that their brains “will be replicated through artificial intelligence and algorithms”.

“You… pic.twitter.com/c8qEBctl15

— Wide Awake Media (@wideawake_media) June 12, 2024

“Your avatar will continue to live, and your brain will be replicated through artificial intelligence and algorithms.” Schwab said, adding this could happen within the next 50 years. …

Transhumanism, according to an article by the WEF published in 2018, is a movement wherein advocates believe the human condition can be enhanced by technology in all forms, including genetic engineering, bioengineering, artificial intelligence and molecular nanotechnology. …

Klaus-Gerd Giesen, a professor of political science at Clermont Auvergne University in Clermont-Ferrand, France, … states that transhumanist thought can be broken down into three main underpinnings: 1) humans are fundamentally obsolete, 2) there must be a complete integration between human and machine, and 3) doing this would make human beings transcend humanity itself – essentially enabling a person to become a technological god. …

According to Giesen, a transhumanist’s main goal is undoing the current world order and replacing it completely with a new set of values that would eventually result in a redistribution of wealth and the restructuring of social classes. https://www.wnd.com/2024/06/top-global-elite-touts-ungodly-method-way-live-forever/

Yes, the WEF is promising its false type of liberty and eternal life through its false reset and AI. Here is something that came to my mind from the Apostle Peter:

18 For when they speak great swelling words of emptiness, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through lewdness, the ones who have actually escaped from those who live in error. 19 While they promise them liberty, they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage. (2 Peter 2:18-19)

Many are working towards a world of digital controls with artificial religion that will not lead to liberty.

The type of ‘Great Reset’ that the WEF is promising will bring bondage as it supports many things that will lead to the rise of the Beast of Revelation 13:1-10.

The good news, however, is that the world that the globalists and transhumanists are working on will be replaced by the coming Kingdom of God (cf. Revelation 17:14, 19:1-21).

Consider that the Bible warns:

1 Unless the Lord builds the house,
They labor in vain who build it; (Psalms 127:1)

Yet, groups like the WEF do not want to have the true God involved. Therefore:

28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; (Romans 1:28)

It is not that all the WEF goals are bad, but they are often promoting a lot that is debased and not good.

The Bible shows that a totalitarian government to be ruled by the Beast will be put in place fairly soon–and that is something that the WEF is unknowingly working towards.

While international cooperation can be good, the ONLY real solution for the problems facing humanity are repentance and the good news of the coming Kingdom of God–yet that is NOT something that the WEF and its allies are working towards.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Could God Have a 6,000 Year Plan? What Year Does the 6,000 Years End? Was a 6000 year time allowed for humans to rule followed by a literal thousand year reign of Christ on Earth taught by the early Christians? Does God have 7,000 year plan? What year may the six thousand years of human rule end? When will Jesus return? 2031 or 2025 or? There is also a video titled: When Does the 6000 Years End? 2031? 2035? Here is a link to the article in Spanish: ¿Tiene Dios un plan de 6,000 años?
Lost Tribes and Prophecies: What will happen to Australia, the British Isles, Canada, Europe, New Zealand and the United States of America? Where did those people come from? Can you totally rely on DNA? What about other peoples? Do you really know what will happen to Europe and the English-speaking peoples? What about Africa, Asia, South America, and the Islands? This free online book provides scriptural, scientific, historical references, and commentary to address those matters. Here are links to related sermons: Lost tribes, the Bible, and DNA; Lost tribes, prophecies, and identifications; 11 Tribes, 144,000, and Multitudes; Israel, Jeremiah, Tea Tephi, and British Royalty; Gentile European Beast; Royal Succession, Samaria, and Prophecies; Asia, Islands, Latin America, Africa, and Armageddon;  When Will the End of the Age Come?;  Rise of the Prophesied King of the North; Christian Persecution from the Beast; WWIII and the Coming New World Order; and Woes, WWIV, and the Good News of the Kingdom of God.
Is a Great Reset Coming? Klaus Schwab of the World Economic Forum has proposed a societal change that has been basically endorsed by the Vatican and many world leaders. Does the Bible prophesy a major reset? Here is a link to a related video: Will there be a “Great Reset”?

(CNN press release)

COGwriter

John Whitehead wrote the following:

Electing the Next Dictator: Ugly Truths You Won’t Hear from Trump or Biden

June 26, 2024

“If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.”—George Orwell

No matter what carefully crafted sound bites and political spin get trotted out by Joe Biden and Donald Trump in advance of the 2024 presidential election, you can rest assured that none of the problems that continue to undermine our freedoms will be addressed in any credible, helpful way by either candidate, despite the dire state of our nation. …

Indeed, the 2024 elections will not do much to alter our present course towards a police state.

In the interest of liberty and truth, here are a few uncomfortable truths about life in the American police state that we will not be hearing from either of the two leading presidential candidates.

1. The government is not our friend. Nor does it work for “we the people.” Our so-called government representatives do not actually represent us, the citizenry. We are now ruled by an oligarchic elite of governmental and corporate interests whose main interest is in perpetuating power and control.

2. By gradually whittling away at our freedoms—free speech, assembly, due process, privacy, etc.—the government has, in effect, liberated itself from its contractual agreement to respect our constitutional rights while resetting the calendar back to a time when we had no Bill of Rights to protect us from the long arm of the government. …

5. The U.S. government is spending money it doesn’t have on foreign aid programs it can’t afford, all the while the national debt continues to grow, our domestic infrastructure continues to deteriorate, and our borders continue to be breached. What is going on? It’s obvious that a corporatized, militarized, entrenched global bureaucracy is running the country.

6. Forty years past the time that George Orwell envisioned the stomping boot of Big Brother, the police state is about to pass off the baton to the surveillance state. 1984 has become an operation manual for the omnipresent, modern-day surveillance state.

7. When exposing a crime is treated as committing a crime, you are being ruled by criminals. In the current governmental climate, obeying one’s conscience and speaking truth to the power of the police state can easily render you an “enemy of the state.”…

12. Every U.S. citizen is now guilty until proven innocent.

13. “We the people” are no longer shielded by the rule of law. While the First Amendment—which gives us a voice—is being muzzled, the Fourth Amendment—which protects us from being bullied, badgered, beaten, broken and spied on by government agents—is being disemboweled.

14. Privacy, as we have known it, is dead. Every second of every day, the American people are being spied on by the U.S. government’s vast network of digital Peeping Toms, electronic eavesdroppers and robotic snoops. Government eyes are watching you. …

18. All you need to do in order to be flagged as a suspicious character, labeled an enemy of the state and locked up like a dangerous criminal is use certain trigger words, surf the internet, communicate using a cell phone, drive a car, stay at a hotel, purchase materials at a hardware store, take flying or boating lessons, appear suspicious, question government authority, or generally live in the United States. https://www.blacklistednews.com/article/86067/electing-the-next-dictator-ugly-truths-you-wont-hear-from-trump-or.html

Yes, the US government does spy, freedoms enshrined in the US Constitution have been more and more whittled away, the national debt continues to grow past the point of irresponsibility, and yes we are being spied upon as well as censored.

Before I saw John Whitehead’s article, I planned to post about the following:

U.S. Supreme Court says it’s OK for federal government to outsource online censorship to Big Tech, curtailing free speech of all Americans

June 26, 2024

Today is a dark day for freedom in America.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 Wednesday in Murthy v. Missouri that challengers alleging the Biden regime colluded with social-media companies to remove content the government viewed as unfavorable did not have the legal right to sue. Therefore, the court did not rule on the merits of the case.

The High Court determined neither the Louisiana and Missouri attorneys general nor the five private individuals who brought the lawsuit had standing to seek an injunction against any of the government defendants.

The challengers attributed the restrictions they experienced on social media to the U.S. Surgeon General, the White House Press Secretary and dozens of other Biden administration officials from the White House, FBI, and CDC. They alleged a “coordinated campaign” between the officials and Big Tech companies, such as Facebook, Twitter, and Google, to censor content dealing with opposition to government narratives about COVID-19, the validity of the 2020 election, the Hunter Biden laptop story, abortion, gender discussions, and more.

The Supreme Court noted that while the social media platforms had their own “independent incentives to moderate content,” the government was indeed influential in those choices but rejected the assertion that there was a “concrete link” between the free speech injuries and the government. …

This amounts to a major defeat for free speech. As a result, I lament, it amounts to another nail in the coffin of our constitutional republic. I say that because the government has found an end-run around the Constitution that enables it to shut down the free flow of information in this country, and without vital information flowing to the public, enabling it to make educated electoral decisions, there is no democracy nor is there any constitutionalism. And any government that succeeds in such a devious route toward the trampling of its own Constitution, the very document meant to keep it in check, cannot be called either a democracy or a republic. We now live under a dictatorship. https://leohohmann.com/2024/06/26/u-s-supreme-court-says-its-ok-for-federal-government-to-outsource-online-censorship-to-big-tech-curtailing-free-speech-of-all-americans/

The Supreme Court’s decision is another step in allowing the government to censor–another way it is being enabled to bypass the US Constitution.

By allowing what it has allowed, the US Supreme Court has approved the government lies about COVID, to cite one example. Truthful information that would have saved lives was censored.

That said, three Supreme Court justices did attempt to defend the US Constitution:

June 26, 2024

Conservative Justice Samuel Alito wrote a blistering dissenting opinion, joined by fellow conservative Clarence Thomas and also Neil Gorsuch, who leans libertarian.

“Victims of the campaign perceived by the lower courts brought this action to ensure that the Government did not continue to coerce social media platforms to suppress speech,” Alito began. “All these victims simply wanted to speak out on a question of the utmost public importance.”

“If the lower courts’ assessment of the voluminous record is correct, this is one of the most important free speech cases to reach this Court in years,” Alito declared. “Freedom of speech serves many valuable purposes, but its most important role is protection of speech that is essential to democratic self-government and speech that advances humanity’s store of knowledge, thought, and expression in fields such as science, medicine, history, the social sciences, philosophy, and the arts.”

“Our country’s response to the COVID–19 pandemic was and remains a matter of enormous medical, social, political, geopolitical, and economic importance, and our dedication to a free marketplace of ideas demands that dissenting views on such matters be allowed,” he announced. …

Alito noted. “But we now know that valuable speech was also suppressed. That is what inevitably happens when entry to the marketplace of ideas is restricted.”

“Of course, purely private entities like newspapers are not subject to the First Amendment, and as a result, they may publish or decline to publish whatever they wish,” he acknowledged. “But government officials may not coerce private entities to suppress speech, and that is what happened in this case.”

“The Court, however, shirks that duty and thus permits the successful campaign of coercion in this case to stand as an attractive model for future officials who want to control what the people say, hear, and think,” the dissent continued against the court majority.

“What the officials did in this case was more subtle than the ham-handed censorship found to be unconstitutional in Vullo, but it was no less coercive,” Alito noted …

“What these events show is that top federal officials continuously and persistently hectored Facebook to crack down on what the officials saw as unhelpful social media posts,” Alito went on, “including not only posts that they thought were false or misleading but also stories that they did not claim to be literally false but nevertheless wanted obscured.”

Pivoting to the First Amendment standards at stake, Alito cited precedent, holding that free speech does not allow banning speech “regardless of whether the Government carries out the censorship itself or uses a third party to accomplish what . . . is constitutionally forbidden.’” https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2024/06/26/supreme-court-dismisses-social-media-censorship-case-for-lack-of-standing-alito-issues-blistering-dissent/

But, it was too little. All Supreme Court justices are supposed to defend the US Constitution. But in this case, those who did not outnumbered those who did by 2:1.

As one that was censored by YouTube and Facebook, as well as “shadow banned” by Google (and YouTube), I have understood that freedom of speech, as well as religion, was not something that would be properly allowed in the US when the government had its own views. The Constitution was not just set up for newspapers of Big Tech either, Americans who post online are also a type of the “press” but were censored.

Was loss of free speech and of the press prophesied?

Yes.

The Bible shows more restrictions are coming.

Consider that Jesus said:

4 … the night is coming when no one can work. (John 9:4, NKJV)

4… the night cometh, when no man can work (John 9:4 KJV)

The prophet Amos was inspired to record the following:

The Bible foretells such a time where without something to come, one cannot buy or sell and that one must worship the beast or risk death:

15 He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed. 16 He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, 17 and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

18 Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666. (Revelation 13:15-18)

The above prophecy points to there being the ability to control buying and selling, as well as there being enforcers of the mark of the beast. We are also seeing things like electronic money (including those referred to as digital currencies), which did not exist a century ago, getting more widespread acceptance. Electronic money will make 666’s enforcement possible.

And we see from Bible prophecy that 666’s plan will involve both economic and murderous persecution.

Electronic communications, artificial intelligence, and digital currencies help make 666 enforcement possible.

Related to internet control, the Continuing Church of God has the following video on our Bible News Prophecy YouTube channel:

Internet censorship is happening now! Vimeo even removed one our videos last year.

We also put out the following:

Orwell’s 1984 by 2024?

In 1949, the late George Orwell wrote a disturbing book about a totalitarian government called “nineteen-eighty four.” Despite laws that are supposed to protect freedom of speech and religion, we are seeing governments taking steps consistent with those that Geroge Orwell warned against. We are also seeing this in the media, academia, and in private companies like Google, Facebook, and Twitter. With the advent of technology, totalitarianism beyond what Orwell wrote is possible. Does the Bible teach the coming a totalitarian state similar to George Orwell’s? What about the Antichrist and 666? Will things get worse? What is the solution? Dr. Thiel answers these questions and more. A written article of related interest is titled “Totalitarian controls getting closer–The Guardian pushing internet censorship.”

Do not place your confidence in any governments in this world, but in Jesus and the coming Kingdom of God.

Some items of related interest may include the following:

Preparing for the ‘Short Work’ and The Famine of the Word What is the ‘short work’ of Romans 9:28? Who is preparing for it? Will Philadelphian Christians instruct many in the end times? Here is a link to a related video sermon titled: The Short Work. Here is a link to another: Preparing to Instruct Many.
Orwell’s 1984 by 2024? In 1949, the late George Orwell wrote a disturbing book about a totalitarian government called “nineteen-eighty four.” Despite laws that are supposed to protect freedom of speech and religion, we are seeing governments taking steps consistent with those that Geroge Orwell warned against. We are also seeing this in the media, academia, and in private companies like Google, Facebook, and Twitter. With the advent of technology, totalitarianism beyond what Orwell wrote is possible. Does the Bible teach the coming a totalitarian state similar to George Orwell’s? What about the Antichrist and 666? Will things get worse? What is the solution? Dr. Thiel answers these questions and more in this video.
Persecutions by Church and State This article documents some that have occurred against those associated with the COGs and some prophesied to occur. Will those with the cross be the persecutors or the persecuted–this article has the shocking answer. There are also three video sermons you can watch: Cancel Culture and Christian Persecution, The Coming Persecution of the Church, and Christian Persecution from the Beast. Here is information in the Spanish language: Persecuciones de la Iglesia y el Estado.
Could God Have a 6,000 Year Plan? What Year Does the 6,000 Years End? Was a 6000 year time allowed for humans to rule followed by a literal thousand year reign of Christ on Earth taught by the early Christians? Does God have 7,000 year plan? What year may the six thousand years of human rule end? When will Jesus return? 2031 or 2025 or? There is also a video titled: When Does the 6000 Years End? 2031? 2035? Here is a link to the article in Spanish: ¿Tiene Dios un plan de 6,000 años?
Might the U.S.A. Be Gone in 2028? Could the USA be gone by the end of 2028? There is a tradition attributed to the Hebrew prophet Elijah that humanity had 6,000 years to live before being replaced by God’s Kingdom. There are scriptures, writings in the Talmud, early Christian teachings that support this. Also, even certain Hindu writings support it. Here is a link to a related video: Is the USA prophesied to be destroyed by 2028? In Spanish: Seran los Estados Unidos Destruidos en el 2028?
The Great Tribulation: What Happens First? What events have happened? What are some events that are now happening? And what events need to happen for the Great Tribulation to start? Here is a link to a related sermon video: Counting Down to the Great Tribulation. Here is a video in the Spanish language: Contando los eventos y el inicio de la Gran Tribulación.
When Will the Great Tribulation Begin? 2024, 2025, or 2026? Can the Great Tribulation begin today? What happens before the Great Tribulation in the “beginning of sorrows”? What happens in the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord? Is this the time of the Gentiles? When is the earliest that the Great Tribulation can begin? What is the Day of the Lord? Who are the 144,000? Here is a version of the article in the Spanish language: ¿Puede la Gran Tribulación comenzar en el 2020 o 2021? ¿Es el Tiempo de los Gentiles? A related video is: Great Tribulation: 2026 or 2027? A shorter video is: Tribulation in 2024?
Lost Tribes and Prophecies: What will happen to Australia, the British Isles, Canada, Europe, New Zealand and the United States of America? Where did those people come from? Can you totally rely on DNA? What about other peoples? Do you really know what will happen to Europe and the English-speaking peoples? What about Africa, Asia, South America, and the Islands? This free online book provides scriptural, scientific, historical references, and commentary to address those matters. Here are links to related sermons: Lost tribes, the Bible, and DNA; Lost tribes, prophecies, and identifications; 11 Tribes, 144,000, and Multitudes; Israel, Jeremiah, Tea Tephi, and British Royalty; Gentile European Beast; Royal Succession, Samaria, and Prophecies; Asia, Islands, Latin America, Africa, and Armageddon;  When Will the End of the Age Come?;  Rise of the Prophesied King of the North; Christian Persecution from the Beast; WWIII and the Coming New World Order; and Woes, WWIV, and the Good News of the Kingdom of God.

COGwriter

Scientists have concluded that the universe will continue to expand forever:

A “galactic lens” has revealed that the Universe will probably expand forever. (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-11030889)

The universe ‘will expand forever’, new Nasa study on ‘dark energy’ concludes (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/space/7955379/The-universe-will-expand-forever-new-Nasa-study-on-dark-energy-concludes.html)

Universe ‘will expand forever’ (http://www.brahmand.com/news/Universe-will-expand-forever/4747/3/13.html)

Those of us in the Churches of God have long believed this based not upon telescopic images, but the following scriptures:

7 Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end (Isaiah 9:7).

33 And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end. (Luke 1:33)

The only way for God’s kingdom to continue to increase forever is if the universe expands forever.

Now, this expansion view causes scientists a problem.

Which is?

That it means that the universe had a beginning.  Of course, Bible believers have always know this as the Bible starts out with the following:

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (Genesis 1:1)

Yet, as certain scientists did not want to accept that the universe had a beginning, some instead tended to want to believe a certain type of nonsense called the oscillating universe theory. I always felt that theory violated the known laws of physics and was an attempt by some scientists to try to persuade themselves that the universe had no beginning and that there was no God (for more details, see the article Is God’s Existence Logical?).

This year I watched a couple of documentaries related to dark matter and dark energy. Basically, many scientists say that without them, their explanations of the universe and how it functions are wrong. Then, scientists also admit that dark energy and dark matter may not exist. Hence, the idea that scientists have a better explanation of the origin of the universe than that contained in scripture is based on unproven theory after unproven theory, and many guesses–not actual science.

Furthermore, as far as actual or fake science go, notice a statement from Nobel Prize winner Dr. George Wald, from Harvard University related to the origin of life:

The reasonable view was to believe in spontaneous generation (life from nothing); the only alternative, to believe in a single, primary act of supernatural creation. There is no third position . . . One has only to contemplate the magnitude of this task to concede that the spontaneous generation of a living organism is impossible. (Scott I. The God Solution: Are You Ready? Xlibris Corporation, 2013, p. 41)

Believing something that is impossible is not scientific–accepting evolution as the origin of life is another false religion.

Therefore, the acceptance of a supernatural creation (Genesis 1) is the only scientific option according to statements like the above.

Sadly, scientists are still not generally, publicly ready to embrace the idea of a Creator.

But the fact that they are starting to admit that the universe will expand forever and their explanation for life is impossible, hopefully means that they are distancing themselves away from the oscillating universe theory and the spontaneous evolutionary emergence of life.

And without those theories, they have to admit that the universe had a beginning in a specific point in time and some supernatural being started life. And the Bible is clear about that (Genesis 1:1).

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Is God’s Existence Logical? Is it really logical to believe in God? Yes! Would you like Christian answers to give atheists? This is a free online booklet that deal with improper theories and musings called science related to the origin of the origin of the universe, the origin of life, and evolution. Here is a link to a related sermon: Evolution is NOT the Origin of Life. Two animated videos of related interest are also available: Big Bang: Nothing or Creator? and A Lifegiver or Spontaneous Evolution?
Proof Jesus is the Messiah This free book has over 200 Hebrew prophecies were fulfilled by Jesus. Plus, His arrival was consistent with specific prophecies and even Jewish interpretations of prophecy.
I have made the decision to follow God. Now what? Have you proven all things? Will you hold fast to that which is good? This article will help you do so. Here is a link to a related video: You Want to Follow God? Then Prove the Truth!
How Do I Become a Member of the Continuing Church of God? This article has scriptures, links, and other information for those interested in being part of the CCOG. Here is a link to a related sermonette: 10 Steps to Be a Member of the CCOG. Here is a link in the Spanish language: 10 pasos para ser miembro de la continuación de la Iglesia de Dios.
Does it Make Physical Sense to believe in God? Some say it is not logical to believe in God. Is that true? Here is a link to a YouTube sermon titled Is it logical to believe in God?
Is Evolution Probable or Impossible or Is God’s Existence Logical? Part II This short article clearly answers what ‘pseudo-scientists’ refuse to acknowledge. Here is a link to a YouTube video titled Is There Another View of Evolution? and another titled Quickly Disprove Evolution as the Origin of Life.
How Old is the Earth and How Long Were the Days of Creation? Gap Theory? Does the Bible allow for the creation of the universe and earth billions of years ago? Why do some believe they are no older than 6,000 years old? What is the gap theory? Were the days of creation in Genesis 1:3 through 2:3 24 hours long? Here are links to two sermons: Gap Theory: Doctrine or Modern Heresy? and Genesis, ‘Prehistoric man,’ and the Gap theory. Here is a link to a related article in Spanish: ¿Cuán vieja es la Tierra? ¿Cuán largos fueron los Días de la Creación? ¿Teoría de la brecha?
The MYSTERY of GOD’s PLAN: Why Did God Create Anything? Why Did God Make You? This free online book helps answers some of the biggest questions that human have, including the biblical meaning of life. Here is a link to three related sermons: Mysteries of God’s Plan, Mysteries of Truth, Sin, Rest, Suffering, and God’s Plan, Mystery of Race, and The Mystery of YOU. Here is a link to two videos in Spanish: El Misterio del Plan de Dios and El Misterio de Satanás, el Misterio de la Verdad, el Misterio del Reposo.

COGwriter

The BBC reported the following:

Super-strength opioids spreading across Europe and North America – UN

26 June 2024

The use of nitazenes, a group of drugs which can be more potent than fentanyl, is spreading across Europe and North America, the UN drug agency has warned.

The synthetic opioids have been detected in the UK, US, Slovenia, Estonia, Latvia, Belgium and Canada, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) wrote in its latest World Drug Report.

There has also been an increase in the number of deadly overdoses connected with nitazenes.

The super-strength drugs, of which there are several types, are significantly more potent than heroin. Their emergence has prompted urgent warnings from health agencies around the world.

It follows a ban on poppy cultivation in Afghanistan, which saw opium production drop by 95% in 2022.

It is too early to know what long-term effects this may have on factors such as heroin purity, the UNODC report says, but it will likely lead to heroin users switching to other opioids, which may “lead to an increase in overdoses”. …

Fentanyl, another synthetic opioid, is 50 times more powerful than heroin. Its highly-publicised epidemic in the US contributed to 100,000 deaths in 2022, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

The UNODC’s report states that “illicitly manufactured fentanyls” are still behind “unprecedented number of overdose deaths,” the numbers “may be tapering off.”

Global drug use increased by 20% in the past decade to 292 million users in 2022, the report said.

Cannabis remains the most widely used with 228 million users worldwide. It is followed by:

• Opioids – 60 million
• Amphetamines – 30 million
• Cocaine – 23 million
• Ecstasy – 20 million

Nitazenes are a class of lab-made (synthetic) opioids that may be as powerful or more powerful than fentanyl.⁴  They were developed in research labs in the 1950s as potential pain relievers but never marketed. Nitazenes are most often sold as a white powder or tablets. People may not be aware that they have taken nitazenes, as they may be added to other substances, including fentanyl, heroin, and benzodiazepines.⁵

Nitazenes began to re-emerge in the drug supply in 2019, after the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration banned fentanyl-related substances.^6,7 Researchers and authorities are monitoring nitazenes, including isotonitazene, protonitazene, etonitazene, N-piperidinyl etonitazene, and metonitazene. Many nitazenes are listed as Schedule 1 drugs under the Controlled Substances Act.

Like all opioids, nitazenes can slow breathing, blood pressure, and heart rate to dangerously low levels, potentially contributing to overdose. https://nida.nih.gov/research-topics/emerging-drug-trends#nitazenes

Back in 1976, the old Worldwide Church of God published the following:

Psychoactive Drugs

Technically speaking, a drug is any substance (other than food) that by its chemical nature affects the structure or function of a living organism.

Doctors usually refer to a drug in terms of its ability to treat physical and mental diseases. They stress the therapeutic value. But many laymen now focus on the negative connotations of the word. For them, “drug” has become a four-letter word of the worst kind, an epithet, an obscenity. When used in conversation it provokes strong emotional reactions. It’s a good word to start an argument with, or even a fight.

Medicine and Menace

You encounter a lot of this when discussing drugs. They can relieve pain, prevent infection and save lives. That’s good! But they can also destroy bodily tissue, impair healthy bodily metabolism, enslave by addiction and ultimately kill. That’s bad!

The drug problem would be greatly simplified if drugs were not ambivalent, if they were very selective in their effects. If only drug X eased pain, but was not addicting, if only drug Y helped people relax but didn’t adversely affect the brain or the liver.

But drugs don’t work that way. Rather, their effects are varied and often ambivalent — they have the potential to simultaneously hurt or harm, depending on a number of variables. Because any drug can play both the role of medicine or health menace, any description of its effects is bound to sound like a “that’s-good, that’s-bad” routine.

Morphine presents a good example of a “that’s-good, that’s — bad” story. It came into widespread use as a pain-killer during the American Civil War (1861-65). So effective was it as an analgesic for wounds and amputations that physicians sometimes referred to it as “G.O.M.” — “God’s own medicine.”

That’s good!

But in time morphine was found to be addicting — prolonged use followed by abstinence led to agonizing withdrawal symptoms. “God’s own medicine” turned out to be “the Devil’s own misery.” Hundreds, if not thousands (accurate statistics are hard to come by), of war veterans inadvertently became drug addicts.

That’s bad!

But that’s the nature of opiates. And it illustrates a fundamental principle of pharmacology: any drug can be dangerous depending on the dosage, the duration of use, its purity and many other factors. No drug is completely “safe.”

Recognizing this, the Federal government under the Controlled Substances Act regulates drugs according to their potential for abuse. The drugs are listed in five schedules in descending order of proven abuse potential and current medical usage.

Schedule I lists drugs deemed to have great abuse potential and no legitimate medical use. The score or so drugs on this list include heroin, LSD, mescaline, psilocybin and marijuana.

Schedule II lists drugs with great abuse potential that have legitimate medical uses. Drugs in this list can come under production quotas, and telephone and refillable prescriptions are prohibited. The psychoactive drugs listed here include the opiates such as morphine and synthetic opiates such as methadone and Demeral, certain barbiturates of the short-acting type, methaqualone and amphetamines. Altogether over 1300 drug preparations are listed!

Schedules III, IV and V list drugs with correspondingly less proven abuse potential. The widely used tranquilizers Librium and Valium are in Schedule IV — a classification the manufacturers have protested. Altogether over 3600 drug preparations are covered by these three schedules.

The list is not static. On the basis of new evidence and accumulated experience, drugs are often being added to the list. And drugs already listed are sometimes moved to higher schedules, indicating greater proven abuse potential.

The dual nature of drugs guarantees that the debate over their benefits versus hazards will continue for some time. (Graunke DP. The Dilemma of Drugs. Worldwide Church of God, 1976)

Since that came out in 1976, the opioid and drug crisis has worsened.

The reality is that many have physical and spiritual pain and they reach out to drugs for relief. This tends to be addictive.

The Continuing Church of God (CCOG) put out the following video on our Bible News Prophecy YouTube channel:

13:19

Since 1997, over 700,000 Americans have died related to opioids. What are opioids? What does the National Institute on Drug Abuse teach about them? Why do people use them? Are they effective? Can they be addictive when medically-prescribed? Does the UK have a problem with opioids? Did Great Britain force China to accept opioids in the 19th century? Has pharmaceutical greed been a factor in the opioid crisis? What is the dilemma of drugs? Is switching to non-opioid substances like marijuana the answer? Does the Bible provide insights related to mind altering substances? Dr. Thiel addresses these issues and more. A written article of related interest is available titled “Opioid Crisis Leaves 700,000 Americans Dead.”

Here is a link to the sermonette video: Opioid Crisis.

While the USA is fighting the opioid epidemic, it has also been in the process of increasing its marijuana epidemic, which more and more US states are encouraging.

The Bible teaches:

18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18)

21 For the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty (Proverbs 23:21)

Notice something the Apostle Paul was inspired to write:

19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

Getting stoned with marijuana or opioids is harmful to the body and is not glorifying God.

Mind altering drugs are not the answer.

Truly repenting and turning to the true Jesus and the coming Kingdom of God are.

As far as physical pain goes, let me close by saying that frequently, the cause is something in someone’s diet. Now, while not all are bothered by substances such as caffeine and bovine dairy, some are, and that is something that the medical field rarely diagnoses. There is no money for the pharmaceutical companies when the cause of discomfort is avoiding some substance.

Anyway, the drug situation in the USA is weakening the nation, and it shows no signs of truly changing that for the better.

Pray for God’s kingdom to come.

Some items of possibly related interest may include the following:

The Ten Commandments: The Decalogue, Christianity, and the Beast This is a free draft/unedited pdf book explaining the what the Ten Commandments are, where they came from, how early professors of Christ viewed them, and how various ones, including the Beast of Revelation, will oppose them. A related sermon is titled: The Ten Commandments and the Beast of Revelation.
Marijuana: Should a Christian Get High? There is increasing acceptance of the use of marijuana. How should Christians view this? Here is a related video titled How Should a Christian View Marijuana?
Alcohol: Blessing or Curse? This is an article from the old Good News magazine that attempts to answer this question.
Binge Drinking, Health, and the Bible Many college students and others overindulge in alcohol. Are there health risks? What does the Bible teach? A related video is also available: Binge Drinking and the Bible.
How to Overcome Depression and Discouragement This is an article by Paul Krautmann & John Siston.
The MYSTERY of GOD’s PLAN: Why Did God Create Anything? Why Did God Make You? This free online book helps answers some of the biggest questions that human have, including the biblical meaning of life. Here is a link to three related sermons: Mysteries of God’s Plan, Mysteries of Truth, Sin, Rest, Suffering, and God’s Plan, Mystery of Race, and The Mystery of YOU. Here is a link to two videos in Spanish: El Misterio del Plan de Dios and El Misterio de Satanás, el Misterio de la Verdad, el Misterio del Reposo.
Should Christians Smoke (or Chew) Tobacco or Marijuana?  Is smoking a sin? What does the Bible teach? What have COG leaders written? Can smokers change? What about marijuana? Here is a link to a related video: Should You Smoke? Would You Like Help to Quit?
Real Conversion Many think that they are converted Christians. But are they? Would you like to know more about conversion?
False Conversion! Have you really been converted? Herbert W. Armstrong wrote an article on this important subject–but more scriptures have been added to it. How can you tell false conversion? A related video is also available: False Conversion.
Is God Calling You? This booklet discusses topics including calling, election, and selection. If God is calling you, how will you respond? Here is a link to a related sermon: Could God be Calling You?
Christian Repentance Do you know what repentance is? Is it really necessary for salvation? A related sermon is also available titled: Real Christian Repentance.
Just What Do You Mean — Repentance? Do you know what repentance is? Have you truly repented? Repented of what? Herbert W. Armstrong wrote this as a booklet on this important subject.
The Gospel of the Kingdom of God This free online pdf booklet has answers many questions people have about the Gospel of the Kingdom of God and explains why it is the solution to the issues the world is facing. Here are links to three related sermons: The World’s False Gospel, The Gospel of the Kingdom: From the New and Old Testaments, and The Kingdom of God is the Solution.
USA in Prophecy: The Strongest Fortresses Can you point to scriptures, like Daniel 11:39, that point to the USA in the 21st century? This article does. A related sermon is titled: Do these 7 prophesies point to the end of the USA?
Canada in Prophecy: What Does Bible Prophecy, Catholic Prophecy, and other Predictions Suggest About the Future of Canada? There are prophecies that suggest involvement with Canada. And many are not positive about its future.
Who is the King of the West? Why is there no Final End-Time King of the West in Bible Prophecy? Is the United States the King of the West? Here is a version in the Spanish language: ¿Quién es el Rey del Occidente? ¿Por qué no hay un Rey del Occidente en la profecía del tiempo del fin?

(Picture from Pixabay)

COGwriter

Russia is making more warning comments to Americans as the US continues to send weapons to Ukraine:

‘Retaliatory Measures Will Certainly Follow’: Russian-Owned State News Threatens ‘Americans Have Never Suffered A Full-Scale War On Their Soil. The Bombs Never Fell On Their Heads’

June 25, 2024

Many Americans are waiting to watch the presidential debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden, while others are on pins and needles waiting for some of the most controversial Supreme Court decisions to be released by the end of June.

Still others, not news or political junkies, are likely just trying to survive in an economy that makes it difficult to even feed their families do the 20+% rise in the cost of food products over the last few years. Those are the people that are happy to take a half an hour to watch their local news to see what is happening in their community.

What their local news likely isn’t telling those latter set of Americans, and the national news is spinning like mad, is that U.S. missiles were used by Ukraine, to strike a beach in Sevastopol on Holy Trinity Sunday – one of the most important holidays celebrated by the Russian Orthodox Church.

Because Russia plans “retaliatory measures,” it is important to see how they are perceiving these attacks, using American weaponry, so we’re going to cite The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russia Federation. …

According to the Defense Ministry of Russia, Ukraine used “US ATACMS operational missiles with cluster warheads” for greater kill ability.

“All flight data were entered by US military crews based on US reconnaissance satellite inputs.  A Global Hawk US reconnaissance drone was on duty off Crimea,” the website states.

The fifth paragraph is where we see the direct threat of retaliation where it says “There is no doubt that the United States is involved in this ominous crime.  Washington and its satellites have created and nurtured the neo-Nazi regime in Kiev. They are cherishing and supporting their Ukrainian puppets, using them to wage a war against Russia, and encouraging them to commit acts of international terrorism and kill Russian civilians, including with the use of cluster munitions, one of the most terrible types of inhumane weapons. A response to this crime will inevitably follow.”

While the U.S. will not officially acknowledge we are already at war with Russia, the leadership in Russia knows it.

In another press release from the same day, regarding how the US Ambassador to Russia Lynne Tracy was summoned to the Foreign Ministry, after the Ukrainian/US attack on the beach, they state “Retaliatory measures are certain to follow..” …

Ria Novosti, a Russian state-owned domestic news agency, meaning they can only report what Russian leadership allows, tells the Russian citizenry that “Americans have never suffered a full-scale war on their soil.”

The quote from Ria Novosti below, via War News 24/7:

“The main danger to the whole world is that the Americans have never suffered a full-scale war on their soil. The bombs never fell on their heads, their mothers did not protect their children with their bodies from shrapnel.

This allows them to act like a monkey with a grenade – they have no idea what they will face in the event of a real conflict. But this is the main weakness of their strategy – they do not understand the logic of a major war.

Tens of millions of Americans will likely never see that threat as I have used multiple search engines, using the term “The main danger to the whole world is that the Americans have never suffered a full-scale war on their soil,” directly from the quote, and not one U.S. article came up in the results.

The majority of Americans are clueless because American MSM is keeping them that way deliberately. …

When Russia, and because they have a strong alliance, possibly with China’s help, attacks the U.S., on American soil, those who do not die in the blast, will likely be dead within weeks. …

If one of the weapons used is nuclear, whether we hit first or Russia does matters not, because once the first person uses one, the other countries will as well. https://allnewspipeline.com/Retaliatory_Measures_Will_Certainly_Follow.php

June 25, 2024

A chilling and alarming statement. Sergei Lavrov summoned U.S. Ambassador Lynne Tracy to the Russian Foreign Ministry and delivered a stinging demarche in response to the use of U.S. supplied cluster munitions in the attack on Russian civilians sunbathing on the shores of the Black Sea. Press reports offer this summary of the Russian position:

Washington “has effectively become a party” to the war on Ukraine’s side, the ministry said in a statement, adding, “Retaliatory measures will certainly follow.” It did not elaborate.

But my friend, Alexander Mercouris, provided a more detailed summary of what was said. I have been unable to find a link to what the Russian Foreign Ministry presented to Ambassador Tracy, but Alexander reports that the Russia message included this phrase, “We are no longer at peace.” While stopping short of declaring war, the line between peace and war has been erased. …

Lavrov’s statement is extraordinary. He does not use any diplomatic weasel words. His message is clear — “The U.S. is responsible for this massacre, and they will get an answer.” This stark language that leaves no room for quibbling. In publicizing this message, Putin and Lavrov have closed down diplomatic options and gestures. https://sonar21.com/russia-tells-u-s-ambassador-we-are-no-longer-at-peace/

Are we close to a full-scale nuclear World War III with Russia?

Michael Snyder holds that view. Here is something he posted last year:

As Russia Prepares To Use Tactical Nukes, Millions Don’t Even Realize They Are Going To Die In A Third World War

June 16, 2023

What is it going to take to wake people up?  Russia is deploying tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus, and there is lots of talk in the Russian media about using such weapons to bring a quick end to the war in Ukraine.  The theory is that once the Russians show that they are willing to use tactical nukes, the U.S. and the other western powers will back off.

But that won’t be what happens.  Instead of backing off, the Biden administration will respond by using U.S. tactical nuclear weapons against Russian targets in Ukraine.  And once both sides have used tactical nukes, it is just a matter of time before the big nukes get used.

Both sides just continue to escalate matters over and over again, and even Vladimir Putin is admitting that this could easily cause “a Third World War”…

Putin, speaking at a meeting with Russian war correspondents in Moscow yesterday, said: ‘The United States pretends not to be afraid of an escalation of the conflict in Ukraine, but sane people there clearly do not want to take this to a Third World War.

‘In the event of a Third World War, there will be no winners, including America.’ …

And importantly, he emphasized that “Direct intervention by NATO’s European armies will not change the outcome. But in this case, the fire of war will engulf the whole of Europe. It looks like the US is ready for that too.”

Did you catch that last part?

Even if NATO forces directly intervene in Ukraine, Putin says that “will not change the outcome”.

He is not going to back down, and he is not bluffing. …

How does this end?

It has become clear that neither side is going to back down. And if push comes to shove, the Russians will definitely use nukes. …

If the small nukes get used, the big nukes will get used.

And if the big nukes get used, millions of you are going to die. https://conservativeplaybook.com/2023/06/16/as-russia-prepares-to-use-tactical-nukes-millions-dont-even-realize-they-are-going-to-die-in-a-third-world-war/

Notice some concerns about what would happen if there actually was a massive nuclear war:

WW3 of ‘immense fireball’ warheads could plunge world into long, dark ‘nuclear winter’

With Russian president Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and North Korean supreme leader Kim Jong-un’s continued penchant for missile launching, the threat of World War Three often seems scarily real.

And, with both regularly keen to flex their atomic potential, the menace of nuclear warfare is becoming a constant cause for concern too.

Should that ever happen, then the implications for the whole planet would be disastrous, with scientific research, dating back almost 40 years, suggesting our world would be plunged into a long, dark and cold nuclear winter. …

Much of the planet’s animal life and vegetation, meanwhile, would be destroyed, as per the scientific research into the ramifications of semi-darkness, deep frosts, subfreezing temperatures and rocketing radiation levels.

The large-scale destruction of food supplies and crops, as well as industrial, medical, and transportation infrastructures, would also, it is forecast, trigger a horrific death toll from starvation, exposure, and disease, with the global population plummeting in numbers. 01/26/23 https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/world-news/ww3-immense-fireball-warheads-could-29053460

Now, the above is basically true. A massive nuclear war would be very damaging and destructive.

Jesus warned of “wars and rumors of war” (Matthew 24:6). That is consistent with what we have been seeing between Russia and Ukraine. And that conflict is not WWIII.

Russia is angry at the USA and others for sanctions as well as for sending massive amounts of increasingly sophisticated arms to Ukraine.

Various ones in the USA and elsewhere fear the possibility of World War III with Russia.

Yet, Russia and the USA are not about to get into a war to try to militarily destroy each other because of Ukraine. There could be more sanctions, cyber matters, and skirmishes, but no, not a battle over Ukraine with each nation aggressively trying to destroy the other with all their nukes. The USA and Russia possess enough weapons of mass destruction that they could, in theory, destroy the whole world if they got in a large enough battle.

Despite the view of various Protestant prophecy watchers and certain others, the USA is not prophesied to be destroyed by Russia.

However, I do feel that Russia will assist the coming Beast power, who will destroy the USA (cf. Daniel 11:39). And the US keeps taking steps that Russia will remember and retaliate to when it feels the time is right.

Below is something that the late Pastor General of the old Worldwide Church of God, Herbert W. Armstrong, wrote decades ago, during the time of the old Soviet Union, in an article titled Why Russia Will Not Attack the United States:

For decades now, the prospect of war between Russia and the United States has continually heightened and lessened.

Many who claim to be authorities on prophecy assure people a war involving Russia and the United States, Canada and England is prophesied in Ezekiel 38.

The United States, Britain and other democracies of north-western Europe, they recognize, are nations descended from the lost Ten Tribes. Therefore, they conclude, the prophecy of Ezekiel 38 foretells a military invasion of the North American continent from the Soviet Union. But this is not what prophecy says…

But this very fact – that this invasion will not come until after the Second Coming of Christ – will seem preposterous to many, at first thought.

That is because we have been accustomed merely to assume things that are not true. We have blindly assumed that when Christ comes, there will be no opposition. Every person and power on earth, we have thought, will simply submit meekly and instantly to him and his power. But that is not true!

Some gentile nations understandably shall not submit until forced to. The final restoration of the Roman Empire shall be subdued and conquered at a battle commonly called “Armageddon.” But the populous nations of Eurasia that the Almighty God up to this point has not dealt with shall still have to be brought to submission.

“Gog” Identified“Gog in the land of “Magog” is the vast regions of the U.S.S.R. in northern Eurasia extending from the Baltic to the Pacific. “Meshech” is Moscow, “Tubal” is Tobol’sk.

Notice the allies who come with them in this future battle. You will find “Gomer” “Togarmah,” “Magog,” “Meshech” “Tubal” identified in Genesis 10 as the sons of Japheth, father of the Eurasians. Ethiopia and Phut (mistranslated Libya) are descended from Ham.

Therefore, this prophecy of Ezekiel 38 shows who shall finally succeed in marshaling peoples of each major race into a gigantic invasion upon our people.

When God begins to rule the world, through Christ – with His chosen people restored to prosperity in the land of Israel, the very center of the land surface of the earth (verse 12, Moffatt translation) – this, great Eurasian union of nations shall finally be tempted to use their mighty air force. (Armstrong HW. Why Russia Will Not Attack the United States, article).

Some Bible scholars assert falsely that these prophecies of Ezekiel were fulfilled anciently. They never were. Others believe they are about to occur but some years before Armageddon. Both views are erroneous. The events of Ezekiel 38 and 39 are without question still future – for the “latter days” (38: 16) and “latter years” (38:8). Moreover, Ezekiel 38:14 describes the time setting as being “in that day when my people of Israel dwelleth safely.” This is certainly not the situation in the State of Israel to- day! The Israel described by Ezekiel is a nation that dwells in security, in unwalled villages, totally unprepared for war (38:8, 11, 14). Read it for yourself! (Why Russia Will Not Attack the United States. WCG booklet)

Ezekiel 38 is for the distant future–after the millennium (cf. Revelation 20:7-9; see also Ezekiel 38: For Russia & Iran in Our Day?; a related video is also available titled Ezekiel 38: For Russia, Ukraine, & Iran Now?).

Yet, none of this means that there cannot be military conflict between the USA and Russia now (and there may be some).

Furthermore, what Russia is doing is leading to WWIII, but just in a way many have not realized.

Over 43 years ago, the Pastor General of the old Worldwide Church of God, the late Herbert W. Armstrong, wrote:

What Russia is doing will be the spark to bring the heads of nations in Europe together with the Vatican to form a “United Nations of Europe.” The politicians cannot do this by themselves. Only with the collaboration of the Pope can they do it.

Russia will move slowly—but will keep moving! Other nations and events will move FASTER! (Armstrong HW. Co-worker Letter, January 23, 1980)

Russia has been planning to make moves related to Ukraine for years.

What has been happening in Ukraine has been a wake-up call for the Europeans as well as Russia itself from an economic perspective.

Russia sees US sanctions as related to it and others causing problems. Partially because of that, as well as US debt, Russia is taking many non-military steps. Related to that, the Continuing Church of God is put out the following video on our Bible New Prophecy YouTube channel:

14:37

America’s Collapse and Russia’s Preparations

For the first time ever, the USA is no longer listed in the top ten nations when it comes to global competitiveness. Reasons include lack of social cohesiveness, a polarized political landscape, a slow-moving legislative process, debt, sanctions policies, and immorality. While US President Barack Obama had very cordial relations with Russia in late 2012, that changed afterwards after then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton tried to push aspects of the LGBTQ+ agenda on Russia. After Russia’s Sergey Lavrov would not accept such interference in its internal affairs, the USA turned against Russia in many ways. The Washington Post, New York Times, and Wall Street Journal reported that the USA, through its Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), supported the anti-Russian forces in Ukraine against its pro-Russian president in 2014 and supported assassinations, Neo-Nazi Ukrainians, and paramilitary actions against pro-Russian Ukrainians thereafter. Because of USA actions, Russian President Vladimir Putin began a series of actions, starting with the formation of the Eurasian Economic Union, and then more involving the BRICS nations to separate Russia from the West. He also moved towards dedollarization and the accumulation of gold as he and other Russian leaders see that the USA is setting itself up for collapse because of its bullying tactics, increasing debt, and various monetary policies. Some assert that Russia will be in the best position when America collapses. Steps away from the petrodollar by Saudi Arabia and others are putting the US dollar at greater risk for collapse. Is the USA’s reliance and promotion of oppression and perversity prophesied factors in its coming destruction? Dr. Thiel and Steve Dupuie discuss these matters and more.

Here is a link to our video: America’s Collapse and Russia’s Preparations.

Russia’s military moves, however, have been motivating European nations to spend more on military matters.

Europe will become a militarily successful power (cf. Revelation 13:3-4), with a great army (Daniel 11:25), and many ships (Daniel 11:40)–and I believe Russia, for a time, will cooperate with Europe against the US.

The Bible, Revelation 13, tells of the Beast power having seven heads and ten horns:

1 Then I stood on the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name. 2 Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority. (Revelation 13:1-2)

The sea that this is referring to is the Mediterranean sea as passages in the Old Testament demonstrate (Daniel 7:2-3; Numbers 34:6-7; Joshua 1:4; 9:1; 23:4; Ezekiel 47:13-16; watch also Can You Prove that the Beast to Come is European?).

The Beast power to come will be European.

The Europeans are arming and uniting more because of Russia’s conflict. In 2022, Germany’s Chancellor Scholtz pushed to increase its military spending to a level even much higher than Russia–for more details, watch: Is the European Beast Growing Horns?

There has been more unity in Europe–less want to leave the EU–and more are supporting increased military spending. Russia’s ‘special military operation’ into Ukraine and the devastation Ukraine has faced has persuaded more in Europe that they are better off united and not separate–Ukraine was not, and is not, a member of the European Union.

The arming and semi-unity by the Europeans will lead to WWIII!

This will be the end of the USA and its British-descended allies consistent with Daniel 11:39.

The above destruction is from a European power, called the King of the North, which borders the Great Sea (Daniel 7), not Russia that does not.

As far as the use of nuclear weapons, here was Herbert W. Armstrong’s position:

What is this abomination? This refers to Daniel 11:31 and Matthew 24:15…That will be a time when the UNITED Europe shall appear–the revival of the medieval “Holy Roman Empire.” We shall then be warned, and readied to be taken to a place of refuge and safety from the Great Tribulation. Forty-five days later “the beasts armies” will surround Jerusalem. Thirty days later the Great Tribulation will probably start with a nuclear attack on London and Britain–and possibly the same day or immediately after, on the United States and Canadian cities. The GREAT TRIBULATION, we shall fully then realize, is the time of “Jacob’s Trouble,” spoken of in Jeremiah 30:7. And Jacob’s name was named on Joseph’s sons, Ephraim and Manasseh (Gen. 48:16). At that time a third of the people in our nations will die, or shall have died, by famine and disease epidemics; another third will dies of the war–our cities being destroyed (Ezek. 6:6), and the remaining third will be carried to the land of our enemies as slaves (Ezek. 5:12). (Armstrong HW. The Time We Are In, Now. Pastor General’s Report-Vol 1, No. 15, November 20, 1979, Page 2).

The Bible states:

33 I will scatter you among the nations and draw out a sword after you; your land shall be desolate and your cities waste (Leviticus 26:33).

Nuclear and other high-tech weapons (as well as EMP, electromagnetic pulse, bombs), as well as devastating solar flares, are ways to make land desolate and modern cities waste (for more on EMP-weapons and solar flares see Nuclear EMP Attack on UK Called ‘Quite Likely’).

Events that resemble nuclear or similar devastation are part of the prophesied curses mentioned in the Bible:

23 ‘The whole land is brimstone, salt, and burning (Deuteronomy 29:23).

19 Through the wrath of the LORD of hosts
The land is burned up,
And the people shall be as fuel for the fire; No man shall spare his brother.
20 And he shall snatch on the right hand
And be hungry;
He shall devour on the left hand
And not be satisfied; Every man shall eat the flesh of his own arm. 21 Manasseh shall devour Ephraim, and Ephraim Manasseh; Together they shall be against Judah (Isaiah 9:19-21).

6 In all your dwelling places the cities shall be laid waste (Ezekiel 6:6).

Yes, devastation from some type of weapons of mass destruction (which do not have to be nuclear) will come–and Europe will lead this.

Though Europe will triumph for a time (Revelation 13:3-4; Daniel 11:39-43), prophecies also show matters will not end well for Europe itself (cf. Daniel 11:44-45; Revelation 17:14)–and Russia will be involved (watch also Russia, Ukraine, Babylonian Europe, and Prophecy).

Europe will one day be destroyed by a Russian-led force.

The old Worldwide Church of God published the following about the fate of a coming European power:

This European power will eventually establish its capital and religious headquarters at Jerusalem (Dan. 11 :45) Daniel says that this European conqueror will become troubled by “tidings out of the east and out of the north” (11 :44) . There can be little doubt about the source of the beast‘s trouble. East and north of Palestine are Russia, China and other nations of the vast Asian con-continent. (Why Russia Will Not Attack the United States. WCG booklet)

Although there is not about to be a massive nuclear war between Russia on the USA, Europe one day, is prophesied to be destroyed by a Russian-led force:

8 “Move from the midst of Babylon,
Go out of the land of the Chaldeans;
And be like the rams before the flocks.

9 For behold, I will raise and cause to come up against Babylon
An assembly of great nations from the north country,
And they shall array themselves against her;
From there she shall be captured.
Their arrows shall be like those of an expert warrior;
None shall return in vain. (Jeremiah 50:8-9)

Lasting safety is not to found in military alliances, but in God:

3 Do not put your trust in princes,
Nor in a son of man, in whom there is no help.
4 His spirit departs, he returns to his earth;
In that very day his plans perish.

5 Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help,
Whose hope is in the Lord his God,
6 Who made heaven and earth,
The sea, and all that is in them;
Who keeps truth forever,
7 Who executes justice for the oppressed,
Who gives food to the hungry.
The Lord gives freedom to the prisoners. (Psalms 146:3-7)

In this time of wars and rumors of war, put your total trust in God.

Jesus said:

36 Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man. (Luke 21:36)

He also said to pray for God’s Kingdom to come.

Remember to regularly do so.

We also have a video related to Russia, nukes, and WWIII:

15:31 

Nuclear WWIII from Russia?

Are we close to a nuclear third world war? Is Russia’s ‘special military operation’ in Ukraine the start of WWIII? what did Ukrainan Defense Minister Guido Crosetto say related to WWIII? Does Ezekiel 38 involves Russia? Are certain Protestant writers correct that it is for our day and that Russia will launch a massive nuclear attack against the USA? Did Herbert W. Armstrong say that Russia would not attack the USA? Is a direct military skirmish between the USA and Russia possible? If the Bible does discuss the destruction of the USA, is this from a power that borders the Mediterranean sea according to biblical prophecies in the books of Revelation and Daniel? Why has the military devastation in Ukraine been a “wake-up call” for Europe? Has Europe been taking military steps? Is Europe prophesied to dominate the world? Are there biblical prophecies pointing to Europe being attacked by Russia? Does the Bible describe anything that sounds like nuclear devastation? Steve Dupuie and Dr. Thiel address these matters.

Here is a link to the video: Nuclear WWIII from Russia?

That said, there will be devastation coming to the US. But, also to its British-descended allies like Canada and the United Kingdom.

Kenya tax protester in Nairobi
(Photo by By Xwaxes  via Wikipedia)

COGwriter

Kenyans have been protesting a new tax bill in Nairobi and elsewhere:

Multiple deaths reported as police clash with anti-tax protesters in Kenya

The protesters are rallying against proposed tax hikes.

June 25, 2024

 Police allegedly fired live ammunition at anti-government protesters in Kenya‘s capital on Tuesday, as thousands of people demonstrated against proposed tax hikes in the East African nation.

At least five people were shot dead during Tuesday’s clashes between police and protesters in Nairobi, according to Amnesty International. Another 31 people were injured, the organization said. There were also 52 arrests, per Amnesty International.

Images and videos circulating online purportedly show several protesters with bullet wounds in the Kenyan capital. …

Scores of protesters were seen breaching the complex housing Kenya’s Parliament, where lawmakers had just voted to approve a contentious finance bill that raises some taxes. A section of the building was set on fire, forcing lawmakers to evacuate. …

The demonstrations have also been taking place nationwide, including in Kenyan President William Ruto’s hometown of Eldoret.

At least 12 people have been allegedly abducted or have forcibly disappeared in connection to the ongoing protests, according to Kenya’s Police Reforms Working Group. The abductions reportedly occurred over the past five days, intensifying on Monday. In a statement posted on X, Kenyan Chief Justice Martha Koome said the reports of protesters being abducted are of “deep concern” and a “direct assault on the rule of law.” https://abcnews.go.com/International/kenya-tax-protests-nairobi/story?id=111399590

Tax protests were a factor that led to the formation of the United States of America centuries ago.

Here is an update on the number of deaths and a change related to that bill:

26 June 2024

At least 22 people were killed during anti-government protests in Kenya on Tuesday, according to a doctors’ association. Protesters have called for peaceful protests to continue on Thursday. DW has more.

• Police fire blanks to disperse crowds overnight …

Kenya’s state-backed rights body announced the death of 22 protesters killed during Tuesday’s rallies, while the Kenya Medical Association put the death toll at 23.

Some 30 others were being treated for bullet wounds sustained during the nationwide protests, the association said.

Roseline Odede, chairwoman of the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights, said that 19 people had died in the capital, Nairobi, where police opened fire at demonstrators who stormed parliament.

She vowed the commission would launch an inquiry, describing the toll as “the largest number of deaths [in] a single day protest.” https://www.dw.com/en/kenya-updates-calls-for-new-protests-as-death-roll-rises/live-69476806

June 26 (Reuters) – Kenya’s President William Ruto on Wednesday declined to sign a highly contentious finance bill that has sparked nationwide deadly protests, and has sent it back to parliament for amendments, Kenya’s Star newspaper and KTN News reported. https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/kenyas-ruto-rejects-tax-bill-returns-it-parliament-local-media-reports-2024-06-26/

So, after the death the bill has at least been delayed.

There are also other protests in other parts of the world:

Police patrols increased after protesters clash outside Los Angeles synagogue

June 24, 2024

Police are stepping up patrols outside a synagogue that was an epicenter for protests that turned physical in West Los Angeles over the weekend.

Pro-Palestinian and Pro-Israeli demonstrators clashed Sunday outside Adas Torah synagogue, an Orthodox shul, in the Pico-Robertson neighborhood, which police said resulted in two reports of battery. …

Officials said police are increasing patrols at the synagogue and other religious institutions in the area.

Protesters were met Sunday with counterdemonstrators, some carrying Israeli flags, and several scuffles occurred throughout the neighborhood, NBC Los Angeles reported.

“One person just boom, straight to my nose,” Nafoli Sherman told NBC Los Angeles. “I fell to the floor. I got hit many times on my head. I got kicked over here.”

There were reports of people throwing punches and using protest signs as weapons. One person who was accused of carrying a spiked post was arrested, according to police, who added that the person was cited at the West Los Angeles station and released. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/police-patrols-increased-protesters-clash-los-angeles-synagogue-rcna158671

‘We are protesting both of them.’ Presidential debate draws activists’ ire

June 25, 2024

With all eyes on Atlanta on Thursday as President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump meet for the first presidential debate of the campaign season, some activists plan to assemble in support of the cause they champion — and against both of the candidates.

Opponents of Atlanta’s planned public safety training center and the ongoing Israel-Hamas war have announced plans to protest ahead of the debate at CNN. https://www.ajc.com/politics/activists-are-planning-protests-ahead-of-the-atlanta-presidential-debates/4EL22U6YJVCVVBKL4YCKKCK5BU/

Activists, including a volunteer from the group CODEPINK, assembled outside the home of CNN anchor Jake Tapper last week, demonstrating over his coverage of the Israel-Hamas war.

Video of the incident circulated on X, formerly known as Twitter, beginning on Friday, showing demonstrators standing on the street and shouting outside the home. CODEPINK did not formally organize the protest.

One protester, holding a bullhorn, claimed Tapper had “spewed Israeli propaganda.” The group of activists also criticized him for not referring to the deaths of civilians in Gaza as a “genocide.” https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2024/06/23/protest-jake-tapper-home-children-israel-hamas/74186241007/

Protests in various places seem to have intensified over the last year or so.

Of course, protests are not new. Here is something from the old Radio Church of God, many decades ago, written by the late Garner Ted Armstrong:

“POLICE BRUTALITY!” “Poverty!” “Unequal opportunity!” “Illiteracy!” “Poor housing!” “Police Chief Parkerl” These are hurled back and forth as causes of the race riots in Los Angeles. Read, in this article, the REAL cause, and the powder keg of violence that could explode where YOU live! …

The cause: HUMAN NATURE. And remember, once again, just what IS human nature ! Human nature is a mixture of vanity, jealousy, lust and greed. Jeremiah was inspired to write, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it” (Jer. 17:9) .

James said it is the NATURE of man to rebel, to riot, to fight wars! ” From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not , because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts” (Jas. 4:1-3).

The Bible is the book about human nature. It explains what human nature really IS, how it is hostile and angry toward law. The apostle Paul said, “Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be!” (Rom. 8 :7.) And the lusts, jealousies, resentments and frustrations of human nature are not limited to anyone race. But they are most assuredly aggravated by race hatred. …

Racial tensions in the United States are being aggravated during these modern times, not quieted. Bigotry and bias are INCREASING, not decreasing. …

The plain truth of the matter is that the family is breaking down and disintegrating among all racial communities, around the world!

And remember , too, that Almighty God seriously indicts His people ISRAEL, more than any others for this breakdown in the family! He said, through Isaiah , “As for MY people [and he was referring to the House of Israel !], children are their oppressors, and women rule over them, o my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths” (Isa. 3:12). ..broken homes-that is, homes in which one or the other parent is absent! And what effect would this have on the morals, the character, the education, the economic status of all these children?

The Watts riot is one resounding answer! …

Whether we like to believe it or not, your Bible prophesies we are headed for some of the bloodiest riots, mass uprisings, and rampant crime in our big cities that this world has ever seen! …

To a certain degree, the only reason THOUSANDS more humans do not openly steal, rob, burn or kill is the FEAR OF REPRISAL! They fear being CAUGHT at it. But when it seems EVERYONE ELSE is suddenly defying the l aw, it’s much easier for many people who normally might not steal to suddenly give vent to their inherent nature! …

Human nature IS hate, animosity toward authority, jealousy, vanity , lust and greed! Human nature IS intolerant. It is biased! It is filled with SELF , and terribly bigoted! And human nature is not limit ed to one race!

Dr . Robert M. Page once said, “So long as we have human nature, we shall have war.”

But God’s Word revealed the basic truth of that statement centuries before. James asks, “From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence , even of your lusts that war in your members? Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts” (Jas. 4 : 1-3). …

When a white man murders, he is a white murderer. And when a black man murders, he is a black murderer. The color of a man’s skin is only one more description of him as a person, as a human being- like his height, weight, shape, place of birth or age. But whether he is white or black, red, pink, polka dotted or blue-if he breaks the law, if he resists arrest, if he loots, robs, kills or steals, then he is guilty of LAWBREAKING-NOT “guilty” merely because he is a member of one race or another.  (Armstrong GT. The RACE RIOTS of the FUTURE! Plain Truth, October 1965)

Many situations discussed in the above article are much worse now.

Now, let me say that, yes, police brutality exists.

People are supposed to love one another.

But many do not understand how God views race–for details, check out the online sermon: Race and Grace; Do you view race as God does?

As far as riots go, they are expected. Notice the following prophecy:

25 There shall be terror within (Deuteronomy 32:25)

We are seeing more and more of that in the USA.

As far as violence go, notice the following from prophetic writings:

23 ‘Make a chain,
For the land is filled with crimes of blood,
And the city is full of violence.
24 Therefore I will bring the worst of the Gentiles,
And they will possess their houses;
I will cause the pomp of the strong to cease,
And their holy places shall be defiled. (Ezekiel 7:23-24)

13 … evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. (2 Timothy 3:13)

While there can be a time for protests (cf. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8), the results of many protests are not good.

Violent protests are not the answer to what ails the world.

The Kingdom of God is the Solution.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

God’s Grace is For All Is being Jewish a hindrance to salvation? What about not being a descendant of Israel? What does the Bible really teach? Here is a link to a related sermon titled Race and Grace; Do you view race as God does? Watch also Mystery of Race.
Taxes What caused the descendants of Israel to pay taxes? Should Christians pay taxes? If you prefer, or additionally, you could watch the video Should Christians Pay Taxes?
24 items to prophetically watch in 2024 Much is happening. Dr. Thiel points to 24 items to watch (cf. Mark 13:37) in this article. Here is a link to a related video: 24 Items to Prophetically Watch in 2024. Here is a link to related video in the Spanish language titled 24 Cosas a tener en cuenta en 2024: https://youtu.be/6f7oqEhjhbg
The Gospel of the Kingdom of God This free online pdf booklet has answers many questions people have about the Gospel of the Kingdom of God and explains why it is the solution to the issues the world is facing. It is available inover 1,000 languages at ccog.org. Here are links to four kingdom-related sermons:  The Fantastic Gospel of the Kingdom of God!, The World’s False Gospel, The Gospel of the Kingdom: From the New and Old Testaments, and The Kingdom of God is the Solution.
Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse What do each of the four horseman of the Apocalypse represent? Have they began their ride? Did Jesus discuss the any of this? Might their rides coincide with the “beginning of sorrows? Do they start their ride prior to the Great Tribulation? Did Nostradamus or any other ‘private prophets’ write predictions that may mislead people so that they may not understand the truth of one or more of the four horseman? There is also a related YouTube video titled Sorrows and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Here are links to shorter videos: These Signs of the 4 Horsemen Have Begun and Biological Weapons and the 4th Horseman of the Apocalypse.
USA in Prophecy: The Strongest Fortresses Can you point to scriptures, like Daniel 11:39, that point to the USA in the 21st century? This article does. A related sermon is titled: Do these 7 prophesies point to the end of the USA?
Who is the King of the West? Why is there no Final End-Time King of the West in Bible Prophecy? Is the United States the King of the West? Here is a version in the Spanish language: ¿Quién es el Rey del Occidente? ¿Por qué no hay un Rey del Occidente en la profecía del tiempo del fin? A related sermon is also available: The Bible, the USA, and the King of the West.
Is God Calling You? This booklet discusses topics including calling, election, and selection. If God is calling you, how will you respond? Here is are links to related sermons: Christian Election: Is God Calling YOU? and Predestination and Your Selection; here is a message in Spanish: Me Está Llamando Dios Hoy? A short animation is also available: Is God Calling You?
Christian Repentance Do you know what repentance is? Is it really necessary for salvation? Two related sermons about this are also available: Real Repentance and Real Christian Repentance.
About Baptism Should you be baptized? Could baptism be necessary for salvation? Who should baptize and how should it be done? Here is a link to a related sermon: Let’s Talk About Baptism and Baptism, Infants, Fire, & the Second Death.
Lost Tribes and Prophecies: What will happen to Australia, the British Isles, Canada, Europe, New Zealand and the United States of America? Where did those people come from? Can you totally rely on DNA? Do you really know what will happen to Europe and the English-speaking peoples? What about the peoples of Africa, Asia, South America, and the islands? This free online book provides scriptural, scientific, historical references, and commentary to address those matters. Here are links to related sermons: Lost tribes, the Bible, and DNA; Lost tribes, prophecies, and identifications; 11 Tribes, 144,000, and Multitudes; Israel, Jeremiah, Tea Tephi, and British Royalty; Gentile European Beast; Royal Succession, Samaria, and Prophecies; Asia, Islands, Latin America, Africa, and Armageddon;  When Will the End of the Age Come?;  Rise of the Prophesied King of the North; Christian Persecution from the Beast; WWIII and the Coming New World Order; and Woes, WWIV, and the Good News of the Kingdom of God.

Human brain organoids (NAID, via Wikipedia)

COGwriter

Microsoft Network reported the following:

16 lab-grown brains run world’s first ‘living computer’ in Switzerland

Swiss technology firm Final Spark has successfully launched Neuroplatform, the world’s first bioprocessing platform where human brain organoids (lab-grown miniaturized versions of organs) perform computational tasks instead of silicon chips.

The first such facility hosts the processing prowess of 16 brain organoids, which the company claims uses a million times less power than their silicon counterparts. …

Replacing silicon chips with bioprocessors could lead to drastic energy savings. Final Spark allows research labs to experience the power of biological processors on the Neuroplatform.  …

Final Spark has made working these varied components possible through an innovative setup called Multi-Electrode Arrays (MEAs), where the three-dimensional masses of brain tissue are placed.

Each MEA has four brain organoids that interface with eight electrodes. These electrodes perform the dual role of stimulating the organoids and recording the data they process. 4w (date not listed, but accessed 06/25/24) https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/16-lab-grown-brains-run-world-s-first-living-computer-in-switzerland/ar-BB1ncgwI

So, now they have a computer brain that is part human brain!

The Bible warns:

10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, (1 Timothy 6:10a)

Do not be deceived–there are ethical ways to save energy that do not require blending human brains with electronics.

Notice the following involving lovers of money and Jesus:

14 Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, also heard all these things, and they derided Him. 15 And He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God. (Luke 16:14-15)

Yes, the scientists putting together this abomination are highly esteemed.

Having human brain cells merged with electronics to run computers is not a smart thing to do:

22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, (Romans 1:22)

The Apostle Paul warned about those that do not want to retain God in their knowledge would become inventors evil things:

28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; 29 being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, 30 backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, (Romans 1:28-30)

Here is something posted at Frontiers in Artificial Intelligence about this “breakthrough”:

Wetware computing and organoid intelligence is an emerging research field at the intersection of electrophysiology and artificial intelligence. The core concept involves using living neurons to perform computations, similar to how Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) are used today. However, unlike ANNs, where updating digital tensors (weights) can instantly modify network responses, entirely new methods must be developed for neural networks using biological neurons. Discovering these methods is challenging and requires a system capable of conducting numerous experiments, ideally accessible to researchers worldwide. For this reason, we developed a hardware and software system that allows for electrophysiological experiments on an unmatched scale. The Neuroplatform enables researchers to run experiments on neural organoids with a lifetime of even more than 100 days. To do so, we streamlined the experimental process to quickly produce new organoids, monitor action potentials 24/7, and provide electrical stimulations. We also designed a microfluidic system that allows for fully automated medium flow and change, thus reducing the disruptions by physical interventions in the incubator and ensuring stable environmental conditions. Over the past three years, the Neuroplatform was utilized with over 1,000 brain organoids, enabling the collection of more than 18 terabytes of data. A dedicated Application Programming Interface (API) has been developed to conduct remote research directly via our Python library or using interactive compute such as Jupyter Notebooks. In addition to electrophysiological operations, our API also controls pumps, digital cameras and UV lights for molecule uncaging. This allows for the execution of complex 24/7 experiments, including closed-loop strategies and processing using the latest deep learning or reinforcement learning libraries. Furthermore, the infrastructure supports entirely remote use. Currently in 2024, the system is freely available for research purposes, and numerous research groups have begun using it for their experiments. This article outlines the system’s architecture and provides specific examples of experiments and results. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/artificial-intelligence/articles/10.3389/frai.2024.1376042/full

Sadly, the above article considers this good.

Michael Snyder posted the following:

They Are Using Lab-Grown Human Brains That They Have Enslaved Called “Organoids” To Run Computers

June 23, 2024

A company in Switzerland known as “Final Spark” has constructed a bizarre hybrid biocomputer that combines lab-grown miniature human brains with conventional electronic circuits. This approach saves an extraordinary amount of energy compared to normal computers, but there is a big problem. The lab-grown miniature human brains keep wearing out and dying, and so scientists have to keep growing new ones to replace them. Stem cells that are derived from human skin tissue are used to create the 16 spherical brain “organoids” that the system depends upon. I realize that this sounds like something straight out of a really bad science fiction movie, but it is actually happening. …

But what about the lab-grown human brains that are being enslaved to run the Neuroplatform?

Each of the 16 mini-brains is made up of approximately 10,000 living neurons, and they are kept alive by a “microfluidics system that supplies water and nutrients for the cells”…

Rather than merely integrating biological concepts into computing, FinalSpark’s online platform ‘taps’ into spherical clusters of lab-grown human brain cells called organoids. A total of 16 organoids are housed within four arrays that connect to eight electrodes each and a microfluidics system that supplies water and nutrients for the cells.

The approach, known as wetware computing, in this case harnesses researchers’ abilities to culture organoids in the lab, a fairly new technology that allows scientists to study what are essentially mini replicas of individual organs.

During their short lives, the mini-brains are literally trained to perform certain tasks using a reward and punishment system…

If the enslaved mini-brains do what they are supposed to do, they are rewarded with lots of pleasure.

If the enslaved mini-brains do not do what they are supposed to do, they are hit with lots of “irregular electrical activity”.

In other words, these miniature human brains are tortured until they learn to obey.

Reading that should literally make you sick.

What these scientists are doing is so incredibly evil. …

Final Spark insists that the processor that it has created will use a million times less energy compared to a normal silicon chip.

There is just one enormous problem.

The mini-brains keep dying and must be regularly replaced. …

These “organoids” are literally worked to death.

They are hooked up to electrodes and worked until they can work no more…

Creating miniature human brains and using them to power a computer may be a way to save a lot of energy, but it also perfectly illustrates how far our society has fallen.

We are crossing lines that should never be crossed, and eventually we will pay a very great price for the crimes that our scientists are committing. https://endoftheamericandream.com/they-are-using-lab-grown-human-brains-that-they-have-enslaved-called-organoids-to-run-computers/

Yes, that abomination is wrong on so many fronts. Consider something God said that He had the prophet Ezekiel record:

 4 … “Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and cry over all the abominations that are done within it.” (Ezekiel 9:4)

So, we are seeing a type of enslaved cyborg now being developed to run computers. While using electronics to help those with injured or malfunctioning brains may have a proper place, using human brain cells to be part of computers is wrong. They are producing a type of cyborg abomination.

Of course, those of us who believe the Bible should not be surprised that humans are going the wrong way with aspects of genetic research. Notice that the Bible warned about human knowledge increasing and problems in the end time:

6 And the Lord said, “Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them. 7 Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.” (Genesis 11:6-7)

4 “But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.” (Daniel 12:4)

1 But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, … 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! (2 Timothy 3:1-2,5)

How much ‘love’ do scientists have for the inter-spliced, animal-human or human brain-electronic entities they are sometimes creating? Do they not brutally experiment and then destroy most of what they are currently creating that way?

Notice also:

28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; …

31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, (Romans 1:28,31, KJV)

1 This know also, that in the last days …  2 For men shall be …  3 Without natural affection, (2 Timothy 3:1-3, KJV)

Those who wish to use human brain cells for this type of research LACK NATURAL AFFECTION.

This is going the wrong direction. We need to turn away from such.

The Bible warns:

12 There is a way that seems right to a man,
But its end is the way of death. (Proverbs 14:12)

Blending human and monkey DNA as well as human brains this way with electronics is not right.

But we are seeing these abominable things in these last days. They should be denounced.

UPDATE 06/30/24: We just uploaded the following related video:

14:42

Cyborg Abominations!

Final Spark, a technology firm based in Switzerland, reportedly “has successfully launched Neuroplatform, the world’s first bioprocessing platform where human brain organoids (lab-grown miniaturized versions of organs) perform computational tasks instead of silicon chips.” Basically, they make a type of small “human” brain out of stem wells and use electrical impulses to have it perform various computational tasks. Reportedly, this uses a million times less energy than silicon chips. Could love of money be a factor here? Is this a type of cyborg abomination? What is a cyborg? Does any of this bring to mind the fictional alien species called ‘The Borg’ in ‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’? ‘Frontiers in Artificial Intelligence’ considers this an important breakthrough for scientists to learn from and build upon. Michael Snyder says that these organoids are enslaved and that “these miniature human brains are tortured until they learn to obey” and that these ‘organoids’ are literally worked to death.” What about human-monkey and human-pig genetics? Could these “inventors of evil things” be fulfilling last days’ prophecies? Are we in the last days? Should Christians consider these human brain computers an abomination? Dr. Thiel and Steve Dupuie address these issues and more in the light of the Bible.

Here is a link to our video: Cyborg Abominations!

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Chimeras: Has Science Crossed the Line? What are chimeras? Has science crossed the line? Does the Bible give any clues? A video of related interest is Half human, half pig: What’s the difference?
GMOs and Bible Prophecy What are GMOs? Since they were not in the food supply until 1994, how could they possibly relate to Bible prophecy? Do GMOs put the USA and others at risk? Here are some related videos: GMO Risks and the Bible and GMOs, Lab meat, Hydrogenation: Safe or Dangerous?
Fourth Horseman of the Apocalypse What is the pale horse of death and pestilences? What will it bring and when? Here is a link to a related sermon: Fourth Horseman, COVID, and the Rise of the Beast of Revelation. Here is a version of that sermon in Spanish: El Cuarto Caballo, El COVID y El Surgimiento de la Bestia del Apocalipsis. Some shorter related videos may include Amphibian Apocalypse: Threat to Humans? and Zombie Deer Disease is Here! Are the 10 Plagues on Egypt Coming? Here is a version of the article in Spanish: El cuarto jinete de Apocalipsis, el caballo pálido de muerte y pestilencia.
The MYSTERY of GOD’s PLAN: Why Did God Create Anything? Why Did God Make You? This free online book helps answers some of the biggest questions that human have, including the biblical meaning of life. Here is a link to three related sermons: Mysteries of God’s Plan, Mysteries of Truth, Sin, Rest, Suffering, and God’s Plan, Mystery of Race, and The Mystery of YOU.
Is God’s Existence Logical? Is it really logical to believe in God? Yes! Would you like Christian answers to give atheists? This is a free online booklet that deal with improper theories and musings called science related to the origin of the origin of the universe, the origin of life, and evolution. Two animated videos of related interest are also available: Big Bang: Nothing or Creator? and A Lifegiver or Spontaneous Evolution?
What is Your Destiny? Deification? Did the Early Church Teach That Christians Would Become God? What is your ultimate destiny? What does the Bible teach? Is deification only a weird or cultic idea? Are you to rule the universe? Here is a link to the video sermon What is Your Destiny?
Did Early Christians Believe that Humans Possessed Immortality? What does John 3:16, and other writings, tell us? Did a doctrine kept adopted from paganism? Here is a YouTube video titled Are humans immortal?
Christians: Ambassadors for the Kingdom of God, Biblical instructions on living as a Christian This is a scripture-filled booklet for those wishing to live as a real Christian. A related sermon is also available: Christians are Ambassadors for the Kingdom of God.
Why Were You Born? Why did God make you? Herbert W. Armstrong wrote this as a booklet on this important subject. You may also wish to read the article What is Your Destiny? or watch the video, also titled What is Your Destiny?
Building Character: Going on to Perfection Once you have accepted Jesus, do you need to strive for perfection and build character? A related video sermon is available: Going on to perfection and building character.
What is the Meaning of Life? Who does God say is happy? What is your ultimate destiny? Do you really know? Does God actually have a plan for YOU personally? If you would like to watch videos covering subjects of this article, you can click on the following links: Why YOU? Why Do YOU Suffer? and What is the meaning of your life?
The Gospel of the Kingdom of God This free online pdf booklet has answers many questions people have about the Gospel of the Kingdom of God and explains why it is the solution to the issues the world is facing. Here are links to three related sermons: The World’s False Gospel, The Gospel of the Kingdom: From the New and Old Testaments, and The Kingdom of God is the Solution.

Julian Assange begins his journey to freedom

Instead of being extradited to the US, the WikiLeaks founder will travel to the Northern Mariana Island of Saipan for a court hearing and is then expected to return to Australia.

Read more: https://t.co/szDH8PXMad pic.twitter.com/hUyJbQtntf

— Sky News (@SkyNews) June 25, 2024

COGwriter

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange made a deal with the US government which has agreed that the five years he just served in a UK jail was enough punishment for his revealing of information the US government did not want released. Prior to his arrest in 2019, he was confined at the Embassy of Ecuador since 2012, so he has been “punished” (or otherwise confined for at least 12 years–and over 13 if you count other matters). Here are some reports:

June 25, 2024

A plane carrying Julian Assange landed Tuesday in Bangkok for refueling, as the WikiLeaks founder was on his way to enter a plea deal with the U.S. government that will free him and resolve the legal case that spanned years and continents over the publication of a trove of classified documents.

A chartered flight from London that Assange’s wife, Stella, confirmed was carrying her husband landed at Don Mueang International Airport. Officials there told The Associated Press the plane was scheduled to continue on to Saipan, the capital of the Northern Mariana Islands, a U.S. commonwealth in the Pacific, where Assange is expected to appear in court on Wednesday. …

“Thirteen-and-a-half years and two extradition requests after he was first arrested, Julian Assange left the U.K. yesterday, following a bail hearing last Thursday, held in private at his request,” said Stephen Parkinson, the chief prosecutor for England and Wales.

The plea deal brings an abrupt conclusion to a criminal case of international intrigue and to the U.S. government’s yearslong pursuit of a publisher whose hugely popular secret-sharing website made him a cause célèbre among many press freedom advocates who said he acted as a journalist to expose U.S. military wrongdoing. U.S. prosecutors, in contrast, have repeatedly asserted that his actions broke the law and put the country’s national security at risk. https://apnews.com/article/assange-justice-department-plea-wikileaks-saipan-australia-00eb380879ff636cc9b916f82f82ed40

June 24, 2024

Assange is scheduled to appear in the federal court in the Northern Mariana Islands, a U.S. commonwealth in the Western Pacific, to plead guilty to an Espionage Act charge of conspiring to unlawfully obtain and disseminate classified national defense information, the Justice Department said in a letter filed in court.

The guilty plea, which a judge must approve, abruptly ends a criminal case of international intrigue and the U.S. government’s yearslong pursuit of a publisher whose hugely popular secret-sharing website made him a cause celebre among many press freedom advocates who said he acted as a journalist to expose U.S. military wrongdoing. Investigators, by contrast, have repeatedly asserted that his actions broke laws meant to protect sensitive information and put the country’s national security at risk.

He is expected to return to Australia after his plea and sentencing, which is scheduled for Wednesday morning, local time in Saipan, the largest island in the Northern Mariana Islands. The hearing is taking place there because of Assange’s opposition to traveling to the continental U.S., and because of the court’s proximity to Australia.

Assange’s U.S. attorney, Barry Pollack, did not immediately return messages seeking comment Monday.

The deal ensures that Assange will admit guilt while also sparing him from any additional prison time. He had spent years hiding out in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London after Swedish authorities sought his arrest on rape allegations before he was locked up in the United Kingdom.

Prosecutors have agreed to a sentence of the five years Assange has already spent in a high-security British prison while fighting to avoid extradition to the U.S. to face charges, a process that has played out in a series of hearings in London. Last month, he won the right to appeal an extradition order after his lawyers argued that the U.S. government provided “blatantly inadequate” assurances that he would have the same free-speech protections as an American citizen if extradited from Britain.

Assange has been heralded by many around the world as a hero who brought to light military wrongdoing in Iraq and Afghanistan. Among the files published by WikiLeaks was a video of a 2007 Apache helicopter attack by American forces in Baghdad that killed 11 people, including two Reuters journalists.

But his reputation was also tarnished by rape allegations, which he has denied.

The Justice Department’s indictment unsealed in 2019 accused Assange of encouraging and helping U.S. Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning steal diplomatic cables and military files that WikiLeaks published in 2010. Prosecutors had accused Assange of damaging national security by publishing documents that harmed the U.S. and its allies and aided its adversaries.

The case was lambasted by press advocates and Assange supporters. Federal prosecutors defended it as targeting conduct that went way beyond that of a journalist gathering information, amounting to an attempt to solicit, steal and indiscriminately publish classified government documents. It was brought even though the Obama administration Justice Department had passed on prosecuting him years earlier.

The plea agreement comes months after President Joe Biden said he was considering a request from Australia to drop the U.S. push to prosecute Assange.

Manning was sentenced to 35 years in prison after being convicted of violating the Espionage Act and other offenses for leaking classified government and military documents to WikiLeaks. President Barack Obama commuted her sentence in 2017, allowing her release after about seven behind bars.

Assange made headlines in 2016 after his website published Democratic emails that prosecutors say were stolen by Russian intelligence operatives. He was never charged in special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation, but the inquiry laid bare in stark detail the role that the hacking operation played in interfering in that year’s election on behalf of then-Republican candidate Donald Trump.

Justice Department officials mulled charges for Assange following the documents’ 2010 publication, but were unsure a case would hold up in court and were concerned it could be hard to justify prosecuting him for acts similar to those of a conventional journalist.

The posture changed in the Trump administration, however, with former Attorney General Jeff Sessions in 2017 calling Assange’s arrest a priority.

Assange’s family and supporters have said his physical and mental health have suffered during more than a decade of legal battles, which includes seven years spent inside the Ecuadorian Embassy in London.

Assange took refuge there in 2012 and was granted political asylum after courts in England ruled he should be extradited to Sweden as part of a rape investigation in the Scandinavian country. British police arrested him after Ecuador’s government withdrew his asylum status in 2019, and then he was jailed for skipping bail when he first took shelter inside the embassy.

Although Sweden eventually dropped its sex crimes investigation because so much time had elapsed, Assange has remained in London’s high-security Belmarsh Prison during the extradition battle with the U.S. https://www.voanews.com/a/wikileaks-founder-assange-to-plead-guilty-in-deal-with-us-/7668959.html

When he was arrested five years ago, Edward Snowden made some comments:

Snowden: Assange arrest a blow to press freedom

April 11, 2019

Edward Snowden, the former security contractor who leaked classified information about U.S. surveillance programs, says the arrest of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is a blow to media freedom.

“Images of Ecuador’s ambassador inviting the UK’s secret police into the embassy to drag a publisher of–like it or not–award-winning journalism out of the building are going to end up in the history books,” Snowden said in a tweet.

“Assange’s critics may cheer, but this is a dark moment for press freedom.”

Snowden was charged by the United States in 2013 of violating the country’s espionage act. He was granted asylum by Russia that year and the asylum has been extended until at least 2020. https://www.apnews.com/328522adb35b4445a3fb875d63fb0870

WikiLeaks got in hot water with the USA when it became concerned about the surveillance and similar tactics that the Obama Administration used. Also, its 2016 email releases were believed to have hurt Hillary Clinton’ chances to win the presidential election that Donald Trump ended up winning (see also WikiLeaks releases more–what about Obamagate? and Sanders being pressured to disavow Hillary Clinton endorsement after Wikileaks emails suggest rigged system; DNC chair resigns).

Here is another report about Julian Assange:

June 25, 2024

WikiLeaks co-founder Julian Assange should never have been jailed in the first place, former Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa has told RT in an exclusive interview.

Correa, who granted Assange asylum in his country’s embassy in London in 2012, spoke to RT shortly after the news broke that the Australian had been released from prison in the UK as part of a plea deal with the US Justice Department.

“Julian Assange is persecuted for telling the truth, not for lying. And he is the truth teller, the persecuted, the punished, the one buried alive in a prison, when the ones in prison should have been the war criminals,” Correa said.

In 2010, WikiLeaks released footage of a US military helicopter gunning down civilians in Baghdad three years previously, after mistaking them for armed insurgents. The attack resulted in 12 civilians being killed, including two children and two people working for the Reuters news agency. The video was part of a wider release of top-secret files by WikiLeaks, including documents connected to the US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

From 2011 to 2019, Assange took sanctuary inside the Ecuadorian Embassy in London due to fear of extradition to the US. When Ecuador’s next president, Lenin Moreno, revoked his asylum status, Assange was ejected from the embassy and arrested by British police. He then spent five years at the Belmarsh maximum-security prison in London.

Correa said he is “happy” that Assange has been released, but insisted he should have never been targeted in the first place. https://www.rt.com/news/599924-assange-buried-alive-truth-correa/

There are a lot of politics associated with Wikileaks and Julian Assange. I found it interesting that the president of Ecuador specifically mentioned Julian Assange’s involvement with leaking Vatican-related documents as a major reason to terminate his asylum in 2019. Wikileaks posted Vatican documents in 2010, which is before Julian Assange was granted asylum by Ecuador (see WikiLeaks Highlights Vatican’s Influence), but apparently for some reason, other Vatican-related leaks became a reason to terminate his asylum. The Vatican has a lot of international influence, and will have more (cf. Revelation 17).

Here are some links to some other Wikileaks related posts at this COGwriter news page:

• WikiLeaks releases more and flatly denies that Russia is the source

• WikiLeaks releases more, FBI investigating Hillary again

• Syria, Hillary Clinton, WikiLeaks, and Prophecy

• Wikileaks: U.S. spy agency tapped German chancellery for decades

• Wikileaks: USA spied on last three French presidents; President Hollande calls for emergency meeting

• WikiLeaks, GMOs, TTIP, Obama Administration, and Russian views

• Wikileaks provides insight in behind the scenes views of world politics

• WikiLeaks releases more–what about Obamagate?

• ‘WikiLeaks’ Julian Assange Arrested in London;’ Plus Brexit extended

• SC: U.S. Officials Concern Troll About World Press Freedoms While Assaulting Them

There have been various international ramifications of some of what Wikileaks has revealed.

Both the Snowden leaks and WikiLeaks have shown the Europeans that the USA does not trust Europe, considers Europe to be a second or third rate partner, has violated EU law, and that the USA has lied to Europe about this. The Europeans have documented proof and will remember this. It would seem that this will be part of Europe’s justification to later successfully attack the USA, which it will per Daniel 11:39.

The leaks have shown the world that the USA does not have the moral high ground it has long claimed and this will not end up well for the USA.

Julian Assange, perhaps because of his leaking of apparently true information that embarrassed the Democratic party, did not have much support from the mainstream press in the US.

Julian Assange’s matter reminded me of the so-called ‘Pentagon Papers’ release that the mainstream press defended. So, today, I looked for something on that, and located the following:

Alan Dershowitz: Is Julian Assange another Pentagon Papers case?

April 12, 2019

Before WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange gained asylum in the Ecuadorian embassy in London in 2012, he and his British legal team asked me to fly to London to provide legal advice about United States law relating to espionage and press freedom. I cannot disclose what advice I gave them, but I can say that I believed then, and still believe now, that there is no constitutional difference between WikiLeaks and the New York Times.

If the New York Times, in 1971, could lawfully publish the Pentagon Papers knowing they included classified documents stolen by Rand Corporation military analyst Daniel Ellsberg from our federal government, then indeed WikiLeaks was entitled, under the First Amendment, to publish classified material that Assange knew was stolen by former United States Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning from our federal government.

{mosads}So if prosecutors were to charge Assange with espionage or any other crime for merely publishing the Manning material, this would be another Pentagon Papers case with the same likely outcome. Many people have misunderstood the actual Supreme Court ruling in 1971. It did not say that the newspapers planning to publish the Pentagon Papers could not be prosecuted if they published classified material. It only said that they could not be restrained, or stopped in advance, from publishing them. Well, they did publish, and they were not prosecuted. https://thehill.com/opinion/judiciary/438578-alan-dershowitz-is-julian-assange-another-pentagon-papers-case/

Anyway, yes, there is selective prosecutions in the US based upon political and social views. Yes, the major media in the US also have biases which can impact prosecution.

Justice in the US is most certainly not blind. And it has gotten worse since 2019.

That said, worse censorship and enforcement against true information is coming.

And that is prophesied in the word of God (cf. Amos 8:11-12). As are persecutions (Luke 21:12; John 15:20).

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Preparing for the ‘Short Work’ and The Famine of the Word What is the ‘short work’ of Romans 9:28? Who is preparing for it? Will Philadelphian Christians instruct many in the end times? What about modern censoring, censorship, and shadow banning? Here is a link to a related video sermon titled: The Short Work. Here is a link to another: Preparing to Instruct Many.

Internet Censorship and Prophecy Are concerns about internet censorship limited to nations such as Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea. But what about the USA, Canada, and Germany? What about the European Union? What about internet media companies such as Facebook, Google, YouTube, or email services like MailChimp? Has the attempt to control information been made by various ones over the centuries? Was the New Testament affected by it? What about the church throughout the centuries? Has the Bible already been partially censored? Which Bible prophecies point to coming Internet censorship? What about the Book of Amos? What about the coming 666 Beast and final Antichrist? Is there anything that can be done about this? Should Philadelphian Christians be working on anything now? Will preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom of God vs. a highly media-supported alternative lead to a ‘famine of the word’? More internet censorship is coming as various statements in the Bible support.

Persecutions by Church and State This article documents some that have occurred against those associated with the COGs and some prophesied to occur. Will those with the cross be the persecutors or the persecuted–this article has the shocking answer. There are also three video sermons you can watch: Cancel Culture and Christian Persecution, The Coming Persecution of the Church, and Christian Persecution from the Beast. Here is information in the Spanish language: Persecuciones de la Iglesia y el Estado.

The Snowden Leaks are Leading to the Destruction of the USA Can what happened with the leaks of what the NSA has done help the USA to be taken over? What does the Bible teach that seems to be related to this? Here is a related YouTube video titled Are the Snowden NSA leaks leading to the destruction of the USA?

COGwriter

In these stressful times of political immorality, censorship, protests, and increased threats to religious liberty along with restrictions, remember that Jesus taught:

Yes, many of us are facing various tribulations, but as Christians we need to “be of good cheer.”

Related to dealing with fear, the Continuing Church of God put out the following sermon on its ContinuingCOG channel:

1:22:34

Ten Plus Steps to Rid Yourself of Fear

Billions of people are afraid for many reasons, including COVID-19. Are any fears good? Are there mindless fears and phobias? Can autosuggestion be deceptive? Can you deal with mental torment? What are some causes of bad dreams (nightmares)? Does Satan try to exploit fears through his lies? Can the weak become strong? Were Christ’s disciples ever fearful? Are there biblical ways to deal with fear? What about spiritual fear and the ‘fear of God’? The late evangelists Dr. Herman Hoeh had an article published in 1955 titled ‘How to Conquer Your Fears?’ What are eight steps from the Apostle Peter? What did Jesus teach about worry? Are most Christians Philadelphian? What did Jesus teach about fear? What is the ultimate biblical fate for cowards? Here a the list of ten steps to help rid yourself of fear: 1. “Whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy — meditate on these things” (Philippians 4:8). Changing your mental focus will help you push out fear. 2. Develop faith. “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17). 3. Add virtue to your faith in the power of God. You cannot hide your sins from God (cf. Psalm 90:8). 4. Add to virtue knowledge. Study the word of God, study CCOG literature, pay attention to sermons (ContinuingCOG YouTube sermon channel) and sermonettes (BibleNewsProphecy YouTube sermonette channel). 5. Add self-control to knowledge. Resist Satan and his hopes that you will walk by sight instead of faith. 6. Add patience to self-control. You may have to go through many tests and trials to build patience, but as you get through the tests and trials you should have the faith to recognize that God got you through them and that you do not need to fear. 7. Add godliness to patience. 8. Add to patience, brotherly kindness. “Let Philadelphia continue” (Hebrews 13:1). 9. Add to brotherly kindness, love. 10. Be courageous. “He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6). This is how YOU can conquer your fears and worries! Ask God for help to carry out His ten-fold plan to attain real peace of mind. Then there is also prayer and fasting. Yes, through God’s help you can rid yourself of fear. This sermon by Dr. Thiel covers these topics and more.

Here is a link to the sermon: Ten Plus Steps to Rid Yourself of Fear.

While USA government officials are promoting fear and often hypocrisy, understand that Christians do not need to fear.

That can take faith.

The old Worldwide Church of God published the following by the late Sidney M. Hegvold:

Increase Your Faith!

We as Christians can lack strong, godly faith because we question the why and how of what God does.

Will there be any faith in this last generation before Jesus Christ returns? Christ Himself questioned whether there would be! Notice: “Nevertheless,” Jesus asked, “when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8).

What a sobering question! God clearly states that His people — the just — must live by faith (Romans 1:17), and that without faith it is impossible to please Him (Hebrews 11:6). But dynamic, living faith is a rare commodity in this world.

How, then, can one have faith?

The truth is that the kind of faith God desires us to have cannot just be “worked up”: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8, Authorized Version).

God must give us the kind of faith that really works — the kind of faith required for salvation. And certainly we must want to have this faith. Who wouldn’t want to have the faith required to receive God’s wonderful blessings of protection, peace of mind or healing, for example?

John knew full well that Christ had the power to free him from prison. But he may have wondered why Christ didn’t do so.

Now, exactly how does God give us this faith? Romans 10:17, Revised Standard Version, tells us how we receive true, godly faith: “So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes by the preaching of Christ.”

How we receive faith

First, we must believe what God says — trust Him! “For what does the Scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness'” (Romans 4:3).

This is a major problem for all of us in this materialistic generation, so steeped in evolution. It can be extremely difficult to really believe God.

All true Christians have an earnest desire to live by faith, but there has been such an explosion of materialistic knowledge on every imaginable subject — medicine, psychology, sociology, biology, astronomy, history, geology — that we can find ourselves spontaneously asking why and how to almost every statement or promise God makes in the Bible. And these are faith-killing questions.

Think about it: Why does God let good people suffer and die while evil people often live well and prosper? How could the earth, including Mt. Everest and the Grand Canyon, have been completely covered with water during the Flood in the days of Noah, not even 5,000 years ago — where did all that water come from and where did it go? Where did a fish large enough to swallow Jonah come from, and how did Jonah breathe for three days and three nights while he was in the whale’s belly?

And so the questions go.

Should we just blindly accept and believe, then? Absolutely not! Faith cannot be expressed that way. “But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?” (James 2:20, AV). Faith has to be demonstrated by action — faith must be active, dynamic, living.

The key is the statement made in Romans 10:17. Faith can come only through the preaching of Jesus Christ. Faith is spiritual and has nothing to do with the physical or material.

Not our ways or reasons

Let’s examine some examples of the eroding effect that human reasonings can have on faith.

God knows that we at this time simply could not understand why some things are allowed to happen, so He doesn’t always tell us why. But we still must learn to believe and trust Him. He also knows we could not understand how some things are accomplished by His Holy Spirit. Those are spiritual matters and we are yet physical.

So wondering to excess about why God allowed something or exactly how God did something can cause us to lose faith.

John the Baptist’s imprisonment and his reaction to it is a good example of having to trust and believe without understanding why. Even John the Baptist became confused and upset. His reactions during this severe trial, as they relate to Christ, are quite similar to attitudes and reactions of many of us undergoing trials today.

John knew who Christ was — John twice called Him “the Lamb of God” (John 1:29, 36). Yet, while in prison, John sent two of his disciples to Jesus with the question, “Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?” (Luke 7:19).

John knew full well who Christ was, and that Christ had the power to free him from prison. Was John perhaps wondering why Christ had not done so?

Did you catch it? John’s basic question — a faith-killing question — may well have been why.

Christ pointed out to John’s disciples the works He had been doing — works of which He knew John was well aware. Then He concluded with this statement to John’s disciples: “And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me” (verse 23).

Jesus was telling John — and all of us — that God’s people may not always understand everything at a certain time, but that we shouldn’t reject God and Christ — we shouldn’t lose faith — because of it.

John not only remained in prison, but he was beheaded. Why did Christ allow John to die? He could have prevented it, but He did not. The answer is beyond human reasoning.

A problem that can undermine godly faith is the suffering of trials. Take the example of Job.

The suffering of trials can undermine faith. Job, afflicted and tried, wondered why. The answers aren’t the answers many want.

Job, like John, was sorely afflicted and tried, and he, too, wondered why. It was young Elihu who gave Job some answers. These answers were available to John, as they are available to us today. The problem is, they aren’t the answers many want.

Elihu told Job: “Take heed, do not turn to iniquity, for you have chosen this rather than affliction. Behold, God is exalted by His power; who teaches like Him?” (Job 36:21-22).

Indeed, who else but God can teach through affliction? And sometimes the lessons are of necessity severe, even though humans seldom learn them.

“For God may speak in one way, or in another, yet man does not perceive it. In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls upon men, while slumbering on their beds, then He opens the ears of men, and seals their instruction. In order to turn man from his deed, and conceal pride from man, He keeps back his soul from the Pit, and his life from perishing by the sword.

“Man is also chastened with pain on his bed, and with strong pain in many of his bones, so that his life abhors bread, and his soul succulent food. His flesh wastes away from sight, and his bones stick out which once were not seen. Yes, his soul draws near the Pit, and his life to the executioners” (Job 33:14-22).

God uses all these methods as He works with humanity to bring us to His own state of perfection, to literal sonship in His Family.

“Behold, God works all these things, twice, in fact, three times with a man, to bring back his soul from the Pit, that he may be enlightened with the light of life” (verses 29-30).

God allows all these trials so that we “may be enlightened with the light of life” — eternal life.

Too often we lose sight of that awesome goal, but God never does! Losing sight of the goal causes us to lose faith.

We live in an evil world

Undergoing severe trials and losing sight of our goal can erode our faith.

Remember, too, that we live in an evil world and often have to suffer with this world’s society.

Jesus, speaking to God the Father, said, “I do not pray that You should take them [Christ’s followers] out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one” (John 17:15). Psalm 34:19 tells us, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous.” So when some tragedy strikes, don’t blame God. Many of our problems occur because we are living in a very evil society.

It often seems that people, if they think of God at all, blame Him for every calamity and tragedy of life. Seldom do they thank Him or praise Him for all the good things He does.

Reasoning humanly, those who write insurance policies often refer to natural disasters such as floods, earthquakes and tornadoes as “acts of God.” Such is humanity’s view of God.

But this is how we should think of our Creator: “Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning” (James 1:16-17).

Faith is often undermined by our wondering, Why, God, did you all0w this to happen to me? John the Baptist probably went to his execution wondering why. But John must have heeded Christ’s instruction not to be offended (Luke 7:23), because Christ said of him, “Among those born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist” (verse 28).

Faith doesn’t depend on knowing

Jesus, saddened when He heard of John’s execution, wanted to go off by Himself, but a multitude followed Him out into the desert.

Jesus there displayed God’s power by turning five loaves of bread and two fish into enough food for 5,000 men plus women and children. After everyone was fed, 12 baskets of crumbs were collected (Matthew 14:13-21).

Christ’s disciples were certainly impressed with Christ’s miracle- working power, but they, too, had even more to learn regarding real faith.

Consider: A major pitfall in exercising faith is demanding to know how faith works. Faith is spiritual, but the results of faith in our lives are often quite physical and material. For example, the miracle of healing (James 5:13-15), the preservation of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego in the fiery furnace (Daniel 3) and the feeding of the 5,000 are physical consequences of faith. But how such miracles are accomplished is spiritual and inexplicable in physical terms.

How God accomplishes His purposes becomes so important to some people that, when they find they can’t understand, they simply stop believing God or the biblical account.

For example, the theory of evolution is humanity’s attempt to explain how physical things are the way they are in purely physical terms humans can understand. Since people think they have found out how life and the physical world “evolved,” they no longer have to deal with the question of God and their responsibility to Him.

Conditioning your faith on knowing how God’s purposes are accomplished can destroy your faith.

This was a major lesson Christ’s apostles learned when Peter found himself in a situation where the how of a great miracle so plagued him and his physical senses that his faith vanished.

Peter’s walk on water

Remember the incident of Peter walking on the water? It is recorded in Matthew 14:22-31. “Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away” (verse 22). This was just after the miracle of feeding the multitude, and it was still early in the evening (verse 23).

A storm came up and so tossed the boat about that the apostles could make little headway (verse 24). Notice that, as fierce as the storm was, the disciples gave no indication of panic as long as they were in the relative security of the boat.

When they had spent most of the night fighting the heavy seas, Jesus appeared to them in the fourth watch (verse 25). Naturally they were troubled at the sight of Jesus walking on the water — that is, until Jesus talked to them: “But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid'” (verse 27). The apostles were frightened at the unnatural sight of Jesus actually walking on the surface of the water. That was contrary to any experience any of them had had. However, when Jesus spoke to them, they were reassured and comforted. Why?

The unnatural situation of Jesus walking on the surface of the water was still there before their eyes. But they were given a physical assurance that did fit in with their past experience — the familiar voice of Jesus. Although they could not understand how He managed to walk on the water, they were comforted by His familiar voice.

They were also quite aware that Jesus did perform some great miracles. The disciples were growing in faith — they were beginning to believe the things Jesus said.

Peter was so confident that he thought he could walk on the water, too, if Christ were to bid him to do so: “And Peter answered Him and said, ‘Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water'” (verse 28). Peter knew that the feat was possible only if Christ commanded him to do so.

That is an important point in growing in faith: “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him” (I John 5:14-15).

Peter, asked if it were Christ’s will, and on that assurance he had the confidence to step out onto the water. “So He said, ‘Come.’ And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus” (Matthew 14:29).

Peter actually walked on the water! But now something totally alien to any experience Peter had ever had happened, and Peter’s faith departed. What was it? “But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, ‘Lord, save me!'” (verse 30).

Had Peter not been aware of the wind before? He certainly had! He and the other apostles had spent the whole night being tossed about by the waves, but they had been in the relative security of the boat. So what had happened that terrified Peter so much? It was really more a matter of what didn’t happen than what did.

Peter was totally unprepared for how he was held up by faith.

Where was faith supposed to react on Peter’s body to give him that reassuring sensation of physical support? On the soles of his feet, where he felt support when he walked on solid surfaces? It wasn’t there — no feeling of support at all. Was there a feeling of support under his arms, as one would feel support if held up by a harness? No. Was there a feeling of support through his hair, as if he were being held up by the hair? No. Peter could nowhere feel the sensation of physical support. Faith was supporting him. Faith is spiritual — feeling is physical.

Peter’s mind, from long experience in the physical environment, knew of no reason why he could be there on the surface of the water. Peter was unprepared for how faith would hold him up on the water. He reacted to his physical senses — and began to sink.

The lesson? One has to grow in and exercise faith.

Peter’s faith in the person of Christ was still firm, though. “And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, ‘O you of little faith, why did you doubt?'” (verse 31). In the firm grip of Christ’s hand, Peter made it back into the boat.

There was simply no way that Jesus could have explained to Peter, in terms Peter could have understood, how faith would support him. Peter just had to experience it and grow in faith.

You, too, must grow in faith

You, too, can have faith! You must have faith, for without faith you cannot please God. You can’t qualify for God’s Kingdom without faith.

So, like John the Baptist and Peter, you have to learn to believe God — and without question — through the dynamic faith God will give you as a true Christian.

To develop this faith in God, you must know God, and you can know God through Bible study and prayer. And because you express this faith, God promises to prosper you, heal you, protect you and, yes, even try you at times, for your own good.

When you are sure you have done your part, and you know from God’s Word what God’s will is, “do not turn to iniquity” (Job 36:21) because God does not answer in the way you expect. Trust Him! Believe Him! Continue doing your part patiently and never lose faith.

After all, God reminds us: “‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,’ says the Lord. ‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts'” (Isaiah 55:8-9). (Hegvold S Increase Your Faith! Good News, September 1984)

For more on faith, check out the free online booklet: Faith for Those God has Called and Chosen.

For more on God’s plan for you and others, check out the free online book: The MYSTERY of GOD’s PLAN: Why Did God Create Anything? Why did God make you?

For some potentially prophetic motivation, check out the following video on our Bible News Prophecy YouTube channel:

Here is a link to the video: Is the USA prophesied to be destroyed by 2028?

As far as fear and faith go, consider also the 23rd Psalm:

1 The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
3 He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.

4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. (Psalm 23:1-6)

Brethren, trust God, for we are destined to “dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

At risk of repeat, remember that Jesus said “Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32).

Have faith.

(UnSplash photo)

COGwriter

Hun

June 24, 2024

A growing global population poses a big challenge in terms of providing food and nutrition to all. Rising food insecurity and widespread poverty call for a new and improved worldwide vision for food systems that supports the well-being of both people and the planet. …

India, the second-largest food producer in the world based on calorie content, accounts for one-quarter of the world’s undernourished and is home to over 190 million hungry people. …

Understanding the importance of food system security, eight out of 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have focused on food-related sustainability.

As per the Global Hunger Index, hunger remains serious or alarming in 43 countries. …

To aim for zero hunger by 2030 (SDG2), we need urgent coordinated action and policy solutions, https://earth.org/food-systems-hunger-and-poverty-the-vision-for-global-change/

Well, the United Nations agreed to “coordinated action and policy solutions,” but thus far, they have not worked (though I do believe that they will temporarily appear to work for much of the world after the Beast power has risen up).

Michael Snyder posted the following:

Extreme Global Hunger: The UN Warns That Some Of The Poorest Areas Of The World Have “Zero Harvests” Left

June 23, 2024

In 2015, UN officials established a goal of completely eliminating global hunger by the year 2030.  Needless to say, they have failed dramatically.  According to the UN, someone is dying from starvation “every few seconds” as the global food crisis continues to accelerate.  Unfortunately, experts agree that what we are experiencing right now is just the beginning, because land is being degraded at a staggering pace.  As you will see below, 40 percent of the world’s land is already degraded, and it is expected that figure will reach 95 percent by 2050.  Here in the western world, we can still use various methods to temporarily improve the quality of our soil, but the head of the UN World Food Program says that in some of the poorest parts of the planet we have already reached a point where there are “zero harvests” left…

Droughts and flooding have become so common in some of the poorest places on Earth that the land can no longer sustain crops, the director of the World Food Programme’s global office has said.

Martin Frick told the BBC that some of the most deprived areas had now reached a tipping point of having “zero” harvests left, as extreme weather was pushing already degraded land beyond use.

He said that as a result, parts of Africa, the Middle East and Latin America were now dependent on humanitarian aid.

Sadly, it won’t be too long before most of the land in wealthier nations is degraded too. …

In Mexico, an all-time record for the entire country was broken last week when the temperature in the Sonoran Desert hit a whopping 125 degrees…

Last week, Mexico recorded the hottest day in its history, scientists have stated, with temperatures in the Sonoran Desert hitting 125 degrees.

These extraordinary temperatures, measured by Shel Winkley, a meteorologist at Climate Central, were part of a deadly heat wave that has swept across Mexico, Central America and the Southwestern United States, killing 125 people.

Here in the United States, the “largest” dust storm that our scientists have ever seen just ripped through the state of New Mexico…

In the Midwest, they are facing a different sort of a problem.

“Catastrophic flooding” has hit the region, and this is causing tremendous chaos in farming communities all over the heartland of America…

In Rock Valley, Iowa, all homes north of Highway 18 were evacuated amid high floodwaters Saturday. “I cannot even believe what I’m seeing right now,” said Daniel Heitritter, who evacuated his neighborhood in Spencer on Saturday. As water in his home reached shin-deep, he flagged down a boat to come pick him, his wife and cat up, he said. On Saturday, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds issued a disaster proclamation for 21 counties in northwest Iowa and directed all available state resources to assist Rock Valley and other communities in response to “catastrophic flooding.”

On top of everything else, the major global wars that are coming will greatly disrupt food production and food distribution all over the planet.

So what is the bottom line?

The bottom line is that global famines are already here, and they are going to get far worse during the years ahead.

Enormous numbers of people are going to die from starvation, and those that are wise will prepare while they still have an opportunity to do so. https://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/extreme-global-hunger-the-un-warns-that-some-of-the-poorest-areas-of-the-world-have-zero-harvests-left/

The dry and overly wet weather mentioned above brought to mind the following prophetic scriptures:

6 “Also I gave you cleanness of teeth in all your cities. And lack of bread in all your places; Yet you have not returned to Me,” Says the Lord. 7 “I also withheld rain from you, When there were still three months to the harvest. I made it rain on one city, I withheld rain from another city. One part was rained upon, And where it did not rain the part withered. 8 So two or three cities wandered to another city to drink water, But they were not satisfied; Yet you have not returned to Me,” Says the Lord. (Amos 4:6-8)

15 “But it shall come to pass, if you do not obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments and His statutes which I command you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you: 16 “Cursed shall you be in the city, and cursed shall you be in the country. 17 “Cursed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. 18 “Cursed shall be the fruit of your body and the produce of your land, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks. 19 “Cursed shall you be when you come in, and cursed shall you be when you go out. 20 “The Lord will send on you cursing, confusion, and rebuke in all that you set your hand to do, until you are destroyed and until you perish quickly, because of the wickedness of your doings in which you have forsaken Me. 21 The Lord will make the plague cling to you until He has consumed you from the land which you are going to possess. 22 The Lord will strike you with consumption, with fever, with inflammation, with severe burning fever, with the sword, with scorching, and with mildew; they shall pursue you until you perish. 23 And your heavens which are over your head shall be bronze, and the earth which is under you shall be iron. 24 The Lord will change the rain of your land to powder and dust; from the heaven it shall come down on you until you are destroyed. (Deuteronomy 28:15-24)

As far as weather goes, notice the following reports:

Weather woes forecast to continue as flooding in the Midwest turns deadly and extreme heat heads south

June 24, 2024

Millions of Americans sweated through a scorching weekend as temperatures soared across the U.S., while residents were rescued from floodwaters that forced evacuations across the Midwest. One person was killed during flooding in South Dakota, the governor said.

The National Weather Service said the worst of the heat wave would shift from the mid-Atlantic to portions of the southeast and southern Plains by Monday, brining welcome relief for major cities from Washington D.C. to Boston — but it may be short-lived.

Plenty of Americans were still sweating it out Monday, with more than 60 million people under heat advisories in 21 states. High temperatures were expected from South Dakota to Florida, and the heat is expected to start climbing again in the mid-Atlantic as the week goes on, even rising back toward triple digits by Wednesday.

Parts of the Midwest already inundated by floodwater, meanwhile, could see more significant rainfall in the days ahead. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/weather-forecast-iowa-flooding-south-dakota-death-heat-wave-latest/

World breaks 1,400 temperature records in a week as heat waves sweep globe

This week, more than 1,000 temperature records broke around the world, many of them shattered by extreme heat. Hundreds have perished while making the Hajj pilgrimage to Islam’s holiest site, Mecca, while some 100 million people are under a heat advisory in the United States. https://www.semafor.com/article/06/23/2024/world-breaks-1400-temperature-records-heat-waves-sweep-globe

The weather headlines brought to mind number 4 of the 24 items to prophetically watch in 2024:

4. Weather Sorrows and Troubles

Of course, when thinking about prophecies, many people are concerned about prophecies such as those related to world events, the beginning of sorrows, the four horsemen of the apocalypse, the great tribulation, the rise of the Beast/Antichrist/666, Armageddon, etc.

Jesus said:

4 And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. 6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows. (Matthew 24:4-8)

5 And Jesus, answering them, began to say: “Take heed that no one deceives you. 6 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He,’ and will deceive many. 7 But when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be troubled; for such things must happen, but the end is not yet. 8 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines and troubles. These are the beginnings of sorrows. (Mark 13:5-8)

Rough weather issues (watch Hurricanes and Prophecy), fires (watch Fires and the Wrath of God), strong earthquakes, and civil disturbances would seem to fall under troubles and sorrows.

We will higher heat than what we have seen in 2023. ‘You ain’t seen nu’thin yet per Revelation 16:8-9.

Expect more extreme weather in 2024.

The Bible teaches:

2 Better to go to the house of mourning
Than to go to the house of feasting,
For that is the end of all men;
And the living will take it to heart. (Ecclesiastes 7:2)

Do you take the damage to heart?

After listing a variety of weather and other curses, God had Amos write:

12 “Therefore thus will I do to you, O Israel;
Because I will do this to you,
Prepare to meet your God, O Israel!” (Amos 4:12)

Severe weather actually should to be a motivator for us to change and be ready to face our Creator!

Of course, people say, “The weather always changes.” And while it does, there are two point to consider about that.

The first is that changes in the weather show us that our environment and circumstances can quickly change. As Christians, we need to:

34 “But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. 35 For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. 36 Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.” (Luke 21:34-36)

And that is a warning to get our spiritual life in order.

The second is to consider that the severity of storms and their devastation has been increasing. Troubles are part of the beginning of sorrows (Mark 13:8; Matthew 24:4-8), and remember that the great tribulation (Matthew 24:21) comes in the same generation as does the beginning of sorrows (Matthew 24:34).

And yes, we have had higher heat in 2024 than in 2023.

Do not think that famines are going to be limited to third and fourth world nations.

The old Worldwide Church of God published the following:

The black horseman’s future ride will reduce the proud faces of white America, Europe, and the British Common wealth into the blackened skin of starvation such as now afflicts the vast majority of mankind. (Alexander G. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Ambassador College Press, Pasadena (CA), 1973, p. 31)

Notice some of the penalties for disobedience recorded in the 26th chapter of Leviticus: “If after all this you have not learnt discipline but still defy me, I in turn will defy you and scourge you seven times over for your sins. I will bring war in vengeance upon you … you shall be herded into your cities, I will send pestilence among you, and you shall be given over to the enemy. I will cut short your daily bread until ten women can bake your bread in a single oven; they shall dole it out by weight [see Revelation 6:5-6], and though you eat, you shall not be satisfied. If in spite of this you do not listen to me and still defy me, I will defy you in anger, and I myself will punish you seven times over for your sins. Instead of meat you shall eat your sons and daughters” (Lev. 26:23-28, The New English Bible). Other passages warn of famine-producing upsets in weather (Amos 4:7, Deut. 28:24); ruined harvests (Ezek. 5:16, Deut. 28:17); blighted crops (Amos 4:9); harmful insect pests (Deut. 28:39, 42); and nonproductive soil (Deut. 28:23). (4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse – The Black Horse – Famine. WCG booklet, 1976)

And while the northern, Babylonian, European Beast power will prosper for a short while, it too will ultimately succumb to famine according to Revelation 18:2,8:

2 Babylon…8 her plagues will come in one day–death and mourning and famine…

We are starting to see more reports of food shortages and the potential for food inflation.

We have already seen food price inflation.

We have also seen signs of the ride of the third horseman of the Apocalypse.

We are seeing reports of dramatic increases in world hunger.

Related to food and prophecy, we put out the following video:

14:44

3rd Horseman of the Apocalypse and Food

There are reports about food price inflation around the world. While it is worsening in many areas, some believe it will improve in 2023. Instead, could prices continue to rise in 2023 and get much worse in 2024 and thereafter? What are the causes of food price inflation? Is there any connection between weather, government policies, fertilizer prices, energy costs, economic sanctions and food price inflation? What are we seeing in reports from the United Kingdom, Hungary, and South Africa? What about impacts from Russia’s ‘special military operation’ into Ukraine? Could EU and/or USA policies be effecting any of this? Is the ‘black horse’ the one associated with famine, food shortages, and food price inflation in the Book of Revelation? Are there any physical lessons we can learn from ants according to the Book of Proverbs? What are some spiritual steps we should take according to Jesus? Dr. Thiel and Steve Dupuie address these matters and more.

Here is a link to our video: 3rd Horseman of the Apocalypse and Food.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

24 items to prophetically watch in 2024 Much is happening. Dr. Thiel points to 24 items to watch (cf. Mark 13:37) in this article. Here is a link to a related video: 24 Items to Prophetically Watch in 2024. Here is a link to related video in the Spanish language titled 24 Cosas a tener en cuenta en 2024: https://youtu.be/6f7oqEhjhbg
Weather Blessings and Sorrows Are weather problems a warning? What should be done? What does the Bible teach about weather? What about floods, droughts, heat, earthquakes, tornadoes, and solar storms? Here is a related YouTube video Does God Use Weather? A related item in the Spanish language would be Bendiciones y maldiciones del clima.
The Bible, Christians, and the Environment How should Christians view the environment? Does the Bible give any clues? What are some of the effects of air, water, and land pollution? Is environmental pollution a factor in autism and death? Do pollutants seem to double the autism risk? What will Jesus do? Here is a link to a related sermon: Christians and the Environment (there is also a YouTube video available titled Air Pollution, Autism, and Prophecy, one titled Will Pollution lead to the End?, and one called COP 27 and Solving Climate Change).
Christian Health Matters Should Christians be concerned about their health? Does the Bible give any food and health guidelines? Here are links to three related sermons: Let’s Talk About Food, Evil is Affecting the Food Supply, and Let’s Talk About Health.
Physical Preparation Scriptures for Christians. We all know the Bible prophecies famines. Should we do something? Here is a version in the Spanish language Escrituras sobre Preparación física para los Cristianos. Here is a link to a related sermon: Physical preparedness for Christians.
Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse What do each of the four horseman of the Apocalypse represent? Have they began their ride? Did Jesus discuss the any of this? Might their rides coincide with the “beginning of sorrows? Do they start their ride prior to the Great Tribulation? Did Nostradamus or any other ‘private prophets’ write predictions that may mislead people so that they may not understand the truth of one or more of the four horseman? There is also a related YouTube video titled Sorrows and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.
Physical Preparation Scriptures for Christians. We all know the Bible prophecies famines. Should we do something? Here is a version in the Spanish language Escrituras sobre Preparación física para los Cristianos. Here is a link to a related sermon: Physical preparedness for Christians.
Could God Have a 6,000 Year Plan? What Year Does the 6,000 Years End? Was a 6000 year time allowed for humans to rule followed by a literal thousand year reign of Christ on Earth taught by the early Christians? Does God have 7,000 year plan? What year may the six thousand years of human rule end? When will Jesus return? 2031 or 2025 or? There is also a video titled: When Does the 6000 Years End? 2031? 2035? Here is a link to the article in Spanish: ¿Tiene Dios un plan de 6,000 años?
Philadelphian Christian Great Tribulation Protection What will the Great Tribulation be like? Does Jesus promise physical protection to some or all Christians? Where might the place of protection be? What about fleeing to the mountains? What did Ezekiel warn? Here is a link to a related sermon: Great Tribulation Protection.
There is a Place of Safety for the Philadelphians. Why it May Be Near Petra This article discusses a biblical ‘place of safety,’ Zephaniah 2 to ‘gather together,’ and includes quotes from the Bible and Herbert W. Armstrong on fleeing to a place–thus, there is a biblically supported alternative to the rapture theory. Two sermon-length videos of related interest are available Physical Protection During the Great Tribulation and Might Petra be the Place of Safety?  Here are two related items in the Spanish language: Hay un lugar de seguridad para los Filadelfinos. ¿Puede ser Petra? and Existe un Lugar de Seguridad.
When Will the Great Tribulation Begin? 2024, 2025, or 2026? Can the Great Tribulation begin today? What happens before the Great Tribulation in the “beginning of sorrows”? What happens in the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord? Is this the time of the Gentiles? When is the earliest that the Great Tribulation can begin? What is the Day of the Lord? Who are the 144,000? Here is a version of the article in the Spanish language: ¿Puede la Gran Tribulación comenzar en el 2020 o 2021? ¿Es el Tiempo de los Gentiles? A related video is: Great Tribulation: 2026 or 2027? A shorter video is: Tribulation in 2024?