Church of God News

COGwriter

Sunday, November 3, at two a.m., the USA and several other nations (Canada, Bahamas, Bermuda, Cuba, and Haiti) change their clocks to go back to Standard Time and off of Daylight Saving Time:

It’s that time of year again.

The “fall back” day is coming to clocks across the nation…
Remember, you’ll “fall back” and set your clocks back one hour. Many electronic devices automatically adjust when Daylight Saving…Time begins or ends. http://ames.patch.com/articles/fall-back-daylight-saving-time-2012-ends-sunday-4b97ab65

Since the mid-1960s, most of Arizona has refused to adopt daylight saving time. It is also not observed in Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Society/2015/1031/Daylight-saving-time-Why-it-isn-t-going-away-video

New Zealander George Hudson proposed the modern idea of daylight saving in 1895. Germany and Austria-Hungary organized the first implementation, starting on 30 April 1916/ 1 May 1916. Many countries have used it at various times since then, particularly since the energy crisis of the 1970s.

There are issues with it:

November 5, 2022

• For years, medical experts have stressed how daylight savings can negatively impact sleep.
• Daylight saving, which begins in the spring and ends mid-fall, can make it harder to both wake up and fall asleep – as the “wall clock” moves farther away from the “sun clock.” https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2022/11/05/daylight-saving-time-sleep-medical-experts/8247349001/

Here is something else related to it from Time:

That Daylight Saving Time began in Germany on May 1, 1916, in the hopes that it would save energy during World War I, according to Michael Downing, author of Spring Forward: The Annual Madness of Daylight Saving Time. But, though Germans were first to mess with their clocks, they likely got the idea from Britain—and from someone whose ideas about Daylight Saving had little to do with conserving fuel.

William Willett had in 1907 published The Waste of Daylight. Willett was inspired by an early-morning epiphany that “the sun shines upon the land for several hours each day while we are asleep” and yet there “remains only a brief spell of declining daylight in which to spend the short period of leisure at our disposal.” Though he did mention that it would save money to reduce the use of artificial lighting, his main purpose was the increase enjoyment of sunlight. He lobbied Parliament for such legislation until his death in 1915—not living to see the law passed in England shortly after it was in Germany. …

Across the pond, the first U.S. law on Daylight Saving Time went into effect on March 19, 1918 for the same fuel saving reasons, about a year after the country entered the war. But again, though the official reason was fuel saving, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce was the major backer for the policy, Downing argues, because Americans getting off work while it was still light out meant they would be more likely to go out shopping in the evening. http://time.com/4549397/daylight-saving-time-history-politics/

Because of the clock change, sunset will be over an hour earlier next Friday in the USA, Canada, Bahamas, Bermuda, Cuba, and Haiti.

Those of us who observe the weekly Sabbath from sunset Friday to sunset Saturday may wish to remember this time change.

This will affect not only those in the Churches of God, but others who keep the seventh-day Sabbath such as observant Jews, Messianic Jews, and Seventh-day Adventists.

Daylight Saving Time for Europeans ended last Sunday.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

The Sabbath in the Early Church and Abroad Was the seventh-day (Saturday) Sabbath observed by the apostolic and post-apostolic Church? Here is a related sermon video The Christian Sabbath and How and Why to Keep It.
Early Sabbath Keeping in North America When did Europeans first keep the Sabbath in North America? Did the pilgrims who arrived on the Mayflower keep Saturday or Sunday?
How to Observe the Sabbath How should you keep the Sabbath? This is an old article by Raymond Cole, with updated information for the 21st century.
The Dramatic Story of Chinese Sabbathkeepers This reformatted Good News article from 1955 discusses Sabbath-keeping in China in the 1800s.
Is Revelation 1:10 talking about Sunday or the Day of the Lord? Most Protestant scholars say Sunday is the Lord’s Day, but is that what the Bible teaches?
Is God Unreasonable? Some have suggested that if God requires Sabbath-keeping He is unreasonable. Is that true?
CG7.ORG This is a website for those interested in the Sabbath and churches that observe the seventh day Sabbath.
Messianic Judaism Beliefs Differ from the Continuing Church of God Both groups keep the seventh-day Sabbath, but have important differences in doctrines and practices. Here is a link to a related sermon: Messianic Jewish Beliefs.
SDA/CCOG Differences: Two Horned Beast of Revelation and 666 The genuine Church of God is NOT part of the Seventh-day Adventists. This article explains two prophetic differences, the trinity, differences in approaching doctrine, including Ellen White. Did Ellen White make prophetic errors? Did Ellen White make false prophecies? Here is a version in the Spanish language: SDA/COG Diferencias: La bestia de dos cuernos de Apocalipsis y 666. Here is a sermon in the English language: CCOG and SDA differences and similarities.
Is There “An Annual Worship Calendar” In the Bible? This paper provides a biblical and historical critique of several articles, including one by the Tkach WCG which states that this should be a local decision. What do the Holy Days mean? Also you can click here for the calendar of Holy Days.

Portrait of a man said to be Christopher Columbus (Wikipedia)

COGwriter

Today, used to be simply called Columbus Day in the USA, but that changed in this century. Voice of America reported the following:

US Observes Columbus Day, Indigenous Peoples Day

The United States observes its Columbus Day holiday on Monday as well Indigenous Peoples Day.

Columbus Day has been a federal holiday since 1971 to celebrate the 1492 landing of Christopher Columbus in the Americas.

Recognition of the violence, disease and other suffering inflicted by European nations on the people already living in the Western Hemisphere has in recent years prompted a reevaluation of the holiday, including calls for its abolishment and new commemorations of indigenous populations.

U.S. President Joe Biden last week issued the first-ever presidential proclamation of Indigenous Peoples Day to be observed Monday.

“Today, we also acknowledge the painful history of wrongs and atrocities that many European explorers inflicted on tribal nations and indigenous communities,” Biden wrote. “It is a measure of our greatness as a nation that we do not seek to bury these shameful episodes of our past — that we face them honestly, we bring them to the light, and we do all we can to address them.” October 11, 2021 https://www.voanews.com/a/us-observes-columbus-day-indigenous-peoples-day/6265612.html

Joe Biden was correct to state that there were many “wrongs and atrocities that many European explorers inflicted on tribal nations and indigenous communities.”

Christopher Columbus was a flawed, and often cruel, visionary. Yet, God’s Grace is For All.

A while back, a reader sent me a link to a paper about some of Christopher Columbus’ flawed religious plans:

Americans outside the rarefied circle of Columbus scholars still know little about the man and his mission … his ultimate goal, the purpose behind the enterprise, was Jerusalem!

The 26 December 1492 entry in his journal of the first voyage, hereafter referred to as the Diario, written in the Caribbean, leaves little doubt. He says he wanted to find enough gold and the almost equally valuable spices “in such quantity that the sovereigns… will undertake and prepare to go conquer the Holy Sepulchre; for thus I urged Your Highnesses to spend all the profits of this my enterprise on the conquest of Jerusalem” (Diario 1492[1988: 291, my emphasis]). This statement implies that it was not the first time Columbus had mentioned the motivation for his undertaking, nor was it to be the last. Columbus wanted to launch a new Crusade to take back the Holy Land from the infidels (the Muslims). This desire was not merely to reclaim the land of the Bible and the place where Jesus had walked; it was part of the much larger and widespread, apocalyptic scenario in which Columbus and many of his contemporaries believed. That scenario, derived from the biblical book of Revelation, claims that the conversion of all peoples to Christianity and the re-conquest of Jerusalem are necessary preconditions for the “Second Coming” when Christ will return before the “End of Days.” Columbus felt strongly the imminence of this event; he also came to feel that he had a providential role to play in the drama. There is considerable evidence from his contemporaries and his own writings, especially in the little known Libro de las profecı´as, or Book of Prophecies, that these were longstanding beliefs of Columbus. …

The Libro is not really a book in the conventional sense, but rather a collection of passages culled from the Bible (Genesis to Revelation); numerous ancient authors such as Aristotle, Ptolemy, Seneca; church fathers such as Augustine, Jerome, Chrysostom; and medieval authors including Aquinas, d’Ailly, Joachim of Fiore, and Roger Bacon. It also includes extracts from the Qur’an and the writings of a number of Muslims such as Alfraganus and Averroes. This collection was meant to be used in the composition of a long poem to be presented to the King and Queen. The poem was never completed, but the original manuscript has, amazingly, survived, and today it is housed at the Biblioteca Columbina attached to the Cathedral in Seville.

It is believed the Libro de las profecı´as was compiled during the period between Columbus’s return from the third voyage in late October 1500 and the beginning of the fourth voyage in May 1502. However a passage referring to being in Jamaica in 1504 may indicate that he took a draft along on the final voyage in order to make additions or corrections suggested by his friend Fray Gaspar Gorricio, a Carthusian monk. …

The cover letter that Columbus inserted in the notebook begins: “Most Christian and very exalted princes, the reason which I have for the restitution of the Holy Sepulchre to the Holy Church militant is the following” (Libro 1500–1502 [Thacher 1904, vol. III: 660]). It is an urgent letter that warns them the end of the world will take place in 155 years. This date was arrived at by the common practice of using biblical genealogies to calculate the number of years from Creation, to Christ, to the current year. In this instance Columbus cites Elucidario astronomice concordie cum theological & hystorica veritate by his most crucial source—Pierre d’Ailly: “From Adam to our Lord Jesus Christ there are 5343 years and 318 days, according to the account of the King Don Alonso [sic; should be Alfonso] … adding to this 1501 incomplete years [i.e., the year he is writing], makes in all 6845” (Libro 1500–1502 [Thacher 1904, vol. III: 662]). The end point is fixed—the duration of the world is only seven millennia based on the notion that the seven days of Creation compute to seven thousand earth years. Columbus cites “St. Augustine who says that the end of this world is to come in the seventh millenary of years from its creation… [so] according to this account, there are only lacking 155 years to complete the 7000, in which year … the world must end” (op. cit). …

In late fifteenth- and early sixteenth-century Spain there was a widely circulated notion of “a last world emperor” who would fulfill what was known as the unum ovile et unun pastor prophecy of John, 10: 16: “And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd” (my emphasis). This emperor would fight the Antichrist and reestablish Christian sovereignty over Jerusalem and the Holy Land. As noted, Columbus believed this ruler was to come from Spain; https://www.amherst.edu/system/files/columbus.pdf accessed 01/25/20

So, let us consider some of this and its possible ramifications.

First, yes, it was long believed that God had a seven-thousand year plan. The ‘school of Elijah’ has been credited as the source, and that would have been 8 or 9 centuries before Jesus was born on the earth.

Jews and early Christians believed this.

However, Christopher Columbus (known in Spanish as Cristóbal Colón) was in error about the timing.

Not only is the 7,000 years not up, the 6000 years God allowed humans to rule themselves is not yet up, but is quite close to being so (see Does God Have a 6,000 Year Plan? What Year Does the 6,000 Years End?).

Next, the Book of Revelation says nothing about Christians trying to take over Jerusalem prior to the second coming of Jesus.

However, Greco-Roman Catholic prophecies, which also discuss a coming human emperor (often called “the Great Monarch” who seems to have a lot in common with the biblical King of the North) do.

Notice some Catholic private prophecies/writings that support the view that this leader, like the biblical King of the North, has a major impact in Jerusalem towards the beginning of his reign:

St. Thomas a’Beckett (12th century): A knight shall come from the West. He shall capture … the three Crowns. He shall then sail … and reach Christ’s grave where he will fight. (Dupont Y. Catholic Prophecy: The Coming Chastisement. TAN Books, Rockford (IL), 1973, p.16)

Blessed Joannes Amadeus de Sylva (died 1482): Germany and Spain will unite under a great prince … After much slaughtering, the other nations will be forced to come into this union. There is no hope for the unbelievers until all of Germany is converted; then all will happen quickly … the time will be prolonged until all countries unite under the Great Ruler. After this union, mass conversions will take place … (Connor, Prophecy for Today, p. 34). Connor, p. 34).

Abbot ‘Merlin’ Joachim (died 1202) A remarkable Pope … shall recover the kingdom of Jerusalem … in order to obtain these happy results, having need of powerful assistance, this Holy Pontiff will ask the cooperation of the generous monarch of France (Great Monarch). (Connor, Edward. Prophecy for Today. Imprimatur + A.J. Willinger, Bishop of Monterey-Fresno; Reprint: Tan Books and Publishers, Rockford (IL), 1984, p. 32)

Eastern Orthodox Scholar Helen Tzima Otto (2000): Of course, Jerusalem will be invaded in WWIII and finally liberated by the Great Monarch. (Tzima Otto, H. The Great Monarch and WWIII in Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Scriptural Prophecies. Verenika Press, Rock City (SC), 2000, p. 316)

Monk Adso (10th century). “Some of our Teachers say that a King of the Franks will possess the entire Roman Empire. He will be the greatest and the last of all Monarchs. After having wisely governed his kingdom, he will go in the end to Jerusalem and will lay down his sceptre and his crown upon the Mount of Olives…” (Dupont, p.18).

It would seem that Christopher Columbus was aware of some of those Greco-Roman Catholic prophecies.

Sadly, when many people see some of what Jesus said that they should be looking for, instead of being concerned about this leader, they will apparently embrace that false one.

There are, however, some Greco-Roman Catholics (apparently a minority) who could oppose this as the following suggests:

Catholic writer Paul Thigpen warns, “Looking for the Great Monarch, then, who does not appear in Scripture, might lead to overlooking the Antichrist who does. It might even lead to–a more disturbing thought–to mistaking the Antichrist for the Great Monarch. After all, lesser antichrists of the past such as Hitler and Stalin have seduced followers with visions of grand and glorious earthly kingdoms. Surely Antichrist of the last days will do the same.” (Penn L. False dawn: the United Religions Initiative, globalism, and the quest for a one-world religion. Sophia Perennis, 2005, p. 420)

Priest Herman Kramer (20th century): The False Prophet … will persuade all infidels, apostates and apostate nations to worship and adore him … Antichrist “sitteth in the temple of God” (I Thes. II. 4) … possibly one of the churches in Jerusalem or St. Peter’s in Rome … The False Prophet will proclaim the resurrection of the Roman Empire … The word “image” is in the singular number, indicating only one statue, which he may set up in the great church, St. Peter’s (Kramer H.B. L. The Book of Destiny. Nihil Obstat: J.S. Considine, O.P., Censor Deputatus. Imprimatur: +Joseph M. Mueller, Bishop of Sioux City, Iowa, January 26, 1956. Reprint TAN Books, Rockford (IL), p. 320-323).

The King of the North, presuming he is also considered to be the Great Monarch, will be involved with Jerusalem and biblically is dangerous.

Additionally, some Greco-Roman Catholic writers clearly have understood that the two-horned beast in Revelation 13 is likely to be an antipope and that a negative power will be established in Jerusalem:

Priest E. Sylvester Berry (published 1920): The two horns denote a twofold authority – spiritual and temporal. As indicated by the resemblance to a lamb, the prophet will probably set himself up in Rome as a sort of anti-pope…Antichrist will establish himself in Jerusalem…with his ‘lying wonders’… (Berry ES. The Apocalypse of St. John, 1920. Quoted in Culleton RG. The Reign of Antichrist. Reprint 1974, TAN Books, Rockford (IL), pp. 199-200).

Much of the above teaching is consistent with certain scriptures.

Although most in the Protestant world that watch prophecy, as well as perhaps most in the Catholic world, have confused who the Antichrist is (many modern Protestants think he is the Beast of the Sea), various Catholic sources have correctly declared that the False Prophet is (or likely is) the final Antichrist. This was also the position of the Catholic saint Augustine (Augustine. City of God, Book XX, Chapter 14. Translated by Marcus Dods. From Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, First Series, Vol. 2. Edited by Philip Schaff. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1887.) Revised and edited for New Advent by Kevin Knight. <http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/120120.htm>.Culleton, The Reign of Antichrist, p. 117).

Anyway, part of the point of this post is to emphasize that Christopher Columbus was highly influenced by Greco-Roman Catholic prophecy.

It was a driving factor for him. It partially led to him changing the world.

Do not think that in the 21st century that the world will not be affected by Greco-Roman Catholic and other non-biblical prophecies.

Many are part of Satan’s plan.

That being said, the local school district here stopped having Columbus Day as a holiday several years ago.

They felt that Columbus should not be honored in light of various atrocities he was involved in.

The fact remains, however, that Columbus did open up the Americas (yes, I know there is evidence that various others, like the Vikings, came to the Americas before him) to the world and that God does have a plan that is being worked out on this earth.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Satan’s Plan Does Satan have a plan? What is it? Has it already been successful? Will it be successful in the future? Here are links to a two-part sermon series: What are Some of the Parts of Satan’s Plan? and Satan’s Plan is More Dramatic than Many Realize.
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.
The Times of the Gentiles Has there been more than one time of the Gentiles? Are we in it now or in the time of Anglo-America? What will the final time of the Gentiles be like? A related sermon is available and is titled: The Times of the Gentiles.
Armageddon Who is involved and when will this gathering happen? Here is also a video from Dr. Thiel, from Tel Megiddo in Israel: Armageddon. Other videos include: Armageddon Will it come on Trump’s watch?, Iraq, Armageddon, & Prophecy, Freemasonry, Armageddon, and Rome, Is China paving roads to Armageddon?, and Jordan, Petra, and Armageddon.
Who is the King of the North? Is there one? Do biblical and Roman Catholic prophecies for the Great Monarch point to the same leader? Should he be followed? Who will be the King of the North discussed in Daniel 11? Is a nuclear attack prophesied to happen to the English-speaking peoples of the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand? When do the 1335 days, 1290 days, and 1260 days (the time, times, and half a time) of Daniel 12 begin? When does the Bible show that economic collapse will affect the United States? In the Spanish language check out ¿Quién es el Rey del Norte? Here are links to two related videos: The King of the North is Alive: What to Look Out For and The Future King of the North.
The Great Monarch: Biblical and Catholic Prophecies Is the ‘Great Monarch’ of Catholic prophecies endorsed or condemned by the Bible? Two sermons of related interest are also available: Great Monarch: Messiah or False Christ? and Great Monarch in 50+ Beast Prophecies.
Some Doctrines of Antichrist Are there any doctrines taught outside the Churches of God which can be considered as doctrines of antichrist? This article suggests at least three. It also provides information on 666 and the identity of “the false prophet.” Plus it shows that several Catholic writers seem to warn about an ecumenical antipope that will support heresy. You can also watch a video titled What Does the Bible teach about the Antichrist?
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.

The US Bill of Rights

COGwriter

Today is considered to be ‘Constitution Day’ and is sometimes called ‘Citizenship Day’ for the USA. Typically, this day is not actually celebrated, or even acknowledged, by most in the USA. The current Constitution was adopted on September 17, 1787.

Here are some comments about it:

Constitution Day 2021: It’s Time to Make America Free Again

September 13, 2021

In an ultimate sense, the Constitution confirmed the proposition that original power resided in the people—not, however, in the people as a whole but in their capacity as people of the several states. To bring forth the requisite union, the people through the states would transfer some of their powers to the new federal government. All powers not reserved by the people in explicit state constitutional limitations remained in the state governments.

Although the Constitution was adopted on September 17, 1787, the fear of the new federal government was so strong that a “bill of rights” was demanded and became an eventuality.

Intended to protect the citizenry’s fundamental rights or “first liberties” against usurpation by the newly created federal government, the Bill of Rights—the first ten amendments of the Constitution—is essentially a list of immunities from interference by the federal government.

Unfortunately, although the Bill of Rights was adopted as a means of protecting the people against government tyranny, in America today, the government does whatever it wants, …

“We the people” have been terrorized, traumatized, and tricked into a semi-permanent state of compliance by a government that cares nothing for our lives or our liberties. …

Here is what it means to live under the Constitution, post-9/11 and in the midst of a COVID-19 pandemic.

The First Amendment is supposed to protect the freedom to speak your mind, assemble and protest nonviolently without being bridled by the government. It also protects the freedom of the media, as well as the right to worship and pray without interference. …

Despite the clear protections found in the First Amendment, the freedoms described therein are under constant assault. Increasingly, … Religious ministries are being fined for attempting to feed and house the homeless. Protesters are being tear-gassed, beaten, arrested and forced into “free speech zones.” And under the guise of “government speech,” the courts have reasoned that the government can discriminate freely against any First Amendment activity that takes place within a so-called government forum.

The Second Amendment was intended to guarantee “the right of the people to keep and bear arms.” Essentially, this amendment was intended to give the citizenry the means to resist tyrannical government. Yet while gun ownership has been recognized by the U.S. Supreme Court as an individual citizen right, Americans remain powerless to defend themselves against SWAT team raids and government agents armed to the teeth with military weapons better suited to the battlefield. As such, this amendment has been rendered nearly null and void. …

So what’s the solution? https://www.rutherford.org/publications_resources/john_whiteheads_commentary/constitution_day_2021_its_time_to_make_america_free_again

The Kingdom of God is the Solution.

As far as more issues with the Constitution, here are some comments about it given back in 2020:

US Attorney General William Barr on Wednesday said a nationwide coronavirus lockdown would amount to the “greatest intrusion on civil liberties” besides slavery in US history, according to a CNN report.

Barr reportedly made the remarks during a speech at Hillsdale College in celebration of Constitution Day in response to a question about the “constitutional hurdles” of banning church gatherings during the pandemic.

“You know, putting a national lockdown, stay at home orders, is like house arrest. Other than slavery, which was a different kind of restraint, this is the greatest intrusion on civil liberties in American history,” Barr said.

As health experts have championed the measures to prevent the spread of the deadly virus, Barr, a staunch defender of President Trump, has slammed stay-at-home orders as “draconian.” https://nypost.com/2020/09/17/barr-covid-19-lockdowns-worst-civil-liberties-intrusion-since-slavery/

Yes, the lockdowns, various mandates, etc. were an affront to the US Constitution.

Those who live in the USA may wish to re-read its Bill of Rights which came into effect as Constitutional Amendments on December 15, 1791.

Now here is the first amendment:

• Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Let me state that when it comes to keeping the Sabbath, paying for abortion, opposing the LGBTQ agenda, speaking out on moral issues, the courts in the USA have been making rules that have prohibited the free exercise of religion. This will worsen and the time will come when there is a famine of the word (watch also Famine of the Word?).

With COVID restrictions on churches, this has shown that many government leaders are unwilling to support what the US Constitution says in order to further their objectives.

The joebiden.com website stated:

The Biden Plan to Advance LGBTQ+ Equality in America and Around the World …

Religious freedom is a fundamental American value. But states have inappropriately used broad exemptions to allow businesses, medical providers, social service agencies, state and local government officials, and others to discriminate against LGBTQ+ people. The Trump-Pence Administration has deliberately and systematically attempted to gut protections for the LGBTQ+ community by carving out broad religious exemptions to existing nondiscrimination laws and policies across federal agencies. Biden will reverse Trump’s policies misusing these broad exemptions and fight so that no one is turned away from a business or refused service by a government official just because of who they are or who they love. accessed 11/17/20 https://joebiden.com/lgbtq-policy/

This is not about “love” but about censorship and pushing aside religious views and values. Notice that the Biden-Harris plan calls it HATE to allow people of faith to have a religious conscience on matters of sexual morality.

No church I am aware of teaches their congregants to hate LGBTQ+ people. Yet, the Biden-Harris plan has determined that it is ‘hate’ to not go along with their view of sexual morality. They do not truly believe in religious freedom–they want to control religion.

The Biden-Harris team have the LGBTQ agenda as a top priority (see ZH: Trump Says “Election Far From Over”; Biden “Honored & Humbled” After MSM Declares Him President-Elect):

COLUMBUS, Ohio, June 3, 2019 (LifeSiteNews) — Passing the radical pro-LGBT and pro-abortion Equality Act “will be the first thing I ask to be done” if elected president, Joe Biden said at the annual Human Rights Campaign gala Saturday.

The former vice president, who endorsed same-sex “marriage” in 2012, told hundreds of activists at the gala in Columbus, Ohio, that President Donald Trump’s administration is “immoral” with regard to the homosexual agenda.

“It’s wrong and it is immoral, what they’re doing,” Biden said. “Just like with racial justice and women’s rights, we are seeing pushback against all the progress we’ve made toward equality.” …

The so-called Equality Act would amend the 1964 Civil Rights Act to include “sex,” “sexual orientation,” and “gender identity” among the recognized “non-discrimination” categories in “public accommodations.” “Gender identity” would be expanded to include additional establishments like online retailers, health care services, recreation, and others. Also, it would compel businesses employing 15 more persons to recognize their asserted “gender identity,” as well as barring employers from “discriminating” based on “sexual orientation” or “gender identity,” while also requiring that so-called transgender persons have access to opposite-sex locker rooms, dressing rooms, and restrooms. https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/biden-names-pro-lgbt-equality-act-as-top-priority-if-elected

The so-called “Equality Act,” is, of course, biblically immoral. But Joe Biden and other supporters of it will not accept biblical authority. Instead they are pushing an agenda that will end in death per Romans 1:18-31.

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

Here is a link to the video: Biden-Harris & Hate Speech.

Americans have been losing their religious rights in the USA this century.

Furthermore, most politicians in Washington, D.C., seem to have little problem not complying with the intent of the US Constitution.

Notice something related to Hillary Clinton said yesterday:

sEPTEMBER 16, 2024

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Monday told MSNBC host Rachel Maddow that Americans “engaged” in “propaganda,” similar to the type that led to the Russians “boosting Trump” in 2016, should face criminal prosecution. …

CLINTON: … We know from what even Republicans have said, the chairs of the Intelligence Committee and the Foreign Affairs Committee and other Republicans who are currently in office have said that Republicans go to the floor of the Congress and they parrot Russian talking points.

So, I think it’s important to indict the Russians, just as Mueller indicted a lot of Russians who were engaged in direct election interference and boosting Trump back in 2016. But I also think there are Americans who are engaged in this kind of propaganda.

And whether they should be civilly or even in some cases criminally charged is something that would be a better deterrence, https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2024/09/16/hillary_clinton_americans_engaged_in_propaganda_should_be_criminally_charged_would_be_a_better_deterrence.html

So, if Hillary Clinton does not agree with certain positions, she wants to be able to threaten criminal actions. That is not what the Constitution of the USA supports–yet that type of view is getting more accepted in the USA.

People, such as Edward Snowden despite whatever flaws he may have, have pointed out some of how the USA has violated other portions of the Bill of Rights, such as the 4th-6th amendment rights. So, he has been in hiding for that. Here is what those amendments were supposed to protect (some of which have been mishandled related to him personally by the US government):

• Fourth Amendment – Protection from unreasonable search and seizure.

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

• Fifth Amendment – due process, double jeopardy, self-incrimination, eminent domain.

No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

• Sixth Amendment – Trial by jury and rights of the accused; Confrontation Clause, speedy trial, public trial, right to counsel

In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence.

The Bush Administration got Congress to approve the so-called ‘Patriot Act’ and establish the Homeland Security Administration and other offices. The Obama Administration then added other offices as well. Donald Trump’s Administration was supportive of increased governmental surveillance and seems to be against the intent of the fourth amendment (e.g. Facts about George Orwell’s ‘nineteen eighty-four’ and now official asset forfeiture).

Back in 2017, former US Congressman Ron Paul wrote the following about this:

Attorney General Jeff Sessions recently ordered the Justice Department to increase the use of civil asset forfeiture, thus once again endorsing an unconstitutional, authoritarian, and increasingly unpopular policy.

Civil asset forfeiture, which should be called civil asset theft, is the practice of seizing property believed to be involved in a crime. The government keeps the property even if it never convicts, or even charges, the owner of the property.

Police can even use civil asset theft to steal from people whose property was used in criminal activity without the owners’ knowledge. Some have even lost their homes because a renter or houseguest was dealing drugs on the premises behind the owners’ backs.

Civil asset theft is a multi-billion dollar a year moneymaker for all levels of government. Police and prosecutors receive more than their “fair share” of the loot. According to a 2016 study by the Institute for Justice, 43 states allow police and prosecutors to keep at least half of the loot they got from civil asset theft.

Obviously, this gives police an incentive to aggressively use civil asset theft, even against those who are not even tangentially involved in a crime. http://www.ronpaulinstitute.org/archives/featured-articles/2017/august/07/jeff-sessions-endorses-theft/

Yes, what is happening is not supposed to–at least the way I and Ron Paul read the US Constitution.

Furthermore, citizens of the USA are not truly free and are spied upon all the time by its government. A movie came out about Edward Snowden which pointed that out based upon what has happened with him before (The Snowden Leaks are Leading to the Destruction of the USA).

The reality is the USA does not truly abide by its Constitution anymore. And its hypocrisy and tactics are being noticed by others (see also Isaiah 10:5-12, KJV), and the coming Beast will follow further along the espionage path that the government of the USA has been laying out (cf. Revelation 13:16-18).

There are many negative ramifications to what the USA has been doing.

Jesus warned, “because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold” (Matthew 24:12).

With that in mind, consider the following:

The America We Grew Up In Is Gone, It Isn’t Coming Back …

There are parts of America, and those portions are increasing, that to compare them to third world countries would be an insult to third world countries.

This cannot be overstated, or said too often, because too many Americans refuse to see it and acknowledge it until it is their city, their state and they are the victims. Once that happens the complaints begin, asking “why weren’t we warned?,” in a whiny little voice while those of us that have been reporting it and basically screaming warnings from the rooftops, just shake our heads in disgust.

How many new videos of drugged out “zombies” sprawled out on sidewalks, or shooting up drugs outside in public, need to be taken and published online, for Americans to wake up? …

The Constitution: Salon, a website as liberal as liberal gets headlined a piece in 2020 “The U.S. Constitution is hopelessly outdated. It’s time to re-envision it.”

The electoral crisis, the decline of trust in government, and gross income inequality in the United States may seem like separate issues. But they have a surprising, common origin: the US Constitution, or more accurately, its shortcomings. Indeed, the depth of multiple crises in our nation in 2020 — if not their existence entirely — are all rooted in our flawed Constitution and the judicial decisions that it has facilitated.

 That is a mindset we have seen with increasing frequency. Claims that all the ills of our country stem from the U.S. constitution. Mainly that is because liberals truly despise everything our country stands for. …

The America we knew growing up, the one where children could walk to the store alone, or down the street without seeing drug deals on corners, drug addicts laying on sidewalks, or sticking needles into their arms, is gone.

It isn’t coming back because the ramifications of the liberal policies are being hidden by the national media. …

The best we can hope for now is to keep this type of lawlessness out of the cities we live in by voting accordingly. 09/14/23 https://allnewspipeline.com/America_We_Grew_Up_In_Is_Gone.php

The best thing to hope for is the return of Jesus and the establishment of the millennial kingdom of God. As well as to pray for that (Matthew 6:33) and for our leaders (1 Timothy 2:1-3), while striving to live as a Philadelphian Christian.

As far as the USA goes, it needs national repentance, which at this stage, does not look likely.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Spiritual Samaritans: Old and New Who were the Samaritans? Do the represent true Christianity or something else? Here is a link to a related sermon: USA in Prophecy: Samaria.
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.
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?
Should a Christian Vote? This article gives some of the Biblical rationale on this subject. Would Jesus vote for president/prime minister? Is voting in the Bible? This is a subject Christians need to understand. A video of related interest is available titled: Should Christians Vote? Another video is Biden, Trump, and the Bible.
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.
Anglo – America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel Are the Americans, Canadians, English, Scottish, Welsh, Australians, Anglo-Saxon (non-Dutch) Southern Africans, and New Zealanders descendants of Joseph? Where are the lost ten-tribes of Israel? Who are the lost tribes of Israel? What will happen to Jerusalem and the Jews in Israel? Will God punish the U.S.A., Canada, United Kingdom, and other Anglo-Saxon nations? Why might God allow them to be punished first? Here is a link to the Spanish version of this article: Anglo-América & las Tribus Perdidas de Israel. Information is also in the YouTube sermons titled Where are the Ten Lost Tribes? Why does it matter? and British are the Covenant People. A short YouTube of prophetic interest may be: Are Chinese threats against Australia for real?
Will the Anglo-Saxon-Celtic Nations be Divided and Have People Taken as Slaves? Will the lands of the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand be divided? What about Jerusalem? What does Bible prophecy teach? Are there non-biblical prophecies that support this idea? Who will divide those lands? Who will end up with the lands and the people? Here is a link to a video titled Will the USA and other Anglo-nations be Divided and Their People Made Slaves? Here is a related item in the Spanish language ¿Serán divididas las naciones anglosajonas?
British are the Covenant People What do ‘British’ and ‘Britain’ mean in Hebrew? Are the descendants of the Anglo-Saxons people of the covenant? Does the British royal family connect to the throne of David? What does the Bible teach? What does history show us? Is there any DNA evidence related to British-Israelism? When did Christianity make it to the British Isles? Could Jeremiah have made it to the British Isles? What type of Christians made it to the British Isles? Did the last King of England believe in British Israelism?
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. A sermon of related interest is also available: Canada in Prophecy.
Australia and New Zealand in Prophecy Do biblical prophecies help explain the wealth blessings for Australia and New Zealand? Might cursings from disobedience come in the 21st century? Here is a link to a related sermon: Australia and New Zealand: Origins and Prophecy.
There is a Place of Safety for the Philadelphians. Why it May Be Petra This article discusses a biblical ‘place of safety’ and includes quotes from the Bible and Herbert W. Armstrong on this subject–thus, there is a biblically supported alternative to the rapture theory. There is also a video on the subject: Might Petra be the Place of Safety?
Might the U.S.A. Be Gone by 2028? Could the USA be gone by the end of 2028 or earlier? 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 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 in hundreds of 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.

Ryan Wesley Routh after arrest
(Public domain photo per Wikipedia)

COGwriter

Here are some reports about the 2nd assassination attempt against Donald Trump as well as information related to the alleged assassin:

September 16, 2024

Local authorities said the U.S. Secret Service agents protecting Trump fired at a man pointing an AK-style rifle with a scope as Trump was playing on one of his Florida golf courses in West Palm Beach. …

Law enforcement officials said the man who pointed the rifle and was arrested is Ryan Wesley Routh. …

Local authorities said the gunman was about 400 yards to 500 yards away from Trump and hiding in shrubbery while the former president was playing a round of golf at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach. …

In an email to supporters, Trump said: “There were gunshots in my vicinity, but before rumors start spiraling out of control, I wanted you to hear this first: I AM SAFE AND WELL!”

His running mate, JD Vance, and U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said they spoke with Trump after the incident, and both said he was in “good spirits.” …

Fox News host Sean Hannity, a close friend of the former president’s, said on air that he spoke with Trump and his golf partner, Steve Witkoff. They told Hannity they had been on the fifth hole when they heard a “pop pop, pop pop.” Within seconds, he said Witkoff recounted, Secret Service agents “pounced on” Trump and “covered him” to protect him. https://apnews.com/article/trump-assassination-attempt-what-to-know-564c56e167c3cdc6c50f6a2e91db9a6c

Routh claimed on his social media accounts, as well as in 2022 interviews with The New York Times and Newsweek Romania, to have made supposed efforts to recruit soldiers for Ukraine in its fight against its invasion by Russia. He also claimed to have fought in Ukraine.^[5][9][10] Routh said in a 2022 interview with a Romanian reporter in Kyiv that he flew to Ukraine to join the army in the months after Russia’s full-scale invasion but learned that he was “not an ideal candidate” for the battlefield because he was in his mid-50s with no military experience. Later in 2022, Routh said in an interview that after he was rejected for military service, he began recruiting volunteer soldiers for the Ukrainian military.^[11] Routh complained of roadblocks to Ukraine admitting foreign fighters, telling the publication Semafor “Ukraine is very often hard to work with, they’re afraid that anybody and everybody is a Russian spy”. …

According to posts on his X account in 2020, Routh has expressed shifting political views over the years. In 2016, he supported Donald Trump, but by 2020, he voiced his dissatisfaction, stating, “I will be glad when you are gone.”^[14] Routh also supported Bernie Sanders in 2020, criticizing Joe Biden as “sleepy Joe“​. His political stance evolved further in 2024, where he expressed concern over democracy in a post tagging Biden, and telling him his campaign​ slogan should be “Keep America Democratic and Free.”^[15] In 2020, he also supported Tulsi Gabbard, calling for an executive order on police misconduct​^[16] and he made several small donations to the Democratic fundraising platform ActBlue, contributing 19 times in 2019 and 2020 with amounts ranging from $1 to $25, as recorded by the Federal Election Commission.^[17] By early 2024, he suggested a Nikki Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy ticket for the Republican primary.^[18] Later in 2024, he voted in the Democratic primary in Guilford County, North Carolina.^[7] (Ryan Wesley Routh. Wikipedia, accessed 09/16/24)

A Secret Service agent spotted the suspect as he stuck the barrel of his rifle through the chain fence on the outskirts of Trump International Golf Course West Palm Beach South.

The agent, who was a golf hole ahead of Trump, opened fire on the suspect — who fled, Bradshaw told reporters Sunday night. …

Despite the fact that the ex-president came within a few centimeters of having his head blown off barely two months ago, Bradshaw indicated Trump’s security detail was lighter than President Biden‘s because he is not the sitting commander-in-chief.

“At this level that he is at right now, he’s not the sitting president. If he was, we would have had this entire golf course surrounded. But because he’s not, security is limited to the areas that the Secret Service deems possible,” Bradshaw said. …

Routh’s arrest was given a big boost by a bystander who spotted him running out of the bushes and getting into a black Nissan, even photographing the man and reporting the sighting to law enforcement, who then blasted it out statewide, leading to his arrest after a stop on I-95 a short time later.

Investigators found the suspect had left behind his “AK-style” rifle, as well as two backpacks, one of which contained ceramic tile, at the scene, Bradshaw said.

Routh has been in the news before. A vocal Ukraine supporter, he spoke to Newsweek Romania in 2022 about volunteering to help recruit for Ukraine forces in its war against Russia and to Semafor a year later, expressing frustration over Ukraine’s unwillingness to enlist foreign soldiers. https://nypost.com/2024/09/15/us-news/shooting-reported-at-donald-trumps-golf-club-while-ex-president-was-on-grounds/

Various sources “on the right” had speculated that there would be another assassination attempt against Donald Trump, and that has happened. There may very well be another assassination attempt against Donald Trump in 2024.

UPDATE 1210 PDT 1510 EDT:

Sheriff Suggests “Ominous… Conspiracy” Behind Trump Assassination Attempt

September 16, 2024

Martin County Sheriff Will Snyder suggested there may be an “ominous” wider “conspiracy” at play regarding yesterday’s suspect in the attempted assassination of Trump given that the gunman appeared to know Trump’s private schedule.

Ryan Wesley Routh appeared to know that Trump was playing golf at a Florida resort despite this not being public knowledge and the decision to play being last minute.

“To my knowledge does he have any ties to Martin County? The answer is no…I think what we’re finding out is he’s not from this area, which of course raises the bigger question is how does a guy from not here get all the way to Trump International, realize that the former president of the United States is golfing and is able to get a rifle in that vicinity,” commented Snyder.

“Is this guy part of a conspiracy? Is he a lone gunman? If he’s a lone gunman, President Trump is that much safer because we have him. But if he’s part of a conspiracy then this whole thing really takes on a very ominous tone,” added the Sheriff.

Former FBI assistant director Chris Swecker also told Newsweek that Routh appeared to have insider knowledge of the former president’s movements.

The biggest question to answer is: ‘How did the would-be assassin know to be at that location at that time?’” he said.

“There are only three possible answers:

He guessed and got very lucky; he conducted surveillance on Trump and followed him to the golf course or he had inside information about Trump’s schedule.”

Bodycam footage released by the Sheriff’s office shows Routh, who reportedly was hanging around the golf course for 12 hours, being apprehended. https://www.zerohedge.com/political/sheriff-suggests-ominous-conspiracy-behind-trump-assassination-attempt

Yes, certain things associated with this attempted Donald Trump assassination attempt and the last one are disturbing and suggest issues that the mainstream has seemingly pushed aside.

Yet, might this last attempt boost support for Donald Trump?

Perhaps to a small degree.

In general, the US media does not want people to support Donald Trump and it tends to minimize coverage that it deems helpful to his reelection attempt.

But it is not up to the US media.

Notice the following:

17 ‘This decision is by the decree of the watchers,
And the sentence by the word of the holy ones,
In order that the living may know
That the Most High rules in the kingdom of men,
Gives it to whomever He will,
And sets over it the lowest of men.’  (Daniel 4:15)

As far as “the lowest of men” goes, even  Pope Francis has publicly agreed with my position that both Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are evil (see Pope Francis says to Americans, ‘You have to vote, and you have to choose the lesser evil’; Pew: more religious favor Trump, atheists/agnostics favor Harris).

And Pope Francis is basically correct that a vote for either one is a vote for evil.

After the previous assassination attempt against Donald Trump, a reader sent me the following which was in a newsletter by COG-Cincinnati:

July 19, 2024

The blood on Trump has caused a worldwide sensation that has dramatically increased his persona. There is an awe about him now. He was just another politician and now he is brave, dogged, unrelenting, and there’s an unspoken sense that God protects him. America longs for such a leader.

Adam Smith, father of free-market economics, used the term ‘unseen hand’ to refer to the mechanism that controls a capitalistic economy. That’s how Trump is now viewed. There’s an unseen hand protecting him. Fani Willis is destroyed. Liz Chaney is toast. The New York AG and the prosecutor may eventually be indicted. Pence is politically ruined.

If they had never attacked Trump, he may have faded into oblivion. His enemies made him a liberator.

It isn’t a matter of whether you are for Trump or against him, whether you despise his texts or dislike the rhetoric he uses on his opponents. There is a drama being played out on the world scene that is bigger than the man. And we are witnessing the saga with little power to change it.

The biblical story of Daniel carries a striking parallel that provides profound insight into the circumstances we are now experiencing. King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream that troubled him so much that he sought an explanation from his religious advisors. They failed to solve the riddle, which angered the king so much that he was about to execute all his advisors. This explains a lot about a king’s ego.

Daniel asked for time to seek an answer from God. He was rewarded for his faith with an explanation that outlined the world’s history from Daniel’s day all the way to the return of Jesus.

What was the purpose of the dreams and Daniel’s revelation? One of the deepest mysteries of life is revealed in this scenario. The purpose of prophecy and the answer to the political machinations of our time are expressed four times throughout the Book of Daniel. I’ll only write it once.

‘This decision is by the decree of the watchers,

And the sentence by the word of the holy ones,

In order that the living may know

That the Most High rules in the kingdom of men,

Gives it to whomever He will,

And sets over it the lowest of men.’

Daniel 4:17

Some of us think Joe Biden is the lowest of men, and others think that describes Donald Trump. The reality is that God rules the political kingdom of men, and He will give power to the person He chooses. If the man truly is a lowlife, to use our vernacular, He gave us the leader we deserve. When God blesses a nation and they turn from Him, He will give them the worst men to lead the nation into tribulation. That is the story of Israel.

If the people turn to God and repent of their sins, He will provide a leader to bring blessings to them. The thought-provoking part is that both men may be the lowest of men. Nebuchadnezzar was not a “good” man when Daniel met him. He was willing to kill every one of his advisors because they could not interpret a dream! Who wants a tyrant like that to lead the nation?

Nebuchadnezzar went through seven years of tribulation, living as an animal, and that experience developed humility in the king. At the end of the time, he rejected the false gods of Babylon and converted to worshiping the Creator God. He even wrote one chapter of the Book of Daniel. …

Don’t be distracted by the politics—God is the unseen hand that controls the economy and the politics.

Until next time,

Jim O’Brien

While I do not recall ever meeting Jim O’Brien, we did speak a couple of times years ago.

God will decide who will be the next President of the United States, as He knows who will take certain steps that will lead to the fulfillment of prophecies in His word.

While we should watch world events as Jesus taught (cf. Mark 13:1-37), without national repentance, the USA is doomed.

Neither Donald Trump nor Kamala Harris have called for national repentance as they do not understand scripture nor the need for such repentance.

And while your nation is not likely to repent, you can.

Do not put that off.

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?
Might the U.S.A. Be Gone in 2028? Could the USA be gone by the end of 2028 or earlier? 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?
Should a Christian Vote? This article gives some of the Biblical rationale on this subject. Would Jesus vote for president/prime minister? Is voting in the Bible? This is a subject Christians need to understand. A video of related interest is available titled: Should Christians Vote? Another video is Biden, Trump, and the Bible.
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.
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. Two related sermon are available: Identifying the USA and its Destruction in Prophecy and Do these 7 prophesies point to the end of the USA?
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 four 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.
Donald Trump in Prophecy Prophecy, Donald Trump? Are there prophecies that Donald Trump may fulfill?  Are there any prophecies that he has already helped fulfill?  Is a Donald Trump presidency proving to be apocalyptic?  Two related videos are available: Donald: ‘Trump of God’ or Apocalyptic? and Donald Trump’s Prophetic Presidency.
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.
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.
When You Sin: Do You Really Repent? This is an article by Charles F. Hunting. A related sermon is Confess to God and truly repent.

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
(Photo by Gage Skidmore)

COGwriter

As has been rumored lately, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has decided to no longer run as an independent presidential candidate:

August 23, 2024

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. on Friday dropped his White House bid and announced support for former President Donald Trump, issuing broadsides against the Democratic Party’s handling of the primary election and media censorship.

Kennedy said in Phoenix that the Democratic Party of “waged continual legal warfare against both President Trump and myself,” and “ran a sham primary.”

“In an honest system, I believe I would have won the election,” he said. https://www.foxnews.com/politics/robert-f-kennedy-jr-endorse-trump-president-court-filing-shows

August 23, 2024

The 2024 presidential election race is about to take its next unexpected turn…

“Democrats have become the party of war, censorship, corruption, big pharma, big tech, big ag, and big money wanting to abandon democracy by canceling the primary to conceal the cognitive decline of the sitting president.

I left the party to run as an independent…

The DNC and its media organs engineered a surge of popularity for VP Harris based upon nothing. No policies, no interviews, no debates. Only smoke and mirrors.” 

“A Chicago circus that is based on NOTHING. Who needs a policy if you hate Donald Trump?“

“How did the Democratic Party choose a candidate that has never done an interview or debate during the entire election cycle?” Kennedy asked.

“We know the answer: They did it by weaponizing the government agencies. They did it by abandoning democracy. They did it by suing the opposition and by disenfranchising American voters. What most alarms me isn’t how the Democratic Party conducts its internal affairs or runs its candidates. What alarms me is the resort to censorship and media control and the weaponization of the federal agencies.”

Kennedy refuses to be a spoiler… “Many months ago, I promised the American people that I would withdraw from the race if I became a spoiler… In my heart, I no longer believe that I have a realistic path to electoral victory in the face of this relentless, systematic censorship and media control.”

“I am simply suspending it and not ending it. My name will remain on the ballot in most states.

I encourage you to vote for me.

In an honest system, I believe that I would have won the election.

After all, the polls consistently showed me beating each of the other candidates.

In about 10 battleground states where my presence would be a spoiler, I’m going to remove my name.” …

I throw my support behind Donald Trump.”

Kennedy said that in a series of meetings with Trump and his team, he realized he shared more in common with the former president than he thought. …

Most notably, RFK Jr. admitted in front of the nation that he attempted to contact VP Harris first and that she neither wanted to talk or meet with him is a strong message to Independent voters:

“Following my first discussion with President Trump, I tried unsuccessfully to open similar discussions with Vice President Harris. Vice President Harris declined to meet or even to speak with me.”

“Democrats want nothing to do with you, Republicans will at least give you a seat at the table.”

RFK addressed details on the Russia-Ukraine war (via Kyle Backer):

“We have pushed Russia closer to China and Iran. We are closer to the brink of nuclear exchange than at any time since 1962. And the Neocons in the White House don’t seem to care at all.”

“Our moral authority and our economy are in shambles. And the war gave rise to the emergence of BRICS, which now threatens to replace the dollar as the global reserve currency.”

“This is a first class calamity for our country.”

“Judging by her bellicose, belligerent speech last night in Chicago, we can assume that President Harris will be an enthusiastic for this and other Neocon military adventures.”

“President Trump says he will reopen negotiations with President Putin and end the war overnight as soon as he becomes president.”

“This alone would justify my support for his campaign.”

“Last summer, it looked like no candidate was willing to negotiate a quick end to the Ukraine War, to tackle the chronic disease epidemic, to protect free speech, our Constitutional freedoms, to clean corporate influence out of our government or to defy the Neocons on their agenda of endless military adventurism.”

“But now, one of the two candidates has adopted these issue as his own to the point where he has asked to enlist me in his administration.”

“I am speaking, of course, of Donald Trump.”

Trump expressed his gratitude:

PRESIDENT TRUMP: “We just had a very nice endorsement from RFK JR!” pic.twitter.com/yNmooMWGo4

— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) August 23, 2024

…

RFK Jr. was shunned by Democrat Party insiders in their initial effort to prop up husk of a president, Joe Biden.

Now they are stuck with Biden’s insurance policy, Kamala Harris.

It terrified the Dems to have RFK Jr. in the running, so they rigged the rules, banned him from state ballots, and vilified him as extreme. And to dampen his impact on the Harris-Walz ticket, after trying to deny him ballot access and remove RFK Jr. from the state ballots he made his way to, Democrats will now attempt to keep him on ballots to hurt Trump.

Such hypocrites. https://www.zerohedge.com/political/watch-live-rfk-jr-addresses-nation

While they have serious differences Robert Kennedy Jr. and Donald Trump agree on several topics.

In addition to their views about the Democratic party (Donald Trump is also a former Democrat) and how the transfer to Kamala Harris has been handled, notice some items from Wikipedia:

Speaking on Erin Burnett OutFront, Kennedy said that President Biden poses a bigger threat to democracy than does Donald Trump, alleging that he was the first ever president to use federal agencies to censor free speech …

As for defending the January 6 rioters, the Kennedy campaign blamed the marketing firm that handles their email communications.^[197] Shortly after the marketing email was sent out and during a statement to clarify his position on the Capitol attack, Kennedy said he would appoint a special prosecutor to determine if those charged were politically prosecuted, questioned whether the riot qualified as an insurrection, and stated he was “disturbed by the weaponization of government” against Trump.^[198] Following Trump’s conviction of 34 felonies by a jury in his New York hush money case, Kennedy, agreeing with the Republican stance, called the verdict “profoundly undemocratic” and attacked Democrats by claiming that the prosecution was politically motivated. … 

Kennedy has said he wants to “end the proxy wars, bombing campaigns, covert operations, coups, paramilitaries, and everything else that has become so normal most people don’t know what’s happening.”^[201] He says that “the Democratic Party became the party of war,” and said “I attribute that directly to President Biden.” …

Kennedy argues that there were agreements between United States and Russian (or Soviet) leaders emphasized that NATO would not expand eastwards, and the illegal invasion of Ukraine occurred because Russian security concerns were ignored by the United States. …

Kennedy has long supported the legalization of gay marriage.^[233] He has stated that transgender people deserve respect, that he is opposed to “mean-spirited” legislation and that he supports peoples’ “gender choices”.^[234][201] However, he is against transgender women participating in women’s sports, and has supported the LGBT chemicals conspiracy theory.(Robert F. Kennedy Jr. 2024 presidential campaign. Wikipedia, accessed 08/23/24)

Kennedy believes that the administration of President Joe Biden in large part caused the 2022 invasion of Ukraine by Russia due to reckless and militant action; …

Kennedy has been critical of the integrity of the voting process. (Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Wikipedia, accessed 08/23/24)

I do not endorse any candidate, yet will mention that, yes, the USA had agreed to not allow NATO to expand, but would add that the USA also provided guarantees to Ukraine that it would defend its territory if Ukraine gave up its nuclear weapons–which Ukraine did.

Let me add that Robert Kennedy, Jr. has pointed out problems with the pharmaceutical industry–and I have posted about that here from time to time (e.g. FDA’s Christopher Cole, ‘The drug companies, the food companies, the vaccine companies, they pay us hundreds of millions of dollars a year to hire and keep the reviewers to approve their products’). He also has issues with the moves towards cashlessness (see RFK Jr. Maintains Highest Favorability Rating Among Presidential Candidates In New Poll) and gender matters (see Robert Kennedy on herbicides and ‘gender dysphoria’).

That said, yes, many politicians, pundits, and media operatives are hypocritical.

As far as being hypocritical goes, the Book of Job teaches:

13 … And the hope of the hypocrite shall perish, (Job 8:13)

The Bible prophecy warns that God will punish and destroy “an hypocritical nation” (Isaiah 10:6, KJV) in a prophecy related to the USA.

The Bible teaches:

1 Cry aloud, spare not;
Lift up your voice like a trumpet;
Tell My people their transgression,
And the house of Jacob their sins. (Isaiah 58:1)

These national sins include abortion, sexual immorality, promoting pornography, false witness, violence, economic theft through debt, hypocrisy, disdain for the God of the Bible, covetousness, and a host of other sins that neither Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Donald Trump, nor Kamala Harris truly condemn.

For more on sin, check out our free online book, The Ten Commandments: The Decalogue, Christianity, and the Beast.

America, while having ups, is on its way down.

Whoever wins in the US Presidency in 2024 will not stop the decline of the USA.

Regular readers realize that I am NOT a voter nor a Democrat nor a Republican –I am a non-partisan Christian looking for the return of Jesus and the establishment of the Kingdom of God.

Right now, the USA is deeply divided.

Jesus warned:

25 Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand. (Matthew 12:25)

17 Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and a house divided against a house falls. (Luke 11:17)

The divide in the USA is growing as many of its sins (including hypocrisy) become more blatant.

Regarding the two remaining major candidates for the USA presidency, the Continuing Church of God put together the following video on our Bible News Prophecy YouTube channel:

14:24

Trump vs Harris vs Scripture

Are Donald Trump and Kamala Harris qualified to be President of the United States according to its Constitution? Does the adulterer Donald Trump’s record as a businessman who declared bankruptcy multiple times and who was once President of the USA make him the best choice? Does Kamala Harris’ political positions, one or more were related to adultery, and then later being Vice-President make her the best choice? What about their positions on adultery and LGBTQ matters? Do either of them meet the biblical requirements to be leaders? Could they both be evil? Should Christians put their faith in leaders or in Jesus and His Kingdom? Dr. Thiel and Steve Dupuie go over these points.

Here is a link to our video: Trump vs Harris vs Scripture.

Put your faith in Jesus and the coming Kingdom of God, not in US elections.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Might the U.S.A. Be Gone by 2028? Could the USA be gone by the end of 2028 or earlier? 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?
Should a Christian Vote? This article gives some of the Biblical rationale on this subject. Would Jesus vote for president/prime minister? Is voting in the Bible? This is a subject Christians need to understand. A video of related interest is available titled: Should Christians Vote? Another video is Biden, Trump, and the Bible.
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.
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. Two related sermon are available: Identifying the USA and its Destruction in Prophecy and Do these 7 prophesies point to the end of the USA?
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 four 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.
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
Donald Trump in Prophecy Prophecy, Donald Trump? Are there prophecies that Donald Trump may fulfill?  Are there any prophecies that he has already helped fulfill?  Is a Donald Trump presidency proving to be apocalyptic?  Two related videos are available: Donald: ‘Trump of God’ or Apocalyptic? and Donald Trump’s Prophetic Presidency.
Biden-Harris: Prophecies and Destruction Can the USA survive two full presidential terms? In what ways are Joe Biden and Kamala Harris apocalyptic? This book has hundreds of prophecies and scriptures to provide details.  A Kindle version is also available and you do not need an actual Kindle device to read it. Why? Amazon will allow you to download it to almost any device: Please click HERE to download one of Amazon s Free Reader Apps. After you go to your free Kindle reader app (or if you already have one or a Kindle),  you can go to: Biden-Harris: Prophecies and Destruction (Kindle) to get the book in seconds.

Donald Trump is rushed off stage by Secret Service during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. Follow live updates. https://t.co/24cIJ6uL0O

— CNN Breaking News (@cnnbrk) July 13, 2024

COGwriter

Donald Trump was shot at a rally he was holding in Pennsylvania:

July 13, 2024

Former President Trump was rushed off the stage by the Secret Service at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, after apparent gunshots rang out.

Gunfire appeared to break out shortly after Trump began speaking at the rally at Butler Farm Show grounds on Saturday evening.

The former president had just begun to fire up the crowd when as many as five shots were heard, and he went down, surrounded by Secret Service agents.

“And then the worst president in the history of our country took over. And look what happened to our country. Probably 20 million people [came in illegally]. And, you know, that’s a little bit old, that chart… that chart’s a couple of months old. And if you want to really see something that sad, take a look at what happened over…” Trump said before gunfire rang out.

As they led him away, with what appeared to be blood on his head, he raised his arms defiantly. …

In a statement, Trump’s communication director, Steven Cheung, said that the former president “is fine.”

“President Trump thanks law enforcement and first responders for their quick action during this heinous act,” Cheung said. “He is fine and is being checked out at a local medical facility.”

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/possible-gunfire-breaks-out-trump-rally-pennsylvania

After coming to his feet, with a bloody ear and blood on his right cheek, Donald Trump pumped his fist in the air defiantly and seemed to yell fight, fight to the crowd, which cheered and yelled USA, USA, after seeing him rise up.

Last week, I read some articles that said to the effect:

• Donald Trump survived the Russian collusion hoax
• He survived two impeachment attempts
• He has survived the lawfare against him
• Now, someone will try to kill him

Well, someone did.

I watched the video of the rally on the news after this happened, heard what sounded like several shots, saw Donald Trump go down (it may have been the Secret Service who pushed him down), saw the Secret Service surround Donald Trump, and then he rose, pumped his fist, and was escorted out by the Secret Service.

No matter what someone thinks of Donald Trump, this was a wrong and horrible thing to do.

Anyway, the news reported that the gunman and an audience member are now dead:

‘Shooter and audience member dead’ – as bloodied former president tells supporters to ‘fight’

July 13, 2024

A person believed to be a shooter at today’s Donald Trump Pennsylvania rally is dead, as well as an audience member in attendance, the Butler County District Attorney has said.

In addition to the two fatalities, one other person is believed to be in a critical condition.

https://news.sky.com/story/trump-shooting-latest-bloodied-trump-shouts-fight-as-hes-rushed-off-stage-secret-service-release-statement-13177655

Sadly, there is less proper fear of God in the USA and this leads people to be destructive and for some to shed blood:

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 “Their throat is an open tomb; With their tongues they have practiced deceit”; “The poison of asps is under their lips”;

14 “Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.”

15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood;

16 Destruction and misery are in their ways;

17 And the way of peace they have not known.”

18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.” (Romans 3:13-18)

This lack of respect for God and His ways has impacted pretty much all of American society.

The USA is deeply divided. It has politicized more and more.

Jesus warned:

25 … Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand. (Matthew 12:25)

24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.  (Mark 3:24-25)

17 … Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and a house divided against a house falls. (Luke 11:17)

Notice that God inspired this to be written three times in the Gospels.

God normally seems to repeat something in scripture for emphasis.

The division is a BIG DEAL.

Despite the comment in the podcast that the USA would continue, the Bible shows that the end of the USA is coming (cf. Daniel 11:39; see also USA in Prophecy: The Strongest Fortresses).

Troubles are prophesied (Mark 13:8).

Here is part of number 15 from my article 24 items to prophetically watch in 2024:

15. Unrest, Terror, and the Dividing of the USA

There have been many protests in the USA.

Some protested racial, economic, and policing matters. Some have called for a “civil war.”

The Bible prophesies, “There shall be terror within” (Deuteronomy 32:25).

Will that happen to the USA?

Yes.

Jesus taught:

25 Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand. (Matthew 12:25)

We are seeing more divide in the USA and parts of it certainly appear to be intentional. Much of it is ideological. The USA is becoming less and less united and more polarized.

Notice the following from 2022:

WND: Ex-Army generals fear insurrection or ‘civil war’ in 2024

Expect more divide in a nation where half of its people cannot tell the different between males and females and the other half still sticks to some facts about that. And of course, there is the abortion divide and other issues.

More terror is prophesied to hit the USA. The same is true for Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.

The time of Jacob’s trouble (Jeremiah 30:7), also known as the Great Tribulation (Matthew 24:21), is coming and the USA and its Anglo-Saxon allies (including Canada) will be affected.

National repentance is the only way to prevent it, and that does not look likely. Though for the nation, the Kingdom of God is the solution, but first there will be a horrific 3 1/2 years.

Personal repentance, however, is still possible. Your personal future can still be much brighter than that of your country. Jesus, in addition to being the source of salvation, also offered physical protection to the most faithful (see Philadelphian Christian Great Tribulation Protection and/or watch Great Tribulation Protection).

That said, I hope Donald Trump will recover.

Yet, no matter who wins in November, that team will not fix the USA nor stop it from its prophesied destruction.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Donald Trump in Prophecy Prophecy, Donald Trump? Are there prophecies that Donald Trump may fulfill?  Are there any prophecies that he has already helped fulfill?  Is a Donald Trump presidency proving to be apocalyptic?  Two related videos are available: Donald: ‘Trump of God’ or Apocalyptic? and Donald Trump’s Prophetic Presidency.
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. Two related sermon are available: Identifying the USA and its Destruction in Prophecy and 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.
Who is the King of the North? Is there one? Do biblical and Roman Catholic prophecies for the Great Monarch point to the same leader? Should he be followed? Who will be the King of the North discussed in Daniel 11? Is a nuclear attack prophesied to happen to the English-speaking peoples of the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand? When do the 1335 days, 1290 days, and 1260 days (the time, times, and half a time) of Daniel 12 begin? When does the Bible show that economic collapse will affect the United States? In the Spanish language check out ¿Quién es el Rey del Norte? Here are links to three related videos: The King of the North is Alive: What to Look Out For, The Future King of the North, and Rise of the Prophesied King of the North.
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.

The US Bill of Rights

COGwriter

The fourth of July is considered to be ‘independence day’ for the USA as its Declaration of Independence was adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776.

Many do not realize why the colonies rebelled.

Typically, on the Fourth of July, many in the USA will have barbecues, watch parades, and/or view fireworks.

Those who live in the USA may wish to re-read its Declaration of Independence as its government in this century not only seems to have a disdain for more of the law of God, it also is probably more guilty than the old British rule for committing many acts that caused the colonists to revolt in the first place.

Many years ago, I read my family much of the Declaration and commented upon how the then current USA federal, state, and local governments had committed most of the same actions against our family (directly and/or indirectly) that the USA’s revolutionary leaders objected to from the British king.

In order to try to further protect the rights of the citizens of its new nation, the Bill of Rights came into effect as Constitutional Amendments on December 15, 1791.

In the past several years, the first amendment protection for religion has gotten trashed by various governments and courts in the USA. That amendment states:

• First amendment — Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Despite what that says, the USA has had real problems with federal courts as they have ruled against religious freedom. Here are links to a couple of examples: US Federal Judge rules religious freedom law unconstitutional and US Supreme Court delivers another blow to ‘freedom of religion’. And the Biden-Harris Administration has gone on record against religious rights in order to promote LGBTQ matters (e.g. ‘THE HARRIS-BIDEN ADMINISTRATION IS ROLLING OUT AMERICA’S VERSION OF MAO’S GENOCIDAL CULTURAL REVOLUTION’ ‘California Ethnic Studies Curriculum Calls For ‘Decolonization’ Of America’). Additionally, the government has applied pressure to Big Tech to censor things it does not like–information on COVID-19 and biblical views related to LGBTQ+ issues immediately come to mind.

Someone sent an email to me that had the following:

July 2, 2024

Every July 4, Americans have less independence to celebrate.

Although the country’s original principles enshrined sovereignty for the individual, those ideals are ancient history in practice today.

In light of Independence Day, I think we should consider an important question:

What does real independence look like, and how can you achieve it?

It might be better to start with what it doesn’t look like:

• The cumulative effect of income tax, sales tax, property tax, capital gains tax, estate tax, and countless others
• Vaccine mandates
• Travel restrictions
• Legal tender laws, which force people to use rapidly debasing government confetti as money
• ESG social credit scores
• Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs)
• Forever wars
• The gutting of the Bill of Rights
• The need to comply with an ever-growing stack of regulations, mandates, and laws
• The politicization of the justice system
• Government and Big Business promoting cultural degeneracy

This is just a short synopsis of the current state of affairs. The list is far from exhaustive.

Notice also the following:

June 26, 2024

As the nation heads into the July 4th holiday, we have rarely been more divided as a people. Ironically, we are still debating the core values that define us, particularly the right to free speech. …

As a nation, we have gone through almost cyclic periods of unhinged rage, including periods of what I call “state rage.” The first victim has always been free speech, including in our current age of rage. Indeed, this is arguably the most dangerous anti-free speech period in our history. …

In the past, free speech has found natural allies in academia and the media. That has changed with a type of triumvirate — the government, corporations, and academia — in a powerful alliance against free speech values.

Ironically, while these groups refer to the unprecedented threat of “fake news” and “disinformation,” those were the very same rationales used first by the Crown and then the U.S. government to crack down on free speech in the early American republic.

The difference is the magnitude of the current censorship system from campuses to corporations to Congress. Law professors are even calling for changing the First Amendment as advancing an “excessively individualistic” view of free speech. The amendment would allow the government to curtail speech to achieve “equity” and protect “dignity.”

Others, including President Biden, have called for greater censorship while politicians and pundits denounce defenders of free speech as “Putin lovers” and “insurrectionist sympathizers.” https://www.zerohedge.com/political/americas-anti-free-speech-movement-forces-us-again-choose-between-our-rights-and-our-rage

When it had a couple of opportunities to try to improve this in 2024, the US Supreme Court did not. Free speech is not something enough leaders in the US truly believe in properly protecting.

Now, notice the second amendment:

• Second amendment — A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed

As far as the second amendment goes, President Joe Biden does feel that should be infringed.

Although the President of the United States takes an oath to defend its Constitution, notice something Joe Biden said before:

April 8, 2021

President Biden on Thursday, in rolling out a set of executive orders on gun control, said “no amendment is absolute,” while maintaining that “nothing” he is recommending “impinges” on the Second Amendment. …

“No amendment, no amendment to the Constitution is absolute,” (https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden-repeats-debunked-second-amendment-claim-says-no-amendment-absolute)

He made a similar statement the next year. Notice:

May 26, 2022

“The Second Amendment is not absolute,” the president said. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/texas-school-shooting-biden-second-amendment-is-not-absolute/

That being said, people such as Edward Snowden, despite whatever flaws he may have, have pointed out some of how the USA’s government intentionally violated portions of the Bill of Rights, such as the 4th-6th amendment rights. So, he has been in hiding for years because of that. Here is what those amendments were supposed to protect (some of which have been mishandled related to him personally by the US government):

• Fourth Amendment – Protection from unreasonable search and seizure.

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

• Fifth Amendment – due process, double jeopardy, self-incrimination, eminent domain.

No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

• Sixth Amendment – Trial by jury and rights of the accused; Confrontation Clause, speedy trial, public trial, right to counsel

In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence.

The ramifications of the Snowden leaks are that those in the USA have realized that their government tends to ignore or pretend to reason around its Constitution, while the international community is outraged by the amount of spying that the USA has engaged in. The Obama-Biden Administration claimed it would be the most transparent administration in recent USA history, and instead it repeatedly was caught for espionage and trying to cover various matters up. The international community has called the USA hypocritical on all of this. Many in Europe and elsewhere are getting upset with the USA for what it has been doing–and yes, also for many things from the Trump Administration and the Biden Administration.

Furthermore, the government has applied pressure to Big Tech to provide information and conduct various types of searches without going through the courts, etc.

As far as the early foundations of the USA go, if it was written today and adopted, I suspect that the US Supreme Court might rule the Declaration unconstitutional as it starts out with the following statements:

When in the course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

And the Declaration ends with the following statement:

And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.

Most in the dominant media do not want to seriously consider the US having “the protection of Divine Providence.” They are antagonistic to God and tend to believe those who seriously believe in the God of the Bible are a hateful threat.

Also, the Bill of Rights, itself, has tended to be viewed as intending to provide citizens minimalist protection by the US Supreme Court, which is in violation of its intent. In the 21st century, July 4th does not truly find a court system or a country that is particularly keen on keeping the government out of most peoples’ lives. But that is what the signers of the Declaration wanted.

Let’s look at some of the grievances that the colonists had against King George and his government, from the Declaration:

The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

Both the current and last US president support ‘same-sex marriage.’ Back in 1973, the US Supreme Court decided that State prohibition against abortions would not stand and that unborn babies could be killed–and even if that is overturned, states like California intend to perform and promote abortions. Did the government of King George do worse?

Here is more from the Declaration:

He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

The US Courts have told US States that they do not have the right to enforce various immigration laws.

Here is more from the Declaration:

He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.

There are enough scandals from Washington this past decade that suggest that various ones in the USA government have done this, including ones associated with the Internal Revenue Service under Barack Obama, and of course issues with Donald Trump and Joe Biden.

The Declaration also states:

He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.

The Bush Administration got Congress to approve the so-called ‘Patriot Act’ and establish the Homeland Security Administration and other offices. The Obama Administration has added other offices, and under his Administration, the Internal Revenue scandal demonstrated that various offices were harassing people for years because of their perceived political views. The COVID-19 restrictions suggested by the Trump Administration and expanded by various state and local governments is even worse that what the British king did.

The Declaration also states:

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:

Many US presidents have signed agreements with the United Nations and others that, in theory, are similar to what the colonists revolted against.

The Declaration also states:

For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:

The above happens all the time, but because it is done through administrative fees and/or with some legislative intent, this is considered acceptable to many. Yet, the amount of taxes raised, in terms of percentage of income, is MANY times higher than when the colonists revolted. And the taxes they mainly revolted from were tariffs.

The Declaration also states:

For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:

Essentially the so-called Patriot Act and other measures supposedly designed to fight terrorism and/or drug-trafficking have resulted in the US government doing this probably much more than the representatives of King George ever would have considered, let alone done.

The Declaration also states:

For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

The US federal government, including through various of its courts, has effectively done the above many times.

The Declaration also states:

He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

This is more subtle. The US Government treats its citizens as potential terrorists and criminals. It engages in massive espionage on its citizens, etc. Additionally, as the Snowden matter brought out, pretty much all communications that the US Government can monitor by its citizens is subject to being monitored.

The Declaration also states:

He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.

Because it tends to consider itself the world’s policeman, the government of the USA has been engaged in almost non-stop warfare, in one foreign country or other, since the early 1950s. Though it has less actual wars in the past couple of years or so.

Back in 2014, the US Supreme Court issued a couple of rulings indicating that it feels that the Obama Administration exceeded its constitutional authority (such as with the ‘Hobby Lobby’ case related to paying for abortive forms of birth control). But those rulings have not reversed the trend of the US government growing in power and taking away rights that the founders of the USA wanted its citizens to keep.

The Associated Press noted:

July 2, 2022

The world of federal regulation seems both boundless and microscopic. It touches what you touch. It lends a helping hand at every turn or sticks its clumsy fingers in everything, depending on your viewpoint. …

Thomas Jefferson sought freedom from bureaucracy as well as the achievement of American liberty when he wrote of the British king, “He has erected a multitude of new offices, and sent hither swarms of officers to harass our people, and eat out their substance.”

What followed were several centuries of new offices and swarm upon swarm of bureaucrats come hither. https://apnews.com/article/government-regulations-supreme-court-climate-change-e75243253440e5809c7db4f1be7491a7

Those bureaucrats, while sometimes actually making things better, often make them worse. A tyranny that people like Thomas Jefferson had hoped could not happen in the USA– has.

Notice also the following from John Whitehead:

If there is one point on which there should be no political parsing, no legal jockeying, and no disagreement, it is this: for anyone to advocate terminating or suspending the Constitution is tantamount to a declaration of war against the founding principles of our representative government and the rule of law.

Then again, one could well make the case that the Constitution has already been terminated after years on life support, given the extent to which the safeguards enshrined in the Bill of Rights—adopted 231 years ago as a means of protecting the people against government overreach and abuse—have been steadily chipped away at, undermined, eroded, whittled down, and generally discarded with the support of Congress, the White House, and the courts.

Consider for yourself.

We are in the grip of martial law. We have what the founders feared most: a “standing” or permanent army on American soil. This de facto standing army is made up of weaponized, militarized domestic police forces which look like, dress like, and act like the military; are armed with guns, ammunition and military-style equipment; are authorized to make arrests; and are trained in military tactics.

We are in the government’s crosshairs. The U.S. government continues to act as judge, jury and executioner over a populace that have been pre-judged and found guilty, stripped of their rights, and left to suffer at the hands of government agents trained to respond with the utmost degree of violence. Consequently, we are at the mercy of law enforcement officers who have almost absolute discretion to decide who is a threat, what constitutes resistance, and how harshly they can deal with the citizens they were appointed to “serve and protect.” …

We are no longer safe in our homes. This present menace comes from the government’s army of bureaucratized, corporatized, militarized SWAT teams who are waging war on the last stronghold left to us as a free people: the sanctity of our homes.

We have no real freedom of speech. We are moving fast down a slippery slope to an authoritarian society in which the only opinions, ideas and speech expressed are the ones permitted by the government and its corporate cohorts. In more and more cases, the government is declaring war on what should be protected political speech whenever it challenges the government’s power, reveals the government’s corruption, exposes the government’s lies, and encourages the citizenry to push back against the government’s many injustices. …

We have no real privacy. We’re being spied on by a domestic army of government snitches, spies and techno-warriors. This government of Peeping Toms is watching everything we do, reading everything we write, listening to everything we say, and monitoring everything we spend. …

We are losing our right to bodily privacy and integrity. The debate over bodily integrity covers broad territory, ranging from forced vaccinations, forced cavity searches, forced colonoscopies, forced blood draws and forced breath-alcohol tests to forced DNA extractions, forced eye scans, and forced inclusion in biometric databases: these are just a few ways in which Americans continue to be reminded that we have no real privacy, no real presumption of innocence, and no real control over what happens to our bodies during an encounter with government officials. …

We no longer have a right to private property. If government agents can invade your home, break down your doors, kill your dog, damage your furnishings and terrorize your family, your property is no longer private and secure—it belongs to the government. Hard-working Americans are having their bank accounts, homes, cars electronics and cash seized by police under the assumption that they have allegedly been associated with some criminal scheme.

We have no due process. The groundwork has been laid for a new kind of government where it won’t matter if you’re innocent or guilty, whether you’re a threat to the nation, or even if you’re a citizen. …

We are no longer presumed innocent. The burden of proof has been reversed. Now we’re presumed guilty unless we can prove our innocence beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. https://thefreethoughtproject.com/the-state/13-examples-showing-the-constitution-no-longer-matters accessed 12/13/22

The US courts do not really believe in the Bill of Rights or individual liberty, unless the judge happens to like that side in a particular case.

Furthermore, the Declaration is too religious for many today.

Overall, the mainstream in the US has essentially declared independence from God.

And while simply restoring practices consistent with the Declaration of Independence will NOT stop the USA from going down the path that will lead it to destruction (nor am I advocating violent revolt), ignoring God, as well as documents like the Bible and the Ten Commandments, will ensure the destruction of the USA.

National repentance is the only way to prevent it, and that does not look likely. The advocacy of homosexuality and abortion, and increased indebtedness and acceptance of various forms of pornography (including what would be considered soft pornography involving the former ‘first lady’ of the USA) that we have seen the past few years suggests that national repentance is about the furthest thing on the minds of the national political leaders and most of the mainstream media in the US.

Personal repentance, however, is still possible. If you are an American, your personal future can still be much brighter than that of your country.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

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.
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?
Anglo – America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel Are the Americans, Canadians, English, Scottish, Welsh, Australians, Anglo-Saxon (non-Dutch) Southern Africans, and New Zealanders descendants of Joseph? Where are the lost ten-tribes of Israel? Who are the lost tribes of Israel? What will happen to Jerusalem and the Jews in Israel? Will God punish the U.S.A., Canada, United Kingdom, and other Anglo-Saxon nations? Why might God allow them to be punished first? Here is a link to the Spanish version of this article: Anglo-América & las Tribus Perdidas de Israel. Information is also in the YouTube sermons titled Where are the Ten Lost Tribes? Why does it matter? and British are the Covenant People. A short YouTube of prophetic interest may be: Are Chinese threats against Australia for real?
Will the Anglo-Saxon Nations be Divided and Have People Taken as Slaves? Will the lands of the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand be divided? What about Jerusalem? What does Bible prophecy teach? Are there non-biblical prophecies that support this idea? Who will divide those lands? Who will end up with the lands and the people? Here is a link to a video titled Will the USA and other Anglo-nations be Divided and Their People Made Slaves? Here is a related item in the Spanish language ¿Serán divididas las naciones anglosajonas?
There is a Place of Safety for the Philadelphians. Why it May Be Near Petra This article discusses a biblical ‘place of safety’ and includes quotes from the Bible and Herbert W. Armstrong on this subject–thus, there is a biblically supported alternative to the rapture theory. Two sermon-length videos of relaled interest are available Physical Protection During the Great Tribulation and Might Petra be the Place of Safety? Here is something related in the Spanish language: Hay un lugar de seguridad para los Filadelfinos. ¿Puede ser Petra?
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. Two related sermon are available: Identifying the USA and its Destruction in Prophecy and 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.
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.
The Bible Condemns Homosexuality “Same-sex marriage” for “gays” and lesbians is becoming more acceptable to many. What does the Bible teach about homosexuality? Can homosexuals change? A related video sermon is titled What Does the Bible Really Teach about Homosexuality?
Pornography: A scourge on society Is pornography harmless fun? Does the Bible teach anything about it? What are the views of some involved with it? Here is a link to a YouTube video Pornography: Harmless Fun or a Scourge on Society?
Cross-dressing and other assaults against your children. What should you do? Is there an agenda to turn your children and/or grandchildren away from biblical morality and towards practices promoted by homosexuals? What does the Bible teach about cross-dressing? What should parents do? If there is an agenda, what has been going on? There is also a YouTube video on this, titled Cross dressing and Other Assaults Against Your Children.
Abortion, the Bible, and a Woman’s Right to Choose Do you know what the Bible teaches on this? Has the Roman Catholic Church allowed abortions? What about the real Church of God? Some may wish to view the YouTube videos: Abortion and Birth Control: History and Scriptures. Abortion, the Bible, and US Debt, American Infanticide, Euthanasia: Mercy killing or murder?, Abortion, the US Constitution, and the Bible, and Land of ‘Free’ Abortions and Debt.
Biden-Harris: Prophecies and Destruction Can the USA survive two full presidential terms? In what ways are Joe Biden and Kamala Harris apocalyptic? This book has hundreds of prophecies and scriptures to provide details. A Kindle version is also available and you do not need an actual Kindle device to read it. Why? Amazon will allow you to download it to almost any device: Please click HERE to download one of Amazon s Free Reader Apps. After you go to your free Kindle reader app (or if you already have one or a Kindle), you can go to: Biden-Harris: Prophecies and Destruction (Kindle) to get the book in seconds.
Might the U.S.A. Be Gone by 2028? Are there prophetic reasons to believe that the USA will not last two complete presidential terms? Yes. 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?

COGwriter

On July 1, 1867, Canada became a self-governing dominion of Great Britain and a federation of four provinces: Nova Scotia; New Brunswick; Ontario; and Quebec. The anniversary of this date was called Dominion Day until 1982.

Since 1983, July 1 has been officially known as Canada Day.  My wife and I were last in Canada in October 2019.

Canada itself has grown:

As the bells rang out at noon on July 1, 1867, you were introduced for the first time as a fresh-faced nation of four provinces and 3,463,000 people.

Now here were are, 151 years later and you’ve grown into a country of 10 provinces and three territories and a population of 35,151,728. On a global scale, you rank 38th in total population while having the second-largest landmass. …

Canada Day carries many different meanings for people, with celebrations and protests as diverse as the country itself.

Depending on who you are it can be a source of pride and a celebration of independence from Britain; or it can be a source of contempt and derisively referred to as “colonial day” in protest of European settlement. 07/01/18 https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/canada-day-confederation-constitution-1.4724575

Here is some insight from Time as to why Canada became self-governing and some other details related to it:

After the Northern U.S. states won the American Civil War, there was a big concern in British North America and London that “the victorious Americans up North would take Canada, and much of the motivation [for uniting the provinces] was to have a stronger line of defense against the U.S.,” says Peter H. Russell, a political scientist who specializes in Canadian history. “The other thing was, the constitution-makers — we call them ‘Fathers of Confederation’ — were convinced that what led to the Civil War was a weak federation, so they tried to create a much stronger federal government than America has.” …

The name Canada wasn’t established in 1867, however; it’s derived from the Huron-Iroquois word “kanata,” meaning “village” or “settlement” and had been in use since the 16th century, when locals pointed French explorer Jacques Cartier in the direction of the “village” now known as Québec City. That Canada became a “Dominion” is also a uniquely American story, Russell argues. The Confederation was originally to be named a “kingdom” of Canada until “the British foreign office said, ‘The Americans won’t like a kingdom on their border, call it something else, or we’re going to have bad relations with the Americans.'”

Leonard Tilley, one of the Fathers of Confederation, was inspired to suggest the word ‘dominion’ by Psalm 72:8, which states that Jesus Christ “shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth.” (The Latin version, “A Mari Usque Ad Mare,” became the country’s national motto.) So that’s why Canada Day was originally known as “Dominion Day” when the July 1 national holiday was established in 1879. http://time.com/4828595/canada-day-150-years/

Basically, Canada was granted a self-governing status as the British were concerned that the USA might take it over. And it chose the term “dominion” based on the Bible.

But Canada does not accept the Bible at this time. Since a court decision in 2002, Canada has restricted freedom to quote and cite the Bible (watch Canadian censoring of the Bible). It also passed a motion limiting giving one’s view of Islam (http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-03-24/canada-passes-blasphemy-bill-silence-critics-islam).

Local Canadian officials have prohibited a Protestant school from being able to teach certain scriptures from the Bible. Here is an account of this from Canada:

Our Constitution has religion hard-wired into it — the word Catholic is in our Constitution four times, specifically to protect religious education. That’s part of the grand bargain of Canada, uniting French Canada and English Canada.

It’s shocking, but it’s not surprising. Christianity has been driven out of the public square everywhere in Canada. But surely this is a new low — Christianity is actually being banned in a Christian school.

Government bureaucrats would never dream of telling Muslim schools they couldn’t teach passages from the Koran — even ones that call for the murder of infidels and apostates. But banning the Bible is now official school board policy.

And, not surprisingly, the media and the political class are silent. Even supposedly Christian or conservative politicians are keeping their heads down — they don’t want to be attacked by the leftist mob at the CBC.

The school board is digging in. They’re closing ranks around Laurie Skori the chair. They’re bullying the school. David Eggen, the NDP education minister, he hates Christian schools, wants to shut them down, has taken steps to shut others down. He’s an anti-Christian bigot who doesn’t seem upset about this censorship in the slightest. 06/19/17 https://news.google.com/news/section?hl=en&ned=us&q=%22Battle+River+School+board%22

Notice also;

Alberta’s NDP says Christian school cannot state that God’s authority supersedes human authority

September 28, 2018

Alberta’s NDP government has made the next move against religious schools in the province—and this time, they’ve dropped any pretence that their ongoing attacks on religious schools are anything short of crass bigotry. At the end of August, Education Minister David Eggen announced that funding would be pulled from Christian schools that refused to accept Gay-Straight Alliance Clubs.  …

The NDP attacks on schools began as a radical progressive government forcing LGBT ideology into communities that did not want it, and have now metastasized into a blunt declaration by the government that schools cannot govern themselves according to their Christian beliefs. “Diversity” must be respected, by which the NDP means that a diverse array of religious schools must accept progressive ideology and accede to their demands or face further attacks from the government. This is no longer simply about Gay Straight Alliance clubs—the NDP is telling Christian schools that they cannot teach Christian doctrine, cannot state their belief that the Bible is God’s Word, cannot respect the primary role of parents in the education process, and cannot state that the biblical worldview is true.

And, most tellingly, the NDP had a problem with one school noting that God’s authority superseded man’s authority—because they do not believe that to be true. They believe that they are the final authority on everything, which is why they demanded that a Christian school remove acknowledgement of God’s sovereignty from their mission statement. https://thebridgehead.ca/2018/09/28/albertas-ndp-says-christian-school-cannot-state-that-gods-authority-supersedes-human-authority/

So, Canadian officials are often not acting in a manner consistent with what Canada was supposed to stand for.

Its top leaders have also pushed abortion and horrible agendas.

Notice also the following headlines since the last Canada Day:

Could Australia be moving towards the cashless world the WEF wants? (and then there is Canada’s ‘666’ move)

PCG: Canada’s Immigration Policy Is a Curse on the Nation; COGwriter: Scriptures warn of terrorism

Canada pushes more GMOs after Italy bans GMO fake meat

4.1% of ALL Deaths in Canada Last Year Caused By Government ‘Suicide’?

Here is something from a Roman Catholic source from the past:

July 1, 2022

As Canada Day rolls around again, many Canadians wonder why we should celebrate the nation that has of late disregarded so many of our basic rights and freedoms. …

As Canada becomes increasingly anti-Christian, some Canadians wonder: should we shake the dust from our feet and depart? …

Canada seems to have forgotten her past, rejecting Christian culture and ideals. Indeed, Canada has even forgotten her Charter of Rights and Freedoms, as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tramples our right to protest his vision of democracy. https://www.lifesitenews.com/opinion/canadians-should-remember-our-history-of-faith-and-freedom-this-canada-day/

11 “Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord God,
“That I will send a famine on the land,
Not a famine of bread,
Nor a thirst for water,
But of hearing the words of the Lord.
12 They shall wander from sea to sea,
And from north to east;
They shall run to and fro, seeking the word of the Lord,
But shall not find it. (Amos 8:11-12)

Notice that the Bible tells of a time that will come when the word of God will not be found. I do not believe that this means that there will be no more Bibles–but that those wanting to better understand it will have trouble finding explanations.

Amos is referring to something as dramatic as truth being scarce. In the 21st century that logically would point to it being taken off the internet. In the 21st century, the internet is accessed by people in every country, and thus some type of internet restriction/suspension/site removal is coming–more than what we have seen thus far.

We are getting closer to this time. More and more are starting to see that there are plans to censor speech from the internet.

That is part of why we in the Continuing Church of God are preparing for the ‘short work’ (Romans 9:28) and the coming ‘famine of the word.’

Jesus warned:

12 And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But he who endures to the end shall be saved. (Matthew 24:12-13)

Officials in the Canadian and other governments around the world do not respect the laws of the Bible and push their own morality–which is often biblically immoral.

Notice the following headline from a Canadian writer a while back:

Can one of the nicest places in the world – Canada – survive what’s to come?

Well, without national repentance, the answer is NO (cf. Hosea 11:3a, 5b-7). For some details about Canada’s future, here is a link to the sermon we recently made: Canada in Prophecy.

Sadly, this has affected many–though the faithful who endure will be saved and people can still repent.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

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. A sermon of related interest is also available: Canada in Prophecy.
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.
Canadian censoring of the Bible In 2017, Lauri Skori of the Battle River School board told a religious school in Alberta, Canada that it could not teach/read certain portions of the Bible. In 2002, a court in Canada ruled against one who referred to certain scriptures that some homosexuals objected to. In 2017, there was “An Act to Amend the Canadian Human Rights Act and Criminal Code” related to those who wish to be considered transgendered. Government officials in Canada and elsewhere have been ruling against the Bible. Is any of this prophesied? Will this get worse? What was the prophet Amos inspired to write? This is a video.
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? Here is a link to a related video sermon titled: The Short Work.
Should the Church Still Try to Place its Top Priority on Proclaiming the Gospel or Did Herbert W. Armstrong Change that Priority for the Work? Some say the Church should mainly feed the flock now as that is what Herbert W. Armstrong reportedly said. Is that what he said? Is that what the Bible says? What did Paul and Herbert W. Armstrong expect from lower level leaders? A related sermon is available titled Priority of the Philadelphia Work.
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 is also a YouTube video sermon you can watch: The Coming Persecution of the Church. Here is information in the Spanish language: Persecuciones de la Iglesia y el Estado.
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. 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.
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.
When You Sin: Do You Really Repent? This is an article by Charles F. Hunting. A related sermon is Confess to God and truly repent.
The Philadelphia Church Era was predominant circa 1933 A.D. to 1986 A.D. The old Radio Church of God and old Worldwide Church of God, now the remnant of that era is basically the most faithful in the Church of God, like who hold to the beliefs and practices of the Continuing Church of God.
The Laodicean Church Era has been predominant circa 1986 A.D. to present. The Laodiceans are non-Philadelphians who mainly descended from the old WCG or its offshoots. They do not properly understand the work or biblical prophecies and will face the Great Tribulation if they do not repent. One video of related interest is 17 Laodicean Errors in Prophecy. See also Do You Hold to Any of These Laodicean Prophetic Errors?
Anglo – America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel Are the Americans, Canadians, English, Scottish, Welsh, Australians, Anglo-Saxon (non-Dutch) Southern Africans, and New Zealanders descendants of Joseph? Where are the lost ten-tribes of Israel? Who are the lost tribes of Israel? What will happen to Jerusalem and the Jews in Israel? Will God punish the U.S.A., Canada, United Kingdom, and other Anglo-Saxon nations? Why might God allow them to be punished first? Here is a link to the Spanish version of this article: Anglo-América & las Tribus Perdidas de Israel. A video of possible interest may be Will Will USA Spying Help the Beast Power?
Leading the Final Phase of the Work Matthew 24:14 teaches “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come ” will be fulfilled and RCG is not the group doing this. Who is leading the final phase of the work? What did Herbert Armstrong and the old WCG teach about that and about prophets? Does Bob Thiel meet the criteria that the Bible and the old WCG set? What is the proof? What has the Continuing Church of God been doing? This is a sermonette length video.
Who is the King of the North? Is there one? Do biblical and Roman Catholic prophecies for the Great Monarch point to the same leader? Should he be followed? Who will be the King of the North discussed in Daniel 11? Is a nuclear attack prophesied to happen to the English-speaking peoples of the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand? When do the 1335 days, 1290 days, and 1260 days (the time, times, and half a time) of Daniel 12 begin? When does the Bible show that economic collapse will affect the United States? In the Spanish language check out ¿Quién es el Rey del Norte? Here are links to two related videos: The King of the North is Alive: What to Look Out For and The Future King of the North.
Internet Control, Famine of the Word, and 666 On October 1, 2016, the USA officially relinquished control over the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), despite objections from certain political leaders and former military officials. Might this lead to more censorship, imposition on non-biblical ‘community standards,’ and loss of first amendment rights? Could this transfer of control have any prophetic ramifications? Will the internet be a factor in the ‘short work’ of Romans 9:28 and the coming ‘famine of the word’ that the Prophet Amos warned about? Will internet control be something that the 666 power will have? Dr. Thiel addresses these matters and more in this video.
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. Two related sermon are available: Identifying the USA and its Destruction in Prophecy and 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.
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 is something related in the Spanish language: Hay un lugar de seguridad para los Filadelfinos. ¿Puede ser Petra?
The Final Phase of the Work What is the final phase of the work? Who will lead it? Do you have the courage to support it? Here is a related YouTube video titled The Final Phase of the Work. The written article has been translated into Spanish La Fase Final de la Obra.
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.

Traditional African dance and music performed for Juneteenth
(photo in public domain per Wikipedia)

COGwriter

In the past several years, there has been increased interest in a previously little-known holiday called Juneteenth.

Now, even certain California State employees are getting the day off, as a paid holiday, for it.

Here is some information about Juneteenth:

What is Juneteenth, America’s newest federal holiday?

June 18, 2024

Juneteenth marks the emancipation of enslaved Black Americans.

Long a regional holiday in the South, It became the newest U.S. federal holiday in 2021 under U.S. President Joe Biden.

:: June 17, 2021

BIDEN: “This is a day, in my view, of profound weight and profound power…” …

U.S. government employees have the day off from work.

So do workers at some private businesses.

Traditionally, Juneteenth celebrations include parades, marches and barbecues.

This year’s holiday is expected to take place during a heat wave in some parts of the country so officials are advising people to be careful.

Other events will strike a more somber tone, with organizers using the day to draw attention to today’s racial inequities they say stem from the legacy of slavery … https://www.yahoo.com/news/juneteenth-americas-newest-federal-holiday-231111048.html

June 17, 2023

So, what is Juneteenth all about?

When I first heard of Juneteenth, while working at a summer job during my college days, I presumed that since it had something to do with the end of slavery in the United States, it must have been the date the 13th Amendment — which ended legal slavery in the country — was ratified. Later, I was perplexed, as I read that the 13th Amendment was made part of the U.S. Constitution in December of 1865.

In reality, Juneteenth had very little to do with the end of legal slavery in America, so the question then became, Why celebrate it in June, rather than in December?

The answer seems to be, as it is with so much in today’s world — whether it be nominations to the Supreme Court, the names of sports teams, or even pictures on boxes of pancake mix — that politics is in play: Democrats want to pander to black voters, and Republicans are generally afraid to call them on it, fearing they will just be accused of being racists and “white supremacists.”

President Joe Biden signed into law the observation of “Juneteenth” (June 19) as an official holiday of the United States two days before the date in 2021, making 2022 the first year that the holiday was fully observed across the country.  https://thenewamerican.com/juneteenth-what-is-it-all-about/

June 19, 2022

Sam Roberts and his family are planning for Juneteenth, the newest U.S. holiday commemorating the 1865 emancipation of Black enslaved people at the end of the Civil War.

On Sunday, the Roberts family and other Americans will attend celebrations and observances. It’s part of a growing national recognition of a pivotal moment in U.S. history that’s been a part of the fabric of Black culture for generations.

“Juneteenth is our Freedom Day and African American communities have been celebrating June 19th for a long time,” said Roberts, a father of two from Washington, D.C. It’s the second national observance of the holiday since Congress authorized it and U.S. President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law last year.

“While July 4th is the celebration of freedom for the United States, Juneteenth is a celebration of freedom for African Americans after the Civil War,” said Jesse Holland, an author and Black historian.

The push for a Juneteenth federal holiday came amid the popularity of the Black Lives Matter movement and a year after nationwide protests against racism and police brutality. It followed the murder of African-American George Floyd by a white Minneapolis police officer in 2020. Since then, the annual celebration has taken on a new meaning for some in the Black community.

“Juneteenth reminds Black Americans we still face the challenges of hate and discrimination our ancestors endured,” Roberts said. “We have to redouble our quest for equality.”

Some historians believe greater awareness of Juneteenth will encourage forward leaning conversations among Americans about race relations and the legacies of slavery. …

“Not every African American in the United States are descendants of slaves, but for the large majority of us who are, Juneteenth is the time for us to take stock of who we are today, where we came from and the sacrifices our ancestors went through before and since the Civil War,” Holland told VOA.

Freedom declarations

U.S. President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, a declaration following the end of the Civil War that legally freed more than three million enslaved Blacks in Confederate States. But not all slaves were free because the proclamation could not be implemented in parts of the southern United States.

To enforce the proclamation, Union Army Major General Gordon Granger marched into Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865, to issue the “General Order Number 3,” which ended the enslavement of Blacks in Texas. The mandate freed an estimated 250,000 slaves two-and-half years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed.

“White Texans knew the Civil War was [over] and slavery was banned, but they didn’t tell their slaves the war was over for years [in order] to continue to get free labor out of them,” said Holland. “Juneteenth is when the lie ended and federal forces showed up to enforce the new federal law saying slavery was illegal in the United States.”

While Juneteenth is celebrated as the end of slavery, the practice of involuntary servitude continued briefly in the states of Delaware and Kentucky. On December 6, 1865, ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution abolished slavery in the United States.

Juneteenth awareness

The first events commemorating Juneteenth date to 1866, when former slaves celebrated their new freedom with prayer, feasting, song, and dance. The anniversary saw a decline in popularity in the 1950’s and 60’s as Black Americans focused on the civil rights movement and ending racial discrimination. Juneteenth saw a revival in the 1980’s when Texas became the first state to declare the date a state holiday. https://www.voanews.com/a/us-observes-juneteenth-national-holiday-/6621998.html

Racial discrimination is a problem in many societies.

Liberation from oppression is a good thing.

Whether an additional holiday will help is a matter of debate. The real solution is the Kingdom of God.

Notice that Juneteenth occurred in Galveston, Texas. As it turns out, that is the city that the Continuing Church of God has a contract with to have the Feast of Tabernacles (which portrays the millennial kingdom of God) in 2024 (see also Feast of Tabernacles’ Sites for 2024).

Jesus came to proclaim that liberty:

1 “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me,
Because the Lord has anointed Me
To preach good tidings to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives,
And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord,
And the day of vengeance of our God;
To comfort all who mourn,  (Isaiah 61:1-2)

God has a plan which will result in people of every nation and race being saved:

9…I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”  (Revelation 7:9-10)

God has a plan where people of every nation will be able to rule:

9…You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood
Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation,
10 And have made us kings and priests to our God;
And we shall reign on the earth.  (Revelation 5:9-10)

God has a plan where “all flesh shall see the salvation of God” (Luke 3:6):

21 And it shall come to pass
That whoever calls on the name of the Lord
Shall be saved. (Acts 2:21)

1 Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:1-4).

God has a fantastic plan.

Whether or not you celebrate Juneteenth, pray for God’s Kingdom to come (Matthew 6:10).

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.
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 are links 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 are links 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.
Universal OFFER of Salvation, Apokatastasis: Can God save the lost in an age to come? Hundreds of scriptures reveal God’s plan of salvation Will all get a fair chance at salvation? This free book is packed with scriptures showing that God does intend to offer salvation to all who ever lived–the elect in this age, and the rest in the age to come. Here are links to a related sermon series: Universal Offer of Salvation 1: Apocatastasis, Universal Offer of Salvation 2: Jesus Desires All to be Saved, Mysteries of the Great White Throne Judgment (Universal Offer of Salvation part 3), Is God Fair, Will God Pardon the Ignorant?, Can God Save Your Relatives?, Babies, Limbo, Purgatory and God’s Plan, and ‘By the Mouth of All His Holy Prophets’.
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 four 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.

(Pixabay photo)

COGwriter

Another study shows the basic uselessness of the COVID mask mandates:

New Study: Face Masks Completely Ineffective Against COVID Omicron Variant

May 19, 2024

Wearing face coverings did nothing to reduce the risk of infection by the Omicron variant of COVID-19, according to a new study from the University of East Anglia. The researchers utilized data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) COVID survey in England, which estimated infection rates.

From November 2021 to May 2022, the ONS surveyed individuals about their habits, including mask-wearing, work patterns, and travel, to determine if these factors correlated with infection risk. The study concluded that face coverings did not reduce the risk of infection by the Omicron variant.

However, the researchers noted that during the initial wave of COVID-19, before Omicron emerged, mask-wearing was associated with a decreased risk of infection. Co-author Dr. Julii Brainard explained, “This isn’t totally surprising because laboratory evidence suggests that the Omicron variant was better able to infect the cells lining the upper respiratory tract than previous variants and so be more transmissible” (source). https://yournews.com/2024/05/19/2788374/new-study-face-masks-completely-ineffective-against-covid-omicron-variant/

I was opposed to general mask use from the beginning for many reasons, including the beliefs that they would cause more harm than good by interfering with the development of natural immunity as well as potential toxins being repeatedly breathed in with N95 and other masks. Plus, most masks still allow viruses, which are much smaller than bacteria, to pass through.

As far as general protection from mask, notice a study that came out last year:

Massive Peer-Reviewed Mask Study Shows ‘Little To No Difference’ In Preventing COVID, Flu Infection

February 2, 2023

A massive international research collaboration that analyzed several dozen rigorous studies focusing on “physical interventions” against COVID-19 and influenza found that they provide little to no protection against infection or illness rates.
The study, published in the peer-reviewed Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, is the strongest science to date refuting the basis for mask mandates worldwide.

The study, published in the peer-reviewed Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, is the strongest science to date refuting the basis for mask mandates worldwide.

Nearly 60% of South Korea’s population has now tested positive for COVID despite nearly three years of consistent universal masking with overwhelming compliance

When will it be enough for “experts” to admit masks don’t work? pic.twitter.com/LS0JF9niog

— Ian Miller (@ianmSC) January 25, 2023

And of course, the CDC still recommends masking in areas with “high” rates of transmission (fewer than 4% of US counties, as Just the News notes), along with indoor masking in areas with “medium” rates of transmission (27%).

Masks are still required in educational institutions in Democratic strongholds such as New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Washington and California, according to the Daily Mail. Boston Public Schools denied its “temporary masking protocol” in early January was a “mandate,” following a public letter against the policy by student Enrique Abud Evereteze.

South Korea is still requiring masks on public transport and in medical facilities after dropping COVID mandates in most indoor settings, including gyms, Monday, Reuters reported. -Just the News

According to the Cochrane study, which included the work of researchers at institutions in the  U.K., Canada, Australia, Italy and Saudi Arabia, a total of 78 studies were analyzed. Most recent additions to the meta-analysis were 11 new randomized controlled trials. …

We’re sure the cult of Fauci will now start insisting peer-reviewed meta-analyses aren’t ‘the science.’ https://www.zerohedge.com/political/massive-mask-study-shows-little-no-difference-preventing-covid-flu-infection

Many forget that the main purpose of medical masks has been to reduce the risk of the medical worker from passing disease to a patient, particularly during surgery (particularly bacterial, not viral ones). Masks also can be helpful in very close contact to reduce the transmission of some communicable diseases–but this is not the same as being out in public.

Permit me to add that Dr. Anthony Fauci initially said masks were not helpful to help stop the spread of COVID. He later basically said he lied about that as he wanted health care professionals to be able to get masks.

With those matters in mind, notice the following opinion piece about COVID enforced measures:

The Great Pandemic Walkback

May 23, 2024

His tenure there overlapped with the beginning of the lockdowns but he always seemed out of his element, outrun and overwhelmed by the bureaucratic miasma that washed through the agency at the time.

He has always tried to be a team player but you can sense his bitterness today. .. He says that healthy people under the age of 60 never really needed the shots, and, further, that the injuries from the shots are high and must be recognized and acknowledged. True, this is information that everyone who has kept up already knows. What’s significant is the source.

“Those of us that tried to suggest there may be significant side effects from vaccines … we kind of got canceled because no one wanted to talk about the potential that there was a problem from the vaccines, because they were afraid that that would cause people not to want to get vaccinated,” Dr. Redfield said.

He still thinks that the shots should be credited for saving “a lot” of lives, though that research is much in dispute. What’s remarkable is to have the former head of the CDC openly putting down the idea that healthy adults and children did not need these shots. They are included in the childhood schedule now and mandates still pervade academia and U.S. policy for citizenship. Clearly the pharma industry pushing these products remains more powerful than even former heads of the top agency in charge.

In addition, in compelling testimony, former head of the National Institutes for Health Francis Collins has admitted that there never was any science behind social distancing. The rule of six feet of distance, which sounds innocuous, masks a totalitarian ambition. It was the reason for the school closures since there was no way to practice it. It was why there were no gatherings. It was why businesses had to be only half-full or closed. It was the reason for the crazy dance everyone was doing for nearly two years. Even now, you sometimes encounter people who jump out of the way when a human is near.

There was never any science to it. We knew that from the very outset. …

As for the damages done by the shots, the vaccine makers were indemnified by law against paying for any harms they caused. So there is no question of any liability on their part. The pharma companies say that if they had to be held responsible for damages that they could never make any vaccines. That claim alone should raise alarm bells. In a market economy under the rule of law, makers of products bear responsibility for harms caused by their use. Pharma should be no different especially with a product imposed by force on most of the population.

In addition, there is a real question of fraud against which the shot makers are not indemnified. Those claims are now in litigation. We shall see how they end up. …

Now to the burning question. If all the evidence was clear that none of this could control a virus, and if even the vaccine trials were revealing high injury and a lack of effectiveness of the shots, why did they go ahead with the crazy experiment in the first place?

Here is where we have to get into some speculation. Having studied and written about all of this for four years, and looking even at the prevailing pandemic plans for the future, it’s my considered opinion that the whole protocol was designed for one purpose. The intention from the beginning was to preserve the immunological naivete of the whole population for as long as possible so that the vaccines could come to the rescue and save the population. In other words, everything they did, from closures to forced separation and masks, was designed to stop the emergence of natural immunity. https://www.zerohedge.com/covid-19/great-pandemic-walkback

As long time readers of this COGwriter Church of God News page are aware, I specifically warned about risks associated with the coronavirus in 2013 (see Coronavirus: A new risk for humans? and Saudi Arabia warning visitors to Mecca about coronavirus risk) and 2014 (see Saudi Arabia, MERS, and Missiles and Infection-gate: A dangerous scandal hitting the USA?). Additionally, I have also warned also about human engineered pathogens without mentioning the coronavirus in 2018 (see DARPA to weaponize insects to spread viruses across the population… sinister plans exposed by team of scientists) and November 2019 (see DARPA: ‘Militarized Microbes’ To Spread GMO Bacteria).

In November 2019, I warned in a video that bad pathogens were coming and that vaccines were not the answer. That was removed by YouTube during the ‘pandemic’ and even today, here is what YouTube has up instead of it:

This video has been removed for violating YouTube’s Community Guidelines

That video was based on mainly mainstream sources and scripture. It did not violate YouTube’s so-called ‘Community Guideline,’ but was retroactively removed by YouTube as part of its efforts to suppress the truth. Since we do not trust YouTube’s improper enforcement of its changing standards, we already had it up on other platforms, so it is still available. Here is a link to it from our BitChute platform: Superbugs, antibiotics, and vaccines.

The Bible warns of, “all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness” (Romans 1:18)–and that is what YouTube and others often did during COVID (like Twitter censoring a peer-reviewed mask study in 2021: https://www.globalresearch.ca/twitter-censors-peer-reviewed-mask-study/5743892).

In January 2020, I made a video about biological warfare and tied what was then called the ‘novel coronavirus’ to a lab leak from Wuhan China (watch Biological Warfare and Prophecy). Yet, that was called a “conspiracy theory” even though it was correct.

Sadly, Twitter, YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook, Google, and others in Big Tech suppressed the truth of a lot of scientifically accurate information. More censorship is coming (cf. Amos 8:11-12; see also Preparing for the ‘Short Work’ and The Famine of the Word).

The Bible warns about the last days that:

13 … evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived. (2 Timothy 3:13, KJV)

In addition to Big Tech, many in governmental as well as much of mainstream media often misled the public on many things associated with COVID-19.

Furthermore, notice something that the Apostle Paul warned about believers:

20 O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called: 21 Which some professing have erred concerning the faith. (1 Timothy 6:20-21, KJV)

Many think they have relied on science, when in reality they have been deceived.

Instead of promoting improving diet and health, the government and pharmaceutical industry have been working on more vaccines and may push one for the Flirt variant as well. For me telling people how to eat better to support their immune system, YouTube censored and removed a video I put out (but it is still available on another platform: COVID-19: Eat what is good!).

The YouTube censored video went over much of the following:

1. People should decrease their consumption of junk food. Instead that has increased and many Americans have gained unhealthy weight (see Using scale for weight loss? Americans gain weight during COVID-19 shut downs) which will not bolster their innate or adaptive immune systems.
2. Exercise is beneficial for the immune system (watch The Plain Truth About Exercise), yet during the corona/COVID lockdowns, many have gotten less exercise. Some because of fear of going outside and some because many gyms have been closed by government orders. Yet, the Bible teaches ‘bodily exercise profits a little’ (1 Timothy 4:8).
3. Avoiding smoking (see also Should Christians Smoke Tobacco or Marijuana?) and polluted air (watch Air Pollution, Autism, and Prophecy) help the immune function. Yet, cigarette purchases in the USA went up last year during the COVID lockdowns.
4. People should increase their consumption of high vitamin C fruits (like citrus and berries) and vegetables (like tomatoes and bell peppers) as vitamin C is proven to bolster the immune system, help protect tissues (like lungs), and fight viruses (see also COVID-19 and Vitamin C: The truth, the myth, and the hype). Many also contain fruits and vegetables supply betacarotene, which also supports the immune system.
5. Eleven years ago it was reported in a scientific journal that zinc was effective against coronaviruses to reduce their replication (see‘CDC Triples Number of Possible CCP Virus Symptoms;’ Don’t swallow Lysol to fight COVID-19! What about Zinc? Bloodclots?). Various foods, like pumpkin seeds, contain zinc.
6. Selenium may also be helpful. Eating a couple of Brazil nuts per week can supply adequate amounts of selenium.
7. Substances like methylene blue and hydroxychloroquine help improve zinc absorption (see also Donald Trump taking zinc and hydroxychloroquine to prevent COVID-19: Mainstream media aghast! Vitamin D? Vitamin C?).
8. Sunlight helps convert cholesterol into vitamin D and vitamin D looks to be helpful for those facing the coronavirus (see Donald Trump taking zinc and hydroxychloroquine to prevent COVID-19: Mainstream media aghast! Vitamin D? Vitamin C?). Even the CDC’s Dr. Fauci has admitted that vitamins D and C can be helpful (see COVID interview: Dr. Fauci takes isolated vitamin D and synthetic vitamin C).
9. Many herbs can help with viruses (see ‘Ghanaians Look to Herbal Remedies for COVID-19’ ‘Enti wobԑdi Onyankopↄn Nna Kronkron anaa Ahonhommↄnee Ahomegyeԑ Nna?’).
10. Jesus said His followers would fast (Mark 2:20). Fasting boosts the immune system (see Reuters: Why is New Orleans’ coronavirus death rate seven times New York’s? Obesity is a factor; BNP: ‘How to Change Your Life in 5 Seconds’). Fasting, for those who can, can truly help the immune system (see Fasting aids longevity and provides other benefits).
11. Blood clots can be destructive and even deadly with COVID-19, hence people who get COVID-19 may wish to take nattokinase (see ‘CDC Triples Number of Possible CCP Virus Symptoms;’ Don’t swallow Lysol to fight COVID-19! What about Zinc? Bloodclots?).
12. Lung tissue damage is associated with COVID-19 and bovine lung tissue helps support healthy lungs (see CBS: Blood types may play role in which COVID patients get sickest; Isaiah: Eat what is good.).
13. People should avoid consuming biblically unclean meat (see The New Testament Church, History, and Unclean Meats), which look to have been implicated in the cause of COVID-19 (see NPR: Where Did The Coronavirus Originate? Virus Hunters Find Genetic Clues In Bats; WND: Biblically unclean animals responsible for pandemics and Clean and unclean meat arguments, COVID-19, and the Bible).
14. Humans can help maintain healthy kidneys and other organs with bovine kidney and other organ tissues (see https://doctorsresearch.com/articles/2759/the-truth-about-glandulars-in-nutritional-supplements/). Plural glandular supplements can be helpful.
15. Even vaccine advocates think that the rushed vaccine will have safety risks (e.g. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jun/22/trump-circle-pressure-fda-rush-covid-19-vaccine-election)–hence caution and wisdom are advised.

All the above have the potential to help support one’s innate immune system, which helps the body fight many types of pathogens–not just one.

But apparently, YouTube and others were not interesting in letting the public know things that they could do to help themselves.

It is not wrong to tell people ways to consider to improve their health. But that was censored.

Furthermore, the Bible teaches:

2 Why do you spend money for what is not bread,
And your wages for what does not satisfy?
Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good (Isaiah 55:2).

Information on how to do so should not be suppressed.

Anyway, COVID variants are not the only pestilential risk right now. Bird Flu is another that has been in the news (see ‘The lie of the century: The origin of COVID-19’ & ‘Bird Flu’ & ‘Chinese scientists create mutant Ebola virus to skirt around biosafety rules’).

Biblically, we know that pestilences are coming, and historically many have involved animals (watch also COVID, Pandemics, and Unclean Meat). We also have the issues of humans intentionally producing biological weapons that can cause pestilences (watch: Biological Warfare and Prophecy).

But we also know that more censorship and suppression of the truth is coming.

The end of this age is getting nearer.

Pray, as Jesus said in Matthew 6:8-10, for God’s Kingdom to come.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

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.
Biological Warfare and Prophecy Is biological warfare possible? Was it prophesied? Scientists have long warned that pathogenic organisms like the coronavirus could be weaponized. Furthermore, back in 2017, there were concerns that the biological research facility being constructed in Wuhan, China was risky and that a coronavirus from it could be released. On January 25, 2020, China’s President Xi Jinping publicly stated that the situation with the Wuhan-related strain of the coronavirus was grave. Did Church of God writers like the late evangelist Raymond McNair warn that engineered viruses (the “Doomsday bug”) were consistent with prophecies from Jesus? Did a warning from CCOG leader Bob Thiel warn about risks of genetically-modified (GMO) mosquitoes come to pass? Could human research and/or the consumption of biblically-unclean animals such as bats and snakes be a factor in current outbreaks or coming future pestilences? What about famines? How devastating have pestilences been? How devastating are the prophesied ones going to be? Dr. Thiel addresses these issues and more in this video.
COVID 19 is NOT the End, but could it be TEOTWAWKI? The novel coronavirus called COVID-19 is wreaking havoc around the world. Many states of the USA as well as countries in Europe are on lockdown with shelter in place /shelter in residence requirements. In France, a form is required when you are not at your house. In Spain, drones are being used to warn people who are outside to got back to their homes–does that bring up feelings of ‘Big Brother’? Italy, France, and other areas are using police and/or military force to encourage people to stay inside. According to the Bible could this be the end? If not, what has to happen first? Have the second and third of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse started their ride? Could COVID-19 be the fourth horseman? Why or why not? Could we be seeing The End of the World as We Know It (TEOTWAWKI) like the R.E.M.’s 1987 single song discussed? Do Christians need to fear? What did Jesus teach? What did the Psalmist teach? This is a video. Here is a link to a version in the Spanish language: Corona 19 no es el final PERO es el TEOTWAWKI.
COVID-19 Leading to 666? The novel coronavirus of Wuhan, China fame, is now called COVID-19. It has also been called the ‘Coronapocalypse.’ Does COVID-19 have any prophetic ramifications? What did Jesus teach about pestilences and sorrows in the Olivet prophecy in Matthew 24? Could COVID-19 be the ride of the fourth horseman of the Apocalypse? Why was this type of disease expected according to the Old Testament prophecies in Deuteronomy and Leviticus? What has the US Centers for Disease Control warned about? What has the CDC reported about the flu? Were there lessons about fear and infections in the 2011 movie ‘Contagion’? Because of COVID-19, the World Health Organization (WHO), nation of Iran, and certain French locations are telling people not to use cash, but instead electronic forms of payment. The US Federal Reserve is now quarantining money repatriated from Asia to reduce the potential spread of the coronavirus on US currency bills. Is COVID-19 worse than we have been told or could this all be a ‘false flag’ event to encourage people to move towards a cashless society? If the thousands of deaths associated with COVID-19 are pushing parts of the world towards cashlessness, how much more likely will the ride of the fourth horseman and over a billion human deaths motivate people to move to making electronic payments that can be monitored? The Bible tells of a soon coming society that controls buying and selling to force allegiance to a coming European Beast power, known as 666 (Revelation 13:16-18). Does the ‘great tribulation’ begin before ride of the fourth horseman or with the opening of the fifth seal of Revelation 6? Do the words of Jesus helps us better understand the sequence of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse and the start of the Great Tribulation? Will the ride of the fourth horseman help lead to the rise of 666? Is that ride very close? Dr. Thiel addresses these issues and more. Here is a link to a version in the Spanish language: El COVID-19 ¿Conduce al 666?
Are Americans & Asians setting themselves up for destruction from antibiotic use? In the Spring of 2015, a study came out highlighting the increasing use of antibiotics fed to livestock in order to decrease production costs. This was mainly affecting livestock in the Americas and Asia, but not in Europe. Excessive antibiotic use increases the risks of ‘super bugs’ and presents health risks to humans and livestock. Could those in the USA, Canada, UK, Russia, China, India, Brazil, and South Africa be setting themselves up for pestilence and/or famine? Could Europe miss some plague because of this? What does the Bible prophesy?
Ten Simple Rules that Lead to Health Herbert Armstrong gives his opinions on this.
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?
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.
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 in over 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.