Church of God News

Patriarch Bartholomew I & Archbishop Rowan Williams

COGwriter

The top leaders of the Eastern Orthodox Church and Church of England have agreed to attend the celebration of the 50th anniversary of Vatican II next month:

Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople and Archbishop Rowan Williams of Canterbury will attend the Mass that Pope Benedict will celebrate at the Vatican to mark the anniversary of the Oct. 11, 1962, opening of the council, Vatican officials said.

Representatives from the Orthodox Church and Anglican Communion were observers at the 1962-65 council, which officially embraced and promoted Catholic involvement in the ecumenical movement.

During the January celebration of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, Pope Benedict said the Second Vatican Council placed the search for Christian unity “at the center of the life and work of the church,” because it was Christ’s desire that his followers be united.  http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1203877.htm

Ecumenical cooperation in proclaiming the Christian message is expected to be a key topic at the world Synod of Bishops on new evangelisation on October 7-28.  http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/news/2012/09/17/archbishop-of-canterbury-and-orthodox-patriarch-to-join-vatican-ii-celebration/

This trend towards ecumenical unity is dangerous and is warned against in biblical, Eastern Orthodox, and even certain Roman Catholic prophecies.  It is also basically against the foundational views of the Church of England.  While the Catholic press continues to endorse it (almost all the time), this will be dangerous for the world in general, and American Catholics in particular according to various prophecies.

A religion that the world accepts (Revelation 13:4,8), but that God does not, is coming.  Compromise (cf. Revelation 17), lying wonders (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12), economic pressure (Revelation 13), etc. will make it happen.  But the Bible warns Christians about being part of it (e.g. Revelation 18:4).

Yet, within the Orthodox, Protestant, and Catholic world, many seem to be determined to make it happen (though I do not believe that all the English or Americans will voluntarily support this).  Next month’s celebration and meetings are another step, however, to make it happen.  The groundwork is being laid.

Two articles of possibly related interest may include:

Why Should American Catholics Should Fear Unity with the Orthodox? Are the current ecumenical meetings a good thing or will they result in disaster?
Orthodox Must Reject Unity with the Roman Catholics The talks for unification involve compromise and the apparent rising up of a changed religion that no one should accept.

COGwriter

In his latest commentary, LCG’s Davy Crockett had the following:

Unthankful?

Staying sharp—being aware and honing one’s skills—is essential in today’s fast-paced world. Regardless of one’s endeavor, staying abreast of developments, improving communication skills, and increasing business acumen is very important. With this in mind, several years ago I took the Dale Carnegie course. It was a great experience, and was very helpful in the conduct of my business at the time.

As the course progressed, something was brought out that caught me by surprise, but which proved to be true. The instructor stated, “Never expect gratitude! If you do, you will be disappointed. If you receive gratitude, enjoy it and appreciate it, for it is very rare.” While I may have had an inkling that this was true, hearing it stated so bluntly was a surprise.

Indeed, whether among business clients, employees, friends and even relatives, a lack of thankfulness is all too common. And yet, expressing gratitude is such a basic courtesy, and a mark of good manners, that it is really disappointing to see it so seldom expressed.

This is not a new phenomenon. In Jesus Christ’s day, it seems to have been a prevailing attitude as well. For example, as Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem from Galilee, He met ten men who were lepers, ostracized from society because of their disease. Luke records the incident this way, “Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off. And they lifted up their voices and said, ‘Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!’ So when He saw them, He said to them, ‘Go, show yourselves to the priests.’ And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan. So Jesus answered and said, ‘Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?’ And He said to him, ‘Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well’” (Luke 17:12-19).

Imagine: ten men were miraculously healed of a fatal disease that had rendered them social outcasts, but only one of them felt it important to return to thank Jesus for the miracle that delivered them. And, as the verse reveals, the thankful man was not a Hebrew, but a Samaritan—a member of a group usually treated with disdain by the Hebrews. What a comment on human nature!

The Apostle Paul, instructing the young evangelist Timothy, warned that these attitudes would only grow worse. He wrote, “But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: for men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God” (2 Timothy 3:1-4).

Notice that, in this long list of undesirable characteristics, being “unthankful”—having a lack of gratitude—is listed prominently. But there is an easy fix, if we are willing to put it into practice. If we start and end each day by expressing heartfelt gratitude to our Heavenly Father for His many blessings, His great plan and His unfailing mercy toward all of us, then we will be far more likely to remember to thank others with whom we interact throughout the day. Paul put it this way, reminding us to “in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1Thessalonians 5:18).

In the press of events in our stressful times, we can too easily overlook this basic but important trait. But Christians who obey their Savior can have divine help in developing this aspect of God’s own character in our lives. To learn more about God’s intervention in human lives, read our powerful booklet, Prophecy Fulfilled: God’s Hand in World Affairs, and watch our Tomorrow’s World telecast, “Answered Prayer”—they will be a real help in pursuing an attitude of gratitude.

As he mentioned, being unthankful is one of the condemnations recorded in the Bible against the people of the time of the end.  Something to think about.

Some articles of possibly related interest may include:

What is the Meaning of Life? Who does God say is happy? What is your ultimate destiny? Is kindness involved? Do you really know? Does God actually have a plan for YOU personally?
The Ten Commandments Reflect Love, Breaking them is Evil Some feel that the ten commandments are a burden. Is that what Jesus, Paul, Peter, James, and John taught?
Was the Commandment to Love the Only Command? Some have stated that John’s writings teach this, but is that what the Bible really says?
The Ten Commandments and the Early Church Did Jesus and the Early Church keep the ten commandments? What order were they in? Here are quotes from the Bible and early writings.

Assyrian Relief from Nineveh, 645-635 B.C.

COGwriter

WND reported the following:

…Babylonian artifacts.  Ancient tablets describe “Alla” as a deity of “violence and revolution.”…The new find…links the name to the Epic of Atrahasis, chiseled on tablets sometime around 1700 B.C. in Babylon…“The beginning of the Epic of Atrahasis describes Allah as how all of the gods labored endlessly in grueling work, under the rule of the patron deity Enlil or Elil. But soon revolt of the gods had erupted, and one deity of ‘violence and revolution’ [was] named Allah (spelled by the experts as Alla),” he wrote….“The question remains as to why no expert on Assyriology or Sumerology had even suspected that ‘Alla’ had a connection with the Arabian ‘Allah,’” he wrote.  http://www.wnd.com/2012/09/1700-b-c-alla-god-of-violence-and-revolution/

While the above article attempts to connect that to modern Islam, various scholars likely have their doubts.  But Islam is not the point of this post.

The point is that this new research shows an additional connection between the ancient Assyrians and a warring deity.

The ancient Assyrians used the term Alla for some of their deities:

Al-sarru, if Al had been an Assyrian god. We may set down Alman as a possible reading, or even Alnis, but there seems no meaning to either. Now we have a similar name Alla-MAN, this can hardly be phonetic. I venture therefore to read Alla-sarru and Al-sarru, ‘Alla is king.’ As MAN means king…Mannu-ki-Alla shows the same divine name. (Johns CHW.  An Assyrian doomsday book, or, Liber censualis of the district round Harran in the seventh century B.C.: copied from the cuneiform tablets in the British Museum, Volume 17 of Assyriologische Bibliothek. J. C. Hinrichs, 1901.  Original from Princeton University, Digitized May 28, 2009, p. 15)

They also had other warring deities.

Here are two other references:

ON THE ORIGINAL ASSYRIA. WE proceed to consider the character of another country, noticed as marking… by the Hebrews and Chaldeans, was either Syr, Shur, or Tyr ; so that the compound word might be Ai-syria, or Ai-shyria…which is here rendered Assyria. (Clamet A, Taylor Calmet’s dictionary of the Holy Bible: with the Biblical fragments, Volume 4, 5th edition. Holdsworth and Ball, 1830. Original from the New York Public Library, Digitized Oct 20, 2010, p. 60)

Men prayed to Tyr…In some places he was called Tiwaz and was associated with the Roman God, Mars, the Celtic God, Nadu, as well as the Indian God, Mitra…Tyr was the original God of war, and the precursor of Odin…The name Tiwaz is also related to the Roman God Jupiter, and the Greek God, Zeus. All three names are descended from Dyaus Piter or Father Dyaus, and are all descended from the name Dieus…

A helmet was found in Negau in Austria which bears an inscription…translated as Teiwa, which is an archaic form of Tyr’s name…Tyr was worshipped…in Bavaria (Blumetti R. The Book of Balder Rising. iUniverse, 2004, pp. 142, 143).

Tyr, Mars, etc. were gods of war.  And Tyr was worshiped in Bavaria (essentially southern Germany).

Also notice:

Ishtar was a favorite goddess of the Assyrian kings, who styled her as “their lady,” and sometimes coupled her with Asshur, “the Great Lord,” in their invocations. Ishtar had a very old temple at Asshur, the primitive Assyrian capital, and this temple, Tiglath-Pileser I, repaired and beautified. (Clare IS. Ancient oriental nations, Volume 1 of The Unrivaled History of the World: Containing a Full and Complete Record of the Human Race from the Earliest Historical Period to the Present Time, Embracing a General Survey of the Progress of Mankind in National and Social Life, Civil Government, Religion, Literature, Science and Art. Unrivaled Publishing Co., 1889. Original from Indiana University, Digitized Feb 3, 2010p. 225).

Ishtar, also known as Easter/Oster/Ostern (the Germanic goddess of Springtime), long influenced the Assyrians and as well the modern Germans. Ishtar was the goddess of fertility and war. Ishtar also has ties to the ancient Babylonian mystery religion and Nimrod. She was also called Beltis. Belits was the wife of Bel-Nimrod. She was called “the Queen of Fertility” and also known as “the Great Mother” (similar to how some revere Mary, the mother of Jesus today) and essentially was also Ishtar in the Assyrian triad (Clare, pp. 222-223).

Bel, or Bel-Nimrod, according to the testimony of the Assyrian monuments, was worshiped as extensively in Assyria as in Chaldaea, and Babylonia. (Clare, p. 222)

What is the possible relevance of any of this?

The tying together of violent deities from Babylon to Assyria in the past suggests a possible connection in the future.

Why?

The Bible tells of a time where a leader, apparently one with Assyrian ties (Isaiah 10:5-7) will rise up and destroy not a few nations.  This leader is also the one called the King of the North.  This final such leader will, according to the Bible, honor a violent god, and he also will destroy many:

38 But in their place he shall honor a god of fortresses; and a god which his fathers did not know he shall honor with gold and silver, with precious stones and pleasant things. 39 Thus he shall act against the strongest fortresses with a foreign god, which he shall acknowledge, and advance its glory; and he shall cause them to rule over many, and divide the land for gain.  40 “At the time of the end the king of the South shall attack him; and the king of the North shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter the countries, overwhelm them, and pass through. 41 He shall also enter the Glorious Land, and many countries shall be overthrown…(Daniel 11:38-41)

What’s the Alla, Tyr, and Ishtar connection?

Precisely the distinguishing in Daniel 11:38 between the “god of fortresses” and “a god his fathers did not know.”  The implication, to me at least, is that the “god of fortresses” is related to a “god” of violence that his fathers did know, like Alla, Tyr, and Ishtar.

And while there will also be a new “god” that the King of the North will honor, there will be some difference between his empire (Daniel 2:41-43 and the Babylonian one (Daniel 2:24, 36-37).  It may be important to realize that the empire of this final King of the North is also called the “daughter Babylon” in scripture (Jeremiah 50:41-43), thus it must be somehow different, but with some Babylonian connections.

So, this information about the Babylonian warring connection of ancient deities tied in with biblical prophecy shows an additional apparent connection between ancient Babylon and the coming King of the North power.

It should be understood that although the coming King of the North will likely claim to be some type of Christian, the reality is that the historical record shows that the early professors of Christ would not participate in carnal warfare.  It is only those whose faiths have stronger ties to warring deities than the true Christian God that do that.

For details on those prophecies, check out the following:

Germany’s Assyrian Roots Throughout History Are the Germanic peoples descended from Asshur of the Bible? Have there been real Christians in Germanic history? What about the “Holy Roman Empire”?
Europa, the Beast, and Revelation Where did Europe get its name? What might Europe have to do with the Book of Revelation? What about “the Beast”? What is ahead for Europe?
Who is the King of the North? Is there one? Do biblical and Roman Catholic prophecies 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?
Might German Baron Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg become the King of the North? Is the German Defense Minister one to watch? What do Catholic, Byzantine, and biblical prophecies suggest?
Resurgent Germany: A Fourth Reich? Who are the German peoples and where did they come from? What is Germany’s role in end time prophecy?
Military Service and the Churches of God: Do Real Christians Participate in Carnal Warfare? Here are current and historical perspectives on a matter which show the beliefs of the true church on military participation. Is war proper for Christians?

COGwriter

The Occupy Wall Street movement is observing its one year anniversary on Rosh Hoshanah with protests:

Mon Sep 17, 2012….

(Reuters) – A few hundred Occupy Wall Street activists gathered in New York’s financial district on Monday but police kept them well back from the New York Stock Exchange, which they had threatened to surround as part of a day of protests marking the movement’s one-year anniversary…

Occupy activists had pledged to disrupt the morning commute in lower Manhattan as part of a day of actions in New York and other cities aimed at rejuvenating a movement that has failed to sustain momentum after sparking a national conversation about economic inequality last fall.

The group, which popularized the phrase “We are the 99 percent,” gathered early Monday near Zuccotti Park, where a spontaneous encampment became their unofficial headquarters last year, but were again barred access by police.  http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/09/17/us-usa-occupy-idUSBRE88G0P720120917

COGwriter

The Feast of Trumpets runs until sunset Monday, September 17, 2012.

The New Testament frequently mentions the blowing of trumpets (though it does not clearly appear to distinguish between shofar trumpets and other trumpets)–though shofars are probably the type most likely being referred to when prophetic matters of judgment are involved.

Jesus taught,

…and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other (Matthew 24:30-31).

This is similar to what Paul taught,

For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).

So both Jesus and Paul taught that the saints would be gathered when a particular trumpet sound goes forth. And that Jesus will come with a trumpet blast.

Which trumpet?

The last trumpet,

51 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed– in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. 52 For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed (1 Corinthians 15:51-52).

Because this is referring to the last trumpet, scripture clearly does not support the concept of a pre-tribulation rapture, like many evangelicals believe in.

Although his writings are not part of the New Testament, Polycarp was a disciple of the Apostle John and looked forward to the fulfillment of this trumpet as he wrote:

Wherefore, girding up your loins,” “serve the Lord in fear” and truth, as those who have forsaken the vain, empty talk and error of the multitude, and “believed in Him who raised up our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead, and gave Him glory,” and a throne at His right hand. To Him all things” in heaven and on earth are subject. Him every spirit serves. He comes as the Judge of the living and the dead. His blood will God require of those who do not believe in Him. But He who raised Him up from the dead will raise up us also, if we do His will, and walk in His commandments, and love what He loved (Polycarp. Letter to the Philippians, chapter II. Ante-Nicene Fathers, Volume 1 as edited by Alexander Roberts & James Donaldson. American Edition, 1885.)

This last trumpet is in 1 Corinthians 15 is apparently the seventh trumpet in Revelation 11:15,

Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!”

Whose names are in the Book of Life?

Jesus taught:

18 And He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. 20 Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.” (Luke 10:18-20)

Paul writes,

3 And I urge you also, true companion, help these women who labored with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the Book of Life (Philippians 4:3).

22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, 23 to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect (Hebrews 12:22-23).

John recorded,

5 He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels (Revelation 3:5).

Thus it appears that the saints are the ones who are written in the Book of Life. And the saints are those that are resurrected at the last trumpet.

Jewish Beliefs

While the Christian view of the Feast of Trumpets has to do with prophetic judgments and the return of Jesus Christ, Judaism has a variety of views and traditions about it.

According to current Jewish tradition,

After Rosh Hashanah services, as the congregants leave the synagogue they say to each other… “May you be inscribed in the Book of Life“” (The Jewish Holiday of Rosh Hashanah. High Holy Days on the Net. http://www.holidays.net/highholydays/rosh.htm verified 9/12/07).

But there are others:

1. During Rosh Hashanah, majority of time is spent in the synagogue, a Jewish or Samaritan house of prayer, as no work is allowed on Rosh Hashanah.

2. One of the major synagogue rituals for Rosh Hashanah is the blowing of the “shofar.”…

3. According to legends, Rosh Hashanah was the day when Adam was created out of clay. It was also the birthday of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

4. Unlike other holidays in Jewish faith, Rosh Hashanah does not involve fasting…

On Rosh Hashanah, many Jews follow a custom called “tashlich” (casting off), in which they walk to a river or stream and symbolically cast off their sins committed during the previous year by throwing pieces of bread into the water.

http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/379347/20120831/rosh-hashanah-2012-jewish-new-year-september.htm

Some of the above are facts, while others are traditions, which may or may not correct, but I thought might be of interest to some readers.

Perhaps it should be noted that although the Bible is not clear about the date that Adam was created, connecting all-the-dots shows that Jesus was most likely born in the Fall.  After the Apostle Paul mentions that “first Adam,” he refers to Jesus as the “last Adam” in 1 Corinthians 15:45 and a few verses later he mentions the last trumpet (1 Corinthians 15:51-52).  Again, that is not proof that Adam was created on the Feast of Trumpets, but may suggest a possible connection.

Book of Revelation

In the New Testament book of Revelation, there are a series of events that accompany the blowing of trumpets.  Notice:

6 So the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.

7 The first angel sounded: And hail and fire followed, mingled with blood, and they were thrown to the earth. And a third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up.

8 Then the second angel sounded: And something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea became blood. 9 And a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.

10 Then the third angel sounded: And a great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. 11 The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters became wormwood, and many men died from the water, because it was made bitter.

12 Then the fourth angel sounded: And a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them were darkened. A third of the day did not shine, and likewise the night.
13 And I looked, and I heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, “Woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound!”

9 Then the fifth angel sounded: And I saw a star fallen from heaven to the earth. To him was given the key to the bottomless pit. 2 And he opened the bottomless pit, and smoke arose out of the pit like the smoke of a great furnace. So the sun and the air were darkened because of the smoke of the pit. 3 Then out of the smoke locusts came upon the earth. And to them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. 4 They were commanded not to harm the grass of the earth, or any green thing, or any tree, but only those men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. 5 And they were not given authority to kill them, but to torment them for five months. Their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it strikes a man. 6 In those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will desire to die, and death will flee from them. (Revelation 8:6-9:6)

13 Then the sixth angel sounded: And I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, 14 saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” 15 So the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were released to kill a third of mankind. 16 Now the number of the army of the horsemen was two hundred million; I heard the number of them.  (Revelation 9:13-16)

15 Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!”  (Revelation 11:15-16)

And of course, Jesus is to return with the last trumpet (1 Corinthians 15:51-52).

The Feast of Trumpets pictures a whole lot.  Do you observe it?  Early Christians did.

Some articles of possibly related interest may include:

Did Early Christians Observe the Fall Holy Days? Did they? Did Jesus? Should you?
The Book of Life and the Feast of Trumpets? Are they related? Is so how? If not, where not?  How do we know that early professors of Christ kept the Feast of Trumpets?
The Day of Atonement–Its Christian Significance The Jews call it Yom Kippur, Christians “The Day of Atonement”. Does it have any relevance for Christians today?
The Feast of Tabernacles: A Time for Christians? Is this pilgrimage holy day still valid? Does it teach anything relevant for today’s Christians? What is the Last Great Day? What do these days teach?
What Does the Catholic Church Teach About Christmas and the Holy Days? Do you know what the Catholic Church says were the original Christian holy days? Was Christmas among them?
Holy Day Calendar This is a listing of the biblical holy days through 2012, with their Roman calendar dates. They are really hard to observe if you do not know when they occur

COGwriter

Reginald Killingley sent me the following:

I did not know Dr. Wainwright.  Reginald Killingley added the following related to his experience with Dr. Wainwright:

Dr. Wainwright was a good friend and a good man. A man of true character, depth, and insight, and a class act in every way. I feel privileged to have known him and will miss him greatly. I look forward to seeing him in the resurrection.

Two items of possibly related interest may include:

What Did Early Christians Understand About the Resurrection? Is there more than one future resurrection? Did early Christians teach a physical resurrection? Did early Christians teach three resurrections?
Did Early Christians Believe that Humans Possessed Immortality? What does John 3:16, and other writings, tell us? Did a doctrine kept adopted from paganism?

European Parliament, Strasbourg (France)

COGwriter

The latest TW News & Prophecy from LCG has the following:

Germany is calling for a new European treaty by the end of the year to clear the way for more European integration and a new legal foundation for the Union. “Germany would like to see… a legal basis that would give the European Court of Justice the jurisdiction to monitor the budgets of member states and to punish deficit offenders” (Der Spiegel, August 27, 2012). The new treaty “would broaden the existing fiscal pact’s authority in the political union” (Deutsche Welle, August 26, 2012). EU Commission President, Jose Manuel Barroso has also called for a new treaty and a “federation of nation states” that share their sovereignty (Reuters , September 12, 2012).However, other EU member states have expressed concerns about giving up their sovereignty. “During a meeting of the so-called Future Group, an informal gathering of 10 foreign ministers from EU countries, the majority opposed a call by German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle for a new treaty convention” (Der Spiegel, August 27, 2012). Opposition in the past has not deterred the French and Germans from agreeing to “push forward with a new EU treaty–either with the entire bloc or with the 17 members of the euro zone if other countries were unwilling to go along with it” (ibid.).

Bible prophecy foretells that a German-led Beast power in Europe will receive “power and authority” from 10 kings who will relinquish their sovereignty and become united as “one mind” (Revelation 17:12-13). Germany, with Europe’s strongest economy and looked to to lead the EU out of its economic crisis, may soon be given more power and authority to fulfill this prophecy.

My latest book, Barack Obama, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States, mentions the following:

It should also be understood that the Bible shows that Europe will go through at least one or two reorganizations until it gets to the point of fully supporting the King of the North/Beast power per Revelation 17:12-13.  And later, it will betray the Church of Rome (Revelation 17:9,15-18).

The Bible also shows that ultimately, a major dictator (and the person I currently suspect for that role currently holds no major official government office) will rise up and rule end time Babylon (Revelation 17:1-13), the final King of the North, European Beast power of Bible prophecy (Daniel 11:40).

While Europe is not yet ready to support the final King of the North, we of the Philadelphia remnant of the Church of God have long taught that it will be. And steps in that direction continue to be taken in Europe.

Some articles of possibly related interest may include:

Europa, the Beast, and Revelation Where did Europe get its name? What might Europe have to do with the Book of Revelation? What about “the Beast”?
Who is the King of the North? Is there one? Do biblical and Roman Catholic prophecies 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? What MUST happen BEFORE the Great Tribulation?
Might German Baron Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg become the King of the North? Is the German Defense Minister one to watch? What do Catholic, Byzantine, and biblical prophecies suggest?
Germany’s Assyrian Roots Throughout History Are the Germanic peoples descended from Asshur of the Bible? Have there been real Christians in Germanic history? What about the “Holy Roman Empire”?
Barack Obama, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States This is a 160 page book for people truly interested in prophecies related to Barack Obama and the United States, including learning about many that have already been fulfilled (which the book documents in detail) and those that will be fulfilled in the future. It also has a chapter about Mitt Romney. This book is available to order at www.barackobamaprophecy.com. The physical book can also be purchased at Amazon from the following link:  Barack Obama, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States: Is Barack Obama Fulfilling Biblical, Islamic, Catholic, Kenyan, and other America-Related Prophecies? What About Mitt Romney?
Barack Obama, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States–Amazon Kindle edition. This electronic version is available for only US$2.99. 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 for your free Kindle reader and then go to Barack Obama, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States–Amazon Kindle edition.)

COGwriter

Notice the following:

September 15, 2012

Rep. Trent Franks, R-Ariz, who is on the House Armed Services Committee, has also testified that the military is still highly vulnerable to an EMP event, since it relies some 99 percent on the national electrical grid to accomplish its functions.

The greatest danger to the US, most experts agree, is the economic damage that could be inflicted on the country. Newer technologies, such as those employed in computers and in web-based or Ethernet-dependent systems, are much more vulnerable than older technologies to damage if left unprotected from EMP.

“Should a nuclear weapon from a rogue state such as Iran be detonated in Earth’s atmosphere at a sufficient height above the continental United States, the blast of electromagnetic energy could immediately cripple America’s electric power grid.

“Currently, the vast majority of the United States’ infrastructure is unsecured and exposed,” Franks said.

Not only would the power grid cease to function, most vehicles would be immobilized because their engines are controlled by transistorized circuits. Hard-wired telephones could be disrupted and cell phones would not work because the cell towers they transmit to would be disabled. Modern heating and air conditioning systems would be affected even if power were available to run them.  http://www.newjerseynewsroom.com/science-updates/emp-major-threat-not-well-understood

Sept 12, 2012

WASHINGTON – Congress today was told that the Department of Homeland Security hasn’t identified an electromagnetic pulse, or EMP, event as a serious national security threat to the nation’s grid system even though testimony revealed it could making living in the United States “unsustainable” for 70 to 90 percent of the population…

Brandon Wales, director of the DHS Homeland Infrastructure Threat and Risk Analysis Center, was unable to give a cost breakdown so that Congress would know how much money needs to be provided by the federal government in view of the tremendous costs of such hardening defenses that the private utilities would incur.

He, along with other witnesses from the federal government, testified on the consequences of either a natural or man-made EMP event on the national grid before the House Homeland Committee’s Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection and Security Technologies.  http://www.wnd.com/2012/09/congress-told-u-s-life-unsustainable-after-emp/

• Sep 12, 2012

Defense systems that depend on the commercial electric grid are vulnerable to electromagnetic pulse attacks and solar storms that could seriously damage the nation’s infrastructure, experts from the Homeland Security and Defense departments told a House Homeland Security subcommittee.

The likelihood and the effects of such an event have been the subject of debate, and legislation that would require defenses against them is stalled in the House.

Major military weapons systems and nuclear assets are hardened against EMP events, but “DOD is heavily dependent on the commercial electric grid,” Michael Aimone, director of DOD Business Enterprise Integration, told the subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection and Security Technologies.  http://gcn.com/articles/2012/09/12/emp-threat-to-power-grid-dod.aspx

The results of an EMP incident would be catastrophic:

• · The U.S. power grid could be destroyed;
• · Planes would crash;
• · Water and sewerage systems would fail;
• · Banks could not access their records;
• · Transportation systems would be inoperable;
• · The internet would go down;
• · Emergency services would severely hampered.

Both U.S. and Soviet scientists became increasingly aware of the threat in 1962. A Financial Sense review of the problem noted that 50 years ago, a nuclear test 800 miles away from Hawaii knocked out 300 of the states’ street lights, triggered alarms, and caused damages to a telephone company. The same year, Moscow conducted three tests to discover the precise altitude a nuclear bomb needed to detonate at to destroy electronics on the ground.   http://www.examiner.com/article/crippling-america-an-instant

The idea that life could be “unsustainable” for most of the USA is a concept most will discount.  But whether it comes from EMP weapons or not, life as we know it will become unsustainable in the USA.

One way that a country like Iran could inflict major damage to the USA would be an effective use of electromagnetic pulse (EMP) weapons.  This type of weapon may also be used by the coming prophesied King of the South and/or the King of the North.

For some time, the USA has been aware of the potential threat of an EMP attack. Notice also the following:

In written testimony delivered to the United States Senate in 2005, an EMP Commission staff member reported:

The EMP Commission sponsored a worldwide survey of foreign scientific and military literature to evaluate the knowledge, and possibly the intentions, of foreign states with respect to electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attack. The survey found that the physics of EMP phenomenon and the military potential of EMP attack are widely understood in the international community, as reflected in official and unofficial writings and statements. The survey of open sources over the past decade finds that knowledge about EMP and EMP attack is evidenced in at least Britain, France, Germany, Israel, Egypt, Taiwan, Sweden, Cuba, India, Pakistan, Iraq under Saddam Hussein, Iran, North Korea, China and Russia. (Wikipedia. EMP. Accessed 07/17/12)

Power transformers in the USA are at risk and this could cause major economic and other damage to the USA.  Such emp weapons, however, have never been used large scale, so precisely what would happen is subject to debate.  But the reality is that emp weapons, as well as solar flares which have similar potential, are threats to the USA, its defenses, and its economy.

The USA, despite its military strength, is vulnerable to being hurt by EMP weapons as well as nuclear weapons, chemical weapons, dirty bombs, terrorism, and biological weapons.

“And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!” (Mark 13:37).

Some articles of possibly related interest may include:

Is There A Future King of the South? Some no longer believe there needs to be. Might Egypt, Islam, Iran, Arabs, or Ethiopia be involved? Might this King be called the Mahdi? What does the Bible say?
The Arab and Islamic World In the Bible, History, and Prophecy The Bible discusses the origins of the Arab world and discusses the Middle East in prophecy. What is ahead for the Middle East and those who follow Islam? What about the Imam Mahdi? What lies ahead for Turkey, Iran, and the other non-Arabic Muslims?
Anglo – America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel Are the Americans, Canadians, English, Scottish, Welsh, Australians, Anglo (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 nations? Why might God allow them to be punished first?
When Will the Great Tribulation Begin? 2012, 2013, or 2014? Can the Great Tribulation begin today? What happens before the Great Tribulation in the “beginning of sorrows”? Is there a needed peace deal first in the Middle East? What happens in the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord? Is this the time of the Gentiles? When is the earliest that the Great Tribulation can begin? What is the Day of the Lord? Who are the 144,000?
Who is the King of the West? Why is there no End-Time King of the West in Bible Prophecy? Is the United States 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?
Barack Obama, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States This is a 160 page book for people truly interested in prophecies related to Barack Obama and the United States, including learning about many that have already been fulfilled (which the book documents in detail) and those that will be fulfilled in the future. It also has a chapter about Mitt Romney. This book is available to order at www.barackobamaprophecy.com. The physical book can also be purchased at Amazon from the following link:  Barack Obama, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States: Is Barack Obama Fulfilling Biblical, Islamic, Catholic, Kenyan, and other America-Related Prophecies? What About Mitt Romney?
Barack Obama, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States–Amazon Kindle edition. This electronic version is available for only US$2.99. 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 for your free Kindle reader and then go to Barack Obama, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States–Amazon Kindle edition.)

An animal horn trumpet.

COGwriter

The Feast of Trumpets begins after the setting of the sun of September 16, 2012. Notice what the Old Testament said would happen with this first day of the seventh month (often called Tishri):

23 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 24 “Speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a sabbath-rest, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation. 25 You shall do no customary work on it; and you shall offer an offering made by fire to the Lord.'” (Leviticus 23:23-25)

It has been reported that the place where the trumpeting used to happen in Jerusalem is somewhat marked:

Whenever I visit the Jerusalem Archaeological Park, I always walk to the southwest corner of the Temple Mount…Beneath the ground of the Kotel, Jerusalem’s Central Valley has been filled in with the rubble of the Second Temple’s destruction in A.D. 70. As a result, the beautiful modern plaza stands about nine meters above the first-century street uncovered at the southwestern corner.

The excavations near the corner came about through the generosity of a distinguished member of the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit…One of the main reasons I continually return to this corner of the Temple Mount is because of one particular stone that lies on the street far below where it originally stood. Shaped as a corner, the stone bears the Hebrew inscription: “To the place of trumpeting.”

This stone represented the pinnacle of the southwestern corner of the Temple Mount, the place where priests would stand and overlook Jerusalem as they blew trumpets to announce the Sabbath and the start of festival days. The Feast of Trumpets especially relates to this act http://www.jpost.com/Travel/AroundIsrael/Article.aspx?id=239595

In our family, we normally have our youngest child blow on some type of trumpet to mark the beginning of the Feast of Trumpets, as well as to blow the trumpet off and on throughout the Holy Day.  And although the Bible does not specify where the trumpet blowing should take place (hence I believe it should happen throughout the lands where the faithful live), I did find it interesting to learn that there was a specific place in Jerusalem that trumpeting was designated.

Sabbath-keepers, by the way, kept the Feast of Trumpets throughout history. Notice for example, that the Sabbath-keepers in Transylvania in the 1500s (and probably later) kept the Fall Holy Days such as the Day of Atonement and the Feast of Trumpets (called Day of Remembrance below):

The Sabbatarians viewed themselves as converted Gentiles..They held to the biblical holidays…The Day of Atonement was a day of fasting, although they emphasized that pentinence is more easily acheived by a peaceful and quiet meditation on the law and one’s life than by fasting. The Day of Remembrance (New Year, which they celebrated in the Fall of the year) was the day on which they thanked God especially for the creation of the universe. (Liechty D. Sabbatarianism in the Sixteenth Century. Andrews University Press, Berrien Springs (MI), 1993, pp. 61-62).

Some of the Jewish teachers taught that the creation was most likely in the Fall, rather than in the Spring because in Genesis 1:11 when God states, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit”, this would be the Fall, for that is when there is both grass and fruit on trees), that the Feast of Trumpets symbolized the beginning of creation, and hence by, inference, life. The creation was likely in the Fall and various scriptures imply it (though this is not specified verbatim in scripture).

And, of course, if those in Transylvania blew trumpets (and I would think one or more of them did) that was in a location other than Jerusalem.

People attempting to be faithful to the Bible have observed the Feast of Trumpets throughout history and the faithful in the Church of God continue to do so in the 21st century.

Some articles of possibly related interest may include:

Did Early Christians Observe the Fall Holy Days? Did they? Did Jesus? Should you?
The Book of Life and the Feast of Trumpets? Are they related? Is so how? If not, where not?
The Day of Atonement–Its Christian Significance The Jews call it Yom Kippur, Christians “The Day of Atonement”. Does it have any relevance for Christians today?
The Feast of Tabernacles: A Time for Christians? Is this pilgrimage holy day still valid? Does it teach anything relevant for today’s Christians? What is the Last Great Day? What do these days teach?
What Does the Catholic Church Teach About Christmas and the Holy Days? Do you know what the Catholic Church says were the original Christian holy days? Was Christmas among them?
Holy Day Calendar This is a listing of the biblical holy days through 2012, with their Roman calendar dates. They are really hard to observe if you do not know when they occur.

COGwriter

The latest TW News & Prophecy from LCG has the following:

Severe weather in U.S. increasing at unusual rate.

The U.S. has recently been hit hard by severe weather. “Nearly 75 percent of the country’s corn and soya bean-growing regions have been hit by extreme drought”–although the total damage will not be known until the October harvest (Deutsche Welle , August 28, 2012). Last year, severe storms in the U.S., “caused an economic loss of about $46 billion” (about $25 billion was insured). Insured losses were more than double the 2010 record (ibid.). In the past 30 years, severe weather has increased worldwide, but “The trend is particularly evident in North America” (ibid.). “In the first half of 2012, [storms] in the US cost insurers about $8.8 billion… about 85 percent of the worldwide insured losses were caused by a series of [natural disasters] in the US” (ibid.).In the 1980s, about 50 severe storms a year were recorded; now about 100-150 are recorded. While severe droughts in the U.S. in the past occurred about every 50 years, now they are expected every few years (ibid.).

Why is severe weather increasing disproportionately in the U.S.? The U.S. is among the modern nations descended from Israel (Manasseh–see our booklet, The United States and Great Britain in Prophecy). God states that He will send severe weather because of sinful lifestyles (Deuteronomy 28:15-24; Amos 4:6-8). The U.S. promotes greed, premarital sex, drunkenness, and homosexuality, and violence is rampant. Bible prophecies indicate that the continued rejection of God’s ways will result in severe consequences.

Late in 2011, it was reported that all US states had extreme weather (see NRDC: All US States Had Extreme Weather; Confirms 2012 Book Prediction).  The sins of the USA are beginning to catch up to it.  But without national repentance (which is quite unlikely at this stage), much worse will hit the USA.

And of course, in 2012, weather problems, including flooding, drought, and heat have affected other areas as well (see, for example, Flooding in North Korea, Philippines, Taiwan, and China, TW: Drought USA and Flooding UK; Russia Having Both, Quarter Million Affected by Flooding in Japan, Severely Cold Weather in South Africa and Australia, Drought in Mid-USA Affecting Grain, 2012 Drought Declared USA’s Largest Ever Natural Disaster, Drought Affecting India and Its Food Supply; Europe too, Drought Reducing Wheat Yields in US, Australia, Russia, and Ukraine, and Weather Extremes in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the UK).

Flood, droughts, and weather problems contribute to food shortages, higher food prices (Heat Affecting USA Wheat Crop and USDA Slashes Corn and Soy Production Estimates Due to Drought; Canadian Farmers Expecting to Benefit), and sometimes famines.

Droughts and weather problems contribute to food shortages, higher food prices, and sometimes famines. Food inflation seems to be occurring.

Droughts and odd weather problems should serve as a wake-up call. Weather-related troubles with their related food issues, of course, have been biblically expected:

7…And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows. (Matthew 24:7-8).

5 When He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come and see.” So I looked, and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. 6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine.” (Revelation 6:5-6)

8 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines and troubles. These are the beginnings of sorrows. (Mark 13:8)

Notice also the following which ties punishment in with sins:

13 “Therefore I will also make you sick by striking you,
By making you desolate because of your sins.
14 You shall eat, but not be satisfied;
Hunger shall be in your midst.
You may carry some away, but shall not save them;
And what you do rescue I will give over to the sword.
15 “You shall sow, but not reap;  (Micah 6:13-15)

13 Your wealth and your treasures
I will give as plunder without price,
Because of all your sins,
Throughout your territories.  (Jeremiah 15:13)

18 ‘And after all this, if you do not obey Me, then I will punish you seven times more for your sins.
19 I will break the pride of your power;
I will make your heavens like iron and your earth like bronze.
20 And your strength shall be spent in vain;
for your land shall not yield its produce, nor shall the trees of the land yield their fruit.
21 ‘Then, if you walk contrary to Me, and are not willing to obey Me, I will bring on you seven times more plagues, according to your sins.  (Leviticus 26:18-21)

23 But this people has a defiant and rebellious heart;
They have revolted and departed.
24 They do not say in their heart,
“Let us now fear the Lord our God,
Who gives rain, both the former and the latter, in its season.
He reserves for us the appointed weeks of the harvest.”
25 Your iniquities have turned these things away,
And your sins have withheld good from you.   (Jeremiah 5:23-25)

Those who think that the USA will always have plenty of affordable food will be shocked when that changes. Droughts, floods, weather issues, pestilences, and a reliance on more and more engineered and hybridized foods are putting the USA, as well as its other Anglo-descended allies, at severe risk of food problems. Risks that are going to result in food problems.

Rising immorality and the encouragement of it are sins that have consequences (cf. Romans 1:18-32).

Some articles of possibly related interest may include:

Can the Great Tribulation Begin in 2012, 2013, or 2014? Can the Great Tribulation begin today? What happens before in the “beginning of sorrows”? What happens in the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord? When is the earliest that the Great Tribulation can begin? What is the Day of the Lord?
Physical Preparation Scriptures for Christians. We all know the Bible prophecies famines. Should we do something?
Anglo – America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel Are the Americans, Canadians, English, Scottish, Welsh, Australians, Anglo (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 nations? Why might God allow them to be punished first?
Will the Anglo-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?
LCG: Pornography, Who’s Tempting Whom? This is some information about the prevalence and dangers of pornography from the Living Church of God.
CG7 on Pornography This is an article excerpt from the Church of God, 7th Day-Denver about pornography.
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 Living Church of God?
LCG: Homosexuals Gaining Ground “Same-sex marriage” is becoming more acceptable to many. What does the Bible teach about homosexuality?
Is American Football Evil? Is the most popular, yet violent, spectator sport in the USA something that Christians should watch? What do the Bible and early writings show?
Is Smoking a Sin? What does the Bible teach? What have COG leaders written? Can smokers change?
Binge Alcohol Drinking and the Bible Many college students and others overindulge in alcohol. Are there health risks? What does the Bible teach?
Obesity and Prophecy Does the Bible warn about the consequences of being obese? Is overeating dangerous? Is gluttony condemned?
British and American Moral Decay Public nudity is becoming more prevalent in the Anglo-lands. What are some of the consequences?