Church of God News

Putin signs law banning gender changes in Russia — Meduza

https://t.co/GbRaOO4yv3

— Mike Walker (@New_Narrative) July 24, 2023

COGwriter

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin signed a law preventing people from trying to pretend they can change their gender via elective surgeries:

Vladimir Putin signs law banning gender changes in Russia

Vladimir Putin has signed legislation that bans people from officially or medically changing their gender, representing a further blow to Russia’s embattled LGBTQ+ community.

The act, passed unanimously by both houses of parliament, bans any “medical interventions aimed at changing the sex of a person”, as well as banning changing a person’s gender in official documents or public records. The only exception will be medical intervention to treat congenital anomalies.

It also annuls marriages in which one person has “changed gender” and bars transgender people from becoming foster or adoptive parents.

The ban is said to stem from the Kremlin’s crusade to protect what it views as the country’s “traditional values”. Lawmakers say the legislation is to safeguard Russia against “western anti-family ideology”, with some describing gender transitioning as “pure satanism”. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jul/24/vladimir-putin-signs-law-banning-gender-changes-in-russia

Yes, many aspect of the LGBTQ+ agenda are cruel and satanic.

After a long time in process, Russia has implemented a law banning gender reassignment surgeries, which also includes legislation barring transgenders from adopting children.

President Vladimir Putin signed the new law into effect Monday, making attempts to “change sex” via surgical procedures or other medical interventions like hormones illegal.

The law prevents “medical interventions aimed at changing the sex of a person” and makes “the state registration of a change of gender without an operation” illegal. This means a person’s gender cannot be changed on legal documents such as birth records, as is happening in some instances in the West. …

There is a key exception to the law – it doesn’t apply in cases of medical intervention to treat congenital anomalies, such as the rare condition of Hermaphroditism.

When first proposed the law had been framed as being necessary to protect traditional family values, per TASS:

The bill was initiated by speaker of the Russian State Duma (lower house of parliament) Vyacheslav Volodin and the leaders of the five factions.

During a meeting of the Council of Legislators in April, Volodin asked lawmakers to submit their proposals to address issues linked with gender-affirmation matters. Russian Justice Minister Konstantin Chuichenko told TASS earlier that a ban on changing gender in passports and other documents would be one of the first steps to enshrine family values into national law.

As for treating potential birth abnormalities in children, the bill’s language says this intervention is allowable “upon a decision from a medical commission of a federal state-run public health institution.” 07/24/23 https://www.zerohedge.com/political/putler-strikes-again-signs-law-banning-gender-reassignment

Anyway, this move by the Russian President was not unexpected.

Back in late 2021, Vladimir Putin held his annual end-of-the year Q&A session and made some true statements that Western leaders will not:

President Putin: I Will Never Allow the ‘New World Order’ To Pervert Nature – There Are Only TWO Genders

December 24, 2021

Speaking to journalists at an end-of-year press conference, Putin warned that the elites in the West are deliberately trying to pervert nature by claiming that men can be women and women can be men.

“It’s inevitable [that these concepts will arrive in Russia],” Putin warned. “If someone thinks men and women are the same thing, let them think that, but let us think about common sense.”

“I believe that the traditional approach is correct. Male is male, female is female, mother is mother, and father is father. I sincerely hope that our society has the moral armor to protect us against this,” Putin added.

He also spoke about the far-left movement in the US to allow inmates to legally change their gender to female in order to enter women’s prisons.

“To fight against that, we should not just shout and point fingers, but we should support our own traditional values,” he declared.

Rt.com reports: Putin’s statement isn’t the first time a senior Russian politician has spoken out against modern, progressive ideas in regards to gender issues. Earlier this month, Russian Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matvienko said that it is “unacceptable” to impose foreign values on a country without taking into account its history, faith, religion, and national characteristics.

“They are trying to impose alien values on us. And not only on us but on the advancement in the world in general,” she said. “It’s sexual minority rights. There are already 85 genders in Europe. It is unacceptable for us.” https://newspunch.com/president-putin-i-will-never-allow-the-new-world-order-to-pervert-nature-there-are-only-two-genders/

As far as the Putin Administration goes, it has been consistently supporting the idea of biblical marriage as well as not pushing the LGBTQ agenda. Actually, it has long been my view that it is precisely because of that that Hillary Clinton and the Obama Administration turned against Russia years ago (I figured that out after reading Hillary Clinton’s book Hard Choices as she was not pleased with Russia’s response to her pushing LGBTQ matters inside of Russia). That led to US support to overthrow the Russia-supporting, lawfully-elected government of Ukraine. And is still a factor in how various politicians in the US view Russia.

Vladimir Putin has been the most powerful political leader in the world to take a stand against several parts of the LGBTQ+ agenda, vulgarity (see Russia’s Vladimir Putin takes a stand against vulgar language), and some other sins that plague Western society. China’s President has taken some views as well, but not quite as publicly and on as much as Vladimir Putin has.

Billy Graham’s son Franklin Graham made some comments some time ago related to Vladimir Putin:

July 12, 2017

In 2014, Graham published an opinion piece about the Russian president’s decision to sign a law barring the distribution of “propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations” to children. The law, which was widely perceived to be homophobic, stirred controversy ahead of the 2014 Olympic games in Sochi. But Graham defended it anyway, saying America’s embrace of LGBTQ rights amounts to “secularism” that “is as godless as communism.”

“In my opinion, Putin is right on these issues,” Graham wrote. “Obviously, he may be wrong about many things, but he has taken a stand to protect his nation’s children from the damaging effects of any gay and lesbian agenda.”

He also lauded Putin’s pledge to protect Christians in Syria, noting how it was “one justification for his support of the Assad regime in Syria.”

“It’s obvious that President Obama and his administration are pushing the gay-lesbian agenda in America today and have sold themselves completely to that which is contrary to God’s teaching,” Graham wrote. “In my opinion, Putin is right on these issues. Obviously, he may be wrong about many things, but he has taken a stand to protect his nation’s children from the damaging effects of any gay and lesbian agenda.”

“Isn’t it sad, though, that America’s own morality has fallen so far that on this issue — protecting children from any homosexual agenda or propaganda — Russia’s standard is higher than our own?” he added.

“Pray for the President of Russia, [who] defends traditional Christianity,” Graham reportedly said. …

Pat Buchanan — another leader of the Religious Right — published his own piece about Russia potentially replacing the U.S. as a bastion of “Christian values,” asking “Whose side is God on now?” …

Graham still invited a delegation from the ROC to the 2017 event, and it was moved to D.C. at the suggestion of ROC external relations head Metropolitan Hilarion Alfeyev of Moscow — the same man who helped Graham come up with the idea for the conference in the first place. https://thinkprogress.org/religious-right-russia-3e80e2ea2e4a/

Notice also something else from even further in the past:

22 September 2014

Well, it is true, is it not, that President Vladimir Putin stands virtually alone among national leaders of the major powers in publicly proclaiming his Christian identity, and in condemning homosexual “marriage” — while leaders of the so-called Christian West have adopted the politically correct line that these unnatural unions are now sacrosanct? And is it not true that Putin and the Russian government have been spending hundreds of millions of dollars to rebuild hundreds of Russian Orthodox churches destroyed during the militant atheism of the Soviet era? Has he not restored sacred holidays of the Julian Christian calendar? Did he not sign a national law last year outlawing advertisements for abortion? To which we must answer: yes, yes, yes, yes; true, true, true, true.

Additional “facts” can be cited to paint an even more striking image of Putin as pious champion of Christianity: crossing himself and kissing the icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary that he presented to Pope Francis during his 2013 visit to the Vatican; numerous appearances with (and blessings and endorsements from) Patriarch Kirill of the Russian Orthodox Church and other Christian church leaders; signing into law a “ban on the propaganda of homosexuality and pedophilia” directed at children, while President Obama promotes the LBGT agenda at every level and every opportunity; speaking out against the persecution and murder of Christians by Islamic jihadists in Syria and Iraq. …

In his current ruse as Defender of the Faith, Putin is not only channeling Stalin, but also Lenin, that original Bolshevik persecutor of the church. Lenin was the supreme pragmatist, happily willing to use “whatever works,” and constantly at odds with rigid communist “purists” who failed to grasp the necessity of operational flexibility in the pursuit of the final objective. http://www.thenewamerican.com/world-news/europe/item/19162-putin-defender-of-christian-faith-and-morality

Vladimir Putin has been willing to take biblically-consistent stands on moral issues that few other influential leaders have.

None of this is said to justify militaristic actions, but on LGBTQ+ matters, Vladimir Putin’s public positions have been far more pro-biblical than US President Joe Biden’s views, which are normally anti-biblical.

Interestingly, back in 2014, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin signed in a law against foul language (see Russia’s Vladimir Putin takes a stand against vulgar language)–that is also something we are hardly seeing influential leaders in the West speaking out against.

Vladimir Putin believes that he is standing for traditional Russian Orthodox values. This is one reason that the Russian Orthodox Church has supported his Special Military Operation into Ukraine.

Jesus said:

4 … Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’ 5 and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? 6 So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.” (Matthew 19:4-6)

Notice that God made humans male and female from the beginning for marriage. The human body is “not for fornication” (1 Corinthians 6:13, KJV), nor for homosexual (1 Corinthians 6:9-10) or lesbian (Romans 1:18-32) relations or to cross dress (Deuteronomy 22:5).

Here is an article related to gender-changing surgeries:

This column was inspired by the my brilliant colleague, Dr. Gina Loudon, a few days ago called “The dark, untold truth of transgenderism.”

It began: “There is a new stock-in-trade in the American domain today – human beings. Even children are being used in Mengelian experimentations that might have given Hitler pause.” …

“The tragedy of sexual-reassignment surgery has a terrifying history,” she writes. “The popularization of medically sanctioned sexual mutilation began with well-known sexual perversion advocate, Alfred Kinsey.”

She continues: “In 1967, a student of Kinsey named John Money was asked by a set of desperate parents to repair a botched circumcision on their baby boy, David, who was a twin. Rather than repair the damage, Money advised the couple to raise the baby as a girl and remove his genitalia. By age 12, David was struggling mentally in addition to his physical malformities. By 14, he begged to be made male again. Throughout his teens, he became severely depressed. Ultimately, both brothers ended their own lives. It was later reported that Money sexually molested both boys, and forced them to have incestuous relations with one another at age 7. This tragic case prompted further study, and the not-yet-corrupted medical establishment opted to largely end sanctions of the mutilation experiments, for a time.”

“So if we, as a nation, researched this and even the left agreed to end such studies because the outcomes were so grim, why have the powers that be reinvented this cause at this point in time? The American Medical Association stands to gain millions of dollars between surgeries and medicines from each transition. The American Psychological Association will have its membership explode when all of these children and their parents and families need a lifetime of therapy and drugs for what they have done. Big Pharma can’t even calculate the money that will rush to them. And the Democrats have taken up their cause calling it ‘gender affirming care’ (as if there were anything ‘caring’ about it, considering the real data). The Democrats will be richly rewarded by all of those profiting off of these children, and the cycle will continue.” …

I am here to proclaim that this is only the start of such nightmares. It gets much worse. It truly does. …

How bad will it get for the next generation? If adults don’t make a change right now, where will we be in 2024? 07/24/23 https://www.wnd.com/2023/07/dark-untold-truth-worlds-greatest-sin/

Gender-mutilating surgeries are not good. Scientists figured that out a decades ago, yet we are seeing a resurgence of them again.

Furthermore, God did not create humans to be sexually immoral:

18 Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. (1 Corinthians 6:18)

The once Protestant or Roman Catholic dominated nations of the West have not had top leaders stand up for the scientific biological facts about males and females.

Females have xx chromosomes and males have xy. There are also differences in bone structure, brain connectivity, voice, blood thickness, muscle/fat composition, etc. Surgery does not change one’s sex–it changes mainly how one may appear. Let me add that some in Europe have at least publicly suggested that gender mutilating surgeries be at least reduced–so not everyone is insane about this.

Yet, it is still shameful that more leaders in the West have not stood against more aspects the LGBTQ+ agenda.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Why sex and marriage? What are each spouse’s responsibilities regarding sex in the marriage? What is not allowed according to God’s word? Why is there sex and why is there marriage? Parental discretion is advised as to whether or not everything in this article is now appropriate for their children. Dr. Thiel goes over scriptures, The Missing Dimension in Sex, and provides answers to questions many have had. A related sermon is available: Sex and Marriage. Here is that sermon in the Spanish language: Matrimonio y sexo.
Are any types of birth control scripturally allowed? Did Jesus make a statement that might be consistent with birth control? Are there any methods that might be appropropriate? What methods would be biblically prohibited? Here is a link a related video: Can Christians Use Birth Control?
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 are also three YouTube videos related to this, titled Transgender ‘Woe to those who call evil good’ and Cross dressing and Other Assaults Against Your Children and USA pushing gender confusion.
The Bible Condemns Homosexuality “Same-sex marriage” for “gays” and lesbians is becoming more acceptable to many. What does the Bible teach about homosexuality and the LGBTQ agenda?  Can homosexuals change? A related video sermon is titled: What Does the Bible Really Teach about Homosexuality? A short video is available titled: Gay Gene? Born That Way?
Making Your Marriage Work Marriage is not also easy, but it pictures a divine relationship. How can you make your marriage work? Here is a link to the video sermon: You Can Make YOUR Marriage Work.
Here’s the Plain Truth About OLD TESTAMENT POLYGAMY by Herbert Armstrong. Here is a related article in the Spanish language: ¿Es la poligamia una senda de Dios?
Love, Marriage, and Sex It is important to get them in the right order.
THIRD COMMANDMENT: Words Matter Are you obeying the Third Commandment? Are you sure? Could you be blaspheming with your euphemisms or life actions? Here is a link to a related sermon: Third Commandment Plus: Words Matter.
The MYSTERY of GOD’s PLAN: Why Did God Create Anything? Why did God make you? This free online book helps answers some of the biggest questions that human have, including the biblical meaning of life. Here is a link to three related sermons: Mysteries of God’s Plan, Mysteries of Truth, Sin, Rest, Suffering, and God’s Plan, and The Mystery of YOU.
Pornography: A scourge on s
Does 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? 2029 or or 2031 or 20xx? There is also a video titled 6000 Years: When will God’s Kingdom Come? Here is a link to the article in Spanish: ¿Tiene Dios un plan de 6,000 años?
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 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? For a more detailed discussion of the first four commandments, please see the video The Ten Commandments: Loving God. For a more detailed discussion of the last six commandments, please see: The Ten Commandments: Loving Your Neighbor. Here is a link to a related article in Mandarin Chinese 十条诫命显示爱，违反诫命的就是邪恶的
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. A related sermon is titled: Christians and the Ten Commandments.
The Ten Commandments: The Decalogue, Christianity, and the Beast This is a free 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.
Is Russia the King of the North? Some claim it is. But what does the Bible teach? Here is a link to a video, also titled Is Russia the King of the North?
Ezekiel 38: For Russia & Iran in Our Day? Is Ezekiel 38 about to be fulfilled? Are we close to the battle with Gog and Magog? Four related videos are available: Ezekiel 38 Gog and Magog War: Is it Soon?, Ezekiel 38: For Russia, Ukraine, & Iran Now?, Russia, Iran, Syria, & the Bible (Code), and Gog, Magog, Vladimir Putin, and Ezekiel 38?
Russia and Ukraine: Their Origins and Prophesied Future Russia in prophecy. Where do the Russians come from? What about those in the Ukraine? What is prophesied for Russia and its allies? What will they do to the Europeans that supported the Beast in the end? There is also a video sermon available: Russia in the Bible and in Prophecy as are two video sermonettes Russia, Ukraine, Babylonian Europe, and Prophecy and Ukraine in Prophecy?

JUST IN – Putin signed a law on introducing a central bank digital ruble and creating an appropriate electronic platform — TASS

— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) July 24, 2023

COGwriter

Russia officially took another step towards having its ruble a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC):

Putin Signs Digital Ruble Law Making a CBDC Possible in Russia

July 24, 2023

Russia’s president Vladimir Putin signed the digital ruble bill into law today, allowing the country’s central bank to issue its own digital currency.

The digital ruble, which the Bank of Russia has long been mulling over, will be used for payments along with other methods, according to the new amendments to Russia’s Civil Code. The digital ruble accounts will be managed by the central bank, the law says. The bill passed its third, final hearing on July 11 and had been waiting for the president to be signed.

Digital ruble is a CBDC project the Bank of Russia has been working on since 2020, when the Bank of Russia published its first analytical report on the topic … Now, as Russia is heavily sanctioned by the U.S. and Europe, the digital ruble might become one of the ways to circumnavigate the massive financial restrictions imposed on the country by the West. https://www.coindesk.com/policy/2023/07/24/putin-signed-digital-ruble-law-making-a-cbdc-possible-in-russia/

Much of the world has been looking at some type of CBDC, so it is logical that Russia, which also faces various financial and other sanctions, would as well.

That said, notice also the following concerns about CBDCs:

Programmability is a key feature of CBDC, where governments, banks, and their customers could have total control over when, where, and how your money is spent.

June 30, 2023

Governments can program Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) with expiry dates and to restrict undesirable purchases, according to a discussion at the World Economic Forum (WEF) “Summer Davos” meeting in China. … in Tianjing, China, Cornell University professor Eswar Prasad said that “we are at the cusp of physical currency essentially disappearing,” and that programmable CBDCs could take us to either a better or much darker place.

“If you think about the benefits of digital money, there are huge potential gains,” said Prasad, adding, “It’s not just about digital forms of digital currency; you can have programmability – units of central bank currency with expiry dates.”

“You could have […] a potentially better – or some people might say a darker world – where the government decides that units of central bank money can be used to purchase some things, but not other things that it deems less desirable like say ammunition, or drugs, or pornography, or something of the sort, and that is very powerful in terms of the use of a CBDC, and I think also extremely dangerous to central banks.” [Emphases added] …

“So, there are wonderful notions of things that can be done with digital money, but again I fear the technology could take us to a better place, but equally has the potential to take us to a pretty dark place.” …

Speaking at a high-level roundtable on CBDC in Washington, D.C., in October 2022, International Monetary Fund (IMF) deputy managing director and former People’s Bank of China (PBoC) deputy governor Bo Li said of CBDC programmability:

“CBDC can allow government agencies and private sector players to program – to create smart contracts – to allow targeted policy functions. For example, welfare payment; for example, consumption coupons; for example, food stamps.” [Emphasis added]

“By programming CBDC, those money can be precisely targeted for what kind of people can own and what kind of use this money can be utilized,” he added.

So, while Lagarde says that central banks have no interest in programming CBDCs, central banks around the world are indeed exploring programmability, even if the central banks themselves are not the ones doing the actual programming. …

Programmability is a key feature of CBDC, where governments, banks, and their customers could have total control over when, where, and how your money is spent. https://www.lifesitenews.com/analysis/wef-elites-admit-potential-for-darker-world-where-cbdcs-could-be-govt-controlled/?utm_source=top_news&utm_campaign=usa

While there are some pluses with a digital currency, biblically we know that the darker side, the controlling of buying and selling, is coming.

Here is part of #13 of my list of 23 items to prophetically watch in 2023:

13. CBDC and 666

Notice the following prophecy:

16 He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, 17 and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

18 Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666. (Revelation 13:16-18)

This type of financial surveillance could not have happened during the time of the Apostle John as there was no real way to monitor many financial transactions then (despite the fact that ‘preterists’ believe this was fulfilled almost 2000 years ago, see also The Dangerous Rise of Preterists). The same was true for all the centuries that followed until the late 20th and now the 21st century. But now not only does the technology exist to monitor most financial transactions, the political will is there as well. …

While 2023 will not see a cashless world, expect to see more movements towards monitorable payments.

Expect to see more steps related to Central Bank Digital Currencies in 2023.

Russia’s move is consistent with the above.

Pushes towards digital currencies, totalitarian surveillance, digital passports, and travel restrictions are all consistent with the type of totalitarian controls that the prophesied Beast of Revelation will implement.

COGwriter

Where might the place of safety in the wilderness be?

Many have wondered if Petra could be the place.

What if is it not?

Someone asked me about the possibility of Bozrah being the “place of safety.”

After doing some scriptural research, I ran across the following warning about Petra and Bozrah possibly being the place from Tim McHyde:

Is Petra the “Prepared Place” of Safety For Israel or You?

Petra, Jordan was once the stronghold of the Edomites and later the capital city of the Arab Nabateans. …

Will Petra become the number one safe destination of Israelites in the end times, as well? Some people think so and feel they have Bible prophecy to back this up.

The most popular version of the speculation around Petra is that the Jews escaping from the Battle of Armageddon will find refuge there. Some Old Testament passages mentioning the city are used to support this idea …

Others, believe Petra to be the place that the “true church” will be protected in fulfillment of Revelation 12.

Both views argue based on Scripture and the city’s excellent defensive structure. It is mountainous and its main entrance is a long narrow rock wadi, called the Siq. What better location for people to be safe from attack, right?

Supporters also claim that the city could hold 144,000 people, the number of Israelite evangelists listed in Revelation 7 and 14. The Worldwide Church of God believed that there would be 144,000 of their members who made it to there.

The Petra theory has its appeal. But is it truly grounded in Scripture or even realism? …

If you search the Bible for the name of the city Petra, you will not find it. Instead of that modern Greek name for the city, you have to search for the Hebrew equivalent, Sela (or Selah). Both words mean rock. …

It seems like the main basis of the Petra speculation is the area’s natural features. .. The springs have dried up long ago. …

As far as how many people can comfortably live there, it’s woefully inadequate. This is a small city with an estimated past top population of 20,000. Whether you think Israel or Christians will be sent by God there, it equals far, far more than 20,000 or double that. The remnant of either Israel or the church is more likely to be in the millions. …

As for the theory about Israel fleeing the land before Armageddon, that also is problematic.

Doesn’t Revelation 12 Say Israel Is Protected?

Revelation 12 is a key passage that seems to contradict what Zechariah says:

Revelation 12:1, 5 (ESV) — And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. 5 She gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne

Here we have a coded description of Israel. The twelve stars, moon and sun hearken back to Joseph’s dream of his family, Israel (Gen 37:9). The child taken to heaven who will rule all nations is obviously Jesus. He came out of the nation of Israel, through Mary of the tribe of Judah.

However, keep reading to get the full flavor of the protected Woman:

Revelation 12:13-17 (ESV) — 12 When the dragon saw that he had been thrown to earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male child. 14 The woman was given two wings of a great eagle, so that she could fly from the serpent’s presence to her place in the wilderness, where she was fed for a time, times, and half a time. 15 From his mouth the serpent spewed water like a river flowing after the woman, to sweep her away in a torrent. 16 But the earth helped the woman. The earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the river that the dragon had spewed from his mouth. 17 So the dragon was furious with the woman and left to wage war against the rest of her offspring—those who keep God’s commands and have the testimony about Jesus.

Notice the main attribute of the Woman given at the end is that her offspring are the ones who keep God’s commandments and have the faith of Jesus (Rev 12:17).

This description does not fit national Israel in the end times or any time in their history. … They were never a nation … with the testimony of Jesus even after Jesus came. …

What the Woman is showing us is not national, secular Israel, but God’s faithful righteous including Israel but not limited to Israel. Righteousness is not a matter of race, but of faith. The faith of Jesus can be adopted by anyone. …

Bible prophecy offers one place in connection with the Antichrist’s domination of the world which it says he cannot take over. It is not Petra, or, at least, not exactly Petra. You can see it in Daniel’s prophecy of the King of the North (the Antichrist):

Daniel 11:41 — He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon.

OK, that looks like three places, right? In ancient biblical times it was.

But in modern times there is one nation encompassing those exact three peoples. You may have already guessed it from the name Ammon. As in the capital of Jordan.

Objections and Questions Answered

Now you probably have the following questions:

• Q. What about Bozrah?
  A. Like Petra, Bozrah is part of Jordan, so what I’m saying here does not negate those theories completely, just expands them to the whole truth).
• Q. Isn’t Jordan a Muslim country? What about the Jordanians there?
  A. Jordan will be evacuated after the country is laid waste in the attack against Israel.
• Q. Will we need passports?
  A. Things will be normal when we leave, pre-Wormwood and therefore passports will be needed.
• Q. How do we know when it’s time to go?
  A. God must send some prophet since no man knows the day or hour.
• Q. How much time do we have?
  A. I think we won’t see the prophet until the 2020s at the earliest. https://escapeallthesethings.com/petra-bible-prophecy/

While I do agree, based upon many scriptures, that Jordan seems to be the place and God will likely use a prophet to say when (and where), I disagree with the author’s view on many points–Jordan, to cite one example, will NOT be evacuated. But I do agree that Revelation 12:14-16 is talking about protection for faithful Christians and NOT physical Israel. As far as the old Worldwide Church of God goes, it speculated, but did not insist, on Petra being the place (for details, see There is a Place of Safety for the Philadelphians. Why it May Be Near Petra).

Petra is large enough for the Philadelphian Christians to be protected–and they are the ONLY Christians promised protection from the Beast (cf. Revelation 3:7-10)–most Christians will NOT be protected (cf. Revelation 12:14-17).

Petra also covers a much larger area than the rock cave carved area most think of–so it, or possibly just part of it, might be the place.

As far as Petra or Bozrah go there are several clues in the Bible that suggest that a Jordanian location makes sense. But part of this is based upon where the place of protection is not.

Some Clues about Where the Place Isn’t

Although some have suggested that the Bible gives no clue about where the place of safety will be, this is inaccurate. First notice that apparently some of God’s people will apparently be in the area of Judea and Jerusalem around this time:

5 Declare in Judah and proclaim in Jerusalem, and say:

“Blow the trumpet in the land;
Cry, ‘Gather together,’
And say, ‘Assemble yourselves,
And let us go into the fortified cities.’
6 Set up the standard toward Zion.
Take refuge! Do not delay!
For I will bring disaster from the north,
And great destruction.” (Jeremiah 4:5-6)

The above passage is suggesting that there will be a time that will come that those in Judea and Jerusalem will have to flee into a place of defense. This is consistent with what Jesus told His followers to do in Matthew 24 :15-16 when they see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel (which happens right after the sacrifices, which have not yet started, have been stopped). And Jeremiah is basically warning that disaster will come from the north–in this case apparently the King of the North. And this may be because some of God’s people have fled to Judea/Jerusalem in order to escape from some of the persecutions from this northern power (for more information on WHEN to flee, please see the article Who is the King of the North?).

In Luke 21:20-21, Jesus confirmed the concept that some of His people would be in the same area and would need to flee:

But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those who are in the midst of her depart, and let not those who are in the country enter her.

It thus appears that the place of safety is not in Jerusalem or Judea.

Since the Bible also warns that God’s people should flee Babylon and go out of Chaldea (Jeremiah 50:8;51:6,44-45; Zechariah 2:7; Revelation 18:4), Babylon and Chaldea apparently are not the places either.

Notice the following,

“Flee from the land of the north”, says the LORD…Up Zion! Escape you that dwell with the daughter of Babylon (Zechariah 2:6,7).

This not only suggests that the place may not be in a northern land, but that some Christians will have need to flee from the land of the north.

Since the Bible seems to forecast near total destruction to the islands of the world (Revelation 6:12-14; 16:17-21), no island seems to be a likely place (more information can be found in the article Islands and Bible Prophecy).

More Information About the Place

“He who walks righteously and speaks uprightly, He who despises the gain of oppressions, Who gestures with his hands, refusing bribes, Who stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed, And shuts his eyes from seeing evil: He will dwell on high; His place of defense will be the fortress of rocks; Bread will be given him, His water will be sure” (Isaiah 33:15-16)…”Assemble yourselves and come; Draw near together, You who have escaped from the nations” (Isaiah 45:20).

Isaiah thus indicates this place will be a fortress of rocks for those that escape from the nations (note: the escaping from the nations suggests that groups with origins in CGI, such as ICG and CEM, are in error for teaching that God intends to protect people where they are).

It is also of interest to note that those that escape will be assembled–they are not lone independents–this is also consistent with Zephaniah 2:1-3

Gather yourselves together, yes gather together, O undesirable nation, Before the decree is issued, Or the day passes like chaff, Before the day of the LORD’s fierce anger comes upon you, Before the day of the LORD’s anger comes upon you! Seek the LORD, all you meek of the earth, who have upheld His justice. Seek righteousness, seek humility. It may be that you will be hidden in the day of the LORD’s anger.

The Hebrew words translated as Zephaniah means “Yahweh Hides” or “Yahweh Has Hidden” (Holy Bible: Vine’s Expository Reference Edition, p. 826). Notice that a decree is issued, apparently by a church leader–and I believe that the leader will be part of the Continuing Church of God. This would seem to happen after the gospel has been preached enough to the world as a witness (Matthew 24:14), Jewish sacrifices are stopped, and the abomination is set up (Daniel 9:27; 11:31) per Jesus’ statements in Matthew 24:15-16.

It remains my prayer that those who are Philadelphians and are scattered in groups will soon assemble together, before it is too late.

Furthermore, Zephaniah continues by suggesting that the place will not be in Gaza, at the seacoast, nor Canaan, the land of the Philistines,

For Gaza will be forsaken, And Ashkelon desolate; They shall drive out Ashdod at noonday, and Ekron shall be uprooted. Woe to the inhabitants of the seacoast; The nation of the Cherethites! The word of the LORD is against you, O Canaan, the land of the Philistines (2:4-5).

According to the commentary at Nelson’s Study Bible on these verses Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod and Ekron are major cities of the Philistines and Cherethites is simply another name for Philistines. The land mentioned is currently primarily occupied by the Palestinians.

Since people are to leave Judea, are not to go to Gaza, nor Canaan, nor to various places in the north, which direction can they go? Well, they cannot go west because the Mediterranean sea is in the way. This would seem to suggest going east, south, or possibly southeast (southwest would take one to Gaza).

Where is the Place?

David wrote, “For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; In the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock” (Psalm 27:5). This may have a dual meaning. It may be referring to the tribulation and may also be referring to an interesting event in David’s life. David was hiding in the woods from Saul (I Samuel 23:19), and “When Saul and his men went to seek him, they told David. Therefore he went down to the rock, and stayed in the wilderness of Maon…So David made haste to get away from Saul…so they called that place the Rock of Escape” (I Samuel 23:25,26,28). The word translated ‘Rock’ is Sela and the word translated as ‘rock’ are derivatives of the same word. Thus there was a Sela of Escape for David.

Jesus taught, “And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath” (Matthew 24:20) which is consistent with Revelation 12:14 which clearly states that it is a place to go to, it is in the wilderness, and it is away from the presence of the serpent. The word translated as wilderness, is translated as desert in the NIV. This word is eremos, which Strong’s defines as lonesome, waste, desert, desolate, solitary, wilderness. Thus, it is not protection in our own houses (as some have erroneously suggested), nor is it protection in a large city. It is somewhere in the wilderness.

Petra, the rocky outpost in Jordan has been speculated to be the place. And where is Petra?

Situated within the harsh desert, Petra’s vitality was dependent upon an intricate hydraulic system fed by a perennial spring. This spring, the Ain Musa (Spring of Moses), is fabled to have been one of the places where Moses struck the rock with his staff to produce water for his wandering people after their flight from Egypt. Not surprisingly, the valley in which Petra is situated, the Wadi Musa (Valley of Moses) is also named after the Biblical patriarch. In addition, Moses’ brother Aaron is believed to be buried atop the Jebel Haroun (Mount of Aaron), a mountain just south of the city. The belief that Aaron was buried so near Petra is especially noteworthy because it played an important role in Petra’s rediscovery by John Burckhardt (Petra: History, Myth, and Earthquakes; Standford.edu website).

In terms of its location from Jerusalem, Petra (Sela on some Bible maps) is mainly south and slightly east of Jerusalem. Bozrah is also in the right general direction, as are other locations in Jordan.

Now it is also possible that the actual place of protection could simply just be near Petra, part of its outskirts, or perhaps the location will be far from it.

What About Bozrah and Petra?

Regarding Bozrah, the prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Micah wrote:

5 “For My sword shall be bathed in heaven; Indeed it shall come down on Edom, And on the people of My curse, for judgment. 6 The sword of the Lord is filled with blood, It is made overflowing with fatness, With the blood of lambs and goats, With the fat of the kidneys of rams. For the Lord has a sacrifice in Bozrah, And a great slaughter in the land of Edom. 7 The wild oxen shall come down with them, And the young bulls with the mighty bulls; Their land shall be soaked with blood, And their dust saturated with fatness.” 8 For it is the day of the Lord’s vengeance, The year of recompense for the cause of Zion. (Isaiah 34:5-8)

20 Therefore hear the counsel of the Lord that He has taken against Edom, And His purposes that He has proposed against the inhabitants of Teman: Surely the least of the flock shall draw them out; Surely He shall make their dwelling places desolate with them. 21 The earth shakes at the noise of their fall; At the cry its noise is heard at the Red Sea. 22 Behold, He shall come up and fly like the eagle, And spread His wings over Bozrah; The heart of the mighty men of Edom in that day shall be Like the heart of a woman in birth pangs. (Jeremiah 49:20-22)

12 I do surely gather thee, O Jacob, all of thee, I surely bring together the remnant of Israel, Together I do set it as the flock of Bozrah, As a drove in the midst of its pasture, It maketh a noise because of man. 13 Gone up hath the breaker before them, They have broken through, Yea, they pass through the gate, Yea, they go out through it, And pass on doth their king before them, And Jehovah at their head! (Micah 2:12-13, Young’s Literal Translation)

It is the eagles wings (cf. Revelation 12:14) and the idea the the most faithful are God’s sheep (cf. Psalm 95:7; 100:3; John 10) that get some to wonder about Bozrah.

Anyway, Bozrah is in the right general direction. But, since this seems to mainly be a prophecy for Edom, it is not clear it is related to the place of protection for the Philadelphians in the wilderness. However, if the Turks were to turn against God’s protected people, then this could be the place where the Turks (Edom in various prophecies) and/or Jordanians (as some Edomites are likely there) are destroyed (cf. also Obadiah). The Philadelphians are the most faithful remnant of spiritual Israel (cf. Romans 2:28-29; Revelation 3:9)–so we will see about Bozrah. Now, because of how the Turks are expected to betray the physical nation of Israel (and perhaps also the faithful Christians), God has a special punishment. More on Turkey can also be found in the video What Should You Know About Turkey in Prophecy.

Now, I have long wondered if Petra would be the actual place.

The late Pastor General of the old Worldwide Church of God, Herbert W. Armstrong, wrote:

Incidentally, I know many of you seem to have your hearts set on going very soon to Petra as “the place of safety” during the soon-coming Great Tribulation. Well, GET YOUR MINDS OFF PETRA. Brethren, I HAVE NEVER said that Petra definitely is the place of protection where God will take us. I HOPE IT IS NOT! One reason it could be the place is that it is a place NOBODY ELSE WOULD WANT TO GO. It would be the most UNpleasant, UNcomfortable, miserable place you could go! There is nothing to be desired there. But, just in case, God HAS miraculously given me very gracious favor in the eyes of King Hussein and also his brother, the Crown Prince. They are very friendly to me personally (Letter, July 16, 1982).

There are local reasons to consider that carved part of Petra may not the be place.

Realize that Petra is one of the leading, if not THE leading, tourist destination in Jordan, hence there could be economic and other factors against that precise location itself (though if only a small amount of Christians flee, that might be tolerable, and even helpful to, the tourist industry possibly as a ‘side-show’ or to be of cultural or prophetic interest). Other than the aspect of caves (which does not mention the amount of caves), it should be noted, that many other areas in Jordan also are in the right direction and fit the description of the place–so it is possible that the Church may flee into Jordan and not stay in Petra, but somewhere else in Jordan or a neighboring area.

It is also possible that the true Philadelphian Christians will stay in Petra for a time and then go elsewhere–and that is something I have written about before.

Philadelphians and the Wilderness

In the New Testament, while not all Christians are promised physical protection, the Philadelphians are promised to be protected from the Great Tribulation and this place is in the wilderness according to the Book of Revelation:

7 “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write, ‘These things says He who is holy, He who is true, “He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens”: 8 “I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name. 9 Indeed I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews and are not, but lie — indeed I will make them come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you. 10 Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. (Revelation 3:7-10)

13 Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male Child. 14 But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent. 15 So the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood. 16 But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. 17 And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. (Revelation 12:13-17)

Notice that there are two groups of end-time Christians according to Revelation 12:14-17–one group that is protected, and the other that is not. Revelation 3 shows which group gets protected.

Places such as Petra are in the wilderness and are in biblically possible locations for the place of safety. But I should add that a place other than Petra might make more sense because of economic and political considerations.

While Petra may not be the place, it is one place to be considered. A YouTube video of interest could be Might Petra be the Place of Safety?

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

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?
When Will the Great Tribulation Begin? 2022, 2023, or 2024? Can the Great Tribulation begin today? What happens before the Great Tribulation in the “beginning of sorrows”? What happens in the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord? Is this the time of the Gentiles? When is the earliest that the Great Tribulation can begin? What is the Day of the Lord? Who are the 144,000? Here is a version of the article in the Spanish language: ¿Puede la Gran Tribulación comenzar en el 2020 o 2021? ¿Es el Tiempo de los Gentiles? A related video is: Great Tribulation: 2026 or 2027? A shorter video is: Can the Great Tribulation start in 2022 or 2023? Here is a video in the Spanish language: Es El 2021 el año  de La Gran Tribulación o el Grande Reseteo Financiero.
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.
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?

@UNmigration is a key partner to manage migration.

Good to meet DG-elect @AmyEPope to discuss the future of our good cooperation, from North Africa to the Western Balkans.

Looking forward to working together. pic.twitter.com/MAsaAU0O1O

— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) July 23, 2023

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Roman Catholic confessional (Didier Descouens)

COGwriter

The Bible does say to confess sins, but has the Roman Catholic Church (RCC) taken this beyond the practices recorded in the Bible or any found in early Christian documents?

What do the Bible and the Continuing Church of God (CCOG) teach?

Let’s start by reading a passage from the Douay-Rheims Bible (a Catholic version, abbreviated herein as DRB):

16 Confess therefore your sins one to another: and pray one for another, that you may be saved. For the continual prayer of a just man availeth much. (James 5:16, DRB)

Notice that this was not a command to confess sins to the clergy.

For those who prefer a more modern version, the following is the same verse from the New Jerusalem Bible (another Catholic version, abbreviated herein as NJB):

16 So confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another to be cured; the heartfelt prayer of someone upright works very powerfully. (James 5:16, NJB)

Both versions teach confession of sins to lay members of the church as opposed to auricular (essentially audible) confession to a priest.

Here is the other time the Bible specifically talks about confessing sins:

7 But if we walk in the light, as He also is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just, to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all iniquity. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us. (1 John 1:7-10, DRB)

The above says that Christians are to confess sins, and Jesus will forgive them. There is no discussion of penance here or in James 5:16.

According to other scriptures, God/Jesus again is the one we are to confess to:

11 For it is written: As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. 12 Therefore every one of us shall render account to God for himself. (Romans 14:11-12, DRB)

1 Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly vocation, consider the apostle and high priest of our confession, Jesus (Hebrews 3:1, DRB)

14 Having therefore a great high priest that hath passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God: let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we have not a high priest, who can not have compassion on our infirmities: but one tempted in all things like as we are, without sin. 16 Let us go therefore with confidence to the throne of grace: that we may obtain mercy, and find grace in seasonable aid. (Hebrews 4:14-16, DRB)

Notice also the following:

18 And many of them that believed, came confessing and declaring their deeds. 19 And many of them who had followed curious arts, brought together their books, and burnt them before all; and counting the price of them, they found the money to be fifty thousand pieces of silver. (Acts 19:18-19, DRB)

The above people apparently repented of their sins and destroyed certain wicked books, but this was not penance in the sense that the Church of Rome now advocates.

Since the Bible has a different view than Rome now has, has the Roman Catholic Church changed its position? Well yes it has, even though it has suggested otherwise in the past.

The Council of Trent in the 16th century made a variety of statements about auricular confession. Perhaps the first one to deal with is the following:

CANON VI.–If any one denieth, either that sacramental confession was instituted, or is necessary to salvation, of divine right; or saith, that the manner of confessing secretly to a priest alone, which the Church hath ever observed from the beginning, and doth observe, is alien from the institution and command of Christ, and is a human invention; let him be anathema. (The Council of Trent The Fourteenth Session The canons and decrees of the sacred and oecumenical Council of Trent, Ed. and trans. J. Waterworth (London: Dolman, 1848), 92-121. Hanover Historical Texts Project Scanned by Hanover College students in 1995. http://history.hanover.edu/texts/trent/ct14.html 05/19/12)

Of course, the above is wrong as this most certainly was not the practice of the early Christians nor the Church of Rome from the beginning. And lest someone claim that I am “anathema” for teaching this, the reality is that even the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that the “sacrament of forgiveness” was changed:

1447 Over the centuries the concrete form in which the Church has exercised this power received from the Lord has varied considerably. During the first centuries the reconciliation of Christians who had committed particularly grave sins after their Baptism (for example, idolatry, murder, or adultery) was tied to a very rigorous discipline, according to which penitents had to do public penance for their sins, often for years, before receiving reconciliation. To this “order of penitents” (which concerned only certain grave sins), one was only rarely admitted and in certain regions only once in a lifetime. During the seventh century Irish missionaries, inspired by the Eastern monastic tradition, took to continental Europe the “private” practice of penance, which does not require public and prolonged completion of penitential works before reconciliation with the Church. From that time on, the sacrament has been performed in secret between penitent and priest. This new practice envisioned the possibility of repetition and so opened the way to a regular frequenting of this sacrament. It allowed the forgiveness of grave sins and venial sins to be integrated into one sacramental celebration. In its main lines this is the form of penance that the Church has practiced down to our day. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1447. Imprimi Potest + Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger. Image Books by Doubleday, NY 2003)

So, it took until the 7th century for the modern practice to develop widely, but it seems to have been related to Callistus’ actions combined with a syncretic adaptation of scripture and non-biblical practices that took time to develop (along with the general acceptance of the Greco-Romans to be willing to utilize practices of non-Christian religions with theirs). But the fact is that the Council of Trent was wrong–and this Council put forth many dogmas, all of which had papal approval–thus the Council of Trent disproves the idea of papal infallibility. Catholics really need to realize that.

So, it took until the 7th century for the modern practice to develop widely.

Of course, repentance was taught for becoming a Christian, and acknowledging our sins to God is taught for remaining one:

8 If we say, ‘We have no sin,’ we are deceiving ourselves, and truth has no place in us; 9 if we acknowledge our sins, He is trustworthy and upright, so that He will forgive our sins and will cleanse us from all evil. (1 John 1:9, NJB)

While some Catholics believe that sins cannot be forgiven without the “sacrament of confession,” this is not the case. And, as the Catechism admits (#1447) the current “sacrament of confession” was not an original apostolic practice.

Penance vs. Repentance

The true Church of God which existed since the beginning (see, for example, the page The History of Early Christianity) is not Protestant (see, for example, the article Hope of Salvation: How the Continuing Church of God differ from most Protestants). It bases its beliefs primarily upon the Bible, which teaches:

38 ‘You must repent,’ Peter answered, ‘and every one of you must be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:38, NJB)

Christians are not to inflict punishment on ourselves, thinking that this will force God to hear our prayers (Isaiah 58:2-7). God is not interested in penance, but repentance and change. We should not be like certain Muslims and whip our backs, while effectively saying, “Look at our suffering, God, so hear us.”

And while the Bible advocates repentance, penance is from outside of sacred scripture as well as the earliest traditions of the true Church of God. While the Church of Rome tends to claim that its beliefs come from sacred scripture or the traditions of the original apostles, the idea of auricular confession and penance did not come from either source–they are late heresies, essentially adopted from non-Christian sources.

The Bible teaches against a worldly repentance:

10 For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death. (2 Corinthians 7:10)

Here is something that the late Herbert Armstrong wrote related to that:

Admit Your Sins

Prayer and fasting aren’t the only requirements in seeking God. If you will read back over the examples of Daniel and Nehemiah as well as any of the other prophets of God, you will notice that in every case they FREELY ACKNOWLEDGED their own sins and shortcomings. It takes a deeply sincere man to say, “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Ps. 139:23-24).

If we are earnestly seeking God and His way, this is the attitude we will be reflecting. We will freely admit our own sins and shortcomings and be earnestly importuning God to show us the right way. Jeremiah said, “O Lord, I know that THE WAY OF MAN IS NOT IN HIMSELF: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps. O Lord, correct me, but with judgment; not in your anger, lest you bring me to nothing” (Jer. 10: 23-24).

We as individuals do not know how to live. Once we begin to learn that lesson, and look to God to show us how to live and how to change our lives, we are on our way to real repentance.

The steps are simple. Yet it is not easy to completely give of yourself, to admit your own faults and sincerely ask for God’s forgiveness.

Turn From Own Ways

The people of this world outwardly follow many of these steps and yet fall short in the final, most important of all the steps — TURNING FROM THEIR WICKED WAYS. That is why it is so hard to distinguish between the believer and the non-believer. That is why the “distance between our professed faith and our daily performance is astronomical.” So many people of this day and age profess to be repentant — profess Christianity and yet still live in all the wretchedness of their sinful ways. So, finally, one of the most important of all the steps in coming to true repentance is to STOP SINNING! Millions CLAIM membership in a church. They loudly proclaim their belief in Jesus Christ. They testify for Christ, BUT THE FRUIT IS NOT THERE.

All too often our repentance is the worldly repentance spoken of in II Corinthians 7:10. What we really need to come to see and understand is the kind of repentance God speaks of. “Therefore also now, saith the Eternal, Turn ye even to me WITH ALL YOUR HEART, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: and REND YOUR HEART, and not your garments, and turn to the Eternal your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil”. (Joel 2:12-13).

No, God doesn’t want the worldly kind of repentance which is manifested by a trip down the sawdust trail. No, He doesn’t just want your name on the membership rolls of some church. What God wants and what you should come to deeply desire is to SINCERELY acknowledge your sins and ask forgiveness. God wants you to say, “I’M SORRY” — and mean it! He wants you to repent of breaking and to begin obeying His LAW. (Armstrong HW. Just What Do You Mean — Repentance?)

Notice, he taught that sins are to be acknowledged and behavior changed. More on this subject is also covered in the article When You Sin: Do You Really Repent?

All Sins that Are Properly Repented of Will Be Forgiven

While some Roman Catholics believe that sins cannot be forgiven without the “sacrament of confession,” this is not the case. And, as the Catechism admits (#1447) the current “sacrament of confession” was not an original apostolic practice.

While some people erroneously believe that God could not forgive them and that they have possibly committed the “unpardonable sin,” those who feel that way pretty much can be assured that they have not committed it–recall that scripture teaches:

9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just, to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all iniquity. (1 John 1:9, DRB)

For more details about the “unpardonable sin,” please see the article What is the Unpardonable Sin?

The Bible, like the Continuing Church of God, says to confess sins to one another but mainly to Jesus Christ. Scripture does not say to do so to a priest, nor does the Bible ever authorize penance for sin. For more details, check out the new article History of Auricular Confession and the ‘Sacrament of Confession’

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

History of Auricular Confession and the ‘Sacrament of Confession’ Did early Christians confess their sins to priests? A related sermon is Confess to God and truly repent.
Beliefs of the Original Catholic Church: Could a remnant group have continuing apostolic succession? Did the original “catholic church” have doctrines held by the Continuing Church of God? Did Church of God leaders uses the term “catholic church” to ever describe the church they were part of? Here are links to related sermons: Original Catholic Church of God?, Original Catholic Doctrine: Creed, Liturgy, Baptism, Passover, What Type of Catholic was Polycarp of Smyrna?, Tradition, Holy Days, Salvation, Dress, & Celibacy, Early Heresies and Heretics, Doctrines: 3 Days, Abortion, Ecumenism, Meats, Tithes, Crosses, Destiny, and more, Saturday or Sunday?, The Godhead, Apostolic Laying on of Hands Succession, Church in the Wilderness Apostolic Succession List, Holy Mother Church and Heresies, and Lying Wonders and Original Beliefs. Here is a link to that book in the Spanish language: Creencias de la iglesia Católica original.
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.
What is the Unpardonable Sin? What is it? Can you repent of it? Do you know what it is and how to avoid it? Here is a link to a related sermon video The Unpardonable Sin and the Prodigal Son. Here is a link to a shorter video The ‘Unpardonable Sin’ and ‘Climate Change’?
Christians: Ambassadors for the Kingdom of God, Biblical instructions on living as a Christian This is a scripture-filled booklet for those wishing to live as a real Christian. A related sermon is also available: Christians are Ambassadors for the Kingdom of God.
Was Celibacy Required for Early Bishops or Presbyters? Some religions suggest this, but what does the Bible teach? What was the practice of the early church?
Did the Early Christian Church Practice Monasticism? Does God expect or endorse living in a monastery or nunnery?
Were the Early Duties of Elders/Pastors Mainly Sacramental? What was there Dress? Were the duties of the clergy primarily pastoral or sacramental? Did the clergy dress with special liturgical vestments? Can “bishops” be disqualified as ministers of Christ based on their head coverings?
Which Is Faithful: The Roman Catholic Church or the Continuing Church of God? Do you know that both groups shared a lot of the earliest teachings? Do you know which church changed? Do you know which group is most faithful to the teachings of the apostolic church? Which group best represents true Christianity? This documented article answers those questions.
The History of Early Christianity Are you aware that what most people believe is not what truly happened to the true Christian church? Do you know where the early church was based? Do you know what were the doctrines of the early church? Is your faith really based upon the truth or compromise?
Where is the True Christian Church Today? This free online pdf booklet answers that question and includes 18 proofs, clues, and signs to identify the true vs. false Christian church. Plus 7 proofs, clues, and signs to help identify Laodicean churches. A related sermon is also available: Where is the True Christian Church? Here is a link to the booklet in the Spanish language: ¿Dónde está la verdadera Iglesia cristiana de hoy? Here is a link in the German language: WO IST DIE WAHRE CHRISTLICHE KIRCHE HEUTE?
Continuing History of the Church of God This pdf booklet is a historical overview of the true Church of God and some of its main opponents from Acts 2 to the 21st century. Related sermon links include Continuing History of the Church of God: c. 31 to c. 300 A.D. and Continuing History of the Church of God: 4th-16th Centuries and Continuing History of the Church of God: 17th-20th Centuries. The booklet is available in Spanish: Continuación de la Historia de la Iglesia de Dios, German: Kontinuierliche Geschichte der Kirche Gottes, French: L Histoire Continue de l Église de Dieu and Ekegusii Omogano Bw’ekanisa Ya Nyasae Egendererete.

Thank you to the city of Canberra and @ACTGovernment for granting Freedom of Entry to the #USSCanberra crew.

Freedom of Entry is a tradition dating back to medieval times, marking public trust and confidence in the Navy, that we are honoured to share with our friends @USNavy. pic.twitter.com/F6j1mtNcYm

— Royal Australian Navy (@Australian_Navy) July 23, 2023

COGwriter

China is not pleased with the AUKUS (Australia, United Kingdom, and USA) group’s military plans:

U.S., Allies Hold Record-Setting Military Exercise in Australia in Message Aimed at China

July 23, 2023

The joint drills involving 13 nations are most expansive in the Talisman Sabre exercise’s history, officials say. https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-allies-hold-record-setting-military-exercise-in-australia-in-message-aimed-at-china-86080059

US, Australia rehearse long-range firepower, with eye on China

July 23, 2023

The United States and Australia rehearsed precision missile strikes during war games on Saturday, the latest in a series of moves by the partners amid growing tensions with China in the Indo-Pacific region.

The live-fire drills were held at the Shoalwater Bay military complex in the northeastern region of Queensland as a part of the two-week-long Talisman Sabre joint military exercises.

It comes as Canberra overhauls its military strategy, focusing on long-range firepower in a bid to keep the potential adversaries at arm’s length. …

The US Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro said at the start of the exercises on Friday that “The most important message that China can take from this exercise and anything that our allies and partners do together is that we are extremely tied by the core values that exist amongst our many nations.”

Meanwhile, Lieutenant General Greg Bilton, Australia’s chief of joint operations, claimed that a Chinese spy ship had been sighted off the northeastern coast of Australia while preparations for the military exercises were underway.

The joint military exercises involve military partners and observers from thirteen countries in the Indo-Pacific region Japan, France, Germany, and South Korea, and more than 30,000 troops. https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2023/07/23/707553/US-and-Australia-rehearsed-precision-missile-strikes-during-war-games-on-Saturday

Australia can hope to deter China, but it is going to find one day that its allies will abandon it and its “friends,” like Germany, will turn against it (cf. Lamentations 1:1-2).

Consider also the following:

14 All your lovers have forgotten you;
They do not seek you;
For I have wounded you with the wound of an enemy,
With the chastisement of a cruel one,
For the multitude of your iniquities,
Because your sins have increased. (Jeremiah 30:14)

Yes, Australia’s sins have been increasing. Its allies will forsake her.

Australia hopes to defend itself, but realizes that it cannot defeat China on its own.

While carnally speaking, reliance on the military of the USA would seem to make sense, Bible prophecy shows that will not succeed, not too many years from now. The prophetic reality is that the US military will NOT be able to protect Australia, the UK, and other parts of the world in the future.

As regular readers of this page are aware, since 2009 (in my book 2012 and the Rise of the Secret Sect), I wrote that China may take over Australia, and possibly New Zealand. Since I wrote that, my belief in that outcome has increased.

Alliances will NOT be able to protect Australia against powers like China.

On June 24, 2010, the day it was announced that she became Prime Minister of Australia, I warned that I felt that Julia Gillard would take steps to fulfill prophecies that also could get the Chinese interested in taking over Australia (see Australia Now Has a Female Prime Minister: Prophetic Ramifications?).

And that happened.

For more on that and other issues with China and Australia, the Continuing Church of God put together the following video on our Bible News Prophecy YouTube channel:

Are Chinese threats against Australia for real?

Minister calls for creation of United States of Europe

This would allow the region to become an equal global player, the Czech Republic’s Martin Dvorak has arguedhttps://t.co/YovvwqSAEP pic.twitter.com/jKcBSrBrLx

— RT (@RT_com) July 19, 2023

COGwriter

Spain has elections today–and we may see changes there:

July 23, 2023

Spaniards are voting in Sunday’s snap general election that could see a far-right party enter government for the first time in decades. …

On the other side, the PP, led by Alberto Núñez Feijóo, has promised tax cuts, strong support for the European Union and a strategy of boosting economic growth by attracting foreign investment. …

So voters seem to have a clear choice – a new government coalition of the right or repeat one on the left.

Spain emerged from the decades-long right-wing dictatorship of General Francisco Franco upon his death in 1975, and while analysts warn against making easy links between Franco and Vox, the party manifesto includes policies that would constitute a significant rollback in women’s rights, access to abortion and LGBTQ protections. The party also is anti-immigrant and has many skeptics of climate change. https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/23/europe/spain-election-voting-pedro-sanchez-pp-vox/index.html

Most polls predict the center-right opposition Popular Party will win but fall short of an absolute majority in Parliament, meaning they would likely have to form a coalition with the far-right Vox party.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, in power since 2018, gambled on holding a snap vote after his party suffered major setbacks in regional and local elections in May while the PP made huge gains.

His Socialist party (PSOE) currently runs the country in a minority government with a junior coalition partner, the leftist Podemos party, and gets parliamentary support from other leftist forces.

Spain could be about to be governed by a coalition that includes a far-right party for the first time since the Francisco Franco dictatorship ended in 1975, propelled in part by frustration surrounding a drought and the environmental measures that are in place to ameliorate it.

Opinion polls indicate that the conservative Popular Party, led by Alberto Núñez Feijóo, has enough support to unseat socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, but will fall short of an outright majority. That leaves Vox — an ultranationalist, anti-immigration and anti-feminist group — the likely kingmaker.

Part of the reason Vox has become Spain’s third-biggest party is it has followed another key trend in modern far-right politics: fears that green measures in Spain, which faces chronic droughts, will destroy the agricultural industry. Vox and the Popular Party, which already jointly govern the southwestern Extremadura region, back a controversial plan to legalize and expand water drilling in one of Europe’s most important wetlands, much of which is already arid and lifeless, to fuel the lucrative fruit industry. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/spain-election-far-right-vox-party-brink-sharing-power-rcna95569

As reported here fairly frequently, Germany has also seen a right-wing party gaining prominence there (e.g. see ZH: Germany’s AfD Party Rises In The West, Hits Record 19% In Baden-Württemberg).

A lot of change is taking place in Europe.

A few day ago, a reader sent me a link to the following:

Czech minister calls for a United States of Europe

The bloc should be more powerful, Martin Dvorak has argued

July 19, 2023

The EU in its current form is not nearly as strong as its population and economic power would suggest, Czech Minister for European Affairs Martin Dvorak said in an interview with EURACTIV.cz on Tuesday.

Admitting that this position is “not at all popular,” the minister proposed that the European Union should be turned into “a European Federation or a United States of Europe,” which he claimed would put it in a position where it could be “a truly equal partner in the game between China, America, or Russia and India.”

A hypothetical European federation has also been referred to as the United States of Europe, the European State or Federal Europe. The EU is currently classified as an informal confederation or a union of sovereign states which operates through a hybrid system of intergovernmentalism and supranationalism. https://www.rt.com/news/579976-dvorak-eu-become-federation/

Notice that Czech Minister for European Affairs Martin Dvorak says Europe needs to reorganize. According to the Bible it will:

12 “The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority for one hour as kings with the beast. 13 These are of one mind, and they will give their power and authority to the beast. (Revelation 17:12-13)

Martin Dvorak is not the only one to publicly state that Europe needs to be stronger and more united.

Notice an item from last year which shows that many prominent Europeans declared it is now time for the United States of Europe and a “real defence union”:

Time for the United States of Europe!

Updated April 28, 2022

We European citizens are scared by the return of war at the heart of Europe. The Russian invasion of Ukraine exposes the weaknesses and dependencies of the European Union and its member states, and their inability to project peace and stability. European, and especially Ukrainian, citizens are suffering for the costs of non-Europe in the fields of energy, fiscal, foreign and defence policies. 

EU member states spend on defence more than twice as much as Russia, without any significant deterrent capacity. Raising national defence expenditures to 2% will only increase the waste unless aimed at creating a real defence union. …

In the Conference on the future of Europe the Citizens Panels and the digital platform proposals converge in demanding a more united, efficient, social and democratic Europe, based on a real Constitution.

We European citizens believe this is the defining hour for the EU. Therefore, we call upon

• the Conference on the Future of Europe – involving European and national institutions, civil society and citizens – to demand a new European Constitution to establish (as sketched out also in the current German coalition agreement) a federal European Republic, including foreign, security, defence, fiscal and energy policies;
• the European Parliament to draft and propose a comprehensive Treaty reform or a new European Constitution on the basis of the Conference results and the new situation created by the Russian invasion of Ukraine;
• the European Council to decide the start of a new Convention that shall take the European Parliament draft as its basis.

The Appeal was drafted by Roberto Castaldi, Yves Bertoncini, Anna Diamantopoulou, Ulrike Guerot and Daniel Innerarity. It was signed by over 200 intellectuals and personalities of different political orientations from 20 European countries. https://www.euractiv.com/section/future-eu/opinion/time-for-the-united-states-of-europe/

Well, at that conference it looks like they got some of what they wanted:

‘EU Empire’ – Euro Conference Approves ‘Joint Armed Forces’, More Centralised Power for Brussels

May 1, 2022

The Conference on the Future of Europe has approved measures calling for the establishment of a European Union army and centralising power in the hands of Brussels eurocrats on Saturday. …

In a meeting in Strasbourg, France on Saturday, a plenary session of the Conference on the Future of Europe approved over 300 proposals, including the establishment of a “joint armed forces” of the European Union, as well as the empowering the European Parliament to propose its own legislation …

The globalist co-chairman of the Conference, former Belgian prime minister Guy Verhofstadt MEP, said that the European Parliament will take up the measures next week for consideration in hopes of making them into law as “soon as possible”.

“There is no time to lose. The world of tomorrow is a world of empires,” the europhile said. “It’s a world of danger, we have seen it with Ukraine, and in this world we need to defend ourselves, to organise ourselves to defend the interests of our citizens, and therefore we need to reform the Union.”

Verhofstadt, the European Parliament’s chosen representative in Brexit talks, went on to say that the reforms are “necessary for our survival,” warning that Europe will otherwise “disappear” …

However, others have claimed that the motions put forward by the Conference only serve to undermine the national sovereignty of member-states, in particular conservative nations with less sway in Brussels. …

The formation of a fully-fledged European Union army was dismissed as a “conspiracy theory” by pro-European figures during the Brexit debates, with then-Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg accusing Brexit leader Nigel Farage of peddling a “dangerous fantasy” by predicting the bloc would seek to form its own military. …

EU member-states signed an agreement creating a European Defence Fund and Permanent Structured Cooperation process (PESCO) in November 2017.

A European Union Military Staff had already existed in plain sight since 2001.

Calls for an EU army have only increased since Brexit. In the wake of President Joe Biden’s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan, for example, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that the bloc must build the “political will” to create its own military force.

The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, would later argue that the failure of Afghanistan showed the urgency for the bloc to increase its “strategic autonomy“. https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2022/05/01/eu-empire-joint-armed-forces-and-centralised-power-in-brussels-approved-by-future-of-europe-conference/

Europe is beginning to reorganize. Some fear loss of national sovereignty.

As far as a ‘United States of Europe’ goes, Church of God writers have warned about this coming since no later than 1948:

It was the SERMON that shot forth that spark, impregnating the minds of world leaders in attendance. This amazing sermon was delivered by a foremost radio speaker of the Catholic Church, Bishop Duane G. Hunt of Salt Lake City … Without the guidance, supervision, authority of the Catholic Church, he told these men, they were laboring in vain …

This was the Roman Catholic bid to resurrect the so-called “HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE” ! And PROPHECY says they will succeed! … At the psychological time, the pope will step in … Thru this political movement, he will UNIFY … nations in Europe. It will be a “The UNITED STATES OF EUROPE,” but that probably will never become its official name. (Armstrong HW. Now It Can Be Told…The Plain Truth, December 1948, pp. 2,5).

“O Assyrian, the rod of MINE anger, and the staff in their hand is MINE indignation, I WILL SEND HIM against an hypocritical nation, and against the people of my wrath (rebellious Israel) will I give him a charge (command), to take the spoil, and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets” (Isa. 10:5,6). Yes, God is going to take the nation of Germany as the head of a United Europe into his hand as a club to punish the nations of Israel for their rebellion against Him! Howbeit he meanth not so, neither does his heart think so; but it is in his heart to destroy and cut off nations not a few” (vs. 7). Germany, those living in Germany, even the German government, may not yet know that they are going to join in a treaty with the Russians to destroy the United States and bring it to its knees-it is not in his “heart” to think so, but on the other hand it IS in his “heart” to destroy-the very characteristic of the Assyrian, the modern German, is a harsh, cruel, iron, dedication to militarism and destruction! This is just the kind of nation God needs to use as a rod in His hand to punish His people!

Does this then mean that the Germans at the head of a United Europe do have a spiritual mission to perform? Does this mean that they are right in claiming to be the “Defenders of the West” and the champions of Christianity!? No!

God’s Destiny for Germany

Despite the fact that it is God who will use Germany to destroy America, Germany must be destroyed as well for HER rebellion against God—“I will punish the fruit of the stout heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his high looks. For he saith, by the strength of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom; for I am prudent!” (Is. 10:12,13)

The leaders of a United Europe, when they succeed against the United States, will begin to think THEIR prudent planning, THEIR wise ideas and THEIR powerful might have made them successful! They will not realize that they have only been used as a base tool of destruction in the hand of the Almighty God! “Shall the axe boast itself against him that hews therewith? Or shall the saw magnify itself against him that shaketh it? as if the rod should shake itself against them that lift it up, or as if the staff should lift up itself, as if it were no wood” (Isa. 10:15). God explains here that despite the fact that He has used Assyria to punish Israel, Assyria is also rebellious against His law and government, His way, and since it will magnify itself against the very God of creation, as Dan. 11: 36 and 37 explain, GOD WILL HAVE TO PUNISH IT FOR THIS.

So GOD says, “The Lord of hosts has sworn. saying, Surely as I have thought, so SHALL IT COME TO PASS: and as I have purposed, so SHALL IT STAND; That I will break the Assyrian in my land, and upon my mountains TREAD HIM UNDER FOOT: then shall his yoke depart from off them, and his burden depart from off their (the Israelites) shoulders” (Isa.14: 24,25). Just shortly before Jesus Christ Himself intervenes in this world’s affairs. He will take another nation as a punishing club in His hands and punish the proud Assyrians, the modern Germans at the head of the United States of Europe. “Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them, which shall nor regard silver; and as for gold they shall not delight in it … Their bows also shall dash the young men to pieces; and they shall have no pity on the fruit of the womb; their eye shall not spare children. And Babylon (the modern resurrected and revived Roman Empire, dominated by a fascist Germany), the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees’ excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah!” (Is. 13: 17-19.) …

Since God himself has pronounced a curse on modern Israel, and is going to hand us over to the Assyrians, it is evident that we CANNOT TRUST in the American way of life either!

Nothing is left outside these three great systems and powers on earth, under man, except Anarchy!

MAN’S ONLY HOPE LIES IN TURNING TO HIS CREATOR GOD! …

YOUR only hope as an individual is to turn to God-to the Living Creator who is working out events here below on this earth-who is very concerned about YOU, who promises you safety from these horrible times to come! Heed the warning given by Jeremiah! The only ‘Way to escape these dire prophecies of God is by REPENTANCE- nationally or individually! (Hill DJ, God’s Destiny for Germany. Plain Truth, March 1962, pp. 28-29)

A “United States of Europe” possessing one single currency — a currency so strong that it will replace the U.S. dollar as the kingpin currency of world trade. A United Europe developing great military strength to protect its unprecedented standard of living and its Number One position in the world. (Hogberg G. Rising World Colossus: Ambassador College, 1971)

Much of Europe does have a single currency now.

And more and more calls for a militarized United States of Europe.

What about Europe itself?

The EU will have ups and downs.

It will have financial strains.

Yet, it will build its military–and that is the goal of more and more.

Consider that in August 2011, Ursula von der Leyen said: “My aim is a united states of Europe, run along the lines of the federal states of Switzerland, Germany or the USA.” (Spiegel interview). She is now EU Commission President.

She has long been a supporter of an independent EU army and more European integration. In 2019, Ursula von der Leyen was elected in a secret ballot to become the European Union Commission President–a position she still holds.

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

13:13

Ursula von der Leyen and the coming United States of Europe

In the Summer of 2019, German Defense Minister Urusla von der Leyen was elected through a secret ballot by Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) to be the European Union Commission President effective November 1, 2019. She has gone on record in favor of a strong European army independent of the USA as well as for calling for a more integrated Europe. Were these some of the reasons she was selected? Does she believe that Donald Trump and Brexit will help lead to an integrated and armed Europe? Like various other European leaders in the 21st century, Ursula von der Leyen has called for a ‘United States of Europe.’ Since 1948 the old Radio Church of God warned a ‘United States of Europe’ would be formed (though probably without that name). Is that going to happen? What does the Bible teach? Will Europe get its own ‘great army’? Will Europe reorganize under a dictator? Are Ursula von der Leyen’s actions likely to help lead to the rise of the European Beast? Dr. Thiel addresses these issues and more.

Here is a link to our video: Ursula von der Leyen and the coming United States of Europe.

A German-dominated European military is also being forged–and officially was begun in late 2017 and is called PESCO (watch also PESCO and a Great European Army).

The Bible shows that a German-dominated power will destroy (Isaiah 10:5-12).

The Bible also tells of the King of Assyria being involved in doing so (Isaiah 10:12-14).

The Bible teaches that leader will have “a great army” (Daniel 11:25) with “many ships” (Daniel 11:40).

His power will affect the USA and its Anglo-Saxon descended allies like Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom:

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. (Daniel 11:39-40)

Notice that two kings are discussed. One is the final King of the North. He is the one who will have the power to succeed against the ‘strongest fortresses.’ (The second is the final King of the South, who will be defeated by the King of the North after the USA is out of the way.)

In the 21st century, the strongest fortresses belong to the USA, and to a lessor degree, its Anglo-Saxon-Celtic descended allies.

The King of Assyria and the King of the North are references to the same power. A power that will destroy the USA and cause its Anglo-Saxon, descended allies to also be taken over (see also Will the Anglo-Saxon Nations be Divided and Have People Taken as Slaves?).

The Bible teaches that a European Beast power is coming (Revelation 17:12-13; see also Must the Ten Kings of Revelation 17:12 Rule over Ten Currently Existing Nations?).

Many leaders, including politicians and judges, are pushing for a unified Europe.

Change is happening with Europe.

Do not think that things will continue as they have been.

We also have the following related video our Bible News Prophecy YouTube channel:

15:40

German push for a ‘United States of Europe’

Is the incoming coalition German government pushing for something called a ‘United States of Europe’? Is this consistent with recent comments from German leaders such as incoming chancellor Olaf Schulz, incoming foreign minister Annalena Bierbock, European Union President Ursula con der Leyen, SDP spokesman Udo Bullmann, politician Martin Schultz, and others? What about warnings dating back to 1948 from the old Radio Church of God? Is Europe prophesied to reorganize? Could the Lisbon Treaty be changed or replaced? Will there be a coming European power that is militaristic? How might this affect the USA and its British-descended allies? What is the only hope for our lives? Dr. Thiel provides quotes and other information on these matters.

Here is a link to the sermonette video: German push for a ‘United States of Europe’.

The situation between Russia and Ukraine has emboldened more in Europe to call for a militaristic reorganization.

The Germans and others have already made statements to increase Europe’s military prowess because of that.

We also have the following related video:

18:27

Is the European Beast Growing Horns?

Does the conflict between Russia and Ukraine have prophetic ramifications? What about Ezekiel 38? Are we seeing a ‘historic shift’ in Europe to move towards more unity? What about non-EU nations like Sweden and Switzerland? Is Germany’s announcement to double its military spending to 100 million euros a big deal? Does the Bible tell of changes coming to Europe for it to rise up as a Babylonian unity successful military power? What about the United States of America and its British-descended allies? Could USA sanctions against Russia, including SWIFT restrictions, decrease international demand for USA dollars and cause inflation? Dr. Thiel addresses these issues and more in this video.

Here is a link to our video: Is the European Beast Growing Horns?

The changes approved at the Conference show that Europe is also taking structural steps to be the type of empire the Bible (and Church of God writers) warned would come.

More and more in Europe want it to be more powerful.

Steps are taking place.

Are you watching as Jesus said in Mark 13:37?

Some items of 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”? Is an emerging European power “the daughter of Babylon”? What is ahead for Europe? Here is a link to a video titled: Can You Prove that the Beast to Come is European?
European Technology and the Beast of Revelation Will the coming European Beast power would use and develop technology that will result in the taking over of the USA and its Anglo-Saxon allies? Is this possible? What does the Bible teach? Here is a related YouTube video: Military Technology and the Beast of Revelation.
Must the Ten Kings of Revelation 17:12 Rule over Ten Currently Existing Nations? Some claim that these passages refer to a gathering of 10 currently existing nations together, while one group teaches that this is referring to 11 nations getting together. Is that what Revelation 17:12-13 refers to? The ramifications of misunderstanding this are enormous. A related sermon is titled Ten Kings of Revelation and the Great Tribulation.
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”? There is also a You-Tube video sermon on this titled Germany’s Biblical Origins.
Germany in Biblical Prophecy Does Assyria in the Bible equate to an end time power inhabiting the area of the old Roman Empire? What does prophecy say Germany will do and what does it say will happen to most of the German people? Here are links to two sermon videos Germany in Bible Prophecy and The Rise of the Germanic Beast Power of Prophecy.
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,Roman 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.
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 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 Greco-Roman Catholic Prophecies Is the ‘Great Monarch’ of Greco-Roman 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.
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.

(Public Domain Pictures)

COGwriter

We put together the following video on our Bible News Prophecy YouTube channel, the audio portion of which was sent also for broadcast on WRMI shortwave at 5850 kHz at 0130 UTC Monday (which is 8:30 pm Eastern Standard Time on Sunday), and for the European Gospel Radio station AM 1323 kHz Wednesday  21:30-21:45 CET (European Central Time):

15:00

Apocalyptic Weather?

Michael Snyder wrote that we are experiencing ‘apocalyptic weather’? Why? What has been happening with heat, drought, flooding, and weather extremes? What have news agencies been reporting? Is there a way, according to the Bible, that this could change? Is weather totally random or does God control the weather? Are groups like the United Nations, the Vatican, and the World Economic Forum proposing ideas related to changes in weather (which they tend to call ‘climate change’)? Could weather at all be related to obedience or disobedience to God’s laws? Does the Bible show that God sometimes uses weather as a warning as well as to encourage people to repent? Does the Bible tell of more extreme weather happening after the start of the Great Tribulation? What about “troubles” during the beginning of sorrows? Steve Dupuie and Dr. Thiel go over these issues.

Here is a link to our video: Apocalyptic Weather?

The Bible shows that more disasters are coming.

Weather and other warnings from the Bible are going out, but many will ignore them.

Are you one who ignores them or one who will take Philadelphian Christian steps?

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Weather Blessings and Sorrows Are weather problems a warning? What should be done? What does the Bible teach about weather? What about floods, droughts, heat, earthquakes, tornadoes, and solar storms? Here is a related YouTube video Does God Use Weather? A related item in the Spanish language would be Bendiciones y maldiciones del clima.
23 items to prophetically watch in 2023 Much is happening. Dr. Thiel points to 23 items to watch (cf. Mark 13:37) in this article. Here is a link to a related sermon:  23 things to prophetically watch in 2023. Here is a related sermon in the Spanish language: 23 Temas para observar proféticamente en 2023.
Hurricanes and Prophecy Hurricane Harvey dropped the greatest amount of rainfall in any USA storm. Hurricane Irma was the strongest hurricane ever in the Atlantic. Hurricane Irma wiped out most of the island of Barbuda, caused a million to lose power in Puerto Rico, devastated St. Martin’s, hit Cuba, and hit Florida. A news headline stated ” ‘Nature’s gone crazy’: Winds, fire, floods and quakes plague North America.” Is there any tie to prophecy? Are heavy winds and rains discussed in the Bible? Any ties to homosexuality and other forms of immorality? What about Donald Trump and Jennifer Lawrence? Does God control the weather? What does God want people to do? Dr. Thiel addresses these issues and more. This is a video.
Earthquakes Today and Bible Prophecy Are we having more earthquakes? What did Jesus teach about earthquakes? Is “the big one” coming? When?
Physical Preparation Scriptures for Christians. We all know the Bible prophecies famines. Should we do something? Here is a version in the Spanish language Escrituras sobre Preparación física para los Cristianos. Here is a link to a related sermon: Physical preparedness for Christians.
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 Philadelphia Remnant: It’s All About Love This is what CCOG teaches. It is important to remember.Two elated videos are available: Nairobi Conference: All About Love and CCOG: It’s All About Love.
What is a True Philadelphian? What is one? Should you be a true Philadelphian? Here are links to two related videos: Be a Real Philadelphian Christian and Be a Philadephian Witness.
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.
When Will the Great Tribulation Begin? 2023, 2024, or 2025? Can the Great Tribulation begin today? What happens before the Great Tribulation in the “beginning of sorrows”? What happens in the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord? Is this the time of the Gentiles? When is the earliest that the Great Tribulation can begin? What is the Day of the Lord? Who are the 144,000? Here is a version of the article in the Spanish language: ¿Puede la Gran Tribulación comenzar en el 2020 o 2021? ¿Es el Tiempo de los Gentiles? A related video is: Great Tribulation: 2026 or 2027? A shorter video is: Can the Great Tribulation start in 2022 or 2023? Notice also: Can Jesus return in 2023 or 2024? Here is a video in the Spanish language: Es El 2021 el año  de La Gran Tribulación o el Grande Reseteo Financiero.
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.

Logo of German Party

COGwriter

Germany’s Alternative für Deutshland (AfD) party continues to increase in popularity. Notice the following:

Germany’s AfD Party Rises In The West, Hits Record 19% In Baden-Württemberg

July 22, 2023

It seems there is not a month that goes by where Germany’s anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) party does not achieve another record polling result, with the party now showing remarkable strength in the West of the country. …

Support for the right-wing populist party has historically been far weaker in the west of the country, but new polling shows that picture is also rapidly changing.

In a poll out of the southern state of Baden-Württemberg, the AfD has hit a record 19 percent, rising seven percentage points since the last election. That puts the party in third place in that state, where it is behind the Green Party (24 percent) and the CDU (26 percent).

BADEN-WÜRTTEMBERG | Sonntagsfrage Landtagswahl Infratest dimap/SWR

CDU: 26% (-1)
GRÜNE: 24% (-2)
AfD: 19% (+7)
SPD: 13% (-2)
FDP: 7% (-3)
Sonstige: 11% (+1)

Änderungen zur letzten Umfrage vom 23. März 2023

Verlauf: https://t.co/LGSAmF01dc#ltwbw pic.twitter.com/wz75rScHDB

— Deutschland Wählt (@Wahlen_DE) July 20, 2023

In the other western state of Rhineland-Palatinate, polling showed the AfD scoring a record 16 percent on Thursday, improving by four percentage points compared to the previous poll at the end of last year. https://www.zerohedge.com/political/germanys-afd-party-rises-west-hits-record-19-baden-wurttemberg

The AfD is considered Germany’s anti-migrant party. Its influence has been growing as more in Germany have been supporting it in elections.

I have reported about its rise many times at this COGwriter Church of God News page.

Why?

Well, because change is coming to Germany.

The reality is many in Germany are frustrated with their government about energy, economic, and immigration matters and essentially not being able to boldly talk about it. More and more want a strong leader.

The Bible shows that a militaristic totalitarian leader called the Beast will arise and become militarily successful (Revelation 13:1-4). Europeans will be comfortable, for a time, with such a militarily, successful leader.

Democracy will again be eliminated in the coming reorganized Europe. A strong man will be in power.

Notice some items from the old Radio/Worldwide Church of God that were published decades ago (bolding mine) regarding German’s future:

Watch the emergence of a strong man in West Germany (Hogberg G and Walter EM. NATO at the Crossroads. Plain Truth, May 1969)

“Fascism in Europe is about to be reborn in respectable business attire, and the Treaty of Rome will finally be implemented to its fullest extent.. the dream of a Holy Roman, Empire returning to power to dominate and direct the so-called forces of Christian mankind of the Western world is not dead, but still stalks through the antechambers of every national capital of continental Western Europe… IN THE DETERMINATION OF THE LEADERS IN THE COMMON MARKET NATIONS TO RESTORE THE HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE WITH ALL THAT THAT MEANS!” (Northwest Technocrat, Vol. XXV, No. 205.) United within the ancient boundaries of the Holy Roman Empire; united by the common spiritual bond of universal Catholicism; united in a burgeoning and booming industrial economy that dominates today’s world; united geographically in the most productive and industrial complex of all the earth — at least TEN NATIONS OF MODERN EUROPE WILL MARCH ONTO THE SCENE OF WORLD HISTORY AS THE GREATEST SINGLE HUMAN FORCE EVER SEEN BY MAN! (Hill DJ. What is Germany’s Destiny? Plain Truth, March 1962)

The prophecy of Daniel 11 … This is an important “end-time” prophecy. Following the chronological progression of the chapter, it becomes apparent that the phrase “king of the north” had at first referred to Syria under the Seleucid dynasty, and later, in the New Testament times, to the Emperor of the Roman Empire. … Thus, in its final end-time application, the “king of the north” is the prophesied strong man who will lead a coming union of ten European nations — the seventh and final revival of the ancient Roman Empire prophesied by Daniel and in the book of Revelation (see Revelation 17:12-13).

Finally feeling the chilling embrace of Moscow, the German people may yet call for the Bavarian strongman — the one they feared in good times — to rescue them from their impending doom. (Hogberg G. WHERE Is WEST GERMANY Headed? Plain Truth, December 1980).

A Bavarian strongman would be someone from Bavaria, which is in southern Germany (the southern border of Bavaria runs to the northern border of Austria). The strongman that Gene Hogberg had in mind back in 1980 (Franz Joseph Strauss) died. Yet, let me add that there is another Bavarian strongman who I have kept my eye on who may one day rise up. His name is Karl-Theodor zu-Guttenberg (see Might German Baron Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg become the King of the North?). A reader sent me a link a while back to a presentation that Herr Guttenberg gave in May of 2016 where he called for more passionate leaders in Europe. One such leader will arise.

When the time comes for the final Beast leader to arise, he will most likely be at least partially German, as all the leaders of the old Holy Roman Empire were as well.

The Bible warns of a lack of natural unity in Europe:

41 Whereas you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; yet the strength of the iron shall be in it, just as you saw the iron mixed with ceramic clay. 42 And as the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly fragile. 43 As you saw iron mixed with ceramic clay, they will mingle with the seed of men; but they will not adhere to one another, just as iron does not mix with clay. (Daniel 2:41-43)

It will take a strong leader to make Europe’s coming, temporary unity stronger.

The Bible specifically shows that a reorganization will come to Europe and power will be given to that dictator:

12 “The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority for one hour as kings with the beast. 13 These are of one mind, and they will give their power and authority to the beast. (Revelation 17:12-13)

Revelation 17:13 is clearly talking about a dictator–one the Bible calls the beast.

(More on the reorganization is discussed in the article: Must the Ten Kings of Revelation 17:12 Rule over Ten Currently Existing Nations?)

The Bible also shows that religion will be used by the King of the North:

36 “Then the king shall do according to his own will: he shall exalt and magnify himself above every god, shall speak blasphemies against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the wrath has been accomplished; for what has been determined shall be done. 37 He shall regard neither the God of his fathers nor the desire of women, nor regard any god; for he shall exalt himself above them all. 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.  (Daniel 11:36-39)

The King of the North Beast will also push out Islam (cf. Daniel 11:40-43) and lead a powerful European military (cf. Revelation 13:3-4; Daniel 11:39-43). These are things that many in Europe want!

The Bible shows that the European beast leader, also called the King of the North, will arise promising peace:

21 And in his place shall arise a vile person, to whom they will not give the honor of royalty; but he shall come in peaceably, and seize the kingdom by intrigue. 22 With the force of a flood they shall be swept away from before him and be broken, and also the prince of the covenant. 23 And after the league is made with him he shall act deceitfully, for he shall come up and become strong with a small number of people. (Daniel 11:21-23, NKJV)

25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand. (Daniel 8:25, KJV).

(To prove this leader will be European, please watch the video: Can You Prove that the Beast to Come is European?)

But he will bring war (cf. Revelation 13:1-4; Daniel 11:39-44).

While the AfD has its own problems, its rise is demonstrating that Germans are becoming less tolerant of democracy than many thought.

We also have the following video:

14:22

AfD: Prelude to a Hitler Beast?

Germany’s Alternative für Deutshland (Alternative for Germany in English) party celebrated its 10th anniversary on February 6, 2023.

It objects to:
❌More illegal migration
❌More asylum abuse
❌More crime
❌More housing shortage
❌More Cancel Culture

The AfD also asserts, “Now it’s time to change that. And that’s only possible with us.” Many are concerned that the AfD’s growing political influence will impact Germany. Can a strong man worse than Adolf Hitler, that the Bible calls the Beast rise up from Germany? Could Europe reorganize with a small backing to put this leader into place? Does the AfD want to make a deal with Russia? Will Germany make a future deal with Russia that would be opposed to the USA? Does the AfD want religion involved to meet its objectives in such a way that it could support the coming King of the North Beast power that the Bible warns will arise in Europe? Could Europe unite under such a leader according to scripture? Steve Dupuie and Dr. Thiel go over these matters.

Here is a link to our video: AfD: Prelude to a Hitler Beast?

The rise of AfD reminds some of pre-WWII. The protest and counter protests in places like France also are leading to a desire to push out Islam and to support a strongman type leader.

We are getting closer and closer to WWIII.

Several items of possibly related interest may include:

Europa, the Beast, and the Book of Revelation discusses the largest church since the second/third century, which in a real sense is the eighth church mentioned in the Book of Revelation (it also endorses “eighth day” worship). What church would support the Beast? Here is a link to a video titled: Can You Prove that the Beast to Come is European?
Germany in Biblical Prophecy Does Assyria in the Bible equate to an end time power inhabiting the area of the old Roman Empire? What does prophecy say Germany will do and what does it say will happen to most of the German people? Here are links to two sermon videos Germany in Bible Prophecy and The Rise of the Germanic Beast Power of Prophecy.
War is Coming Between Europeans and Arabs Is war really coming between the Arabs and the Europeans? What does Bible prophecy say about that? Do the Central Europeans (Assyria in prophecy) make a deal with the Arabs that will hurt the USA and its Anglo-Saxon allies? Do Catholic or Islamic prophecies discuss a war between Europe and Islam? If so, what is the sequence of events that the Bible reveals? Who does the Bible, Catholic, and Islamic prophecy teach will win such a war? This is a video.
Will Islam be Pushed Out of Europe? On June 8, 2018, Austria’s Chancellor Sebastian Kurz announced the closing of seven Islamic mosques in an effort to reduce “political Islam.” In the past several years, at least 6 European nations have banned the wearing of a commonly used garment by Islamic females. Heinz-Christian Strache (later Vice Chancellor of Austria) has declared that Islam has no place in Europe. Did Germany’s Angela Merkel call multiculturalism a failure? Will there be deals between the Muslims and the Europeans? Will a European Beast leader rise up after a reorganization that will eliminate nationalism? Will Europe push out Islam? What does Catholic prophecy teach? What does the Bible teach in Daniel and Revelation? Is Islam prophesied to be pushed out of Europe? Dr. Thiel addresses these issues and more in this video.
Can the Final Antichrist be Islamic? Is Joel Richardson correct that the final Antichrist will be Islamic and not European? Find out. A related sermon is titled: Is the Final Antichrist Islamic or European? Another video is Mystery Babylon USA, Mecca, or Rome?
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.
World War III: Steps in Progress Are there surprising actions going on now that are leading to WWIII? Might a nuclear attack be expected? Does the Bible promise protection to all or only some Christians? How can you be part of those that will be protected? A related video would be Is World War III About to Begin? Can You Escape?
Might German Baron Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg become the King of the North? Is the former German Defense Minister (who is also the former German Minister for Economics and Technology) 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”? There is also a You-Tube video sermon on this titled Germany’s Biblical Origins.
Must the Ten Kings of Revelation 17:12 Rule over Ten Currently Existing Nations? Some claim that these passages refer to a gathering of 10 currently existing nations together, while one group teaches that this is referring to 11 nations getting together. Is that what Revelation 17:12-13 refers to? The ramifications of misunderstanding this are enormous. A related sermon is titled Ten Kings of Revelation and the Great Tribulation.
The ‘Peace Deal’ of Daniel 9:27 This prophecy could give up to 3 1/2 years advance notice of the coming Great Tribulation. Will most ignore or misunderstand its fulfillment? Here is a link to a related sermon video Daniel 9:27 and the Start of the Great Tribulation.
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.
The Great Monarch: Biblical and Greco-Roman Catholic Prophecies Is the ‘Great Monarch’ of Greco-Roman 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.
Does 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 20xx? There is also a video titled 6000 Years: When will God’s Kingdom Come? Here is a link to the article in Spanish: ¿Tiene Dios un plan de 6,000 años?
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.
Lost Tribes and Prophecies: What will happen to Australia, the British Isles, Canada, Europe, New Zealand and the United States of America? Where did those people come from? Can you totally rely on DNA? What about other peoples? Do you really know what will happen to Europe and the English-speaking peoples? What about Africa, Asia, South America, and the Islands? This free online book provides scriptural, scientific, historical references, and commentary to address those matters. Here are links to related sermons: Lost tribes, the Bible, and DNA; Lost tribes, prophecies, and identifications; 11 Tribes, 144,000, and Multitudes; Israel, Jeremiah, Tea Tephi, and British Royalty; Gentile European Beast; Royal Succession, Samaria, and Prophecies; Asia, Islands, Latin America, Africa, and Armageddon;  When Will the End of the Age Come?;  Rise of the Prophesied King of the North; Christian Persecution from the Beast; WWIII and the Coming New World Order; and Woes, WWIV, and the Good News of the Kingdom of God.

COGwriter

Innocent until proven guilty or presumed guilty until proven innocent?

While Western nations like to think that they push the former and the Eastern nations the latter, there is more and more evidence that Western nations are moving towards the latter.

Consider also the following post this month from John Whitehead of the Rutherford Institute:

Mental Health Round-Ups: The Next Phase of the Government’s War on Thought Crimes

In communities across the nation, police are being empowered to forcibly detain individuals they believe might be mentally ill, based solely on their own judgment, even if those individuals pose no danger to others.

In New York City, for example, you could find yourself forcibly hospitalized for suspected mental illness if you carry “firmly held beliefs not congruent with cultural ideas,” exhibit a “willingness to engage in meaningful discussion,” have “excessive fears of specific stimuli,” or refuse “voluntary treatment recommendations.”

While these programs are ostensibly aimed at getting the homeless off the streets, when combined with advances in mass surveillance technologies, artificial intelligence-powered programs that can track people by their biometrics and behavior, mental health sensor data (tracked by wearable data and monitored by government agencies such as HARPA), threat assessments, behavioral sensing warnings, precrime initiatives, red flag gun laws, and mental health first-aid programs aimed at training gatekeepers to identify who might pose a threat to public safety, they could well signal a tipping point in the government’s efforts to penalize those engaging in so-called “thought crimes.”

As the AP reports, federal officials are already looking into how to add “‘identifiable patient data,’ such as mental health, substance use and behavioral health information from group homes, shelters, jails, detox facilities and schools,” to its surveillance toolkit.

Make no mistake: these are the building blocks for an American gulag no less sinister than that of the gulags of the Cold War-era Soviet Union.

The word “gulag” refers to a labor or concentration camp where prisoners (oftentimes political prisoners or so-called “enemies of the state,” real or imagined) were imprisoned as punishment for their crimes against the state. …

Author George Kennan describes a process in which:

The obnoxious person may not be guilty of any crime . . . but if, in the opinion of the local authorities, his presence in a particular place is “prejudicial to public order” or “incompatible with public tranquility,” he may be arrested without warrant, may be held from two weeks to two years in prison, and may then be removed by force to any other place within the limits of the empire and there be put under police surveillance for a period of from one to ten years.

Warrantless seizures, surveillance, indefinite detention, isolation, exile… sound familiar?

It should.

The age-old practice by which despotic regimes eliminate their critics or potential adversaries by making them disappear—or forcing them to flee—or exiling them literally or figuratively or virtually from their fellow citizens—is happening with increasing frequency in America.

Now, through the use of red flag laws, behavioral threat assessments, and pre-crime policing prevention programs, the groundwork is being laid that would allow the government to weaponize the label of mental illness as a means of exiling those whistleblowers, dissidents and freedom fighters who refuse to march in lockstep with its dictates. …

Moreover, as a New York Times editorial warns, you may be an anti-government extremist (a.k.a. domestic terrorist) in the eyes of the police if you are afraid that the government is plotting to confiscate your firearms, if you believe the economy is about to collapse and the government will soon declare martial law, or if you display an unusual number of political and/or ideological bumper stickers on your car.

Let that sink in a moment.

Now consider the ramifications of giving police that kind of authority in order to preemptively neutralize a potential threat, and you’ll understand why some might view these mental health round-ups with trepidation. 07/18/23 https://www.rutherford.org/publications_resources/john_whiteheads_commentary/mental_health_round_ups_the_next_phase_of_the_governments_war_on_thought_crimes

Yes, this has been happening in the USA. The above is just more movement in that direction.

We have also seen various steps in Canada (see NewsPunch: Canada Unveils Orwellian “Pre-Crime” Hate Speech Bill – “If You Think It, We’ll Arrest You”) and Europe (see EU, USA, and WEF moving towards making thoughts a crime?).

Long ago, my wife and I saw the 2002 movie ‘Minority Report.’ In it, government agents would arrest people for crimes that the government said they would commit in the future. Here is some information about it:

Minority Report is a 2002 American neo-noir science fiction action film^[5] directed by Steven Spielberg, starring Tom Cruise, and loosely based on the 1956 short story “The Minority Report” by Philip K. Dick. The picture is set primarily in Washington, D.C., and Northern Virginia in the year 2054, where PreCrime, a specialized police department, apprehends criminals based on foreknowledge provided by psychics called “precogs“. (Wikipedia, retrieved 05/22/21)

We are getting closer to that type of thing in many parts of the world–but instead of ‘precogs” being used, police profiles, internal espionage, use of ‘political’ & religious words, and ‘artificial intelligence ‘ are getting involved.

Now consider what the Bill of Rights in the US Constitution states:

6th Amendment

These rights are given to all men or women under trial for any sort of wrongdoing. They establish the “innocent until proven guilty” mantra that is present in the United States legal system.

Yet on this point, the USA has been changing. Federal agencies such as the Department of Homeland Security and the Internal Revenue Service long ago put the burden of proof of innocent on the accused–despite the 6th amendment.

Notice the following from 2021 from John Whitehead:

Total Tyranny: We’ll All Be Targeted Under the Government’s New Precrime Program

May 19, 2021

“There is now the capacity to make tyranny total in America.”― James Bamford …

In the same week that the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously declared that police cannot carry out warrantless home invasions in order to seize guns under the pretext of their “community caretaking” duties, the Biden Administration announced its plans for a “precrime” crime prevention agency.

Talk about taking one step forward and two steps back.

Precrime, straight out of the realm of dystopian science fiction movies such as Minority Report, aims to prevent crimes before they happen by combining widespread surveillance, behavior prediction technologies, data mining, precognitive technology, and neighborhood and family snitch programs to enable police to capture would-be criminals before they can do any damage.

This particular precrime division will fall under the Department of Homeland Security, …

The intent, of course, is for the government to be all-seeing, all-knowing and all-powerful in its preemptive efforts to combat domestic extremism. …

In the blink of an eye, ordinary Americans will find themselves labeled domestic extremists for engaging in lawful behavior that triggers the government’s precrime sensors.

Of course, it’s an elaborate setup: we’ll all be targets.

In such a suspect society, the burden of proof is reversed so that guilt is assumed and innocence must be proven.

It’s the American police state’s take on the dystopian terrors foreshadowed by George Orwell, Aldous Huxley and Phillip K. Dick all rolled up into one oppressive pre-crime and pre-thought crime package.

What’s more, the technocrats who run the surveillance state don’t even have to break a sweat while monitoring what you say, what you read, what you write, where you go, how much you spend, whom you support, and with whom you communicate.

Computers now do the tedious work of trolling social media, the internet, text messages and phone calls for potentially anti-government remarks, all of which is carefully recorded, documented, and stored to be used against you someday at a time and place of the government’s choosing.

In this way, with the help of automated eyes and ears, a growing arsenal of high-tech software, hardware and techniques, government propaganda urging Americans to turn into spies and snitches, as well as social media and behavior sensing software, government agents are spinning a sticky spider-web of threat assessments, behavioral sensing warnings, flagged “words,” and “suspicious” activity reports aimed at snaring potential enemies of the state. …

The following activities are guaranteed to get you censored, surveilled, eventually placed on a government watch list, possibly detained and potentially killed.

Use harmless trigger words like cloud, pork and pirates: The Department of Homeland Security has an expansive list of keywords and phrases it uses to monitor social networking sites and online media for signs of terrorist or other threats. While you’ll definitely send up an alert for using phrases such as dirty bomb, Jihad and Agro terror, you’re just as likely to get flagged for surveillance if you reference the terms SWAT, lockdown, police, cloud, food poisoning, pork, flu, Subway, smart, delays, cancelled, la familia, pirates, hurricane, forest fire, storm, flood, help, ice, snow, worm, warning or social media.

Use a cell phone: Simply by using a cell phone, you make yourself an easy target for government agents—… Mention any of the so-called “trigger” words in a conversation or text message, and you’ll get flagged for sure.

Drive a car: Unless you’ve got an old junkyard heap without any of the gadgets and gizmos that are so attractive to today’s car buyers (GPS, satellite radio, electrical everything, smart systems, etc.), driving a car today is like wearing a homing device: you’ll be tracked from the moment you open that car door thanks to black box recorders and vehicle-to-vehicle communications systems …. https://www.rutherford.org/publications_resources/john_whiteheads_commentary/total_tyranny_well_all_be_targeted_under_the_governments_new_precrime_program

The Biden-Harris Administration, other governments, and various courts have pushing in that direction.

Related to the Biden-Harris agenda, 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.

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.

Of course, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are not the only USA leaders pushing this. A few years ago, something was proposed in California that looked to try to do that–specifically Canada has been opposed to quoting Romans 1:18-32, Leviticus 18:22, and Leviticus 20:13. Related to that, we put out the following video on our Bible News Prophecy YouTube channel:

12:15

Banning the Bible?

Could we see a ban of the Holy Bible in North America? Have there been partial bans proposed and enforced by government officials in Canada? Do any USA politicians consider any biblical teachings as fraudulent and hence banning them is NOT a violation of the 1st amendment to the Constitution of the USA? Are there risks associated with AB 2943? Have politicians like Hillary Clinton and California Assemblyman Al Muratsuchi called for long-held religious beliefs to change and “evolve with the times”? What about Jude 1:3 and 2 Timothy 3:14? Are there biblical prophecies about not being able to hear the word of God? Might we see more restrictions on explaining teachings of the Bible on the Internet and other forms of media? What are some of the verses that various government people do not want made public? Dr. Thiel provides facts on these issues and more.

Here is a link: Banning the Bible?

Many various government officials and those in Big Tech hate aspects of biblical morality and want to stop it.

YouTube uses terms like “community standards” to try to cover up its biases and censorship.

Years ago, I warned that more censorship was coming.

Why?