Latest Audio - 2024-05-04
The European Union OR a loose confederation of nation-states with limited powers…
What’s Next For EUROPE?
Eva Vlaardingerbroek is a popular Dutch legal philosopher and political commentator who has become well-known in recent years for her criticism of increasingly prominent socialist ideologies in contemporary Western society. Here are a few excerpts from a speech she gave at the largest conservative conference in Europe, recently hosted by the Center for Fundamental Rights which features world leaders, thinkers and influencers.
Eva Vlaardingerbroek: “This week in Stockholm, three elderly women in their 70s were stabbed in broad daylight on the streets. In London, four people were stabbed in a time span of just 42 hours. In Paris, hundreds of Afghan migrants took to the street to riot. And – also in France, yet another church was burned down to the ground. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is just a few incidents in just a couple of days on our beautiful continent. But we all know that these incidents aren’t incidents anymore. If there’s one thing that’s for sure is that we know, and our governments also know, that there is a link between mass migration and crime.
Our new reality in Europe consists of frequent rapes, stabbings, killings, murders, shootings, even beheadings. But let me be clear about one thing. This did not used to happen before. This is a newly imported problem.
Do we really accept the new reality that our globalist leaders have in mind for us? Everyone who has eyes can see it. The native, white, Christian, European population is being replaced at an ever-accelerating rate. Let me back this up for you with some statistics from my home country.
Let’s take Amsterdam, the capital. Amsterdam currently consists of 56% migrants. The Hague, 58% migrants. Rotterdam, almost 60% migrants. Of course, most of these immigrants come from non-Christian, non-western, African and Middle Eastern countries. Conclusion, the Dutch population is already outnumbered in the majority of our cities.
But let’s look onwards. London, 54% migrants. Again, conclusion, native population outnumbered. Brussels, color me shocked, 70% migrants. Conclusion, native population, majorly outnumbered. Other Europeans will, of course, follow suit soon if they haven’t already. I’m going to draw the forbidden conclusion here.
The great replacement theory is no longer a theory, it’s reality.
So what’s the antidote? A STRONG CHRISTIAN EUROPE OF SOVEREIGN NATION STATES. That’s why we need to outright reject the lie that nationalism causes war. It’s not nationalism or national sovereignty that causes war. It’s expansionism.
The Totalitarian Institute of the European Union Needs to Come Down.
BREAKING NEWS…
“Germany’s far-right is pushing to dismantle the European Union and transform it into a loose confederation of nation-states with limited powers. The AfD wants to strengthen our national sovereignty and limit the power of the EU to what is necessary and conducive.” (express.co.uk)
Let me be clear, I don’t believe in reforms. When the foundation of your institution is rotten, and that is the case in Brussels, you can rebuild the house on top of it all you want, but it’s still going to crumble. Our elites have declared a war on us, and now it is time for us to put on the full armor of God, fight back, and win.” (thegatewaypundit.com)
Eva Vlaardingerbroek - Profile
Her Path To The Catholic Church
“April 2023: Eva Vlaardingerbroek will be received into the Catholic Church along with her father on Sunday. Born to a Catholic mother and Protestant father, Vlaardingerbroek, 26, was brought up a Christian, but it was the COVID-19 pandemic that fully awakened her to the reality of the spiritual battle the world is facing, and a realization that THE CATHOLIC FAITH IS ‘THE MOST POWERFUL WEAPON’ AGAINST THE MORAL RELATIVISM OF TODAY.
In this April 19 email interview with the Register, Vlaardingerbroek shares more about her journey to the faith, how in her experience evil supernatural forces ramp up their opposition when one speaks about one’s love for Christ, but how this also shows the need to be uncompromising and courageous in opposing the grave evils of our time, whether they be gender ideology, radical feminism or transhumanism.
Vlaardingerbroek said, ‘If we don’t take our enemies seriously enough, and we don’t even dare speak up for Christ, after all he has done for us, how do we expect to win?’” (ncregister.com)
“…The Catholic Faith Is ‘The Most Powerful Weapon’”
It is interesting to note that she feels that “the Catholic faith is ‘the most powerful weapon’ against the moral relativism of today.” It is also interesting that she lists gender ideology, radical feminism or transhumanism as some of the main problems in today’s world.
Basic Conservative Catholic Ideas
It is important for us to understand basic Catholic thinking. The following speech by Pope John Paul II reveals Catholic ideology
“John Paul II in 1982 pronounced these memorable words:
‘I, bishop of Rome and pastor of the Universal Church, from Santiago, address to you, old Europe, a cry full of love:
Return to yourself!
Be yourself!
Discover your origins.
Revive your roots.
Experience again those authentic values that made your history glorious and your presence in other continents beneficial’.”
(catholicnewsagency.com)
Those “Authentic Values”: 60 AD - 325 AD
“By the 6th decade of the first century, much of the Middle East had turned from the true gospel to a counterfeit (Galatians 1:6-7).
In AD 325, the Emperor Constantine called the Nicene Council to settle these controversies. Constantine was not then yet a ‘Christian,’ but as political ruler he assumed control. The Council approved both the Easter-Sunday doctrine and the Trinity. Constantine, then civil ruler, made it a LAW. But he was not able to make it TRUTH!” (The Plain Truth – May 1980)
1096 - The Crusades
“The persecution of the Jews in Europe reached a climax during the Crusades. At the time of the First Crusade, in 1096, a German Crusade destroyed flourishing Jewish communities on the Rhine and the Danube. In the Second Crusade in 1147, the Jews in France were the victims of frequent killings and atrocities. The Jews were also subjected to attacks during the Shepherds’ Crusades of 1251 and 1320.
Following these crusades, Jews were subject to expulsions, including, in 1290, the banishing of all English Jews. In 1396, 100,000 Jews were expelled from France and in 1421, thousands were expelled from Austria.” (wikipedia.org)
The Period Of The Inquisitions
Between the years 325-1800 there were various ‘Inquisitions’ in several countries. It is difficult to obtain an accurate figure of those who were exterminated – but virtually all sources agree it is in the millions. While the Jews seem to have been a special target, the Roman Catholic Church had the civil authorities murder anyone who went against the teaching of the Church.
1933 - Germany And The Vatican
“We hear a lot about the Jewish Holocaust when 6 million Jews perished under Hitler. But most people don’t know that Hitler was a Roman Catholic and an instrument of the Holy Office. Hitler was never excommunicated for his crimes against humanity and causing the deaths of millions of people; whereas Martin Luther was excommunicated for translating the Bible into German!! In 1933 the Vatican signed a Concordat with Germany making Roman Catholicism the only recognized religion in that country.” (bibliotecapleyades.net)
The Foundation Of The Roman Catholic Church
“The Babylonian Mystery Religion, as a Hellenistic tradition, became the Roman Catholic Church by 150 AD. And the Roman Catholic Church claims that they started in 33 AD; and that was the year of Simon the magician, or the sorcerer, you read of in the eighth chapter of Acts, at the same time that the great persecution had entered in.” (Sermon - June 24, 1983)
Can A Leopard Really Change Its Spots?
The short answer is – NO!
We understand from prophecy that there will shortly be another great Inquisition – the Bible refers to it as the Great Tribulation (Matthew 24:21) – when many will again be killed for going against the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church (Revelation 6:9-11).
The Roman Catholic Church is headed back to its “authentic values”!
We have been warned… but why is this important?
Why do we have to understand what motivates Catholic thinking?
Mr Armstrong issued the following warning back in 1968:
“The 17th chapter of Revelation plainly describes a spiritual-political union of TEN KINGS, ten military/political leaders, and a great spiritual leader. For decades, [we] have been proclaiming the eventual creation of some form of united Europe – showing the many difficulties to be resolved, the ancient nationalistic antagonisms, the memories of Germany’s neighbors of World War II, and the various religious barriers.
WE HAVE PROCLAIMED REPEATEDLY THAT THE ULTIMATE UNIFYING FORCE WOULD BE RELIGIOUS.
We have shown how the prophecies of your Bible proclaim a great universal religious fervour will finally break down all remaining barriers to a full economic-political-military-religious union in Europe!” (The Plain Truth, August 1968, page 42)
An Important Trigger Point
In a Pastor General’s report, Mr Armstrong had this to say about the 1,335 day mark - 1,335 days before the return of Christ:
“But apparently that is the time when OUR WORK SHALL END.
That will be a time when the UNITED EUROPE shall appear - the revival of the medieval ‘Holy Roman Empire’.
We shall then be warned, and readied to be taken to a place of refuge and safety from the Great Tribulation.
Forty-five days later ‘the beast’s’ armies will surround Jerusalem.
Thirty days later the Great Tribulation will probably start with a nuclear attack on London and Britain – and possibly the same day or immediately after, on United States and Canadian cities.” (Pastor General’s Report – November 20, 1979)
Looking Back… At Fulfilled Prophecy
Mr Armstrong visits Germany in 1947
“In America, we had heard and read about the war daily. We had seen pictures and newsreels. But now my wife and I were there, where it happened. Here was the actual devastation of war all around us. Now it suddenly became real!
The Marshall Plan and American dollars had not yet made progress toward restoration. Europe was laid waste, many of its cities in ruins. Almost no one believed, then, that Europe could ever rise again. Yet I had been persistently proclaiming for two years, [SINCE 1945] over the air and in The Plain Truth, that Germany would once again come to economic and military power, heading a ten-nation resurrection of the Roman Empire.” (The Autobiography - Chapter 54)
Major Events Mostly Ignored By Many Of God’s People
- Germany returns to be an economic and military power…
- The fall of the Berlin wall…
- The reunification of east and west Germany…
- The fall of the old USSR – leading to the eastern European nations leaving Russia and joining Europe…
- Britain leaving the EU…
We look back at a comment in the Plain Truth magazine back in December 1963:
“…So long as present German prosperity continues… the Nazi takeover will not be possible! But — should any severe THREAT to that hard-won prosperity come — the picture will change — and change VIOLENTLY, in Germany! Remember!
It was the afterwash of the disastrous stock market crashes of 1924 and 1929 that fanned the flames of violence in Germany to pave the way for Hitler!
…Your Bible predicts a great TRADE WAR between the burgeoning economic power in Europe and the United States. It predicts terrible financial COLLAPSE for this country [USA]! Make no mistake! Germany, and all Europe, would not escape unscathed in a hot trade war between the Common Market and the United States.
Terrible economic disasters would result! And the result from such disasters? A NEW NAZI GERMANY!
You need to be WATCHING — and keeping your eyes on developments in EUROPE — as never before! You, at least, have been WARNED!” (The Plain Truth, December 1963)
Well, the Nazis (AfD) are back, elected by the people, right at the heart of the German government - and growing in power and influence!
We have been watching for these events to happen over the last 50+ years… events revealed by Christ through His end time servant. It can be sobering to watch prophecy become history – and yet it should also be encouraging “for your redemption draws nigh!” (Luke 21:28)
Upcoming Events
This current situation could well provide the conditions for a dictator to rise up in Europe – the Assyrian – the Beast – who will fight against Christ at His return.
“…I can see now the event that is going to trigger the formation of reunification in Europe; the resurrection of the Medieval Holy Roman Empire that we’ve been looking forward to that is prophesied to come.
…I believe that SOME EVENT IS GOING TO HAPPEN SUDDENLY JUST LIKE OUT OF A BLUE SKY THAT IS GOING TO SHOCK THE WHOLE WORLD and is going to cause the nations of Europe to realize they must unite.
Well, now I think I can see what may be the very event that is going to trigger it and that is the economic situation in the world.
But lust or love of money, desire to get and to have more and more and more and more and never have enough, is what is possessing the world that is based on a type of living and a lifestyle of getting and everyone wanting to get more and get more and get more; and one nation wants to get more from other nations.
NOW WHEN THE FINANCIAL STRUCTURE BREAKS DOWN, ALL CIVILIZATION IS GOING TO BREAK DOWN.
I just wanted to say that much - maybe you can begin to see how serious this thing can become!” (Sermon, July 1984)
Let’s Remember OUR Roots!
Revelation 3 - The reward for remembering our roots!
For holding fast to the truth which we were given.
For “earnestly contending for the faith which was once and for all delivered unto the saints”
is totally staggering in its scope!
“Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.
Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.
Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.” (Revelation 3:10-13)
Trusting The All-Seeing God:
"Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep." (Psalm 121:4)
1984 Has Arrived
Modern technology has totally transformed our lives in the last few years, and much of it has been beneficial. We can now keep in touch with loved ones and friends on the other side of the world in a way that couldn't have been dreamt of just decades ago. We can access the internet for information on just about every subject under the sun. But, like so many of man's inventions, it has become a Pandora's box in a myriad of ways, bringing curses rather than benefits.
For example, at the beginning of this month, a new bill called the Hate Crime Act was passed in Scotland by the SNP, the Scottish National Party, whose current leader is Humza Yousaf, a Pakistani immigrant and a Muslim. From the news article in the Daily Mail, April 3rd:
SCOTLAND – People prosecuted for words uttered in the privacy of their own home. The police turned into a political harassment unit for fringe activists. 'Hate' records kept on law-abiding citizens who have committed no crime. It might sound like something from the pages of Orwell or Kafka but dystopian fiction is about to become a lot less fictional in Scotland. The Hate Crime Act comes into force today, the brainchild of Humza Yousaf from his time as justice secretary. The legislation, which crowns a quarter century of Holyrood banning and nannying, is an audacious incursion into the spheres of conscience and expression. A better title would be the Watch What You Say Act of 2024, for this sinister law is set to have a chilling effect on speech across a range of issues.
By 'speech', I mean everything. Anything you post on Twitter or Facebook. An email you send. A conversation in a restaurant or at a bus stop or over the phone. That private family WhatsApp group you're in? It's not private from this law. It will cover columns I write in this newspaper and letters you write to this newspaper. Stand-up comedy routines, and even lines read by actors performing plays, will come under scrutiny. (The SNP's Orwellian new Scotland, dailymail.co.uk - 03/04/2024)
And this interference in our everyday lives will not be restrained to Scotland, by any means:
It is important to understand that censorship does not occur in a vacuum. It is a symptom of a worsening disease. It is an early indicator of the political repression to come. Like a canary in a coal mine, the criminalization of speech forewarns that State-sponsored terror and murder are not far away. First, certain words and thoughts are banned. Next, certain people are rounded up and imprisoned. Finally, certain “enemies of the State” are executed quite publicly. The imposition of fear supersedes the rule of law. Terrorism undergirds social order. Oppression replaces popular support. (https://discernreport.com/marxist-globalists-will-resort-to-terror-and-violence/)
I remember reading a comment made about the current state of affairs here in the UK in regard to the book '1984' by George Orwell. They pointed out that '1984' was meant as, "a cautionary tale – not a how-to manual or textbook!" And yet, when you read what is coming from the beast power, you can see how we do indeed find ourselves – right now – sinking steadily "into the abyss of a new Dark Age made more sinister, and perhaps more protracted, by the lights of perverted science" as Winston Churchill cautioned. For God warns us in Daniel that the beast is indeed to be, "dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet" (Daniel 7:7)
No longer is "an Englishman's home his castle"! Nowhere are we free from being followed by government spying of one type or another. We're encouraged to buy into "Smart" technology ... meters, phones, cars etc; not always understanding it's an acronym for "self-monitoring, analysis and reporting technology." Every cell phone mast we pass, every journey that we make, every "friend" on social media we have contact with, every email that we send, every article that we read, and every website that we visit – these everyday activities of ours are now undoubtedly monitored by surveillance systems whose reach appears unlimited, but whose safeguards are not. Knowing what prophetically is about to be unleashed at the end of this age, such a prospect appears unnerving to say the least. But rather than make us despondent – even fearful – this should in fact encourage us greatly ... if we look at the subject in the right way. For if puny man can have such awesome surveillance, how much more does the Almighty – the Eternal Creator and sustainer of all that exists, the all-seeing God, and our Eternal Father!
So the more positive way to approach this creeping surveillance – whether it's cameras, supercomputers, reconnaissance drones etc, – is to keep in mind that every piece of Internet software, every analyst, every programmer, every government official – the whole of creation rests on the words and commands of Jesus Christ, as directed by the Almighty. And as the Eternal maintains His ultimate control over the very basis of reality itself, what can puny man really do? Come to that matter, what can even a mighty spirit being like Satan do? Mr. Armstrong has often commented that Satan can do nothing that God does not allow. God reigns supreme and every creature and every being stands subject to His will.
- By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.
- He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap: he layeth up the depth in storehouses.
- Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.
- For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast.
- The LORD bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought: he maketh the devices of the people of none effect. (Psalms 33:6-10)
The Basis of our Confidence
Whichever human government we may care to mention, both now and in the future, every facet of their surveillance apparatus ultimately rests on, and is entirely dependent upon what God has made. So if God wants to lessen a government's investigative might, He can do so with a word, as this account clearly shows:
- Then the king of Syria warred against Israel, and took counsel with his servants, saying, In such and such a place shall be my camp.
- And the man of God sent unto the king of Israel, saying, Beware that thou pass not such a place; for thither the Syrians are come down.
- And the king of Israel sent to the place which the man of God told him and warned him of, and saved himself there, not once nor twice.
- Therefore the heart of the king of Syria was sore troubled for this thing; and he called his servants, and said unto them, Will ye not shew me which of us is for the king of Israel?
- And one of his servants said, None, my lord, O king: but Elisha, the prophet that is in Israel, telleth the king of Israel the words that thou speakest in thy bedchamber. (II Kings 6:8-12)
If He wants to make one of His people literally invisible – let alone digitally invisible – He can. There is absolutely nothing that mere man can do to counteract this power as the Eternal is working at a level totally inaccessible to mankind. God can turn off the enemy's "eyes" at will while His own view remains crystal clear at all times. As we move into the future God's people are undoubtedly going to have to depend on such facts for their very survival.
I remember hearing a very moving account from a church member in Nigeria of just one such deliverance. Although he refused to take sides in the Biafran conflict in Nigeria in the late 1960s, being a member of the Igbo tribe he was automatically drafted into the Biafran army at the beginning of the Civil War. As a punishment for refusing to carry a weapon, they forced him ahead of the front-line troops as they advanced towards the nationalist army. Eventually the two sides clashed and as they did so he told me he seemed to be invisible to the opposing side. They looked right through him, he said, and he walked on – totally unscathed – through the battlefield, with people dying on all sides, and passed unhindered through the opposing enemy lines to freedom. If God can do this, how much less of a challenge to change a few bytes in a satellite system, surveillance camera or computer?
Heavenly Surveillance
But the fact that God creates and sustains reality itself does not only mean that He is fully aware of and can control the opposition's intelligence gathering at will – but also that He very much has a surveillance system of His own! Built into the very fabric of the reality in which we find ourselves is a spiritual "Smart" surveillance system that is second to none, and in no way dependent on any physical power source whatsoever.
- "The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good." (Proverbs 15:3)
- "For the ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD, and he pondereth all his goings." (Proverbs 5:21)
- "For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him." (II Chronicles 16:9)
The holy angels – as part of the "eyes of the Eternal" above – seem to have been drafted into the job of taking care of God's people throughout the ages. Psalm 34 records that "the angel of the LORD encamps all around those that fear him, and delivers them" (Psalm 34:9 ) , that they are ministering spirits to the church, as recorded in Hebrews 1:14, and Christ informs us regarding the "little ones" of His church ..."that in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven". (Matthew 18:10)
Do the angels report back to HQ? It would seem so from the story of Sodom and Gomorrah and Job, but exactly how this angelic "reporting technology" works and how God could analyse the inconceivable amount of data coming in from all quarters of the universe, we humanly have no idea.
The Scope of God's Mind
It's estimated that there are 1000 billion trillion stars in the universe. That's 1 followed by 24 zeros – a number we can't really comprehend, yet we are told God knows each one and calls them by name! (Psalm 147) And that's around the same number of molecules found in two tablespoons of water. And within each molecule of water are atoms, and each atom appears to be a sub-atomic universe on its own. And it is the same God who created both ... the vast expanse of the universe above and the nanoscopic "universe" of the atom beneath.
Is there any dilemma or worry we have that we feel is beyond God's power to sort out for us? This was a major problem with ancient Israel; "Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel." (Psalm 147:41) Or at the other end of the scale, a problem that is giving us sleepless nights, but we feel would be too insignificant to bring to His attention? Not if we consider Him a Father, concerned about His children, and for whom He created the universe;
- And I have put my words in thy mouth, and I have covered thee in the shadow of mine hand, that I may plant the heavens, and lay the foundations of the earth, and say unto Zion, Thou art my people. (Isaiah 51:16)
And as Christ's mother Mary and her cousin Elizabeth found out ... "For with God nothing shall be impossible" (Luke 1:36) So if we take time to examine what God has created physically – grasping the incredible sophistication and complexity involved, coupled with a painstaking attention to detail, then we should be encouraged to trust Him with every aspect of our lives. big or small, major or minor ..."Casting all your care upon him, for he careth for you". (I Peter 5:7)
Hiding from God?
Those who hold to blind evolutionary theories obviously are not concerned that a Higher Power is seeing – and judging – their actions. But even many who claim to believe in God today also seem to lack the concept of this all-seeing Creator – who most definitely has not left His creation to its own ends, and "gone off somewhere"! Their mindset is prophesied in II Timothy of merely "having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof" (II Timothy 3:5): As the psalmist proclaims in Psalm 94:
- Yet they say, "The LORD does not see, Nor does the God of Jacob understand"
- Understand, you senseless among the people: And you fools, when will you be wise?
- He who planted the ear, shall He not hear? He who formed the eye, shall He not see?
- He who instructs the nations, shall He not correct? He who teaches man knowledge, shall He not know?
- The LORD knows the thoughts of man, That they are futile. (Psalms 94:7-11 NKJV)
No matter how diligently men may try and hide their actions, God is able to read even their very thoughts and intents of the heart. This is true both of those in the world and also of ourselves who are currently being judged by our works (I Peter 1:17) – both seen and unseen – during this current age:
- For his eyes are upon the ways of man, and he seeth all his goings.
- There is no darkness, nor shadow of death, where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves. (Job 34:21-22)
- For mine eyes are upon all their ways: they are not hid from my face, neither is their iniquity hid from mine eyes. (Jeremiah 16:17)
- Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the LORD. (Jeremiah 23:24)
Biblical Examples
Hagar and Ishmael
The best part of 6000 years ago now, we've had recorded for us the account of Abram's pregnant handmaid. It appears Hagar was flaunting her pregnancy before Sarai, who resented her and made her life very difficult. Hagar fled into the wilderness, where "the angel of the LORD found her". It would appear this "angel" was none other than Christ Himself, as verse 10 records "I will multiply thy seed ... " and continues:
- And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the LORD hath heard thy affliction. {Ishmael: that is, God shall hear}
- And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man’s hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.
- And she called the name of the LORD that spake unto her, Thou God seest me: for she said, Have I also here looked after him that seeth me?
- Wherefore the well was called Beerlahairoi; behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered. {Beerlahairoi: that is, The well of him that liveth and seeth me} (Genesis 16:11-14)
Esther and Purim
Typically, the carnal mind being enmity to the things of God, some self-professed biblical "experts" have done their best to turn the story of Esther, Mordecai and Haman into some sort of myth:
Since the 1890s, several academics have “agreed in seeing [The Book of] Esther as a historicized myth or ritual” and generally concluded that Purim has its origin in a Babylonian or Persian myth or festival (though which one is a subject of discussion) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esther)
The book purports to explain how the feast of Purim came to be celebrated by the Jews ... According to the Book of Esther, the feast of Purim was established to celebrate that day, but this explanation is surely legendary ... The secular character of the Book of Esther (the divine name is never mentioned) and its strong nationalistic overtones made its admission into the biblical canon highly questionable for both Jews and Christians. (https://www.britannica.com/topic/Book-of-Esther)
Notice ... "The divine name is never mentioned" and according to Britannica's researches, that makes it suspect. Whereas to us, we can take heart from the story of Esther, Mordecai and Haman insomuch as that it is impossible for anyone to hide their thoughts and actions from God. Even though the Eternal is not specifically referred to by name, as the words "God", "Lord", or "Almighty" are nowhere to be found within the book, His presence is always clearly there in an unseen but central role as Haman plots and ducks and dives with his various nefarious and murderous schemes, which ultimately lead to his own execution. And that greater Power is not restricted by chains, prison walls, soldiers or any other methods of incarceration that man can dream up ...
The Apostles
- Then the high priest rose up, and all they that were with him, (which is the sect of the Sadducees,) and were filled with indignation,
- And laid their hands on the apostles, and put them in the common prison.
- But the angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors, and brought them forth, ...
- ... But when the officers came, and found them not in the prison, they returned, and told,
- Saying, The prison truly found we shut with all safety, and the keepers standing without before the doors: but when we had opened, we found no man within. (Acts 5:17-19,22,23)
- And when he had apprehended him,[Peter] he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after[Passover] to bring him forth to the people.
- Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him.
- And when Herod would have brought him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains: and the keepers before the door kept the prison.
- And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands. (Acts 12:4-7)
Gathering Israel
We can also see God's surveillance system in action in a clear end-time prophetic context: Just before the trumpet plagues begin, Christ will return with the heavens parting as a scroll, this being the sign of the Son of man (Matthew 24:30). At that time a large swathe of humanity will attempt to hide. This is described in Revelation 6 and also in the book of Isaiah:
- And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth.
- In that day a man shall cast his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which they made each one for himself to worship, to the moles and to the bats;
- To go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the tops of the ragged rocks, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth.
- Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of? (Isaiah 2:19-22)
Undoubtedly, many of these people are going to be Israelites – and scripture indicates that one of the first things Christ will do is to gather them – initially as if with a dragnet, but then very much on an individual basis. Undoubtedly, God's surveillance system – and database; "For, lo, I will command, and I will sift the house of Israel among all nations, like as corn is sifted in a sieve, yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth" (Amos 9:9) – will be very much in use!
- Behold, I will send for many fishers, saith the LORD, and they shall fish them; and after will I send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain, and from every hill, and out of the holes of the rocks.
- For mine eyes are upon all their ways: they are not hid from my face, neither is their iniquity hid from mine eyes. (Jeremiah 16:16,17)
End-time Promises
We are moving into a time that is unparalleled. A time of trouble greater than anything that has existed before or ever will again. Already we see systems being laid down that will enable the beast power when it arises to have the technical ability to fulfil the prophetic passage, "And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name." (Revelation 13:17) But as these surveillance systems are surreptitiously put in place – leading unsuspecting people into financial captivity, even depriving them of a living, so too God knows who it is leading such people captive. And we can have absolute assurance that in due time another passage – based on His superior surveillance system – will come to fruition:
- If any man have an ear, let him hear.
- He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints. (Revelation 13:9-10)
To trust that God is all-seeing is part of the very bedrock of our faith. We should continually take great encouragement in knowing that God's people are always on His radar, and our intimate, personal details are faithfully recorded in His "database"! As Christ emphasises to us:
- For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known.
- Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops.
- And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.
- But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.
- Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God?
- But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows. (Luke 12:2-7)
David's Confidence
David, in his close personal relationship with God, had a strong confidence in knowing that God was fully aware of all that transpired in his life:
- My [fate lies] in thy hand: deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and from them that persecute me. (Psalm 31:15)
- Thou countest up my sleepless hours, my tears are gathered in thy bottle – are they not noted in thy book? (Psalm 56:8 Moffatt)
Psalm 139 most vividly records David's understanding of the omnipresence of the Creator God – from pre-birth and throughout his turbulent day-to-day life. We probably feel we are nowhere as important as king David was, but like him, we too have been personally chosen to be kings and priests, so this applies to us also;
- LORD, you have examined, me. You know me.
- You know when I sit down and when I stand up. Even from far away you comprehend my plans.
- You study my travelling and resting. You are thoroughly familiar with all my ways.
- For there isn't a word on my tongue, LORD, that you don't already know completely.
- You surround me – front and back. You put your hand on me.
- That kind of knowledge is too much for me; it's so high above me, I can't fathom it.
- Where could I go to get away from your spirit? or where could I go to escape your presence?
- If I went up into heaven, you would be there: if I went to the grave, you would be there too!
- If I could fly on the wings of dawn, stopping to rest only on the far side of the ocean –
- Even there your hand would guide me; even there your strong hand would hold me tight!
- If I said "the darkness will definitely hide me;" the night will become light around me.
- Even the darkness isn't too dark for you! Nighttime would shine bright as day, because darkness is the same as light for you!
- You are the one that created my innermost parts; you knit me together while I was still in my mother's womb.
- I give thanks to you that I was marvellously set apart. Your works are wonderful – I know that very well.
- My bones weren't hidden from you when I was being put together in a secret place, when I was being woven together in the deep parts of the earth.
- Your eyes saw my embryo, and on your scroll every day was written that was being formed in me, before any one of them had yet happened.
- God, your plans are incomprehensible to me! Their total number is countless!
- If I should try to count them, they outnumber grains of sand! (Psalm 139:1-18 CEB)
Building Faith and Character
As our Eternal Father progressively moulds our character, watching over us continually to make us more like Himself, He uses systems of surveillance that makes mere man's current attempts laughable in comparison. As we move forward into more and more intrusive governmental control we must remember this, and allow Him to build His spiritual character in us in the process, just as His astounding systems once constructed us physically in our mother's womb all those years ago.
By tradition, it was on the last day of Unleavened Bread that ancient Israel was finally free of their persecutors and Egyptian taskmasters – by the miracle of the opening of the Red Sea. Often we can feel that we have a Pharaoh behind and a Red Sea in front of us ... an impossible situation, but as God encouraged Moses to tell the people then, and us today: "...Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever". (Exodus 14:13)
And as we stand on the brink of entering into a new age, when the Kingdom of God will be established on the earth – our Promised Land – we can have total confidence in the all-seeing, all-knowing loving God who will walk us through the dangerous times just ahead, and bring us safely into our inheritance. The ancient kingdoms might have had their "gods of the hills" and "gods of the plain", but OUR all-seeing and all-powerful God is not restricted to any physical parameters whatsoever!
- I lift mine eyes to the mountains; ah, where is help to come from?
- Help comes from the Eternal who made heaven and earth.
- Never will He let you slip; He who guards you never sleeps:
- He who guards Israel will neither sleep not slumber.
- The Eternal guards you, sheltering you upon the right;
- The sun shall never hurt you in the day, nor the moon by night.
- The Eternal will guard you from all harm, He will preserve your life;
- He will protect you as you come and go, now and for evermore. (Psalm 121, Moffatt)
“Just what is an APOSTLE?”
Today we find the Church of God in a “wilderness of religious confusion!”
The confusion is not merely around the Church – within the religions of the world outside – but WITHIN the very heart of The True Church itself!
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