"And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name. (John 20:30,31)
Of all the writers who have contributed to the various books of the Bible, the apostle John was the person that Jesus Christ specifically chose to complete the task of preserving the veracity of the scriptures at a time when the false church was rising. John's gospel account along with his three epistles and the book of Revelation were the last books to be canonised, ready to be preserved through the centuries down to our time today.
So who was this man, to whom Christ gave such a huge responsibility – even entrusting His mother into his care upon His death? (John 19:27) John himself was quite a colourful and interesting individual – he and his brother James Christ nicknamed "sons of thunder" (Mark 3:17) So he certainly wasn't an insipid and reserved young man! As a cousin of Christ – John's mother appears to have been Mary's sister Salome (Matthew 27:56, Mark 15:40, John 19:25) – he would have grown up knowing the young Jesus quite intimately. John was a second cousin to John the Baptist and was initially one of his disciples. Along with his brother James and father Zebedee, they were successful fishermen, being able to afford hired servants (Mark 1:19,20). He was also acquainted with the high priest (John 18:15,16) so it would appear he and his family were quite well connected.
We pick up the inference that John and Christ had a very close friendship – the phrase "whom Jesus loved" being mentioned five times in his gospel (John 13:23, 19:26, 20:2, 21:7,20.) He was also one of the 'inner circle' of the three disciples allowed to witness the transfiguration (Matthew 17:2, Mark 9:2). Christ specifically selected Peter, James and John to pray with Him in the garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:37). And again, when Christ brought back the synagogue ruler's daughter from death, He allowed only Peter, James and John to be in the room with Him. (Mark 5:37) Tradition has it that after incarceration on the Isle of Patmos, (Revelation 1:9) John lived out his natural life span whereas other disciples were martyred.
In the closing words of John's gospel account, we read this intriguing statement:
We are told elsewhere, that the irrefutable proof of Christ's Messiahship was just the ONE miracle – the sign of Jonah (Matthew 12:40, 16:2) and "Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up" (John 2:19) – but that one particular sign was directed towards the religious leaders of the the time. However, God inspired John to record for US – not for the Pharisees, or Sadducees, the common people or even the brethren back then – but for us, SEVEN specific miracles.
With so many "other things which Jesus did" – what inspired John to specifically choose these seven miracles? He documents others, but almost in passing. For example, in chapter 18 John twice mentions Peter slicing off the servant's ear but nothing about Christ subsequently healing the man.
Part of the answer can be gleaned from the events that led up to an account in chapter 20. After Christ had risen from the dead and had appeared to some of His disciples we read of the young man that has come to be called "Doubting Thomas":
Putting our trust in things we can see, hear, touch, smell and handle – just the physical five senses has been a problem with humanity since the Garden of Eden. And in today's world, we can even throw in AI, to confuse the matter further. No longer can we say "the camera never lies". Doubting? – modern technology has turned many of us into full-blown sceptics!
Christ said to Thomas: "...because thou hast seen me, thou hast believe: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed. (John 20:29) And this is the whole point of the seven specific miracles in John's gospel. Each of the miracles he was inspired to record contains a vital, eternal lesson of faith: " ...that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name. (John 20:30,31).
Turning water into wine at the marriage in Cana was the first miracle John records, and without doubt it contains more for us to learn than might initially meet the eye.
There is a high probability that Mary, Christ's mother had witnessed personal, family incidents where Jesus had intervened in some miraculous way. The whole of the second chapter of Luke records numerous thought-provoking incidents – from Christ's birth through to the time when the young twelve-year old stayed behind in Jerusalem after Passover and impressed the doctors in the temple with His depth of understanding. At that time, neither Mary nor Joseph understood His comment "I must be about my Father's business" But Luke twice mentions... "But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart" (Luke 2:19,51). She therefore had a good idea what her son was capable of, so was confident in saying "whatsoever he says, do it", also knowing Christ's genuine concern for others.
But the main lesson for us in this miracle – this specific case – would appear to be in the phrase; "my hour is not yet come". We need to understand God's approach to TIMING. First and foremost, Christ knew there was just a finite amount of time on this earth to accomplish the Plan laid out from the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8), and certain important events in that Plan had to happen at the right time, in the right order, and in line with numerous prophecies. At His first coming, He wasn't to intervene in "world affairs", to the dismay of many who believe that was what the Messiah was all about:
Like the Jews at the time of Christ, longing for the Messiah to step in and free them from Roman occupation, what we see and hear via the news feeds today can lead us to cry out, "Oh that thou wouldest rend the heavens, that thou wouldest come down, that the mountains might flow down at thy presence" (Isaiah 64:1). WE too long for the Messiah to sort out the horrendous world situation – and the sooner the better. Continuing on in the same chapter, when the time IS right – and at His SECOND coming ...
The lesson for us is that God's timing is perfect, but it's not rigid, for it also takes everything and everyone into account . It is "easy to be intreated ... and without partiality" (James 3:17), as can clearly be seen in the following account:
Ahab's punishment was deferred because he humbled himself before God (II Kings 21:27-29). The punishment of Assyria/Nineveh was delayed because of their repentance at the preaching of Jonah. (Jonah 3:10) Josiah was a righteous king in Jerusalem and did his best humanly to follow God (II Kings 23) and so God postponed the severe correction He had warned would be given to Jerusalem until Josiah had died – hence the book of Lamentations. We are told that even the end-time events can be subject to "adjustment" – i.e cut short. (Matthew 24:22)
We can see from the above examples that unlike the rigidity of the "law of the Medes and Persians which altereth not" (Daniel 6:8,12,15), our merciful God IS open to a change in timing if the circumstances warrant it. He is well aware of our day-to-day needs, whether healing, financial worries, housing concerns, family issues etc etc. and when the time is right – and taking our present training into account – as the Master of Timing He will take care of all our needs, even to the extent of cutting short the time of trouble on this earth:
Both the second and third miracles that John recorded were to do with supernatural healing, but bring out different aspects we need to understand. First was the 'distance healing' of the nobleman's son:
Notice that at least twice the nobleman beseeched Christ that He would come to his house to heal his son. But when God has only to speak and it either appears or happens, distance is not an issue. As mentioned in Psalm 33: "For he spake, and it was; he commanded and it stood fast." (Psalm 33:9) The aspect of remote authority was something a Roman centurion understood, two thousand years ago when he asked Christ to heal his servant:
Putting oneself under the authority God has put in His church, and contacting a minister and to request anointing when one is sick is a doctrine of God's church today. Because of the scattered state in which we currently find ourselves, the ministry can't always anoint in person, so they follow the example given in the book of Acts, and send anointed cloths by mail. The healing takes place because of the faith of the one asking – no matter how far away they might live – on occasion on the other side of the world.
The third miracle in John's gospel was the healing of the infirm man by the Pool of Bethesda, but the greater lesson is brought out subsequently in verse 14 of chapter 5:
Matthew, Mark and Luke record a similar incident, when Christ healed a man with palsy, who'd been lowered down through the roof by his friends:
No amount of medical intervention/pills/potions can actually heal, as healing involves the forgiveness of sin – and only God can do that, and has promised to do so ... "Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all they diseases; (Psalm 103:3). God reveals that one of His names is "Yahweh Rapha" – the Healing God"; one of the names that surely we should be thinking and meditating on, as mentioned in Malachi:
It would seem that the apostle John was inspired to remind us of this benefit of our calling, and also the seriousness of the penalty that was paid for this incredible privilege.
TO BE CONTINUED ...
In Germany’s federal electoral system a single party or parliamentary group rarely wins an absolute majority of seats in the Bundestag, and thus coalition governments, rather than single-party governments, are the usually expected outcome of a German election.
This year could be very different. None of the established parties want to work with the AfD, branding it as “an extreme right wing group” - even bringing up memories of Hitler and the Nazis. Yet the AfD seems on track to make significant gains in the election on Sunday.
The problem right now is that many in Germany have lost faith in the German political establishment, as the following articles point out:
“The US vice-president, JD Vance, has launched a brutal ideological assault on Europe, accusing its leaders of suppressing free speech, failing to halt illegal migration and running in fear from voters’ true beliefs.” (theguardian.com)
“US Vice-President JD Vance Friday urged Germany’s mainstream political parties to drop resistance to cooperating with the far right, hours after Berlin rejected American ‘meddling’ ahead of its election. ‘Democracy rests on the sacred principle that the voice of the people matters,’ said Vance in a speech to the Munich Security Conference. ‘There’s no room for firewalls,’ he added, referring to the long-standing position of Germany’s established parties not to work with the far right.” (barrons.com)
“‘We used to have a lovely country. But now people won’t walk through the centre of this town after 8pm because they feel it is too dangerous.’
Infrastructure is creaking, be it the roads, trains or internet access, while one national obsession remains as healthy as ever: bureaucracy. Yet all the opinion polls are clear that immigration is the number-one issue in this election – and that was before Thursday’s outrage in Munich.
Germany’s political class has not felt this nervous in living memory.” (dailymail.co.uk)
“Mainstream politicians have failed to grasp the scale of the country’s immigration issue. More tragedy is inevitable. For Germans, this sort of attack is becoming normalised. Yet, the German political class seems largely indifferent.” (telegraph.co.uk)
“New forms of nationalism have arisen in a country that had thought itself permanently inoculated against the atavistic forces that propelled Hitler to power nearly a century ago and left Germany divided for 40 years. For the first time since 1945, Germany has a party on the far-Right, the Alternative for Germany (AfD), which is both large enough and extreme enough to pose a real threat to the post-war Western order. As Germans prepare to cast their ballots in a Europe riven by war, memories of dictators and death camps are stirring again. YET THE OLD PARTIES AND BUSINESS ELITES ARE SEEN TO HAVE FAILED, leaving a nation whose identity is built on material success to ask itself where it all went wrong.” (telegraph.co.uk)
European leaders are… “running in fear from voters’ true beliefs.”
“Germany’s established parties will not work with the far right.”
“Germany’s political class has not felt this nervous in living memory.”
“The German political class seems largely indifferent.”
And now, to ramp up the pressure…
“As Mr Trump has made clear, and Mr Hegseth spelt out in language even a child could understand, AMERICA IS NOT INTERESTED IN UNDERWRITING EITHER UKRAINIAN OR EUROPEAN SECURITY. So the shape of the peace will depend on Europe – and that includes Britain.” (telegraph.co.uk)
And the answer to this situation?
CHANGE!
DRAMATIC Change Is Needed.
This and more is the AfD electoral platform.
Europe is being forced to build up its military - to protect itself!
They are being forced to spend huge amounts of money to become militarily strong. Politically, much of Europe is already ruled by right wing governments.
Today, there is no strong charismatic leader in the AfD. However, looking at the rise of Hitler, there certainly are some “rhymes”!
The problems back then were very similar to Germany today.
Dramatic change was required.
Dramatic change occurred!
What occurred in the 1930s led to the Second World War. Are events today laying the foundation for the Third World War?
“Hitler… determined to pursue a notionally legal course to power.
The German economy was made dependent on the United States by the Dawes plan, and it began to collapse.
Adolf Hitler was a well-known figure with widespread support.
Hitler did not seize power in a coup
The Nazi Party was popular in Germany.
In fact, when the Nazi movement first began in the early 1920s, it was small, ineffective, and marginal. 10 years later… in power!
Their success was largely the result of an economic and political crisis in Germany.
Adolf Hitler and the Nazis won followers by playing on people’s hopes.
To fix the economy and put people back to work;
To return Germany to the status of a great European, and even world, power; and create a strong authoritarian German government.
Many Germans lost faith in their leaders’ ability to govern.” (encyclopedia.ushmm.org)
“Britain’s in decline. Democracy has lost its way. Yes, many would squeal - but it’s no wonder so many of my generation believe it’s time for a dictator. To our parents and grandparents, steeped in the baggage of the Second World War, ‘freedom’ is the ultimate democratic right. But many in Generation Z can see that our ‘free’ society has degenerated into instability and uncertainty.
If ‘freedom’ means being unable to afford a home, to live in overcrowded and overpriced rented accommodation, to work soulless jobs in order to pay sky-high taxes, and to have no sense of belonging or identity, perhaps freedom is not what we need.
So it’s no shock to read that a recent survey commissioned by Channel 4 found that 52 per cent of Britons aged 13 to 27 have lost faith in democracy and would welcome a dictator - a strong leader ‘who does not have to bother with parliament and elections’.
Supposedly neutral institutions such as the Civil Service, the judiciary, the NGOs, the BBC, schools and universities and corporations and their HR departments all have the same worldview: AN UNMISTAKABLE LEFT-WING AGENDA. Ours is not a meaningful democracy. And that is why so many of us are looking elsewhere, writes Charlie Downes.” (dailymail.co.uk)
“Afroditi Latinopoulou, a Greek member of the EU parliament representing the ‘Voice of Reason’ party, delivered an epic and fiery indictment of Europe’s socialist policies. Latinopoulou argued that 50 years of socialist rule and the modern pervasiveness of woke ideology have decimated economies and destroyed Europe, not the ‘far right.’
Latinopoulou began, ‘Seriously, ladies and gentlemen? Did the right destroy industry? Did the right idolize Greta Thunberg? Did the right impose green energy at the expense of industry, destroying the EU’s competitiveness?’
‘Or was it the socialist governments that have been ruling the European Union for 50 years? France, Italy, Germany, Spain, and my homeland Greece have been devastated by groundless socialist policies. And today you, the destroyers of Europe, have the audacity to point fingers at us, saying that we conservatives are a threat to Europe? Lower taxes, increase competitiveness, bring back plastic straws, leave lignite alone, invest in the industry and, above all, face reality: YOU HAVE FAILED.” (thegatewaypundit.com)
Italy, Finland, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia and the Czech Republic — have hard-right parties in government…
Joined now by Austria…
“Far-Right surge in Austria: Is Europe headed for an authoritarian wave? After the shocking (AfD) election results in the German „Länder“ of Saxony, Brandenburg and Thuringia, it is now Austria’s turn. The far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ) has become the dominant political force with 28.9 per cent of the vote, followed closely by the Conservatives with 26.3 per cent. The Social Democrats, in a distant third place, secured only 21.1 per cent, marking the poorest results in the party’s history.
A right-wing wave is sweeping through Europe, impacting countries from Austria to Italy to the Netherlands. While the Austrian result was somewhat expected, the scale of it is shocking. It represents a democratic, human rights, and politico-cultural disaster.” (socialeurope.eu)
“The man likely to be the next German chancellor is out for revenge against Elon Musk. Friedrich Merz, the leader of the Christian Democratic Union and the front-runner in polls ahead of this month’s election, said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal that Musk must face ‘consequences’ for daring to support a right-wing political party. ‘What happened in this election campaign cannot go unchallenged,’ Merz said of Musk’s support for the AFD.
‘It can be a political response. It can be a legal response,’ he continued. ‘I want to analyze this calmly after this election campaign. The fact that someone from outside Europe intervenes in a national election campaign in this way is new.’
As Germany drowns under the strain of mass immigration and cultural disharmony, Musk has publicly expressed his support for the AFD and even made an appearance at their conference via video link. ‘I THINK IT COULD DECIDE THE ENTIRE FATE OF EUROPE, MAYBE THE ENTIRE FATE OF THE WORLD,’ Musk said during his address. ‘That is the significance of this election. So that’s why it’s very important to talk to your friends and family and convince them to consider voting for AfD.’” (thegatewaypundit.com)
1955
After WWll, America stepped in and poured billions of dollars into rebuilding Germany. This laid the foundations for the modern highly prosperous industrial Germany we see today.
Seventy years ago, God’s end time Apostle gave the following warning:
“In its final phase, to appear in our day, will merely be a restoration of that ancient Roman Empire – a United States of Europe which we are beginning to foster within the confines of the ancient Roman Empire! We are building the Frankenstein Monster that is destined to destroy us!” (The Plain Truth, June 1955)
He pointed out that the USA was then “beginning to foster” a United States of Europe.
He then made it quite clear that this United Europe was the “Frankenstein Monster”, being created by the United States, that was destined to destroy both the USA and Britain.
Over 40 years ago, in 1982, Mr Armstrong warned that fear of Russia would cause Europe to unite.
“Now one of the great things that is urging Europe on, and perhaps the greatest thing that WILL CAUSE THEM TO HURRY AND GET TOGETHER on this, is their FEAR of what’s going on in the Kremlin and the Soviet Union [Russia]. And Andropov [now Putin] is frightening them, and that is going to rush them.
THEY ARE LOSING CONFIDENCE IN THE UNITED STATES AS HAVING A MILITARY UMBRELLA OVER THEM TO PROTECT THEM, and they want their own military force to protect themselves.” (Sermon - 27 November, 1982)
Europe Cannot Rely On US Protection
“Europe can no longer count on the United States to come to its defence if Russia attacks, Pete Hegseth warned Nato allies on Wednesday. ‘I’m… here today to directly and unambiguously express that stark strategic realities prevent the United States from being the primary guarantor of security in Europe,’ he told a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group at Nato headquarters.
The remarks, his first at a Nato meeting since being confirmed as Donald Trump’s Pentagon chief, will spark fears amongst European allies that they could be left on their own in the face of a resurgent Russia.” (telegraph.co.uk)
“Washington increasingly lukewarm. EU security is not a priority, so the future of NATO is at stake. Trump asks allies to increase military spending but the EU remains disoriented and uncertain. FOR THE UNITED STATES, EUROPE IS NO LONGER A PRIORITY. Hegseth said it in plain English on Wednesday to a room of some 50 NATO counterparts and partners.” (worldcrunch.com)
AfD: Replace The EU With A New Organization
“The AfD wants to limit NATO’s operational area to the territory of its member states and replace the EU with a new organization.” (dw.com)
It certainly looks like the foundations are being laid for the end time ten nation Europe that will be a formidable fighting force.
Now that the promise of US protection has been removed, Europe is being forced to defend its own territory.
“And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?” (Revelation 13:4)
“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!
That hard-won prosperity IS under threat today. Unless dramatic change takes place in Germany, “the picture will change — and change VIOLENTLY.”
The Warning Continues: Trade wars and a financial collapse.
HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF, they say. And 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)
The Building Blocks Are Ready - for the final resurrection of the Holy Roman Empire.
“…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.
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 - 7 July 1984)
“The world’s richest man, Elon Musk, spoke today to AfD members in Halle, Germany, via video feed.
‘I think this election coming up in Germany is incredibly important. I think it could decide the entire fate of Europe, maybe the fate of the world. That is the significance of this election.’
He might find he is a little closer to the truth than he thinks!
“The only thing you learn from history is that no one learns anything from history.” (Georg Hegel)
Mr Armstrong, in a private meeting with Count Otto von Habsburg, the son of the last Austro-Hungarian Archduke:
“In my private meeting with him, Dr Habsburg expressed disappointment that progress on the European reunification had moved so slowly. I expressed the conviction that some totally UNEXPECTED WORLD-SHOCKING EVENT COULD OCCUR SUDDENLY at any time that would high pressure EUROPEAN NATIONS TO GO TOGETHER OVERNIGHT, adopting the constitution already prepared by the European Parliament.
This Parliament, although without substantial power, is composed of leaders who are framing the constitution in advance. He mentioned that there are madmen such as Kadafi and Khomeini who could pull off some startlingly UNEXPECTED INTERNATIONAL ACT that would press the panic button in Europe.
Now let me tell you why I know God has held back end-time world events – and why He will cause things to snap together SUDDENLY WHEN LEAST EXPECTED and bring this world SUDDENLY TO ITS END, and the coming of Christ in supreme power and glory to rule all nations, ushering in the Kingdom of God and the World Tomorrow!…
In Matthew 24:32-35 Jesus said that when we see world events now occurring, we are to know that this end is very near – within this generation. Yet of the day and hour (verse 36) we cannot know. Yet when it strikes it WILL STRIKE SUDDENLY, unexpectedly, like a trap that springs shut on a hapless rat without warning. If one knew at what hour a thief would come in the night to burglarize his house, he would have watched and been ready to resist him.
We have been seeing these end-time world events coming for several years now. God has delayed – held up world events.
Yet He will SUDDENLY CUT HIS WORK SHORT, and end things, as UNEXPECTEDLY AND SUDDENLY as when the trap springs on a rat before he can move.
When Europe suddenly unites, our work, which Christ is doing with and through us, WILL QUICKLY BE OVER, and Christ’s coming very soon thereafter.” (The Autobiography - Chapter 83)
The warning went out to the world…
The warning went out to the Church…
That warning is still valid…
Watch!