The sudden demise of the Assad regime in Syria is a reminder of how quickly and suddenly change can occur in the world. Since 1970, the al-Assad family has ruled Syria under Hafez al-Assad and then his son Bashir. In 2011, popular discontent with the al-Assad regime began leading to civil war. With the support of Russia, Iran, and Hizballah, the al-Assad regime held onto power in a fractured country over the past 13 years. Due to the recent issues being experienced by Russia (war with Ukraine), Iran (conflict with Israel), and Hizballah (conflict with Israel), the Syrian rebel groups struck at an opportune time and quickly wrested control of Syria from the Assad regime.

I recently had a discussion with some ministers in the Church of God, Seventh Day (COG7D). The meeting addressed why we keep the holy days and why they do not.

I would like to address a couple of their scriptural reasons for not keeping the holy days so we can better prepare ourselves for doctrines that are contrary to our own.

"Only great pain is the ultimate liberator of the spirit…. I doubt that such pain makes us 'better'; but I know that it makes us more profound."—Frederich Nietzsche.

"To live is to suffer, to survive is to find some meaning in the suffering."—Nietzsche

"That which does not kill us makes us stronger."—Nietzsche

I don't know if Nietzsche read his Bible, but he seemed to know a bit about pain and suffering.

One of the primary arguments non-believers make against Christianity is that if God is good and defined as love, why does He allow so much pain and suffering in the world?

Worship is defined as reverence and adoration of God. This can be done in numerous ways. When we attend Sabbath and holy-day services we are expressing reverence for God. Studying His words and praying to Him can be included in worship. Singing hymns to God and helping other brethren are also forms of worship for God. But let's not forget the idea of giving (tithes and offerings) as a form of worship too.

By providing tithes and offerings we can assist our fellow brethren who are in need of physical sustenance (food, clothing, and shelter). Local church groups and our national church headquarters do assist needy brethren from time to time. Without any support from our brethren, our needy brothers and sisters would have a more difficult time.

One of the arguments critics of the Bible make is that there are seeming contradictions in the Scriptures. I disagree with that assessment. Careful study of the Scriptures will reveal the seeming contradictions can be resolved.

One of these seeming discrepancies revolves around the person of King Abijah (Abijam) of Judah. In the book of Kings, this king's name is Abijam (1 Kings 15:1), while in Chronicles, he is called Abijah (2 Chronicles 11:21-22).

The variation in names, such as Abijam and Abijah, often occurs due to differences in transliteration and translation practices over time and across different biblical texts.

Over the past few years, we have written a few blogs on the rise of right-wing or nationalist political parties in Europe. We have seen evidence of this in Hungary, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, and other locations.

Most recently (September 2024), Germany has been added to this growing list. The Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has placed first with about 32.8 percent of the vote in the state of Thuringia and a close second in the state of Saxony with 30.8 percent of the vote. In State elections in 2014, AfD was garnering about 10 percent of the vote in Thuringia and 9 percent in Saxony. Since other parties are refusing to cooperate with the AfD it is not likely to significantly alter the state of German politics, but it is proof of a sea change in the post-World War II generation.

In mid-August, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared mpox an international health emergency once again. You may remember a similar declaration two years ago.

The warning comes after Africa recorded over 15,000 cases and 537 deaths thus far this year. The Democratic Republic of Congo has suffered more than anywhere else, but other countries suffering for the first time include Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, and Uganda.

A survey conducted by the American Bible Society (ABS), "State of the Bible USA 2024," has indicated a continuing decline in American Bible reading. This decline seems to be much more pronounced in younger people. Generation Z (those born between 1997 and 2012) are the least engaged. This age range is also the least likely to view the Bible as important in their lives. Of course, this is the youngest age range we can survey, and many of us as teens were probably not too interested in the Bible.

The recent assassination attempt on Donald Trump has enhanced the belief among some of his supporters that he was selected by God to fix a troubled nation. I'm seeing a lot of chatter out there that this may have been divine intervention. No doubt a possibility, but what about the firefighter who lost his life in the incident protecting his family? Why did God not protect him? Can we prove God did protect Trump? We can only speculate on questions like these, so why worry about it?

I think everyone would agree that having debt is not a good idea. Obviously, with large ticket items like homes and cars most of us are going to have to go into debt to purchase these needed items. I think we would also agree that if we borrow, we should pay back what we owe.

The Bible has things to say about this topic and mostly from a personal point of view. Here are a couple scriptures to think about on this topic.

Exodus 22:14: "If anything is borrowed, it should be paid back. If what is borrowed is lost or injured, full restitution must be made."

One of the many issues I have with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS) (Mormons) is their use of extrabiblical books they consider equal to the Bible. Mormons consider the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price to be equal to the Bible. Now, they do accept the Bible, too, but they believe parts of the Bible may have been lost or removed, so that is how they can resolve some contradictions between what the Bible says versus their other books of scripture. But I'm not going to get into that in this short blog. What I want to focus on here is the Mormon idea that their spirits existed prior to them being born on earth.

For a Christian, the most important goal that can be attained is entering the Kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33). But with any goal you need to set up a plan with specific practices to achieve the goal.

An old saying states, "A journey of 1,000 miles begins with one step." In other words, to accomplish your goals you must complete several smaller tasks in order to achieve the ultimate goal. Let's look at achieving the goal of getting into the Kingdom. As we look at this goal, we will see the major points we will need for achieving any goal.

In the history of the world, one thing that is inevitable is that all great powers will decline. Egypt, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome, Spain, France, the United Kingdom, and, most recently, the Soviet Union. Is the United States next?

A new study by Rand (RAND Corporation is an American nonprofit global policy think tank), commissioned by the Pentagon's Office of Net Assessment and published in May 2024, makes some startling admissions. The Rand study, titled "The Sources of Renewed National Dynamism," looks at what has led to "the relative decline in U.S. standing."

The recent rash of protests against Israel's prosecution of the war in Gaza is evidence of a greater change that will have future implications. Previous Palestinian terror tactics against Israel and Israel's response have never elicited protests in the United States to the degree we are seeing on college campuses now. This could be in part due to the degree of slaughter Hamas perpetrated and now Israel's counter-response. The number of dead is much greater in the most recent actions.

The Bible refers to a change in predator behaviour. Lions start to act like sheep. What does this change mean? Why does God call his people sheep? Are sheep stupid? Does God think of you like a sheep?

Could sheep behaviour be Godly behaviour? Could sheep behaviour indicate how the Kingdom of Heaven will operate? How will the millennium operate? How should the church operate?

Tom, an Australian sheep farmer, will explore these questions and other points about sheep from the biblical perspective.