CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST ONLINE MINISTRY
P.O.BOX 6458
SPRING HILL, FLORIDA 34606
We are based upon the Word of God, the Truth of God, and the Plan of God.
Leonard V. Johnson
Pastor and Founder
Dearest Brethren and Friends:
Greetings from West Central Florida – Hernando County.
Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg
One of the first times that we mentioned Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg was in June 2019 in a Letter to our Friends – “Could this final “beast” be Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg!? We don’t know. However, he is a person of great interest.”
There were a couple of articles in the German press. One was from Gründerszene - „KT“ soll zur Medienmarke aufgebaut werden: Warum die Insolvenz der Looping Group jetzt auch Ex-Verteidigungsminister Guttenberg betrifft. 11/24/23 –
“It was supposed to be a brilliant comeback. A purified Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg was to rise like a phoenix from the ashes. With a new image, a new look, and a whole new sound. Less hubris, more personal failure.For the reinvention of his ego and the corresponding storytelling, the ex-minister, who had the image of a dazzler at the latest after his plagiarism affair in 2011, launched a company in the spring of last year, the "Open Minds Media GmbH".Business Insider has obtained the shareholders' agreement. The company is to develop Guttenberg into a media brand. The man, according to the business idea, should henceforth appear as a TV presenter, speaker, book author, and podcaster and become his own "brand".(Translated using Google Translate)
Here’s the other one I came across from GMX - Neue Doku: Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg widmet sich der Macht der Kirche. 11/22/23 –
“Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg is back with a new documentary. It is supposed to be about the churches in Germany. In "KT Guttenberg - For God's sake? The Power of the Church in Germany" zu Guttenberg deals with the reasons for the numerous resignations from the church and wants to uncover "the power relations and grievances in Germany's churches". …Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg was once considered a beacon of hope for the CSU. He was Federal Minister of Economics (2009), then Minister of Defense (2009-2011) and at that time one of the most popular politicians in the country. In 2011 came the big scandal: In February 2011, the University of Bayreuth revoked zu Guttenberg's doctorate in the wake of a plagiarism scandal surrounding his dissertation. A few days later, zu Guttenberg resigned from all political offices. In the meantime, the former politician moved to the USA with his family.”(Translated using Google Translate).
Herr Guttenberg was indeed “disgraced” by a plagiarism scandal back in 2011. He has been made fun of since in the German press. But, not by everyone! He is considered a respected commentator by several in the international press.
We know and understand that God’s living word speaks of a final European leader who will rise up – one whom the people thought was contemptible –
“And a contemptible one shall stand up in his place, and they shall not give him the majesty of the kingdom; but he will come in a time of peace and seize the kingdom with flatteries” – Daniel 11:21, NET.
“A contemptible creature will succeed but will not be given recognition as king; yet he will seize the kingdom by dissimulation and intrigue in time of peace” – Daniel 11:21, NEB.
“The next to come to power will be a despicable man who is not directly in line for royal succession. But he will slip in when least expected and take over the kingdom by flattery and intrigue” – Daniel 11:21, NLT.
“There shall rise in his place a despicable person to whom the royal insignia shall not be given. By stealth and fraud he shall seize the kingdom” – Daniel 11:21, Confraternity – Douay Version.
So, by becoming a respectable commentator, he now has the opportunity to reach a lot more people globally. It looks as if he is placing himself in a position to – at least partially – repair his reputation.
There are quite a few biblical reasons to consider Karl-Theador zu Guttenberg as a possible final European “beast” leader. Here are seven –
● He is considered an expert in foreign policy. Cf. Daniel 11:27.
● He was Minister of Defence for Germany until 2011. And he set up the Bundeswehr Structural Commission. Cf. Daniel 11:39-43; Revelation 13:4.
● He is a descendant of the Habsburg line of rulers. Minister Michael C. Garrett speaks of the six resurrections of the “Holy” Roman Empire – one of which was from the House of Hapsburg (See: Prophecy Series – The Final Empire booklet, pg. 19). He also claims that he is a descendant of the 4th century Emperor Constantine the Great. Cf. Isaiah 10:5-11; Revelation 17:9-11.
● His bloodline crosses with various European countries: Germany, France, Austria, Liechtenstein, the Netherlands, and Croatia, respectively. Interestingly, so did the “Holy” Roman Empire throughout its six resurrections.
● The understanding that the House of Guttenberg basically means “Baron of the Holy Roman Empire.” A prominent Franconian noble family. It traces its origins back to 1149 with a Gundeloh von Blassenberg (Plassenberg), though the first mention is in a document dated 1158. The name Guttenberg is derived from Guttenberg in present-day Bavaria, and it was adopted by a Heinrich von Blassenberg around 1310. The Plassenberg family members were ministeriales of the Counts of Andechs (later the Dukes of Andechs-Meranien). After the Holy Roman Empire dissolved, they were given the rank of Freiherr (Baron) of Bavaria (1814 and 1817). 1
● He has been ridiculed and rejected by many. Cf. Daniel 11:21.
●Interesting history - Karl Ludwig Freiherr von und zu Guttenberg, in which Karl-Theador zu Guttenberg is his nephew. From 1941 Guttenberg worked in Berlin in military defense for Admiral Wilhelm Canaris. From 1943 onwards, he was closely monitored by the Gestapo. He had connections to Josef Römer and the Kreisau Circle but was not directly involved in the preparation of the assassination of Adolf Hitler on 20 July 1944. A few days after the attack, he was arrested by the Gestapo and murdered on the night of 23 to 24 April 1945. 2
Christmas Challenges
Prayer Request
Please pray for our dear Sister Vinnie Johnson. She hasn't been able to go to Sabbath services for about 3 weeks now because of the pain she is having. She’s continuing to have heart and blood pressure issues. Please pray for her complete recovery.
Also, please continue to pray for my wife’s mother who is going through several neurological tests – such as an EEG, CT, MRI, and possibly a PET. This year she was “unofficially” diagnosed with Alcohol-related dementia. It has been a very trying four months for us.
Suggested Sabbath Day Service
Here is our suggested Sabbath day service for our scattered brethren and friends around the world:
• TWO songs of praise. (our songbook, The Bible Hymnal, is suggested, there are some Instrumental Accompaniment to the Bible Hymnal available on our website).
• Opening prayer.
• Announcements – from the deacon or pastor.
• Sermon – from the pastor or guest speaker. The one suggested for this week is “Separate Ourselves From Evil” delivered by Leonard Johnson.
• Closing song.
• Closing prayer.
Some World News Concerning Biblical Prophecy
The European Union has put forth proposed regulations on Artificial Intelligence (AI) (See: DW – ‘EU Provisionally agrees first AI regulations’).
The European Union wants to lead the world in AI and other advanced technologies.
However, do not believe for one iota that human rights will be properly protected – no matter what these proposed rules may indicate.
God’s living word shows us that much more improper censorship is coming –
“’ BEHOLD, the days are coming,’ says the Lord GOD, ‘That I will send a famine on the land, Not a famine of bread, Nor a thirst for water, But of hearing the words of the LORD. 12) They shall wander from sea to sea, And from north to east; They shall run to and fro, seeking the word of the LORD, But shall not find it’” – Amos 8:11-12.
As much as we are utilizing good AI technology for our AI Audio Articles, Artificial Intelligence will be involved in tearing down the true gospel message from off the Internet. Sadly, also, AI will be used to continue to persuade and deceive our peoples. We also are aware that Europe is nearing a “cashless society.” The 5 most cashless countries in Europe are –
● Norway - according to data from the World Bank. Nearly all Norwegians (98%) own a debit card and Norway's central bank says that only 3–5% of all point-of-sale transactions were carried out with physical cash—with three out of every four card transactions being contactless. What’s more, over 95% of the population uses mobile payment apps.
● The Netherlands - Already well-established as a country where it’s easy to be cash-free, 91% of the Dutch use banking apps.
● Finland – The Bank of Finland has predicted that it will be an entirely cashless country by the end of 2029. With 98% of all Finns owning a debit card and 63% owning a credit card, nearly the entire population can pay without using cash.
● The United Kingdom - The UK was an early adopter of digital payment methods—and today, contactless payments are one of the most popular ways to make a payment. As of 2020, 27% of all payments were contactless.
● Sweden – With less than 32 ATMs per 100k people, over 98% of citizens own a debit card, and one of the top countries for contactless mobile payments. 3
What about the United States of America!? Are we REALLY headed for a cashless society? Well, interesting enough – Pew Research shows that in a typical week, 41% of Americans make absolutely zero purchases using cash. 4
So, the LORD our God tells of a time that will come when the word of the LORD will not be found. And that would certainly seem to be because the Word of God, the Truth of God, and the Plan of God will be taken off the Internet altogether. Here in the 21st century, the Internet is accessed by people in every nation, country, and province. So, some type of Internet restriction, suspension, or outright deletion is coming!
And while the self-proclaimed ‘king of social media’ along with Alphabet Inc. – this world’s third-largest technology company! It is one of the BIG FIVE American information technology companies, alongside Amazon, Apple, Meta, and Microsoft -continue to set the stage for this prophecy to come to full fruition, God’s living word shows us that a United European power will arise and essentially FORCE people to accept a particular, along with a false leader and prophet.
God’s living word shows us that Satan the Devil will give power and authority to a soon-coming final European “beast” and those whose names are not written in the Book of Life will worship this “beast.”
Here is Minister Michael C. Garrett writing of this ‘beast’ power:
“Early on in Revelation 13, verse 2, we read about a concept which is called “the beast,” … That refers to a reorganized and revitalized concept of the “Holy” Roman Empire. Countries in Europe unifying in the end-times. And Revelation 13:15 – “He [referring to a great religious leader here. It’s not referring to a political leader here] …” Well, look at verse 11 – “Then I saw another beast [speaking of this great religious leader] coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon.” This is referring to a great religious leader who has its roots of power in the continent of Europe – and has had for almost two thousand years. Verse 12 – “And he [this second beast] exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence, and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.” –now, what’s that “deadly wound”!? Well, the Roman Empire – the greatest world Empire ever in the ancient world – had its height of power and completely controlled most parts of Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa. And yet, that great Empire eventually struggled and crumbled and disappeared. And then there were revivals of the concept of the “Holy” Roman Empire. Up to this point in history, we’ve had six revivals. The last one was Hitler’s Germany and Mussolini’s Italy. The Bible says there will be seven revivals altogether. We haven’t gotten to the seventh revival yet. But the seventh revitalization of the “Holy” Roman Empire is what chapter 13 is talking about early on. And so this second beast is a great religious movement.”(Garrett, M.C. The Mark of the BEAST, 2019, pp. 11-12).
This ‘European model’ will not end well for the United States of America – see “Freedom – A True Blessing From God” as well as “Prophecy Series – A Final Empire!” PDF. Even greater censorship is coming! A totalitarian police state is also coming! – cf. Revelation 13 – see also “’ Equity Cannot Enter’” as well as “Authoritarianism Can Happen Again!”
Pro-Palestinian activists during a protest in New York City, October 8, 2023 (Luke Tress/Times of Israel)
Also in world news – both the Netherlands and the United States of America have been issuing warnings about the potential for increased terrorism because of the Israeli-Hamas war. I personally believe it’s also because of the untold number of pro-Palestinian and Hamas sympathizers. (See: Crisis24 – ‘Netherlands: National terrorism threat level increased to significant as of Dec. 13’ along with The Messenger News – ‘Israel-Hamas War Will Likely Inspire Increased Violence and Threats in US Throughout Winter, Feds Warn’).
One of the main reasons that the USA is facing an increased threat is because of our OPEN BORDERS – especially the southern border crisis! Notice this from the Committee on Homeland Security –
“FBI DIRECTOR WRAY CONFIRMS THE BORDER CRISIS POSES MAJOR HOMELAND SECURITY THREAT, DHS SECRETARY MAYORKAS STONEWALLSthreat posed by the nearly 1.8 million known gotaways and the rising number of individuals on the terrorist watchlist apprehended crossing the Southwest border—especially as America’s enemies, including Iran-backed Hamas and Hezbollah, have been emboldened to spread their malign influence following the October 7 terrorist attacks on our ally, Israel. Wray confirmed these facts in his testimony and alluded to Chairman Green that the national security consequences of the crisis have turned every state into a border state. Director Wray even confirmed all 56 FBI joint terrorism task forces are occupied with threats coming across the border. …In his opening line of questioning, Chairman Green questioned Wray on the dangers posed by the millions of known gotaways at the Southwest border:“Since January 2021, approximately 1.8 million illegal alien gotaways who evaded border patrol and entered our country, and this doesn’t even account for the unknown gotaways, which former Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz testified before this Committee could be about 20 percent of the [total] number. …”
Also, notice this from Newsweek –
“Hamas backers “have long operated in the United States” and they “are still engaged in various forms of support” for the organization, a new academic report claims. …While some in America have praised Hamas, characterizing the attacks that targeted civilians as a reaction to Israeli oppression, some students who have spoken out in favor of the organization have lost job offers, while Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has called for Hamas sympathizers with visas to have their permits revoked.”
Well, I quote – “God save the Queen, man”! No, but seriously - As far as terrorism goes, God’s living word tells us that in places like the United States of America and the Netherlands terrorism will increase towards the end of the age –
“’ They have corrupted themselves; They are not His children, Because of their blemish: A perverse and crooked generation. … 25) The sword shall destroy outside; There shall be terror within For the young man and virgin, The nursing child with the man of gray hairs.’” – Deuteronomy 32:5, 25.
“’ Because you disdained all my counsel, And would have none of my rebuke, 26) I will also laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your terror comes, 27) When your terror comes like a storm, And your destruction comes like a whirlwind, When distress and anguish come upon you’” – Proverbs 1:25-27.
“’ You have forsaken Me, ‘says the LORD, ‘You have gone backward. Therefore I will stretch out My hand against you and destroy you; I am weary of relenting! 7) And I will winnow them with a winnowing fan in the gates of the land; I will bereave them of children; I will destroy My people, Since they do not return from their ways. 8) Their widows will be increased to Me more than the sand of the seas; I will bring against them, Against the mother of the young men, A plunderer at noonday; I will cause anguish and terror to fall on them suddenly’” – Jeremiah 15:6-8.
“’ Cry and wail, son of man; For it will be against My people, Against all the princes of Israel. Terrors including the sword will be against My people; Therefore strike your thigh’” – Ezekiel 21:12.
The idea of “terror within” shows that terror will occur within the borders, and certainly suggests that some of the terrorists will be residents of the United States of America and the Netherlands.
And as the above photo taken by Luke Tress at Times of Israel, not all terrorists look like the traditional Islamic State men with a keffiyeh and holding a rifle! Some could be in those crowds of people protesting!?
Concluding Comments
The Apostle Paul admonishes us:
“Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ [our holy Messiah] with Belial [another name for Satan the devil]? Or what part has a believer [a true Christian] with an unbeliever?
And what agreement has the temple of God [the spiritual begotten children of God] WITH IDOLS?”
And I ask the question – can celebrities become an idol to God’s elect!? (See: Matthew 24:24).
“For you are the temple of the living God.
As God has said: ‘I will dwell in them And walk among them. I will be their God, And they shall be My people.’
Therefore ‘COME OUT FROM AMONG THEM And BE SEPARATE, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you.’ ‘I will be a Father to you, And you shall be My sons and daughters, Says the LORD Almighty’” – 2 Corinthians 6:14-18.
God the Father and Jesus Christ are saying this to us NOW!
Indeed, friends, many celebrities can do great things for their people, their country, and individuals. Yet, it is clear that Christians are not to represent God with icons or idols!
The following verses concern Paul and his writings on this subject:
“Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him when he saw that the city was given over to idols …”
And indeed an idol can be defined as a worshipping of the gifts in place of the Gift Giver Himself. An object, a job, our family, a minister, or celebrity, etc.
“ … Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, … ‘God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things.’” – Acts 17:16, 22, 24-25.
“Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man …” – Romans 1:22-23.
“But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is … an idolater … - not even to eat with such a person” – 1 Corinthians 5:11.
“Do you not know that … idolaters … will [not] inherit the kingdom of God” – 1 Corinthians 6:9, 10.
“And do not become idolaters as were some of them … Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry” – 1 Corinthians 10:7, 14.
“Therefore put to death your members … covetousness, which is idolatry” – Colossians 3:5.
Friends, Paul is crystal clear, true Christians do not have idols, and there are to be NONE within the Church of God. Idolatry is the work of the flesh, and true Christians are to turn from any idols to the living God.
With love and gratitude, in Jesus' Name,
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