Weekly Update by Michael Armstrong – October 30, 2026

Hello everyone,

Halloween falls on the Sabbath this year. How ironic that something despicable will be embraced amidst public revelry while something Holy and pleasing to God (not to mention beneficial to ourselves) will be largely ignored.

Is there anything wrong with candy, costumes or public holidays? No. But there is a big problem with the glorification of evil, as well as with turning wicked spirits into a game for children. Further, while we have the liberty to set aside memorials or celebrations (as scripturally evidenced by Purim or the Dedication), taking some other religious practice and saying we’re doing it for God is repugnant to Him.

Deuteronomy 12:30-31 lays this out explicitly. We know this very thing was standard Roman practice. So many supposedly “Christian” traditions are exactly that. “All Saints Day” and the “Hallowed Evening” are not exceptions.

The upcoming election will certainly be interesting, to say the least. While we are not a political organization, we are called to be a moral people. Once upon a time, a vote might not have had an impact on the establishment of Biblical values one way or the other. Unfortunately, that is not the case any longer.

You may have seen some of the post-election chaos from Brazil. Flavio Bolsonaro has fled to the United States. A post he made claiming to be the rightly elected President was quickly deleted (and somewhat hilariously attributed to AI) but he did allege fraud and meddling by the Supreme Court in the aftermath of the vote. The Chief Justice is a staunch ally of his opponent Lula. His departure may have been prudent. He had been asked to turn in his passport but refused. His father is currently serving 35 years for contesting the last election. And we thought American politics was brutal…

Israel also held an election but the final result is not yet clear. Netanyahu’s bloc still holds the most seats but lost ground and now lacks a majority. Eisenkot’s rival bloc has fewer seats, but may be able to cobble together a coalition at the expense of some campaign promises. Options may be to form a minority government with the help of Arab parties, which made significant gains, or to drop their opposition to religious exemptions for military service and try to govern with some of the more Orthodox parties.

Both were ruled out pre-election, as was cooperating with Netanyahu in a national unity government, and we shudder to think a politician might actually break a campaign promise. Netanyahu will remain as Prime Minister in the interim. If no coalition is possible, there will be another election in a couple of months.

A major theft occurred this week, possibly the biggest in history. Crypto exchange platform Binance was hacked, losing the staggering sum of $6.3 billion. About $3 Billion has been tracked down and frozen as of this morning, and the company is promising to cover their client’s losses. State sponsored hackers from North Korea are currently being blamed. Reliance on digital platforms to clear currency and incumbent security risks show how the world could be pushed into a unified global system with total oversight, an outcome equally unpalatable and prophetic.

There are quiet pushes for peace with both Iran and Russia. Meanwhile, people are panic buying in many places, partially due to many governments updating their recommendations for emergencies and the kind of disruptions that could be caused by a major war. Video also emerged of the US military practicing how they might dig mass graves to preserve combat casualties temporarily. Unsettling to say the least. Whatever the future holds, our faith is in God and His plan. Everything else will pass away in time.

-Michael