August 16, 2019
Dear Members and Co-workers,
Major changes are taking place around the world and this is especially true in Europe. The United States recently threatened to move all its troops out of Germany, possibly relocating them to Poland. And the U.K. has announced it will pull all 11,000 of its troops out of Germany to relocate them on British soil. How quickly we forget history and the reasons why British and American troops were stationed there. At the same time, the United States is pressuring Germany to spend more on defense. Of course, those same weapons can be used for offense, and as we know from Bible prophecy, they eventually will be.
In a recent article in Tomorrow’s World, I referred to a book by Robert Kagan in which he quotes from a passage in Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises. One character asked the other, “How did you go bankrupt?” To which the other replied, “Gradually, and then suddenly.” It was interesting to hear a former New York Times writer say something very similar about what has happened to that iconic newspaper. As he pointed out, the paper has been changing gradually over time, but has suddenly morphed from a news source to an instrument dedicated to change American values. Many gradual trends are morphing into sudden changes.
It is easy to become discouraged with all that we see around us: the LGBTQA+ movement, uncertainty over Brexit, missile and nuclear weapons development in Iran and North Korea, illegal immigration in America and Europe, disrespect for leaders and police agencies, and the list goes on. But, there truly is good news on the horizon for those who understand where all this is leading. We know that it will get a whole lot worse before it gets better, but Jesus tells us, “Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near” (Luke 21:28).
Of necessity, we seek to warn our peoples and the world that if we do not change our behavior, disaster will be the result. This warning commission was given to the prophet Ezekiel to give to the house of Israel. However, as explained in my Tomorrow’s World telecast, “Ezekiel’s Message Unlocked,” the prophet was millennia ahead of his time, and almost no one understands to whom that message was to be given. His message was not primarily for the Jews of that time, but for a different people—the house of Israel at the time of the end.
We also read in Proverbs 24:11-12, “Deliver those who are drawn toward death, and hold back those stumbling to the slaughter. If you say, ‘Surely we did not know this,’ does not He who weighs the hearts consider it? He who keeps your soul, does He not know it? And will He not render to each man according to his deeds?” Yes, we have a responsibility to give bad news, and that message will be received negatively, just as messages from God’s servants have always been.
However, our magazine and telecast are titled Tomorrow’s World for a reason, and we are commissioned to also preach the Gospel, meaning good news, of the coming Kingdom of God. We greatly look forward to that Kingdom when we can be born into the very Family of God (Romans 8:16-17; Hebrews 2:10-11, 14-17; 1 John 3:1-3). And we rejoice in the calling we have been given to have a part in bringing peace and prosperity to this troubled planet (Revelation 20:4; 5:9-10). I doubt that any of us can fully comprehend what a great calling this is, but we pray with anticipation, “Your kingdom come,” as Jesus instructed His disciples in Matthew 6:10.
Dear Brethren and Co-workers, God has a great reward for us if we put our hearts into His Work here on earth. As Christ tells us in John 4:35-36, “Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest! And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together.”
We are living at the climax of the ages, a time as momentous as that of Noah. Jesus Christ is coming back to stop man from his headlong plunge into destruction. And when He returns, He will resurrect His servants and together we will, under His leadership, transform this world.
Next month the last of the yearly round of biblical Holy Days will begin, and they are a time of great rejoicing for the people of God. The Feast of Trumpets (September 30) represents the seven trumpets of the Day of the Lord, which culminates in the return of Christ (1 Corinthians 15:51-53; Revelation 11:15). This is followed by the Day of Atonement (October 9), picturing the removal of that evil spirit that directs the course of this current world (Ephesians 2:1-2). That leads us into the Feast of Tabernacles and Last Great Day (October 14-21), picturing the thousand-year reign of Christ on the earth and the time when all who have never known God’s way will be given a chance to do so. His resurrected servants will help bring about that time described in chapters 2, 11, and 35 of Isaiah, and many other prophetic passages.
From time to time, we have people ask about these special days and how they can keep them. If this is something you Co-workers find of interest, call, write, or e-mail us letting us know you want to know more, and we will reply with more details. We have congregations around the world who keep these special days, and more than 50 locations where members gather to observe the week-long Feast of Tabernacles and the Last Great Day.
How many years will it be before the whole world is required to keep these Feasts? We cannot say with certainty, but can we not recognize the signs of the times? Referring to the time just ahead of us, the prophet Zechariah explains how important the biblical Festivals are and how they will be kept during the reign of Christ. “And in that day His [the Messiah’s] feet will stand on the Mount of Olives…. And the Lord shall be King over all the earth…. And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. And it shall be that whichever of the families of the earth do not come up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, on them there will be no rain. If the family of Egypt will not come up and enter in, they shall have no rain; they shall receive the plague with which the Lord strikes the nations who do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. This shall be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all the nations that do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles” (Zechariah 14:4, 9, 16-19). That is when, “Many people shall come and say, ‘Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways and we shall walk in His paths.’ For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem” (Isaiah 2:3).
Yes, there truly IS good news! The Bible declares plainly that Jesus will stop mankind’s destructive path and will teach a much better way with far better results, without the influence of the evil spirit that rules our world today (John 12:31; Ephesians 2:1-2).
Thank you, Brethren and Co-workers, for your prayers and your support. We understand that many of you are on fixed incomes and have very limited resources, but God hears your prayers when you pray that others with greater resources will pay their tithes and give generously. May God bless you richly in this life and in the life to come!
Sincerely, in Christ’s service,
Gerald E. Weston