Dear Brethren and Co-Workers with Christ,
Greetings from Charlotte, NC! Before you receive this letter, I will be observing the 58th anniversary of my ordination as an Evangelist of Jesus Christ. The world has turned over many times since that date, December 20, 1952. Many of the major world events that Herbert W. Armstrong and I and others who assisted him have prophesied for so many years have already come to pass. A number of others are right now in progress. And the situation is clearly coming into focus for the other prophecies to begin to occur very quickly. Dear brethren, please understand! Although many years have passed since we first began sounding the “Ezekiel Warning,” your Bible indicates that—at the very end—these events will speed up and take many people by surprise. The Apostle Peter wrote, “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night…” (2 Peter 3:10).
Writing about Jesus Christ’s Second Coming, the Apostle Paul wrote, “But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, ‘Peace and safety!’ then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief” (1 Thessalonians 5:1-4). So when most men are saying, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them! For even most professing Christians will be very surprised at how quickly these end-time events unfold.
But will you be surprised?
Are you and your loved ones really preparing yourselves for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ to this earth? Are you zealously doing all you can to learn and to practice the full Truth of the Bible? Or do you “compromise”? Do you “cut corners” here and there in your obedience and service to the God of heaven? Are you too concerned with the idea of “what people think” to give yourself wholeheartedly to seeking and serving the Eternal God? To literally “feeding” on Jesus Christ and surrendering to let Him live His life within you through the Holy Spirit (John 6:57)? Remember, that is the mark of true Christianity—not merely “believing” in Christ—but letting Him live within you. As the Apostle Paul was inspired to tell us, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20, KJV).
Brethren and friends, prophetic events are truly speeding up! So you and I—and all to whom God gives understanding—need to act on the Truth and not be afraid of carnal men. We must not be like those spiritual cowards in Jesus’ time who—though they “believed” in Him—would not fully commit to following Him, “for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God” (John 12:43). For 58 years, I have tried to proclaim faithfully the “whole counsel of God” (Acts 20:27) as did the Apostle Paul. We in this Work of God must fearlessly preach the whole Truth of the Bible. We must powerfully warn our peoples of what lies just ahead. We must do both God’s will and God’s Work!
With all our hearts, we in this Work of Tomorrow’s World are doing this! I am so thankful for you taking the initiative to join with us in doing this Work. During Jesus’ day, Matthew 9:35 says: “Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.” This was a great Work He was doing. He was truly touched and moved by what He saw and perceived among the thousands of people who came to Him. Matthew 9:36-38 observes: “But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. Then He said to His disciples [which applies to all of us today!], ‘The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.’”
We in this Work are moved by what we see. Billions of people need to hear Christ’s life-saving Gospel. This is where you have a critical part, if you are willing. We all need to be praying earnestly to the “Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” Huge doors are now opening to us. Just this month we started airing the Tomorrow’s World program on the Discovery Channel in the United States, reaching 99.5 million households. But the Discovery Channel airs worldwide, yet we are only on it in the United States. Your prayers could help this Work go through even bigger doors. The Discovery Channel has separate feeds going to 258 million households in Asia, 76 million in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and 37 million homes in Latin America. In all, the Discovery Channel reaches 470 million homes. Your sincere, fervent prayers could help this Work reach many of these homes totaling as many as 1.4 billion men, women and children!
Starting in less than three weeks, the Tomorrow’s World telecast will start airing on “God TV,” which reaches 175 million homes around the world, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Europe, Scandinavia, the Middle East, Africa, Pakistan, India, China and Australasia. This is another huge door, but we need your prayers for God to move people to watch the Tomorrow’s World telecast and respond! “God TV” reaches more than 500 million people around the world! This is big, and your prayers do help!
You can let others do the praying, instead of yourself, if you should choose. But I assure you, if you wholeheartedly back this Work of God, praying for more laborers and everything associated with this Work (this labor of love and this proclaiming of the Gospel of Jesus Christ), God will bless you! God’s inspired Word tells us—to the degree we “give” of ourselves and our substance to God’s Work—to that degree He blesses us! Among many others, notice this inspired Scripture: “But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully” (2 Corinthians 9:6).
Describing some of the events that are right now beginning to occur, Jesus Christ said, “So you also, when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near. Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all things take place” (Luke 21:31-32). In these “last days” of man’s rule under the influence of Satan the Devil, may God inspire each of us to go “all out” in doing His Work. May we be stirred to truly make our lives “count for something” by becoming totally involved in the very Work Christ is using to warn this world and to prepare the way for His everlasting Kingdom.
With Christian love,
Roderick C. Meredith
P.S. Please remember that any contributions dated in December that are postmarked on or before 12/31/10 will be counted as year 2010 donations, and may be tax-deductible in 2010, even if we receive them in January 2011. So be sure any December donation is dated and postmarked no later than December 31.