Dear Brethren and Co-Workers with Christ,
Greetings from Charlotte, NC! We really are in the prophesied “time of the end.” If any of us avoid looking at all the events which clearly indicate this, we are foolish indeed.
So what lies just ahead?
One of the world’s most prestigious newspapers, The Sunday Times (of London) reported on December 11, “‘Israel’s armed forces have been ordered by Ariel Sharon, the prime minister, to be ready by the end of March for possible strikes on secret uranium enrichment sites in Iran…’ The article further states that any attack will include both air strikes and ground forces. Israel’s military is said to be on “G” readiness, the highest stage of alert. Also, several high-ranking government officials from the United States, including Condoleeza Rice and Porter Goss, have recently visited Turkey. Throughout Europe the reports are that these American officials are briefing Turkey about U.S. air strikes against Iran ‘early in 2006.’”
Frankly, these air strikes may now be postponed because of the condition of Israel’s leader, Ariel Sharon. But the Israelis attacked Iraq in a similar situation years ago. When their very survival is at stake, the Israelis do not “mess around!” They take action. So another enormous danger now presents itself in the breakdown in the Middle East.
Meanwhile, the Sunni Arabs and other “insurgents” in Iraq continue their horrifying attacks on the fragile police and defense forces of the interim Iraqi government—which the U.S. is sponsoring. As I have stated repeatedly, the hoped-for “spread of democracy” in the Middle East is not going to happen! Onlythe return of the living Jesus Christ as “King of kings” will solve the problems of this troubled region. But American tax dollars will continue to be poured into this confused situation which will be one of the ways God will use to break the “pride of power” of our peoples (Lev. 26:19). As The Charlotte Observer recently reported, “The cost of the Iraq war could top $2 trillion after factoring in long-term health care for wounded U.S. veterans, rebuilding a worn-down military, and accounting for other unforeseen bills and economic losses, according to a new analysis that was to be presented Sunday in Boston” (Jan. 9, 2006).
“But,” some may ask, “with the ‘no vote’ on the EU constitution, isn’t your prediction of a coming United States of Europe now almost an impossibility?”
No way!
As the prominent British newspaper, the Daily Mail, reported on December 10, 2005, writing about the vision of a coming United States of Europe, “At last, it seemed that vision had suffered a spectacular and permanent reverse. The relentless drive to European integration was seemingly at an end. Tony Blair proclaimed that the peoples of Europe had ‘blown their trumpets round the city walls,’ and it was time the EU’s leaders paused to listen. You might, therefore, be surprised to learn that, since last summer, the building of the ‘superstate’ has, in fact, been powering ahead regardless, and on many different fronts…. Far from being some kind of setback, the rejection of the new constitution has turned out to be a trigger for one of the EU’s biggest power grabs for decades, across a whole range of policy areas, from defence, immigration and taxation, to the way we run our police, our courts and our judicial system. Most shocking of all is the way most of our politicians at Westminster seem oblivious to what is happening, while our ministers and civil servants—along with those of the other 24 countries in the EU—are actively urging on the drive to integration in all directions.”
This extraordinarily important article goes on to describe how—even without the new EU constitution—the bureaucrats in Brussels are busily building a European police force, are virtually taking over the British police system and also various health and defense agencies from the inside, and are imposing on the British people taxes they have not voted for! Near its conclusion, this eye-opening article states, “Instead of sweeping away all the existing national institutions in each country, these have all been left standing while being hollowed out from within. Our familiar landscape of monarchy, Parliament, Civil Service and courts is all still in place, as if nothing had changed.”
The huge banner headline above this article reads, “THE FEDERAL MONSTER.” In your Bible, a coming religio/political system is prophesied to arise in the latter days. It is called, “the Beast” (Rev. 17). God’s inspired Word indicates that the final form of this union will involve ten nations—though the number may go up or down in the meantime. An extremely charismatic and clever leader—also called the “Beast”—will eventually arise and cooperate with the final false prophet described in Revelation 13:11-18 and 2 Thessalonians 2:1-10. This extremely powerful religious leader will soon appear and gradually begin to massively deceive the entire world. He will even be allowed to “make fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by the signs which he was granted to do…” (Rev. 13:13-14). If you have not yet done so, please write or call today and request your free copy of our powerful booklet which fully explains this topic. It is entitled, The Beast of Revelation: Myth, Metaphor, or Soon Coming Reality?.
Will you be deceived—along with most of the people of this world? Or will you begin to truly “seek God” with all your heart, to genuinely study His inspired Word, fervently pray for understanding and then be willing to do what God’s Word clearly says?
Truly momentous and traumatic times are just ahead!
I hope all of you who understand can be genuinely excited about these events—in a positive way. For we in this generation will have the opportunity to live over into another world—the “world to come” (Heb. 2:5). Then the true followers of Jesus Christ will have the awesome privilege of bringing total peace and prosperity to this entire world. For, over and over, God’s inspired Word tells us that—in the soon-coming resurrection of the dead—God’s saints will be magnificently blessed, “Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years” (Rev. 20:6). Again, the Bible gives us the inspired “song of the saints,” “Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying: ‘You are worthy to take the scroll, and to open its seals; for You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and have made us kings and priests to our God; and we shall reign on the earth’” (Rev. 5:8-10).
Please note again that our eternal reward will be “on the earth”—not up in heaven! And we will have a job to do—a wonderful opportunity to assist the returning Christ in setting up an entirely different government—an entirely different way of life over the entire world. It is called the “Kingdom of God.” Although most “mainstream” theologians have tried to spiritualize away the reality of that coming Kingdom—and say it is merely a “warm spot in your heart” or “all the churches working together to make this a better world” or whatever—the entire Bible is extremely clear on the fact that it is a literal government, with Christ ruling all the nations of the earth from the new world capital, Jerusalem! (Zech. 14).
Growing up for the first nineteen years of my life in one of the most prominent mainstream churches, I never, ever heard this—or anything else like it—preached or taught in that church or the other Protestant churches I attended from time to time with my friends!
Why?
Is this idea some crazy invention we have come up with? Or was it a vital part of the original Christianity—the true Christianity of Christ and the apostles? Although there are scores of additional biblical and historical proofs as to what really happened, the secular historian, Edward Gibbon, gives the clear answer in his highly acclaimed history, The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. Here is what Edward Gibbon wrote about what the early Church of God believed:
“The ancient and popular doctrine of the Millennium was intimately connected with the second coming of Christ. As the works of the creation had been finished in six days, their duration in their present state, according to a tradition which was attributed to the prophet Elijah, was fixed to six thousand years. By the same analogy it was inferred that this long period of labour and contention, which was now almost elapsed, would be succeeded by a joyful Sabbath of a thousand years; and that Christ, with the triumphant band of the saints and the elect who had escaped death, or who had been miraculously revived, would reign upon the earth till the time appointed for the last and general resurrection…. The assurance of such a Millennium was carefully inculcated by a succession of fathers from Justin Martyr and Irenaeus, who conversed with the immediate disciples of the apostles, down to Lactantius, who was preceptor to the son of Constantine. Though it might not be universally received, it appears to have been the reigning sentiment of the orthodox believers; and it seems so well adapted to the desires and apprehensions of mankind, that it must have contributed in a very considerable degree to the progress of the Christian faith. But when the edifice of the church was almost completed, the temporary support was laid aside. The doctrine of Christ’s reign upon earth was at first treated as a profound allegory, was considered by degrees as a doubtful and useless opinion, and was at length rejected as the absurd invention of heresy and fanaticism” (Vol. I, pp. 403-404).
My friends, this Work of the living God continues to teach the basic truths and way of life which Christ and the early apostles taught and practiced for generations after Jesus’ death! As our regular readers know, we do teach you to begin preparing for your genuine future in the soon-coming government of God. We do teach—as the true Jesus Christ of the Bible did, “If you want to enter into life, keep the commandments” (Matt. 19:17).
At the very end of New Testament times, the Apostle John was inspired to write, “And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight” (I John 3:22). So this and dozens of other scriptures teach us that we are much more likely to have our prayers answered, to receive God’s Holy Spirit (Acts 5:32), and receive God’s divine protection from the horrifying Great Tribulation (Matt. 24:21-22) if we will truly keep all ten of God’s commandments and let Christ live His life within us through the Holy Spirit (Gal. 2:20). In a number of places, God shows us that we are much more likely to be given divine protection if we are among those who “have kept My command to persevere” (Rev. 3:10).
Again, God’s word clearly identifies His true saints: “Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus” (Rev. 14:12).
How plain can you get? I pray that all of you dear subscribers can “catch the vision,” truly believe what God repeatedly tells us in His Word, and that you can zealously do your part to prepare for the magnificent government of God soon to be established here on this earth. Your part in this Work is a vital part of your preparation!
With Christian love,
—Roderick C. Meredith