Dear Brethren and Co-Workers with Christ,
Greetings from Charlotte, NC! Actual “spirit wars” are coming soon! Though very few understand what is happening, the accounts of demon influence or even demon possession are increasing. Most importantly, your Bible definitely reveals that demonic activity will skyrocket toward the end of this age!
Just the other day, the Associated Press reported: “The Vatican has formally recognized the International Association of Exorcists, a group of 250 priests in 30 countries who liberate the faithful from demons. The Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano reported Tuesday that the Vatican’s Congregation for Clergy had approved the organization’s statutes and recognized the group under canon law. More than his predecessors, Pope Francis speaks frequently about the devil, and last year was seen placing his hands on the head of a man purportedly possessed by four demons in what exorcists said was a prayer of liberation from Satan” (Associated Press, July 2, 2014).
Now notice this revealing account of a former New York Police Department sergeant’s encounter with demonic activity: “Despite always believing in the existence of good, evil and God, ex-New York Police Department sergeant Ralph Sarchie didn’t consider himself a particularly religious guy—that is, until he began battling what he says are dangerous, supernatural forces. Sarchie, a self-described demonologist who was once a cop for the 46th police precinct in New York City—and the inspiration for the new Hollywood film ‘Deliver Us From Evil’—told TheBlaze that he believes possessions and infestations are on the rise. ‘It’s definitely on the rise. I hate to say it,’ Sarchie said in an interview. ‘As society pushes God out, no one can deny that that’s happening. There’s a good portion of society that just cannot stomach Jesus Christ and when I see that, I have to wonder where that hatred comes from’” (TheBlaze.com, July 5, 2014).
Jesus Christ warned His true followers: “For false christs and false prophets will rise and show signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect” (Mark 13:22). Then, Christ inspired the Apostle Paul to tell us: “For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders” (2 Thessalonians 2:7-9).
Brethren, are you genuinely close enough to Almighty God to genuinely discern how this “mystery of lawlessness” is working and to resist Satan and his demons? Make no mistake. As we in God’s true Church “keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus,” Satan the Devil will come “roaring” after us! For God inspired the Apostle Peter to use this very terminology to describe how Satan will come after God’s true people: “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world” (1 Peter 5:8-9).
As we read about the mass murders in a motion picture theatre in Colorado, in an elementary school in Connecticut—and all over the world the increasing murders, grotesque tortures and horrifying acts inflicted on others in Africa, in the Middle East and elsewhere, we need to realize that many of these shocking accounts are not just “normal” acts of warfare or personal hatred or revenge. They are often so horrifying and grotesque that they really are motivated or directly inspired by Satan and his demons! In the newspaper photos of many of these mass murderers, it is often quite obvious that the person involved has a “strange look” about him or her—and often with unusually bulging eyes, etc. Taken by itself, of course, such a newspaper photograph proves nothing. But when you read the many newspaper accounts now coming out about “weird” individuals performing these almost “inhuman” acts, you may realize that—in many cases—this is indeed “inhuman” and caused by something outside of the human race, by demons!
So I want all of you dear brethren and co-workers to become increasingly aware that we are, indeed, in a “spirit war.” For in spite of our human faults and weaknesses, we in this Work of the Living Christ are the true servants of the living God. We are preaching and teaching “the whole counsel of God” (Acts 20:27). We are heartfeltly doing the Work of God with increasing power. Satan knows this. He is not happy! So Satan will come after us with full force before it is all over. Your Bible reveals that at the very end of this age Satan will “come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time” (Revelation 12:12).
We are not there yet! But we must fully prepare ourselves now so that—when this coming “spirit war” begins in earnest—we will be ready! The Apostle Paul warned the brethren in Ephesus to do this very thing. Paul wrote: “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand” (Ephesians 6:10-13). Then Paul briefly described the spiritual armor we are to put on. Please study this important scriptural passage in your own Bible.
Dear brethren and co-workers, the time is now! As most of you who follow world events know, America and the British-descended peoples are truly being brought down. America is being humiliated in our dealings with Russia regarding the Ukraine. Our “leading from behind” in Syria is producing disastrous results and the slaughter of untold thousands. Our waffling around with China in the South China Sea and that whole area is giving them increased assurance that they can continue to move forward as our American power and prestige slowly but surely vanishes. Around the world, America is more and more being regarded as a “paper tiger.” Scores of newspapers and magazines articles have come out from respected journalist saying this very thing.
We are in trouble. And our brethren in the British-descended nations are also in trouble because we have all turned away from the God who gave us our greatness in the first place. Brethren, one vital “key” to help us get through these troubling times just ahead is one which our predecessor, Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong, talked about and wrote about from time to time. It is the fact—as he said—that “to the degree that one has his whole heart in God’s Work and supports it, prays for it, and is deeply involved in it as a vital part of his life, to that degree he will be blessed by Almighty God.” I have personally heard Mr. Armstrong say things like this many times. I hope that all of us can get the point.
God is watching you and me. He is working through us—the body of Christ—to do a great “Work” of preaching His Gospel to the world as a “witness” (Matthew 24:14) and also warning our Israelitish brethren of the coming Great Tribulation as we carry out the “Ezekiel Commission.” May God help every one of us get involved in this! For we are truly on the very edge of the time of the greatest suffering, national destruction and captivity and death that has ever occurred in the history of mankind! What are we to do? Almighty God instructs us: “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?” (Proverbs 24:11-12).
Indeed, God will eternally reward those whose hearts are in “delivering” their fellow men by telling them the Truth before it is too late! We will each be rewarded according to our “works”—as the King James Version has it—if we do this with all of our hearts. This very Work—in which you are involved—is now the most powerful Work on earth of its kind. We are growing in doing God’s Work with increasing power as never before.
Earlier this month, starting on July 6, we began airing the Tomorrow’s World telecast on another two commercial stations in central Texas, KWKT and KYLE, every Sunday at 7:00AM. KYLE is within the viewing area of the prestigious Texas A&M University, reaching the communities of Bryan and College Station, while KWKT covers the state capital, Austin, as well as Waco/Killeen/Temple. We look forward to reaching many more thousands of new viewers with the Tomorrow’s World telecast on these stations.
Another encouraging development, which many of you subscribers may already have noticed, is that our most recent Tomorrow’s World magazine—the July-August 2014 issue—was 36 pages long, up from the previous 32 pages. Thanks to the generosity of you co-workers and Church members, we have for the first time been able to expand the length of this “flagship” magazine to better serve our readers. I have been very encouraged to see our magazine subscription list grow to more than 450,000 individual subscribers—and we are rapidly approaching a half-million! Also, please note that these are print subscribers. I know of some other magazines that deceptively try to “inflate” their circulation numbers in various ways, but we do not do that. We are grateful to be printing nearly a half-million copies of each magazine issue, some of which go to homes where one issue is read by two or three or more members of the household, potentially reaching many more than just a half-million people. And all of this is in addition to our TomorrowsWorld.org Web site, which has received literally millions of visits each year for the last few years!
Describing this “time of the end,” God inspired Daniel to tell us: “Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, and those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever” (Daniel 12:3). So dear brethren and friends, I pray that every one of us will truly “stir ourselves” to do everything we can to get Christ’s real message to this world while we have the opportunity! For those who turn many to righteousness will eventually “shine” like the stars forever and ever! Our reward is too awesome to fully understand. But God will bless those who give of themselves in this true Work at this time. This is the time to stand up and be counted. This is the time to act. May God help every one of us to become zealously involved in the Work which Jesus Christ is now doing through His true servants at the end of this age.
With Christian love,
Roderick C. Meredith