Dear Brethren and Co-Workers with Christ,
Greetings from Charlotte, NC! Thousands of us just returned from observing the Feast of Tabernacles. This is a wonderfully inspiring and biblically commanded Church festival which the entire world will soon be observing. God’s Word clearly indicates that all nations will soon be keeping this festival. After describing Jesus Christ’s return to this earth as King of kings, as the prophesied “Day of the Lord” gets underway (Zechariah 14:1-4), God’s prophet states, “And the Lord shall be King over all the earth” (v. 9). Then, God’s inspired Word tells us, “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” (vv. 16-19).
Obviously, the Eternal God of the Bible is quite serious about all nations “keeping” the Feast of Tabernacles! So those of us willing to obey His command now are—in a very real sense—spiritual “pioneers.” If we are genuinely willing to seek and to obey our Creator in this and every way, we will be among the “firstfruits” of those called to be in the Kingdom of God during the coming age of Christ’s reign.
The Feast of Tabernacles is also called the “Feast of Ingathering” in the Bible (Exodus 34:22). For it pictures the harvest of souls which will take place during the Millennium, when Christ and His saints will rule on this earth for a thousand years (Revelation 5:9-10; 20:6).
Obviously God is not “trying” to call or to save the vast majority of human beings during this first six thousand years of human experience. One of God’s names is “El Shaddai.” This literally means “God Almighty.” So if God were trying to save everyone now, He would have total power to do so and no one could stop it! But our Creator is allowing this first six thousand years—picturing the first six “work days of the week” to allow us to try out our own ways—our own system of government, education, religion, etc. Then, the promised “seventh day”—the Millennial rule of Christ—will begin. During this seventh thousand-year period, Christ will set His hand to truly “save” all human beings who are willing. It will be a wonderful and inspiring time. If you wish to learn more about it in detail, please call us or write us and ask for our most encouraging free booklet entitled, The Holy Days: God’s Master Plan.
During our annual Feast of Tabernacles observance, we can hear sermons, see PowerPoint presentations and participate in Bible studies and seminars discussing this awe-inspiring time soon to come. Many messages are given describing the details of Christ’s coming rule over this earth—bringing genuine peace and prosperity to every human being who is willing to serve his Maker. As the prophet Micah was inspired to write, “Now it shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and peoples shall flow to it. Many nations 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 the law shall go forth, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem” (Micah 4:1-2). Truly, the “mountain” or kingdom of the great God will be set up over all nations. Finally, they will learn the genuine “ways” of God which they have not learned before. These ways are based on the “law” of God—the Ten Commandments—as they are magnified by Jesus Christ and the apostles. It will be a time of genuine peace such as the world has never experienced (v. 3). And it will be a time of economic prosperity for all nations where private property will still be respected and each family will have its own home and/or farm (v. 4).
When Christ returns to rule this earth, it will be with total fairness and equity for all mankind, “But with righteousness He shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt of His loins, and faithfulness the belt of His waist” (Isaiah 11:4-5).
Again, God describes a time of total peace over the entire world, as the genuine understanding of God is made plain to every human being: “They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea” (v. 9).
After observing the commanded Feast of Tabernacles this year, more than 7,000 of us are on a spiritual “high” as we come back to our regular lives and jobs. For we have experienced a deep “togetherness” and an inspiring vision of what is absolutely sure to come in the years just ahead! As this world literally collapses all around us, as the American dollar goes down and down, it will become more and more obvious to people that the specific prophecies we have proclaimed for decades are now truly coming to pass! We do not rejoice in the suffering which those unwilling to listen or heed God’s instruction will have to go through! But we do want to be thankful for what God is doing in preparing the way to send His Son back to this earth. For, because human beings are so naturally rebellious and God-rejecting in their total attitudes—as ancient Israel was—it must get darker just before the dawn. Yet, as Jesus tells us about the coming traumatic world events, “Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near” (Luke 21:28).
So we can have faith and genuine hope for the future as we see these powerful events slowly but surely unfolding before our very eyes! Most of you who read this may, in fact, be “called” to understand why you were born, why God has allowed the world to go its own way for six thousand years, and what you should be doing to ensure your part in the coming Kingdom of God. This Work is now reaching increasing millions of human beings with the knowledge of the soon-coming Kingdom of God! If God is opening your mind, I hope that you will truly want to do your part to back the Work of the living God at the end of this age.
Throughout the Bible, God tells us that He will reward for all eternity those who heed Him now. Jesus Christ directly instructed us, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:19-21). May God bless you and guide you so that you can participate in the end-time Work which Jesus Christ is now performing! And may He give you deeper and deeper understanding of these final events of human history and of the genuine future which His Word clearly predicts.
In closing, I want to let all of you know that there will be no regular co-worker letter next month—as I normally write a “semi-annual” letter twice each year to tell not only you brethren and co-workers but our entire readership about the Work behind this publication, what our goals are and what they should be doing about it. So, for those of you who understand, I ask your prayers that God will bless the semi-annual letter and that He will call additional thousands to join us as donors, co-workers and members of the Body of Christ. May God inspire each of you to do your part in all these things involving His Work and His Plan—and may He cause His face to shine upon you as you walk with Him.
With Christian love,
Roderick C. Meredith
P.S. Again, be sure to call or write immediately—before you forget it—for your free copy of our eye-opening booklet about the Feast of Tabernacles and all of God’s commanded Holy Days which will soon be observed by “all nations.” It is entitled, The Holy Days: God’s Master Plan.