Greetings from Charlotte,
The fallout from the European Parliamentary elections and the resulting internal struggles for positions and power could lead to a prophetically significant restructuring of the EU in the months ahead. On a wider scene, China and Russia are both testing the resolve of the United States, whose influence in the world is perceived to be declining, while Pope Francis has begun to emerge as a prominent player on the world stage—as Bible prophecies have long foretold. Here in Charlotte, Dr. Meredith is feeling better, and he held a number of meetings before heading for Chicago for Pentecost. This week we held several meetings (via the Internet) with Festival Site Coordinators, and Dr. Scott Winnail reports that Living University should have 11 on-site students for the coming school year. Last weekend, a total of 73 new visitors attended Tomorrow's World Presentations in Canada, Arkansas and Tennessee. This coming weekend, Mr. and Mrs. Ames will be in Kansas City, Mr. and Mrs. Jim Meredith will be in Toronto, Mr. Mario Hernandez and Mr. Cristian Orrego will be in Mexico City and I will be in Florida. Please pray that God will pour out His Spirit on His Church on this High Holy Day.—DSW
Church Administration
Omaha Henry Doorly Zoo Visit Invitation
Join the Omaha, Nebraska congregation in visiting the Omaha Henry Doorly Zoo. The Omaha congregation will be hosting a visit to the Zoo on June 22, 2014.
You are invited to join them for services and a covered dish meal on the Sabbath of June 21. Services will be held at Ralston High School at 1:30 p.m. The address for the high school is 8969 Park Drive, Omaha, NE 68127. A Bible Study is planned after services and before the evening's activities get underway. The following morning we will visit Omaha's renowned Henry Doorly Zoo and have an opportunity to tour all of the spectacular exhibits.
To register for the weekend's activities, contact us by e-mail at [email protected] or call Alex Pomicter at 402-250-7806 or Brian Pomicter at 402-650-1614. Please be sure to specify your housing need when you register.
So mark your calendars and plan to spend an exciting weekend with your brethren in the Midwest! —Brian Pomicter
Feast of Tabernacles
As summer—and Pentecost—approaches, plans for the Feast of Tabernacles continue to roll forward as well! On top of their many other duties, Festival Site Coordinators in the USA and around the world are formulating plans for Feast activities, to be posted on the festival Web site (http://fot2014.lcg.org) toward the end of June. Activity registration will open soon after that.
If you have not yet registered for the Feast, please do so now to help with planning for the Feast.
2014 Israel Feast Tour—Repeat Announcement
There is still room for more brethren to spend the Feast of Tabernacles in Israel this year, and we would love to have anyone interested in this special tour join us. This will be the last time we will have a Feast in Israel in the foreseeable future, so don't miss out on the amazing trip. Your Bible will come to life as you visit places you have read about—enter Jerusalem; walk through Capernaum, Megiddo and Nazareth; stand by the Sea of Galilee; just to name a few. This is truly an experience you will never forget, but the deadline to register is fast approaching. If you would like to be a part of this special trip, please go to the MyLCG page and register as soon as possible. This site will officially be closed to further registration on June 15.—Jim Meredith
Festival (Second Tithe) Assistance Requests—U.S. Only—Repeat Announcement
Attention U.S. Pastors: The deadline to submit Festival Assistance Request forms to the Church Administration Department is Tuesday, July 15. All forms should be properly completed by the members requesting second tithe assistance to attend the Feast this year. Then, the Area Pastors should write their recommendations/comments on the forms before submitting them to CAD. Festival Assistance Request forms are available to ministers on the MyLCG Web site (www.cogl.org).—Festival Office
Living Youth Programs
West Virginia Family and Pre-teen Camp 2014—Limited Time Left To Apply!
The deadline for campers and workers to sign up for the West Virginia Family and Pre-teen Camp is Sunday, June 15. Camp dates are Sunday, July 13 through Friday, July 18. To register for this camp, or for more information, visit https://lyc.lcg.org.—Paul Shumway
Adventure Camp 2014 - Yellowstone National Park
The trip itinerary is now posted on the Living Youth Web site. For anyone accepted to go on the Adventure Trip, please check the youth Web site for details.
Teen Camp Ohio 2014
We are no longer accepting applications for campers or staff for this camp. Anyone still wanting to apply should contact Jenny Penman at [email protected] or Sheldon Monson at [email protected]. Applicants will be placed on a waiting list and accepted only if room permits. The "staff assignments" have been posted on the Living Youth Web site. If you have been accepted as a staff member, please check the Web site to see where you have been assigned.—Sheldon Monson
Comments
Real Philadelphia Christians: The New Testament Church began nearly 2,000 years ago on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2). The Scriptures indicate the Work of God will be carried on at the end of the age by real Philadelphian Christians (Revelation 3:7-13). This dedicated group of disciples will be focused on carrying out Jesus' instructions to preach the Gospel of the coming Kingdom of God (Mark 1:14-15; 16:15), to warn the Israelite nations and the world about the consequences of mankind's sinful ways (Matthew 10:6-7; Mark 13), and to prepare a people to reign with Jesus Christ at His return (Luke 1:17). The name "Philadelphia" means "brotherly love," and true Philadelphians will also strive to follow Jesus' admonition to "love one another" (John 15:12-17). They understand that showing unselfish, outgoing concern for others (versus sitting in judgment of others) is one of the distinguishing marks of a real Philadelphian Christian (John 13:34-35). As the world become more self-centered, crass, disunited and brutal (2 Timothy 1:1-5), let's all look for ways to show real "brotherly love" as we strive to carry out the mission of preaching the Gospel, warning the world and preparing a people to reign with Jesus Christ in the coming Kingdom of God.
Have a profitable Sabbath and Pentecost,
Douglas S. Winnail
News and Prophecy—June 5, 2014
Kings of the East Rising? "A treaty to launch the Eurasian Economic Union spanning Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus has been signed by the countries' presidents in the Kazakh capital. The bloc will come into being next January" (Deutsche Welle, May 29, 2014). "Armenia and Kyrgyzstan have said that they want to join the union later. The Eurasian Economic Union will base its executive body in Moscow, a high court in Belarus and a top financial regulator in Kazakhstan" (ibid.). Other actions involve an economic and gas deal between Russia and China that was signed in Shanghai at 4 a.m., showing its urgency. The 30-year deal could be worth some $400 billion to Russia and will make up for financial resources lost due to anticipated European sanctions. "Thus this deal could symbolize an important moment of transition—when both in economic and geo-political terms, Russia's gaze begins to look more towards the East than towards the West" (BBC, May 21, 2014). Bible prophecies have long foretold that at the end of this age, a powerful group of "kings from the east" (of Jerusalem) will muster a large army and descend on the Middle East and possibly Europe (Daniel 11:44-45; Revelation 9:13-19; 16:12-16). We need to watch to see if these agreements between Russia, China and other Asian nations will lead to the fulfillment of these sobering end-time prophecies. For more on the future of this dynamic region, be sure to read our article on "What's Ahead for Russia?"
Will Britain Leave the EU? Political struggles are threatening the internal cohesion of the European Union. Following the elections for the European Parliament, British Prime Minister David Cameron warned, "his country could leave the European Union if Luxembourg's former premier Jean-Claude Juncker became the next European Commission president" (Agence-France Presse, May 31, 2014). Britain is not alone in its mistrust of Mr. Juncker, who is known to favor deeper integration for a more federated Europe. Sweden, Hungary, the Netherlands, Finland and even France also oppose Juncker as the next European Commission president (ibid.; AFP, May 31, 2014). A recent Der Spiegel editorial demonstrated the divide in the EU and growing animosity toward Britain. "Europe has taken British sensitivities and particularities into account for long enough… For years, Britain has blackmailed and made a fool out of the EU. The United Kingdom must finally make a choice: It can play by the rules or it can leave the European Union" (June 3, 2014). Bible prophecies speak of a fragile end-time political body in Europe made of "iron and clay" (Daniel 2:40-44). Other prophecies indicate that Israelite-descended nations of Western Europe (such as Britain and France) will not be part of the final configuration of the European Beast power that God will use to actually punish His backsliding people (Isaiah 10:5-11; Hosea 5; 8; 11). For more insights about future events that will impact modern Israelite nations, be sure to view our telecast, "What's Ahead for America and Britain?"
Caribbean Plague: A rapidly spreading viral disease has erupted in the sunny islands of the Caribbean. Victims of the chikungunya disease "suffer searing headaches, a burning fever and so much pain in their joints they can barely walk or use their hands. It's like having a terrible flu combined with an abrupt case of arthritis. Hospitals and clinics throughout the Caribbean are seeing thousands of people with the same symptoms, victims of a virus with a long and unfamiliar name that has been spread rapidly by mosquitoes across the islands [over 100 new cases per day] after the first locally transmitted case was confirmed in December" (MSN, May 23, 2014). The disease was first diagnosed in Africa in the 1950s, but has made its way to the Caribbean through international travel (ibid.). Documented cases have also been reported in South America (French Guiana and Guyana) with nearly 60,000 cases reported throughout the whole region. Although this disease is very painful, it is rarely fatal (Associated Press, May 28, 2014). This recent outbreak illustrates just how quickly a dangerous disease can spread. Bible prophecies warn that one of the signs of the end of the age would be "pestilences" or disease epidemics that strike large numbers of people (Luke 21:11; Revelation 6:1-8). For more information about prophesied disease epidemics, be sure to read our article "Disease Epidemics: The Fourth Horseman."—Scott Winnail, Marc Arseneault, Justin Ridgeway, Ron Ramsingh and Chris Sookdeo