Dear Brethren and Co-workers with Christ,
Do you realize how much of an impact this Work that you are a part of is having upon our world? We know that we are incredibly small in number, but it might surprise you that about half our membership lives outside North America. In addition to our offices in the U.S. and Canada, we have offices in the United Kingdom, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand, along with smaller in-home offices in other locations. Tomorrow’s World magazines are printed in the United States, Canada, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and the Philippines, and our Tomorrow’s World telecasts are produced in Canada as well as the United States.
Our Tomorrow’s World subscription list continues to grow toward 600,000, and our combined English, Spanish, and French YouTube subscribers are also closing in on the same figure. This only scratches the surface of all our initiatives. With your help, we are doing a significant Work, but we are still a very little flock (Luke 12:32).
We are often asked how we do all this without charging for our resources. As I explained at one of our recent Tomorrow’s World Presentations, we do not build “church” buildings, as that would consume vast sums that can go to preaching the good news of Christ’s coming Kingdom and warning the Israelite nations and the world of the disaster we are bringing upon ourselves. We follow Proverbs 23:23, “Buy the truth, and do not sell it,” and Christ’s instruction, “Freely you have received, freely give” (Matthew 10:8). Therefore, instead of building elaborate facilities, we rent rooms and halls to fit the needs of local congregations. That is why you will generally not see marquees with “Living Church of God” on the streets of your city. But if you are interested in locating a Sabbath-keeping congregation near you, or speaking with a minister in your area, just let us know. You can call or write us or go to lcg.org and click on “Attend With Us” at the bottom of the page.
In other news, we are facing supply chain shortages in paper, envelopes, copy toner, and just about everything else. Those of you who own businesses understand, as you also face a nightmare getting products you need. Today’s world was unthinkable only two years ago. Who would have thought we would have a famine of baby food formula in one of the richest countries in the world? We are thankful to those countries that have come to our aid as parents frantically struggle to find food for their infants.
And traveling from one store to another to find scarce products has become increasingly expensive. Here in the U.S., the average price of gasoline is now over $5 a gallon! Those of you in other countries probably find that laughably inexpensive, as the last I heard it was over $2.20 per liter in Canada and the situation is no doubt similar in many other countries around the world. And wheat and cooking oil are in short supply in Europe and the United Kingdom as a result of the war in Ukraine.
Whether the pandemic, war, supply chain issues, or the high cost of filling our tanks, these problems are all self-inflicted, in the context of the world at large, though you personally had little to do with it. Civilization is unraveling, and people see this. It is during times of instability and desperation that leaders come to the fore who can look good at the beginning, but who may take the world down a destructive path. Napoleon, Hitler, and Mussolini came to power as problem solvers, but their leadership did not work out well in the end.
It is comforting to think that mankind will muddle through this time of instability, that we will have a “soft landing” for inflation, or that Russia and Ukraine will cut a deal, and Europe will get back to normal. It is comforting to think that famine will be averted in the Middle East and Africa where Ukraine and Russia supply most grain products. Comforting as such thoughts may be, this is not likely reality.
We do not know every twist and turn along the way to the supreme crisis at the end of the age that will usher in the return of Jesus Christ to save humanity from foolish, sinful ways, but we know that we will see conditions far worse than they are today. The Bible indicates there will be a time of short-term prosperity (Revelation 18), but ultimately, many of us will live to see the greatest time of trouble the world has ever known (Matthew 24:21-22; Jeremiah 30:7; Daniel 12:1).
Yet, there is hope for the people of God. Revelation 12 speaks of a time in the future when God will protect His zealous ones in a wilderness place on earth. After Satan tries one more time to knock God off His throne, he will be cast back down (vv. 7-10). He will immediately go after the true Church of God (vv. 12-13), but God will take His people to a place of safety on earth (v.14). This is not a “rapture,” a doctrine in which many falsely place their hope. Heaven is never spoken of as a “wilderness” in Scripture. This is a place on the earth where a small flock will be saved from Satan’s clutches and will experience a deliverance similar to what the children of Israel saw when they fled from Egypt (vv. 15-16).
The last verse of Revelation 12 confirms that the prophecy is not about physical Israel, but about the Church of God. Not all true Christians (and that is far fewer than most people realize) will be protected during the three-and-a-half years of the Great Tribulation and Day of the Lord. “And the dragon was enraged with the woman [the Church], and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ” (v. 17). Clearly there are two groups of true Christians spoken of in these verses—those who are zealously doing the Work for which they are called (see Revelation 3:8-10) and those who keep God’s commandments and have the testimony of Jesus Christ, but are self-satisfied and complacent (compare Revelation 3:15-19).
It is human nature to postpone difficult decisions and to think “I can change later.” I well remember growing up and hearing several of my friends say they were going to live for today until they got old and then they would, in effect, come to a deathbed conversion. The problem is that later in life it is not always so easy to make needed changes. How many I have seen over the years who ran out of time while trying to get right with God. Sickness, family entanglements, and other circumstances make it difficult at best, and how does one approach God while knowing he or she was playing games with Him? It is impossible to “fool God” with this kind of plan!
I hope none of you will try to be like my young friends by postponing what you know you should do. All of you have a head start in the right direction. You believe in God. You are striving to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18). You chose to be a supporter of this Work in carrying the good news of the Kingdom of God to this world (Matthew 24:14). You are doing your part in helping us “Deliver those who are drawn toward death, and hold back those stumbling to the slaughter” (Proverbs 24:11).
I urge you dear friends and co-workers, do what you know you need to do while you can. This world is going in a very bad direction and none of us can afford to be caught off guard. Thank you for your prayers and support. God sees your faithfulness. And thank you for the kind letters we receive from you. Your encouragement is noticed and appreciated.
Sincerely, in Christ’s service,
Gerald E. Weston