Greetings from Charlotte,
Mr. Jonathan McNair returned this week after a very productive trip to Thailand and Malaysia. Dr. Scott Winnail is in the U.K. to conduct a Tomorrow’s World Presentation in Glasgow and take care of other business leading to his move to England a few months from now. Carol and I returned from a most enjoyable trip to Colombia, South America, where we held a ministerial conference. We had 90 people from four cities in Colombia attending in person for the Sabbath service, with another 607 people in 21 countries (Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, England, Gabon [Central Africa], Guatemala, Honduras, Italy, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico, Spain, United States, and Venezuela) connecting online for the sermon.
On another subject, Mr. Cristian Orrego informs us that YouTube censored Mr. Richard Ames’ Tomorrow’s World program titled “La segunda venida” (“The Second Coming”). YouTube considers that the content of this program is very harmful to young people and children. When God said Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, He was being totally literal.—Gerald Weston
Church Administration
Past and Upcoming Tomorrow’s World Presentations
Last week we held four Tomorrow's World Presentations: three initial presentations and one follow-up, with a total of 91 guests. This week, we have six presentations scheduled, including two initial presentations, in Glasgow, Scotland, and Tifton, Georgia. The year is off to a great start! So far, we have held 43 TWP campaigns (one initial TWP and any subsequent follow-ups are counted as one campaign). These include 31 in the United States and ten international campaigns. These campaigns have had a total of 493 unique guests (not including guests who return to attend the follow-up TWPs): 355 in the United States and 138 internationally. For a complete list of upcoming TWPs, please visit tomorrowsworld.org/presentations. We appreciate your continued support and prayers for the success of these events.
Passover 2023—Repeat Announcement
Important Notice to All Pastors: In 2023, the Passover Service will be observed on Tuesday evening, April 4. Please let us know as soon as possible if any of the congregations you serve will need additional Passover Service supplies (bread trays and/or wine trays or glasses) or a physical copy of the Passover Service recording and letter instructions (available in English, French, and Spanish). To ensure timely delivery and to save on shipping costs, we need this information before March 17 for U.S. congregations.
Also, please let us know of any scattered members who are unable to keep the Passover with a congregation and who need to receive a physical copy of the Passover Service recording and letter instructions for observing it at home. U.S. requests should be received before March 17. Please direct your requests to the Church Administration Department at [email protected] as soon as possible.
Note: As in the last couple of years, the digital Passover Service recording will be available to pastors and video recipients via the FTP site, and a private YouTube link will also be provided.
Living Education
Men’s Training Camp – Texas
Last year, we had a very successful Men’s Training Camp in Livingston, Texas, just north of Houston. We’ll be going back to Camp Cho-Yeh one more time, with another opportunity to learn and fellowship for men in the East Texas area and beyond. The event will begin on Friday evening, March 17, and conclude on Sunday, March 19. That is only three weeks away, so it’s important to register right away to make sure you don’t miss this opportunity! To learn more about the event, go to https://www.lcgeducation.org/mens-training-camp-texas-2023/. You can register directly by going to www.cogl.org and logging in to your MyLCG account, or contact Mr. Rick Stafford at [email protected]. Be sure to sign up right away!
Comments
The Role of a Watchman: Many churches today feel their mission is to tell people that God loves them and that Jesus came to save sinners. However, there is much more to the biblical message. Jesus told His disciples to be alert and watch for events that will mark the approaching end of the age and His return (Matthew 24; Mark 13; Luke 21). Events making news today, including increasingly severe weather, wars and spreading violence, religious confusion and moral corruption—especially in modern Israelite nations—are prophesied to occur. They will coincide with the rise of a political power in Europe with links to the ancient Roman Empire and which 4will be promoted by an ecumenical-minded Roman Church, as well as the rise of adversarial powers in Asia and the Arab world. Just as God raised up a series of prophets to warn the ancient nations of Israel and Judah that their ungodly ways would bring serious consequences, God has given His Church a similar role today—to function as a watchman and warn of the consequences of our sinful ways (Ezekiel 2:3; 33; Isaiah 58:1). Delivering this powerful warning message will accompany the preaching of the Gospel of the coming Kingdom of God (Matthew 24:14). This is the role we have been given today.
Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail
News and Prophecy—February 23, 2023
European "Global Gateway" Preparing to Launch: The European Union’s long-planned alternative to China’s Belt and Road Initiative is about to move ahead (Politico, January 23, 2023). A planning document for the Global Gateway Project proposes 70 different international projects, some of which are set to begin in 2023. “The EU has several projects planned in China’s backyard, such as an energy transition partnership with Indonesia and a digital connectivity project in the Philippines. There are also projects in Russia’s backyard, such as a hydrogen project in Kazakhstan, a transport link in Central Asia, two projects in Mongolia and a hydro-power plant in Tajikistan.” Other proposed projects include a Black Sea digital cable, a fiber-optic cable connecting North Africa to Europe, and a hydroelectric plant in Cameroon. While the EU is planning to deploy $300 billion in public and private funds by 2027, this is far less than the $2.3 trillion China has spent since 2005.
Will the Global Gateway Project truly rival or even replace China’s Belt and Road Initiative? Bible prophecy reveals that a future German-led “beast” power will enable a major global trade effort for a period of time. This European economic powerhouse will cause nations that closely align with it to prosper, trading all types of goods—including the “bodies and souls of men” (Revelation 18:3, 12–13). Whether the Global Gateway Project will serve as any sort of precursor to this coming economic combine remains to be seen. However, the Bible reveals this prophesied trading superpower will be short-lived. To learn more about Europe’s future, be sure to read The Beast of Revelation: Myth, Metaphor or Soon-Coming Reality?
Natural Disasters and the Plan of God: The recent 7.8 magnitude earthquake in Syria and Turkey and subsequent aftershocks have claimed nearly 50,000 lives and wreaked vast devastation, including destroying over a quarter of a million apartments in Turkey (The Tribune, February 18, 2023). As time runs out for saving the lives of more people buried in the rubble, the death toll is expected to soar to even greater levels.
In New Zealand, the city of Auckland and surrounding areas received an entire month’s worth of rainfall in just one day, leading to catastrophic flooding (JBARisk.com, January-February 2023). Then, within a week, Cyclone Gabrielle hit the north island, causing widespread devastation and prompting New Zealand’s prime minister, Chris Hopkins, to declare a national emergency for only the third time in the history of the nation (Reuters, February 15, 2023). Last week, South Africa’s president also declared a national state of emergency in response to widespread flooding in seven of the nation’s nine provinces (Reuters, February 14, 2023). The flooding has resulted in the loss of critical infrastructure, and this on the heels of ongoing power shortages across the nation. In northeast Kenya, several years of severe drought have ravaged crops, killed livestock, and created food shortages for millions of people in the region.
As we look around the globe, we see ever-increasing natural disasters, just as the Bible predicts will happen. With these disasters comes tremendous human suffering. As the Apostle Paul noted, the whole creation “groans” in agony as it awaits the return of Jesus Christ and the revealing of His saints (Romans 8:19–23). When Christ finally returns to set up His Kingdom on the earth, the extreme and destructive natural disasters we see today will become a thing of the past, as obedient nations experience the blessings that come from obeying their Creator who controls the weather (cf. Leviticus 26:4; Deuteronomy 28:12). As we see extreme weather, floods, droughts, famines, and other catastrophes, we can be assured there really is hope ahead. To learn more about this coming time of worldwide peace and safety, be sure to read or listen to our encouraging booklet The World Ahead: What Will It Be Like?—Scott Winnail and Francine Prater