Greetings from Charlotte,
We hope you all had an inspiring and encouraging Pentecost! This week, Mr. Gerald Weston traveled to Canada, with a first stop at the London, Ontario office to record telecasts and a Viewpoint video and to do administrative work. He then is travelling to Penticton, British Columbia, where he will be for a Tomorrow’s World Presentation and Sabbath services this weekend.
The L4T program in Blowing Rock, North Carolina, is also this weekend. L4T, “Living For Tomorrow,” is a program that brings young adults together for a weekend of learning and fellowship. This year’s group will meet at the rustic Blowing Rock Conference Center in the beautiful foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, about a two-hour drive from Charlotte. Thirty-two participants will be arriving in Blowing Rock on Friday afternoon to check in, have dinner, and attend the evening welcome session and Bible Study. Saturday’s schedule will consist of Sabbath services, an afternoon of relaxed fellowship and instructional sessions, and an evening dance. Sunday’s activities conclude by midday. If you are a single between the ages of 18 and 30, why not make plans to come next year?
TWPs have also been ramped up this week after a brief hiatus, as Mr. Wallace Smith explains in this week’s video update. Please pray for these and other activities in God’s Work.
—Rod McNair
Church Administration
Tomorrow’s World Presentations
After a brief break in TWPs due to Pentecost, presentations are back in full swing this week with 13 events scheduled, listed below:
- Rice Lake, Wisconsin – “Presentation Series” presentation
- Penticton, British Columbia, Canada – Initial presentation
- Online, Canada
- Portland, Oregon – Initial presentation
- Cauayan City, Philippines – Initial presentation
- Merrill, Wisconsin – Follow-up presentation
- Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin – Follow-up presentation
- Taunton, England, United Kingdom – Follow-up presentation
- London, Ontario, Canada – Initial presentation
- Gaffney, South Carolina – Initial presentation
- Eugene, Oregon – Initial presentation
- Plymouth, England, United Kingdom – Follow-up presentation
- Kannapolis, North Carolina – Initial presentation
Thank you all for your continued prayers and support for the Tomorrow’s World Presentations.
Living Youth Program
Missouri Preteen Camp—Last Chance to Apply
This is the final call for camper applications for the Missouri Preteen Camp! Camp begins in four weeks, so all applications must be submitted by the end of Monday, June 1. We look forward to seeing you at camp!
Comments
The Importance of Prophecy: Jesus told His disciples to stay alert and watch for the fulfillment of Bible prophecies that will mark the approaching end of this age (Matthew 24:42–44; Mark 13:32–37; Luke 21:34–36). Jesus also warned, in the parable of the foolish virgins, that many will be caught unprepared by the sudden surge of events that will precede His return (Matthew 25:1–13). God has given His Church “a more sure word of prophecy” (2 Peter 1:19, King James Version) so we can warn the Israelite nations and the world of the prophetic significance of world events. It is an awesome responsibility to be commissioned as a watchman (Ezekiel 3:16–21; 33:1–11). It is also sobering to see that Satan has deceived the world and many in the Church to discount the importance of prophecy. We must never take Bible prophecy and our commission lightly.
Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail
News and Prophecy
The Euphrates River Is Drying Up! Scientists claim that one of the world’s ancient rivers, the mighty Euphrates, is drying up. “Satellite data collected between 2003 and 2013 documented a staggering loss of 144 cubic kilometers, roughly 34 cubic miles, of freshwater from the Tigris-Euphrates basin” (Israel365News, May 13, 2026). A 2021 Iraqi Ministry of Water Resources report warned that the river could be dry by 2040. Sixty million people across Syria, Turkey, and Iraq rely on water from the Euphrates River, and it has provided 85 percent of Syria’s agricultural water. If water levels drop below a critical point, water turbines creating electricity from dammed river water will stop functioning, and millions will be without electricity. Hotter and dryer weather contribute to the problem, as do the river’s many dams, which siphon water before it reaches locations further downstream. The Euphrates River has 22 dams in Turkey alone!
The Euphrates is just one river, but it is the lifeblood of millions of people. The Bible notes that this river will also have a powerful military impact on the region just prior to Christ’s return. Scripture warns of a time when the waters of the Euphrates River will dry up and make way for the great armies of “the kings from the east” to descend on the Holy Land (Revelation 16:12). On the surface, world events can seem disconnected and unimportant, but when viewed through the lens of the Bible, they take on far more meaning. To learn more about events to watch for in the Middle East, you can read or listen to The Middle East in Prophecy.
Dangerous Ebola Outbreak in Central Africa: The World Health Organization recently labeled the current Ebola outbreak in Congo-Kinshasa and Western Uganda a “public health emergency of international concern” (The Guardian, May 17, 2026). This indicates a far greater level of concern than Central African outbreaks of the past. This particular strain of Ebola cannot be easily tested for, and there are no approved vaccines or treatments. Public health officials are also very concerned about “the scale and speed” of the virus’ transmission (Deutsche Welle, May 19, 2026). Thanks to air travel, it can spread from one country to another very quicky. Carrying a mortality rate of 25 to 90 percent—depending on various factors—Ebola is highly contagious and is spread through bodily fluids of both living and dead people. This is the seventeenth Ebola outbreak in Congo-Kinshasa. One of the deadliest occurred from 2018 to 2020, killing almost 2,300 people.
Public health experts are particularly concerned about this outbreak because it spread for weeks before being detected. Because of the outbreak, countries bordering the infected areas are closing their borders, but public health officials are warning against border closures because they could result in more illegal and unmonitored border crossings, possibly aiding the spread of the deadly virus (Reuters, May 20, 2026).
This latest outbreak will likely be contained. However, as viruses mutate, they become harder to identify and treat. As air travel continues, infections can be more easily spread across the globe, especially when the period between infection and the display of symptoms is long. The Bible foretells a time at the end of the age when many devastating events will impact the world, including the spread of deadly pestilences (Revelation 6:7–8). During this time, disease epidemics will ravage the world more profoundly than at any other time in human history. To learn more about end-time Bible prophecies to watch for, you can read or listen to our study guide Fourteen Signs Announcing Christ’s Return. —Scott Winnail, Francine Prater, and Chris Sookdeo