Greetings from Charlotte,
It is remarkable today how leaders in supposedly "Christian" countries seem convinced that the Bible is full of errors and that biblical values are no longer relevant, yet archaeological discoveries continue to confirm the truth of the Scriptures and news events continue to confirm the accuracy of ancient Bible prophecies! It appears that several thousand people watched Dr. Meredith's on-line Tomorrow's World Presentation last Sunday and many more are continuing to view the recorded version on the Tomorrow's World Web site. Last Saturday, 40 guests attended the TWP in Concord, California presented by Mr. Rod McNair and Dr. Jeff Fall. We also had a very profitable Regional Conference in Wisconsin Dells on Sunday. This week in Charlotte, Mr. Ames and Mr. Smith are taping new Tomorrow's World programs. This coming Sunday, Mr. Rand Millich and Mr. Gene Hilgenberg will make the final TWP of 2015 in Springfield, Missouri. Please remember God's people around the world in your prayers as they face difficult personal, civil and weather-related problems.—DSW
Church Administration
Dr. Meredith's Live Internet Presentation—A Prophetic Warning for the World
Thank you for your prayers for Dr. Meredith's live December 6 Internet presentation, titled "A Prophetic Warning for the World." God really blessed the message and the technical production and comments from around the world have been very positive.
Dr. Meredith discussed prophetic events leading up to the return of Christ and the resurrection of the saints. He encouraged viewers to draw close to God and to get involved in the greatest Work of preaching the true Gospel as the end of the age approaches. The recording of this past Sunday's live presentation can be found under the "Presentations" section at the Tomorrow's World Web site at: http://www.tomorrowsworld.org/presentations/archives.
At the conclusion of Dr. Meredith's presentation, Mr. Wallace Smith made a special announcement inviting everyone to connect on Saturday, December 26, to our first-ever, special service, titled "Meet the Living Church of God." This will be a special Sabbath service and sermon by Dr. Meredith, streamed live from Charlotte over the Internet. Check the Tomorrow's World Web site for more details.—Wyatt Ciesielka
Tomorrow's World Presents in Concord, California
On Sabbath afternoon, December 6, 40 interested guests and 33 members attended a Tomorrow's World presentation in Concord. The first part, "After Armageddon," was energetically delivered by Mr. Rod McNair. Following a 10 minute break, I gave the second presentation, "The Mystery of God's Holy Days." Many guests remained for more than an hour, enthusiastically asking questions, with a number expressing interest in attending Sabbath services. Visitors' comments included: "I normally only go places with friends. My friend couldn't come with me today, but something told me I had to come anyway... I am so glad I did! I want to try keeping the Sabbath" and "What interesting interpretations of the Bible. I had never thought about the Holy Days before!"—Jeffrey Fall
Visit to Brethren in Brazil and Guyana
Mr. Damian Weekes, Associate Pastor for Trinidad and Guyana, and I visited the brethren in two villages in Brazil and Guyana this past week. In Moscou, 65 attended the Sabbath service and Bible Study and 45 attended the midweek Bible Study in Awarewaunau. The language barriers did little to dampen their enthusiasm to learn more about God's Work and His Way of Life and we conducted song-leading instruction and held training meetings with the men. We were able also to visit both congregations' subsistence farms, cut out of the Amazon jungle and bush, which are 1½ to 2 hours hike from their villages. The congregations and the villages were very hospitable and very grateful for our visit and sad that we could not stay longer to help them learn more of God's Way of life. It is inspiring that our Father has called these remote brethren and a privilege and blessing to see them grow.—Rick Stafford
Are You Interested in Helping Spread the Gospel?—Must Read
The Church spends hundreds of thousands of dollars each year for the call center that takes calls from people requesting literature offered on the Tomorrow's World telecast. In an effort to be wise stewards of what we have been given to work with, we believe we could potentially save a substantial amount of this expense by taking the calls ourselves. This savings can then be used to preach the Gospel and reach even more people. However, for this to happen we will need your help! This is a unique opportunity for Church members to let their lights shine and have a direct "hands on" part in spreading the Gospel. In order for this to be successful, we need many volunteers who can take calls in their own homes and are willing to assist with our peak-volume call-in periods at different times throughout the week. We are looking for friendly individuals who are committed to God's Work, are comfortable working with a computer, have high-speed Internet access (at least 15 Mbps) and could commit to being available on a semi-regular basis to help ensure that we are able to handle the volume of calls. At this time we are only asking for members in the continental United States to volunteer—in the future we may be able to expand this to some other countries as well. You notifying us of your interest in helping will in no way commit you to any particular day or time; it is just to let us know if we have enough people to move forward with this project. The more people who volunteer the better, since it will allow us to spread the workload around and prevent scheduling any one person too often. The success of this project depends on you! If you are interested in volunteering, please e-mail Daniel Guidry at [email protected] and give him your contact information. This is the last week we will ask for volunteers, so please respond right away.—Jim Meredith
Charlotte Family Weekend Registration Deadline Extended
We have extended the deadline to register and pay for events at the Charlotte Family Weekend to December 20. Since we must give guaranteed numbers to the hotel for the meals, we must receive your payment by December 20or your meal will not be ordered. Thank you to everyone who has registered and paid thus far. This really makes our planning go much smoother.
If you want to join a basketball or volleyball team for the tournament, please e-mail [email protected] and let him know. He will do his best to get you on a team.
For more detailed information on the events and to register, go to your MyLCG page on the www.cogl.org Web site. (If you do not have computer access, your local Festival Advisor can register for you.) Updated information on this year's event can be found on the Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/LcgCharlotteWinterWeekend?ref=bookmarks. You do not need a Facebook account to access this page. We hope many of you can join us for a weekend of spiritual rejuvenation, fun, food, and fellowship!—Jim Meredith
Internet Department
Spanish YouTube Site Passes 3,000,000 Views!—Repeat Announcement
We are excited to announce that the Spanish-language Tomorrow's World YouTube site, El Mundo de Mañana, just surpassed an important milestone of more than 3,000,000 views! This is very encouraging! It is also encouraging to see that many days the El Mundo de Mañana YouTube page receives 5,000-8,000 or more views in a single day, and that these views come from all around the world—from Latin America to Australia and from Israel to Europe! We thank God for blessing these efforts to reach the entire world in multiple languages, with the Truth and with the Good News of Jesus Christ's return and the coming Kingdom of God!—Wyatt Ciesielka
Living Youth Program
Online Teen Bible Study Friday Evening
The online Teen Bible Study on Friday evening, December 18, will be on "Will You Go to Heaven?," presented by Mr. Sheldon Monson. If you haven't had the opportunity to join us for one of the online Bible Studies yet, we encourage you to do so. It is a wonderful way to start the Sabbath day.
The Bible Study runs from 8:00 to 9:00 p.m. (Eastern time) and the chat room will be open for a half hour before and after the study. You can access this Bible Study at livingyouth.org. We hope as many of our youth as possible will join us for this wonderful opportunity for godly fellowship and learning. For those of you who are unable to make it to the study, archives of previous Living Youth Bible Studies, including last evening's on, "What Is 'Hell'?," can also be found on the Living Youth Web site.
Living University
Registration for Second Semester
Registration for second semester classes is now underway! Classes will begin in just over four weeks, on January 13! Students may register for the spring semester (fall in the Southern Hemisphere) any time before the start of classes. Those who have never taken a Living University course will need to enroll in the University first, and then register for your selected courses. This semester, along with many of our traditional spring semester classes, we will be offering two completely new courses. A complete listing of second semester courses can also be viewed on the Living University Web site under the link "Spring 2016 Class Schedule." To make application to Living University, to register for courses, and to find out more, please visit the www.livinguniv.com Web site. Teens in their last three years of high school/secondary school are encouraged to enroll in LU's Early College program—a great way to develop a more solid "spiritual foundation"! This program allows high school students to take one LU class per semester while completing their high school course work. And they can do this with an 80 percent discount in tuition. THL 226 Christian Living is a great class for Early College students to begin with next semester. For more information on the Early College program, visit the following link, www.livinguniv.com/early-college. For additional information on this and our other programs, please contact Mrs. Michelle Broussard at [email protected] or 704-708-2294.
Comments
Modern Misguided Leaders: Some of the strongest condemnations delivered by the Hebrew prophets were against the leaders of Israel who "cause My people to err by their lies and by their recklessness" and "who try to make My people forget My name by their dreams" (Jeremiah 23:13, 26-27, 32; see also Isaiah 3:12; 9:16). Many do not realize these prophecies are dual—the initial fulfillment was in the ancient world, but the ultimate fulfillment will be at the end of the age. Today, not only atheists and agnostics deride belief in God and the Bible, but liberal leaders in schools, churches and government seem determined to undermine and reject biblical values that have provided the foundation of Western Civilization for two thousand years. The claim that biblically-based moral values are outdated and repressive, and the attempt to encourage the practice of other belief systems follows the path of the ancient Israelites who turned away from God to follow pagan religious practices that God condemned (see Jeremiah 1:16; 2:11-13, 19). As we watch these ancient prophecies come alive today, it is remarkable that church leaders, who should know better, do not even want to talk about these prophecies. When we read Isaiah 58:1, we find we are to "Cry aloud, spare not… Tell My people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins"—which must be the mission of godly leaders today!
Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail
News and Prophecy—December 10, 2015
The UK Must Be De-Christianized! Mainstream Christianity is under fire around the globe, even in traditionally "Christian" nations. This week, a new report underscored the growing marginalization of traditional Christianity in the United Kingdom. "A two-year commission, chaired by the former senior judge Baroness Butler-Sloss and involving leading religious leaders from all faiths, calls for public life in Britain to be systematically de-Christianised. It says that the decline of churchgoing and the rise of Islam and other faiths mean a 'new settlement' is needed for religion in the UK, giving more official influence to non-religious voices and those of non-Christian faiths. The report provoked a furious row as it was condemned by Cabinet ministers… and the Church of England…. The Commission on Religion and Belief in Public Life has attracted particular controversy because of the seniority of those behind it" (The Telegraph, December 7, 2015). Bible prophecies have long foretold this end-time shift away from any semblance of respect for God and His word. Moses warned the Israelite peoples, "after my death you will become utterly corrupt, and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you. And evil will befall you in the latter days because you will do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke Him to anger through the work of your hands" (Deuteronomy 31:29). Other prophets warned that serious consequences would result from turning away from the God of the Bible (see Jeremiah 1:16; 2:11-13, 19; Hosea 8:11-14). Britain's future will be sad and sobering in the short term as it continues to reject God and His laws (Hosea 4:6). For more about Britain's future, read our informative booklet The United States and Great Britain in Prophecy.
King Hezekiah's Seal Found: Critics like to claim that the Bible is only a collection of myths and legends, yet archaeologists digging near the Temple Mount in Jerusalem have found a clay impression of the royal seal of the biblical King Hezekiah. The seal reads "Belonging to Hezekiah (son of) Ahaz, king of Judah" (biblicalarchaeology.org, December 3, 2015). King Hezekiah ruled over the kingdom of Judah in the 8th century BCE and is mentioned in Assyrian inscriptions. The clay seal, about 1 cm (½ inch) in diameter, was used to attach a string that surrounded a scroll. This artifact "is believed to be the first-ever seal… from an Israeli or Judean King to be discovered by archaeologists" (CNN, December 4, 2015). While critics attempt to discredit the truth of Scripture and even deny that biblical kings ever existed, archaeological finds continue to validate the truth of the Bible (John 17:17; Psalm 119:160). Jesus also stated, "For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light" (Luke 8:17). Hezekiah's seal and many other biblical proofs provide powerful evidence that the Bible is a source of factual information (1 Peter 3:15). For more on this important subject, read our article, "Prove the Bible!"
Germany's Growing Global Role: "In a meeting with German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier in Baghdad on Monday, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi requested that Germany play a more active role in the fight against the so-called 'Islamic State' (IS). The dpa news agency reported that the Iraqi premier had in particular asked the German government to provide help with troop training" (Deutsche Welle, December 7, 2015). The German parliament just voted to send 1,200 German troops and much military hardware to Syria to support coalition efforts against IS (EU Observer, December 4, 2015). Germany and Israel also continue to strengthen ties. "Visiting Israel, German President Joachim Gauck has called for stronger bridges between Germany and the Jewish state… saying—with reference to the recent attacks in Paris—that 'now that terrorism is moving closer to us in western Europe, I have a better idea of the threat that Israelis have been facing for decades'" (Deutsche Welle, December 6, 2015). Mr. Gauck was also awarded an honorary doctorate from Hebrew University of Jerusalem during his recent visit (ibid.). God warned the Israelite-descended nations that their former positions of international leadership would be filled by Gentiles and especially by nations like Germany (Deuteronomy 28:43-45; Isaiah 7:17; 10:5-6). Today we see the leadership and peacekeeping roles of the United States and Britain diminishing, while respect for Germany is increasing, just as God prophesied! For more on the end-time role-reversal in global leadership, read "The Demise of the West."—ScottWinnail, Justin Ridgeway, Deborah Lincoln-Strange and Francine Prater