Greetings from Charlotte,
In this week’s video update I mentioned that Mr. Stuart Wachowicz’ Viewpoint, “Do Schools Discriminate Against Boys?” surpassed 1.6 million views. While it is not “the Gospel,” it reflects the signs of the times as mentioned in Isaiah, “As for My people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them” (Isaiah 3:12). We are seeing our developed Western nations more and more dominated by women and this is a reflection of a trend occurring over the last few decades in our schools. We are also pleased to mention that Mr. Michael DeSimone’s whiteboard “The One Sin That Cannot Be Forgiven” has now surpassed the one million mark. Messrs. DeSimone and Wakefield are scheduled to return Thursday afternoon from the National Religious Broadcasters conference that was held in Texas this week. Responses to the Semi-Annual offer of the “Make Sense of Your World” DVD continue to come in, with just short of 26,000 coming in by mail. This does not count those coming in by phone and over the Internet. The full moon this week is a reminder that the Feast of Tabernacles is only 12 weeks away!—Gerald Weston
Church Administration
U.S. Festival (Second Tithe) Assistance Requests—Repeat Announcement
Attention U.S. Pastors: The deadline to submit Festival Assistance Request forms to the Church Administration Department is Thursday, 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. The forms are available to ministers on the MyLCG website (www.cogl.org).—Festival Office
Living Education
We still have a couple of openings available for young men and women to join our 2021–22 Living Education-Charlotte program. The deadline for applications is July 1. If you know of a young person who has a love of God and His ways and wants to build a solid foundation for life, then encourage them to apply. Those interested can go to https://www.lcgeducation.org/charlotte/ and click on the “Apply for 2021–22” button.—Jonathan McNair
Living Youth Program
Texas Teen Camp: Camp Choir—Deadline to Register Is June 30
We’re planning to have a Camp choir! Whether you are going to be a camper or a staff member, if you would like to participate in choir at Camp, please fill out the following form (Login to MyLCG) by June 30 (this form only takes about a minute to complete). If you have questions, please contact Mr. Jonathan McNair at [email protected].
West Virginia Preteen Camp: Registration Deadline Is July 1
The last day for campers to register for the West Virginia Preteen Camp is Thursday, July 1. We are no longer accepting staff for this camp. If you are interested in serving as camp staff, please consider another Preteen Camp.
Comments
Pay Attention to Prophecy: Jesus told His disciples to stay alert and watch for the fulfillment of specific prophecies that will mark the approaching end of this age (Matthew 24; Mark 13; Luke 21). He also warned, in the parable of foolish virgins, that many will be caught napping and unprepared by the 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, KJV) so we can warn the nations of Israel and the world about the prophetic significance of world events. It is also an awesome responsibility to be commissioned as a watchman (Ezekiel 3 and 33). Satan has deceived the world and many in the Church to discount the importance of prophecy. We must never take prophecy lightly (1 Thessalonians 5:20). As we watch world events building to a prophetic crescendo, let’s make sure we continue to study Bible prophecy, build a closer relationship with God, and learn to live by every word of God (Matthew 4:4).
Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail
News and Prophecy—June 24, 2021
A Sea Change in Israel? After twelve years under 71-year-old Benjamin Netanyahu’s leadership, Israel has a new prime minister—Netanyahu’s former ally, 49-year-old Naftali Bennett (AP, June 13, 2021). Winning the office by just one Knesset vote, Prime Minister Bennett will lead a “fragile coalition comprised of eight parties with deep ideological differences.” However, Netanyahu will not disappear. He is still part of Israel’s leadership and aims to return to power as soon as is possible. The extremely close vote demonstrates that he still retains a great deal of support, especially from Israel’s hardliners.
The new prime minister is a conservative Orthodox Jew and a millionaire. He is an “ultranationalist” who opposes Palestinian independence and supports Israeli West Bank settlements (AP, June 13, 2021). He leads a coalition government whose current reason for being is their shared opposition to Netanyahu. Exactly what the future holds remains to be seen. Mr. Bennett made clear that under his leadership Israel will not allow Iran to obtain nuclear weapons, and he is calling for unity and cooperation among Israel’s leaders. Mr. Bennet is supposed to step down from power in two years to make way for a centrist leader, in what is being called a “rotating plan for the premiership” (Deutsche Welle, June 13, 2021).
While Prime Minister Bennet’s new position will be very challenging, many wonder what his election portends for Israel’s future. How will he interact with other leaders in the Middle East, in Europe, and especially in Germany? Bible prophecy foretells that Israel’s future will be rocky and dangerous (Zechariah 12:2–3; 14:1–2). Europe and even the pope will eventually become involved in Jerusalem. Will this new prime minister help set the stage for such a future? For greater insight into Israel’s future, be sure to watch “Jerusalem: City of Peace.”
Israel and the Red Heifer: According to the Old Testament, a red heifer is required to purify the altar of sacrifice in Jerusalem (see Numbers 19:1–10). Israel’s Temple Institute has worked for decades to prepare utensils, priestly robes, and even a portable altar that can be placed on or next to the Temple Mount when daily sacrifices are ready to resume. A red heifer is key to their resumption of daily sacrifices.
Currently, any resumption of Jewish sacrifices on or near the Temple Mount would result in a dramatic response by Arabs in Jerusalem and throughout the Middle East. To resume sacrifices would require a major change in the political and religious dynamics of the region. Could this happen? Could Israel and the Jews safely resume daily sacrifices in the future?
Bible prophecy clearly reveals that just before the return of Jesus Christ, the daily sacrifices will be stopped (Daniel 11:31; 12:11–13)—which means the sacrifices must begin again before they can be stopped. The resumption of daily sacrifices on or around the Temple Mount in Jerusalem will be an important sign that the return of the Messiah is near. The abrupt termination of the daily sacrifices will be followed by the setting up of the “abomination of desolation” by the German-led beast, perhaps on the very altar where the sacrifices took place (see Matthew 24:15). As the Temple Institute searches for its red heifer, students of Bible prophecy should be watching world events. Something will likely take place in the Holy Land that allows or emboldens Jews to resume daily sacrifices on or near the Temple Mount. Such an event will signal a rapid speeding-up of world events and the soon-coming return of Jesus Christ! For more on this topic, read or listen to “Watch the Middle East.”—Scott Winnail, Francine Prater, Chris Sookdeo, and Lenny Bower