Greetings from Charlotte,
Mr. Gerald Weston is in Nashville this week with Mr. Wallace Smith and Mr. Mike DeSimone to attend the annual National Religious Broadcasters Christian Media Convention, which is “the world’s largest gathering of Christian communicators.” Last week, we had 54 guests attend Tomorrow’s World Presentations (19 in Las Vegas, Nevada; 6 in Schenectady, New York; and 29 at eight follow-up presentations). This weekend, in addition to six follow-ups, Mr. Ames will present in Columbia, South Carolina, and Augusta, Georgia, and I will be in Charleston, West Virginia, and Bristol, Virginia. Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread are only five weeks away! As economic woes increase, and death and suffering escalate in Ukraine, many worry about what will happen next. For God’s people, the coming Holy Days are a welcome time to refocus our minds on Christ’s sacrifice for our sins, His willingness to live His righteous life in us, and His plan of salvation for all mankind.—Rod McNair
Church Administration
Passover Supplies Request Deadline Approaching
Important Notice to All Pastors: In 2022, the Passover Service will be observed on Thursday evening, April 14. 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 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 18 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 the Passover Service recording, also, whether they will need a CD or a DVD recording. Letter instructions for observing it at home will be sent with the recording. U.S. requests should be received before March 18. Please direct your requests to the Church Administration Department at [email protected] as soon as possible.
Filming Tomorrow’s World Presentations
Over the next few weeks, our television crew will be filming TWPs in Columbia, South Carolina; Charlotte, North Carolina; and Memphis, Tennessee. The purpose of this will be to collect recordings of the messages by Mr. Ames and Mr. Weston, in addition to getting “B-roll” that can be used in TWP promotions, the Tomorrow’s World telecast, Feast films, etc. There will be six follow-up TWPs this weekend, and four initial presentations. Thank you for your prayers for these events!
Living Education
Virtual Choir
Important announcement for those who were planning to participate in our Virtual Choir project for the spring Holy Days. Due to copyright restrictions that are affecting parts of our Virtual Choir III project, we will not be able to proceed as planned with this particular piece of music. Not to be deterred, we will announce a plan for another project targeted towards a later date. Stay tuned for more information—and thanks for your patience and enthusiasm for our Virtual Choir!—Jonathan McNair
Editorial Department
Date Mistake in Old Booklet
A sharp-eyed, longtime reader noticed that the center chart of some old, 2014 copies of our Holy Days booklet has incorrect dates for Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread for the years 2022 and 2023. The mistake seems to have been corrected for all booklets following that one printing, but if you have this old copy, please disregard those dates. The Passover service this year will take place Thursday evening, April 14, and the first day of Unleavened Bread is on the weekly Sabbath of April 16.
Comments
The Importance of Truth: Jesus said, “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32). Yet, today, we face a global plague of misinformation, fake news, and conspiracy theories that generate confusion and mistrust of the media, governments, individuals, and major institutions. The Bible reveals that Satan is the god of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4), that he is a liar (John 8:44), and the real author of the confusion we see around us (1 Corinthians 14:33). The ancient prophets foretold the time would come when truth would perish (Isaiah 59:4, 14–15; Jeremiah 7:28; 9:3–5) and be suppressed (Romans 1:18). However, when Jesus Christ returns, His capital in Jerusalem will be known as “the City of Truth” (Zechariah 8:1–3) and the liberating truth of His law (Psalm 119:142) will be spread around the world (Isaiah 2:2–4; 11:9) by His servants He is calling today (1 John 3:19). This is your exciting future—if you prove and hold fast the Truth (1 Thessalonians 5:21)!
Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail
News and Prophecy—March 10, 2022
Europe Suddenly Comes Together! Just weeks ago, Europe appeared weak and divided, with leaders unable to act in unison. However, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has produced big changes! As one source wrote, “The EU has seen the most dramatic changes of its history in the span of seven days.… Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has injected the EU with the overdue resolve it needed to truly face up to the adverse geopolitics of its surroundings, brushing aside any remaining taboos and prejudices” (Euronews.com, February 28, 2022). Another source wrote, “Vladimir Putin just achieved the impossible: genuine European unity” (Politico, February 27, 2022).
The EU Observer noted, “In short, Putin has united Europe as never before. We are witnessing the emergence of the EU as a military power. We are seeing Finland and Sweden consider joining Nato thus reversing decades of non-Nato policy.” Germany, recently content to send only 5,000 helmets to aid Ukraine, is setting aside 100 billion euros to vastly expand its own military, and is now sending weapons to Ukraine (Deutsche Welle, February 27, 2022). The European Union will give Ukraine 500 million euros worth of arms (Politico, February 27, 2022). Eight European nations and the EU Commission President are in favor of fast-tracking the Ukraine into the EU (Reuters, February 28, 2022). A once divided Europe has collectively closed its airspace to Russian flights, causing them to travel great distances using alternate routes to reach their destinations (Israel Hayom, February 27, 2022). And as France24 news noted, “Often described as predictable and ‘robotic,’ Chancellor Olaf Scholz has become emboldened since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, smashing policy taboos to steer Germany into ‘a new era’ that could reshape its role on the world stage” (February 28, 2022).
Bible prophecy warns that a unified European superpower will emerge just before the return of Jesus Christ. Many have wondered how a deeply divided group of nations could ever come together, but Russia’s recent actions are acting as a catalyst for European unity. The Scriptures reveal a European “beast” power led by Germany will rise to dominate world trade and will eventually seek to establish a presence in the Holy Land. The sea change we are witnessing may propel Germany to the fore and further unify a core of nations in Europe. To learn more about Germany and the future of Europe, read “Resurgent Germany: A Fourth Reich?”
Extreme Weather Hits Australia... Again: What used to be considered once-in-a-century or even once-in-500-years rain events in Australia are occurring with far greater frequency. For the last two weeks, the country’s heavily populated eastern coast has been inundated with rainfall levels breaking all records. A meter of rain, almost an entire year’s worth, fell on Brisbane in a three-day period. As a result, devastating floods swept away homes, businesses, and infrastructure in areas that saw similar destruction only a decade ago (Sydney Morning Herald, March 2, 2022). The damage in the states of Queensland and New South Wales is expected to exceed five billion Australian dollars (News.com.au, March 9, 2022). This flooding follows recent raging fires in the west of the country, and horrendous fires on the east coast during 2019 and 2020 that killed or displaced nearly three billion animals. Australians are witnessing nature’s destructive forces as very few have.
Why is this happening to the “lucky” country? While scientists seek to explain these unusual and increasingly erratic weather events by looking at human impacts on the environment, the Bible points to another cause. Down through history, God has used weather to bless or punish nations and people (Leviticus 26:3–4; Genesis 6:12, 17; Exodus 9:18; Amos 4:7). It should be no surprise that God foretold that if the modern Israelite nations turn from Him and reject His laws, they would suffer increasingly serious consequences, including damaging weather phenomena (Deuteronomy 28:15–24). To understand what is happening to modern Israelite nations today, read or listen to Acts of God: Why Natural Disasters?—Scott Winnail, Hugh Stewart, Chris Sookdeo, Francine Prater, and Michael Tyler