Greetings from Charlotte,
We had very profitable Council of Elders meetings this week. All except a few men were able to attend in person with the others connected by livestream. A range of topics was covered—some listed in the weekly video update. One item was the lessons we can draw from the last two-plus years of the coronavirus. It is evident our world has changed dramatically, and one change is how we as members of the Body of Christ handle all that has occurred. If we evaluate our thinking, we may very well discover that the world has rubbed off on us to a greater or lesser degree. This calls for us to be discerning of our thoughts, attitudes, and emotions. Satan is stirring up hatred and division. We must recognize his devices, resist, and overcome his broadcasting. The second item is one that most of the Western world is facing—what we refer to as the “woke” agenda—LGBTQA+, cancel culture, the destruction of values regarding what it means to be male or female, the rejection of God-given roles in marriage, critical race theory, and so much more. As God’s people, we must strive to get back to the basics of biblical values. These subjects and more will be addressed in the Living Church News and in sermons. Please make time to read the Bible and our publications as well. If we have time for social media and video games, we have time to tune in to where Christ is leading His Church. Please pray for one another, and thank you for your dedication and love.—Gerald Weston
Church Administration
Recent and Upcoming Tomorrow’s World Presentations
Last weekend, Mr. Jonathan McNair presented an initial TWP in Vero Beach, Florida, to 33 guests and 42 members. Five follow-up presentations were held: in Calgary and Lethbridge, Alberta; Pawtucket, Rhode Island; Gastonia, North Carolina; and Hartford, Connecticut. This weekend we are holding five initial TWPs: in Savannah, Georgia; Salt Lake City, Utah; Sudbury, Ontario; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and Charleston, South Carolina. There will be a follow-up presentation in Vero Beach, Florida. Your prayers for God’s continued blessing on these presentations are very much appreciated.
Recent French-Language Materials
This week’s new French-dubbed telecast is Mr. Weston’s “Russia, Ukraine, and Bible Prophecy.” It offers the booklet The Beast of Revelation: Myth, Metaphor, or Soon-Coming Reality? and is available on the Le Monde de Demain YouTube channel and on Facebook. We also published a new French-language whiteboard video titled “What did Jesus teach about the law?,” offering the booklet The Ten Commandments.
We post a new telecast dubbed into French every week on Thursdays at 6:00 p.m. (Paris time) and new whiteboards every two weeks on Tuesdays at 6:00 p.m. You can subscribe to our YouTube channel Le Monde de Demain to receive notifications every time we post new content.
Comments
Why Study the Word: The prophet Isaiah records that God is looking for individuals who “tremble” at His word (Isaiah 66:2). Jesus taught that we are to live “by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). He also warned that misguided leaders would set aside the commandments of God and teach “as doctrines the commandments [traditions] of men” (Mark 7:5–13). This is why the Apostle Paul stressed that we must diligently study the Scriptures so we can rightly divide (correctly understand) the word of God and avoid being misled and confused by false teachers and misguided ideas (2 Timothy 2:15). In a world filled with conflicting ideas, we need to know and prove what the Bible says so we can avoid being deceived (1 Thessalonians 5:21). Jesus plainly stated “if you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:31–32). Let’s make time to study the Word!
Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail
News and Prophecy—June 23, 2022
China’s Economic Troubles: Just a couple of years ago, China’s economy was booming and seemed poised to become the largest in the world. That was until COVID-19 and China’s all-encompassing societal response to the virus. Bloomberg reports that China’s “Covid Zero” strategy is to lock down whole cities—even as large as Shanghai—when just one case of the virus is identified (May 15, 2022). As a result, industrial output has fallen, retail sales dropped by over 11 percent, unemployment has risen, and the joblessness among young Chinese has hit a record high. According to Bloomberg, such severe restrictions are “cutting into spending, shutting factories and blocking supply chains.” The slowdown this year is much deeper than expected. Some experts project China may struggle for a full year to grow as fast as the United States—something that has not happened since 1990 in the wake of the Tiananmen Square massacre (The Economist, May 26, 2022). While economists expect China’s economy to recover, as long as its “COVID Zero” policy is in place, more economy-damaging lockdowns are expected.
Could there be more to China’s economic troubles than just COVID-19 and disastrous policies? Few today realize that God guides the rise and decline of nations (Job 12:23). Bible prophecies indicate that as we approach the end of the age, a German-led “beast power” will emerge in Europe that will lead the world economically for a time, making the nations of the earth rich through its trading (Revelation 18:1–3). For that to happen, Germany and Europe must rise economically, but its competitors must also decline—principally the U.S. and China. Will God use the ongoing COVID-19 crisis to weaken China and make way for the coming beast of Europe? To learn more, be sure to watch “Seven Signs of the Beast.”
Pollution in Antarctica: The most remote and sparsely populated continent on the earth is Antarctica. Yet researchers from New Zealand recently found microplastics in 19 samples of freshly fallen snow on the remote Ross Ice Shelf (The Guardian, June 7, 2022). As one researcher noted, "It's incredibly sad but finding microplastics in fresh Antarctic snow highlights the extent of plastic pollution into even the most remote regions of the world." Microplastic concentrations in snow surrounding one of the Antarctic research stations were three times higher than those on the remote ice shelf. While researchers recognize that some of these particles may come from nearby bases on the Antarctic continent, models of atmospheric behavior suggest that plastic particles could have traveled thousands of kilometers to land there.
Over the years, microplastics have been shown to cause many problems in the environment and also in the human body. Studies have found microplastics present in human lung tissue and blood samples (NBC News, April 11, 2022). They have been found in the snow on the earth’s highest mountains and at the bottom of the deepest oceans. They are everywhere, and science does not yet know the long-term consequences of exposure.
God’s word records that the whole creation cries out in agony and yearns to be set free from the corruption inflicted upon it by human mismanagement and sin (Romans 8:21–22). That liberation is coming when Jesus Christ returns to restore the earth (Acts 3:19–21). To learn more about the exciting future that lies ahead, read or listen to “How Do You Fix a Broken World?”—Scott Winnail and Francine Prater