Greetings from Charlotte,
Mr. Michael Heykoop and Javid Khan are scheduled to arrive from Canada on Monday to work on coordination between the Canadian and U.S. telecasts. Dr. Douglas Winnail will be leaving Adelaide and flying to Melbourne, Australia Friday, where he will conduct a Tomorrow’s World Presentation and meet with leaders in that area. His schedule calls for him to travel to South Africa this coming Wednesday, April 19. The Passover and Days of Unleavened Bread season went very well in South Africa, where a total of 261 brethren from 15 congregations took the Passover, with an expected 14 more to take the second Passover. This represents a very encouraging 10.9 percent increase over last year. Please remember those you know of who are going through serious health issues and other trials.—Gerald Weston
Church Administration
Second Passover
The Second Passover this year is on Friday, May 5, which means that it will be observed on Thursday evening, May 4, shortly after sunset. This Passover is for those baptized members who were unable to take the first Passover due to unavoidable circumstances, as instructed in Numbers 9:1–14. If you have any questions, please contact your pastor.
International Tomorrow’s World Presentations in 6 Countries
The TWP schedule continues—with a focus this week on events outside of the United States. Over a 10-day period including last weekend and this coming weekend, we have eight presentations in Guadeloupe, Martinique, Saint Martin, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. God’s Work is truly a “world-wide Work!”
Feast of Tabernacles
Feast Registration
2023 Feast of Tabernacles general registration is quickly approaching! General registration is scheduled for April 30, at 12:00 p.m. (Eastern Daylight Time, USA). Please take the time to login to your MyLCG account before the day of registration to make sure that you know your PIN and password. If you do not have Internet access and need help getting Feast information, contact your local congregation’s Festival Advisor. If you don’t know who your Festival Advisor is, please contact your local Pastor.
The 2023 Festival websites that contain the Feast site descriptions will go live soon. An announcement will be made in The World Ahead when the websites are live.
Festival Advisors: Over the next three Sabbaths, please print out and distribute to brethren who need them the site descriptions and registration forms, in preparation for Feast registration. You can find these Festival Advisor documents by going to https://cogl.org, signing in to your MyLCG account, and clicking on the “Registration” button, under the “Feast of Tabernacles 2023” banner. Login to the registration system using your MyLCG credentials then click the “Advisor Access” link.
Alternate Instructions: You can go directly to the Feast registration system at https://fotreg.cogl.org/ and login using your MyLCG credentials, then click the “Advisor Access” link.
Potential Change for the Oregon Feast Site
For those who are interested in attending the Oregon Feast site, we may have to make a last-minute change to the location before general registration (scheduled for April 30). More details will be announced in The World Ahead once they are finalized. We appreciate your patience in this matter.
Living Youth Program
Mid-west Adventure Camp
Don’t miss out on the Mid-west Adventure Camp! There’s still space available for campers ages 13–20 to enjoy a fun-filled experience. Join us for this adventure camp as we navigate the cool June waters of the Current River in Southern Missouri by canoe. We will take in all the sights and sounds of nature, camp under the stars, and make new friends along the way.
The deadline to submit an application is April 26, so sign up soon. Submit your applications at camp.livingyouth.org. Come and explore God’s wonderful creation with us at the Mid-west Adventure Camp!
Comments
Satan’s Subtle Devices: Are we motivated by God’s Spirit or by the attitudes of this world? After years in the Church, we can still be snared by Satan’s devices without realizing it (2 Corinthians 2:11; Ephesians 6:11). Satan is the accuser of the brethren and the source of doubts, divisions, and rebellion against authority. He can also beam thoughts into our minds (Ephesians 2:2) to criticize and question the decisions and actions of those around us or over us in the Body of Christ. When we remember that Satan tempted Jesus (Matthew 4:1–10) and stirred Peter to rebuke Christ (Matthew 16:22–23), we should realize that we are not immune to Satan’s devices. Jesus warned that harboring animosity towards and saying hurtful things about others is the spiritual equivalent of murder (Matthew 5:21–22). If we spread doubts and division among others, we have been snared by a device of the “accuser of our brethren” (Revelation 12:10). Let’s strive to be real Christians by promoting love and peace among our brothers and sisters in the Church of God (John 13:35).
Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail
News and Prophecy – April 13, 2023
Can Haiti Be Helped? The Caribbean island nation of Haiti has struggled politically and economically for many decades. A crumbling infrastructure and extreme poverty continue to plague its people. In 2021 Haiti’s president was assassinated, and for the last couple of years politically connected gangs have terrorized the country (The Guardian, March 21, 2023).
According to the United Nations, since 2023 began, 531 Haitians have been killed, 300 have been injured, and 277 people have been kidnapped. Snipers are reportedly shooting people in their homes, many in the overwhelmed police force have mutinied, and the nation appears to be collapsing. This has prompted the UN to call for an international “specialized support force” to slow “Haiti’s accelerating tumble into extreme violence.” Yet international leaders are concerned about getting involved in another protracted peace-keeping mission—in this case, to suppress gang violence. The situation in Haiti appears hopeless. Yet Haiti is just one of many nations that are unraveling.
The Apostle Paul warned that, at the end of the age, societies around the globe would begin to crumble, showing increasing signs of being abusive, unfeeling, “brutal, despisers of good” and “lovers of money” (2 Timothy 3:1–3). This sort of world is exactly what we are beginning to witness—a society filled with those who care more about themselves than about others or their countries. Yet, international peacekeepers are not the solution. Without a common morality, peace cannot come. It will not be until Jesus Christ returns as the King of kings, bringing with Him God’s law as the backbone of a new society, that true and lasting peace will finally become possible. In fact, that law will “go forth” from Jerusalem and result in nations’ converting their weapons into implements of agriculture and no longer learning the ways of war and destruction (Isaiah 2:2–4). True and lasting peace will eventually come to Haiti and the other nations on the earth, but it will be brought by the Prince of Peace, not human peacekeepers! To learn more, be sure to listen to or read “Did Christ Fail in His Mission to Bring Peace?”
Czech President Calls for Germany to Lead Europe: On a recent visit to Berlin, the Czech president “called on Germany to take on a leadership role in European security efforts that would inspire other countries” (Euractiv, March 22, 2023). Speaking further, President Petr Pavel proposed, “We are beginning to write a new chapter in European history, and I am convinced that a country like Germany can play a decisive role in this phase.” He went on to suggest that Germany has a responsibility to lead Europe, beginning with the economy, defense, and security.
The words of one new European president may not have a great deal of influence on other nations, but from a biblical perspective, President Pavel’s comments are particularly meaningful. Bible prophecy is clear that Germany will play a lead role in Europe militarily and financially. The German-led “beast” power will receive power from a bloc of European nations who will “give their power and authority” to it for a short time (Revelation 17:13). It will also wield power over Jerusalem and even fight against a Muslim-led “king of the south” (Daniel 11). For this to take place, Germany must first rise above European bickering and begin to take a strong leadership role in Europe—a role that will motivate other nations to follow it, just as the Czech president is suggesting.
As world events speed up, students of Bible prophecy need to watch Germany. This nation will play a powerful role in end-time events, and even a leading role after the return of Christ! To learn more about this future, be sure to read our new, free booklet, Germany in Prophecy. — Scott Winnail and Francine Prater