Greetings from Charlotte,
The powerful earthquake that struck Myanmar (former Burma) and Thailand this past week reminds us how quickly and unexpectedly our routine lives can change. Recently, I pulled into a gas station near my home and heard a loud crashing sound. Someone in a pickup truck had pulled in front of a sedan, and metal and plastic were scattered all over. The two vehicles were likely totaled. The thought came to me some years ago that in real life, unlike in the movies, disasters come out of nowhere unexpectedly—there is no warning music, sometimes not even the screeching of tires. However, when it comes to disasters related to sin, there are often warning signs of sin that can lead to a greater sin, as Paul wrote in Romans 6:19. “For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness.” This is a time for self-reflection. Please take time between now and Passover to clean out not only the physical leaven, but also the spiritual leaven that will spread within us unless it is recognized and removed.
—Gerald E. Weston
Church Administration
Obituary: Mr. Rodger Hagmaier
Mr. Rodger Hagmaier, a longtime elder in the Akron congregation in Ohio, died on March 24. He was 83. Please remember his family in your prayers.
Tomorrow’s World Presentations
Last week, we held four follow-up presentations that drew a total of 37 guests. This week, we will hold one online presentation for the Canadian subscriber base, one initial presentation in Port Vila, Vanuatu, and one follow-up presentation in Salisbury, Maryland.
In the first quarter of the calendar year 2025, we held a total of 63 presentations in the U.S. and six presentations internationally, as well as four online presentations in Canada. These presentations drew a total of 598 unique guests and 295 guest connections. Thank you to everyone for your continued prayers and support for the Tomorrow’s World Presentations.
Passover 2025—Deadline for Requesting All Passover Supplies and Materials (Repeat Announcement)
Important Notice to All Pastors: The U.S. deadline for requesting Passover Service supplies is April 8. The Passover Service will be observed on Friday evening, April 11. If congregations in your area need bread or wine trays or glasses or a physical copy of the Passover Service recording and letter instructions, please direct your requests to the Church Administration Department at [email protected]. Any requests for recordings or instructions for home observance by members who are unable to keep the Passover with a congregation, should also be received by this deadline. As in recent years, the digital Passover Service recording is available to pastors and video recipients via the FTP site, and a private YouTube link will also be provided.
Feast of Pentecost in El Salvador (Repeat Announcement)
This year, we will celebrate the Feast of Pentecost in the city of San Salvador, El Salvador, for the Church congregations in Central America and members from other countries who wish to attend. We will have simultaneous translation into English and Spanish.
Lodging and Sabbath services will be at the Mirador Plaza Hotel in Colonia Escalón in San Salvador. For inquiries, reservations, and payments, please contact Mrs. Maeve Stephanie Avilés at +503 7044 0949 or at [email protected].
Midwest Men’s Training Camp
There will be a Midwest Men’s Training Camp at Robbers Cave State Park in Wilburton, Oklahoma, May 2–4. Men from outside the Midwest are also welcome. The deadline to register is April 15. Mr. Jonathan McNair will lead the program. The cost of this weekend is $80.00, which includes food and accommodations. For more information and to register, please email Gene Hilgenberg at [email protected].
Comments
Adjusting Our Focus: The Passover and Days of Unleavened Bread create a good time to evaluate how we spend our time and where we focus our energies and concerns. Jesus told us to “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:33). The Apostle Paul advised Christians to live purposefully and use our time wisely “because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:15–16). Are we focused on the “big picture”—doing the Work of God and developing the character qualities we need to function in the Family of God? Jesus warned that “the cares of this world” can cause us to lose sight of this big picture (Matthew 13:22). The Passover and Days of Unleavened Bread provide us with an opportunity to evaluate how much time we spend on TV and social media versus how much time we spend studying God’s word. Let’s use this time to focus on the real purpose of our lives—becoming more like Jesus Christ in all we do.
Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail
News and Prophecy – April 03, 2025
The Global “Polycrisis”: Around the world, we see one global catastrophe or crisis upon another. While the world has always experienced wars, natural disasters, and a certain amount of political chaos, something is definitely different today—and analysts and authors are taking note. A recent article in The Guardian begins, “Two months into 2025, the sense of dread is palpable.… Once-in-a-century disasters are happening more like once a month, all amid devastating wars and on the heels of a pandemic” (March 6, 2025).
Two authors coined a new term to describe this “era of calamity”—polycrisis, referring to “the idea that not only are we facing one disaster after another, but those messes are all linked, making things even worse.” A Columbia University history professor observed, “the shocks are disparate, but they interact so that the whole is even more overwhelming than the sum of the parts.” However, some historians say that what we are witnessing is nothing more than “just history happening” or that this is nothing new. In contrast, political scientist Thomas Homer-Dixon believes that so many events are happening at such a pace that many cannot intellectually process all of it. “If you’re not really scared by what’s going on in the world,” Homer-Dixon notes, “you’re braindead.”
We should not be shocked by the climactic events unfolding around the globe. The Bible tells of a coming time of global trauma that will be unprecedented in its scale and impact. Eventually, Jesus Christ warned, humanity will experience “great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be” (Matthew 24:21). Immediately before this time, multiple crises will be unleashed that, together, will bring devastation to a quarter of the globe (Revelation 6:1–8). While we have not yet entered the fullness of those days, we should not be surprised as world affairs begin to align with the inspired prophecies of God’s word. To learn more about what is ahead, watch “2025 in Bible Prophecy.”
Saudi Arabia’s Growing International Reputation: Saudi Arabia has long been known as a leading source of the world’s oil with complicated connections to international terrorism. Yet it also appears the nation is seeking to take the lead as an international negotiator. As an author from Deutsche Welle recently observed, “First Sudan, then Gaza, now Ukraine: Saudi Arabia is hosting talks on another crisis that has drawn international attention. Experts say the kingdom is reshaping its image as a global power broker” (March 10, 2025).
In recent weeks, Saudi Arabia has played host to international peace efforts between the U.S. and Russia and between the U.S. and Ukraine. And as a German political researcher noted, “Saudi Arabia has indeed established itself as a platform for dialog in the last two to three years.” Another analyst observed, “With regard to the Middle East, all negotiations in the region go through Riyadh.”
Why is Saudi Arabia taking an increasingly visible role in mediating world peace? Some believe it is because the oil-rich nation stands to gain financially and politically from its involvement—and that certainly may be true. Yet students of Bible prophecy should watch developments in shifting Middle East power structures with special interest. Scripture is clear that at the end of the age a powerful group of Arab nations will arise, referred to in prophecy as “the king of the South” (Daniel 11:40). This group of nations will become a formidable opposition to the German-led “king of the North” or “beast” nations. Someone will need to take the lead to facilitate the formation of the “king of the South,” and Saudi Arabia’s efforts to become an international diplomatic leader deserve watchful attention. To learn more about this coming “king of the South,” be sure to read or listen to The Middle East in Prophecy. —Scott Winnail and Francine Prater