Greetings from Charlotte,
Mr. Gerald Weston and Dr. Douglas Winnail have been in Canada this past week, conducting a ministerial conference for pastors and elders in the region, after which Mr. Weston recorded some Canadian-content Tomorrow’s World programs. Mr. Mike DeSimone reports that our new program of sending letters of encouragement to Bible Study Course subscribers is seeing wonderful success, as people are beginning to progress through the course at rates we haven’t seen in more than a decade. That’s significant, because the previous records were set by Church members taking a Living University class, whereas these are primarily brand-new people. Our summer “Mid-Lit” offer is also doing very well, as far more people than expected are requesting our DVD The Truth About the Transgender Movement—feel free to see this week’s video update for more details. Finally, kudos to our Media team for its responsiveness after last week’s mention on the Joe Rogan podcast! They worked hard to quickly prepare a new Whiteboard in response, and they adapted in other ways as well. Your prayers for our ability to be nimble and walk through every door God opens are appreciated!
—Wallace G. Smith
Church Administration
Tomorrow’s World Presentations
Last week, we held eight Tomorrow’s World Presentations: six follow-up presentations and two online presentations to our French-speaking audience. These presentations drew a total of 72 in-person guests and 178 online connections. French subscribers in 36 countries were invited to view the two online French presentations. The next French online presentation is scheduled in September, and we plan to increase the number of countries invited to that presentation.
We do not have any TWPs scheduled for this weekend, in part due to the holiday weekend here in the United States. Thank you all for your continued prayers for the Tomorrow’s World Presentations.
Feast of Tabernacles
Final Preparations for the Feast of Tabernacles
With less than six weeks left before Opening Night, final preparations are being made for the Feast of Tabernacles 2025! Last Tuesday evening, the Festival Office conducted an online meeting with Business Managers and their assistants. Next Tuesday evening, we’ll meet online with those heading up the Ushering/Greeting/Parking Departments. Note to all brethren: Please be sure to check your email regularly for messages from your site coordinator. The email address associated with your MyLCG account will be his means of communicating vital information to you right up to the Feast.
Tithe of the Festival Tithe
For many decades, the Church of God has practiced what is called the “tithe of the Festival tithe.” What this means is that brethren who can afford it are asked to send a tenth of their Festival tithe to the Church before the Feast, to help pay for meeting halls and other Feast expenses as well as to help brethren around the world who have limited resources with which to attend the Feast (Deuteronomy 14:27; 16:14). If you are able and you have not already done so, please send in your tithe of the Festival tithe for this year. This contribution is greatly appreciated.
Using PayPal to Pay for Festival Activities
Many people have mentioned that they are having issues paying for their Feast activities using PayPal. For some, the system “spins” and never resolves, which does not allow them to pay for activities. This seems to be a PayPal issue, though some have had success by disabling browser extensions—like pop-up blockers—or using a different browser entirely. If all else fails, you can pay by check. In the United States, the instructions to pay by check are as follows:
Please make all checks payable to “Living Church of God.” Do not send cash in the postal mail!
With your payment, please include a printout of the Payments Page and mail to:
Living Church of God
PO Box 3810
Charlotte, NC 28227-8010
ATTN: Feast Activities
If you are not able to include a printout of the Payments page, please include with your payment the name of the Feast site and specific activities that you are paying for. The deadline to pay by check is September 18.
Comments
God’s Perspective on Trials: When we experience trials, we often wonder, “Why is this happening? Has God forgotten us?” However, when trials come, we need to remember several important scriptures. Jesus told His disciples, “In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). God also promised to never leave us or forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:6), and the Apostle Paul reminds us that “all things work together for good to those who love God” and are “called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28). God knows our limits, and He promises to “make the way of escape” for us if we look to Him (1 Corinthians 10:13). James states that trials are opportunities to exercise faith in God’s promises and to build patience as we work through challenges (James 1:3–4). Let’s strive to maintain this godly perspective when we encounter trials.
Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail
News and Prophecy
Territorial Concessions: A European Strategy That Has Failed Before: In a recent proposal, President Donald Trump signaled willingness to recognize all Russian-held Ukrainian territories in exchange for Ukraine’s neutrality (Politico, August 11, 2025). Such a recommendation calls to mind the 1938 Munich Agreement, in which British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain pressured Czechoslovakia to surrender the Sudetenland to Adolf Hitler in hopes of securing “peace for our time” (Holocaust Encyclopedia). Both of these negotiations excluded the nation most affected: Ukraine was absent from recent United States-Russia summits in both Alaska and Riyadh, and Czechoslovakia’s government received no invitation to Munich, undermining any sense that the result was a truly fair settlement. Prime Minister Chamberlain returned home holding aloft a signed agreement with Hitler, confident he had staved off war. Of course, World War II showed that such confidence was an illusion, and President Trump’s earlier boasts that he could end the conflict within one day of taking the oath of office have proven to be just as illusory (ABC News, January 17, 2025).
History warns that these sorts of grand promises have often emboldened aggressors rather than restraining them. The West’s appeasement of Hitler’s aggression in 1938 paved the way for full occupation, and many fear Mr. Putin’s expansionist rhetoric indicates that these recent summits represent a similar miscalculation. As this war on the very doorstep of Europe surpasses 1,200 days, the potential for dramatic impact on the strategic arrangement of world powers and alliances continues to loom large. The days leading up to Jesus’ return will see a radical upending of the status quo, including the rise of Europe and the utter decline of American power. For insight into this prophesied turn of events, you can read or listen to The Beast of Revelation: Myth, Metaphor, or Soon-Coming Reality?
Red Heifers Rejected: A Prophetic Pause in God’s Timeline? The Temple Institute in Israel confirmed that all five red heifers flown to the Holy Land from Texas have been disqualified for Temple purification rites (Israel 365 News, August 6, 2025). According to Numbers 19, only a “flawless” red heifer—without blemish and never yoked—can be sacrificed to produce the ashes required for ritual cleansing. This purification is considered essential before Temple worship or sacrifices can resume.
This development is not a setback but a signal. The Bible teaches that reinstitution and subsequent halting of sacrifices in Jerusalem is a prophetic milestone that precedes the Great Tribulation (Daniel 12:11). Yet Scripture also speaks of a “man of sin” who will contribute to the cessation of those sacrifices and how he will only be revealed on God’s appointed time (2 Thessalonians 2:3–6). The repeated failure to produce a qualified red heifer—despite global efforts—may suggest a delay in the final sequence of end-time events. The disqualification of these heifers may be a quiet mercy, delaying the rise of deception and global chaos foretold in passages such as Matthew 24:15–22. Moreover, the Temple Institute’s shift toward secrecy—admitting they now keep their efforts hidden—only adds to the possibility that the next announcement may not be about searching for a red heifer but about sacrificing one. And, of course, we must remember that prophecy unfolds according to divine timing, not human ambition. What the world considers a pause in events could be, in God’s own way, a means of accelerating them.
This and other world events should highlight to us all that God is in control. Scripture urges repentance, obedience, and spiritual vigilance—not speculation. Prophecy is fulfilled on God’s timing, not mankind’s. And when God decides that the time has come, the world will change swiftly. For more information on prophetic events leading to the return of Jesus Christ, you can read or listen to Fourteen Signs Announcing Christ’s Return. —Richard Franz and Scott Winnail