Letter: March 22, 2013

Dear Brethren and co-workers in Christ:

It has been another full week here.

The last article for the next Bible News Prophecy magazine was finished and brought to the layout and graphics printing company.  So, the next edition should be sent out next month.

We continue to hear from new scattered ones as they are discovering that we really do stand for the biblical truth in the Continuing Church of God.

And, of course, there has been a lot in getting ready for our first Spring Holy Day season.

While I typically need to put together two videos per week, it has been three per week for each week so far in March.

Spring Holy Days

We produced a Passover service video which you should be able to watch in a few hours.   For those who either do not wish to or cannot try the video, there should be enough information in the article Keeping Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread to conduct a service based upon that.

Passover will be kept after sunset on the 24th of March 2013 (here is a link to a more detailed Holy Day Calendar).

With Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread nearly here, I would again suggest that any who have not seen the sermon Preparing for Passover consider doing so soon.

We also have have a video titled The Night to Be Observed.  This could be used as a sermonette this Sabbath or perhaps be played on the Night to Be Observed this year, which is to be kept after sunset on the 25th of March.

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We have not yet produced the sermon for the First Day of Unleavened Bread and I plan to have that uploaded by Sunday and plan to send out a brief letter announcing it as well as a link to the Passover service.  So, expect to get an email letter this Sunday, which I hope to send out late Saturday from California.

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Since the official formation of the Continuing Church of God on December 28, 2013, we have now had over 1,000,000 article views at the www.cogwriter.com and ccog.org websites.  Since most articles are many pages long (especially some of the more popular ones) a lot of biblical information is getting to a lot of people (over 200,000 different ones, directly, and likely many more indirectly).

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The Bible New Prophecy YouTube video I announced last week titled Could Pope Francis I be the Last Pope and Antichrist?  broke our previous viewing records.  In only eight days, over 21,000 have viewed it.  And the number keeps increasing.  Since the release of that video, the number of subscribers to our Bible New Prophecy channel has increased by 90%.  Because of this, I made a Bible New Prophecy YouTube video related to the Antichrist to attempt to see if we can get continued interest from some who perhaps have only watched one.

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While not a milestone, I also did another nationally-syndicated radio interview yesterday.  Since the official formation of the Continuing Church of God on 12/28/12, we have been blessed to be able to reach millions on radio.

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Also, in the past week were able to give away 2,894 free copies of my “Last Pope” book via Amazon Kindle.  In the Continuing Church of God we continue to look at innovative ways to reach those that we can.  Please pray that we will always go through those doors that Christ truly opens for us.

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World News

In this past week, some type of chemical weapon seems to have been used in Syria (see Chemical weapons reportedly being used in Syria).  The next day, US President Barack Obama came to Israel on a previously scheduled visit (see Obama arrives in Israel and meets with Netanyahu).  Tensions are running high in the Middle East and we will see the situation change there.
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The Bible clearly teaches that Damascus, the capital of Syria, will be destroyed (Isaiah 17:1; see also Damascus and Syria in Prophecy).  It also suggests that Syria will be part of the alliance involving Egypt (Ezekiel 30:1-8) and the King of the South (Daniel 11:30-43).  Therefore, I am convinced that we must see more change with the Assad regime in Syria.

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Also US President Barack Obama was in the Middle East and again called for a “two-state” solution over there, which seemingly would result in an officially-divided Jerusalem (see Barack Obama continues push for “two-state” solution for the Israelis and Palestinians).  He and others have called for this in the past, and it seems consistent with Bible prophecy.

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Suggested Sabbath Service for March 23, 2013

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Here is my suggested format for Sabbath services for March 23, 2013:

• 2-3 hymns (we are using the 1974 Bible Hymnal from the old WCG)
• Opening prayer.
• Sermonette (short 8-15 minute subject) or Bible New Prophecy YouTube video.  The latest posted one is titled What Does the Bible teach about the Antichrist?  Some may instead wish to watch the one titled The Night to Be Observed.
• Announcements (which probably will be this Letter to the Brethren) and one hymn.
• Sermon (which for most will be a recorded one), titled Living as a Christian: How and Why?
• Final hymn.
• Closing prayer.

Passover is for baptized members in the Church of God and others until they are at that stage should not keep it. Of course, before keeping it, Christians should examine themselves:

5 Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? — unless indeed you are disqualified. (2 Corinthians 13:5)

The Spring Holy Days are almost upon us.  Please examine your own life, pray for strength to change, and go all out to live the type of life that God expects Christians to live.  Strive to be a Philadelphian Christian.
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Sincerely,

Bob Thiel, Pastor and Overseer
Continuing Church of God