Letter to the Brethren: April 24, 2025

Posted on Posted in Letters to the Brethren

Dear Brethren and Co-Workers in Christ:

Greetings from the Five Cities region of California.

The Days of Unleavened Bread went well here. Here is a photo:


Grover Beach, California

Deacon Koang Deng sent the following from Ethiopia:

Dear elder:

Greeting to you this evening.
The feast of Unleavened bread is going well.  I hope, you are doing well. …
Best regards,
Deacon koang

And we received the following from Moise Nshimiyimana in Rwanda:

Dear Pastor Dr Bob ,

Greetings from Rwanda and Congo .
Dear Pastor , Passover and unleavened bread was good by grace of God . However , we have not been to gather together all face to face here in Rwanda because situation unless one group but other brethren we used video call as you can see the photo attached . And we continue to use two strategies of use zoom meeting or WhatsApp video call every Sabbath and round around to visit house to house as we read in Acts 20:20 .
In the Congo also they tried to meet on Passover and the days of unleavened bread and they learned lessons of that days. Attached there is a picture they sent to me.
…thank you for your prayers to me .
Sincerely ,
Moïse .

Please continue to pray for the situation in Africa. As mentioned before, the government in Rwanda has made it impossible for small churches to officially exist (see Letter to the Brethren: April 10, 2025). We have a tentative plan for a Feast of Tabernacles’ site for Rwanda and the surrounding region (Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo) for this year that we hope will work.

Let me add that we also had to start to work on something to that now looks to be needed in order to allow various leaders to preach in Ethiopia and South Sudan.

Governments of this world are making preaching and meeting more difficult as we get closer to the end of this age.

Yet Matthew 24:14 will be fulfilled as Jesus predicted and the full number of Gentiles will come in as Romans 11:25 prophesies.

North America Feast of Tabernacles Site for 2025

Even though church services for the Feast of Tabernacles for 2025 do not begin until sunset on October 6th and run through (including the Last Great Day) sunset October 14th in 2025, we need to also consider plans for the Feast of Tabernacles.

As mentioned before, we now have a signed agreement to have the Embassy Suites by Hilton Oklahoma City Downtown Medical Center in Oklahoma as our festival site for North America. Here is its location and mailing address: 741 North Phillips Avenue Oklahoma City, OK 73104. This is where services are expected to be held in North America.

The room rate is $120 per night (plus taxes) and includes breakfast and parking.

The hotel sent the following:

INDIVIDUAL CALL IN: I have set up a booking link (your link is below) for your group to use to make booking their rooms a little bit easier.

Please copy and paste the link below into your browser window:

https://group.embassysuites.com/jq85k6

or

Click Here to Book!

Toll Free Reservations Line

1-800-445-8667

We recommend that those who wish to stay here book early as some prior hotels have sold out of their reserved rooms for us in the past.

If you plan to attend the site in Oklahoma City, but have not told me, please send me an email. My email address remains: COGwriter@aol.com

That said, for a list of planned and tentative festival sites around the world, check out: Feast of Tabernacles’ Sites for 2025.

Evans Ochieng in Malawi

Evangelist Evans Ochieng flew to Malawi earlier this week.


Green area Malawi (Wikipedia)

We have many people there. As mentioned last week (see Letter to the Brethren: April 17, 2025), we may have more baptisms to report from there soon.

Suggested Sabbath Service

Here is a suggested Sabbath day service for our scattered brethren and other interested people:

Note: If you have a slow internet connection, you can watch these by starting the video, then below it (and towards the right) look for an outline of a gear–if you click on that, it will allow the YouTube video to be played with lower video quality, but at least it will not stop often–you can select a quality as low as 144p. If your internet connection is still too slow (as my home one is) and/or you prefer audio messages to audio-visuals ones, go to the YouTube link for the message, click on SHOW MORE related to the description. You will then see something that says, “Download MP3.” Below that is a link to an MP3 file. Most computers (and even some mobile telephones) will allow MP3 files to be downloaded and played. This is an option we have made available (but we are also looking into ways to improve that as well)–and, of course, we have written article options. Some people have found that if their internet connections are not fast enough, that they can simply listen to the messages that are found at the Bible News Prophecy online radio channel.

IN CASE YOU DO NOT RECEIVE A ‘LETTER TO THE BRETHREN’ FOR ANY WEEK, REMEMBER THAT THERE ARE MANY SERMON MESSAGES ON THE ContinuingCOG channel AND MANY SERMONETTE MESSAGES ON THE Bible News Prophecy channel. There are also some messages at the CCOGAfrica channel. There are also messages in the Spanish language at the CDLIDDSermones  channel.

In case one or more of our video channels are unavailable, down, restricted, or ?, understand that we are on multiple platforms.

For sermons in English:

ContinuingCOG YouTube channel. Dr. Thiel has produced video sermons for this channel.

Also available at BitChute COGTube https://www.bitchute.com/channel/cogtube/

For sermonettes in English:

Bible News Prophecy YouTube channel BibleNewsProphecy https://www.youtube.com/user/BibleNewsProphecy.

Bitchute Prophecy https://www.bitchute.com/channel/prophecy/,

Vimeo at Bible News Prophecy https://vimeo.com/channels/biblenewsprophecy

Brighteon Bible News Prophecy https://www.brighteon.com/channel/ccogbnp.

Rumble https://rumble.com/c/biblenewsprophecy.

DailyMotion https://www.dailymotion.com/dm_e24c8ac0050c5e7445cd5573711869c6/videos

For animations in English:

CCOG Animations YouTube channel.

Also available at BitChute COGAnimations https://www.bitchute.com/channel/coganimations/

Sermons and sermonettes in Spanish:

CDLIDDSermones channel.

African videos:

CCOGAfricaYouTube channel.

Also available at BitChute COGAfrica https://www.bitchute.com/channel/cogafrica/

Audio messages:

Bible News Prophecy radio. This is an audio version of the Bible News Prophecy videos on one of our internet stations as well as our radio broadcasts in English. The BibleNewsProphecy.net website also has information about our international radio presence for Europe, Asia, and North America. That page is also available as a mobile app.

Bible News Prophecy International radio. This has links to our non-English language online radio station as well as materials in multiple languages.

There is also additional information at the Continuing Church of God Multimedia page.

Pope Francis and the Malachi Prophecies

Pope Francis died this week (see Pope Francis dead: Could the next pope be the last one?).

Earlier this year, I started working on a book about the last pope–who is expected to be both an antipope and the final Antichrist.

The old Worldwide Church of God wrote the following:

For your interest (or for whatever else it may be worth), an old Irish Catholic prophecy of the 12th Century predicts that there will be 265 popes before “the end of the world.” Pope John Paul I is number 263. The last, pope, according to this prophecy of “Malachy,” an old Irish bishop, is to take the name “Peter the Roman.” Time will have to judge the prophecy’s accuracy. (Hogberg G. A LOOK AT THE NEW ROMAN PONTIFF. Pastor General’s Report. August 29, 1978)

Gene Hogberg was off slightly. There were to be at least 266 pontiffs, not supposedly 265. And the Malachy list has 112 on it–the other claimed pontiffs were prior to him composing that list.

Technically, Pope Francis was 112 on that Malachy list–however, 1) it has long been held that there could be pontiffs between 111 and the final one and 2) because Benedict XVI was alive when Francis was voted in, some say he did not count. So, if that is the case, the next one MAY, if he performs various signs and wonders, be the last pope, who will be an antipope and the final Antichrist.

Anyway, it is possible that we may see the last pope emerge soon.

Some have pointed out that the last pope on the Malachy list will be terrifying (see The next pope—potentially terrifying? Does the Bible point to that?).

However, initially, the world will NOT think the final pope is terrifying.

Why?

Here is what the Bible prophesies about him:

11 Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon. 12 And he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence, and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. 13 He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. 14 And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived. (Revelation 13:11-14)

So, many will see this leader as like a lamb–like Jesus–but he will not be.

Furthermore, it needs to be pointed out that it is NOT required that the last pontiff take the name Peter the Roman.

From a biblical perspective, the last pope would be one who will perform “great signs.”

We will see if that will or will not be the next pope.

Related to Francis, the Malachi list, and the last pope, we put out the following related video earlier this year:

14:44

Malachy Prophecy, Francis, Doom in 2027?

Do you know who Malachy was? He was an Irish bishop and saint of the Rome Catholic church who put together a list about 900 years ago. This list has been a source of amazement and interest for centuries and at the same time it has also been a source of ridicule. Recently his list has been making headlines; the publication, Euronews has an article citing “Malachy’s List” and doom in 2027. The reason Malachy’s List is once again front-page news is because of what the list contains, as well as because of health concerns related to Pope Francis. It contains a prophecy of the number of popes until Jesus returns as well as a description of the characteristics of each pope. So, why does this matter? How many popes are on the list? What about the reign of the last pope? Are there any similarities between Malachy’s description of the last pope on his list and the prophecies in the Bible? Does the Antichrist fit in to Malachy’s list? Is it possible that Malachy’s list actually predicts the final judgment and the return of Christ in 2027? These questions are fascinating and provocative. Let Dr. Thiel shine the light of Bible prophecy on the answers to these questions. Answers from the verses of the Bible that bring prophecy to life.

Here is a link to our video: Malachy Prophecy, Francis, Doom in 2027?

World News Items

There has been some good news in the world, in that the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom has officially declared that a woman is defined by biology, not some personal or social construct (see UK Supreme Court can define a woman, but the State of Maine is being sued because it cannot). While many in the West still seem to not understand that, the biological fact is that men have xy chromosomes and women xx chromosomes, to mention simply one biological difference.

The death of Pope Francis occurred a few days ago (see Pope Francis dead: Could the next pope be the last one?). A papal conclave has been called to elect the next pope (see Could there be issues with the coming conclave? Do Greco-Roman Catholic prophecies point to an antipope?).

Elsewhere is Europe, it has been reported that the Europeans are looking at spending more funds to develop outer space aspects of their military (see Europe’s defense sector moving to develop more space technology–any risk to the US?). Since at least 2009, I have warned that technology will be a key factor in the coming European Beast power to rise up militarily and cause the world to marvel (cf. Revelation 13:3-4). The Europeans are continuing to take steps in that direction. There is more talk of a true European army (see Is a European Army a myth or a prophesied reality?). We know that Europe will end up with a “great army” (Daniel 11:25), so calls for a European-wide army are consistent with that prophecy.

Speaking of Europe, it is getting frustrated (and worse) with the United States (see EU President says because of Donald Trump ‘The West as we knew it no longer exists’) and hopes to lead a new world order (see Europe dismisses US as leader and wants to implement a new world order).

Concluding Comments

The Apostle Paul wrote the following mentioning the church (capitalizations were in the sources):

1 PAUL called to be an Apostle of JESUS Christ, by the will of God, and Sothenes a brother, 2 To the Church of God that is at Corinth, to the sanctified in Christ JESUS, called to be saints, with all that invocate the name of our Lord JESUS Christ in every place of theirs and ours (1 Corinthians 1:1-2, DRB).

1 PAUL an Apostle of JESUS Christ, by the will of God, and Timothy our brother: to the Church of God that is at Corinth, with all the saints that are in all Achaia (2 Corinthians 1:1, DRB).

13 … I persecuted the Church of God … (Galatians 1:13, NJB/OSB)

14 For you, brethren, are become followers of the churches of God which are in Judea, in Christ Jesus: for you also have suffered the same things from your own countrymen, even as they have from the Jews, (1 Thessalonians 2:14, DRB)

15 But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to converse in the house of God, which is the CHURCH of the living God, the pillar and ground of truth (1 Timothy 3:15, DRB).

So why the Continuing Church of God as our name?

The word “Continuing” helps capture, brethren, that we are the Church of God that continues to faithfully preach the original Church of God faith consistent with the admonition to do so in Jude 3.

The recommended sermon for this week touches on that, various names of God, and aspects of the coming Kingdom of God.

Sincerely,

Bob Thiel
Pastor and Overseer