Dear Brethren and Co-Workers in Christ:
Greetings from Grover Beach, California.
Louis Rubin wanted to put out a message to the brethren, and that is the recommended sermonette for this upcoming Sabbath: Our Closing Act – the Short Work and You.
Africa and Language Matters
We have received reports from Kenyan Ezekiel Oanda that we are having a lot of growth in his area as another group not previously associated with us is interested.
Radson Mulozowa also reported that he visited some in Mozambique who left us and want to be back in the Continuing Church of God. We are looking into that.
He also sent the following report:
Greetings from Malawi and Mozambique. We are all fine by the grace of God …
Let me report that youth camp meeting both Malawi and Mozambique will be held from 19 to 21 this monthAfter teaching about the kingdom of God all the brethren has requested me to to again for three days meetingsbest regardsRadson
We also intend to have youth camps in Kenya this month. Please pray about that as well as our income to help support that and other projects.
Elsewhere in Africa, we received the following photo and report from Rwanda:
Dear Pastor Dr Bob ,
Greetings from Rwanda and DR Congo even Burundi .
I am happy to show you this photo of the foundation of the house of worship and to thank you because you are the one doing it and then we will continue to build the wall when foundation is strong .Dear Pastor , I spoke with Martin Rwanika from DR Congo and Norbert Ntahiraja from Burundi they are fine now but they need CCOG books and booklets in French language especially the books I attaching .Greetings to all the saints .Sincerely ,Moïse
As far as French language books go, we do not yet have the ones requested (Hope of Salvation: How the Continuing Church of God Differs from Protestantism and Beliefs of the Original Catholic Church: Could a remnant group have continuing apostolic succession?) translated from English. But, perhaps some day. Please pray, as Jesus said, for more laborers for the harvest (e.g. Matthew 9:37-38).
That said, we received another 40 translations of our English booklet, The Gospel of the Kingdom of God. However, because of hacking issues we are trying to determine if we should pause the translations for a short while as we try to figure out the best way to recover. Please pray about that.
Hacking Issues
The Apostles stated:
22… “We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.” (Acts 14:22)
We continue to be working on website issues for sites like our Bible News Prophecy International radio site.
That site seems to be working again and allowing us to update it.
However, because our cdlidd.es site was hit with 1700 pieces of malware and our ccog.eu site was hit with 1300, they are not ready to update. We are looking at how to also reload many translations of our English booklet, The Gospel of the Kingdom of God, to the ccog.eu website as well as elsewhere.
Satan does not want the Philadelphian portion of the Church of God (Revelation 3:7-13) to set the stage for the short work of end time gospel witnessing to be fulfilled. Yet, we will persevere as Jesus instructed (Revelation 3:10)–and succeed per Romans 9:28 and Matthew 24:14.
Pornography
Pornography is becoming more recognized as a problem by secular sources. The BBC put out the following:
29 November 2024
Ofcom’s Online Nation 2024 report suggests 29% of UK adults accessed online porn in May 2024. Additionally, new research from addiction treatment centre, UKAT, suggests that millions of Britons are viewing pornography regularly – with 1.8 million watching daily, some multiple times a day.
According to treatment providers, more people are seeking help for problematic porn use.
Dr Paula Hall, a UKCP-accredited sexual and relationship psychotherapist at The Laurel Centre, in London, specialises in helping people affected by sex addiction and porn addiction.
“The numbers of clients seeking help with pornography problems at The Laurel Centre have doubled over recent years, as have our requests from health professionals for further training,” she tells the BBC.
Dr Hall explains that they have also seen a growing number of younger people seeking help.
“Ten years ago the majority of our clients would have been married men in their 40s and 50s who were seeking help because their partner had discovered their use of sex workers,” she says.
“But increasingly, our clients are in their 20s and 30s, many of whom are single, who are recognising the growing toll of porn use on their lives and on their ability to get or maintain a relationship.” …
“Young people tell me their exposure to pornography is widespread and normalised – with the average age at which children first seeing pornography being 13 years old,” Dame Rachel de Souza, the current Children’s Commissioner, tells the BBC.
“Pornography is no longer confined to dedicated adult sites – children tell me they can see violent content, depicting coercive, degrading or pain-inducing sexual acts on social media.
“The implications of seeing this kind of material are vast – my research has found that frequent users of pornography are more likely to engage in physically aggressive sex acts.”
De Souza adds that it is “vital” for high-quality relationship and sex education to be given parity of importance with other subjects to help young people understand that pornography is unrealistic. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cg57r337rvzo
Yes, pornography is unrealistic. It is harmful to those who are enticed by it.
The Bible warns:
10 My son, if sinners entice you, Do not consent. (Proverbs 1:10)
The pornography industry is a sin-filled one that is always trying to entice people to sin!
The Bible also speaks against being “secretly enticed” (Job 31:27) and speaks of this essentially through sexual lust (cf. Job 31:1,9)–do not think that you can secretly view pornography and that all is fine: “be sure your sin will find you out” (Numbers 32:23)!
Notice some statements in the Bible from Jesus and the Apostle Paul:
27 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. (Matthew 5:27-28)
18 Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. (1 Corinthians 6:18)
Adultery is prohibited by the seventh commandment (see also What Did Jesus Teach About the Ten Commandments?).
Jesus and the Apostle Paul warned against attempting to provoke, stir up, or mentally succumb to sexual lust. Thus, they are also condemning pornography, including dressing inappropriately (see also 1 Timothy 2:8-9).
Speaking of that, a few days ago I saw a headline advertising see-through cloths for women–such should never be!
That said, notice something from the Apostle James:
12 Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. 13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. 14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. 15 Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. (James 1:12-15)
James warned about being enticed and that this type of sin brings death!
When one flees sexual immorality, one resists temptation. Notice also something else from James:
7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. (James 4:7-8)
Do not be ‘double-minded,’–keep away from pornography. Satan wants you to accept the falsehoods associated with pornography.
Regular viewers of pornography often end up with a distorted version of human sexuality which impacts them as well as, for married people, their spouse. As it turns out, it was actually pornography that was a major factor in the early internet becoming somewhat commercially viable. However, pornography is wrong and quite harmful to society, and even some in the secular world are realizing that.
Furthermore, remember the Bible says to:
1 Cry aloud, spare not;
Lift up your voice like a trumpet;
Tell My people their transgression,
And the house of Jacob their sins. (Isaiah 58:1)
That is something we are doing. Pornography is a growing sin among the house of Jacob.
Related to pornography, the Continuing Church of God has the following sermon from its ContinuingCOG channel:
1:17Pornography, Jesus, and the Bible
Is pornography harmless fun or is it an ever present evil in modern society? Does the Bible teach anything about it? What about Jesus? Just what is pornography? Does it have spiritual ramifications beyond the seventh commandment? Did the Apostle Paul teach about fleeing sexual immorality and dressing modestly? Does pornography violate the ‘golden rule’? What steps have the US Supreme Court and the State of Utah taken? What is the difference between hard-core and soft-core pornography? Are there steps one can take to overcome the addiction to pornography? Was pornography an issue in ancient Pompeii that was destroyed in 79 A.D.? How frequently is pornography searched for on the internet? Is there such a thing as “mommy porn’? Is pornography something that you should tolerate? Should the church be denouncing pornography? Could pornography have weather or prophetic ramifications? Dr. Thiel addresses these issues and more in this video.
Here is a link to the sermon: Pornography, Jesus, and the Bible.
Social Media and 666
Many people around the world are ‘addicted’ to social media.
One problem, particularly on how it affects younger people, is that it pressures many to have physical or other attributes that they cannot have nor attain. Plus, for many, it pushes them away from many realities of life.
Last year, the US Surgeon General put out a report on teens and social media:
A Surgeon General’s Advisory is a public statement that calls the American people’s attention to an urgent public health issue and provides recommendations for how it should be addressed. Advisories are reserved for significant public health challenges that require the nation’s immediate awareness and action.
This Advisory calls attention to the growing concerns about the effects of social media on youth mental health. It explores and describes the current evidence on the positive and negative impacts of social media on children and adolescents, some of the primary areas for mental health and well-being concerns, and opportunities for additional research to help understand the full scope and scale of social media’s impact. This document is not an exhaustive review of the literature. Rather, it was developed through a substantial review of the available evidence, primarily found via electronic searches of research articles published in English and resources suggested by a wide range of subject matter experts, with priority given to, but not limited to, meta-analyses and systematic literature reviews. It also offers actionable recommendations for the institutions that can shape online environments—policymakers and technology companies—as well as for what parents and caregivers, young people, and researchers can do. https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/sg-youth-mental-health-social-media-advisory.pdf
Yes, there are problems with many who are overly involved in what is called ‘social media.’ However, instead of trusting parents to deal with this, many are looking to government as well as governmental pressures on Big Tech.
CNN reported the following about something that happened last week:
Tech companies put on notice as Australia passes world-first social media ban for under-16s
November 29, 2024
Australia’s parliament has passed a world-first law banning social media for children under 16, putting tech companies on notice to tighten security before a cut-off date that’s yet to be set.
The Senate approved the social media ban late on Thursday, the last sitting day of the year, following months of intense public debate and a rushed parliamentary process that saw the bill introduced, debated and passed within a week.
Under the new law, tech companies must take “reasonable steps” to prevent under-age users from accessing social media services or face fines of nearly 50 million Australian dollars ($32 million). …
The ban is expected to apply to Snapchat, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Reddit and X, but that list could expand.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese praised the new law on Friday, saying it sent a message to parents that “we’ve got your back.”
“Platforms now have a social responsibility to ensure the safety of our kids is a priority for them,” he said. …
“We know that social media can be a weapon for bullies, a platform for peer pressure, a driver of anxiety, a vehicle for scammers. And worst of all, a tool for online predators,” he said. …
But it met fierce opposition from some independents and smaller parties, including Greens Sen. Sarah Hanson-Young, who accused the major parties of trying to “fool” Australian parents.
“This is a disaster unfolding before our eyes,” she said. “You couldn’t make this stuff up. The prime minister says he’s worried about social media. The leader of the opposition says, ‘Let’s ban it.’
“It’s a race to the bottom to try and pretend who can be the toughest, and all they end up with is pushing young people into further isolation and giving the platforms the opportunity to continue the free-for-all, because now there’s no social responsibility required.
“We need to make social media safer for everybody.” https://www.cnn.com/2024/11/28/australia/australia-passes-social-media-law-intl-hnk/index.html
The above is not so much a race to the bottom as way to control and censor the internet.
While there are issues that parents can address, the above “cure” will cause other problems.
To make this work, first some type of way to identify users will have to be put in place. Perhaps at first, showing identification cards for ANY who want to access these platforms. While that has been done in some countries, smart young teens will get around this.
Then, tech involving biometrics will likely be added.
Then, Big Tech will have additional information which governments may demand to be able to see in order to see who is posting what.
This type of monitoring will not be limited to children under 16.
Many in and out of the government have plans and are watching the internet with plans to deal with materials that they some day hope to silence.
Notice a prophecy in the Book of Revelation:
15 He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed. 16 He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, 17 and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
18 Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666. (Revelation 13:15-18)
The above prophecy points to there being enforcers of monitoring, censorship, and totalitarian controls.
Now, it is true that Revelation 13 has to do with Europe, places like the USA, UK, and Australia have taken steps which the coming European Beast power will build upon.
And that will lead to more censorship.
Back in 2016, I posted the following here:
The Prophet Amos was inspired to record the following:
11 “Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord God,
“That I will send a famine on the land,
Not a famine of bread,
Nor a thirst for water,
But of hearing the words of the Lord.
12 They shall wander from sea to sea,
And from north to east;
They shall run to and fro, seeking the word of the Lord,
But shall not find it. (Amos 8:11-12)Notice that the Bible tells of a time that will come when the word of God will not be found.
That is not talking of a time when there are no Bibles.
It would seem that Amos was writing about a time when much of the truth of God’s religion will be taken off the internet. In the 21st century, the internet is accessed by people in every country, and thus some type of internet restriction/suspension/site removal is coming.
We are getting closer to this time. What Australia is trying to do is basically a prelude to additional censorship and monitoring.
Because we in the Continuing Church of God know more restrictions are coming, that is part of why we have been preparing for the ‘short work’ (Romans 9:28) and the coming ‘famine of the word.’
In time, the ‘famine of the word’ will hit.
Jesus’ message of the Gospel of the Kingdom of God will FIRST reach the world as a witness, and then the end will come:
14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come. (Matthew 24:14)
The proclamation of the Gospel of the Kingdom of God will succeed before the full ‘famine of the word’ will be in place. And that is why we have that booklet translated into hundreds of languages and have versions on numerous websites.
We have been preparing for the ‘Short Work’ consistent with Romans 9:28.
While Australia, other governments, and Big Tech will not stop Matthew 24:14 from being fulfilled, many are taking ‘666’ steps that will lead to the famine of the word.
Suggested Sabbath Services
Here is a suggested Sabbath day service for our scattered brethren and other interested people for the Last Great Day Sabbath service:
- 2-3 hymns (our songbook, The Bible Hymnal, contains the materials from the 1974 Bible Hymnal from the old WCG with new covers, plus ten additional hymns; there is also some Choral Accompaniment online).
- Opening prayer.
- Sermonette: Our Closing Act – the Short Work and You. Other sermonettes are available at our Prophecy channel on BitChute https://www.bitchute.com/channel/prophecy/
- Announcements (if any; though for many it will be this letter) and one hymn.
- The suggested sermon is: Philadelphia Church Era: History & Teachings. Other sermons are also available at the COGTube channel on BitChute https://www.bitchute.com/channel/cogtube/
- Final hymn.
- Closing prayer.
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 cellular 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.
World News Items
While many have blasted various positions of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. (and I do NOT agree with all of his statements about health), the reality is that the USA has major chronic health problems which have been worsening (see Debbie Wasserman Schultz blasts RF Kennedy Jr.s’ health views as a disaster, yet USA has serious health problems and many agree with Kennedy).
The Bible warns against obesity (Deuteronomy 32:15-16; Jeremiah 50:11-12) and instructs us “eat what is good” (Isaiah 55:2). We will see if any policies that Robert F. Kennedy may endorse will change the trajectory of obesity and chronic health problems in the USA or elsewhere.
US President-elect Donald Trump continues to make a variety of tariff threats. Last weekend, he warned the BRICS group of nations that he would impose a 100% tariff if they come up with a replacement currency for the USA dollar (see Donald Trumps threatens BRICS nations with 100% tariffs–there will be unintended consequences). However, this type of threat will encourage other nations, including the BRICS-aligned ones, to take further steps to bypass the USA dollar–and that is also the position of Russia (see Kremlin responds to Donald Trump’s threat to BRICS; MS says, ‘We Have Never Seen An Economic War Quite Like This’).
There will be many unintended consequences to the USA, because of Donald Trump’s statements and policies.
One of the threats to the US dollar is not sanctions, tariffs, or its governmental use its financial position as a weapon (“soft power” as Hillary Clinton seems to have put it), but its debt. More and more secular sources are rightly pointing out the inevitable international collapse of the US dollar because of its debt (see Debt: Is America Following The Path Of Collapsed Empires?). Habakkuk 2:6-8 will be fulfilled and the US is setting itself up for destruction because of its promotion of immorality as well as its debt–which is higher than any nation in the known history of humankind.
Partially because of American greed and trade policies, Mexico is looking to amend its Constitution to prohibit Genetically-Modified Corn (see Mexico wants to amend its Constitution to stop GMO corn–this will cause further trade issues with the US). The United States is the world’s biggest producer of GMO corn and it has been trying to force Mexico to import it–that is wrong, but the US keeps pushing that.
Anyway, there are terrible things happening in other lands as well. A member tipped me off to something horrible in Canada. It seems a town without a flagpole was fined for not flying a pro-LGBTQ rainbow flag (see Canadian city being fined for not promoting abomination). Apparently because the mayor of that town said that they do not fly a heterosexual flag either (if there were such a thing), his comment was taken as proof that this was discrimination against the LGBTQ movement–and hence a fine.
The Bible warns that those who engage in or simply condone sexual immorality of any type (including LGBTQ) are “deserving of death” (Romans 1:18-32). Yet, the LGBTQ+ supporting crowd (which has succeeded in some areas of Canada to stop getting certain parts of the Bible quoted) does not wish to tolerate biblical morality. This is not good for Canada, etc.
Concluding Comments
Jesus taught:
7 “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write,
‘These things says He who is holy, He who is true, “He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens”: 8 “I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name. 9 Indeed I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews and are not, but lie — indeed I will make them come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you. 10 Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. 11 Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown. 12 He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name. (Revelation 3:7-12)
Brethren, to the above, Jesus added:
13 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”‘ (Revelation 3:13)
We have already had sermons on the first five churches of Revelation, and the recommended sermon for this Sabbath has to do with the Philadelphia church era: Philadelphia Church Era: History & Teachings.
Despite what many think, according to Jesus’ words to the churches, PLURAL, in Revelation chapter 3, as well as what we read in Revelation 12:14-17, not all Churches of God are the same in God’s eyes.
Sadly, most end time Christians do NOT really react as they should when hearing what the Spirit says to the churches.
You, however, should be one who really does hear and heed.
Sincerely,
Bob Thiel
Pastor and Overseer