Dear Brethren and Co-Workers in Christ:
We hope and pray that you are doing well.
We continue to work on lots of details here as we try to fulfill Matthew 24:14 and Matthew 28:19-20.
But there is also other planning going on.
Feast of Tabernacles
The Feast of Tabernacles will be here in a little over 3 months.
Those of you who are planning to go to the sites in either Aurora, Illinois, USA or New Brunswick, Canada, who have not let me or Herb Haddon know (his email address is hwhaddon@gmail.com), should let us know now, so we can plan better.
My most immediate concern is the site in Aurora.
Why?
Because there are some in one or more Church of God groups in the Chicago area that may decide to attend with us. I recently spoke with the pastor of one such group. So, in order to be sure we have the right meeting room selected, please let me know as soon as possible if you plan to come to Aurora for the Feast of Tabernacles this year.
Please respond as soon as you can.
My email address remains cogwriter@aol.com
Radio, Radio, Radio
Concerning radio, yesterday I was on the Republic Broadcasting Network (RBN) at 1:00 pm Central Daylight Time. I was also interviewed by Emil Franzi on Inside Track on KVOI 1030 am, Tucson, AZ late last week.
In addition, I spent about an hour and forty minutes on a BlogTalk radio program put out by the Gathering of Christ Church yesterday. This is a Messianic group that keeps the Sabbath. Apparently, they have had various Protestants on who attempted to point to early church history to try to demonstrate that the Sabbath was changed. As this group’s leaders do not have extensive training in early church history, I was asked to give a Sabbath-keepers view. So I covered various aspects of church history, including rebutting arguments some ‘scholars’ claim that early, true, Christians, kept Sunday.
Future Radio
I am again scheduled to be on the Nutri-Medical Report on the Republic Broadcasting Network (RBN) at 1:00 pm Central Daylight Time on Monday July 11th
There is also a radio interview scheduled for July 15, 2016 at 9:40 am on WRJN 1400 am in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. This is a first time interview at that station, and is likely to be relatively short.
Radio exposure is basically a no-cost way we in the Continuing Church of God have been able to reach people with the truths of the Bible who might not otherwise be able to hear those messages.
World News Items
There was more terrorism this past week, with Iraq being hit by various delusional suicide bombers (see Islamic State strikes in Iraq). The so-called Islamic State will one day be defeated as it is currently structured, but the final King of the South (Daniel 11:40-43) will emerge.
The British vote to leave the European Union has remained in the news. But various ones in Europe expect the European Union to otherwise grow (see DW ‘Merkel: Brexit won’t stop EU expansion’). Europe is proceeding with its Galileo ‘GPS’ project which is apt to put the USA, UK, Canada, and others at risk one day as the USA plans to have some of its military dependent upon this European project (see Europe’s Galileo going ahead, despite Brexit concerns).
For years, I have written that Europe would one day have to reorganize based upon passages such as Revelation 17:12-13. With the Breixt vote, various ones are calling to a reorganization (e.g. see Germany’s Vice Chancellor calls for EU reorganization with less leaders: A prelude to Revelation 17:12-13?). While the prophesied reorganization remains for the future, the fact that some are calling for reorganization in Europe indicates that various ones in Europe will accept one later. And they will per Revelation 17:12-13.
Over in Australia, its election has not (as of the time of this writing) resulted in a clear ‘winner.’ In time, something should be worked out. Over in the USA, the presumptive Democratic nominee (Hillary Clinton) was basically let off of criminal charges by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for something that various ones believe she should have been indicated for (see FBI: Hillary Clinton ‘EXTREMELY CARELESS,’ but no indictment!).
Suggested Sabbath Service
Here is a suggested Sabbath service for this week:
- 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, which for most who receive this letter via email will be a recorded one: Forbes’ Brexit Monster is the Beast of Revelation. Other sermonettes are available at the Bible News Prophecy channel.
- Announcements (if any; though for many it will be this letter) and one hymn.
- Sermon, which for most who receive this letter via email will be a recorded one. The one suggested for this week is: Can the Great Tribulation begin before 2020? Other sermons are also available at the ContinuingCOG channel.
- 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 new 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.
Concluding Comments
The Book of Hebrews teaches us:
9 But, beloved, we are confident of better things concerning you, yes, things that accompany salvation, though we speak in this manner. 10 For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister. 11 And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, 12 that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. (Hebrews 6:9-12)
Brethren, sometimes it seems like we are so ‘on our own’ that no one notices what we are striving to do. But God does know. Continue in patience so that you will inherit the promises in His Kingdom.
Sincerely,
Bob Thiel
Pastor and Overseer