Dear Brethren and Co-workers in Christ:
Greetings again from the Five Cities region of California.
For the several months, I have been working on a sermon related to the messages of the three angels in Revelation 14. While I have mentioned aspects of those angels’ messages in past sermons, in my 50 year association with the Church of God I have never actually heard a sermon mainly on them in any the groups I attended.
Last Sabbath, in Dublin Ireland, I gave such a message and it is the recommended sermon for this week: The Three Angels’ Messages.
My wife Joyce and I returned to the Five Cities area close to midnight Sunday night. There were various delays with our flight from Ireland, and it basically took us 21 hours to get home from when we started for the airport.
In Ireland, we gave and recorded a couple of sermons, a couple of sermonettes, as well as some video clips for possible future use. We also collected some information that is expected to be in a future CCOG book.
We have catching up on various administrative, proclamation, international, and other matters since we returned.
On other matters, this might be a good time to remind everyone that Pentecost is coming up in about a 1 1/2 weeks as it is on June 5th in 2022. And, that all should be planning for the Feast of Tabernacles.
Attend the Feast of Tabernacles
In 2022, Feast of Tabernacles’ services are scheduled to begin the evening of October 9th and continue until the Last Great Day which is October 17th.
Now it is time to plan for it, no matter where you live.
In the USA we are planning to observe it in Branson, Missouri. We have a contract to meet at the Radisson Hotel Branson, 120 South Wildwood Street, Branson, MO, 65616. Here is a photo of that hotel:
You do not need to stay at that hotel in order to attend the Feast of Tabernacles here. However, many will find staying at the Radisson Hotel Branson convenient. The nightly Double-bedded hotel room rate is $129.95 plus tax and, according to our contact there “includes a full buffet breakfast for every individual staying in each sleeping room every morning.” You can telephone 1 (417) 335-5767, and mention the Continuing Church of God Feast of Tabernacles to get that rate (the current, undiscounted rate, for the same room is $159.95 per night, so CCOG attendees save $30.00 per night, plus pay less tax).
You can also make reservations there online:
www.radissonhotelsamericas.com/en-us/hotels/radisson-branson
Input Arrival and Departure Dates (between October 9, 2022 to October 17, 2022)
Input Occupancy
Select Promotional Code under Special Rates
Promotional Code: CCGF
Select Room Type and Follow Procedures to Reserve the Room
To stay additional nights, telephone the hotel as opposed to using their online system.
According to Tripadvisor, Branson has hundreds of restaurants and 141 hotels. There are also camping facilities in Branson within driving distance of the Radisson.
While Branson does have a small airport, those who fly there will most likely fly into the Springfield, MO airport and then drive down.
If you plan to attend, please send me an email. My email address remains: COGwriter@aol.com
Here is information about the area and planned site for Canada:
Rooster Hill Ranch
Note that this is a working farm, so there will likely be noises from cattle, goats and chickens/roosters. There is one working dog in the house that is restricted to the mud room and 3 cats (2 more outside) that are friendly. Daily farming activities (checking/feeding critters) start around sunrise but I can start with chores away from the buildings first.
Criteria House Lodge # of floors 2 1 Bedrooms 3, upstairs: double, queen, double+single bunk 1: double Bathrooms 2: upstairs with shower, downstairs with tub 1: with shower Kitchen (common area) 6-burner stove with griddle & 1.5 oven; double fridge, typical appliances; dishes; 1.5 sink; wood stove 3-burner cooktop, fridge; large sink; large wood fired oven (pizza, bread, big enough to roast whole lamb/goat); dishes, typical appliances Dining (can also set up 1 or 2 workbench tables in the workshop/garage that seat 12-16 each) 2 tables: 6+8 or 10 1 table (10 or 12); Audio/visual 42” TV with DVD and computer hook up (internet) Large screen TV with DVD and computer hook up (this could be moved to the garage with the large tables for seating for services) Water source Municipal Municipal Other Fireplace; shares a wall with the barn, so you may hear livestock Lots of room for tents if anybody wants to “camp out”.
Room for a camper/RV if someone wants to use/bring one of those.
Nearby hotels:
Best Western Plus Stoneridge Inn & Conference Centre (13 minutes)
Cardinal Court Motel (15 minutes)
Ramada (20 minutes)
Courtyard (22 minutes)
Four Points (21 minutes)
London Travel Inn (22 minutes)
And lots more…
Nearby Restaurants:
20-30 minutes from all manner of dining in London
Local Attractions (some temporarily closed due to COVID restrictions which may or may not be lifted by FOT):
Grand Theatre (London, 35 minutes)
Stratford (3 theatres – world class + lots of restaurants, 1 hr)
Niagara Falls (2 hr, lots of hotels there if one wanted to stay overnight and return to the farm for services)
Butterfly Conservatory (Niagara Falls, 2 hr but temporarily closed)
Grand Bend (fantastic sunsets over Lake Huron) (1 hr)
Point Pelee National Park (most southern point in Canada) (1.5 hr)
Toronto Zoo (2.5 hrs but temporarily closed)
CN Tower (Toronto, 2 hrs)
Royal Ontario Museum (Toronto, 2 hrs)
Royal Botanical Gardens (Burlington, 1.5 hrs)
Lots of “lesser” tourist attractions (like Parks Blueberries, various smaller theatres, etc.)
Farm-bound Activities:
Feeding critters, collecting eggs, flying kites in the hay field, nature walks in the bush or hay field, fishing in the pond, sunset watching (can be quite spectacular), fire pit/marshmallow roast (will need to get twigs from the bush earlier in the day), deer watching (evenings), feeding from the garden, bicycle riding (2 or 3 bikes, plus a couple of small child bikes), learning how to grow vegetables naturally, learning about basic chicken husbandry, making butter/yogurt, visiting a small local dairy to see where the milk at the store comes from (and maybe see how cheese is made?). BBQ on one day?
Typical Daily “Schedule”:
8:30-9:30 Breakfast (for those staying at the farm and others who let me know the day before)
10:30-12:30 Services (could be in house, in Lodge or in garage, depending on # of attendees)
12:30-2:00 Fellowship/lunch for those who wish to have lunch at the farm; pot luck welcome, but I will likely provide sandwiches/soup/stew
For more information, contact Herb Haddon, email hwhaddon@gmail.com
Here is information related to the site in New Zealand:
I am pleased to announce the 2022 NZ Feast site will be at Mangawhai ( pronounced Mangafy)
I have had confirmation of the booking of the accommodation where we will host services and have the opportunity for fellowship together indoors, or outside overlooking the estuary.
The Service location is close to the local Holiday park which has a wide range of accommodations. Mangawhai Heads Holiday Park | Beachside Northland Accommodation
There are also many lovely holiday homes (baches as we call them in NZ) through agents such as https://www.bookabach.co.nz/ or https://www.bachcare.co.nz . Prices are quite reasonable in this area and there are currently a lot of properties available. As FOT will be during the school holidays this year, I expect things to book up in the coming weeks more quickly than perhaps at other times.
Mangawhai has a safe estuary with golden beaches for swimming, fishing and water sports as well as a surf beach around the corner. There are many nature walks along the headland, glow worms at Waipu caves, freshwater fishing and walks at nearby Tomarata Lake, as well as a local museum, play parks for children, chocolatery, cafes and restaurants.
For further details contact Sharon at akasharpez@gmail.com
Mangawhai is about 1 1/2 hours north of Auckland.
Please, be planning now. Do NOT wait until it is too late to be saving festival tithe, making rooms reservations, and planning transportation.
IF YOU ARE A PHILADELPHIAN CHRISTIAN, OR AT LEAST STRIVE TO BE, YOU NEED TO ATTEND THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES UNLESS YOUR HEALTH SITUATION, ETC. IS SO DIRE THAT YOU CANNOT.
Information on our sites around the world is found in the following article: Feast of Tabernacles’ Sites for 2022.
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. The one suggested for this week is: Lia Fail and the British Monarchy. Other sermonettes are available at the BitChute Prophecy channel https://www.bitchute.com/channel/prophecy/ and other CCOG used platforms.
- 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: The Three Angels’ Messages. Other sermons are also available at the ContinuingCOG YouTube channel and other CCOG used platforms.
- 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.
World News Items
Monkeypox continues to be in the news. But the reality is that it looks like the current Western outbreak is mainly limited to the sexually immoral (see AP: Monkeypox likely spread by sex at 2 raves in Europe). However, it may not stay that way. And we could see mutation that could pass to others.
There was another mass shooting in the USA on Tuesday (see ’15 killed in shooting at Uvalde elementary school; gunman dead, Gov. Abbott says’). The violence in the USA and elsewhere has been continuing. Remember to pray, as Jesus said (Matthew 6:10), for God’s kingdom to come.
That being said, the world’s “solutions” to shootings has not stopped them as we warned in a video four years ago (watch High School Shootings: 7 Failed Solutions).
The World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland has been taking place this week, as some of the world’s “elites” hope they, without the Bible, know how to best reorganize the world (see ‘Klaus Schwab: Davos 2022 ready to save the world’). Some others have voiced concerns that the World Health Assembly (WHA) meeting in Geneva, Switzerland will take away national sovereignty, particularly after some future infection outbreak or pandemic (see Protesters warn World Health Assembly proposals will take away sovereignty: Could this be a factor in the rise of the Beast?)–though most of those specific WHA proposals were withdrawn after protests. That being said, Bible prophecy reveals that Europe will reorganize and lose national sovereignty (cf. Revelation 17:112-13), after the fourth seal of Revelation 6 is opened, which will include one or more massively deadly pandemics.
Many of the “elites” in this world are unknowingly taking steps that are aligning with properly understood biblical prophecies.
Concluding Comments
The Book of Revelation prophesies:
6 Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth — to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people — 7 saying with a loud voice, “Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.”
8 And another angel followed, saying, “Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she has made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.”
9 Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, 10 he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. 11 And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.”
12 Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. (Revelation 14:6-12)
Brethren, these angels’ messages are part of the final phase of the work. They will come after Matthew 24:14 has been fulfilled.
Aspects of what we are doing now are expected to help make their messages more effective, despite the fact that most on the earth will discount them.
We all need to be patient saints, keep the commandments of God, the faith of Jesus, and the Philadelphian commitment to support the proclamation at this time of Jesus’ Gospel of the Kingdom of God.
Sincerely,
Bob Thiel
Pastor and Overseer