Weekly Update

January 25th, 2024

Greetings from Charlotte,

Mr. Michael Heykoop reports from Canada that they recorded seven Viewpoints that will now go into production. Also, last Friday evening, Mr. Stuart Wachowicz gave the first online presentation in a three-part prophecy series. The first presentation was on the 70-weeks prophecy and concluded with a Question and Answer segment. Mr. Winston Gosse made a trip from Toronto to Eastern Canada to visit the congregation in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Mr. Peter Nathan reports that Mr. Simon Muthama returned to Kenya following a successful trip to Uganda, where he found several new prospects in Fort Portal. These individuals were already tuning in to Wednesday night Bible Studies and accessing the Church’s material via their smartphones. One person had travelled 170 kilometers (over 105 miles) to meet with Mr. Muthama. Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan McNair arrived home from Oregon this week following their marriage. Let us be sure to remember one another in prayer as some of our members are going through severe trials.—Gerald Weston

Church Administration

Tomorrow’s World Presentations

Last week we held four Tomorrow’s World Presentations. The three events in Florida drew a combined total of 63 guests. The online-only Canadian TWP had 229 individual guest connections. This week we will hold seven presentations, listed below:

  • Hollywood, Florida – follow-up
  • Melbourne, Florida – follow-up
  • Las Vegas, Nevada
  • Wichita, Kansas
  • Lafayette, Louisiana
  • New Orleans, Louisiana
  • Los Angeles, California

Thank you to everyone who supports the Tomorrow’s World Presentations with their time, energy, and prayers.

Update on Our Brethren in Africa

World events are conspiring to make life increasingly difficult for our members in Africa. The war in Ukraine is raising the price of fossil fuel and curtailing supplies of grain, fertilizer, and cooking oils that had previously come from Russia and Ukraine. The recent Houthi attacks in the Red Sea region are raising costs due to shipping delays. Repeated droughts and floods are lowering crop yields. In addition, there is political instability in some countries, such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

These factors combine to significantly increase the cost of living for our members in various parts of Africa. In some cases, food prices have as much as doubled, and this is a region where food accounts for up to 50 percent of the household budget. The net effect on our brethren is that many have been compelled to eat only one meal a day—or eating even less if they had already been reduced to one meal a day. Some of the children are beginning to show signs of malnutrition.

The Church is currently working with our local leaders about this situation. Please pray that God would guide us as we seek to give some relief to our members in Africa.—Lee Page

Feast of Tabernacles

2024 Feast of Tabernacles Registration: Sunday, May 12

General Feast of Tabernacles site registration is tentatively scheduled for Sunday, May 12. Please do not make housing reservations at this time—housing reservations should not be made until after you receive approval of your Festival registration after registering on May 12. This list is for informational purposes only. The U.S. Feast sites and coordinators are as follows:

International Feast sites will be announced at a later date.

Living Youth Program

Application Deadline for LYP Teen Camp in Europe

The weeklong LYP Teen Camp in the Chevetogne region of central Belgium will be held Monday, 29 July, through Monday, 5 August and the deadline to apply is 30 April. The summer camp is bilingual and will be conducted in English and French. Church youth ages 12–19 are invited to attend. The tuition for camp is €170 for campers and €60 for staff, and includes lodging, meals, and camp t-shirts. Campers should plan to arrive by mid-day on Monday, 29 July, and we ask staff to plan to come earlier if possible. Campers and staff are responsible for their own transportation costs. Those flying into Belgium can fly into either Brussels or Charleroi (Brussels South) and we will arrange for airport pickup and return. For more details and to begin the registration process, please contact Camp Director Mr. Rees Ellis ([email protected]).

Comments

Beware of False Teachers: Jesus warned repeatedly about false teachers, saying, “Many will come in My name… and will deceive many” (Matthew 24:4–5). While they may claim to be “Christian,” their teachings and actions will be contrary to the Scriptures. To avoid being deceived, it is important to study the word of God so you can recognize if a teacher’s message agrees with the Scriptures or not (see Isaiah 8:20). Today we hear many different “gospels”—the gospel of wealth, the gospel of permissive grace, of social justice, and apocryphal gospels. However, the Apostle Paul labeled false teachers who promote a different gospel than Jesus and the Apostles preached, as “ministers” of Satan (2 Corinthians 11:1–15). To avoid being deceived by clever arguments and emotionally laced messages, we must diligently study the Scriptures as the Bereans did (Acts 17:10–11) and prove from the Scriptures what is true or false (1 Thessalonians 5:21).

Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail

News and Prophecy—January 25, 2024

Israel Faces War on Seven Fronts! In September 2023, Israel had already made peace with several Arab neighbors and was poised to sign a peace deal with Saudi Arabia. Then, October 7 happened, and the current Israel-Hamas war erupted, which has now dragged on for three months and embroiled more of the world in proxy wars. And there are signs the conflict is spreading.

In recent comments to the Knesset, Israel’s Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant, declared Israel is fighting a “multi-front war” (The Guardian, December 26, 2023). He further noted Israel is “coming under attack from seven theatres: Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Judea and Samaria [an Israeli term for the West Bank], Iraq, Yemen and Iran.” Some analysts believe “Israel’s retaliatory war on the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip has already become one of the most destructive conflicts of the 21st century, with estimates suggesting more than 20,600 people have been killed, 55,000 injured, and 85% of the Palestinian territory’s 2.3 million people forced to flee their homes.”

The history of Israel is replete with war and fighting. Ancient Israel fought to take possession of the Promised Land. God promised that Israel would prevail over their enemies if they obeyed His instructions, but, if they disobeyed, they would be defeated and be a source of trouble among the nations (Deuteronomy 28:1–2, 7, 15, 25). The Bible also foretold that Jerusalem would be “a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples” (Zechariah 12:2), and “a very heavy stone for all peoples” (v. 3). Peace in Jerusalem appears to be impossible until Jesus Christ returns and makes it His capital city! King David’s admonition written thousands of years ago remains painfully relevant today: “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem” (Psalm 122:6). To learn more about Israel’s real future, read “A Cup of Trembling.”

“Kill [Jews] Wherever You Find Them”: Jews have suffered from hatred and persecution from many nations all over the world for millennia. From the ancient Persian court official Haman who tried to exterminate all Jews in the Persian Empire, as recorded in the book of Esther, to the Holocaust of the Third Reich, evil people have worked to annihilate the Jewish people—the tribe of Israel that brought forth the Messiah, Jesus Christ. Sadly, this abhorrence of the Jews continues today, and many of their enemies not only want control of Jerusalem and modern-day Israel, but also want to erase the Jews from existence.

Just weeks ago, Islamic State (ISIS) spokesman Abu Huthaifa al-Ansari gave a half-hour speech entitled “And kill them wherever you find them.” In the hate-filled speech al-Ansari urged terrorist cells, according to the National Post, to “strike Israeli and Jewish targets across the United States and Europe, including synagogues, Jewish gatherings and Israeli diplomatic missions” (January 5, 2024). He declared, “The fight with Jews is a religious war, not a social or national battle,” and “It is not a (war) centered around lands or borders.” Al-Ansari also directed ISIS supporters, “Barge into their homes and kill them using different methods, including gunfire, bombs, grenades and knives” and instructed them, “Don’t differentiate between a civilian or a soldier, as they both should be targeted.” This call for violence differs little from other historical crusades to exterminate the Jewish people—and ISIS is not the only group shouting such genocidal rhetoric today.

Why has so much hatred been directed at the Jews over the centuries, even to the point of desiring their annihilation as a people? The Bible and history provide informative answers. To discover the answers, watch “Antisemitism Is Rising.”—Scott Winnail and Francine Prater