Weekly Update

February 15th, 2024

Greetings from Charlotte,

As was reported previously, we held Tomorrow’s World Presentations and Bible Studies in Fiji this past November. Mr. Paul Kearns reported in the Australasian News Update that of the 41 guests in attendance, “About half were former ex-WCG members, while the other half were new to the Truth and had found Tomorrow’s World through the Facebook ads campaign that the Regional Office has been conducting in recent times…. We now have around 20 Fijians tuning in to the Auckland Sabbath service livestream each week, and I am in contact with several others who are either keen to attend services or interested in knowing more about the Church.” The March–April 2024 edition of Tomorrow’s World is being printed and mailed and should be arriving soon. It features a cover article on “The Chaos of a Borderless World” by Mr. Wallace Smith and a feature article by Mr. Richard Ames on “The ‘Good News’ Gospel.” Let us remember one another in prayer, not only for those suffering severe trials, but also asking God to help us maintain our focus during these troubling times.—Gerald Weston

Church Administration

Tomorrow’s World Presentations

Last week was another successful week for Tomorrow’s World Presentations. We held two initial presentations and three follow-up events that drew a combined total of 73 guests. Canada’s online presentation drew a total of 143 individuals. This week Mr. Smith will travel to Arkansas to give two initial presentations and Mr. Dan Hall will give two initial events in Georgia. Mr. Alex Celan will give two follow-ups, in Georgia and South Carolina. Thank you to everyone who continues to support and pray for the Tomorrow’s World Presentations.

Passover: Deadline for Requesting Supplies and Materials—Repeat Announcement

Important Notice to All Pastors: In 2024, the Passover Service will be observed on Sunday evening, April 21. February 16 is the international deadline for requesting Passover Service supplies (bread trays and/or wine trays or glasses) or a physical copy of the Passover Service recording and letter instructions (available in English, French, and Spanish) for congregations, and March 17 is the deadline for U.S. requests. (This year we have a new Passover Service recording presented by Mr. Wallace Smith.) Any requests for Passover Service recordings and letter instructions for home observance, needed by members who are unable to keep the Passover with a congregation, should also be received by the above deadlines. Please direct your requests to the Church Administration Department at [email protected]. Note: As in the last couple of years, the digital Passover Service recording is available to pastors and video recipients via the FTP site, and a private YouTube link will also be provided.

Living Education

As parents, one of our challenges is how to teach our children about God. Without regular instruction about God, His ways, and the story of His work with people down through history, our children will not learn the framework for all other education. To assist parents in this effort, we have developed a series of Bible lessons. The key to the lessons, however, is that they depend on parental involvement. Our goal is to provide a teaching tool for you to help teach the fundamental truths of the Bible in an organized and structured way, at the child’s educational level. If you haven’t checked out the Children’s Lessons, all you have to do is go to lcgeducation.org and click on the tab titled “Children”!—Jonathan McNair

Feast of Tabernacles

International Feast Sites 2024—Posted on MyLCG —Repeat Announcement (Speaker: No need to read entire list.)

We are pleased to announce the international Feast sites that have been confirmed for 2024 and that will be open to international transfers. Some venues have not been finalized yet; in those cases, the country is listed but not the town. Additional or different information than last week is in bold font.

Other international sites will be announced later as they are confirmed. Stay tuned to The World Ahead for more information about the Feast of Tabernacles 2024!

Living Youth Program

Summer Camps Information

For information about this year’s summer camps, please visit https://camp.livingyouth.org. For any assistance in registering, please contact Jenny Penman ([email protected]) for U.S. sites, and Mr. Rees Ellis ([email protected]) for the European camp.

Comments

The Value of Trials: Nobody likes to go through trials, because trials are never pleasant. However, we can deal with trials more effectively if we maintain a godly perspective (Isaiah 55:8–9). The Bible reveals that God uses trials to help us grow and build character (James 1:2–4). Abraham grew in faith when he obeyed God and saw how God preserved his son Isaac from becoming a literal sacrifice (Genesis 22:9–14). This is why Abraham became the “father of the faithful” (Romans 4:16). Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers and thrown into prison, yet he was delivered by God because God had a purpose for Joseph (Genesis 37–41). Moses’ life was preserved and he was trained to be a leader so God could use him to deliver the Israelites from bondage in Egypt (Exodus 2–4). When we encounter trials, we need to remember that God is our Father, that He has a plan and purpose for each of us, and that all things will work to our good if we trust God and let Him mold and fashion us for His Kingdom (Romans 8:28). Let’s value and learn from the trials that come our way.

Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail

News and Prophecy—February 15, 2024

Germany Sells More Weapons to Saudi Arabia: In late 2018, Germany suspended arms sales to Saudi Arabia, following the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, allegedly by the agents of the Saudi government. But German attitudes toward Saudi Arabia are now more favorable. According to German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, Riyadh has helped prevent the spread of the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza by contributing to Israel’s safety (Deutsche Welle, January 10, 2024). In late December, Germany approved exporting 150 IRIS-T guided missiles, capable of air-to-air and ground-to-air strikes, to the Gulf state. The German foreign minister also wants to resume the sale of Eurofighters—the fighter jet Saudi Arabia recently used to shoot down Houthi missiles bound for Israel. The Saudi kingdom is viewed as an important market for German arms sales.

It is easy to conclude that Germany’s ailing economic state is the driving force behind the resumption of arms sales to Saudi Arabia. However, there may be more to this story. Germany’s involvement in the Middle East could easily expand further. Psalm 83 speaks prophetically of a temporary end-of-the-age alliance between Germany (referred to as Assyria in Bible prophecy) and several Middle East nations: “They have said, ‘Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation, that the name of Israel may be remembered no more.’ For they have consulted together with one consent; they form a confederacy against You: the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites; Moab and the Hagrites; Gebal, Ammon, and Amalek; Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre; Assyria also has joined with them (Psalm 83:4–8). To discover more about Germany and its future, read or listen to our detailed study guide Germany in Prophecy.

Creation Continues to Baffle Scientists: For some, science is an all-powerful god of sorts that explains everything, and many scientists can arrogantly conclude that they have revealed all knowledge on some aspect of our universe. Yet, new discoveries often demonstrate how foolish such conclusions really are. As the Bible notes about godless human beings, “Professing to be wise, they became fools” (Romans 1:22).

The BBC recently reported, “Scientists at the University of Central Lancashire have discovered a gigantic, ring-shaped structure in space” that is 1.3 billion light-years in diameter (January 11, 2024). This “Big Ring” is comprised of multiple galaxies and galaxy clusters. It is “so big it challenges our understanding of the universe.” According to one of astronomy’s guiding principles—the cosmological principle—structures this large should not exist, because all matter is expected to be spread evenly across the universe. Yet, this is the seventh massive structure—again, that should not exist—to be discovered in the universe in recent years. As the discoverer of two of these structures humbly observed, “their ultra-large sizes, distinctive shapes, and cosmological proximity must surely be telling us something important—but what exactly?” A physics professor from the University of Warwick also commented, “It’s incredibly hard to conceive of any mechanism that could produce these structures so instead the authors speculate that we are seeing a relic from the early universe where waves of high and low density material are ‘frozen’ in to extragalactic medium.” While such a mechanism may be “incredibly hard to conceive of,” the God who created the universe continues to show those scientists who do not believe in Him that He is capable of surprises and contradicting their assumptions.

The God of the Bible says of the wise and mighty of this world, “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse” (Romans 1:20). When you view the creation through the lens of the Bible, scientific discoveries often come into much clearer focus. As King David observed, “When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained, what is man that You are mindful of him?” (Psalm 8:3–4).—Scott Winnail and Francine Prater