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Dear Brethren and Friends,
Recently we kept the Feast of Pentecost, which is the Holy Day that celebrates the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at the birth of the New Testament Church in 31 AD (compare Acts 2). The next Feast day in God’s calendar is the Feast of Trumpets, which pictures the return of Jesus Christ. As will be more fully explained in this letter, there is a distinct connection for God’s people between the two. With the spirit of discernment that God’s Spirit gives to baptized members of His true Church, we can see the sign of the times (compare Matthew 24:32-33). We can surely see that the reality of Christ’s return is becoming more necessary by the day.
How we need that reality! Even the truly wealthy nations in the world are starting to feel the pinch with big increases in oil prices affecting motoring costs and food prices through increased transportation costs. In the UK recently, it was announced that gas and electricity bills will probably increase by about 40% this winter, and the price of petrol continues to soar. The banking industry is in turmoil with shares in some of the leading banks and financial institutions in the UK falling heavily and the housing market suffering its greatest crisis since the 1970’s. I mention the UK because I can see, close at hand, how the fragmentation of society continues through these and other problems and concerns that the ordinary man in the street continues to wrestle with. But this same pattern is replicated and perhaps even magnified in the USA and in so many other nations around the world. The constant threat of terrorism is costing nations enormous amounts of money to counteract the activities of those committed to kill and destroy. Crime continues to exact misery on millions of people who are the victims of such activity, and the complexity and number of problems are a constant source of worry for those sincere and dedicated leaders who consider the interests and welfare of their subjects of paramount importance. Unfortunately, there are many other leaders who seem to care little for their subjects, for whom they have grave responsibility. Listing all of the problems that cause worry and concern for the ordinary man and woman—so many seemingly intractable—could take many pages, and it surely becomes ever more apparent as each day passes that only the “strong hand from somewhere” will be good enough to bring about a worldwide society that at last will experience true peace, abundance, safety and good health for all concerned. It is so urgently needed. While there have always been problems since God created man approximately 6,000 years ago, surely we are now facing an unprecedented set of problems as the end of this age approaches. Albert Einstein wisely said that “The problems that exist in the world today cannot be solved by the level of thinking that created them.” These problems in the world will only be solved by the return of Jesus Christ, which the next Holy Day in God’s marvelous calendar—the Feast of Trumpet—pictures. But we need the Holy Spirit that God gives only to those who obey Him (Acts 5:32), to be able to understand this plan for all of mankind. And God’s Spirit will even work more powerfully within us to the extent that we are diligent in faithfully keeping His Commandments (1 John 2:3-4; 3:22-24). The Feast of Trumpets portrays the end of the time of such great trouble “such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be” (Matthew 24:21). Jesus Christ did not mince His words about the scale of the problems that will engulf the world before He sets up the Kingdom of God here on earth at His return.
Continue reading "Letter to the Brethren – July 1, 2008"
