Download PDF Dear Brethren and Friends, For decades, the Church of God has warned of ten nations or groups of nations emerging in Europe. In our 85 page booklet authored by Norbert Link, entitled “The Ten European Revivals of the Ancient Roman Empire”, the Foreword has this to say: “Dramatic events are occurring in Europe that will have tremendous consequences for the entire world! In spite of this, many are blind to the significance of what is happening before their very eyes! They fail to see how to connect the dots and make sense of it all. “The key to correctly understanding the impact of current events lies in viewing the present and the future through the lens of the past. Only when we open the pages of history can we truly grasp the dimensions of the prophesied end-time scenario as it crescendos globally out of pro­portion and out of mankind’s control.” On page 48 of this same booklet, we read: “There is strong historical and biblical indication that Britain will not be part of the final unification of Europe.” Why has the Church been so dogmatic about such a stance? In our latest booklet “When and How Will Christ […]

Download PDF Dear Brethren and Friends, God’s laws work—blessings for obedience and punishment for disobedience! First of all, they can help EACH ONE OF US, individually. When we make the law of God the ultimate standard for ALL that we do—even to the point of HOW we think—then we are becoming more and more like Jesus Christ. Furthermore, based on our new relationship as begotten children of God (2 Corinthians 5:17), Christ lives in us, to help us (Galatians 2:20). And of us, the Word of God reveals that “we have the mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16). Only if these things are true can we bear godly fruit in the manner that Jesus did—who obeyed the Father faithfully and who committed no sin (compare Hebrews 4:15; 1 John 3:5). Yet, it is because of SIN—the breaking of all of the righteous laws of God (1 John 3:4)—that the world is now on the verge of a kind of global suicide. Try as it might, humanity doesn’t have a clue of how to bring about true peace—only violence prevails, for individuals as well as for nations (Romans 3:10-18). A second point is this, NATIONS can be saved IF they turn […]

Download PDF Dear Members, Co-Workers and Friends: Some of you might remember the following famous words of Herbert W. Armstrong (1892-1986), saying that this is a world of awesome progress and appalling evil. And how true this is! We can send humans to the moon and back; we can create highly sophisticated spaceships, satellites, airplanes, cars, robots and other magnificent accomplishments; but at the same time, we are not able to solve the mounting problems which are plaguing mankind, such as sickness, disease, famine, war and poverty—just to name a few. Many suffer under oppressive and restrictive governments which all seem to have a hostile attitude towards the true God and His laws, while they are motivated and driven by a desire to control their “subjects” and influence or brainwash them through their propaganda and political ideologies. If we are honest, we must conclude that we cannot find righteous political leadership ANYWHERE on this planet, and that is why no human government knows the way to peace and happiness. Some think they could eradicate the evils of this world through violence and war. They participate in revolutions with the goal of toppling their government and replacing it with a “better” […]

Download PDF Dear Members, Co-Workers and Friends, When a patient goes to a doctor with unidentified injuries or physical problems, the approach for determining what is wrong with him is to check his pulse, his body temperature, the mobility of his limbs, his blood pressure and any swelling or bruising. These are all prime indicators to assess any physical problems the patient may be having. The first thing the doctor or nurse will do is to ask the patient where it hurts or where the problem is located. If we look at the current state of the world, what do we find? A war is raging between Hamas and the nation of Israel, while ISIS or IS, a radical jihadist terrorist group, attempts to take over Iraq, Syria and other countries, while brutally murdering everyone not in agreement with them. All kinds of protests and demonstrations are being held worldwide about the conflict in the Middle East. They are mostly directed against Israel, while very few support it. Ironically, no nation would stand by and tolerate their sovereignty being violated by rocket and mortal attacks; yet, many are quick to condemn Israel for defending itself and retaliating against such attacks. […]

Download PDF Dear Brethren and Friends, Now that we are in the midst of summertime in the northern hemisphere, many of us experience impressive lightning shows when thunderstorms roll through. Even though they can be dangerous, the display is fascinating to watch. It is amazing to think that mere clouds in the sky, consisting of droplets of water so tiny that they float in air, can build up an electric charge so great that hundreds of millions of volts of electricity are released in a moment. The potential energy of something so simple as a cloud is impressive. While looking at a cloud, it is fascinating to reflect on all of the things it can do. A cloud can shade the sun, and bring down enough rain to flood streams. A cloud may let down hail large enough to destroy anything in its earthward path. In the right season, a cloud may precipitate a blizzard of snow, deep enough to bring entire cities to a standstill. All of these powerful events are the potential of a cloud, an innocent puffy thing that hangs in the sky. As great as the unsuspected power that a cloud may have, it is nothing […]

Download PDF Dear Brethren and Friends, In our weekly Update No. 639 dated 16th May 2014 we included a report from The Examiner which wrote on 2nd May the following: “A spokesperson for the Vatican officially announced that the coming of the Lord may not happen. They stated from the looks of it, Yashua, the only begotten Son of God will not return per John 14:1-3. Cardinal Giorgio Salvadore told WWN [Waterford Whispers News] reporters that Jesus may have been drinking (perhaps from the last Supper with his disciples) when he uttered the statements of his return. He rationalized that people make promises they can’t keep when they’re drunk…” Both Mr Link in his StandingWatch programme, “Does the Vatican Question the Return of Christ?” and our Update point out that “there is much discussion as to whether the above-quoted comments were actually made, due to the fact that apparently no mainstream paper or news agency reported them. However, so far, there does not appear to be any repudiation of this report by the Vatican.” But should we be surprised? We read in 2 Peter 3:3-4: “…knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their […]

Download PDF Dear Brethren and Friends, What lies ahead for US in the Work of God? Through prophecy given by God, we know that events taking place RIGHT NOW are “signs” of the end of this age and Satan’s deceptive rule over mankind. We also know the Bible reveals many detailed occurrences which have NOT YET taken place—but that they are at hand and on the way! Beyond the key prophecies about end-time world events, the Word of God also addresses the Church during the tumultuous future that is coming. When Jesus was asked about His return and when that would occur, His response was directed to His disciples—“‘the elect’” (Matthew 24:22). He gave specific instructions for Christians: “‘Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is’” (Mark 13:33); “‘And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!’” (Mark 13:37); and, from Matthew’s account, we are told, “‘Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect’” (Matthew 24:44). To whom are these admonitions being given? Who really understands how to apply what Jesus said? This is knowledge for the Church of God, and […]

Download PDF Dear Members, Co-Workers and Friends, We have finished our annual Church Conference, and all in attendance felt that this was the most profitable and peaceful conference we have had for a long time. Even though some might doubt the accuracy of this assessment, as it may sound too good to be true, we are confident that our statement reflects objectively what we have experienced. We are all on the same page and dedicated to the Work of preaching the Gospel and feeding the Flock in the way that God would want us to do—something which could not always be said for all prior years with that same kind of emphasis. This kind of unity reflects growth through the help of God’s Holy Spirit, along with the fact that Jesus Christ continues to guide those who yield to Him. Among many topics, we discussed the most obvious and some more subtle examples of doctrinal and administrative differences between our organizations and other church groups within the Body of Christ. We addressed our Internet presence and our ever-increasing and hard-working technical team, as well as plans and options for expansions, including on Facebook. We had a short look at our […]

Download PDF Dear Brethren, Co-Workers and Friends: As we are bombarded with terrible news from around the world, showing the perilous times and the lives of self-centered human beings in these last days (2 Timothy 3:1-5), those called by God to His Way of Life must be different. True Christians are to be happy people, reflecting and manifesting their inner joy which is focused on their future as glorified eternal Spirit beings in the very Family and Kingdom of God (John 17:13; Galatians 5:22; Romans 14:17). As we walk through this dark valley of human suffering and death, we must not allow ourselves to become frustrated and depressed; rather, we are to lift up our heads in anticipation of entering a spiritual world of splendor and beauty, joy and peace (Luke 21:28). In short, we are looking forward to the soon-coming time of our change (1 Corinthians 15:50-57). Even when preparing for the sobering and serious Passover evening, we need to understand that our required self-examination (1 Corinthians 11:28) should produce thankfulness and happiness (John 15:11)—realizing that our sins have been forgiven because of the Father and Christ’s mercy, grace and selfless love for us and all of mankind. While […]

Download PDF Dear Brethren, Co-Workers and Friends. God commands us to examine ourselves on an annual basis prior to partaking of the Passover in the spring of the year. We are to analyse how we have been doing spiritually during the year that has just past, and how we are doing now by comparison. This is similar to checking your pulse to get an indication as to your health, and if you discover a physical problem, you need to find out what you can do to alleviate it. To go a step further, let us take the pulse of English-speaking nations such as the USA, Canada and the UK (some of the modern descendants of the ancient house of Israel) to determine just how they are doing. A few days ago, it was reported that since Wade vs. Roe (the decision that a woman could have an abortion on demand), fifty-five million abortions took place in the USA from 1973 to 2013—within a forty year period. That amounts to 1,375,000 abortions a year or 114,583 a month or 3,819 a day. That is more than the total population of Canada. This is nothing less than appalling to realize that so […]