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Dear Brethren and Friends,

What does the Bible mean to you?

Do you accept it as the very Word of God? Do you find in its pages the godly standards by which you seek to live your life? There are certainly other books claiming divine inspiration, and there are followers of the teaching of those volumes who zealously—even fanatically—dedicate themselves in unwavering obedience.

As Christians, we should have proven beyond all doubt that God has inspired, preserved and is continuing to utilize His written Word as a means of revealing Himself to us. The Bible testifies of itself:

“For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account” (Hebrews 4:12-13).

Continue reading "Letter to the Brethren – June 6, 2013"

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Dear Members, Co-Workers and Friends,

How much longer do we have until Jesus Christ returns to usher in the wonderful world tomorrow, and to establish God’s rule and government here on earth? The answer is, no man knows the times or seasons, the day or the hour—but Christ gave us signs to watch for, and He said that when we see certain events take place, we should know that the time is near. He gave us an outline in Matthew 24, and judging by His words, the next spectacular event will be the beginning of the Great Tribulation. Again, we don’t know the exact timing of that event—and those who claim that they have been given such insightful knowledge are deceiving you—but we should be able to see that it could happen very soon.

Continue reading "Letter to the Brethren – April 24, 2013"

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Dear Members and Friends:

As the sun lingers in the sky for longer periods of time and as the snow melts here in Fort Collins, I anxiously anticipate the springtime. I can’t say that this winter has been any colder than any other, but I won’t hesitate to admit that I have enjoyed enough of the brisk, crisp winter air to last me until next year. Even though the imminent warmer weather is something to look forward to, much more than that, God’s Spring Holy Days offer us all a much-needed regular opportunity to reflect on the plan of God unfolding before our very eyes.

As I write to you now, the annual Passover—the first event we observe in God’s Spring Holy Day season, which is followed immediately by the Feast of Unleavened Bread—is just around the corner. This solemn memorial was established thousands of years ago when Moses led Israel out of Egypt, and it remains in effect for Christians today. When the Passover was initiated, the nation of Israel was instructed to sacrifice a lamb, consume the meat, and prepare to leave their situation of bondage in the land of Egypt. Thousands of years after Israel fled from the slavery of Egypt, Jesus Christ gave Himself to be our Passover lamb, so that we might obtain freedom from the slavery of sin. It turns out that this was God’s plan from the very beginning of man’s creation.

Continue reading "Letter to the Brethren – March 6, 2013"

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Dear Brethren and Friends,

Recently I received an email which enclosed an article, describing the horrid state of the city of Detroit, Michigan. While it was once a thriving metropolis with a population of 1.8 million, it now stands at just over 900,000. The city reminds one of a town in a third-world country. Here are some quotes from the article, which was authored by Frosty Wooldridge, a US journalist, writer, environmentalist and traveler:

“For 15 years, from the mid 1970’s to 1990, I worked in Detroit, Michigan. I watched it descend into the abyss of crime, debauchery, gun play, drugs, school truancy, car-jacking, gangs and human depravity. I watched entire city blocks burned out. I watched graffiti explode on buildings, cars, trucks, buses and school yards. Trash everywhere!

Continue reading "Letter to the Brethren – February 15, 2013"

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Dear Brethren and Friends,

Since the last letter written by Mr Dave Harris on December 10, 2012, many things have happened that show how fast-paced this world has become. We may think of the terrible shootings on December 14 in an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut, USA, where twenty children and six adults were shot and killed; the “fiscal cliff” that the USA flirted with; and the latest in a very long list of failures that predicted the end of the world on December 21, 2012, simply because it was the “end” of a cycle of the Mayan calendar.

As we enter 2013, what can we expect to happen this year? Unfortunately, it is certain that things won’t improve with the parlous state of the world’s economy and so many other problems, wherever we look.

Continue reading "Letter to the Brethren – January 11, 2013"

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Dear Brethren and Friends,

Christians of the first century didn’t know exactly WHEN, but many believed that Jesus Christ would return in their lifetimes. For a while, that anticipation created tremendous zeal!

The apostle Paul initially wrote in ways that seem to indicate he expected to be alive when Jesus returned (compare 1 Corinthians 15:51; 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17; and 2 Thessalonians 1:7). However, later on, his writing reveals that he knew that he would die, and that meant he would live again to then meet Christ in the first resurrection—along with other faithful saints (2 Timothy 4:6-8).

As years turned into decades, and Jesus Christ did not appear, many lost their fervor, and some turned completely away from their incomparable calling. This is what Jesus said of that era of His Church: “‘…I have this against you, that you have left your FIRST LOVE’” (Revelation 2:4).

He and God’s Way of Life, as taught by Him, were their “first love,” and they quit seeking Him and what He represented—no longer passionately looking forward to His return!

Continue reading "Letter to the Brethren – December 10, 2012"

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Dear Members and Friends:

The Feast of Tabernacles 2012 is now a thing of the past. How many more Feasts will we be able to observe before the Great Tribulation will begin—a time so terrible that mankind’s very survival will be at stake? When that night arrives, travel and peaceful gatherings will have become virtually impossible.

In light of the prophesied darkness of the future, our Feast celebrations this year reflected relief and joy and a happy anticipation of the wonderful world to come, when the powers of the evil forces will have been replaced by the rule of the true Light—the Prince of Peace and the establishment of the Kingdom of God here on earth. At the same time, a sense of urgency permeated the Feast attendees who were reminded that we must work today as much and as long as we can. We distributed our newest booklet at both Feast sites, titled, “Middle Eastern and African Nations in Bible Prophecy,” as well as a special copy of a Feast-related magazine, “Millennial Times,” imagining how the world might look like 20 years after the beginning of the Millennium. (For our general subscribers in the US, we have enclosed a copy of the new booklet with this member letter).

Continue reading "Letter to the Brethren – October 25, 2012"

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Dear Brethren and Friends,

We are fast approaching the autumnal Holy Day season with the Feast of Trumpets on September 17 and the Day of Atonement on September 26. The people of God will also be keeping the Feast of Tabernacles at Feast sites around the world to observe this biblically commanded period of time from October 1 to 8. But I will ask the question, as many have asked in the past, how many who kept the Feast last year will be absent this year?

It appears to be a constant within the Church of God that there will be absentees for all sorts of reasons: death, illness, injury or disability, family or work-related problems or maybe even loss of faith, interest or general apathy. It is always sad to hear of those faltering in their Christian calling, particularly at a time when prophecy is being fulfilled before our very eyes. We must, however, be aware of the warning given in Matthew 24:12 where Jesus talks about the time when the “love of many will grow cold”. This describes an indifference or even hostility to the truth once embraced, as well as these same traits being aimed at faithful Church members.

Continue reading "Letter to the Brethren – September 5, 2012"

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Dear Brethren and Friends,

This is an extremely dangerous time for Christians!

The assaults which are prophesied to arise against the followers of Christ at the end of the age are only now in their beginning stages. As we have reported in our weekly Updates, religious persecution, especially in parts of Africa, has led to bloodshed. What is notable is that people who claim Christianity as their faith are being singled out in attacks from strident Islamic extremists.

In Europe—particularly, Germany—religious Jews, who maintain the practice of circumcision, are finding themselves at odds with a court decision which criminalizes such procedures (this also affects Moslems who observe a similar custom). This is happening in conjunction with other nations, such as Austria and Switzerland, and also with France, which is prohibiting the wearing of certain kinds of religious dress.

Continue reading "Letter to the Brethren – August 15, 2012"

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Dear Members, Co-Workers and Friends,

How close are we to the day of Christ’s return? Of course, we do not know for sure (Matthew 24:44; 25:13), and we should never attempt to set dates—not even speculative dates—but we are encouraged to observe the signs of the time (Matthew 16:2-3) to determine whether or not the day is near (Matthew 24:32-34). Sadly, before Christ can come back, terrible events will have to occur first, described in the Bible as the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord.

Even though some in God’s Church will be protected at a place of safety here on earth (Revelation 12:13-16), others will have to experience unparalleled persecution and even martyrdom (Revelation 12:17; 6:9-11). But Paul said that all who want to live godly will suffer persecution (2 Timothy 3:12)—even prior to the end of this present evil age. And increasing religious persecution of the faithful is one indication of impending frightful days of such magnitude “such as not have been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be” (Matthew 24:21).

Continue reading "Letter to the Brethren – July 12, 2012"