Recent history is full of really difficult problems, such as wars, widespread diseases, political and economic upheaval and countless other challenges—both small and great. Right now, we are in the midst of a global pandemic, Coronavirus Covid 19.

Although we may never know the actual number of deaths from Covid 19, we do know that worldwide the alleged number is approaching five million. It is also claimed that tens of millions more people have or are suffering from this terrible virus.

True Christians are not immune to the ravages of the Covid 19. That fact has become abundantly clear following the Church of God’s observance of the Fall Festivals of God. Many people have been struck with Covid 19—some so severely that they could not at all observe the Feast of Tabernacles and the Last Great Day, while others were prevented from attending some of the services. Infections have not been limited to one particular church group. Reports indicate that individuals in many churches have contracted Covid 19.

As Christians, we have been taught to turn to God in times like these and seek His protection and His healing (James 5:14-18). But what do we do after we have been anointed? When complete healing does not come quickly, do we begin to doubt—even question whether or not God has heard our prayer to Him?

We might also ask ourselves, “How strong is my faith in God?” One example stands out in answering this question:

“Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, saying, ‘Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘I will come and heal him.’ The centurion answered and said, ‘Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, “Go,” and he goes; and to another, “Come,” and he comes; and to my servant, “Do this,” and he does it.’ When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!’… Then Jesus said to the centurion, ‘Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you.’ And his servant was healed that same hour” (Matthew 8:5-10, 13).

James 5, verse 15, states, “And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up.” To call upon the ministry for anointing is having faith, like the centurion, to put our complete trust in God—in what God is able to do and in what He has promised to do, in times like these.

I recall my dad telling me as a young child that there had actually been a day when the BBC announced that there was no news and played music instead.

Is no news, fake news?

In this case, absolutely not! In April 2017 on the BBC News website, there was this interesting article:

“It’s getting harder to remember what a slow news day looked like. But 87 years ago, on 18 April 1930, the BBC’s news announcer had nothing to communicate. ‘There is no news,’ was the script of the 20:45 news bulletin, before piano music was played for the rest of the 15-minute segment. The wireless service then returned to broadcasting from the Queen’s Hall in Langham Place, London, where the Wagner opera Parsifal was being performed.”

I had forgotten all about this incredible bit of information that my dad had passed on to me, and although I never doubted his word, I was interested to see that this was part of a question that was asked on a television quiz show. When it came up, I knew the answer and all of the four contestants had no idea at all about this.

Can you imagine that ever happening today?

We need to watch the news because we are told about the importance of watching: “Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man” (Luke 21:36). However, that does not mean that we have to be “glued” to the television screen or mobile phone every minute of every day.

Nearly all of the news today is bad, with endless rounds of information and “news” about the Covid pandemic, wars, murders, sexual atrocities, attacks on liberties and Christianity, and any number of other works of the flesh (compare Galatians 5:19-21). There are occasional bright spots, but these are few and far between.

A few years ago, the Church of the Eternal God published a mock booklet or newspaper entitled, “The Millennial Times,” and the time setting was about 20 years into the millennial rule of Christ and had such uplifting and positive articles as: A World at Peace, A New Language, Happiness All Round, Family Unit Secure, Honest Businesses With No More Deceitful Practices, Vicious Animals Turn Tame, Animal Cruelty Now a Thing of the Past, and many more.

Now, that we have so many 24-hour rolling news programmes, it seems impossible that the 18th April 1930 event about “no news” will ever be repeated. The news will continue to be a deluge of problems that man has created himself in most cases, and for which there are no human solutions.

The news, just over the horizon when Jesus Christ rules over all the earth, will be positive and uplifting during His righteous rule. The world at large knows nothing about this sole solution to the problems that beset humanity at this time, but that will change when the news will be really good, and it is up to the true Church of God at this time to get the message out to this effect in anticipation of that wonderful future.

In just over a week’s time, we will be celebrating the Feast of Tabernacles which will reflect the changes from “mostly bad news” to “very good news,” and 1,000 years of it, followed by eternity. Now that really is what the people of God should all be looking forward to!

Over the past year and a half, I have been working from home while our offices remain closed because of the restrictions imposed to combat the Covid-19 pandemic. Since I don’t get out of the house very often, it is not uncommon for my attendance at Sabbath services on Saturday to be the only time I leave my property during the course of the week. As a result, the amount of my face-to-face interaction with real, live people tends to be exceedingly limited. Certainly, my experience is different than others who get out of the house more often, but I dare say that most of us are getting less human contact than we normally do. Especially for those who live in areas where lockdowns are in effect.

There are several damaging effects stemming from mandatory lockdowns, stay at home orders, and the limitation of human contact. But one of the most notable effects is the impact on our perception of reality. When we are limited in our ability to interact with the real world, the only ways that we can get any insight into what is happening “out there” is through the media that we are able to consume, and our imaginations. Unfortunately, both of these ways offer only a narrow and distorted view of a reality that is already difficult to understand objectively.

Particularly where we have limited interaction with the real world around us, news reports and social media become the main portals for information from the outside world. These work together to present information to us in ways designed to manipulate our beliefs and influence our behavior. Whether we like it or not, we are unavoidably affected by the agendas from these media outlets.

If we are not careful about the information we consume and how we allow ourselves to be influenced, we are doomed to be conformed to this corrupt world. Being Christians, we know that we are in the world for a purpose. We are ambassadors for Christ (compare 2 Corinthians 5:20), shining as lights in the darkness (compare Romans 2:19, Ephesians 5:8), so that we can share a better way of life through our example. Yet we are also to separate ourselves from the world so that we do not become conformed to it (compare Romans 12:2). We are responsible for increasing the strength of our conviction to live according to the highest of all standards – those standards established by the Truth and Commandments of God. This means that we need to be keenly selective of the information we consume from the world so that we can protect ourselves from the erosion of our belief in the Truth.

In this context, we curate news articles in the Update to provide you with a perspective that the mass media ignores. Understanding current events in light of Biblical prophecy is important for us because we need to understand what’s happening around us with a Spiritual understanding. The Church of the Eternal God and its international affiliates have a commission to support the brethren in their Spiritual growth, which we do through the presentation in the Update.

In His final hours of life on Earth, Jesus Christ prayed to God the Father on our behalf, knowing that we would face the challenges that we do today. He prayed, “I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth” (John 17:14-19). With the world under the influence of Satan the devil, who is antagonistic towards the begotten children of God, our only hope is in holding fast to the Truth of God to protect ourselves from the lies espoused by the worldly media.

It is so important that we are careful to consider what we allow to form the foundation of our beliefs. Are we using the Truth of God to establish our beliefs, or do we allow the ideas from the worldly rhetoricians who dominate the media to infect us? We are moral agents, who need to make a distinction between what is good and evil, so that we can live the good Way of Life that is pleasing to God. It doesn’t take much to observe something wrong in the world, but we must ensure that the way it is presented in the mass media does not affect our beliefs. What is more difficult is filtering out what man will tell us is the right way to fix what we see as wrong. The news and media will present myriad opinions about what is right, many of which might sound good. However, we need to remember that man’s ways are not God’s ways (compare Isaiah 55:8). To remain true to our Christian commitment, we must always allow the words of the Bible to form the foundation of our beliefs, not the words of man. If we allow ourselves to be influenced by the Satanic corruption in this world, we place ourselves in a precarious position that will lead us away from God when we act upon faulty beliefs. Yet, if we keep our beliefs protected from corruption, our actions will be led by the Spirit, drawing us closer to God and leading us into the Glory He promises to those who obey Him.

We, as God’s people, have been given Ten Commandments as our primary rule of life. The first four tell us how to love God, and the last six tell us how to love our fellow man. Five of these last six are mainly concerned with physical actions, although with some spiritual overtones. When we break most of those, it can be obvious to those who see us. But the last commandment is purely moral or spiritual. If we break that one, it is possible that no one might ever realise that we have broken it, except for God, of course. It is a commandment to control our thoughts, more so than our actions. However, if we break it, it can lead us to break some other commandments as well.

It is stated in Deuteronomy 5:21: “You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife; and you shall not desire your neighbor’s house, his field, his male servant, his female servant, his ox, his donkey, or anything that is your neighbour’s.” It is a very simple concept but can be very difficult to fulfill; especially, as it covers every possession of others. And as Jesus defined neighbor in the parable of the good Samaritan, it includes foreigners, not just fellow citizens.

In the course of history, coveting has been the cause of great suffering. The first episode of coveting we read about is in Isaiah 14:12-15. It concerns Satan who coveted position, power and glory that was not his to have: “How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations! For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’ Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, To the lowest depths of the pit.” Strong’s concordance states that “like” means resemble. Matthew Poole’s commentary states that Satan coveted uncontrollable power and universal dominion over all the earth, the same as only God has. Some feel that Satan really wanted to BE God, replacing Him as Ruler over the universe.

Coveting has been the motive for many wars over the course of history—coveting for land, wealth or power and control. James explains the motives for most fights and wars in James 4:1-3: “Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.” Again, individuals and nations covet what is not theirs and are willing to fight and murder to try to obtain it. This has led to much suffering throughout history.

Consider king David, a man whom God praised very highly, calling him, “A man after My own heart, who will do all My will” (Acts 13:22). Yet, even with such a high compliment, he still broke the commandment, “You shall not covet,” in his mind. This led him to commit adultery with Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11:2-4), and ultimately, the murder of his faithful servant, Uriah the Hittite (2 Samuel 12:9).

The apostle Paul wrote some things we should keep in mind to help us not to covet. While they refer specifically to Church members, they can be extended to others also. He states in Philippians 2:3-4: “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better [or higher, more important] than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.” Certainly, if we are looking to the interests of others, we will not want to take anything from them. We will not covet what they have.

He also wrote in 1 Corinthians 12:26: “And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.” If we are glad for the blessing another has received and rejoice with that person, we will not covet what they have but rather be glad that they have it.

There was one notable example of a person who did not covet power or position. That was John the Baptist. We read his words in John 3:28-30; “You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but, ‘I have been sent before Him.’ He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease.” Can we say under the right circumstances that someone else must increase while we must decrease? But John rejoiced in this very situation in which his own role would diminish.

While there is nothing wrong to desire what we can lawfully obtain, we should think on the apostle Paul’s example where he said: “I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content” (Philippians 4:11). And also his statement that “Godliness with contentment is great gain” (1 Timothy 6:6). If we can live a life of contentment, there should never be a desire to ever covet what another has. Always remember, coveting can lead to a multitude of sins.

We have heard all these phrases ad infinitum: “Making America Strong Again! Making America Great Again!” Or, by contrast: “America Was Always Great.” Some have claimed the opposite: “America Was Never Great.” And now, recently, “America Is Back,” especially referring to an alleged better relationship with America’s allies.

But events in Afghanistan have totally destroyed America’s image in the world and as a reliable great superpower.

The Guardian wrote that “The 20-year western mission to Afghanistan collapsed in a single dramatic day.” It spoke of “deeply humiliating scenes for the Biden administration,” and that “a powerful international chorus is decrying the consequences of Biden’s too-hasty retreat,” calling it a “historic strategic blunder.”

The Hill remarked that “Team Biden is getting hit from the right, the left and everywhere in between for its miscalculation” regarding the success of the Taliban.

The Washington Post asked this question: “Whatever happened to ‘America is back’?,” citing Biden’s foreign policy promise to “rebuild alliances and restore U.S. prestige,” adding: “How can you say America is back when we’re being defeated by an insurgency armed with no more than [rocket-propelled grenades], land mines and AK-47s?”

Breitbart wrote that “U.S. allies are fuming at President Joe Biden’s failure to defend Afghanistan from the Taliban, wondering if the country’s rapid collapse, and Biden’s refusal to consult other countries before withdrawal, means America’s decline as a world power.”

In a strongly-worded opinion piece by the Editorial Board of the Washington Times, this was pointed out:

“President Biden’s statement on Saturday washing his hands of Afghanistan deserves to go down as one of the most shameful in history by a Commander in Chief at such a moment of American retreat. As the Taliban closed in on Kabul, Mr. Biden sent a confirmation of U.S. abandonment that absolved himself of responsibility, deflected blame to his predecessor, and more or less invited the Taliban to take over the country. With that statement of capitulation, the Afghan military’s last resistance collapsed. Taliban fighters captured Kabul, and President Ashraf Ghani fled the country while the U.S. frantically tried to evacuate Americans. The jihadists the U.S. toppled 20 years ago for sheltering Osama bin Laden will now fly their flag over the U.S. Embassy building on the 20th anniversary of 9/11.”

A more embarrassing moment for the USA could hardly be imagined. But we must understand that these events are in line with biblical prophecy. God promised that, due to the obedience of Abraham, one of his descendants, Manasseh, the first-born son of Joseph, would become great (Genesis 48:19). We know that today, the USA is biblical Manasseh. And indeed, the USA did become one of the greatest single nations in world history. But the times of greatness are definitely over and will not return until Christ restores it at His Coming. God declared that if the USA would become an unrighteous nation, in disobedience to God’s Law, its glory would be taken away from it and it would be defeated and destroyed by its enemies.

We see a small foretaste of this in the events occurring in Afghanistan right now. A small group of Islamist terrorists is able to defeat and put to shame the “greatest” nation on earth. Americans are on the run in Afghanistan, trying to get out of there as fast as they can, while leaving their weapons and military equipment behind.

Deuteronomy 32:30 says: “How could one chase a thousand, And two put ten thousand to flight, Unless their Rock had sold them, And the LORD had surrendered them?”

Psalm 44:9-10 adds: “But You have cast us off and put us to shame, And You do not go out with our armies. You make us turn back from the enemy, And those who hate us have taken spoil for themselves.”

Leviticus 26:36-37 states: “I will send faintness into their hearts in the lands of their enemies… you shall have no power to stand before your enemies.”

In Deuteronomy 28:25, God adds that the following curse will overtake the USA: “The LORD will cause you to be defeated before your enemies; you shall go out one way against them and flee seven ways before them; and you shall become troublesome to all the kingdoms of the earth.”

Ultimately, the USA will be hated and forsaken by all nations, including their “allies.” But the power which will finally defeat the USA in war won’t be Russia or China (even though they are most certainly not America’s friends), nor terrorist groups such as the Taliban, but a United States of Europe under a charismatic military leader—the “beast” of the Book of Revelation. We know that the beast will be of German or Austrian descent. But right now, nobody in Germany has stepped up to the plate. In fact, Europe, and especially Germany, are not escaping strong criticism for their mishandling of the Afghanistan debacle.

Bild Online wrote that Angela Merkel’s words and promises “were completely worthless,” decrying the “incompetence of our federal government on global issues,” and adding that “The end of the Afghanistan mission, for which [Merkel] is politically responsible, could not have been more devastating.” Deutsche Welle added that “The mission was one big lie” and that “the EU’s and Germany’s asylum policy is no less hypocritical” than the broken promises of the USA, claiming that “EU politicians have refused to acknowledge the gravity of the security situation in Afghanistan and that the international mission has failed.”

Those German politicians who have been officially named as candidates for chancellor in September, thereby replacing Angela Merkel who promised not to run again, are unpopular and viewed as weak and feeble.

But this will change soon, and a core Europe of ten nations or groups of nations will rise to give their power and authority to the beast. They will bring havoc and devastation on the earth, utterly destroying the USA and other English-speaking nations in wars fought with nuclear, biological and chemical weapons, but they won’t escape their deserved destruction, either.

We have read above that the 20-year mission in Afghanistan collapsed in one day. Likewise, the modern Babylonian system under the rule of the beast and the false prophet will also collapse and be destroyed in one day (Revelation 18:8)—even in one hour (Revelation 18:10).

These are indeed startling times which should wake everybody up. But most are sound asleep, especially in the USA. True protection and safety do not come from political platitudes, popular phrases and slogans or empty promises, but only from the God of the universe. If we have His help, nothing can shake us.

The challenge of knowing when to keep silent and when to speak is something that we are faced with quite often.  Various situations may call upon our actions when we may need to stand up for what is right.  But this is a big challenge because oftentimes, we speak more than we ought to, depending on the circumstance. There is one supreme example that we should emulate who was the Master at when to speak and when to keep silent, especially when He was being accused and also put to the test constantly by those around Him.

Christ always needed to remain vigilant as people attempted to set Him up, but He always found the “correct” way to respond.  In Matthew 27, Jesus was arrested and stood in front of the governor Pontius Pilate, and the governor asked Him in verse 11, “‘Are You the King of the Jews?’ So Jesus said to him, ‘It is as you say.’ And while He was being accused by the chief priests and elders, He answered nothing.”

Continuing in verses 13-14: “Then Pilate said to Him, ‘Do You not hear how many things they testify against You?’ And He answered him not one word, so that the governor marveled greatly.”

Another example can be found in Matthew 26:59-67 when Jesus faced the Sanhedrin as they were trying to accuse Him through false witnesses and testimony, and we read in verses 61-66 how He first reacted, followed by His response when pushed further:

“This fellow said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and to build it in three days.’ And the high priest arose and said to Him, ‘Do You answer nothing? What is it these men testify against You?’ But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest answered and said to Him, ‘I adjure You by the living God that You tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God!’ Jesus said to him, ‘It is as you said. Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.’ Then the high priest tore his clothes, saying, ‘He has spoken blasphemy! What further need do we have of witnesses? Look, now you have heard His blasphemy! What do you think?’ They answered and said, ‘He is deserving of death.’”

In John 8:5-7, Christ was being tested to see if He would judge the woman caught in adultery who was brought to Him by her accusers, and we see here again His first reaction, followed by His response in verses 6-8: “…Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear.  So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, ‘He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.’ And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground.”

In these examples, Jesus was patient and did not respond immediately until He had to.  This is the same quality that we also need to possess.  “… let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God” (James 1:19-20).

Preparing ourselves and being ready at all times is crucial, which is why we need to have the knowledge through the pages of the Bible as our tool for success: “… always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear” (1 Peter 3:15).

There is always a time to speak in silence, and that is by praying to God. We should never be negligent in this, and there is always a time for prayer in any given situation that we are faced with.  Just as God was the voice for Moses who guided and directed his words and fought his battles, God will do the same for us when we call out to Him.

God gives us the understanding to determine between right and wrong, when to keep silent, and when to speak up.  And when we are in a particular situation where we may be unsure how to respond, we let God know by putting it into His hands, in faith, and we will see just how He will work His wonders.

Many years ago, the former Worldwide Church of God (now defunct) printed a booklet, called, “The Modern Romans,” showing why Rome fell and drawing parallels with America at the time. Some of the issues raised in the booklet were these:

“What Roman Jeremiah could have prophesied [was] the ravages of wars, taxation, mounting crime, race problems, moral decay, subversion from within, political assassinations and public apathy – not to exclude natural disasters.”

Today, it is much worse, and a comparison with ancient Sodom would definitely be appropriate. Notice how bad things were in Sodom.

Genesis 19:4-5 states:  “Now before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both old and young, all the people from every quarter, surrounded the house. And they called to Lot and said to him, ‘Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may know them carnally.’”

They wanted to sexually use and abuse Lot’s guests, not realizing that they were angels.

Some of the parallels with Sodom are striking, but there is much more. It is claimed that the United States is the world hub for pornography, both in production and in distribution, and that it is the world’s largest user of illegal and prescription drugs. Crime in its major cities is out of control, especially since the defunding of police. Divorce is rampant, and we have the spread of the LGBT movement affecting our youths. The Critical Race Theory propagated in schools can lead children to hate other races and may teach that they are themselves racist, if they are white, and to hate rather than love America. The national debt is at its highest level and unsustainable. They want to legalize pedophilia in order to abuse children legally without penalty.

You look at the news and you get the feeling that something is terribly wrong with the USA and other English-speaking nations, including Canada, the UK, Australia and New Zealand. Such a godless system cannot and will not survive. It is interesting that Nineveh was warned by Jonah the prophet and repented, and God relented on what He planned to do, even though later on, they were destroyed because they went back to their old ways.

It appears that Sodom was warned by righteous Lot, but the people were so corrupt and perverted that other than Lot, his wife and their two daughters, the whole city was completely destroyed by fire and brimstone from heaven. And even Lot’s wife craved to go back to Sodom and turned into a pillar of salt.

The United States and other English speaking nations have not reached the point yet of all, except for the very elect, being corrupted and perverted, but they are working on it. As a consequence, they will have fire and brimstone leveled on them via nuclear weapons from heaven and yet, because of God’s mercy towards them, being descendants of Abraham, they will get a warning like Nineveh did, but prophecy shows they will not repent of their corruption and sins.

We as part of God’s Church have a commission to give that warning to the English speaking nations and the other nations around the world to warn them of what’s coming.

That commission can only be accomplished through the dedication of faithful members and supporters of the Work through their tithes and offerings.

We need to get the warning out so that we do not fail in our commission. It’s not difficult in the current situation to pray for God’s Kingdom to come to end the madness, but we still have a job to do to bring that about. The world needs us, without knowing it, so let us continue to zealously fulfill our task given to us by God.

We tell people we love them—especially those to whom we are closest. Husbands and wives, parents and children, relatives and friends are people we may openly say this to, “I love you.”

What about God—have you said to God, “I love You”?

Of course, just saying the words might not be enough, but, like in human relationships, telling someone that we love them can really mean a lot. As much as encouraging another person about our commitment to them, we also strengthen our own resolve, and we show that we aren’t taking our relationship for granted.

Popular religious parlance often involves those who claim that they “love the Lord,” but those may be empty declarations without proof. Proof of our love for God is shown when we “keep His commandments” (1 John 5:3). Only when we walk in the truth of God will we then be able to obey what Jesus described as “‘the first and great commandment’”:

“‘“You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind”’” (Matthew 22:37).

Imagine being asked by Jesus if you love Him! Peter was—three times in a row! (John 21:15-19). The Bible shows Peter did prove His love for both the Father and Jesus—by being obedient and fulfilling his calling.

God has told us that He loves us. In fact, He has loved us first—even before we knew Him: “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:10); and, “‘For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life’” (John 3:16).

Knowing that God’s love for us is so complete, so unrestrained and so certain, then let’s make it a point to say to God, both the Father and Jesus Christ, “I love You”—asking as we do for the help to love them as they have loved and still love us!

We have just finished the annual ministerial Church Conference with great success and unity. We discussed many things, and we will continue collectively in doing the Work and feeding the Flock. And I want to thank everyone for their prayers in regard to the conference and its success.

It may be challenging at times to look at the size of our respective groups and feel discouraged or frustrated by the apparent lack of members. But something that I take courage and strength in is the fact that within the ministry, we are of like mind, and we uphold each other. At the end of the day, we are each, in our ways, helping to support, maintain and participate in building the Church, as God shows us and opens the doors for us, including how to preach the Gospel as a witness to this world (Amos 3:3). There cannot be dissension and confusion (James 3:16).

When we study the Bible, it is easy to see that, for the most part, the true people of God, in regard to churches, have not been large. Christ speaks about the little flock (Luke 12:32). He isn’t mentioning large swelling churches here, but rather a few gathered in His name, who WILL have tremendous power. While we know this, that doesn’t make it easier. But we KNOW from what Christ Himself says to us, that this will be the case. Matthew 24:12-14 says: “And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.” We have to continue to endure, persevere, grow and preach the Truth.

I think a lot about Elijah feeling scared about being the “only one” standing up for God, and God replying that He had reserved for Himself 7000 who had not participated in idol worship. We don’t always know what the fruits of our labor are going to produce nor at what time they will be produced. We cannot become discouraged about our numbers or lack thereof. We have to maintain the Truth.

It is also discouraging when people walk away from our fellowship. We cannot allow this to sway us. It is hard and painful at times to deal with these situations as they come up. I have personally dealt with this a few times as I am sure a lot of us have. In 2 Timothy 4:9-11, Paul lists people who left him in regard to the Work. In verse 16, he goes on to say how at first NO ONE stood with him in his defense except God; and this is the point I want to drive home. It doesn’t matter what happens as long as we are the ones staying close to God and accomplishing what needs to be done.

In Matthew 9:35-38, Christ tells us that it is God’s harvest and we are His workers. He tells us to pray for more laborers so they can help with getting the job done. We should each be asking ourselves, how can I help more, how can I participate more? And when there is an opportunity to be doing the Work, in whatever way, we should be approaching that with as much zeal and focus as we can.

As we get ready for the upcoming Fall Holy Days, it may be useful for us all to start preparing mentally so we can use the Feast days to help propel ourselves forward in the Work that lies ahead of us. Yes, it is getting more challenging; yes, it does seem that time is moving faster and the world is falling apart at an accelerated rate. This should inspire us and motivate each of us to draw closer to God, not scare or detract us from fulfilling our duties.

We will accomplish what God wants us to accomplish; we will finish our part in God’s Work as He sees fit; we will continue to grow in the mind of Christ and in the power of the Holy Spirit; and we will not fail, if we stay close to God and are obedient to Him.

When people ask if anyone has ever seen God, they usually mean God the Father. The Bible is clear that no one has seen God the Father, except in a vision. As we learn from John 1:18. “No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.” Jesus Christ has made Himself known in many ways throughout history, including through physical expressions. These expressions, however, should not be confused with seeing Jesus Christ in His full glory.

For example, Jesus Christ revealed Himself to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:8-9). His presence was evident as He walked in the garden and spoke with them.

In Genesis 18:1-2 we find that Jesus Christ appeared to Abraham as a man together with two angels, also appearing as men. We know that those two are angels from Genesis 19:1. Christ and the two angels ate a meal that Abraham had arranged to have prepared for them. Later, the two angels went toward Sodom while the “LORD” spoke with Abraham (Genesis 18:22).

In Genesis 32, Jacob fought with Christ all night and in the morning he called the name of the place Peniel, meaning “Face of God”, because, as he said, “For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved” (Genesis 32:30).

In Joshua 5:13-15, Joshua saw a Man with a drawn sword. Joshua fell on his face and worshipped, showing us that this was also an appearance of the LORD, Jesus Christ.

When we consider the example of Moses, we find in Exodus 33:11 that “the LORD spoke to Moses face to face as a man speaks to his friend”. In all these examples mentioned so far, the LORD or Jesus Christ appeared as a man and not as a glorious Spirit Being. However, in Exodus 33:18, Moses asked to see God’s glory. In verse 20 God or Jesus Christ replied and said: “You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live.” In verse 23 we find that God did allow Moses to see His back, but not His face. God stated later that Moses saw the form or similitude of the LORD (Numbers 12:8).

In these examples, men and, at times, women, had seen the appearance of God, actually Jesus Christ, but not in His full glory which is described in Revelation 1:12-18. However, a certain extent of Christ’s glory was revealed to the people. In Exodus 16:7, 10, the whole congregation of Israel saw the glory of the LORD which appeared in a cloud. Also, Ezekiel saw Christ’s glory in a vision (Ezekiel 1:26-28). Interestingly, King David stated in Psalm 17:15 the following: “As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness.” Here David is expecting to see Christ’s glorified face and His glorified likeness when he wakens. This is not just wakening in the morning as some commentaries explain it. But David used the term sleep as a symbol for death as we read in Psalm 13:3: “Consider and hear me, O LORD my God; Enlighten my eyes, Lest I sleep the sleep of death.” He knew he would not see God’s face in its full glory until he had died and been resurrected. He would also have been aware that Moses was not able to see God’s glorified face while he was still a human.

Another example of this terminology is found in 2 Kings 4:31. This is when a woman had miraculously received a son according to Elisha’s promise, but the son had died: “Now Gehazi went on ahead of them, and laid the staff on the face of the child; but there was neither voice nor hearing. Therefore, he went back to meet him (Elisha), and told him, saying, ‘The child has not awakened.’”  Elisha then proceeded to bring him back to life. Here again, this physical resurrection is considered an awakening from a sleep.

As David said in Psalm 17:15, he would be satisfied to be like God or to be a glorified God being in substance, and to be with God forever. This was much more valuable to him than temporary, physical possessions. He also realised that at that time, he would be righteous. He had written about this time in the previous Psalm, Psalm 16:11: “You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” He certainly understood what he was looking forward to.

Of course, this does not only apply to David. We are given the same promise from God in Matthew 5:8: “Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God.” This encouragement is also given to us in 1 Corinthians 13:12: “For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known [by God].”

The apostle John re-emphasises this future for us in 1 John 3:2-3: “Beloved, now we are the children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.” This is basically a repeat of David’s expectation in Psalm 17. We will see Christ in His full glory, as He is, because we will BE like Him, or better, we will be equal with Him in substance. We will bear His glorified image (1 Corinthians 15:49; 2 Corinthians 3:18), as Christ bears the Father’s glorified image (Colossians 1:15; 2 Corinthians 4:4). When the heavenly Jerusalem descends on the new earth, we read that we will also see the glorified face of God the Father (Revelation 22:4).

But, of course, there are conditions. In David’s case, he knew he would see God in righteousness. In fact, he wrote in Psalm 15:1-2: “LORD, who may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your holy hill? He who walks uprightly, And works righteousness, And speaks the truth in his heart.” And in Psalm 119:172 we read: “All Your commandments are righteousness.”

And in Matthew 5:8 and 1 John 3:3, the ones who will see God are the pure in heart—those who have purified themselves. From this we see that God will raise us from sleep in a resurrection or change us if we are still alive when Christ returns, but we must be striving to live righteously and be pure in heart and life.