Update 634

On April 12, 2014, Robb Harris will give the sermon, titled, “The Lie.”  

The live services are available, over video and audio, at www.cognetservices.org (12:30 pm Pacific Time; 1:30 pm Mountain Time; 2:30 pm Central Time; 3:30 pm Eastern Time; 8:30 pm Greenwich Mean Time; 9:30 pm Central European Time). Just click on Connect to Live Stream.

NOTE: Morning and Afternoon Services will be conducted on the First Day of Unleavened Bread, Tuesday, April 15, 2014.The times are 9:00 am and 1:00 pm Pacific Time.

It would appear that no one lives or tells the truth–not our leaders in politics, not in business or not even in religion! Finding someone who is willing to put it all on the line for the sake of the truth is the rarest of exceptions! How many retractions, explanations or other justifications do we hear about in our daily lives when liars are found out and exposed?

God long ago issued an indictment against the world for its rejection of His Truth. In particular, His disapproval for the modern Houses of Israel and Judah—who should know better—fill prophecies relevant for our time:

“For our transgressions are multiplied before You, And our sins testify against us; For our transgressions are with us, And as for our iniquities, we know them: In transgressing and lying against the Lord, And departing from our God, Speaking oppression and revolt, Conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood. Justice is turned back, And righteousness stands afar off; For truth is fallen in the street, And equity cannot enter. So truth fails, And he who departs from evil makes himself a prey. Then the Lord saw it, and it displeased Him That there was no justice” (Isaiah 59:12-15).

Have you departed from evil—really? Are you persecuted—as Jesus was—for righteousness sake? Are you tormented “from day to day by seeing and hearing… lawless deeds” (2 Peter 2:8)?

More importantly, have any of us let truth fall in our own lives? We are implicitly warned that even some within the Church of God would reject truth! Note what Paul wrote:

“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables” (2 Timothy 4:3-4).

This has happened, and so it continues, that the Truth of God has fallen in the lives of some who have been called to salvation! Will you continue in the Truth? Will you be among the very few—the elect—who will be willing to uphold God’s Way of living at all cost?

As we watch the virtual collapse of morality and the rise of unspeakable evil in the world, our hope must focus on the unbreakable promise of God–that He will send His Son, Jesus Christ, to establish a Kingdom of righteousness in which truth shall never fall or fail!

We begin with President Putin’s ongoing grab for control of Ukraine; address the problems of Japan’s defense in Asia in face of America’s growing weakness as a dependable ally; highlight Europe’s growing dissatisfaction with America over numerous sensitive issues, such as unfettered surveillance in the EU and who will defend them against Russia.

We also report on a crisis in banana crops that is having worldwide consequences, and finish with former President Clinton’s views about aliens.

Putin Defies Obama in Syria

Bloomberg wrote on April 3:

“President Vladimir Putin, condemned by NATO for annexing Crimea, is now defying the U.S. in Syria by sending more and deadlier arms to help Bashar al-Assad score a string of advances against insurgents, military experts say. Assad’s army, seeking to end a three-year civil war that’s killed 150,000 people and displaced 9 million, started using longer-range Russian Smerch and Uragan rockets for the first time in February… ‘Russia is now doing everything to ensure that Assad wins convincingly,’ Alexei Malashenko, a Middle East analyst at the Moscow Carnegie Center, said by phone. ‘If Russia can show it’s capable of carrying out its own foreign policy, regardless of America’s wishes, it will be a major achievement for Putin.’” 

Russia Meddles in Ukraine

The Washington Post wrote on April 5:

“First, Russia took over a chunk of their country. Now, to the astonishment of many Ukrainians, Moscow is telling them how to run the rest of their nation. The lectures do not sit well here. Russia has been insisting that Ukraine adopt a federal form of government that would give regions nearly boundless authority. It’s a means to make the regions vulnerable to Russian interference, Ukrainians say, and eventually tear the country apart. And, they point out, Russia would never tolerate such a system itself… ‘The issue of federalization is absolutely artificial,’ said Yuriy Yakymenko, a political expert at the Razumkov think tank in Kiev. ‘It’s part of Russia’s plan to impose control over Ukraine and prevent it from integrating with Europe.’…

“Russian President Vladimir Putin has steadily built a top-down system he calls the ‘vertical of power.’ And Russia, which snapped up Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula after arranging a March 16 referendum in favor of annexation that violated Ukraine’s constitution, has shown no tolerance for separatism at home.

“A declaration of independence by Russia’s southern region of Chechnya in 1991 led to two wars with Moscow that were fought with exceptional brutality and bloodshed. Although a Kremlin-installed strongman has extinguished most of the violence, Chechnya remains unpredictable. Last week, four Russian soldiers were killed and seven were wounded when their armored vehicle drove over an explosive device in Chechnya during what the Interior Ministry described as a reconnaissance mission. And Islamist separatists have taken the struggle to neighboring Dagestan, where shootouts kill hundreds of police and militants every year.

“Ukraine is tranquil by comparison. Although some pro-Russian crowds in eastern Ukrainian cities have clashed with pro-Ukrainian crowds since the fall of Yanukovych, Ukraine authorities say Russian agents provoked the disorder. But Russia has described what it calls ‘atrocities’ against Russian-speakers, issuing warnings that suggest it is building a case to send troops into eastern Ukraine as it did in Crimea…”

Unrest in Eastern Ukraine

Deutsche Welle wrote on April 7:

“Arseniy Yatsenyuk has said that unrest in eastern Ukraine is part of a plan to destabilize the country and bring in Russian troops. Pro-Russian demonstrators have seized government buildings in several cities. The interim prime minister described the protest organizers as a ‘group of radicals who coordinate themselves with intelligence services from foreign countries.’

“Pro-Russian protesters on Sunday night seized official buildings in the cities of Kharkiv, Luhansk and Donetsk, calling for referendums on the regions joining the Russian Federation. In Donetsk on Monday, protesters were quoted by Interfax Ukraine as proclaiming the creation of a sovereign ‘people’s republic’ independent of Kyiv’s rule. Interfax reported that the men pledged a referendum on joining Russia no later than May 11.

“Yatsenyuk also said on Monday that Russian troops remained within a 30-kilometer (19-mile) zone near the border with Ukraine – contradicting earlier reports of a Russian withdrawal from the border. Chancellor Angela Merkel’s spokesman, Steffen Seibert, said on Monday in Berlin that the German government was ‘alarmed’ by the most recent tensions in eastern Ukraine…”

USA Backs Militarization of Japan

Reuters wrote on April 5:

“U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said he welcomed the possibility of Japan giving its military a greater role by allowing it to come to the aid of allies under attack… [This] represents the clearest U.S. support yet for Tokyo’s effort to bolster its military as it faces off against a more assertive China… Hagel visits China, suspicious of Japan’s military intentions and where memories of Japan’s past militarism run deep, after Tokyo.

“Japan has been locked into a security pact for more than half a century that commits the United States to defend Japan should it come under attack. Japan’s Self-Defense Forces, however, are not allowed to aid U.S. ships or other military units that are fired upon… In its postwar pacifist constitution, written by the United States, Japan renounced the right to wage war… Japan eased its weapons export restrictions on Tuesday in the first major overhaul of arms transfer policy in nearly half a century in a move that alarmed China.”

All of this will backfire on the West, when Japan, Russia and China combine their forces. Note the next article.

Japan Loses Confidence in America

The New York Times wrote on April 5:

“When President Bill Clinton signed a 1994 agreement promising to ‘respect’ the territorial integrity of Ukraine if it gave up its nuclear weapons, there was little thought then of how that obscure diplomatic pact — called the Budapest Memorandum — might affect the long-running defense partnership between the United States and Japan. But now, as American officials have distanced themselves from the Budapest Memorandum in light of Russia’s takeover of Crimea, calling promises made in Budapest ‘nonbinding,’ the United States is being forced at the same time to make reassurances in Asia. Japanese officials, a senior American military official said, ‘keep asking, “Are you going to do the same thing to us when something happens?”’

“For Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, who arrived in Tokyo on Saturday for two days of talks with Japan’s leaders, including Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, America’s longstanding promise to protect Japan against hostile nations — read China and North Korea — has suddenly come under the microscope. The American response to the Russian takeover of Crimea, which President Obama has condemned while at the same time ruling out American military action, has caused deep concern among already skittish Japanese officials… ‘If Japan is attacked, and the Americans decline to respond, then it is time from the Americans to pull out” of their bases here, [one analyst] said. “Without those bases, America is not going to be a Pacific power anymore…’”

USA to Send Warships to Japan

Deutsche Welle reported on April 6:

“After discussions with his opposite number in Tokyo, US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said on Sunday that the US would deploy two extra ballistic missile defense destroyers to Japan. Hagel said the two ships would be sent in response to North Korea’s ‘pattern of provocative and destabilizing actions,’ which he said were a violation of UN resolutions.”

European Communication Network?

Reuters reported on April 4:

“The United States on Friday criticized proposals to build a European communication network to avoid emails and other data passing through the United States, warning that such rules could breach international trade laws… Germany and France have been discussing ways to build a European network to keep data secure after the U.S. spying scandal… Deutsche Telekom has suggested laws to stop data traveling within continental Europe being routed via Asia or the United States and scrapping the Safe Harbor agreement that allows U.S. companies with European-level privacy standards access to European data.”

In light of America’s illegal spying activities in Germany and France, these countries would be most likely not that concerned about America’s interpretation that they might violate international law… Note the next article.

German Public Anger with USA over Spying Scandal

The Washington Post wrote on April 3:

“A chapter in trans­atlantic relations that Washington would sooner forget got a new lease on life Thursday as German lawmakers opened their first parliamentary hearings into the Edward Snowden scandal. Revelations of large-scale U.S. spying on Germans, up to and including Chancellor Angela Merkel, prompted an initial wave of outrage here last year. But now, the lengthy committee investigations could keep the spotlight on leaks by the former National Security Agency contractor for a year or two to come…

“The hearings also have the potential to provoke further anti­pathy. Indeed, a number of lawmakers here are demanding safe passage to Berlin for Snowden — who is living in self-imposed exile in Moscow — to testify before the eight-member committee. Any such move would likely outrage the United States, which is seeking to take Snowden into custody… the push to give Snowden his day here serves as another reminder that, even as the scandal appears to be dissipating in other parts of Europe, it remains at the top of the agenda in Germany…

“The committee is set to call dozens of witnesses and review piles of documents. But even its members appear to concede the limits of their effort, which is likely to be hampered by an anticipated lack of full cooperation by U.S. officials. It suggests that the hearings are being called at least in part for national catharsis and as an outlet for German rage.

“Parliament’s airing of the evidence began Thursday, even as fresh revelations continue to stoke public anger. In recent days, Germany’s Der Spiegel magazine published further details from the Snowden leaks, including evidence of an NSA dossier on Merkel that allegedly included more than 300 intelligence reports. Although U.S. snooping on Merkel is not new, the reports served as a continuing reminder for an already bitter German public…

“A top German prosecutor is still weighing whether to open a criminal investigation into the affair, which could further damage ties between Washington and Berlin. And there is no mistaking the lingering anger of German lawmakers, particularly those clamoring to bring Snowden to Berlin to testify. Such a move… would create fresh tensions at a time when Europe and the United States are trying to maintain a common front on the Russian-Ukraine crisis. But some here seem to think that bringing Snowden to Berlin is exactly the kind of thumb-nosing the Americans deserve.”

Germany Strongly Criticizes USA

Deutsche Welle wrote on April 6:

“German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere has strongly criticized the US over revelations about electronic surveillance by intelligence services. The minister complained that German questions have not been answered… the minister complained that Berlin’s fears about the extent of the agency’s operations – as revealed by whistleblower Edward Snowden- had not been allayed. Chancellor Angela Merkel is due to visit US President Barack Obama in Washington in May. However, de Maiziere said he held out little hope of concrete results… ‘My expectations about the success of further talks are low,’ said the minister.”

Superpower–But No Clout!

Bloomberg’s report on April 9, 2014, stated:

“Secretary of State John Kerry and members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee agreed on one thing today: Being a superpower isn’t what it used to be.

“At a hearing on the U.S. State Department budget, Republicans and Democrats alike raised concerns about America’s limited ability to cope with global challenges, from Russian aggression in Ukraine to Iran’s nuclear program, China’s assertiveness in the Pacific and Syria’s civil war.

“While some Republicans blamed the administration for decisions that they say have eroded U.S. influence, Kerry pointed to a ‘changed world.’

“’The United States has power, enormous power,’ he said, ‘but we can’t necessarily always dictate every outcome the way we want, particularly in this world where we have rising economic powers — China, India, Mexico, Korea, Brazil, many other people who are players.’

“The two-hour Senate hearing was only one place where lawmakers and others challenged President Barack Obama’s foreign policy today. The jousting underscored the U.S. struggle to defend its global interests and allies as technology and the diffusion of economic and military power erode its post-Cold War position as the lone superpower.”

If the descendants of ancient Israel stopped obeying God, His clear warning was that His protection would be withdrawn. In so many ways, the United Kingdom and the United States are coming under these curses. One poignant example is found in Leviticus 26:19: “I will break the pride of your power…” You just might want to read the whole chapter of this Book of Leviticus, which is found in the Old Testament, to see how many other problems our nations will suffer!

United European Military Scheme

Carnegie Europe wrote on April 1:

“Just as the EU seemed powerless to prevent the rise of an aggressive Russia, a series of new EU security plans began leaking to the Brussels foreign policy crowd. The ideas, collected in a 73-page paper co-authored by the European External Action Service and the European Commission’s enterprise directorate, are dynamite… it reveals a shocking shift by European mandarins in their increasingly desperate attempts to boost the union’s lackluster military capabilities… The paper states: ‘The EU member states, the European External Action Service, and the European Commission welcome the pledges by leading European corporate entities to boost EU defense capabilities through targeted, high-volume financial contributions. . . . These contributions will enable the EU, within the period of its forthcoming budget, to build, train, integrate, and deploy its own supranational military task force.’

“In other words: since governments won’t buy the EU its own army, big business will. What nations seem incapable of offering will now be provided by a consortium of Europe’s capitalists… The core of the new initiative will be a Friendship Projection Force (FPF), comprising up to 31 naval vessels. Each will carry the name ‘EU Security Ship’ or EUSS. The first batch of ships will come from the French Mistral-class amphibious assault ships, originally earmarked for sale to Russia but now available as a corporate donation to the EU. They will be named EUSS Strasbourg and EUSS Helgoland.

“Plans for additional ships, including a helicopter carrier and four German-built submarines, are at an ‘advanced stage,’ according to EU officials. After a long, heated debate about where to put the EU flotilla’s naval base, the Ukraine crisis tilted the decision toward the historic former Lenin shipyard in Gdańsk, Poland, home of the anti-Communist Solidarność movement. A second, smaller naval headquarters will be built in Malta to cover the union’s southern flank…

“The document does not reveal all the companies involved in the new scheme, but Germany’s Siemens, Spain’s Telefónica, Italy’s ENI, and Gaz de France seem to form the core of the consortium. They will function as ‘shareholders’ of the new force, with no say over operational matters but some input into strategic discussions on individual countries and thematic priorities…

“Sources close to the deal stress that the switch to a commercial approach was necessary to finally get Germany behind the idea of a beefed-up European defense. They also claim that the idea was not so unusual within the broader European context…”

Global Banana Production Threatened

The Independent wrote on April 4:

“Scientists have warned that the world’s banana crop, worth £26 billion and a crucial part of the diet of more than 400 million people, is facing ‘disaster’ from virulent diseases immune to pesticides or other forms of control… Alarm at the most potent threat – a fungus known as Panama disease tropical race 4 (TR4) – has risen dramatically after it was announced in recent weeks that it has jumped from South-east Asia, where it has already devastated export crops, to Mozambique and Jordan.

“A United Nations agency told The Independent that the spread of TR4 represents an ‘expanded threat to global banana production’. Experts said there is a risk that the fungus… has also already made the leap to the world’s most important banana growing areas in Latin America, where the disease threatens to destroy vast plantations of the Cavendish variety. The variety accounts for 95 per cent of the bananas shipped to export markets including the United Kingdom, in a trade worth £5.4bn…

“According to one estimate, TR4 could destroy up to 85 per cent of the world’s banana crop by volume…  the crop – and many other banana varieties – have no defence against TR4, which can live for 30 years or more in the soil and reduces the core of the banana plant to a blackened mush. It can wipe out plantations within two or three years… Such is the virulence of soil-based fungus, it can be spread in water droplets or tiny amounts of earth on machinery or shoes…”

Clinton: Space Aliens Possible

NBC News wrote on April 3:

“Former President Bill Clinton said he ‘wouldn’t be surprised’ if Earth was eventually visited by aliens… However, Clinton also explained that he had reviewed the subject during his time in the White House and found no evidence of alien life. ‘We know from our fancy telescopes that just in the last two years more than 20 planets have been identified outside our solar system that seem to be far enough from their suns and dense enough that they might be able to support some form of life, so it makes it increasingly less like that we’re alone,’ Clinton added.”

However, according to the Bible, there is no alien life form anywhere in the universe; the earth is the only place where God created life. Mr. Clinton argues from human wisdom, leaving God out of the picture.

We read in Isaiah 66:19: “I will set a sign among them; and those among them who escape I will send to the nations: to Tarshish and Pul and Lud, who draw the bow, and Tubal and Javan, to the coastlands afar off who have not heard My fame nor seen My glory. And they shall declare My glory among the Gentiles.”

On the other hand, we read in Revelation 1:7: “Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.”

Is there a contradiction?  Shouldn’t those who “who have not heard My fame nor seen My glory” have seen Christ in His glory at His return when “every eye will see Him”?

We know, of course, that the Bible does not contain any contradictions (John 10:35). Therefore, both passages must harmonize and complement each other.

Let us focus first on Revelation 1:7 which says that every eye will see Christ when He returns. In what way will they see Him? Will all human beings see Him in His glorified state—as He really is? No, because no man can see God in His true glory and live. We can only see Christ in His full glorious state when we ourselves are spirit beings.

1 John 3:2 says: “Beloved, now we are 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.”

We state the following in our free booklet, “The Gospel of the Kingdom of God”: “No human being can look at God in His glorified state, as He is, and live. But when we are changed, we can look at God and His Son Jesus Christ in their glorified state and live. Why? Because we will be like them, Jesus Christ being the image of God the Father. And what does it mean to be like Christ? To bear His image? It means that we will look like He looks. And how does He look in His glorified state? Let’s read Revelation 1:14-16, which gives us a glimpse of what Christ looks like today: ‘His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire. His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and His voice as the sound of many waters…and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength.’ That’s exactly how we will look too, when we are changed and are in the Kingdom of God.”

How are we then to understand the statement that every eye will see Christ when He returns? Will every eye see Christ in His full glory?

Continuing with our booklet, “The Gospel of the Kingdom of God”:

“If we can’t see the Kingdom of God, or the two present members of that Family, how do we explain passages like [Revelation] 1:7? Here we read about the return of Jesus Christ, bringing to the earth the government or rulership of the Kingdom of God. It says: ‘Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him.’

“Jesus Christ Himself describes His return in Matthew 24:30: ‘Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes [nations] of the earth will mourn, and they will SEE the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.’…

“Also, consider John 3:3 where Christ told Nicodemus: ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.’… Unless we are born again, we CAN’T SEE the Kingdom of God. If we are born again, we are born of the Spirit—we will BE spirit. As a matter of fact, we will be God beings. And when we are spirit beings and full-fledged members of the God Family, we can SEE the Kingdom of God in its power—we CAN see the other members of the God Family—we CAN see God the Father, Jesus Christ, and other Christians made immortal.

“The word for ‘see’ here is the Greek word, ‘eidon.’ It is the same word as used in Luke 9:27, where Christ said that some of the disciples would SEE the Kingdom of God in power and glory, before they died. And they DID see it—but in a vision… They were still flesh and blood, but they SAW the glorified Christ. They could only do that IN A VISION.

“We DO read that Moses SAW the form of the Lord in His glorified state—but he was only allowed to see God’s back. Read it in Numbers 12:8: ‘I speak with him face to face [but not in His glorified state], even plainly and not in dark sayings, and he SEES the form of the Lord.’ Now read [Exodus] 33: 18-23: ‘And he said, “Please, show me Your glory….” (20) But He said, “You cannot see My face [in its glorified state]; for no MAN shall see Me and live…. ( 22) So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by. Then I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back; but My face shall not be seen!”’

“… those outside the Kingdom of God will SEE those inside the Kingdom of God [including Jesus Christ]. But how can that be, if flesh and blood cannot see the Kingdom of God? For instance, we read in [Revelation] 1:7, that those who mourn over Christ’s return will SEE Him. Now, those people who are mourning that Christ comes back won’t be in the Kingdom—at least not at that time. But it says that they SEE Him. We also read, in Matthew 24:30, that all the tribes of the earth will mourn, when they SEE Christ return. Again, the tribes won’t be in the Kingdom of God, but they still see Him, the King of the Kingdom. And remember, Christ comes back in glory.

“Also, we read in Luke 13:28 that those who weep because they have not been allowed to enter the Kingdom, SEE Abraham and others in the Kingdom. And finally, we read in Luke 16:23 that the rich man who is in torment because of his impending death, SEES Abraham afar off.

“It is interesting that in all those passages, except in the ones in John 3:3 and Luke 9:27, the Greek word, translated ‘see,’ is NOT ‘eidon,’ but ‘horao.’ This word ‘horao’ CAN have, and many times does have, the meaning of seeing in a literal sense. For instance, we read in Matthew 5:8 that the pure in spirit will SEE God. The Greek word is ‘horao’ and has the literal meaning. Also, we read in 1 John 3:2 that we, when we are glorified, will SEE the returning Christ AS HE IS. The Greek word here is ‘horao’ as well. This passage is interesting, as it implies that others who are not glorified, who are not in the Kingdom, will see Christ, too, but NOT AS HE IS.

“That explains HOW the world will SEE the returning Christ. They will see Him, even in glory, but not to the degree of glory that would kill them immediately. We [those who are resurrected at His return] will SEE Him as He is, but the world will not see Him in His fullest glory.

“In addition—this Greek word ‘horao’ can ALSO have a figurative meaning. That is, it can also mean, ‘acknowledge, understand, comprehend, experience, discern, take heed behold, perceive’… So the people of this world and the rich man who SEE Abraham in the Kingdom, see him in the sense that they recognize and discern and understand the fact that he is in the Kingdom, while they are not.”

With this background, let us now analyze the statement in Isaiah 66:19 which says that after His return, Christ will send His servants to some who had not seen His glory. Apart from the fact that no human being did see His full glory at the time of His return, these people did not recognize or discern or comprehend who and what Jesus was and is. Many will die in their futile attempt to fight the living Christ (Zechariah 14:3-4, 12-14). Others, living in distant lands, were not present at Jerusalem and part of the armies of the beast power and the kings from the east to fight against Christ (Revelation 16:12-15; 19:11-21). They did not die then, but they did not comprehend either that Jesus Christ is the Messiah; the KING of kings and the LORD of lords—the immortal Son of God—the second member in the Family of God. So, Christ will send His servants to them to “declare [His] glory among the Gentiles.”

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary understands the passage of Isaiah 66:19 in this light, saying: “… they shall declare my glory among the Gentiles… they shall declare publicly, plainly, and clearly, that Christ is the brightness of the divine Glory; shall declare the glory of his deity; of his rich grace and love to sinners, in suffering and dying for them; of his salvation…”

Barnes’ Notes on the Bible adds: “Neither have seen my glory – The glory which he had manifested to the Hebrews in giving his law, and in the various exhibitions of his character and perfections among them.”

Malachi 1:11 says the same thing in different words: “‘For from the rising of the sun, even to its going down, My name shall be great among the Gentiles… My Name shall be great among the nations,’ Says the LORD of hosts.”

Ultimately, all nations will comprehend the glory of God—both the Father and the Son—and they will learn that they, too, can become glorious God beings in the Family of God—and then, they will be able to see God AS HE IS.

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

Norbert and Johanna Link have arrived safely in Germany. Their busy schedule will include Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread with the brethren, confirming a site in Germany for the Feast of Tabernacles, visiting and following up on requests from Europe, registering the Church in Germany and a variety of other activities. Elder Michael Link, Ramona, CA, will join them by the end of this week.

Passover Services will be observed Sunday evening, April 13, after sunset; the following evening (Monday, April 14) is the Night To Be Much Observed, which is the beginning of the First Day of Unleavened Bread (Tuesday, April 15). The last Holy Day of Unleavened Bread will be observed on Monday, April 21. (beginning Sunday at sunset, April 20). We invite our readers to explore the rich library of Q&A’s, Booklets and sermons about God’s Holy Days–available at www.eternalgod.org.

Following the recent prayer requests in respect of Mr Gladstone Chonde, an Elder in Malawi, we have been informed that he died in the early hours of Saturday morning 5th April, 2014. He suffered from severe pneumonia and was 80 years of age. The burial will be on Tuesday at his home village. Your prayers for Alice, his widow, and the rest of the family would be appreciated.

A new Member Letter for the month of April has been written and mailed. This is a joint letter from the ministry in which we summarize highlights from our recent Church Conference, along with emphasizing the importance of preparing for Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread.

“Do Earthquakes Wake You Up?,” is the title of a new StandingWatch Program presented by Evangelist Norbert Link. Here is a summary:

Increased earthquake activities are one of the signs for Christ’s return. Seismologists tell us that in light of recent events, huge earthquakes are to be expected. They are alarmed about major quakes in Southern California, Chile and Yellowstone; conclude that these earthquakes are connected; and point at an earthquake storm with unparalleled devastation in the near future. Are you awake and prepared?

“Why the Days of Unleavened Bread?,” the sermon from last Sabbath by Norbert Link, is now posted. Here is a summary:

Through Christ’s death, we can obtain forgiveness of our past sins. But this does not give us the guarantee nor the strength, not to sin again. Still, we are commanded to overcome and to conquer sin on a continuous basis. How is this possible? What is the meaning of the Days of Unleavened Bread for us today? How are they related to freedom from sin? And how are they to be kept?

by Delia Messier

Tithing was a difficult concept to practice at first, especially as we were poor. “We can’t afford to tithe, to be in this church,” hearing a family say, as they walked away.

There were challenges, and at times we would ask ourselves, “How in the world can this work out?” There were times when our extended families would express concern about our tithing, shaking their heads, saying: “You’re giving all of your money away!”

But we held to God’s promise that He would take care of us, and we watched, at times in amazement, how things would turn around in our favor. It always worked out! God helped us in every way!

We learned to trust Him! We learned to be patient, to work hard, to do things ourselves, to improvise, to make do and appreciate. Our lives were full and exciting.

When our extended families visit today, they still shake their heads, as they look at our many blessings, as well as our beautiful big home and property–one that they would wish for themselves–and they cannot understand or figure it out, saying:  “How in the world could this have happened?”

Can I afford to tithe? I can’t afford not to, and I only wished that all of my family would understand this.