Monthly letter archive

February 11, 2021

Dear Brethren,

The most powerful forces of evil in the world have banded together against the people of the United States—especially those who believe in God and the Bible. They seek to destroy the family unit as God created it. They want to abolish individual dignity and free choice, limited government, and our civil liberties as guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution.

A concerted effort is being made to control the lives of Americans—including our very thoughts and ideas and our right to free speech. This effort is occurring at all levels: business and education; major social media and communications outlets; the high-tech computing and Internet giants; TV and cable networks; major banks; Wall Street; Hollywood; key national industries; major publishers; etc. And it is all being led and motivated by the Democratic Party under Joe Biden. Their goal is to remake America into a socialistic communist nation—apparently in preparation for a one-world government.

Bypassing Congress, Biden has enacted over 40 executive orders—nearly all of them unconstitutional. This makes him the first dictator of a new America—if he is not stopped by Congress or the courts. Alarmingly, every action Biden has taken appears to be done to please the Chinese government.

These people hate God. They hate Christianity and are seeking to destroy it. They despise anyone who does not think exactly as they do. They have set themselves up as tyrannical dictators to oppress the American people into submitting to their godless dictates.

Who is the Power Behind These Evil Tactics? The unseen power behind this lawless and destructive agenda is none other than Satan the devil and his demons. They are pushing this worldwide effort to deceive the whole world. The apostle John writes that “the whole world lies in the power of the wicked one” (I John 5:19). Satan gains this power over people and nations through lies and deception. God describes how massive Satan’s power will become just before the return of Christ: “And the great dragon was cast out, the ancient serpent who is called the Devil and Satan, who is [actively] deceiving the whole world…” (Rev. 12:9).

Satan’s deception is described by Isaiah as a vast “covering” that affects all nations: “And He [Jesus, when He returns] will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering which covers all people, and the [web-like] veil [of deception] that is woven over all nations” (Isa. 25:7).

Ultimately, this deception will result in all nations worshiping a final, great world leader who claims to be “God manifested in the flesh”—here to “save the world.” World leaders will give their governments over to this Beast power: “And they worshiped the dragon, who gave his authority to the beast. And they worshiped the beast, saying, Who is like the beast? Who has the power to make war against him? And a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies was given to him; and authority was given to him to continue for forty-two months. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, and His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven. And he was given power to make war against the saints, and to overcome them; and he was given authority over every tribe and language and nation. And all who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the book of life of the Lamb…” (Rev. 13:4-8).

Why is All This Happening? All of these evils have come upon America—as well as on the UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand—because as the modern descendants of ancient Israel, we have left God and rejected His commandments and laws. While we profess to be good moral people, we deceive ourselves while we descend further and further into lawlessness and immorality. Consequently, God is punishing us for our collective sins and abominations! The same thing happened to ancient Israel.

It all started over one hundred years ago with so-called fake Christian leaders and corrupt politicians. It has now grown to permeate nearly every aspect of society. The prophecies of Isaiah against ancient Israel directly apply to us today: “Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth; for the Lord has spoken, ‘I have reared and brought up children, but they have rebelled against Me. The ox knows his owner, and the donkey his master’s crib; but Israel does not know Me; My people do not understand.’

Ah, sinful nation, a people burdened with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children who deal corruptly! They have forsaken the Lord; they have provoked the Holy One of Israel to anger; they have gone away backward. Why should you be stricken any more? You will revolt more and more; the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. From the sole of the foot even to the top of the head there is no soundness in it; only wounds and bruises and putrefying sores; they have not been closed, nor bound up, nor soothed with ointment.

“Your country is a desolation, your cities are burned with fire. Strangers devour your land right in your very presence, and it is wasted, as overthrown by strangers…. Except the Lord of hosts had left us a very small remnant [all the people of God in the churches of God], we would have been as Sodom; we would have become like Gomorrah” (Isa. 1:2-9).

While many people profess a belief in God and are “religious,” they do not truly love God or keep His commandments. They are no better than Sodom and Gomorrah—physically and spiritually: “Hear the Word of the Lord, rulers of Sodom; give ear to the law of our God, people of Gomorrah. ‘To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me?’ says the Lord; ‘I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of he-goats. When you come to appear before Me, who has required this at your hand, to trample My courts? Bring no more vain sacrifices; incense is an abomination to Me—new moon and Sabbath [their Sunday and holiday keeping], the calling of assemblies; I cannot endure iniquity along with the solemn assembly!

“ ‘Your new moons and your appointed feasts My soul hates; they are a trouble to Me; I am weary to bear them. And when you spread forth your hands, I will hide My eyes from you; yea, when you make many prayers, I WILL NOT HEAR; your hands are full of blood ” (verses 10-15).

After God exposes their sins and evil actions, He calls on them to stop sinning and repent before Him: “ ‘Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes; cease to do evil; learn to do good; seek judgment, reprove the oppressor. Judge the orphan, plead for the widow.

“ ‘Come now, and let us reason together,’ says the Lord. ‘Though your sins are as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be like wool. If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured with the sword;’ for the mouth of the Lord has spoken it” (verses 16-20).

Likewise, the prophet Jeremiah indicted Israel’s religious leaders because they worshiped Baal instead of the true God: “ ‘And I have seen repulsive things in the prophets of Samaria; they prophesied by Baal and caused My people Israel to go astray. I have also seen in the prophets of Jerusalem a horrible thing; they commit adultery and walk in lies. They also strengthen the hands of evildoers, so that none returns from his evil; they are all of them like Sodom to Me, and her inhabitants like Gomorrah.’

“Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts concerning the prophets, ‘Behold, I will feed them wormwood, and make them drink poisonous water; for from the prophets of Jerusalem ungodliness has gone forth into all the land.’

“Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you. They make you vain; they speak a vision from their own heart, not out of the mouth of the Lord. They still say to those who despise Me, “The Lord has said, ‘You shall have peace!’ ” And they say to everyone who walks after the imagination of his own heart, “No evil shall come upon you!” ’ ” (Jer. 23:13-17).

Then God asks, concerning those who are His: “For who has stood in the counsel of the Lord to see and hear His Word? Who has attended to His Word and heard it?” (verse 18). This is what we need to be doing when difficult times come. We need to stay close to God and His Word, because more evil is to come. “Behold, the tempest of the Lord has gone forth in fury, a whirling tempest. It shall fall grievously upon the head of the wicked. The anger of the Lord shall not return, until He has executed and until He has performed the purposes of His heart; in the latter days you shall understand it perfectly. I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran; I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied. But if they had stood in My counsel and had caused My people to hear My words, then they would have turned them from their evil way and from the evil of their doings” (verses 19-22).

Clinging to their Sunday worship and pagan holidays—and rejecting God’s Sabbath and holy days—this world’s “Christian” leaders refuse to repent and turn to God. They refuse to teach the people to forsake their sins and to love and obey God’s commandments. Thus, God’s correction rises to a more intense level. God tells Ezekiel: “Moreover, the Word of the Lord came to me, saying, ‘Now you, son of man, will you judge, will you judge the bloody city? And yes, you shall make her know all her abominations.

“ ‘Then you shall say, “Thus says the Lord GOD, ‘The city sheds blood in her midst that her time may come, and makes idols unto herself to defile herself. You are guilty by the blood that you have shed; and you have defiled yourself with your idols that you have made. And you have caused your days to draw near, and have come unto your years. Therefore I have made you a reproach to the nations, and a mocking to all countries. Those who are near and those far from you shall mock against you, O infamous one and full of tumult.

“ ‘ “ ‘Behold, the princes of Israel [the political leaders], every one has used his power to shed blood in you. In you they have despised both father and mother. In your midst they have dealt with the stranger by oppression. In you they oppressed the orphan and the widow. You [religious leaders] have despised My holy things, and have profaned My Sabbaths. In you are men of slander who shed blood; and in you they that eat on the mountains; in your midst they commit lewdness’ ” ’ ” (Ezek. 22:1-9).

Because there is no repentance among the religious leaders, the politicians, or the people, the punishment of God again intensifies. God tells Ezekiel: “And the Word of the Lord came to me, saying, ‘Son of man, say to her, “You are a land that is not cleansed, nor rained upon in the day of indignation.” There is a conspiracy of her prophets in her midst, like a roaring lion tearing the prey. They have devoured souls; they have taken the treasure and precious things; they have made many widows in her midst. Her priests have done violence to My law and have profaned My holy things. They have put no difference between the holy and the profane, and have not taught the difference between the unclean and the clean, and they have hidden their eyes from My Sabbaths, and I am profaned among them.

“ ‘Her rulers in her midst are like wolves tearing the prey, to shed blood and to destroy souls, to get unjust gain. And her prophets have covered themselves with whitewash, seeing false visions and divining lies unto them, saying, “Thus says the Lord GOD;” when the Lord has not spoken. The people of the land have used oppression and committed robbery, and they have troubled the poor and needy. Yea, they have oppressed the stranger wrongfully.

“ ‘And I sought for a man among them who should build up a wall for the land, and stand in the breach before Me, so that I should not destroy it. But I did not find one. Therefore I have poured out My fury on them. I have burned them up with the fire of My wrath. I have recompensed their own way upon their heads,’ says the Lord GOD” (Ezek. 22:23-31).

Since this nation—as well as the UK, Canada and Australia—will be increasingly confronted with God’s correction, we need to stay close to God in daily prayer and Bible study, so that we will love God and Jesus Christ, and the brethren. As we do, we can claim the promise of God’s mercy and protection, just as we find in Psalm 91: “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in Whom I will trust.

“Surely He will deliver you from the fowler’s trap and from the destroying pestilence. He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge. His truth shall be your shield and buckler.

You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor for the arrow that flies by day, nor for the plague that walks in darkness, nor for the destruction laying waste at noonday. A thousand may fall at your side and ten thousand at your right hand; [but] it shall not come near you.

“Only with your eyes you shall behold and see the recompense of the wicked. Because you have made the Lord, Who is my refuge, even the Most High, your habitation, no evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling; for He shall give His angels charge over you to keep you in all your ways. They shall bear you up in their hands, lest you dash your foot against a stone. You shall tread upon the lion and asp; the young lion and the jackal you shall trample underfoot.

“Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high because he has known My name. He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him, and show him My salvation” (Psa. 91).

Brethren, the future is fraught with difficulties. But we can stay close to God—loving the Father and Jesus with all our heart, our mind, our soul, and our strength. Remember, God has promised to give us salvation—eternal life and rulership with Christ in the Kingdom of God!

Once again, thank you for your love and prayers for all the brethren—and for us. Thank you for reaching out to other brethren to help them in their time of need. And thank you for your tithes and offerings. May God richly bless you according to your every need.

With love in Christ Jesus,

Fred R. Coulter

FRC

PS: Attached are comments from brethren and website visitors.

Comments From Brethren and Website Visitors

Dear Fred: Thank you for being faithful to the truth and for being careful and diligent in seeing to it that we have access to the truth through the Faithful Version of the Bible and all of your helpful messages and publications. As we watch this nation unravel before our eyes, it is amazingly ironic that we can still enjoy the tremendous blessing of knowing the Almighty Creator, experiencing His physical and spiritual blessings, and have hope for the future—in spite of what we see happening on a daily basis. Thanks for being there for us!—R & M

Greetings brother Coulter: In July of 2020, my family gave me a 2003 Chevrolet Trailblazer for my enjoyment (I am 75 years young). A short time later I purchased an 8-inch LTE tablet that operates like a smartphone, so I am able to access the Internet everywhere I travel. When I turn on my tablet, the first website that appears is cbcg.org. I am still fascinated to watch your videos (such as “How Old Is The Earth?”) and hear your voice narrating the Scriptures as I am reading the words. I am planning to visit the local parks to practice being a “fisher of men.” As I am able to meet people, I will share your website with them. I pray that you are experiencing good health and personal safety in all of your endeavors. I am so blessed by your websites and resources! Thank you so very much!—RK

Dear Pastor Coulter: I’ve been to hundreds of churches over the decades. Not one of them has taught about the holy days and festivals like the CBCG does! Thank you for teaching us the truth. My family and neighbors will be celebrating our first Feast of Tabernacles. Could you please send the Feast DVDs? Hope you are well during these crazy days of 2020. Are these the days of the Tribulation?—BJ, Kentucky

Dear Fred and staff: In these deeply troubling times, it is of great comfort to know that God is working out His purpose—regardless of what mankind thinks can be accomplished without Him. I pray that we will all come to see the utter folly of rejecting and ignoring God and thinking that we can do better than Him! Thank you so very much for your faithful teaching of God’s Word. We literally cannot live without it.—BW, Pennsylvania

Dear Fred Coulter: Greetings. I thank you for sending me the Harmony of the Gospels. I have attended various churches for the past nine and a half years. I recently studied your Bible studies on Philippians and Colossians; I don’t know how to express my gratitude. I am enlighten, captivated, and mesmerized by your studies. A friend told me about your website. I had been pleading with the ministers in the churches I previously attended to give in-depth Bible studies. But they told me to just read the Bible.

I come from a Hindu family, but never practiced Hinduism. I always had problems during childhood bowing down to idols. I thought they were toys to be played with. My parents would always be upset with me. I later went to Protestant churches with my friends, but I did not see Christmas in the Bible—so I left those churches.

Eleven years ago I was very ill, and my desire was to find the true God and true worship. When I recovered from my illness, I went to Israel with John Hagee Ministries. I thought this would be a good place to start. I was baptized in the Jordan River along with 100 others. Then I saw the Jewish people keeping the Sabbath—from sunset to sunset, Friday to Saturday.

When I came back to the U.S., I saw on TV that the Living Church of God kept the Sabbath on Saturday. So I called them and they said that they were the “true church.” So I joined the Living Church of God, and after one year I was baptized again—just before Passover. (The minister told me that my previous Jordan River baptism was invalid.)

After a few months I left the LCG, as it had become a social club. I went with friends and joined the Restored Church of God for four years. But when David Pack said that he was the Elijah/Isaiah in the Scriptures, I left. I then joined the Church of God of the Eternal for four and a half years. But they just repeat the sermons of Raymond Cole almost every Sabbath.

So I was thrilled to find your website. I have learned so much more from you than I did in all the years in those other churches. I still have a lot to learn and to overcome. I see that you put all your heart and soul into teaching. May the Eternal bless you!—RN

Dear Fred: I am thanking you for “keeping on keeping on.” The national and international news is full of turmoil. It would be awful to not know that there is a Supreme Being who has all of the answers to the world’s dilemmas. Thank you for doing your part in keeping the light of God’s Word available in a darkened world. Thank you for being careful to keep the truth of God’s Word available in true form. Everything in this world wants to distort the truth into an unrecognizable form. Sincerely.—RM

Dear Fred Coulter: You are “hands down” the best teacher and guide of God’s Word I’ve ever witnessed. Thank you very much for being so dedicated. You are such a strong inspiration for me. I want you to know that I love you and that I am thankful to our Creator God for you. You have been a great help to me. No church does more in the service of God with more wisdom than the CBCG. Each time I get mail from you, it brings such joy. My prayers are with you always. Your brother in Christ.—GL

Dear Fred: I am a happy follower of God our Father and Lord, who mercifully and lovingly has taken me back with a miraculous total memory loss and rebirth. I am so thrilled to be relearning through your website things that, when I read them, I realize I’d learned them before. I am filled with joy as you help me to learn even more! So to everyone involved, thank you! God bless you!—JG, Ohio

Hello Fred: Thank you for all of the wonderful sermons that you sent to me. I deeply appreciate having all of the sermons for the holy days. I am 82 and unable to attend church. You have done a great job keeping me well fed spiritually. I was baptized in 1964. May God greatly bless you for your love and care of His flock. I love you very much; you have blessed my life.—NM

Dear Fred: Thank you for the DVDs for the Feast. What a wonderful blessing! We had a group of 3-4 of us about every day and it really was inspiring. Again, thanks to all of you; we really enjoy all of your sermons. May God richly bless all of you. Much love.—JF & family

Dear Fred: We had a great Feast of Tabernacles at LaGrange, Georgia. We were at our home and attendance was just two, my husband and myself. The services you provided were inspiring, educational, and uplifting. The special music at the end of the LGD sermon was a welcome surprise, and really added to the day. We had great weather and good food, and great fellowship with each other and Christ and the Father. We hope everyone had a great Feast wherever they were. We pray everyone stays safe and inspired during the coming year.—JB & SB, Georgia

Dear Pastor Fred: I want to thank you for the very helpful and inspiring messages you gave for the holy days—and the weekly Sabbaths! I’m sorry it has taken me a while to get this in the mail to you; I was ill during the Feast, and yesterday as well. We will send additional offerings soon to help with sending out materials to those who need it (like myself). If possible, would you please send me the study material on James and the one you offered during the Feast that had the long title? I think it’s about how the Church has overcome or will overcome.

All of you are in my prayers and I thank you for your prayers also—as I (we) really do need them. It will soon be one year since I was baptized at the Feast, 2019, in Pigeon Forge, by Mr. Tom Fannin and Mr. James Hicks. Because of transportation problems, I haven’t had fellowship in person with the brethren since the LGD, 2019. I miss them greatly!

I would like to ask if you would please pray for God to heal my husband, Jeff. Thank you so much. May God bless you always! With love.—DM, Kentucky

Dear Fred: Very powerful and persuasive encouragements for times like this! God has raised you up for the hard times that are coming. Praying for God’s comfort and inspiration. We spent the Feast at home.—K, Georgia

Dear Fred: Although the tests and trials prior to the holy days seemed unbearable, the teachings God has given to us were filled with the encouragement to focus on God, not on the happenings around us. Right from the opening message you stressed that particular focus, and built on it with each day of the Feast. My Feast was filled with joy once I gave heed to that; and although the same troubles are still here afterwards, I know that if I keep trusting in and following Christ’s lead, the Father will work it all out His way, in His time. I was able to hear half of the live broadcasts and enjoyed all of the CDs. And now I continue to listen as I await God’s intervention and direction. I thank the Father and Jesus for all the love and care they have for us! And thanks to all who serve in this great work and made the Feast go so well!—JE & PS

Dear CBCG: Hope all are enjoying and rejoicing in God’s Feast! Thank you for the live services. Due to health issues, I am enjoying the Feast of Tabernacles at home. I have enjoyed 50 Feasts since 1970. Sincerely.—JL, Oregon

Dear Fred: Thank you for live-streaming the FOT services! It was a great idea and I loved hearing the live services. Since I recently lost my job, I’ve been seeking God’s will in providing a new opportunity that allows me to keep the Sabbath and holy days. I had a great interview on Thursday before the Feast. My references are being checked, along with a background investigation. I’m requesting your prayers that God provides a new job. Thank you so much!

We were able to keep the Feast with my 90-year-old mother and 81-year-old father. They’ve been in the COG since 1964 and are now shut-ins in Washington State. They need a lot of help and attention now. In Christian love.—SR, Arizona

Dear Fred: I feel blessed to be able to get all the material from you that helps me understand the Word of God. Thank you. I am truly enjoying the live-streaming messages. May God bless and help His Church. Always. With love in Jesus.—JL

Dear Mr. Coulter: I want you to know how much I’m learning about the grace of God from your studies. I’ve been baptized since 1963 and I have always wondered what it means to “grow in grace.” God has answered my prayer. Thank you for all your labor over the years to teach the Word of God. I review the holy days book regularly. Sincerely.—EO

Dear Fred: Thank you for all you do in serving the brethren. Our family is greatly blessed through all the sermons, transcripts, booklets, studies, recordings of the Bible, and coloring books and activities for the children. God is using you to give us, His people, meat in due season. Your encouragement to continually pray and study, to keep growing in a personal relationship with God the Father and Jesus Christ, has been a breath of fresh air.

I did not grow up in the Church of God (was a non-denominational Sunday-keeper). When I first came into God’s Church 15 years ago, I was so excited and hungry to learn what God’s Word really said, not what man said it said. Quickly, without even realizing it, I started learning how to “play” church. Little by little I learned more about what God’s Word really said, but got farther and farther from an actual relationship with God. I got very disillusioned when what I read in the Bible was not corresponding to what I was seeing in the Church—that is, the lack of fruit being produced.

When we started listening to your teachings, it was like parts of my heart and mind were waking up spiritually. Your series on love was the first time I had ever heard teaching about the love of God in any church of God! Healing began to take place, and once again I began to remember that what God wants is a relationship with me, but rooted in His truth (John 14:23).

Thank you for your love for God, for His Word, for the truth, and for having the faithfulness to preach His entire Word—including love, grace and mercy! We pray for you daily and send big hugs from Cleveland! Blessings!—SE, Ohio

Dear CBCG: Just a note to say hello and thank you for all that you do in spreading the Word of God to all the world—“going about the Father’s business.” The wife and I are truly grateful for the sermons we receive each week from Hollister. They are a blessing, helping us to understand the Word of God—as brother Coulter is led by the Holy Spirit, explaining the hidden mystery of God! We pray for God’s blessing upon this ministry and all the churches of God throughout the world. I personally feel the CBCG is a model and a vanguard for all the churches. The grace of our savior Jesus Christ be with you.—UC, Kentucky

Dear Fred: Thank you for the bookmarkers and for all of the great sermons you have so generously sent. May I ask that you pray for me and send me an anointed cloth? I am 82 and in poor health. I deeply appreciate having your materials; I used them for the holy day celebrations this year. Could you tell me where you got the material about the “Two Witnesses”? Take good care of yourself; you will always be in my prayers. Sincerely.—NM, Illinois

Dear CBCG, Fred & brethren: Hello to all! Hoping your Feast of Tabernacles was good and blessed. Ours was; even though we were at home, we were so grateful for live services! Thank you all for making that possible! We appreciate all of the sermons of encouragement. The times are troubling with the problems with the election, but we can be confident that God will work it out according to His purpose! Love to all.—MH & DH, Arkansas

Greetings Fred: I wanted to thank you for the literature I have received—the transcript book Was Jesus the God of the Old Testament?, and most recently The Christian Passover book. I was not expecting the Passover book to be a full-fledged book, but a small booklet! Wow, was I surprised when it arrived! Thank you so very much! I am really excited to read it, and I am hoping that it will help me to navigate this confusing time in my life.

After the WCG apostasy, my husband and I landed in the Restored Church of God run by David Pack. We thought he was holding to the truths of Mr. Armstrong. Long story short, he wasn’t. Not only is he all jumbled up with false prophetic ideas, he is also changing fundamental doctrines. These include when and what the Passover is, and who the God of the OT is. My husband and I are no longer in the RCG and are trying to get our feet firmly under us once again. We feel a bit lost and confused. Your transcript book about the God of the OT has reaffirmed what we once believed, and I am excited to dive into your book about Passover as well.
 Thank you again for sending these materials to us free of charge. We greatly appreciate your help. Sincerely.—CC

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