Monthly letter archive

July-August Letter

July 20, 2016

Dear Brethren,

As we view world events today, we need to realize that they are actually described in Psalm chapter two, which is a prophecy given nearly 3,000 years ago of the return of Jesus Christ as King of the world: “Why do the nations rage and the people plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers [the world elite and their coming New World Order (Rev. 12; 17)] take counsel together against the Lord and against His Christ, saying, ‘Let us break Their bands asunder and cast away Their cords from us [to get rid of the knowledge of God].’

“He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord scoffs at them. Then He shall speak to them in His wrath, and in His fury He terrifies them [Rev. 16]. ‘Yea, I have set My King [Jesus, at His return (Zech. 14; Rev. 11)] upon Zion, My holy mountain [to take over the rulership of the world]. I will declare the decree of the Lord. He has said to Me, “You are My Son; this day I have begotten You. Ask of Me, and I [God the Father] shall give the nations for Your inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for Your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel” ’ ” (Psa. 2:1-9).

What we find in this psalm is an overview of the first and second comings of Jesus—the Messiah and future King of the world. Throughout history men have studied and wondered about these passages. Indeed, Jesus’ second coming has remained largely a mystery. As a result, every proclamation of His imminent return has been wrong. Why? The simple answer is this: While there are thousands of passages dealing with Jesus’ first and second comings, they have not all been correctly understood. Moreover, the Bible tells us that many passages cannot be understood until we are near the time of Jesus’ return.

The prophet Daniel foretold many end time events. Yet when he wanted to know more about those events, he was told that such knowledge was not for his time: “And [the angel] said, ‘Go your way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed until the time of the end. Many shall be purified, and made white, and refined. But the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand’ ” (Dan. 12:9-10). Plus, there are certain things that God the Father has reserved for Himself (Matt. 24:36; Mark 13:32).

However, Jesus did reveal many things to His apostles, which are written in the Gospel accounts. In 30 AD, while on the Mount of Olives less than a week before His crucifixion, Jesus gave His disciples—primarily Peter, James, John, and Andrew (Mark 13:3)—a sequence of prophecies about the end time and His second coming. Jesus began with the destruction of the Temple and the city of Jerusalem: “And after going out, Jesus departed from the temple; and His disciples came to Him to point out the buildings of the temple. Jesus said to them, ‘Do you not see all these things? Truly I say to you, there shall not be left here even a stone upon a stone that shall not be thrown down’ ” (Matt. 24:1-2). That literally happened forty years later, in 70 AD. However, the final scattering of every single stone occurred after the Bar Kokhba Revolution—the final Jewish revolt in 135 AD against Rome. Thus, Jesus’ prophecy fully came to pass.

Continuing: “And as He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, His disciples came to Him alone, saying, ‘Tell us, [1] when shall these things be? And [2] what shall be the sign of Your coming, and [3] of the completion of the age?’ ” (verse 2). Jesus answered by giving a series of prophecies, some of which are being fulfilled across time—from the first century to the completion of the age and the setting up of the Kingdom of God. Moreover, some of Jesus’ prophecies have dual, multiple, and even cyclical fulfillments. For example:

“Then Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Be on guard, so that no one deceives you. For many shall come in My name, saying, “I am the Christ”; and they shall deceive many. And you shall hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you do not let these things disturb you. For it is necessary that all these things take place, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there shall be famines and pestilences and earthquakes in different places. Now all these things are the beginning of sorrows.

“ ‘Then shall they deliver you up to affliction, and shall kill you; and you shall be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. And then shall many be led into sin, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall arise, and shall deceive many; and because lawlessness shall be multiplied, the love of many shall grow cold. But the one who endures to the end [the end of one’s life, dying in the faith, or those who are alive when Jesus returns], that one shall be saved’ ” (Matt. 24:4-13).

Jesus’ prophecies in verses 2-13 were literally fulfilled, including the destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem. However, Jesus did not return in 70 AD as many had expected, in spite of the fact that they had actually witnessed these prophecies being fulfilled. As a result, many believers became disillusioned. They had watched these specific prophecies unfold before their very eyes—yet Jesus did not return.

Consequently, some left the Church and went back into the world, though perhaps the majority remained faithful. Prior to the destruction of Jerusalem, a number of the brethren from Judea had relocated to Pella, across the Jordan River. Years later, they moved on to Asia Minor, to the area of the “seven churches” of Revelation 2-3. Indeed, thousands of brethren were still living as late as 100 AD. In fact, the apostle John died in Ephesus between 98 to 100 AD—after writing the Book of Revelation.

During that 30-year period from 70 to 100 AD, it is likely that many brethren remained faithful because of John’s mere presence. The mistaken idea had taken hold in the Church that John would not die, but would live to see Jesus’ return. This idea was based on a misunderstood conversation between Jesus and Peter. John himself writes of it.

After Jesus had challenged Peter about loving Him and feeding the flock, He gave Peter a glimpse of his own death. This prompted Peter to ask what would happen to John. “Seeing him [John], Peter said to Jesus, ‘Lord, what shall happen to this one?’ ” (John 21:21). In other words, Peter, after being told about his own death, was wondering how John would die.

It was Jesus’ answer that has been misunderstood: “Jesus said to him [Peter], ‘If I desire that he [John] remain alive until I come, what is it to you? You follow Me.’ Then this saying went out among the brethren, that that disciple [John] would not die. However, Jesus did not say to him that he would not die; but, ‘If I desire that he remain alive until I come, what is it to you?’ ” (verses 22-23).

Therefore, when John died and Jesus had not returned, the disillusionment based on this misunderstanding undoubtedly caused many to leave the Church. Their departure only fueled the apostasy that began in earnest around the end of the century. It is reasonable to assume that the leaders of the ensuing false “Christianity” claimed that Jesus’ prophecies were false—because He had not returned. To some, this claim appeared to be true, in spite of the fact that Jesus said, “The heaven and the earth shall pass away, but My words shall never pass away” (Matt. 24:35).

A few decades after the death of the apostles, those Christians who continued in the true teachings of Christ began to be cast out of congregations. Soon, an entirely different brand of “Christianity” arose. Jesse Lyman Hurlbut writes:

“We name the last generation of the first century, from 68 to 100 AD, ‘The Age of Shadows,’ partly because the gloom of persecution was over the church; but more especially because of all periods in history it is the one about which we know the least. We have no longer the clear light of the Book of Acts to guide us; and no author of that age has filled the blank in history. We would like to read of the later work by such helpers of St. Paul as Timothy, Apollos, and Titus, but all these and St. Paul’s other friends drop out of the record at his death. For fifty years after St. Paul’s life, a curtain hangs over the church, through which we strive vainly to look; and when at last it rises, about 120 AD with the writings of the earliest church fathers, we find a church in many aspects very different from that in the days of St. Peter and St. Paul” (The Story of the Christian Church, p. 41).

Concerning those who became disillusioned, what did they miss in Matthew 24 that caused them to leave the Church and follow apostate leaders? They overlooked certain crucial verses that would have shown that Jesus’ return was not to occur in their time. For example: “Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branches have already become tender, and it puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. In like manner also, when you see all these things”—not some of them, not most of them, but all of them occurring at the same time—“know that it is near, even at the doors. Truly I say to you, this generation”—the end time generation that witnesses all of these events occurring at the same time—“shall in no wise pass away until all these things have taken place. The heaven and the earth shall pass away, but My words shall never pass away” (Matt. 24:32-35).

Leading up to the destruction of the Temple and the city of Jerusalem in 70 AD, many of the prophesied events Jesus described were clearly taking place. However, there was one major event that did not take place. Thus, the generation of 70 AD was not the end time generation, because the final generation was to witness “all these things”—with nothing left out. Jesus was not to return in 70 AD—which meant that not every prophesied event had to occur at that time. Indeed, while many prophesied events did happen—such as the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple—some events would be held for the actual end time.

What was that one missing event that did not occur? It is actually quite obvious—yet why have so many scholars and theologians not understood? What event was missing that would have been included in “all these things”?

The answer is right there in Matthew 24!

Let us continue with Jesus’ prophecies of Matthew 24. He says, “Therefore, WHEN you see the abomination of desolation, which was spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place…. For THEN shall there be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until this time, nor ever shall be again” (verses 15, 21).

As we will see, never at any time during the three-year siege against the Temple and Jerusalem in 68-70 AD did the “abomination of desolation” stand in the holy place in the Temple. How do we know? How can we be sure? The apostle Paul described this prophesied event in great detail in II Thessalonians chapter two, which he wrote in 51 AD—19 years before the destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem.

The Man of Sin, the Son of Perdition: If the “abomination of desolation” had actually occurred in 70 AD, Jesus would have returned at that time. Notice how Paul describes this event, which is yet to come: “Now we beseech you, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him [in the first resurrection], that you not be quickly shaken in mind, nor be troubled—neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by epistle, as if from us, saying that the day of Christ is present. Do not let anyone deceive you by any means because that day will not come unless the apostasy shall come first, and the man of sin shall be revealed—the son of perdition, the one who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God, or that is an object of worship; so that he comes into the temple of God [he has to stand before he sits] and sits down as God, proclaiming that he himself is God.

“Do you not remember that when I was still with you, I told you these things? And now you understand what is holding him back in order for him to be revealed in his own set time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already working; only there is one Who is restraining at the present time until it arises out of the midst.

And then the lawless one will be revealed (whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth, and will destroy with the brightness of His coming [Jesus’ return]); even the one whose coming is according to the inner working of Satan, with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in those who are perishing because they did not receive the love of the truth, so that they might be saved.

“And for this cause, God will send upon them a powerful deception that will cause them to believe the lie, so that all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but who took pleasure in unrighteousness” (II Thess. 2:1-12).

Several things are important to realize:

1) There is absolutely no record that this prophesied event concerning the “man of sin,” the “son of perdition,” has ever occurred—period!

2) “The day of the Lord”—Jesus’ return—has not yet taken place.

3) When the “abomination of desolation” takes place, then the “great tribulation” begins. While there was war and tribulation during the siege of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Temple, it was not the “great tribulation”! Because the prophecies concerning the “man of sin” never happened in 70 AD, and Jesus has yet to return, it is simply not possible that the “abomination of desolation” took place at that time. Remember, Jesus’ prophecies of Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21 must take place simultaneously and in sequence upon one, final end time generation.

Two More Clues that Unlock the Truth: In Revelation 11, John writes that before the “Two Witnesses” could appear in Jerusalem, he was to “measure the Temple.” “Then the angel gave me a measuring rod like a staff, saying, ‘Arise and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and those who worship in it. But leave out the court that is within the temple area, and do not measure it because it has been given up to the Gentiles; and they shall trample upon the holy city for forty-two months’ ” (Rev. 11:1-2).

We should note several things. First, at the time John was writing the Book of Revelation in about 98 AD, the Temple had been destroyed for 28 years. Second, the ministry of the “Two Witnesses” lasts 1,260 days—three and a half years—in Jerusalem. Then they are finally killed. Third, after being dead for three and a half days, they are raised back to life. They are the first ones raised to begin the first resurrection:

“And when they have completed their testimony, the beast who ascends out of the abyss will make war against them, and will overcome them, and will kill them. And their bodies will lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.

“Then those of the peoples and tribes and languages and nations shall see their bodies three and a half days, for they will not allow their bodies to be put into tombs. And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them, and will make merry, and will send gifts to one another, because these two prophets had tormented those who dwell on the earth.

“Then after the three and a half days, the spirit of life from God entered into them and they stood on their feet; and great fear fell upon those who were watching them. And they heard a great voice from heaven, say, ‘Come up here!’ And they ascended into heaven in a cloud; and their enemies saw them rise” (Rev. 11:7-12).

“Then the seventh angel sounded his trumpet; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, ‘The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and His Christ, and He shall reign into the ages of eternity.’ And the twenty-four elders, who sit before God on their thrones, fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying, ‘We give You thanks, O Lord God Almighty, Who is, and Who was, and Who is to come; for You have taken to Yourself Your great power, and have reigned. For the nations were angry, and Your wrath has come, and the time for the dead to be judged, and to give reward to Your servants the prophets, and to the saints, and to all those who fear Your name, the small and the great; and to destroy those who destroy the earth’ ” (verses 15-18).

Clue One: The vision of Revelation 11 tells us that there must be a temple in Jerusalem in the end time—because John is told to measure it. However, when John wrote Revelation the Temple had been destroyed and the area had been desolate for 28 years. John knew of Paul’s prophecy of the “man of sin” in II Thessalonians, which clearly showed that there would be a temple in the end time. This undoubtedly puzzled John, as he may not have realized that another temple would be built nearly 2,000 years into the future.

Clue Two: As John and the other apostles were doing their final edits of the New Testament under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, they inserted a parenthetical statement in Matthew 24:15-16—right in the middle of Jesus’ prophesy. Carefully notice: “Therefore, when you see the abomination of desolation, which was spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (the one who reads, let him understand), then let those who are in Judea flee into the mountains” (also see Mark 13:14).

When Jesus was actually speaking these words, He did not say “the one who reads, let him understand.” John was inspired to insert this statement later, probably about 98-99 AD, when the apostles were finalizing the New Testament. This was done to alert future readers to the fact that the “abomination of desolation” had not occurred when the Temple was destroyed in 70 AD—and was thus for a future time. The insertion was also designed to show that there would be a new temple in the end time.

John did not fully understand how or when these prophecies would be fulfilled. But he and all the apostles knew with absolute faith that Jesus’ and Paul’s prophecies, as well as the vision of Revelation, were sure. Indeed, Jesus said, “The heaven and the earth shall pass away, but My words shall never pass away. But concerning that day, and the hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only” (Matt. 24:35-36).

Another Major Terror Attack: While finishing this letter, a radical Islamic terrorist in France used a large truck to plow through a sizeable crowd in Nice, killing 80 or more and wounding over 100, while they were watching a fireworks display on Bastille Day.

People are at a total loss to explain why these things are happening. They do not realize that they are the modern descendants of the “lost” ten tribes of Israel—and are thus subject to God’s judgment for their rejection of His laws and teachings. Deuteronomy 28 and Leviticus 26 warn of God’s punishment on Israel—even down to our time. These and other chapters tell of the curses that would automatically come upon our nations for rejecting God—primarily in the end time. This is why our nations are suffering such tragedies! But people still do not return to God!

Instead, they flaunt their sin in God’s face—as did Israel of old! Today, we have the same sins, the same attitude of defiance against God. The prophet Jeremiah warned Israel in his day, and his words ring true today: “Behold, you trust in lying words that cannot profit. Will you steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense to Baal, and walk after other gods whom you do not know; and then come and stand before Me in this house which is called by My name, and say, ‘We are delivered to do all these abominations’?” (Jer. 7:8-10).

It is absolutely clear that the only solution to the world’s overwhelming troubles is the return of Jesus Christ and the establishment of the Kingdom of God, with the resurrected saints ruling the world under Him.

Truth of God.org: We are working on adding the name Truth of God to our main Web site, cbcg.org. When we are finished, it will officially be truthofgod.org, sponsored by the Christian Biblical Church of God. Our current cbcg.org Web address will continue to be useable. The key benefit is that people searching for the “truth of God” will be quickly led to our Web sites. It will take several months to finish the changeover, but it will be a great improvement.

Once again, brethren, we are praying for you daily. We are living in difficult and dangerous times, so we need to stay close to God in prayer and study. Our top priority must be to love God the Father and Jesus Christ with all our heart, mind, and strength. Thank you for your tithes and offerings. May God continue to bless you and yours in everything.

With love in Christ Jesus,

Fred R. Coulter

FRC

Recent E-mails and Letters From Brethren

Dear Fred: I decided to watch your “Answers to Evangelicals” presentation to know what they think. Last year, after my husband died, I had been attending a “Friendship Club”—it was referred by a Church of Christ chaplain from the hospice where my husband died. They seemed very nice and supportive … and in fact were going to buy a copy of my book Hold the Faith—a fictional story, but based on the truth as we understand it. Then they dropped all contact. I can only assume that they visited either Amazon, or my author Web site, and maybe didn’t like what was written there.

So, I decided to watch your series. Well, I have only just begun, but I can see that evangelicals are “world Christians” and don’t want the truth. Sad, but true. Thank you for your faithfulness.—SP, Australia

Dear Fred: Thank you so much for your response…. You may be interested to know that one of the people I’ve been helping along is a former Assembly of God minister. He is now avidly reading your online PDF sermons daily, watching your videos weekly, and is now keeping the Sabbath and holy days at his home. His nephew is also a minister with the same church in another state. The nephew is striving to turn his whole congregation to the Sabbath and holy days and against the world’s holidays. He hasn’t been fired yet! My friend tells me that his nephew’s sermons are starting to sound like yours. Both my friend and his nephew are keeping the Sabbath and listening to your sermons and reading the Bible and books I sent them. There are some in his congregation who are acknowledging the truth. He is still preaching on Sunday, though, to attempt to reach them.

It has been exciting to watch their transformation, but you probably know what that is like. There is a whole Protestant church out there being fed the truth. We’ll see if it takes root. Thank you again. I appreciate your time.—BW, Kansas

Dear Mr. Coulter: I have finished the 31-part study on “Who is the True Jesus Christ.” I’ve learned so much biblical truth from Church at Home. Thank you!—RB, Philippines

Dear Fred: Victory has been obtained by our loving Father. I announce to you that I now have complete recovery. I followed your advice to the letter and God answered our prayers. All the glory goes to our Father in heaven. I thank you for your complete trust in the healing power of God. I never doubted or wavered. Thanks be to God. With warm regards.—RG, California

Hi Fred: I have a very close friend, TW, who has been converted to a Torah believer. He has spoken of your Web site, and I have visited your site and read your information. To date, my friend has changed his whole life based on what your studies and books and the Bible have been teaching him. He has spoken well of your faith and books and said I should communicate with you and find out how much a Bible would cost me. He said your studies direct a person to understand the Bible so well that one’s life is completely changed. My friend has had nothing but blessing after blessing since he has changed to your way of study and belief. I truly want to do right by God, and he said you would either sell or send me one of your books if I sent in a request. Thank you so much and please continue in what you do. My friend is so much happier and has already led a few people to believe in your teachings of the Torah. If a certain amount of money needs to be sent before a Bible can be sent, please let me know so I can send you a check. Thank you so much! Yours truly.—SB, Arkansas

Hello Mr. Coulter: Your pastoral work and online sermons have been very inspiring for me for the past several years, helping me to stay faithful in keeping the Sabbath and holy days of God. I thank you for sending me your latest book Why Were You Born? I just received it today. My wife has been doing a lot of the reaching out to your ministry at Christian Biblical Church of God, Church at Home, and your latest addition, A Faithful Version. It is a blessing to receive your CDs and books. Thank you. I have been blessed by the work you put into your sites. I wanted to meet you a long time ago, but have been too preoccupied with volunteer work for several years now. I have been doing work as well on the Internet and have had some success. I am now so overwhelmed with work that I wanted to ask if there is any way you could visit us here in Hawaii. I am sincere with this invitation. Thank you so much for everything and God bless. Respectfully.—BC, Hawaii

Good afternoon: My name is PM, and I am a huge fan of your religious teachings. I wanted to know if you could send me some form of merchandise or stickers to better support your business. Thank you!—PM, Texas

Dear Fred: I just wanted to tell you thank you for being at Florence and for such a wonderful weekend. We haven’t had the pleasure of being around brethren since the Feast, so this was like a mini-Feast for us. I am just amazed at the quality of elders and brethren. No matter how scattered we are physically, when we come together we are all of one mind. It’s really amazing!

When you talk to Roy Assanti, please tell him how much I loved his sermon. When he described the place where John tried to describe the awesome power of the vision of God the Father, I could see it in my mind’s eye and felt so enlightened. Roy is such a faithful person. But everyone there in Florence is, too. I just hope and pray that everyone had a safe (and not stressful) trip home. Fred, I feel so honored to be with everyone. All I feel is love and appreciation.—ED, Kentucky

Dear Church at Home: There are a lot of great pastors today, but Fred Coulter is one I’ve been watching, listening to, and have been reading his books for over four years since I ran across his Web site. He is great! I now understand the Bible because, unlike many pastors, Fred goes more in depth. Plus, he does not sugarcoat the truth and is quite blunt. He sends out free books, DVDs, and CDs; but for his Bible he does require a donation—and I don’t blame him because of all he does for free.

And when it comes down to the Passover, he doesn’t play at all. He’ll send out his sermon packet about two months before Passover—which includes a monthly letter, a Passover instruction booklet, unleavened bread recipes, a hymn, and his newest Passover sermon. So I truly must pay my respects to both Fred Coulter and Randy Vild, because Randy is the one who does the production editing. Fred and Randy are a powerful team. I will continue posting about Fred Coulter because he deserves the recognition.—SL

Hi Fred: I hope you had a very blessed and peaceful Pentecost. The music at the end of DVD #2, “From a Speck of Dust to a Son of God,” was tremendously uplifting and awesome, beautiful and encouraging. Thank you!—Colorado

Dear Fred: We will possibly start attending soon. We started attending Worldwide in 1970. In 1995 we left and went with United. We left them 8 years ago and went with CoGWA, where we have stayed until now. We have been reading your literature for quite some time and are eager to study. After reading your literature, CoGWA literature is like material we have heard over and over—no meat. We probably will be sending our Pentecost offering to CBCG. We are choosing to stay home this Sabbath and Pentecost and listen to one of your videos and really study Gods Word. CoGWA is only an organization and we are not happy with them at all. With them, it is all about fellowshipping. Anyway, we are eager to hear from you soon. We would love to go to Tulsa, but wish we could have something closer.—RW, Arkansas

Dear Mr. Coulter: I have read many Bible versions and your Bible is by far the best. These “KJV onlies” will argue that the KJV is the most trustworthy and accurate translation of the Bible, and that all other versions are counterfeits and corrupt. That is false! They have their own theology known as Baptist-ology. God bless you always.—Philippines

Dear Fred: I’m new to the CBCG and have my “Original Order” Bible—and I love it! I’m learning with fresh, new understanding. I deeply appreciate all of your extensive study and the library you have put together.

My prayers of gratitude are with your work. I plan to do a lot more study in Revelation and regarding prophecy. Please direct me where to go with my questions in this area—on the 10 kings/regions. It’s hard to know where to start. Fred, sincere thanks for all your help. Have a very blessed day.
—SB, Nevada

Hello Fred: Hope you and the Coulters are doing well! Just finished the new book From a Speck of Dust to a Son of God—Why Were You Born? and wanted to make some comments. As I was reading I thought, I wish this had been out when I first came into the Church! So much information and so well organized in order to get one’s attention and bring out what the Scriptures say about our reason for being on this earth. All those years of struggling to understand what the Bible says about this topic, and here it is laid out right before me.

Well done, Fred! You were truly inspired by the Holy Spirit to get this right.

This is a really motivating book, and if it does not spark interest about the big question, Why are we here?—then people probably won’t respond to anything.

I can see this book being a big tool in bringing about the 144,000 and “innumerable multitude” of Revelation 7. Especially when the demise of Israel finally comes to pass and people are looking for hope. This book will stick in the back of their minds—if they read it.

I think this book will be even more important for those outside the Church who may be looking for answers. For those of us in the Church, it will help us stay focused on the big picture—the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. Either way, it should be of tremendous benefit to anyone who will read it.

By the way, I gave a copy to a technician at the dentist’s office. The question popped up and he was asking “Why are we here?”—and that was before I even got the book. So I told him, “If you are serious, I will give you something to answer that question.” So I got an extra copy for him. I am curious to see how he responds, if at all, or if he was just spouting off.

Thanks again for all the hard work you and the elders and those who support the ministry do. Always plenty of spiritual food to enjoy! Sincerely, in Christ’s name.—WJ, Nevada

Letter from our Elder in Malaysia… Dear Mr. Roy: How are you? I met the person (Mr. Shaun) and his wife who requested the Bible. Their house is about an hour from my place. I spent about three hours talking to them and I see their eagerness to know God’s truth.

They are from a Hindu background and converted to Christianity about four years ago. They have three grown children who want to follow their parents into Christianity. They have a lot of questions and have tried to find the answers at every church they visit, but they have not found answers for all their questions. With God’s help I have answered all their questions from the Bible. They were amazed and excited at the answers, as they had been struggling for years.

For a start, I’ve given them guidelines on how to keep the Sabbath as a family. I gave them two books (Occult Holidays and Lord, What Should I Do?). The whole family will be joining us as soon as the church hall is ready. Thank you!—Andrew Moses, Malaysia

Dear Fred, Dolores, and Brethren: I want to thank you for all of the inspiring messages from God’s Word. Did I hear correctly that by the time all of the series and studies are sorted, there will be over 90 available for the brethren? It is a miracle that so much gets done. God has blessed the church with so many hardworking people; it makes us thankful for everything. We love you all! May God bless each and every one of you.—ES, Nevada

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