For the past decade, I have always had some kind of active project to make improvements to the Church websites. The kinds of projects have varied widely, from modifications so minute that they’ve largely gone undetected, to projects that are so huge that they could never realistically be completed. Most of those projects fell into the latter category and, as a result, also fell to the wayside.  However, for the past two years those miscellaneous projects have converged, becoming focused on the coordination of a comprehensive overhaul of our Church websites. Recognizing that such an undertaking would require a lot of effort, a technical team formed to accomplish the huge goals entailed. This team has worked very hard over the past two years to bring a vision to fruition.

The replacement of our old website has an impact on many of the ways that the Church of the Eternal God communicates the message of the Gospel to the world. The technical team, with guidance from the ministry, has had to consider how all of our Church websites will be designed. This updated design brought every visual element under examination, including the Church logo. As a result, redesigning the website led us to update the Church logo as well. With a new logo design, we have had to consider the impact on the design of every piece of material that makes use of it. In general, with visual consistency being one of the key objectives in the work we’ve done, we have had to evaluate every inconsistency. And where there are inconsistencies, we have had to figure out ways to resolve them so all of our digital destinations convey a clear and consistent message. The work involved in this redesign has followed this pattern over and over again, opening virtual cans of worms wherever we went. The work has certainly been complex, but now that our major goals are complete, we have plans to launch this new website very soon.

As exciting as the launch of a new website is, it is important to understand that this is not the final product of my work, the work of the technical team, nor the work of the Church. The fulfilment of God’s plan to establish the Kingdom of God is the final goal. All of us work to that end. This newly designed website is merely a tool that works toward that end. We are reminded of the importance of working toward the Kingdom of God in Christ’s words recorded in Matthew 24:45-46, “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing.” As God’s faithful servants, we must never think that the Work is done – we must always be doing, fixed on seeking the Kingdom.

The growth of the Church over the past 14 years has brought us to the point where we manage a large amount of information and deliver it through a wide variety of channels. Many of the tools that we use today seemed unattainable to us in the past. Even though much has changed, and more will continue to change, there is one thing that remains the same since our establishment as a Church, and that is the unwavering commitment of the Church of the Eternal God to not compromise the Truth of God.

Throughout the time since the Church of the Eternal God first began (July 2, 2001), along with our affiliates, the Church of God, a Christian Fellowship (Canada), the Global Church of God (United Kingdom)—now including Die Kirche des Ewigen Gottes (Germany), we have endeavored to preach the gospel of the Kingdom of God in all the world.

We have emphasized explaining the fulfillment of prophecy—especially those things Jesus revealed to His disciples which would indicate the close of this Satan-ruled age and God’s powerful intervention to save the world.

We have come to a point in human history in which biblical prophecies are being fulfilled before us, and it appears that the generation which will witness the end times spoken of by Jesus Christ has arrived! Importantly, Jesus gave us key signs to watch for, and He very specifically declared, “‘See, I have told you beforehand’” (Matthew 24:25).

What we now see is the emergence of the final resurrection of the Roman Empire—the European Union led by and already ruled over by Germany. We see that the Catholic Church has survived worldwide condemnation for abusive priests to once again become the dominant religious voice in the Western nations. These two conditions which we are watching are foundational to the next occurrences in biblical prophecy—the revealing of the persons who are identified as the “beast” and the “false prophet” (compare Revelation 13).

In fact, the Bible shows that we should be watching for a man who will exert tremendous political and military control—even noting that he will be uniquely identified by the number “666” (See the Q&A in this Update). Furthermore, we understand that one in a religious office will be able to show great and deceptive miracles.

We have also been told to watch for other events:

“‘But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near’” (Luke 21:20);

“‘Therefore when you see the “abomination of desolation,” spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place’ (whoever reads, let him understand), ‘then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be’” (Matthew 24:15-21).

Most people in the world are ignoring the events of our time (compare Matthew 24:36-39); however, we must not allow ourselves to become blinded to the reality of prophecy being fulfilled! Rather, we are to be diligently watching and prepared with all readiness for not only these events, but for the promised return of Jesus Christ! Here is the sobering warning given to His disciples by Jesus:

“‘Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man’” (Luke 21:36).

In my previous Editorial, “Are We Easy Targets?,” which was published in Update #662, I made the following observation: “Thinking that we can solve or ignore our personal problems by just changing church organizations (even within the Body of Christ) is also useless and futile, because our problems will accompany us, no matter where we go. Unless we are willing to focus on, face and overcome OUR problems—not the problems of others—we are and will continue to be easy targets of Satan’s craftiness and deception.”

In this Editorial, I’d like to say a few more things about this common mistake. Far too many think that they can escape reality and live in an illusionary dream world by just changing locations.  But we do not meet our God-given responsibilities by just changing our jobs, leaving our employers, moving to another town or turning our backs on our Church congregation, while avoiding to deal with our own personal problems. This will never work, “because our problems will accompany us, no matter where we go.” When God led Israel out of Egyptian slavery, “Egypt” went with them; their hearts never left it.

Of course, if a job requires of us to break God’s law, or if a Church organization begins to water down or change God’s truth, then it is time to flee (Revelation 18:4). But to run away strictly for personal reasons, because we do not want to deal with our personal challenges, is never a solution. In fact, it is sinful conduct because God commands us to face and overcome our problems, where we are. Trying to flee from our problems by changing locations is, in fact, attempting to flee from God, who wants us to confront our challenges head on—and it is futile and foolish to think that we can flee from God’s presence (Psalm 139:7). Jonah was unwilling to fulfil his mission. He thought he could “flee… from the presence of the LORD” (Jonah 1:3). But God saw to it that Jonah became obedient—even though it was a long, laborious and thorny path.

Proverbs 27:8 tells us: “Like a bird that wanders from its nest Is a man who wanders from his place.” Trying to escape our God-given responsibilities by just changing our status quo is tantamount to wandering “from the way of understanding” and resting “in the assembly of the dead” (Proverbs 21:16). It is the “foolishness of man” that “twists his way” (Proverbs 19:3). A person who “isolates himself” for improper reasons from his co-employees or Church brethren reveals a lack of love and shows that he only “seeks his own desire” (Proverbs 18:1).

It did not happen because of time and chance that we found ourselves in a particular Church organization. Rather, God placed us there. If we truly believe that God works in our lives, then we will not flee when we are facing problems. Isaiah 28:16 says: “He who believes need never run away again” (Living Bible). It is the uncommitted “hireling” who does not care for others and who flees when he is confronted with challenges (John 10:12-13). Rather than fleeing from our responsibilities, we are to submit to God and resist the devil, and it is Satan who must flee from us (James 4:7).

It may be tempting to just change Church organizations if we do not like “something,” because we might think that all teach the same thing, and that it really does not matter where we attend, and we might justify our conduct by rationalizing that we will still remain to be part of the Body of Christ. But if Church group and minister “shopping” are being done to escape our God-given responsibilities, then we commit a terrible and tragic mistake and even a grave sin, which might cost us our eternal life. To leave a Church organization within the Body of Christ and “join” another one, which may also be in the Body of Christ, constitutes sinful conduct, if it is being done for unbiblical reasons.

A person who has been validly disfellowshipped by a minister of God within the spiritual Body of Christ is never “free”, in God’s eyes, to just join another Church organization within the Body of Christ, as long as the reasons for the disfellowshipment continue to exist. To do so would heap sin upon sin, and it does not matter whether the other Church organization, for whatever reason, would grant access to their fellowship. At the same time, it is also sinful conduct for anyone, including relatives and friends, to leave their Church organization because of a falsely-perceived “loyalty” for the disfellowshipped person, and to follow the disfellowshipped person into another Church organization—even within the Body of Christ—because such conduct would not be justified in the eyes of God. To do so would show a wrong kind of “sympathy” for the disfellowshipped person, and it would be SIN against God as it would manifest rebellion against God’s Church government and a lack of love for God, while loving a human being more than Christ. If we did this, we would not be worthy of Christ (Matthew 10:37-39).

At this point, I’d like to bring to your attention a previously unpublished article by Herbert W. Armstrong, the late human leader of the Worldwide Church of God, who died in 1986. Mr. Armstrong wrote an article in the early 1980’s, titled, “Clarifying Church Doctrine on Disfellowshipping.” Here is what he said:

“God’s own Biblical teaching for His Church is the necessity of harmony and unity in Christ. In I Corinthians 1:10, all in the Church are commanded to speak the same thing—unity in clear Biblical teaching. God’s Word teaches that God’s Law is LOVE to all—first, love to God, then also love toward fellow human. God’s Law is love toward all. But also God teaches a special fellowship love toward brethren in Christ. In I John 1, we have that special close fellowship not only with one another, but also with God and with Christ. Jesus said of Church brethren, ‘By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one for another.’

“When one deliberately breaks that unity and causes division among brethren, or causes it by deliberate and continuing sin, God commands, ‘Mark those that cause division among you, and avoid them’ (Romans 16:17). The word ‘mark’ is from the Greek ‘skopeo’ meaning ‘look at, consider, take note of.’ The same word ‘mark’ from the same Greek word, in Philippians 3:17, says ‘mark them which walk so as you have us for an example,’ speaking favorably of such a person. ‘Mark’ certainly does not mean ‘brand,’ or ‘stigmatize,’ or ‘condemn,’ but ‘take note of, avoid them.’ This does not violate God’s command to have the attitude of love toward all people. We still have love for those disfellowshipped. But it does mean avoid contact—avoid fellowship—especially avoid contact. Jesus taught us to LOVE even our enemies and those who despitefully use us. To avoid a disfellowshipped one does not mean hold malice toward. It does not mean injure, fight against, or defame. It simply means avoid fellowship or even personal contact. It does not accuse, any more than we accuse, brand, or fight against any or all outside the Church.

“The Church are those ‘called out’ from the world. We do not fight against the world, but merely withdraw from whatever ways in which it lives contrary to God’s way of life defined by His Law. We remain friendly toward those of the world, but do not have close friendship or fellowship with them. But we still do love disfellowshipped former members.”

We ought to take these words to heart. We have to be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. We must never give in to the thought that we may know it better than God. We are told exactly what we must do. Rather than trying to escape our responsibility by changing locations, we must choose to follow God’s directive, no matter where we are.

Anyone who has been watching news programmes will be aware that the UK has been going through massive challenges with the weather in the last few years.  Tidal surges have caused very many problems with homes, businesses and farms being flooded.   These have been increasing with intensity and 2014 has continued to have its share of difficulties.

Interestingly, in February this year, the Daily Mail reported that “a UKIP (United Kingdom Independence Party) councillor who said the floods plaguing Britain were caused by the homosexual marriage law, had been expelled from the party after saying gays should repent.   He made national headlines two weeks earlier when he wrote a letter to his local newspaper saying that the deluge of floods was caused because of David Cameron’s successful move to change the law about same-sex marriage.

“At a meeting of the town council he outspokenly called for gay people to seek repentance from God, adding that he stood by his earlier comments in the Henley Standard.   He was suspended and subsequently expelled from UKIP over his letter to the newspaper in which he warned David Cameron that ‘natural disasters’ would follow the passing of the same sex marriage Bill.

“He added that his aim had in fact been to criticise the Government for passing the Bill and ignoring ‘the national textbook, the Holy Bible.’  ‘I have read that I am barmy to connect this to the weather – if that is the case then I am in good company,’ he said, citing senior bishops blaming floods on ‘abandonment’ of bible teachings.  In 2007, The Right Reverend Graham Dow, Bishop of Carlisle, argued that the floods that year were a judgment on society’s moral decadence and the fact that ‘every type of lifestyle is now regarded as legitimate.’”

A few days later, the weekly BBC “Question Time” programme had a UKIP member on the panel which comprised three politicians, one scientist and a journalist.   The chairman of the panel asked the UKIP member whether she agreed with the councillor who made these remarks and she distanced herself and there was much derision and amusement from other members of the panel and some in the audience.   Such derision will be wiped off the face of detractors when the time of great trouble starts.  The Guardian newspaper reported that UKIP leader, Nigel Farage, launched “a clear out of ‘extremist, nasty or barmy’ views from his party ahead of the polls in May.”

In an ever increasingly secular society, the Bible is seen as outdated, irrelevant and of no value, which is hardly surprising when we understand who is the “god of this world” (see 2 Corinthians 4:4) and how he (Satan) influences society and its leaders.   Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28 clearly outline blessings and cursings for obedience and disobedience.   The law of sowing and reaping (compare Galatians 6:7) is not taken seriously and man, in general, relies on his own abilities to introduce laws and govern countries in what their carnal mind thinks best.   However, it seems that believing what the Bible says is seen by many as “extremist, nasty or barmy”.

Jesus upbraided the Pharisees when He said: “Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind.   And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch” (Matthew 15:14).    Jesus also called the scribes and Pharisees “blind guides” (Matthew 23:24).  Our political leaders today, without using the teachings of the Bible and without the power of the Holy Spirit, are blind leaders (or guides) with almost all of the population just following blindly.  Mainstream Christianity, in general, remains fairly quiet on such issues.  

Apart from the Church of God, there are only very occasional lone voices in society which sound a warning noise but, generally, society accepts change in whatever shape it comes in altogether too easily.

God only allows disobedience to go on for so long.   We read in the Old Testament many cases of Israel and Judah pledging obedience to God and then going back on those pledges and then, later, repenting with this cycle of behaviour repeating itself many times.   They never seemed to learn from history but neither do we today!

We know the story of Sodom and Gomorrah when it was destroyed for its sexual depravity (compare Genesis 19 and Jude verse 7) together with other sins as we read in Ezekiel 16:49-50:  “Look, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her daughter had pride, fullness of food, and abundance of idleness; neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.  And they were haughty and committed abomination before Me; therefore I took them away as I saw fit.”

When the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord are in full swing, will everyone appreciate what is happening and repent?   Sadly, just like today, most will not.   In Revelation 16 verses 9-11 we read: “And men were scorched with great heat, and they blasphemed the name of God who has power over these plagues; and they did not repent and give Him glory.  Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom became full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues because of the pain.  They blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and did not repent of their deeds.”

Just like today, so many will ignore God or blame Him for all their woes and problems, never thinking that they might be self-inflicted.

One day, they will come to realise that just doing their own thing was not sensible or healthy and neither did it bring real happiness and fulfilment.  They will know that the pages of the Bible were the words of life and some might even remember what this beleagured councillor said when he connected the dots and stated that immoral behaviour was bringing about the inevitable punishment of those who ignored God’s way.   They will have help as it states in Isaiah 30:21: “Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it.  Whenever you turn to the right hand Or whenever you turn to the left.’”

And that will be the time when Jesus Christ returns and sets up the Kingdom of God on earth and blind guides will be no more!

Many in this world believe that they are “saved” when they merely “believe” in Christ.  They take one of the most, if not the most popular Scripture in the Bible, John 3:16, and justify themselves by simply reading it, thinking that this is all one needs to do in order to be saved and have everlasting life.  They fail to recognize the true meaning behind that verse and ignore the other vast amounts of Scriptures in the Bible.  Does the world love Christ?  Do they keep His commandments?  We can only love Christ if we keep His commandments–EVERYTHING that Christ commands (John 14:15, 21-24).

We are to be followers and doers of what He requires, and this involves action.  We will not be saved and have everlasting life if we only “believe” in Him.  To have any part of Christ, we first of all need to repent, believe, be baptized and receive God’s Holy Spirit.  Without this process, it is impossible to have everlasting life and to be in the Kingdom of God, for Christ says in John 3:5: “…unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.”

We must also understand that no one can come to Christ, unless that person has been called to the truth by the Father (compare John 6:44,65).  So are we then automatically saved and have we obtained eternal life when we were properly baptized and were given the Holy Spirit?  Of course, as long as God’s Spirit lives within us, we have the guarantee of eternal life. But can we lose it again?

James 2:14-17 says: “What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him?  If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,’ but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”  Hebrews 5:9 also points out that Christ “became the author of eternal salvation to all who OBEY Him.” 

Are we obeying with living faith?

We must continue to work at perfecting ourselves, by using the gift that has been granted to us by our Father through His Holy Spirit.  We are commanded to keep His commandments, to preach the gospel of the Kingdom of God to the world, to live a righteous and godly life. God expects that from us and He expects us to obey Him!  He has called us out of this world to give us the opportunity to be among the first to enter His Kingdom and to receive everlasting life.  This is still our choice.  It is no guarantee.  Revelation 3:11 tells us to “hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.”  And in Revelation 2:10 Christ tells us to “be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.”

What is given to us can also be taken away.  When we turn back, we will lose what had been offered to us. Only when we overcome until the end, will we be saved (Matthew 24:13; Revelation 2:26).  This is a lifelong process that God requires of us: to be faithful continuously, to pray continuously, to be vigilant and strong continuously, to give comfort and love to one another continuously, to put ALL trust and confidence in Him continuously, and to obey Him continuously.  When we continue to do all of that until the end, then we will be saved. 

We have heard it all before—we have read it all before—we are so familiar with it all—and then, when it happens, we are unprepared, astonished, dumbfounded and dismayed, and far too often, we react in just the wrong way.

I’m talking about Satan’s attacks and his evil devices, as well as our lack of discernment and closeness to God.

In the past, many fell for the Devil’s wrong teachings, which he brought into the Church of God through his human instruments. Unsuspecting and gullible Church “members” forsook the truth and followed errors. After all, how could those gifted and “friendly” ministers teach them anything wrong? So they listened to them and began to believe them—to their own hurt.

Others became upset about imagined or real offenses with their brethren. They did not realize that Satan was getting to them, and that God allowed this to see how strong they were to resist Satan and to stick to the truth and to the One who has all truth and inspires His TRUE servants to teach it in season and out of season. Many chose wrongly, left God’s true Church—the pillar and ground of the truth—and where are they today? Sadly, it is as if they had disappeared from the face of the earth.

Some few recognized the error of their way, repented and returned to the Body of Christ. When this happens, there is joy in heaven! Sadly, such right human conduct does not happen very often.

We can feel so righteous, so superior to others, so holy, just and good, that we can get offended if someone “less holy than us” makes mistakes or transgresses against us. Rather than repenting of our own sin of self-righteousness (which Herbert Armstrong described as the worst of all sins), tolerating and forgiving the other person’s weakness or shortcoming, we become indignant and think that we need to tell the whole world.

And when the “situation” is not “corrected” right away and in the manner in which we desire it, we leave God’s Church with anger and with a bad attitude. In all of this, we have been refusing to see the beam in our eye, while focusing solely on the imagined or real splinters in the eyes of our brethren. The terrible sin of self-righteousness and self-aggrandizement has won, and Satan delights in and celebrates his victory.

It is especially devastating and abominable when any one of us influences others to leave God’s Church with us. Certainly, everyone is responsible for his or her own decisions and ultimate fate, but woe unto anyone of us if we cause just one other person who believes in Christ to stumble. Christ said it would be better for us if a millstone were hung around our neck, and we were drowned in the depth of the sea!

Yes, offenses must come—it is impossible that they don’t—but they had better not come through us. Denying or justifying our bad influence on others (through what we say or what we do) will not save us in the Day of Judgment.

Sometimes people can get so frustrated with their lives and become so depressed that they face the real possibility of committing the unpardonable sin. They don’t seem to care enough to avoid this because they just want to be “freed” from their present distress. This very shortsighted approach is of course terribly dangerous and ungodly, and it is extremely foolish as well. 

When we leave God’s Church, we are cutting ourselves off from the vine—Jesus Christ, the Head of the Body. We will wither away and unless there is true godly repentance, we will ultimately be thrown into the fire to be burned up.

Thinking that we can solve or ignore our personal problems by just changing church organizations (even within the Body of Christ) is also useless and futile, because our problems will accompany us, no matter where we go. Unless we are willing to focus on, face and overcome OUR problems—not the problems of others—we are and will continue to be easy targets of Satan’s craftiness and deception.

We have heard the saying: “Never give up! Never surrender!” Far too many have done this. They have given in to Satan and his evil devices. Don’t you become one of his easy targets!

This week Brittany Maynard, a 29-year-old woman facing a rare and debilitating form of brain cancer, chose to end her life. Maynard “suffered increasingly frequent and longer seizures, severe head and neck pain, and stroke-like symptoms. As symptoms grew more severe she chose to abbreviate the dying process by taking the aid-in-dying medication she had received months ago,” stated a spokesman for Compassion & Choices.

Stephen Hawking, a renowned physicist who has battled ALS for over 20 years, commented on assisted suicide in 2006, saying, “I think it would be a great mistake. However bad life may seem, there is always something you can do, and succeed at. While there’s life, there is hope.”  Recently he has changed his position and feels those with terminal illness and pain should be able to end their lives as they see fit.  “We don’t let animals suffer, so why humans?” he told the BBC, noting that there should be adequate protections so that no one is condemned to die against their wishes.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control, over 40,000 suicides were reported in 2012, making it the 10th leading cause of death in the US.  Suicides are nothing new but legalizing them is a growing change.  Many of the arguments supporting legal suicide seem plausible, especially when we hear such emotional stories. But emotions should not rule our will!  We must submit to the Will of God, of which most of the world has no knowledge.  “And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are on the road to destruction. The god of this age has blinded the minds of those who don’t have faith so they couldn’t see the light of the gospel that reveals Christ’s glory” (2 Corinthians 4:3-4, Common English Bible, CEB).

An opponent of assisted suicide, Diane Coleman, President of Not Dead Yet, said this week, “Brittany Maynard’s story is incredibly heart-wrenching. When you look at assisted suicide based on one individual, it often looks acceptable. But when you examine how legalization affects the vast majority of us — especially those most vulnerable — the dangers to the many far outweigh any alleged benefits to a few.”

One fundamental point lacking in most arguments either for or against assisted suicide is this:  What is God’s Will?  We understand this world is ruled by Satan, and he imposes his will mercilessly upon it.  But that doesn’t negate God’s Will or His desire for humanity.  God alone wills who should live or die.  “The LORD! He brings death, gives life, takes down to the grave, and raises up!” (1 Samuel 2:6, CEB).

While Christ was alive on earth, He knew that His death had been pre-appointed.   He agreed to die, not with dignity or in comfort with loved ones. Instead He died a most undignified and painful death.  His brethren abandoned Him during His trials.  And during His last moments on earth, even God the Father separated Himself from His Son, “and about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?’ that is, ‘My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?’” (Matthew 27:46).

Christ did not commit suicide, but He agreed with the Father as to the time and manner of His death. He gave the world opportunity—eternal life because of His sacrifice.  We owe the Creator nothing less than to live a life, like our elder brother, constantly fulfilling God’s Will. 

Now that the Feast of Tabernacles is over, we face a long stretch before the Spring Holy Days are upon us. Our spiritual batteries should be fully charged to carry us to the spring.

It is encouraging to see growth in the Church’s membership with seven baptisms performed at the Feast in Germany this year, to the joy of everyone there. But we must also bear in mind that growth comes in two forms.  One is growth within the membership; the other is growth in grace and knowledge of Christ, which is very important.

Our stance on not being willing to compromise may seem to hinder magnificent growth in numbers, yet we must always bear in mind that we can accomplish more with ten zealously committed and truly converted individuals than with one hundred or even one thousand lukewarm and unmotivated social “followers.”

We have a command from God to move forward in the preaching of the Gospel of the Kingdom, which is the only hope for mankind, and to do it with zeal.  God has no pleasure in an individual who looks back, once he has put his hand to the plough (compare Luke 9:62).

The world needs to hear the good news of the coming Kingdom of God, and the sinning nations of the House of Israel, namely the USA, the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and South Africa, need to hear the Ezekiel warning message of coming disaster and slavery, which must occur before Jesus returns.

God’s Church must preach the Gospel with boldness, without shrinking back. Because of man’s foolishness, all flesh on this planet would be destroyed, if Christ was not to intervene, and hopefully, some who will hear the warning will respond and become Spirit-begotten members of the Family of God.

The Feast of Tabernacles has been an opportunity to charge up our batteries and energize ourselves for the push to get the Gospel message out to the world.  Individually, we must stay close to God in order to be useful instruments in His hands and according to His divine Will.

It’s onward and forward without looking back, since the time is nearer than it was last year, and we need to work hard to get the job done. Then the end of the present evil age will come. This world’s madness will cease, and Christ will establish a wonderful world of peace and harmony which is what the Feast of Tabernacles pictures. At that time, we will assist Christ in bringing mankind their opportunity for eternal salvation.

Let’s not lose sight of that goal, and let us remain firm in our commitment to God to get the task done soon.

With Atonement, the Feast of Tabernacles, and the Last Great Day of 2014 approaching quickly, our anticipation should be near its peak. Whether you have been planning for a year, a week, or somewhere in between, there are probably details in your life that need to be coordinated to ensure that you can observe these days to their fullest potential. Preparing our clothes, packing our things, and making final arrangements are all necessary for those who are traveling. But, getting our minds in the right shape is what we really need to focus on, while casting physical distractions that impede our spiritual preparation out from our field of view.

We may encounter real, genuine obstacles to our physical preparation for the Feast days. Perhaps getting time off from work is a challenge, or perhaps our travel arrangements have seemingly impossible gaps that we don’t know how to fill, or maybe we have something at home that needs our attention. These obstacles, and others, are instruments that Satan will use to keep us focused on the physical world – the world that he rules – and turn us away from spiritually preparing.

A large part of preparing for the Fall Holy Days involves setting priorities in order. This is a time of the year when we are especially commanded to draw near to God, and we can only imagine how angry and jealous this makes Satan. He will look for our weaknesses, and tempt us to find reasons not to observe God’s Feasts. As we are advised in 1 Peter 5:8, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” With this in mind, let us be prepared to overcome the weaknesses that cause us to neglect observing the Feast with the right spiritual state of mind.

When we are told to be sober and vigilant, this means that we must be on guard, especially when we know that our actions are an affront to Satan, causing him to become angry with us. This can be a very difficult affair. The strength that we have personally might not be enough to confront the temptations we encounter, but fortunately, we have the strength of Jesus Christ living in us to help. Paul reflects upon this fact in his own life in Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” This strength promised to us includes the ability to face the physical obstacles that we experience on our path to observe the Feast.

The world may throw obstacles in our way, distracting us from our spiritual growth, but this world is passing away (1 John 2:15). An age of perfect Spiritual rule will imminently replace it. What better way to prepare for that coming age than to make ourselves spiritually ready for the upcoming Feast days this year? Whatever physical and spiritual state we are in, we must be certain that we allow nothing to stand in the way of our observance of these Feast days to the absolute best of our ability—and with God’s help we can!

Are you ready?

Jesus shocked His audience when He told them about the potential of man. At the same time, He confirmed who He was. “I am the Son of God,” He said, “and that should not surprise you, because your own law says that you are gods.” The Jews viewed this as blasphemy, and they were willing to seize and stone Him for saying this.

It is no different today. Just tell someone that it is our destiny to become “gods”—born-again members in the Kingdom of God and immortal God beings in the very Family of God—and be prepared for the reaction of disbelief, outrage or open hostility and persecution. But the biblical teaching is so very clear and convincing—if one has eyes to see.  Not only the New Testament teaches this; so does the Old Testament, and the Jews in Jesus’ time should have known this.

In Psalm 82:6, God (“elohim” in Hebrew) tells human beings that they are (to become) “gods” (“elohim” in Hebrew). Jesus quoted this very Scripture in John 10:34, where the Greek word for “gods” is “theos”—the same word which is also used for Almighty God and Jesus Christ. God the Father and Jesus Christ, the Son of God, are God of gods and LORD of lords (Deuteronomy 10:17; Psalm 136:2-3; Revelation 19:16). And so, we are (to become) “gods” and “lords” under the Father and the Son. We will be praising God “before the [other] gods” (Psalm 138:1). And God stands in the congregation of the mighty (literally, God) and judges among the gods (Psalm 82:1).

Of course, there are hundreds of additional biblical passages, proving what our human potential is. But how often do we remind ourselves of our awesome destiny—especially in times of trials? The archbishop of Canterbury said recently that there are moments when he questions God’s very existence. Maybe none of us has ever reached that point—and then, some might have, especially before their conversion—but how many times do we ask ourselves whether God is really with us? And even if we do not express these doubts in words, do we show them through our conduct?

These moments of uncertainty are not uncommon to man—including the spiritual giants of the Bible. Abram did not think that God would be with him in every circumstance—so he and his wife Sarai agreed to lie continuously about their true relationship (Genesis 12:11-13; 20:2, 9-13). They also doubted that God would be with them THAT MUCH that they could bring forth a child—given their age (Genesis 16:1-2). Moses did not believe at first that God would be really with him in Egypt to deliver Israel from slavery, and when the first attempts seemingly “failed,” his original doubts were confirmed in his mind (Exodus 5:22-23). And even though God had promised Jacob that He would be with him wherever he went (Genesis 28:15), Jacob had his doubts (verse 20).

God had assured Jeremiah that He would deliver him from his troubles (Jeremiah 1:8, 19), but when things got tough, Jeremiah began to question how “reliable” God really was (Jeremiah 15:18-19). Are we so much different today? Do we not also have moments when we question whether God is really with us—whether He really knows what we are going through? Of course, we do! When we do not see HOW God could possibly work out the seemingly impossible (Psalm 78:19), then we might feel somewhat forsaken and alone.  But God HAS promised us to be with us always—never to leave us nor forsake us (John 14:18; Matthew 28:20; Hebrews 13:5). He promised us to deliver us from all evil (Isaiah 43:2; Psalm 91:15). We are always on His mind—there is no place where we could go; no thought which we could think; no word which we could say; which God does not see or know or hear (Psalm 139; Matthew 6:8; Ephesians 3:20). And God acts for us in ways which are far beyond our ability to imagine (Psalm 77:19).

Still, moments of doubts might come—questions such as: Why did God let it happen? Why didn’t He intervene? Why didn’t He make the impossible possible? We might not get a full answer to all these questions in this life. But we have THE overriding answer, and that is the most important truth we can ever embrace in those moments: God is our Father. We are His children. Jesus Christ is our Elder Brother. The Father and the Son want to enlarge the God Family. They want us to be IN Their Kingdom. It is our potential to become gods—God Beings in the very Family of God. God will see to it that we will make it—whatever it takes. As long as we do not forsake Him, He will NEVER forsake us. Even if we do not fully understand now—God is there to carry our burdens and give us strength, and He will always be with us. With THAT assurance, ALL doubts should fade away.