February 2011

February 14, 2011

Dear Brethren,

For the past several weeks the world has been captivated by riots in the Arab world—first in Tunisia, with the swift ouster of its president, and now in Egypt, where protesters are still attempting to expel their president, Hosni Mubarak. There is presently no clear-cut resolution to either crisis. At the same time, there is unrest in nearly every Islamic country, from North Africa to Pakistan. A number of these countries have become quite unstable—with riots, bombings, kidnappings, killings, lootings—making it difficult to determine what is actually going on. Political leaders and experts in the West fear that some Islamic countries are nearing a “boiling point” where the unrest could lead to the overthrow of governments. There is legitimate concern that escalating chaos and confusion could lead to government takeovers by militant Islamic fundamentalists. This would be a total disaster for the West. (Because of the general nature of the Arab peoples and their typically unstable governments, financial experts often refer to the Muslim world as “Chaostan”—the land of chaos.)

At the same time, the nations of Europe are now beginning to realize that their naive policies of “cultural diversity”—allowing hordes of Islamic immigrants to separate and form their own communities—have led to disaster. As Islamic immigrants become more demanding in their desire to remain separate and practice Sharia law (as opposed to European law), their communities are being perceived as a threat to European government and religion—even to Western civilization itself.

A fundamental truth of government is this: It is not possible to have two sets of differing laws operating within the geographical borders of a single state or nation. Islam is not solely a religion with religious laws; rather, Sharia law is a complete code of religious and civil law combined. Moreover, Sharia law is completely incompatible with any other national law or any other religion. Then there is the Islamic mindset of jihad, the complete conquest and destruction of Western Civilization and the Jews—submit to Islam or die! The result: we are now beginning to hear more and more European leaders call for a halt to immigration with separation.

As tensions mount between Europeans and Islamic militants, European leaders will intensify their demands that all Muslim immigrants (and their families) return to their native countries. In time, the governments of Europe will react to these demands—and there is little doubt that the Vatican will put its power behind such a policy. In fact, the growing European movement to save Western Catholic civilization could be the very force that gives rise to the prophetic “King of the North.” We don’t know how many more years will be required for these events to fully develop. A world government must be established first (preceded by a world currency)—and no doubt such a government will make it a high priority to peacefully “contain” these wild Islamic nations!

Meanwhile, experts fully expect more Islamic unrest—ultimately leading to the militant overthrow of existing governments in the Muslim world. It is exactly as the prophecies tell us: “Why do the nations rage and the people plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against His Christ, saying, ‘Let us break Their bands asunder and cast away Their cords from us.’… The nations raged, the kingdoms were shaken…” (Psa. 2:1-3; 46:6).

The prophet Isaiah perfectly describes what is happening in these nations today: “Oh the uproar of many people, who roar like the roaring of the seas [politically, you hear the expression “sea-change”]; and the rushing of nations who rush on like the rushing of mighty waters! The nations shall rush like the rushing of many waters; but He shall rebuke them [at Jesus’ second coming], and they shall flee far off, and shall be chased like the chaff of the mountains before the wind, and like whirling dust before a gale. At evening time, behold, terror! Before the morning, they are not! This is the lot of those who plunder us, and the lot of those who rob us” (Isa. 17:12-14).

In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus Christ describes these same end-time events, giving us more detail: “ ‘Beware that you be not deceived; for many shall come in My name, saying, “I am Christ”; and, “The time has drawn near.” Therefore, do not go after them. And when you hear of wars and revolutions, do not be terrified; for it is necessary that these things take place first, but the end will not come immediately.’

“Then He said to them, ‘Nation shall rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there shall also be great earthquakes in different places, and famines and pestilences; and there shall be fearful sights and great signs from heaven…. [And] men dying of heart attacks from fear and dread of the things that are coming on the whole world; for the powers of heaven shall be shaken’ ” (Luke 21:8-11, 26).

We know the Middle East is the focal point of most end-time prophecy—and that these events will eventually settle out just as described in the Bible. Without question, the recent turn of events in the Muslim world—and especially in Egypt—will lead to the rise of the prophetic “King of the South.” Egypt is a key Islamic country, and the “King of the South” is most likely to be headquartered in Egypt.

Isaiah has many prophecies concerning Egypt. However, there is an interesting end-time prophecy in chapter 19 that describes exactly what we are seeing on the nightly news: “The burden against Egypt: Behold, the Lord rides upon a swift cloud and comes into Egypt. And the idols of Egypt shall tremble at His presence, and the heart of Egypt shall melt in its midst. ‘And I will set the Egyptians against the Egyptians; and they shall fight each man against his brother, and each against his neighbor; city against city, kingdom against kingdom. And the spirit of Egypt shall be demoralized in the midst of it, and I will bring his plans to nothing. And they shall seek to idols, and to the enchanters, and to the mediums, and to the familiar spirits. And I will deliver Egypt into the hand of cruel lords; and a fierce king shall rule over them,’ says the Lord, the Lord of hosts….

“The Lordhas mixed a perverse spirit in its midst; and they have caused Egypt to go astray in all its work, like a drunkard staggers in his vomit. And Egypt shall have no work that the head or tail, branch or rush, may do. In that day Egypt shall be like women; and it shall be afraid and fear because of the shaking of the hand of the Lord of hosts, which He shakes over it. And the land of Judah shall be a terror to Egypt; everyone who mentions it shall be afraid toward it because of the purpose of the Lordof hosts, which He has purposed against it” (Isa. 19:1-4, 14-17).

Ultimately, when the Millennium is established at Christ’s return, Egypt shall be saved and numbered as a leading nation under God—along with Israel and Assyria. That will be a real change, indeed: “And the Lord shall be known to Egypt, and Egypt shall know the Lord in that day, and shall offer sacrifice and offering; and vow a vow to the Lord, and perform it. And the Lord shall strike Egypt; He shall strike and heal; and they shall return to the Lord, and He shall respond to them and shall heal them. In that day there shall be a highway out of Egypt to Assyria, and Assyria shall come into Egypt, and Egypt into Assyria, and Egypt shall serve with Assyria. In that day Israel shall be the third with Egypt and with Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the land; whom the Lord of hosts has blessed, saying, ‘Blessed be My people Egypt, and Assyria the work of My hands, and Israel My inheritance’ ” (verses 21-25).

Jerusalem—the Focal Point of Prophecy: Right in the middle of the Islamic countries is the little Jewish nation of “Israel,” which they all hate and despise. They have a burning passion to annihilate all Jews. But God will not allow the Jews’ enemies to destroy them. The prophet Zechariah foretells of a time when all nations will be arrayed against Jerusalem—to their own destruction. “ ‘Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people all around, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem. And in that day I will make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people. All who burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the nations of the earth be gathered together against it.

“ ‘In that day,’ says the Lord, ‘I will strike every horse with terror, and his rider with madness. And I will open My eyes [in favor] upon the house of Judah, and will strike every horse of the people [of the Jews’ enemies] with blindness. And the governors of Judah shall say in their heart, “The people of Jerusalem shall be my strength in the Lord of hosts their God.” In that day I will make the governors of Judah like a hearth of fire among the wood, and like a torch of fire among the sheaves. And they shall devour all the people all around, on the right hand and on the left hand. [Remember what happened to Syria, Egypt and Lebanon when they fought against the Jews in 1967 and 1973.] And Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her place, even in Jerusalem.

“ ‘The Lord also shall save the tents of Judahfirst, so that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the people of Jerusalem may not be magnified above Judah. In that day the Lord shall defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And it shall be, he who is feeble among them at that day shall be like David; and the house of David shall be like God, like the angel of the Lord before them. And it shall be in that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem’ ” (Zech. 12:2-9).

Jesus also warned that armies will surround Jerusalem (Luke 21:20) when the “King of the North” comes into the Holy Land (Dan. 11:40-45). This king will be the Beast of Revelation 13, with seven heads and ten horns. He is the antichrist, who will sit in the Temple of God and proclaim himself to be God—which is the “abomination that makes desolate” (II Thess. 2:1-12). 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)…. [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. And if those days were not limited, there would no flesh be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days shall be limited” (Matt. 24:15, 21-22).

The prophet Daniel also describes these events as the beginning of the “Great Tribulation”: “And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even until that time…” (Dan. 12:1). As God told Jeremiah, it will involve all nations: “For thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, to me, ‘Take the wine cup of this wrath at My hand, and cause all the nations to whom I shall send you to drink it. And they shall drink, and reel to and fro, and be crazed because of the sword that I will send among them.’

“Then I took the cup at the Lord’s hand, and made all the nations drink, to whom the Lord had sent me…. And all the kings of the north, far and near, one with another, and all the kingdoms of the world, which are on the face of the earth; and the king of Sheshach [the final Beast power of Revelation 13] shall drink after them. ‘Therefore you shall say to them, “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘Drink and be drunk, and vomit, and fall, and rise no more because of the sword which I will send among you.’ ” And it shall come to pass if they refuse to take the cup at your hand to drink, then you shall say to them, “Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘You shall certainly drink. For, lo, I begin to bring evil on the city which is called by My name; and shall you go unpunished? You shall not go unpunished. For I will call for a sword on all the inhabitants of the earth,’ says the Lord of hosts.”

“ ‘And prophesy against them all these words, and say to them, “The Lord shall roar from on high, and utter His voice from His holy habitation. He shall mightily roar over His dwelling place. He shall give a shout, like those who tread out grapes, against all the people of the earth. A noise shall come to the ends of the earth; for the Lordhas a controversy with the nations; He will plead with all flesh. He will give those who are wicked to the sword,” says the Lord. Thus says the Lord of hosts, “Behold, evil shall go forth from nation to nation, and a great whirlwind shall be stirred up from the farthest corners of the earth. And the slain of the Lordshall be at that day from one end of the earth even to the other end of the earth; they shall not be mourned, nor gathered, nor buried. They shall be as dung on the ground” ’ ” (Jer. 25:15-17, 26-33).

The final judgment of God—the battle of Armageddon (Rev. 16:16-17; 19:11-21)—is described by the prophet Joel: “Proclaim this among the nations, ‘Prepare for war!’ Wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up. Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning hooks into spears. Let the weak say, ‘I am strong.’ Gather yourselves and come, all you nations, and gather yourselves together all around; cause Your mighty ones to come down there, O Lord.

“Let the nations be awakened and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat; for there I will sit to judge all the nations all around. Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, come down; for the press is full; the vats overflow—for their wickedness is great [See Rev. 14:17-20]. Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision; for the day of the Lordis near in the valley of decision! The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining. The Lord shall also roar out of Zion and utter His voice from Jerusalem. And the heavens and the earth shall shake. But the Lord will be the hope of His people and the strength of the children of Israel” (Joel 3:9-16).

Today, as we read the news and watch these events unfold on television, we can see that they are building toward the fulfillment of specific biblical prophecies. Though they are still some years away, we know that these prophecies—as they are finally played out—will be truly awesome and destructive. However, we need not be afraid—but have faith in God the Father and Jesus Christ. We need to pray for divine protection and peace of mind, knowing with full assurance that God the Father and Jesus Christ love us and have called us. Always remember: Through the resurrection we will be immortal kings and priests with Jesus Christ in the coming Kingdom of God. With Christ, we will help save the world and all who survive the Great Tribulation as Jesus ushers in the millennial rule of God—a new age of love, peace and joy for the entire world. That is our hope and destiny—the very purpose of our calling!

The New Book Lord, What Should I Do? By the time you get this letter, the new Lord, What Should I Do? will be at the printer, Thomson-Shore, in Dexter, Michigan. It will take three to four weeks to print. We will automatically mail you a copy—so you do not need to place an order. However, you may order additional copies to give to others. In each copy we are going to insert a special Church at Home DVD, which will have the five best half-hour video casts and the video hymn The Almighty God. Because this book is geared toward “Christians” who are disaffected with their churches, we are also going to place a full-page ad in TheWashington Times promoting our Church at Home Web site and offering a free copy of the new book.

Our Web Site Statistics: With this letter we are including year-end reports for our Web sites—cbcg.org (both English and Spanish versions) and churchathome.org. As you will see, over 600,000 distinct visitors used our sites last year. Of course, many of those repeatedly downloaded materials from the sites. However, it shows that we are reaching thousands and thousands of people—all the way from those who are brand new to long-time church of God members. We continue to ask God’s blessings to make these sites effective in reaching out to people and teaching them God’s way—preaching the Gospel to the world and feeding the flock of God at the same time.

Please note: in February I am traveling to Waco and Houston, Texas; in March I will be traveling to Seattle and Spokane, Washington. Then, in April, I will be traveling during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Travel announcements will be mailed out, as well as posted on our Web sites.

Brethren, once again we thank you for all your love and prayers. We love you and pray for you daily for God’s continued love, grace and blessings in everything. We thank you for your continued support through your freewill tithes and offerings. As you know, we always run the business of the CBCG on a pay-as-you-go cash basis. We have no debts, and we do not borrow money. We watch our overhead and expenditures very carefully to make every penny stretch as far as possible. Every dollar goes to serving the brethren and those whom God is calling, so we can provide them with audio and video messages, booklets, books and Bibles, as well as our care packages and extended series.

With love in Christ Jesus,

Fred R. Coulter

FRC