August/September 2013

Monthly Letter
August/September 2013

Restoring Original Christianity—for Today!

Christian Biblical Church of God

Post Office Box 1442
Hollister, California 95024-1442
(831)-637-1875

Fred R. Coulter,
Minister

August 19, 2013

Dear Brethren,

The fall Holy Days and Feasts are just around the corner, beginning with the Feast of Trumpets on September 5, less than three weeks away. Then will come the Day of Atonement, September 14, and the Feast of Tabernacles, September 19-25, and the Last Great Day, September 26. In this mailing, we are sending you the CD for all the fall Holy Days for 2013. This year, since God's Holy Days and Feasts will take up nearly the entire month of September, we are making this a combined August-September letter. We know that all of you are anxiously anticipating these vital Holy Days and Feasts of God. May everyone have a tremendous Fall Festival Season this year, as God the Father and Jesus Christ bless you for your love and faithful obedience.

The Sabbath and Holy Days—the Mysteries of God

As revealed throughout the Bible, the Holy Scriptures are the record of God's dealings with mankind from the beginning. However, many of the things God inspired to be recorded in the Bible are not discerned by casually reading it as one would read any other book.

As astounding as it may seem, in the last 400 years the Bible has been the number one selling book in the world. Today, there are almost seven billion Bibles in circulation—nearly a Bible for every person. In addition, there are multiple millions of digital Bibles used on a variety of electronic devices. Yet very few people truly understand the Word of God—even the simplest of passages. Why this amazing paradox? The Bible itself gives us the answer: It is because the majority of people refuse to believe God and keep His commandments, which are the beginning keys to understanding the Word of God (Psa. 111:10).

Even more incredible is the realization that Orthodox Christianity—Protestant and Catholic—has failed in its understanding of the Word of God. Why? Because Christendom rejects the Old Testament, claiming that Jesus abolished the Law and that "Christians" are not required to keep the laws or commandments of God—especially the 7th-day Sabbath and God's Holy Days and Feasts. Thus, they reject the Word of God and follow their own "Christianized" traditions of keeping Sunday and various holidays—which are all of pagan origin. In lockstep, those of the Jewish religion of Judaism follow their own religious traditions rather than the Word of God. Moreover, they reject the New Testament and do not believe Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world. In both cases, it is exactly as Jesus said—men putting tradition above the Bible.

The Pharisees asked Jesus why His disciples did not observe the traditions of Judaism. Notice Jesus' reply: "He answered and said to them, 'Well did Isaiah prophesy concerning you hypocrites, as it is written, "This people honors Me with their lips, but their hearts are far away from Me. But in vain do they worship Me, teaching for doctrine the commandments of men." For leaving the commandment of God, you hold fast the tradition of men, such as the washing of pots and cups; and you practice many other things like this.' Then He said to them, 'Full well do you reject the commandment of God, so that you may observe your own tradition' " (Mark 7:6-9). When people reject the Word of God and devise their own religious traditions, they automatically bring spiritual blindness upon themselves. This is a living law that God has established.

Isaiah prophesied of this very blindness: "Be stunned and amazed! Blind your eyes and be blind! They are drunk, but not with wine; they stagger, but not with strong drink, for the Lord has poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and has closed your eyes; He has covered [as with a veil] the prophets and your rulers, and the seers. And the vision of all has become to you like the words of a book that is sealed, which they give to one who is learned saying, 'Please read this,' and he says, 'I cannot, for it is sealed.' And the book is delivered to him who is not learned, saying, 'Please read this,' and he says, 'I am not learned.'

"And the Lord said, 'Because this people draws near Me with their mouth, and with their lips honor Me, but their worship of Me is made up of the traditions of men learned by rote,and their fear toward Me is taught by the commandments of men; therefore, behold, I will proceed to do again a marvelous work among this people, even a marvelous work and a wonder, for the wisdom of their wise ones shall perish, and the wisdom of their intelligent ones shall vanish' " (Isa. 29:9-14). Is this not a perfect description of the entire world today—in religion, science, government, education and economics? Again, what a paradox: they use the Bible and professbelief in God, but cannot understand the Scriptures.

How to Understand the Mysteries of God: The Word of God teaches that in order for anyone to understand the Bible, he or she must first believe God and be obedient to His Word—to His laws and commandments. Next, the Holy Spirit is required in order for one's heart and mind to be opened to the understanding of what God has revealed in His Word. The power of the Holy Spirit is given only upon one's repentance (of sin) to God and upon the acceptance of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins. This must be followed by baptism, with full immersion in water, and the laying on of hands to receive the Holy Spirit.

When writing to the church at Corinth, the apostle Paul explained to new converts that understanding the Word of God does not come through human wisdom or intellect: "And my message and my preaching was not in persuasive words of humanwisdom; rather, it was in demonstration of the Spirit and of power; so that your faith might not be in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. Now we speak wisdom among the spiritually mature; however, it isnot the wisdom of this world, nor of the rulers of this world, who are coming to nothing. Rather, we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom that God foreordained before the ages unto our glory….

"But according as it is written, 'The eye has not seen, nor the ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.' But God has revealed them to us by His Spirit, for the Spirit searches all things—eventhe deep things of God. For who among men understands the things of man except by the spirit of man which is in him? In the same way also, the things of God no one understands except by the Spirit of God. Now we have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit that is of God, so that we might know the things graciously given to us by God; which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in words taught by the Holy Spirit in order to communicate spiritual things by spiritual means. But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them because they are spiritually discerned" (I Cor. 2:4-7, 9-14).

Because the things of God are spiritually understood, God typically does not reveal everything in one place or at one time. God inspired Isaiah to reveal this fundamental principle in understanding the Word of God: "Whom shall He teach knowledge? And whom shall He make to understand doctrine? Those who are weaned from the milk and drawn from the breasts [not newly converted babes in Christ], for precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, there a little" (Isa. 28:9-10).

When Paul taught the Jews in Berea, they applied themselves to understand the Word of God. "Now these were more noble than those in Thessalonica, for they received the Word with all readiness of mind and examined the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so" (Acts 17:11). Likewise, Paul urged Timothy to apply himself in his study of the Scriptures: "Diligently study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of the truth" (II Tim. 2:15).

Applying these principles is necessary in order to understand the Bible—especially prophecy. Indeed, the Bible is essentially like a lock. Without the rightkey, opening it is futile. For most people the Bible is truly a "closed" mystery. The primary reason is that they donot believe and obey even the simple things they find in the Bible—thus, it becomes impossible for them to understand the deep things of God. Their lack of belief and obedience automatically brings spiritual blindness. This is why many of the things written in the Bible are called a mystery—a secret.

When Jesus' disciples did not understand why He spoke to the multitudes in parables, He explained: "And He answered and said to them, 'Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For whoever has understanding, to him more shall be given, and he shall have an abundance; but whoever does not have understanding, even what he has shall be taken away from him. For this reason I speak to them in parables, because seeing, they see not; and hearing, they hear not; neither do they understand.

" 'And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah, which says, "In hearing you shall hear, and in no way understand; and in seeing you shall see, and in no way perceive; for the heart of this people has grown fat, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and should hear with their ears, and should understand with their hearts, and should be converted, and I should heal them." But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear.For truly I say to you, many prophets and righteous men have desired to see what you see, and have not seen; and to hear what you hear, and have not heard' " (Matt. 13:11-17).

Other prophecies about the end times confirm that God's people would understand the Word of God and prophecy, while the wicked, the majority of people in the world, would not understand. Notice what Daniel was inspired to write: "And I heard, but I did not understand. Then I said [to an angel of God], 'O my lord, what shall be the end of these things?' And he 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. 12:8-10).

True understanding must come from God. He must reveal it. He must make it known to us. Paul writes that God has "made known to us the mystery of His own will, according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Himself; that in thedivine plan for the fulfilling of the times, He might bring all things together in Christ, both the things in the heavens and the things upon the earth" (Eph. 1:9-10).

The book of Revelation verifies Daniel's prophecy that, at the end time, God's people will have understanding—because they are the ones who "keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ…. Here is the patience of the saints; here are the ones who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus" (Rev. 12:17, 14:12). By having the faith of Christ and keeping the commandments of God, we prove that we love God: "By this standard we know that we love the children of God: when we love God and keep His commandments. For this is the love of God: that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome" (I John 5:2-3).

The Plan of God—Hidden in Plain Sight: God's secret plan and purpose for all human life is written in the Bible. Moreover, God incorporated His plan into the very heavens and earth. In fact, God reveals the knowledge of His plan by His Sabbath, Feasts and Holy Days—His prophetic appointed times. Thus, the plan of God is hidden in plain sight—revealed step-by-step by the annually occurring biblical festivals—"ordained in the heavens" from the beginning. But this is all a mystery—a secret—to the world because they are blinded by their rejection of God's Sabbath and Holy Days.

God introduces us to the foundation of His plan in the account of the creation of the heavens and the earth—specifically on day four: "And God said, 'Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide between the day and the night, and let them be for signs, and for appointed seasons, and for days and years; and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light upon the earth.' And it was so.

"And God had made two great lights, the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night; and God had made the stars also. And God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light upon the earth, and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide between the light and the darkness. And God saw that it was good. And the evening and the morning were day four" (Gen. 1:14-19). What is written here is a general statement as to the functions of these heavenly bodies. No details are given here on how they would regulate God's "appointed seasons"—His very festivals.

Next, after the creation of Adam and Eve, God made the Sabbath day on the seventh day of creation. Since God had already created days and nights, He "created"—ordained—the Sabbath by resting on that day and by blessing and sanctifying the day as special. "And by the beginning of the seventh day God finished His work which He had made. And He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had made. And God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it because on it He rested from all His work which God had created and made" (Gen. 2:2-3). God made the Sabbath holy from the beginning by putting His presence into that day. On that first Sabbath, He was literally present with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. What a day that must have been!

Thus, the Calculated Hebrew Calendar—which determines when God's Feasts and Holy Days are to be kept—is based on God's creative activity as recorded in Genesis one and two.

During the last 150 years or so, God has revealed a great deal of biblical truth to His people, the collective Church of God. This includes the meaning and significance of the "Mystery of God." Indeed, Daniel 12:9-10 is being fulfilled: God's people, the wise, are increasing in understanding.

For our part, since 1983, the Christian Biblical Church of God has produced hundreds of audio messages about the Feasts and Holy Days of God. This information has also been included in the following books:

1) The Christian Passover

2) The Day Jesus the Christ Died

3) A Harmony of the Gospels in Modern English—the Life of Jesus Christ

4) Occult Holidays or God's Holy Days—Which?

5) God's Plan for Mankind Revealed by His Sabbath and Holy Days

6) The Appointed Times of Jesus the Messiah

7) The Holy Bible In Its Original Order—a Faithful Version with Commentary

Collectively, these materials explain God's plan for mankind—what the Bible refers to as the "Mystery of God." (Please see the summary of the Feasts and Holy Days of God on the following pages.)

Brethren, thank you for your love and prayers for all of God's people—and for us. Thank you for your continued support with your tithes and offerings. As a small army, we are defending and preaching the true "faith of Jesus Christ." We are making a difference in the world, and to the brethren. May God the Father and Jesus Christ bless you with a wonderful Fall Festival Season, and may They continue to bless you with love, grace and mercy in all things.

With love in Christ Jesus,

Fred R. Coulter

FRC

A Summary of God's Annual Feasts and Holy Days

The Scriptures teach that there are seven annual feasts and holy days which were ordained by God to be observed as special commanded convocations. These feasts and holy days portray God's plan of salvation for mankind. The observance of these holy convocations is a sign between God and His people. God's annual feasts and holy days were observed by His people during the Old Testament times. In the New Testament, we find that Jesus Christ's entire ministry was centered around the spiritual meaning of these holy days. The New Testament apostolic Church faithfully observed these annual feasts and holy days. The Scriptures reveal that they will be observed by all mankind after the return of Jesus Christ.

As the holy days are annual Sabbath days, they may fall on any day of the week (except Pentecost, which always falls on a Sunday). When a holy day falls on a weekly Sabbath, the special observance of the annual holy day takes precedence. God's feasts and holy days are to be observed from sunset to sunset in accordance with the Calculated Hebrew Calendar as preserved by the Levitical Jews. The seven annual feasts and holy days are as follows:

List of All the Commanded Holy Days and Feasts of God