April, 2008

Fred R. Coulter

Minister

April 10, 2008

Dear Brethren,

As you know, I have been traveling quite extensively since November of 2007—and March was no exception. On March 8, I gave two messages in Arcadia, California, where we had 45 brethren in attendance. On the Sabbath of March 15, I spoke in both Fairfield and Hollister, California. On March 21-22, I gave three messages in Seattle, Washington, where we had 43 brethren assembled. On the evening of March 22, I flew to Spokane, Washington, in order to meet with 28 brethren on Sunday, March 23. I gave two sermons in Spokane. Unfortunately, because of snow storms in Canada, the 8-12 brethren who normally come to Spokane were not able to make the trip. It is always heart-warming to fellowship with the brethren and to share meals together, as we do on these special visits.

Because of the number of sermons and Bible Studies I have given on these recent trips, you are receiving two CDs with this mailing. The first CD includes the entire Passover Ceremony, The Night to Be much Observed, The Passover Sabbath, the First and Last Holy Days of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and Before the Foundations of the World.

The second CD includes The Meaning of Footwashing, The Meaning of the Blood of Jesus Christ, The Meaning of the Body of Christ, John the Baptist—Bridge Between the OT and NT, Historical Proof of God’s Plagues Against Egypt, as well as two regular Bible Studies. All of these will give you more than enough spiritual food for the entire Feast of Unleavened Bread.

For most of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, I will be in the Boise and Twin Falls, Idaho, areas and in Salt Lake City, Utah. For the last holy day, I will fly to Atlanta, Georgia, and on up to Manchester, New Hampshire, on the following Sunday. That will take care of my travel schedule for April. In May, we will have the Elders’ Conference in Cincinnati, Ohio, ending with all-day services on the Sabbath of May 17 at the Hilton Airport Hotel. After that, we will have to wait and see what else comes up.

The True Origin of Passover: The Bible reveals that God the Father carefully planned the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, which occurred on the Passover day, April 5, 30 AD. Unfortunately, most people—as well as too many brethren in the churches of God—believe that God originated the Passover with the children of Israel while they were still in Egypt. Because they fail to carefully study, examine or even read the Scriptures, most also assume that all twelve tribes of Israel make up the Jews—which is absolutely incorrect. The true  Jews, however, are actually the descendants of the tribe of Judah, which was but one of the twelve tribes of Israel. In fact, the men of war from Judah numbered at 74,600, which represented a little more than ten percent of the total of Israel’s men of war, which was 630,550 (Num. 1:27, 46).

However, it is true that the combined twelve tribes of the children of Israel did observe their first Passover on the night of Abib/Nisan 14 according to all the instructions God gave to Moses: “Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year. You shall take it from the sheep or from the goats. And you shall keep it up until the beginning of the fourteenth day of the same month. And the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it between the two evenings [right after sunset of the 13th, at the beginning of the 14th before dark].

“And they shall take of the blood and strike it on the two side posts and upon the upper door post of the houses in which they shall eat it. And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roasted with fire, and unleavened bread. They shall eat it with bitter herbs. Do not eat of it raw, nor boiled at all with water, but roasted with fire, its head with its legs, and with its inward parts. And you shall not let any of it remain until the morning. And that which remains of it until the morning you shall burn with fire.

“And this is the way you shall eat it: with your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. And you shall eat it in trepidation. It is the Lord’s Passover, for I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast. And I will execute judgment against all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord. And the blood shall be a sign to you upon the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you. And the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you when I smite the land of Egypt. And this day shall be a memorial to you. And you shall keep it a feast to the Lord throughout your generations. You shall keep it a feast [the 14th Passover] as a law forever” (Exodus 12:5-14).

The Passover was to always be kept in remembrance of God executing the firstborn of the Egyptians (man and beast) and His sparing the firstborn of the children of Israel: “And it shall be when you have come to the land which the Lord will give you, according as He has promised, that you shall keep this service. And it will be, when your children shall say to you, ‘What does this service mean to you?’, then you shall say, ‘It is the sacrifice of the Lord’s Passover, Who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when He struck the Egyptians and delivered our houses.’ And the people bowed their heads and worshiped.

“And the children of Israel went away and did as the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron; so they did. And it came to pass at midnight the Lord struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne, to the firstborn of the captive that was in the prison, also all the firstborn of livestock” (verses 25-29).

Contrary to God’s instructions, traditional Judaism later changed the meaning of the Passover to celebrate the exodus itself—not the passing over of the firstborn. However, the Passover never commemorated Israel’s exodus from Egypt. Rather, the exodus from Egypt occurred the next night at the beginning of the 15th. “It is a night to be much observed to the Lord for bringing them out from the land of Egypt. This is that night of the Lord to be observed by all the children of Israel in their generations…. And it came to pass the very same day, when the Lord brought the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their armies, then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Sanctify all the firstborn to Me, whatever opens the womb among the children of Israel, of man and of beast. It is Mine.’

“And Moses said to the people, ‘Remember this day [the 15th of Abib/Nisan] in which you came out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage; for the Lord brought you out from this place by the strength of His hand. There shall be no leavened bread eaten. On this day [the 15th, the night after the 14th Passover] you are going out, in the month Abib’ ” (Ex. 12:42, 51; 13:1-4).

Thus, there are two days and two nights that we are to remember: 1) the Passover on Abib/Nisan 14; and 2) the Night to be Much Observed on Abib/Nisan 15, the first day—a holy day—that begins the seven-day Feast of Unleavened Bread (the seventh day is also a holy day). The two are separate, but related and intertwined feasts.

The significance and purpose of both of these days—Abib/Nisan 14 and 15—actually originated 430 years before the Passover in Egypt and the exodus from Egypt! “And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years, it was even on that very same day, all the armies of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt” (Ex. 12:41).

In last month’s mailing, you received an article connecting the 430 years of Exodus 12 to the events described in Genesis 15, in which God made a special sacrificial covenant with Abraham known as a maledictory oath. A complete, detailed explanation of this covenant can be found in The Christian Passover, chapters 21-24. If you have a copy of The Christian Passover, please re-read this important section. For those who do not have a copy, you may order the book by contacting the CBCG office (call, write, e-mail, or use the CBCG Web site).

Comprehending this special covenant between God and Abraham—which occurred over a two-day period—is vitally important in correctly understanding the entire Bible. As you will see, it is the foundation of both the Old Covenant with Israel and the New Covenant with the Church through Jesus Christ.

It is absolutely amazing to realize that exactly 430 years after this special covenant was made, the same two days became Abib/Nisan 14 and 15—the Passover and the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread! When we understand the full significance of Genesis 15, it becomes clear that there are four specific promises that God made to Abraham upon which the entire Word of God is anchored:

·  The promise of physical seed

·  The promise of spiritual seed

·  The promise of physical land

·  The promise of the spiritual Kingdom of God

The first promise was fulfilled through the birth of Abraham’s son of promise, Isaac. From Isaac’s son, Jacob, came the twelve tribes of Israel.

The second promise was fulfilled through the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and the spiritual children of the New Covenant—the sons and daughters of God the Father’s special calling.

The third promise was fulfilled through the physical “promised land” for the children of Israel.

The fourth promise is yet to be fulfilled through the spiritual Kingdom of God, which will endure throughout the coming ages of eternity.

Brethren, please study chapters 21-24 of The Christian Passover. Then you will more fully realize why Paul wrote, “[Y]ou are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ did put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek; there is neither bond nor free; there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise…. Now we, brethren, like Isaac, are the children of promise” (Gal. 3:26-29; 4:28).

God’s covenant sacrifice with Abraham in Genesis 15 foreshadowed Christ’s crucifixion and burial, which was fulfilled on Jesus’ last Passover on Nisan 14 (April 5) in 30 AD. In addition, the confirmation of the covenant to Isaac in Genesis 22 also portrays the meaning of Jesus’ crucifixion. (Please refer to and study the two-page chart on the following pages.) There is no doubt that these two events were prophetic types of the death of Jesus Christ on the Passover day. This is why Jesus is called “our Passover Who was sacrificed for us” (I Cor. 5:7).

Historical Proof of God’s Plagues on Egypt: The Ipuwer Papyrus—discovered in 1828 and translated by Alan H. Gardiner in 1909—contains astonishing information about the biblical plagues on Egypt. For the most part, however, this information has gone unrecognized by the world—and even the Christian community. In all my years of study and research, I had never heard of this firsthand eyewitness account of God’s plagues on Egypt—written an by Egyptian who apparently survived those very plagues. In this mailing, we have enclosed an amazing paper compiled by Roger Waite and Todd Dragger comparing the Ipuwer Papyrus and the parallel accounts from the book of Exodus. The correlation between the plagues of God as recorded in the book of Exodus and this eyewitness account is absolutely amazing. This paper was the basis of my sermon about the plagues against Egypt from the book of Exodus.

The Economy: Brethren, we need to keep a close watch on the economy—not only in America, but also in the world. Last month, the United States Federal Reserve Bank, which is actually a privately owned corporation and not a governmental agency, seized control of the investment banking firm of Bear Stearns and sold it to JP Morgan Chase. If Bear Stearns had totally collapsed, the entire interconnected global banking system would have likewise fallen. This was a stunning event. Now the US Congress will give the Federal Reserve Bank sweeping new powers to regulate and control investment banks.

Because the entire world’s banking system is founded on credit and debt, many of the world’s leading financial experts are fearful that the Bear Stearns collapse may only be the first of more giant investment bank failures. Also, remember that the British government had to nationalize the Northern Rock Bank of England because of similar financial problems. The banking systems in Europe and Japan are also in deep trouble, and will no doubt face a severe financial crisis similar to the one in America. It is only a matter of time.

There is a great lesson in this for all of us: It is impossible to borrow yourself out of debt, individually or nationally.

What we see before our very eyes is the fulfillment of God’s prophecies—resulting from our great national sins. As the end-time descendants of the twelve tribes of Israel, the people of the USA, Canada, the UK, Western Europe, Australia and New Zealand are subject to the prophetic blessings and cursings of God as found in Deuteronomy 28. You need to read the entire chapter and compare what is happening in these countries with the warnings of Almighty God. Then you will realize that God’s mighty hand of correction is now upon end-time Israel, just as He warned.

The modern nations of Israel have God’s Word, the Bible, and profess to believe in God. Yet as a people, they have rejected God. Therefore, all these prophecies will surely continue to come to pass. In the areas of government and banking, the following prophecy is being fulfilled with astonishing speed: “The stranger dwelling among you shall get up above you very high, and you shall come down very low. He shall loan to you, and you shall not loan to him. He shall be the head, and you shall be the tail.

“And all these curses shall come on you, and shall pursue you and overtake you, until you are destroyed because you did not obey the voice of the Lord your God to keep His commandments and His statutes which He commanded you. And they shall be on you for a sign and for a wonder, and on your seed forever, because you did not serve the Lord your God with joyfulness and with gladness of heart for the abundance of all things” (Deut. 28:43-47).

God’s Warning to His Church: Just as God has warned the nations of Israel, Jesus Christ has warned the brethren of His Church. To the Laodiceans He says: “These things says the Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginner of the creation of God. I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot; I would that you be either cold or hot.

“So then, because you are lukewarm, and are neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of My mouth. For you say, ‘I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’; and you do not understand that you are wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.

“I counsel you to buy from Me gold purified by fire so that you may be rich; and white garments so that you may be clothed, and the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and to anoint your eyes with eye salve, so that you may see.

“As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore, be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me. To the one who overcomes will I give authority to sit with Me in My throne, even as I also overcame, and sat down with My Father in His throne. The one who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches” (Rev. 3:14-22).

With the upcoming Feast of Unleavened Bread, let us all heed Jesus’ warning to His Church and repent, draw close to God, and be filled with His Spirit.

Bible Project: As I am writing this letter, I just received a completed copy of the paperback version of The Holy Bible In Its Original Order. It is tremendous and looks wonderful. The paper is super fine, the print easy to read, and the artwork on the cover is outstanding. We should receive a competed copy of the lambskin version within a week. When it is approved we will finally be on the home stretch. While it has taken longer than anticipated, the Bible project is almost finished. Thank you for your patience.

Brethren, in spite of the great stress and difficulties in the world and even in our own lives, we have the greatest hope possible! We believe in God the Father and Jesus Christ, Who love us and are always for us. In fact, they are training us to take over the world with Jesus when He returns to set up the Kingdom of God. So never get discouraged—God loves you and is watching over you. Thank you for your love, prayers and continued support with your tithes and offerings. May God continue to bless you with His love and grace in all things.

With love in Christ Jesus,

Fred R. Coulter

FRC

Supplements:

1) The Plagues of Egypt - PDF format

2) Genesis 15 Covenant Sacrifice and the Death of Jesus Christ - PDF format