August, 2007

Fred R. Coulter, Minister

August 15, 2007

Dear Brethren,

We are getting closer to the fall festival season! Trumpets is less than a month away, quickly followed by Atonement, Tabernacles and the Last Great Day. Many have returned the Feast of Tabernacles Information Form. However, if you have not yet returned the feast form, please do so as soon as possible. This will help us to have an accurate estimate of the number of brethren attending so we can get things finalized for each site. Also, this will help us to identify those who are unable to attend the feast and will need to receive the feast messages.

As they have done for the past five years or so, Don and Bonnie Burrows have created a Feast of Tabernacles Coloring Book 2007 for children. We will send the books to all feast sites for children who are attending with their parents. If you are not able to attend and have children, please let us know and we will send you as many as you need. Don and Bonnie have also been working with Ron Cary, our CBCG Web site manager, to create a children’s section so parents can download coloring book pages from previous years. As it turns out, the coloring books are so popular that many adults also enjoy their messages—and perhaps color them as well!

Last spring, I talked with Don about what we could do for the youth of the church in the 10- to 14-year-old age group. Since the book of Proverbs was written for young people, Don agreed to develop something from Proverbs that would appeal to our youth—so that they might learn some valuable lessons not taught in the schools of this world. He and Bonnie recently completed the first volume, a 32-page booklet entitled The Proverbs of Solomon, the Son of David, King of Israel, Youth Series Volume One, Wisdom and Understanding. It turned out so well, we decided to send a copy to everyone (included in this mailing). We hope you enjoy the lessons and word puzzles they have created. Who knows, maybe it will bring out the youth in you! Extra copies of this booklet will be sent to all feast sites as well. If you would like additional copies, you can request them by phone, e-mail or letter.

The Bible Project: Just before writing this letter, I completed the chapter entitled God’s Divine Design of the Bible and Its Numeric Connection. It took a little longer than I had originally estimated, but we are still on schedule. However, we must have everything done and to the printer in China by October 15. This means that everyone involved in the project will have to be finished by the end of August. Then, for the remainder of the time, we will be making any last minute edits, changes or adjustments. As of today, it appears that we will make the deadline.

In the first pages of the coming Bible, we are going to have a short informational section called Why are There so Many Bibles in the World? We have included it in this mailing and hope that you will find the information interesting and inspiring. It is especially notable that American households have an average of four Bibles. Perhaps you might count the number of Bibles you own. In our home we have over forty, with various translations. We also have facsimiles of the original 1611 KJV and the Henry Matthews 1549 Bible (which is actually William Tyndale’s Bible that was finalized by John Rogers after Tyndale was martyred). I also own an original copy of the Stephens 1550 Byzantine Greek New Testament, as well as various Hebrew Bibles.

In a recent sermon, Current News & How Much Time is Left? (7-21-07), I read a report about a fantastic new weapon the Unites States is perfecting. In a class of its own, the airborne weapon uses a powerful laser beam mounted in a 747 jet airplane to instantly destroy enemy missiles and rockets. As I mentioned in the sermon, this changes all future warfare. The power of a laser light beam is instantaneous because it travels at the speed of light—186,000 miles per second. There is no defense against such an accurate, deadly weapon—no time to react or fight against it. All other weapons are rendered obsolete. Fighting against such a weapon would be like going to war with bows and arrows against atomic bombs.

During the sermon I asked, “I wonder if Satan went to God for permission to let men discover this technology?” I mentioned this because I had recently watched a program called “The Fourth Reich and the Occult” on the History Channel. It showed the connection between Germany’s advanced technology and the occult during WW II. When men use the occult, they are in contact with satanic and demonic powers.

As Jesus warned us, “Now as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it also be at the coming of the Son of man” (Matt. 24:37). Remember that the days of Noah also continued after the flood. At that time, men were on the verge producing things that were so advanced that God had to confound their languages and scatter them: “And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men built. And the Lord said, ‘Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.’

“So the Lord scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city. Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the Lord did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the Lord scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth” (Gen. 11:5-9).

But today we are in the last days—and you can be sure that God will no longer restrain men in what they imagine to do, or in the weapons they devise under Satan’s inspiration.

After one member heard this particular sermon, he sent us this artwork of the official insignia of the “Airborne Laser” unit that is testing this futuristic weapon.

As you can see, the emblem depicts a serpent shooting a laser beam at a missile. The serpent—an obvious symbol for Satan—apparently gives the weapon its power. The motto Peace Through Light certainly hearkens back to Genesis 3. And Satan does appear at times as an angel of light. Remember, Jesus said that conditions in the last days would become so perilous that only His return could stop the downward spiral—or no flesh would be saved alive!

One final thought: Once this powerful weapon is perfected by the US, will the nations demand that it be controlled by a “world body” as opposed to a single nation? Will the Beast ultimately control this weapon, so that “no one is able to make war against him”? (Rev. 13:4). As the nature of warfare changes through advanced technology, does this indicate that there is more time left than previously thought? We simply cannot know. Remember what Jesus said, “But concerning that day, and the hour, no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only” (Matt. 24:36).

Because we are very busy with the Bible Project, this will have to be a short letter, even though it is a large mailing.

Brethren, once again, thank you for your love, prayers and continued support through your tithes and offerings. Together, we are serving the brethren in many ways so that each one may grow in love, grace and knowledge and attain the Kingdom of God. May God the Father and Jesus Christ continue to bless you and yours with love and grace in every way.

With love in Christ Jesus,

Fred R. Coulter

FRC

Why are There so Many Bibles in the World?

In 1456, at Mainz, Germany, Johann Gutenberg printed the first Bible using movable type. It was a beautiful, artistic folio-size Latin Vulgate. Since that time, various individuals and agencies have translated, produced and distributed the Bible around the world. From Gutenberg to the early nineteenth century, the number of Bibles printed and distributed is not known, as records were not kept. Fairly accurate estimates are available, however, beginning with the early 1800s.

The Bible Society of the United Kingdom calculates that the number of Bibles printed between 1816 and 1975 was 2,458,000,000. By 1992 the estimated number rose to nearly six billion. Furthermore, worldwide sales of the Bible number more than a staggering 100 million each year, far outpacing any other book in history. Without a doubt, the Bible is the best selling book of all time.

This means that as of the year 2007, approximately 7.5 billion Bibles have been distributed throughout world—with the vast majority still available for use! And these figures do not include the various digital versions of the Bible being used today by millions on computers, Blackberries—and now iPhones.

Currently, the complete Bible has been published in over 450 languages. The New Testament alone has been published in nearly 1,400 languages, with the Gospel of Mark in over 2,370 languages. Although these figures represent less than half of the languages and dialects presently in use in the world, they nonetheless “include the primary vehicles of communication of well over 90% of the world’s population” (ipl.org.ar/ref/QUE/FARQ/bestseller FARQ.html).

Consider what this means. With the world’s population approaching six billion, there is approximately one Bible for every living person on Earth! There is, however, an uneven distribution of Bibles among the nations of the world. Some countries have very few Bibles compared to their overall populations, such as the Asian nations, the Middle East and the countries of the former Soviet Union where religious freedom—specifically “Christianity”—is not tolerated or, at best, is greatly restricted. On the other hand, countries in the Western World may have more Bibles than people, such as in the United States. The Harper San Francisco book catalog recently published some interesting statistics. It states that the annual expenditure for Bibles in America is currently $425 million and that the average American household contains four Bibles (Harper San Francisco Book Catalog, May-August, 2007, p. 15).

These statistics reflect the fact that the United States, since its inception, has been a Bible-reading and Bible-believing nation. This is evident in such founding documents as the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Also, the preamble of nearly every state constitution invokes the name “Almighty God.” Until recent times, the Bible traditionally was used for teaching the basic standards of private and public moral conduct. It has been the “foundation” of our laws and judicial system, as well as the moral standard for federal and state governments.

Because of our adherence to the Bible and its principles, the United States has been blessed beyond measure—making it the wealthiest and most generous nation in the world. Principally, the people of America contribute billions of dollars annually to churches and private charities. As well, the US government contributes billions of taxpayer dollars in assistance to many of the downtrodden nations of the world.

In the twentieth century, America has been on the “forefront” when it comes to fighting wars in the name of God to rid the world of evil despotism. Furthermore, for over one hundred years, all denominations of Christian churches in United States have been the primary leaders in preaching the Gospel to the world. Finally, the Bible Societies of America and Britain are responsible for translating and printing the Bible in hundreds of languages—and distributing them around the globe in a combined effort to bring the Gospel to as many people as possible.

Yet, these stark facts and figures chronicle a story far greater than numbers alone suggest. In reality, they document the awesome fulfillment of Jesus Christ’s prophecy that “assuredly” in the end times the Gospel—which is contained in the whole Bible—would be preached and published throughout the entire world before the end! “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be proclaimed in all the world for a witness to all nations; and then shall the end come…. And [before the end comes] the gospel must first be published among all nations” (Matt. 24:14; Mark 13:10). Moreover, Jesus said, “The heaven and the earth shall pass away, but My words shall never pass away” (Mark 13:31).

In addition to any direct preaching or proclaiming of the Gospel, it is evident that God has caused to be published and distributed into all the world more than 7.5 billion printed and digital “witnesses” in the form of the Holy Bible—a personal written message from God, readily available to 90% of the world’s population. And there is no plausible justification for not reading the Bible. For those who have a Bible but fail to read it, those individuals have still received a written testimony from God! God has accomplished His part by causing it to be easily accessible, just as Jesus prophesied.

Since the end of this age and the return of Jesus Christ appear to be in the not-too-distant future, we need to ask some pertinent questions concerning the Word of God: How many more Bibles will be published between now and Christ’s return? Will a “saturation point” be reached, with 100% of the nations having access to the Word of God before the end comes? Time will tell. But, truly, we can expect Jesus’ prophecies to be fulfilled exactly as He said.

This is why there are so many Bibles in the world today. All those who love God the Father and believe in Jesus Christ as personal Savior, should read and study the Word of God daily. It is God’s personal instruction book for you, so that in steadfast certainty you can live in this present age with godly faith, hope and love—all in preparation for eternal life and the triumphant return of Jesus Christ to rule this world as King of kings and Lord of lords.