July, 2008

Fred R. Coulter

Minister

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July 17, 2008

Dear Brethren,

The new Bibles have all been mailed out to those living in the USA! In fact, the last copies were mailed out on Thursday, July 10. Most of you will have received your Bible(s) by the time this letter arrives--or shortly thereafter. Because of shipping arrangements, Australia and New Zealand received their copies first--as they are closer to China. South Africa received their bulk shipment on Friday, July 11, and began mailing copies out to the brethren on the following Monday. However, just as some will get their copies first, some will get theirs last. Because of the distance to Canada, the United Kingdom and certain parts of Africa, those areas will get their shipments last--but don't worry, they are coming! As you will see, it will be well worth the wait!

It is indeed a beautiful Bible--featuring a genuine handcrafted lambskin cover. When we began to examine various samples of leather and vinyl for the cover, we immediately found vinyl to be unacceptable. The printer also sent us samples of cow and pig leather. Like the vinyl, the cowhide failed to meet our expectations--and whoever heard of a pigskin Bible! Imagine the pure, clean Word of God wrapped in unclean swine's skin--unthinkable! My wife, Dolores, suggested, "Why not lambskin? The Bible is about the Lamb of God, so why shouldn't it be bound in lambskin?" That sounded perfect--and indeed the lambskin covers are elegant, soft and smooth. The gold-stamped lettering of the title, The Holy Bible In Its Original Order--A Faithful Version With Commentary--plus the large logo of an open Bible reading "Your Word is the Truth," John 17:17--is indeed exquisite.

With 1410 pages, the new Bible is amazingly only 1-3/8 inches thick. The paper is high-quality French Bible paper (40 gsm)--with gold gilded edges. The pages are easy to turn and do not stick together. The new Bible also features wide margins for note-taking, and a center column with selected references, word definitions and alternate renderings for various key words. Such details are all quite fitting for the Word of God--the "God-breathed" Scriptures translated into English--showing the way to eternal life!

The highly durable presentation box is beautifully adorned with original artwork. On the back of the box is an answer to the question, "Why This Bible?" It reads: "You hold in your hands an extraordinary Bible--unique in two ways. First ... it is the only complete Bible ever published that accurately follows the original God-inspired manuscript order of all the books of the Old and New Testaments. In addition, once the original order of the 49 biblical books has been restored, the Seven Divisions of the Bible are also re-established: The Old Testament contains: 1) The Law, 2) The Prophets, and 3) The Writings. The New Testament contains: 4) The Gospels and Acts, 5) The General Epistles, 6) The Epistles of Paul, and 7) The Book of Revelation. With this restoration, God's purposeful design of the Scriptures begins to unfold, revealing His divine inspiration.

"The Holy Bible is not a collection of mythological fables conceived by human minds. Rather, `holy men of God spoke [and wrote] as they were moved by the Holy Spirit' (II Pet. 1:21). As Paul wrote, `All Scripture is God-breathed'--and thus reflects the mind of Almighty God, Creator of heaven and earth. It is the truth of God from the God of Truth, Who cannot lie; it is His personal revelation to mankind--the pinnacle of His creation--whom He made in His own image. From Genesis to Revelation, God reveals His awesome, eternal plan and purpose for those who love and obey Him.

"Second, this version is a new translation--A Faithful Version--that reflects the true meaning of the original Hebrew and Greek with fidelity and accuracy, showing the unity of the Scriptures between the Old and New Testaments. Today, in the face of rampant religious confusion, those who read and study the English Bible deserve an excellency of translation that can be trusted. Reviewer Dan Decker of Bible Editions and Versions (June 2005) writes of this Faithful Version of the New Testament: `It [is] an excellent translation for those desiring a literal one.' Likewise, the Old Testament rendition faithfully conveys the clear meaning of the Hebrew text.

"Included are vital commentaries providing accurate accounts of the history and preservation of the books of the Bible: Who wrote them? When were they written? When were they canonized and by whom? Other Commentaries and Appendices answer critical questions such as: When was Jesus Born? How did Jesus Christ fulfill the Law and the Prophets? When was Jesus crucified? How long was He in the tomb? When was He resurrected? What does it mean to be born again? What are works of law? What are the true teachings of the early apostolic New Testament Church that Jesus founded? Also, biblical and historical chronologies show an accurate timeline from the creation of Adam and Eve to the present. There are detailed footnotes and marginal references explaining hard-to-understand passages of Scripture."

In addition to these features, this Bible is the only Bible in the world that upholds the duality of God--the two Jehovahs of the Old Testament and the two Lords of the New Testament--God the Father and God the Son, Who was God manifested in the flesh. The technical aspects of the Hebrew and Greek supporting this biblical revelation are included in various appendices. This teaching is important because, in rejecting the two Jehovahs of the Old Testament, the Jews cling to a false, monotheistic doctrine of God and reject the New Testament--while the world's "Christianity" holds to a false triune version of God.

An additional thought about the new Bible: Helmut Burger, our office manager in South Africa, e-mailed this most interesting thought about the Bible and the contrasts between the OT and the NT: "The other day, thinking about the coming Bible and about the fact that it is in [the] original order, both OT and NT, and the importance of that fact taken by itself, I took down my Hebrew Bible, and whilst reminding myself of the original order of the OT, the fact just struck me: In its original order, the OT ends with the four books that describe the story of the kings of God's people and their pathetic efforts to reign. (Obviously, some of them really tried, David, for instance.) Nevertheless, the whole system of kings was Israel's carnal wish which God granted.

"When you have the whole Bible in its original order (and this is what struck me as wonderful), when you turn the page over from II Chronicles to Matthew, what follows is the history of the birth, life, crucifixion, death, resurrection and everlasting life of the King of kings and Lord of lords--God's way versus man's way! IT STARTS DIRECTLY AFTER THE HISTORY OF THE MISERABLE FAILURE OF CARNAL MAN'S CARNAL KINGS. So one could say that Matthew and the other Gospels could be called III Kings, King of kings--a natural continuation after Kings and Chronicles. How absolutely wonderful! Praise God for He is great! Just a thought that I had to share with someone.

With Christian love, Helmut"

Economic News: Friday, July 11, was a landmark disastrous day for US financial/mortgage bankers. Just when many pundits were predicting that the economic condition in America was beginning to improve, they were proven wrong. Maybe it will get far worse--and perhaps quickly. On June 28 the Dutch Financial Telegraph reported that Fortis, the European branch of Merrill Lynch, is "expecting a complete breakdown of the American financial markets within days or weeks," and indicated that Europe would likewise have great financial distress.

Apparently, Fortis has a handle on the problems with the American financial system. Exactly two weeks later, on July 11, the Federal Reserve and the Treasury Department seized Indymac, a major mortgage bank in California. Because of comments made by New York Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer, there was a run on Indymac for the withdrawal of funds to the tune of 1.5 billion dollars over just two days. This is why the Feds had to step in immediately and take over the bank. Television reports said that Indymac accounts of less than $100,000 were fully secure and account holders could operate as normal. Those who had more than $100,000 would receive the full amount of the first $100,000, but would only receive 50% of anything over $100,000. So, if a person had $200,000 in the bank, they would only receive $150,000--an instant 25% loss of $50,000.

It was also reported on Friday that the two largest federally-backed wholesale mortgage lenders in the USA--FANME and Freddie Mac--nearly collapsed as their stock dramatically fell to about $1 per share. Reacting swiftly, the Federal government announced it would not allow the two lenders to go bankrupt, promising to provide liquidity to the tune of billions--perhaps hundreds of billions of dollars. This all comes on the heels of the recent congressional passage of a mortgage bailout bill for homeowners. Things are so bad that President Bush has no other alternative but to agree to these federal bailouts.

What is even more chilling is the report that an additional 90 banks are on the Federal Reserve's "watch list" as being vulnerable to massive withdrawals of funds which could lead to their collapse. If that were to occur, it is conceivable that the entire American economic system could collapse, resulting in a depression more severe than that of 1929.

The effects of such a collapse would quickly spread around the world. The only solution would be a completely new "worldwide monetary system." While it would not usher in the "Mark of the Beast," such a system would surely move the world closer to that prophetic milestone. Perhaps a one-world currency would be instituted. Such a move may be necessary in order to stop all the currency and commodity speculators who have been driving most, if not all, of the wild speculation in the financial and commodities markets. Such speculation is largely responsible for the price of oil recently reaching $150 a barrel. It is readily acknowledged that the cost of oil is behind the current runaway inflation, which ranges from 50-200% or more and affects the prices of everything people need just to live.

At the present rate of oil importation, the USA is transferring $746 billion to foreign countries annually, many of whom are our enemies or are hostile to America. This is the greatest transfer of wealth in the history of the world. Even some of our Islamic allies, while professing to be friendly to the USA, may be our enemies. Some of these countries are using the monies we send them as payment for oil to turn around and buy American assets--companies, lands, banks, stocks and bonds, etc.

If such a financial collapse occurs and does not spread to the whole world, then perhaps the Amero would be introduced to replace the currencies of the USA, Canada and Mexico in an attempt to temporarily solve the crisis. Perhaps this would be the first step toward the full implementation of the North American Union--MexAmeriCana--in a 2009-2011 time frame.

In such a scenario, it will undoubtedly be proclaimed that the USA, Mexico and Canada will maintain their sovereignty--functioning much like the nations of European Union. However, the EU is taking more and more sovereignty away from their member countries and consolidating those powers into the hands of the EU central government in Brussels, thus reducing the sovereignty and freedoms of the member nations. A future North American Union would likely follow the same pattern.

When all of these events and circumstances are added up, we can only come to the conclusion that God's prophesies against modern Israel are coming to pass--not only in the USA, but in the UK as well. Notice what God said through Moses 3500 years ago: "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).

While these things are not pleasant to see happening or to report, we need to realize that the prophecies of the Word of God are sure! Yes, we live in the end times, and many brethren are excited that they may live to see the return of Jesus Christ. However, we must also be prepared to experience some extremely difficult times--actually the worst times in history, affecting all levels of society around the world.

Jesus Himself forewarned us of these days in Matthew 24: "And as He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, His disciples came to Him alone, saying, `Tell us, when shall these things be? And what shall be the sign of Your coming, and of the completion of the age?' Then Jesus answered and said to them, `Be on guard, so that no one deceives you. For many shall come in My name, saying, "I am the Christ"; and they shall deceive many.

" `And you shall hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you do not let these things disturb you. For it is necessary that all these things take place, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there shall be famines and pestilences and earthquakes in different places. Now all these things are the beginning of sorrows' " (Matt. 24:3-8)

We are not told how long the "time of sorrows" will last, but it appears to be an extended period of sickness, disease, crime, severe weather upheavals, revolutions, death and destruction. The "time of sorrows" will affect everyone.

As Jesus said, true Christians will begin to face more and more religious persecution. The legal ground work is already being laid through the enactment of "hate crimes." Undoubtedly, these will become more and more restrictive and the arrests will begin: " `Then shall they deliver you up to affliction, and shall kill you; and you shall be hated by all nations for My name's sake. And then shall many be led into sin, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another; and many false prophets shall arise, and shall deceive many; and because lawlessness shall be multiplied, the love of many shall grow cold. But the one who endures to the end, that one shall be saved' " (verses 9-13).

Although these events will impact our lives in varying degrees, we need not become discouraged. Consider Jesus' admonition: " `But when these things begin to take place, look up, and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.' Then He spoke a parable to them: `Observe the fig tree, and all the trees. When they have already begun to bud, and you look at them, you yourselves know that summer is near. In the same way also, when you see these things coming to pass, know that the kingdom of God is near.

" `Truly I say to you, there is no way that this generation shall pass away until all these things have taken place. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall never pass away. Watch yourselves, lest your hearts be preoccupied with high living and drinking and the cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly. For as a snare it shall come upon all those who dwell on the face of the earth. Watch therefore, and pray at all times that you may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man' " (Luke 24:28-36).

As we witness such prophetic events, we need to be "harmless as doves, but wise as serpents." It would be wise to lay in store some extra food, water, candles, etc., in order to carry us through some of the roughest times when they first hit. As difficult as it may become, there will be a short period during which the financial system will rebound and things begin to improve again. Ultimately, we will all have a much lower standard of living than we have been used to. We need to claim the promises of God that He will see us through these difficult times. While we realize that inflation is hitting everyone, we must claim the promises of God that He will provide for us as we continue to love and honor Him, regardless of circumstances.

Brethren, we know you will enjoy your new Bible--the fruit of much work by many in serving you by providing the best Bible possible. It is also the fruit of your love, prayers and continued support with your tithes and offerings. We always keep in mind that you love us and pray for us daily, so likewise we love you and pray for you day and night. Although we are a small church with many scattered brethren meeting in homes--and although we are the weak of the world--remember that God the Father personally loves each one of us. Jesus Himself personally loves you; He died for you to forgive your sins and was raised from the dead so that you may have eternal life with all the saints at His return. Keep this uppermost in your hearts and minds and be encouraged in spite of all that is happening in the world.

With love in Christ Jesus,

Fred R. Coulter

FRC

Important Feast of Tabernacles Note: For the Cartersville, GA, feast site--at The Lodge at Red Top Mountain State Park--Bob Hunnicutt and His wife Elaine will be there. Bob is one of our elders and will be happy to serve you in any way. Bob will be the festival elder and Daral Arbogast will be the host.

Additional Feast Site in the Northeast: We have an additional Feast site in the state of Maine. With this site it will reduce the miles that the brethren have to drive as far to keep the Feast:

Village by The Sea

1371 Post Road

Wells, ME 04090

Call for information on the room prices. Tell them you are with the CBCG in order to get the reduced rate. The phone number is: 1-800-444-8861 or 1-207-646-1100