October, 2009

Fred R. Coulter

Minister

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October 21, 2009

Dear Brethren,

We had a fantastic Feast of Tabernacles and Last Great Day! All of the feast sites in the USA and overseas reported that they had a tremendous feast, with wonderful fellowship and exciting activities. I was at five feast sites, with an exceptional turnout of brethren in all locations. Most evident were the love, fellowship and unity of God's Holy Spirit, with peaceful and serving attitudes. (Next month's mailing will include a CD audio report on the feast sites, complete with member letters and comments.)

With turmoil in government, finance, religion, and in the lives of so many, it is a great blessing to realize the high calling of God the Father that we will be the ones who will rule in the Kingdom of God, under Jesus Christ. We will help straighten out the mess that mankind has gotten itself into. And what a mess it is in, all because of Satan, sin and deception! We know that "the ancient serpent who is called the Devil and Satan, who is deceiving the whole world," is responsible for the state of the world today (Rev. 12:9).

Isaiah succinctly prophesied of these days and describes the frustration that people are experiencing in every area of their lives, especially in government and religion: "Therefore justice is far from us; nor does righteousness overtake us. We wait for light, but behold, darkness; for brightness, but we walk in deep shadows. We grope along the wall like the blind, and we grope as if we had no eyes. We stumble at noonday as in the night; among those who are strong, we are like dead men. We all roar like bears, and mourn grievously like doves; we look for justice, but there is none, we look for salvation, yet it is far off from us; for our transgressions are multiplied before You, and our sins testify against us; for our transgressions are with us; and as for our iniquities, we know them; in rebellion and denial of the LORD, and turning away from our God, talking perversity and revolt, conceiving and speaking from the heart words of falsehood. And justice is driven backward, and righteousness stands afar off; for truth has fallen in the street, and uprightness cannot enter. Yea, truth fails; and he who departs from evil makes himself a prey. And the LORD saw, and it was evil in His eyes that there was no justice" (Isa. 59:9-15).

The world is cloaked in a pall of lies and deceit, and very few comprehend what is really occurring. It is clear that only the true saints of God understand what is happening in the world and why things are the way they are. The apostle John clearly understood that the world is fully under the power of Satan the devil: "We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the wicked one. And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us an understanding, so that we may know Him Who is true; and we are in Him Who is true, and in His Son, Jesus Christ. He is the true God, and the eternal life" (I John 5:19-20).

In truth, there is no man who can bring the solutions the world so desperately needsa??for the solutions of men lead only to additional problems. God Himself looked to see if there was anyone who had the ability to solve man's problemsa??but there was none! In fact, God makes it clear that mankind's problems are so great that only He can rescue us through Christ's return: a??And He saw that there was no man, and was astonished that there was no intercessor. Therefore His own arm brought salvation to Him; and His righteousness sustained Him, for He put on righteousness like a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation upon His head. And He put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was covered with zeal like a cloak. According to their deeds, accordingly He will repay; fury to His foes, deed for deed to His enemies. He will repay their deeds to the isles.

'so they shall fear the name of the LORD from the west, and His glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall make him flee. a??The Redeemer [Jesus Christ] shall come [from heaven, in power and glory] to Zion, and to those who turn from transgression in Jacob,a?? says the LORD. a??As for Me, this is My covenant with them [the true saints of God],a?? says the LORD, a??My spirit that is upon you, and My words which I have put in your mouth, shall not depart out of your mouth, nor out of the mouth of your seed, nor out of the mouth of your seed's seed,a?? says the LORD, a??from now on and forevera?? a?? (Isa. 59:16-21).

Now that we have finished God's festivals for this year, we are entering into the time of Satan's false holidays of Halloween, Christmas and, later, Easter. These counterfeits hold the masses of the world in the grip of lies and myths. Moreover, when the majority of people a??do what is right in their own eyes,a?? evil and wickedness only multiply. It is exactly as Jesus said, a??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 colda?? (Matt. 24:10-12).

The world has reached the saturation point of wickedness, corruption and evil only twice. The first time was during the days of Noah, as described in Genesis six. The whole worlda??with the exception of only one man, Noaha??was so evil that even God was sorry that He had made man: a??And the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the LORD repented that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.

a??And the LORD said, a??I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, and the crawling thing, and the fowl of the air; for I repent that I have made them.a?? But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORDa?|. Noah was a righteous man and perfect in his generations, for Noah walked with Goda?? (Gen. 6:5-9).

Notice the condition of the whole world at that time: a??Now the earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. And God looked upon the earth, and behold, it was corrupta??for all flesh had corrupted its way upon the earth. And God said to Noah, a??The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them. And, behold, I will destroy them with the eartha?? a?? (verses 11-13).

The second time is occurring right nowa??in the days just before the return of Jesus Christ. We do not know how long this condition will continue, but it will only increase and intensify in the coming years. Notice what Jesus said, a??Now as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it also be at the coming of the Son of man. For as in the days that were before the Flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark; and they were not aware until the Flood came and took them all away; so shall it also be at the coming of the Son of mana?? (Matt. 24:37-39).

In spite of all these conditions in the world, we must be like Noah. We must walk with God. We must be righteous through Jesus Christ. We must continue to a??keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christa?|. Here is the patience of the saints; here are the ones who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesusa?? (Rev. 12:17; 14:12).

Jesus also said, a??The one who endures to the end, that one shall be saveda?? (Matt. 24:13).

Always remember: Through thick or thin, good times or bad times, prosperous times or poor times, we must continue to love God, as Jesus said. a?? a??You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.a?? This is the first and greatest commandment; and the second one is like it: a??You shall love your neighbor as yourself.a?? On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophetsa?? (Matt. 22:37-40). This is how we endure to the end! This is how we overcome Satan, sin, self and the worlda??every day, every week, every month and every year.

The apostle Paul gave us the perfect formula by which to apply these words of Jesus Christ: a??Put on then, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, deep inner affections, kindness, humility, meekness and long-suffering; forbearing one another, and forgiving one another if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so also you should forgive. And above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.

a??And let the peace of God rule in your hearts [rather than anxiety and worry], to which you were called into one body, and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

a??And in everythinga??whatever you do in word or in deeda??do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by Hima?? (Col. 3:12-17).

Brethren, if we do these things we can have the love of God and peace of minda??and faithfully endure to the end. This is how we can all get through the tough days ahead.

Church at Home: At all the feast sites in the USA, those attending were able to view the first two video recordings for Church at Home. By the time you receive this letter we will have completed five or six more. We are now developing the Church at Home Web site. We are planning to go a??on linea?? by January 1, 2010. By that time we hope to have 15-20 or more half-hour videos that can be viewed as streaming video, or downloaded for later viewing.

For those who do not have computers, you will not be left out. We plan on sending you the Church at Home videos on DVD. You can also use these DVDs to show the videos to people not in the Church, as these programs are designed to reach out to new people.

With the way things are in the world, Church at Home should, with God's blessing, be a great success!

The Second Edition Bible Project: The first shipment of Bibles, a 40-foot container full, is scheduled to be shipped on October 24, 2009, with another container about a week later. It will take about 10 days to arrive and about a week to clear customs. As soon as we receive them we will begin shipping the Bibles to those who have requested them. Also, Bob Ellsworth will be able to go ahead full steam with his direct sales program. He is doing an excellent job of selling the Bible to the public. The Holy Bible In Its Original Order has been well received by all but a very few.

God's Bible Pathway for Children: Everything is at the printer, Thomson-Shore, in Dexter, Michigan. They should be finished in two weeks. We will automatically mail everyone on the mailing list a copy of this book, so you will not have to request it. This is one that you can recommend and freely give to others, especially those who have small children or grandchildren.

Brethren, while there may be a slight, temporary improvement in the economy, we realize that it will likely deteriorate further. However, in spite of these conditionsa??and whatever the conditions have been for you personallya??we truly thank God, and you personally, for your continued faithfulness in your love and prayers, as well as in your tithes and offerings. We know that God will bless you and watch over you in everything. We pray for you daily, as well as for all the brethren in Christ Jesus around the world.

With love, in Christ Jesus,

Fred R. Coulter

FRC