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Christian Biblical Church of God
Post Office Box 1442
Hollister, California 95024-1442
(831)-637-1875
Fred R. Coulter
Minister
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May 14, 2008
Dear Brethren,
God has certainly blessed us with an
inspiring Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread. We began with the
Passover in Hollister. Then we kept the Night to be Much Observed and
the first holy day in Fairfield, California. We had outstanding
meals—the best we have ever had for a holy day—truly fit for a feast! I
spoke on the meaning of the first holy day and about God’s plan for
those He calls in this age, just before the return of Jesus Christ. When
we include the meaning of the Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread
pictures the fact that only God has the power to rescue us from the
author of sin—Satan the Devil—and to remove sin from our minds and
lives.
The apostle Paul explains the full
meaning of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ: “Giving
thanks to the Father, Who has made us qualified for the share of the
inheritance of the saints in the light; Who has personally rescued us
from the power of darkness and has transferred us unto the
kingdom of the Son of His love; in
Whom we have redemption through His own blood, even the remission
of sins…. And,
having made peace through the blood of His cross, by Him to reconcile
all things to Himself; by Him, whether the things on the earth, or the
things in heaven. For you were once alienated and enemies in
your minds by wicked works; but now He has reconciled you
in the body of His flesh through death
[His crucifixion and death, and your symbolic death in baptism], to
present you holy and unblamable and unimpeachable before Him;
if indeed you continue in the faith grounded and steadfast, and are
not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which you have heard, and
which was proclaimed in all the creation that is under heaven”
(Col. 1:12-14, 20-23).
During his trial before King Agrippa,
Paul explained how Jesus called him to be an apostle. When he was on his
way to Damascus to arrest and persecute Jews who believed in Christ and
followed the “New Way” of the Lord, Paul was knocked to ground,
surrounded by a great light. When he asked who had caused this, Jesus
answered, “ ‘I am Jesus, Whom you are persecuting. Now arise, and stand
on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose: to appoint
you as a minister and a witness both of what you have seen and
what I shall reveal to you. I am personally selecting you from among the
people and the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, to open their eyes,
that they may turn from darkness to light, and from the
authority of Satan to God, so that they may receive remission of sins
and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified through faith in
Me’ ” (Acts 26:15-18).
Brethren, we must always
rejoice that God the Father and Jesus Christ have likewise delivered
us from Satan and darkness, and have granted us remission of
sins—especially as we see world events unfolding as they are.
Booklet on How to Count To Pentecost:
This year—with Passover
falling on a weekly Sabbath and being observed on Friday night—the first
holy day of Unleavened Bread fell on a Sunday and the last holy day fell
on a weekly Sabbath. Because of this sequence of days, the question
often arises: “How do we count to Pentecost”—especially when the
Passover is late in the year. This is why, prior to the feast, we sent
out the booklet, Count To Pentecost—From the Morrow After Which
Sabbath?—so that you might understand the problem and its biblical
answer. The booklet thoroughly explains from Scripture that the Passover
Day is a separate day of Unleavened Bread. In fact, in the New
Testament the Passover Day itself is called “the first of the
unleaveneds,” clearly showing that it is always a separate day of
unleavened Bread. Yet, it is the day before the first day of the
Feast of Unleavened Bread.
We need to also realize that when
Passover falls on a weekly Sabbath, we cannot do the work of deleavening
our homes on the Sabbath. Thus—at least in those years when the Passover
falls on the weekly Sabbath—the Passover Day must be an
unleavened bread day. Therefore, the day after this weekly
Sabbath is the day on which to begin the 50-day count to Pentecost!
In reality, the Passover seldom falls on
the weekly Sabbath—at times with up to 13 years between occurrences. It
is interesting to note that Passover does not fall on a weekly Sabbath
again until the year 2021—another 13-year span (inclusive counting.) It
will do so again in 2025, 2043, 2045 and 2047—if there is that much time
before the return of Jesus Christ. Looking back, it is also interesting
to note that the Passover did not fall on a weekly Sabbath from 1982 to
1994—13 years (inclusive counting.)
When Passover fell on the weekly Sabbath
in 1994, many people began to ask the question, “The day after which
Sabbath do we begin the 50-day count to Pentecost?” At that time, some
churches of God began their 50-day count on the first day of the week
after the last holy day of the Feast Unleavened Bread—which that year
fell on the weekly Sabbath. This method of counting placed the Wave
Sheaf Offering Day outside of the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
However, the Wave Sheaf Offering Day must always fall within the
Feast of Unleavened Bread. Otherwise, the children of Israel would have
been unable to offer new grain offerings or parched (green) grain
offerings in conjunction with the spring harvest during the feast, as
required by Leviticus 23:14.
According to the calculated Hebrew
Calendar—the only calendar that God gave to the Levites and the only one
we should follow today—the Passover Day can fall on a Friday, on the
Sabbath, on Monday or on Wednesday. (Remember, the Passover is always
observed the night before.) However, the Passover cannot fall on a
Sunday, Tuesday or Thursday. (Please refer to the booklet for more
details.)
My Travels During the Feast:
Because the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread fell on a Sunday
this year, it afforded me the opportunity to travel extensively and
visit many of the brethren. So on Monday, April 20, I flew to Boise,
Idaho, where I first began to pastor for the WCG back in May of 1965.
Dolores and I moved there after I was ordained an elder by Herbert
Armstrong on the last day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, April 23,
1965.
This year, I especially wanted to go to
Boise and visit with Ruth Kennedy, since she was one of the first
members Dolores and I visited when we moved to Idaho. She has been
faithful all these years and is nearing the age of 100. She lives in her
own home; her next-door neighbor is Marjorie Sharver, also a member of
God’s Church. Marjorie and I had a nice visit with Ruth and I showed
them both the new Bible, as I had just received the first copy of the
lambskin version the week before. Ruth was thrilled to examine the
beautiful new Bible—The Holy Bible In Its Original Order—and she
exclaimed, “It is perfect!”
Later that evening we had a Bible Study
at Marjorie’s house with 18 brethren attending. We had an inspiring
study and visit. Everyone examined the new Bible and I spoke about some
of its unique features and how, as a translation, it is superior to the
KJV.
On Tuesday morning I drove a rental car
to Twin Falls, Idaho, 130 miles southeast of Boise. That evening, in the
town of Kimberly, a suburb of Twin Falls, we had a Bible Study at the
home of Jarrod and Christine Bordi, with 13 in attendance. They likewise
examined the new Bible; during the study I discussed some of its
features and how well it renders certain key verses. Everyone was
pleased, excited and anxious to receive their own copies.
On Wednesday, I got up early and drove to
Pocatello, Idaho, nearly 100 miles further east, to enjoy a special
visit with Russell and Cleone Parr (he is 83 and she is 91). This visit
was most enjoyable because the Parr’s are quite alone, having no one
with which to fellowship. Cleone prepared a wonderful breakfast of
unleavened crepes with fresh fruit and eggs. Afterwards, I showed them
the new Bible. They were so enthused and can hardly wait to get their
hands on their own copies.
Later that day I drove to Salt Lake City,
Utah, where I had pastored the local church for the WCG for seven years,
from 1966 to 1972. Dolores, our two sons, Jonathan and David, and I
lived in a suburb of Salt Lake City called Granger. In addition to
caring for the Salt Lake City Church, I also
continued to pastor the Boise Church, 340 miles away. In order to do
that on a weekly basis, I flew every Sabbath from Salt Lake City to
Boise. Each Sabbath, we had services in SLC at 9:30 AM; I would then
catch a plane at 12:30 PM and fly to Boise, where we had services at
2:30 PM. Saturday night we had Spokesman Club. I would visit the
brethren in the Boise area on Sunday. Then I would do office work in the
small apartment we rented from Rueben and Irene Henshaw (in fact, our
two sons were born in their home).
After arriving in Salt Lake City, I
turned in the rental car at the airport. Bob Jacobson picked me up and
we went to his home where we had 17 brethren over that evening for a
Bible Study and fellowship. Again, I showed everyone the new Bible and
gave a special study concerning its features. Everyone was delighted and
are anxious to receive their own copies.
On Thursday, we got up early and Bob and
his wife, Anita, took me to the airport where I caught a plane to
Atlanta, Georgia. The plane was on time and it gave me an opportunity to
check on the set up and meal for the coming Sabbath, the last day of
Unleavened Bread, at the Renaissance Hotel. While there I also received
two additional leather versions of the new Bible.
We had 48 brethren from all over the
South come to Atlanta. We had a great room to meet in. Since I had the
two additional copies of the new Bible, everyone was able to take a
close look at it—to handle it and do some short reads of certain
scriptures. We had a special song service in which we sang five hymns
from the CBCG hymnal that most had not previously learned. Then I
preached on the meaning of the last day of the Feast of Unleavened
Bread—that God will always fight for us and that we need to constantly
rely on him in every circumstance. We had a wonderful meal between
morning and afternoon services. In the afternoon, I again gave a special
study concerning the features of the new Bible.
Later that night I caught a plane
for Manchester, New Hampshire. I arrived
about 11 PM and Wayne Stenhouse picked me up at the airport. The next
day we had two Bible studies, one in the morning and one in the
afternoon. As I did in all the other visits and Bible studies, the
brethren were able to examine the new Bible. Finally, I gave a special
study covering many of its unique features and various critical passages
that are now clearly translated and easy to understand. This special
study is the one that we are sending to you.
When Will You Receive Your Bibles?
The week this letter is mailed to you, we will be having our annual
Elders’ Conference in Cincinnati, Ohio. The printer in China is shipping
four cases of leather Bibles and one case of paperback Bibles to me at
the Greater Cincinnati Hilton Hotel where we are holding the Conference.
The elders will be the first ones to receive their Bibles. All the
brethren who come to Sabbath services in Cincinnati on May 17 will be
able to see and examine the new Bibles.
Meanwhile, back in China they will finish
binding the remainder of the 7,000 leather Bibles by the end of May and
will then ship them to us, as well as to
Australia and South Africa.
However, it will take 4 to 5 weeks for them to arrive. When they do, we
will immediately have them mailed to you. We have hired a company,
AdMail, that specializes in mass mailings. It will only take them a
little more than a day to ship all the Bibles to everyone. So it looks
like you will receive your copies toward the end of June or the first
part of July. Originally, we had expected that they would be finished a
couple of months sooner and shipped to you by now—but the printing and
binding took considerably more time than we had anticipated. Thank you
for your patience—we are almost there and you will get your Bible(s)!
The World Rejects God:
As we watch events transpire
in our nation and around the world—be it political, economic, or weather
related—we are witnessing the prophecies of God’s Word coming to pass.
The world is increasingly rejecting God. In so doing, mankind is
turning more and more to the occult—which Satan is pouring out like a
flood, spewing out great hatred toward the true God, Jesus Christ and
His Word, the Holy Bible!
Why is the Devil able to do this? Because
the majority of people do not
believe in the Bible, do not believe in Jesus Christ and do not believe
in God. While they profess a form of godliness, they, in fact,
shut God out of government, out of schools, out of public life
and out of their personal lives. Therefore, God turns them over to their
own devises and to Satan the devil. As a consequence, the whole world is
raging against God the Father and Jesus Christ, just as Psalm two
foretold: “Why do the nations rage and the people plot in vain?
The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel
together against the Lord
and against His Christ, saying, ‘Let us break Their bands asunder
and cast away Their cords from us.’ He who sits in the heavens laughs;
the Lord scoffs at
them. Then He shall speak to them in His wrath, and in His fury He
terrifies them” (verses 1-5).
God then declares that regardless of all
their efforts to get rid of Him, to establish their own world
government, Jesus Christ will be King over all the earth when He
returns to set up the Kingdom of God. We can be absolutely sure
of this one thing: Jesus is returning and nothing that man can do is
going stop it! The prophesy continues: “Yea, I have set My king upon My
holy mountain of Zion. I will declare
the decree of the Lord.
‘He has said to Me, “You are My Son; this day I have begotten You. Ask
of Me, and I shall give the nations for Your inheritance, and the
uttermost parts of the earth for Your possession. You shall break them
with a rod of iron; You shall dash them in pieces like a potter’s
vessel.” ’ And now be wise, O kings; be admonished, O judges of the
earth. Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son,
lest He be angry and you perish in the way, for His wrath can flame up
in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in Him” (verses 6-12).
Though the world
rejects God, He does exist. God is the Sovereign Ruler of the
heavens and the earth. Those who think that God does not rule in their
lives are greatly mistaken. The truth is, although God has given mankind
free moral agency, He still rules and has set before them life and
death. This applies to every human being of every nation. While carnal,
rebellious, lawless mankind does not recognize this, it is a literal
fact of human existence. It is as sure as the law of gravity—for good or
for evil.
The choices God set before the children of Israel are the same choices
that He set before Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden: “Behold, I
have set before you this day life and good, and death and evil, in that
I command you this day to love the Lord
your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments and His
statutes and His judgments so that you may live and multiply. And the Lord your God shall bless you in the land where you go
to possess it.
“But if your heart turn away so that you will not hear, but shall be
drawn away and worship other gods and serve them, I denounce to you this
day that you shall surely perish; you shall not prolong your
days on the land where you pass over Jordan to go to possess it. I call
heaven and earth to record this day against you that I have set
before you life and death, blessing and cursing. Therefore, choose
life, so that both you and your seed may live, that you may love the Lord
your God, and may obey His voice, and may cleave to Him; for
He is your life and the length of your days, so that you may dwell in
the land which the Lord
swore to your fathers—to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob—to give it
to them” (Deut. 30:15-20).
God rules, whether
for life or death—for blessing or cursing. Those whom God has called to
eternal life—blessing. For those who shut out God or reject Him—cursing!
As recorded in the Old Testament, throughout Israel’s and Judah’s entire
history, God pleaded with them, time and time again, to love Him, to
obey His voice and to keep His commandments. But they refused. In the
book of Hosea, God clearly shows what happens to any society that
rejects God and His Word. This is a prophecy for the people of Israel
today—not just the Jews, but the descendants of the northern ten tribes:
“Hear the Word of the Lord,
children of Israel, for the
Lord has a
controversy with the inhabitants of the land,
‘There is no truth, nor mercy, nor
knowledge of God in the land. By swearing, and lying, and killing, and
stealing, and the committing of adultery they break out; and blood
touches blood’ ” (Hosea 4:1-2).
This prophecy clearly describes the modern nations of
Israel—and
most of the world. Indeed, God has a controversy with all the
nations of the world (Jer. 25:31).
Sin affects everything. The land, the water, the oceans, the animals,
the birds and fish—everything is affected by man’s sins. Notice:
“Therefore shall the land mourn, and everyone who dwells in it shall
languish, with the beasts of the field and with the birds of the
heavens. Yes, the fish of the sea shall also be taken away…. My
people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected
knowledge, I will also reject you from being as a priest to Me. Since
you have forgotten the law of your God, I will also forget your children”
(Hosea 4:3, 6). The children of this generation have been forgotten,
shoved aside by parents preoccupied with the cares of this world. They
have been “dumbed down” by educational institutions and by the
mainstream media—including entertainment, music and the written word.
People see all
these troubles and ask, “Why is this happening?” Yet, the majority will
not seek God. They will continue to attempt to solve their own
problems—collectively and individually—while turning their backs on God.
But their political, economic and religious solutions will not work,
because the cause is not simple human error. The cause is that they have
rejected God and that they are living in sin. Until there
is repentance, there will be no change. The truth is: NO
ONE CAN SOLVE HIS OR HER PROBLEMS WITHOUT GOD! FURTHERMORE, IT IS IMPOSSIBLE
TO SOLVE SPIRITUAL PROBLEMS WITH POLITICAL SOLUTIONS! Hosea continues
his prophesy: “As they were
increased, so they sinned against Me. I will change their glory into
shame. They eat up the sin of My people, and they set their heart on
their iniquity. And it has become like people, like priest; and I will
punish them for their ways, and reward them for their doings, for they
shall eat and not have enough. They shall commit whoredom and not
increase because they have stopped taking heed to the Lord.
Whoredom and wine and new wine take away the heart. My people seek
advice from their wooden idols, and their [divining] rod declares
to them, for the spirit of whoredoms has caused them to go astray, and
they have gone a whoring away from under their God” (verses 7-12).
In spite of the fact that God must judge sin, He is merciful and
kind and has no pleasure in the death of the wicked. Remember, whenever
there is true repentance, God will forgive—He will intervene to save and
protect: “And you, son of man, speak to the house of Israel. Thus
shall you speak, saying, ‘When our transgressions and our sins
are on us, and we are wasting away in them, how then shall we live?’
Say to them, ‘As I live,’ says the Lord GOD,
‘I have no delight in the death of the wicked, except that the wicked
turn from his way, and live. Turn you, turn you from your evil ways; for
why will you die, O house of Israel?’ ” (Ezek. 33:10-11)
As we see the prophecies of the end times being fulfilled before our
very eyes, we do not need to be afraid. If we are seeking God daily, and
loving God the Father and Jesus Christ with all our hearts, He will
watch over us and protect us. In fact, God will separate the righteous
from the wicked and give them special protection, even during the times
of God’s most horrible judgments. Ezekiel prophesied of this: “Therefore
I will also deal with fury; My eye shall not spare, nor will I have
pity. And though they cry in My ears with a loud voice, I will
not hear them. And He cried in my ears with a loud voice, saying,
‘Let the executioners of the city draw near, even each with his
destroying weapon in his hand.’ And behold, six men came from the way of
the Upper Gate which faces north, and each had his slaughter weapon in
his hand. And one man among them was clothed with linen, and a
writer’s inkhorn by his side. And they went in and stood beside the
bronze altar. And the glory of the God of Israel had gone up from the
cherub, where it had been, to the threshold of the temple. And He called
to the man clothed in linen, with the writer’s inkhorn by his
side. And the Lord
said to him, ‘Go through in the midst of the city, in the midst of
Jerusalem, and set a mark on the foreheads of the men who are groaning
and are mourning because of all the abominations that are done in her
midst.’ And He said to those in my hearing, ‘Go through the city after
him, and slaughter. Let not your eye spare, nor have pity. Fully destroy
old men, young men and virgins, and little children and women.
But do not come near any man on whom is the mark. And begin at My
sanctuary. And they began with the old men who were before the
temple” (Ezek. 8:18-9:6).
Because of God’s
promises, we need not fear at all. Instead, in confidence and hope, we
need to use these opportunities to draw closer to God. We need to yield
our hearts and minds to God the Father and Jesus Christ, in love, faith
and hope. Jesus Christ will help us, comfort us and be with us: “For He
said, ‘In no way will I ever leave you; no, nor will I ever
forsake you in any way.’ So then, let us boldly say, ‘The Lord is
my helper, and I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?’… Jesus
Christ is the same yesterday, and today, and forever” (Heb.
13:5-8).
Regardless of your
circumstances—whether you are young or old, whether you are strong or
weak, whether you are newly converted or a longtime saint, whether you
are rich or poor—if you love God and keep His commandments, Jesus Christ
promises that He will watch over you. Notice: “I know your works.
Behold, I have set before you an open door, and no one has the power to
shut it; because you have a little strength, and have kept My word,
and have not denied My name [in this wicked and evil generation].
Behold, I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who proclaim
themselves to be Jews and are not, but do lie; behold, I will cause them
to come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved
you.
“Because you
have kept the word of My patience, I also will keep you from the time of
temptation, which is about to come upon the whole world to test
those who dwell on the earth. Behold, I am coming quickly; hold fast
that which you have, so that no one may take away your crown. The
one who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and
he shall not go out any more; and I will write upon him the name of My
God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which
will come down out of heaven from My God, and I will write upon
him My new name. The one who has an ear, let him hear what the
Spirit says to the churches” (Rev. 3:8-13).
If we live in God’s love and walk in faith every day, we can be sure
that God will keep His promises to us. Jesus Christ is the head of the
Church, and through the power of the Holy Spirit He is in you. He will
never fail you! Trust in Him at all times, regardless of the
circumstances around you—whether in good times, bad times or disaster!
As Jesus told the apostles on the night of His last Passover:
“Let not your heart be troubled. You
believe in God; believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many
dwelling places; if it were otherwise, I would have told you. I am going
to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I
will come again and receive you to Myself; so that where I am, you may
be also” (John 14:1-3).
Remember, God the
Father and Jesus Christ love you. You have been called to eternal glory.
They will give you eternal life. When we keep these things in the
forefront of our minds, we will have peace of mind, spiritual strength
and courage regardless of the conditions around us and in the world.
Finally, we need to
look beyond all the troubles of this world and keep focused on the
Kingdom of God, because God has chosen the saints to rule with Jesus
Christ. We are part of God’s solution for saving the world! That is why
you have been called!
Again, brethren, we
regret that it has taken longer than anticipated to finish the new
Bibles. But please bear with us—you will have your Bible(s) soon! Thank
you for your ongoing love, prayers and support through your tithes and
offerings. Let us continue to serve one another—and the new
brethren God is calling.
May God the Father
and Jesus Christ bless you with love and grace in all things.
With love in Christ Jesus,
Fred R. Coulter
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