THE JERUSALEM SENTINEL

What Is Your Salvation Based Upon?

Feast Of Tabernacles October 13th thru 20th

Church Government

Disaster Hits USA

From The Mailbox

Editorial

Christians are taught in the Church of God that the law is of vital essence in their lives. This is a fact which is very accurate, but is the law sufficient for your salvation? Is it all that is necessary? You know that according to Hebrews 8:6 Jesus established a better covenant, which is superior to the covenant or agreement that had been established with Israel prior to His human life and to His death. In Hebrews 8:8 God found fault with the people, so of necessity a better covenant was needed. Under the old agreement, if the people would obey they would receive physical blessings of land, prosperity, health, and a future for their children. But it was difficult to be totally obedient, so God was not pleased with them as God is not pleased with us when we break his law today. But, there is a difference - God had to do something to make it possible for human beings to be justified or forgiven of their sins and for the death penalty to be removed.

According to Romans 7:12-14, you will read that the law is holy, and the commandments are holy, just and good. Paul goes on to say in verse 13 that the law has not been abolished at all, that God would not allow such a thing! So it is not the commandments that are the problem, but rather sin causes us to inherit the penalty of death; of course, the law is what shows us what sin is (John 3:4). The real problem then does not lie with the law, but with man (Heb 8:8). The law of itself if obeyed brings about a certain righteousness which is established. But is this righteousness of itself sufficient for salvation (Deu 4:6)? Of course not, there is much more, and we need to make sure we understand this. Because of the righteousness of the law, the Pharisees and Sadducees of their day began to put on a superficial righteousness. So many other traditions and changes came about and were added to the law by the time of Christ that He condemned them (Mat 16:12) and said that they could not enter the Kingdom because of their unbelief (Mat 21:32 + 23:13). They did not know the way of salvation. Could this same attitude be growing in Christians today to the point that traditions developed in and by the Churches prevent access into the Kingdom? Are you missing the message Jesus gave to us in the form of the new covenant? You cannot believe because you become blinded by the traditions of the church. The "organization or corporate structure" then becomes the "means of salvation", rather than what we were taught by Christ and the early writers such as Paul, John, Peter, James and others. But, I am just making a point - if the Church and the Christians are not careful, they could be falling into the same trap that was set by the Pharisees and the Sadducees during the time of Christ. We could miss the vitally important message of Jesus Christ and the apostles concerning salvation. Some of this attitude was detected by Paul when the People began to choose their specific leaders in Corinth.

THE CHURCH

One of the main efforts of the Church is to look after and feed spiritually the people who have needs. The ministry is designed to oversee and to serve the needs of anyone seeking to learn about the ways of God. They should learn to deal with problems and be willing to help solve them by the wisdom and love of God (Eph 5:26-27). Luke writes in Acts 16:5 that the Churches were established in the faith. Paul's attitude of himself is described in Eph 3:6-10, and he also describes the gospel that should be preached by the Church. There should be great joy when people are baptized and brought to the true knowledge of God. There should be an attitude of thanksgiving when new Churches are raised up in the community. The Church's main objective should be to build on the true faith of Jesus Christ as delivered to His apostles and to see to it that the faith once delivered is continued.

KINGDOM OF GOD

You have heard the message of the Kingdom of God taught. Of course, this message was brought to us by Jesus Christ from His Father but I ask you - is this message of the Kingdom the way to salvation? Is this the only message sent by the Father? And just what is that message? Let us find out from scripture.

The very basis of Paul's gospel is recorded in Acts 20:24. The ministry that Paul received from Christ was to "testify the gospel of the grace of God". Now turn to John 1:3-4, and here we read that all things were made by Jesus Christ. "In Him was life; and the life was the light of men". Continuing in John 1:16-17, "And of His fullness have all we received, and grace for grace. For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ". In Gal 1:6-12, Paul was concerned about another gospel being preached (read this).

I've heard many times in the past very negative statements taught against the doctrine of grace. Taught to the point that one would come to believe that this word would not be in our vocabulary. But, this isn't according to scripture. In order for you to understand the true gospel, You must understand this word "grace" and how it relates to the message of the kingdom. First, let us start by defining what the word "grace" means by looking it up in your Greek Lexicon and/or concordance. In general, the word for "grace" is charitos, charitee, or charis, which is defined as favor, graciousness, thanks for, gratitude, gracious care, help or goodwill. In other words, a source of divine grace as a source of blessings for the Christian or the one who believes.

In I Peter 5:10, we find "...God is the God of all Grace". He called us into eternal salvation by Jesus Christ. According to this scripture, God makes us perfect because of His grace. In verse 11, God is the one receiving the credit for doing this work in us.

In Ephesians 2:4-10, we find explained this very gospel that was committed to the apostle Paul and others. It is important that you read all the scriptures I give and think about them in order for you to understand this article. In verse 8 we read, "For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God." This scripture alone shows that we must believe in the saving power of God and that saving power is His forgiveness through His grace. Without this we have no salvation. That is why Jesus told the Pharisees that they could not enter into life because their faith was in their own ability to perform the duties in their eyes of the traditional teachings of the religious organizational structure (Mat 5:20). They kept the religious structure alive, therefore earning salvation. But what does the scripture say about this attitude? In Eph 2:8, "...and not of yourselves, it is the gift of God", or simply put it is the grace of God. Salvation then comes as a direct act of God and not of man. If man could earn salvation, he would only boast about it. He would continually put others down because they are not as good as he is. He would boast, "look what I have done, I have kept the law, so I deserve salvation". So the teachings above are what was committed to Paul and others and certainly is a vital part of the message of the Kingdom of God.

According to Titus 3:3-7, this very principal is described. Verse three shows who we were before conversion. Verse four explains that after God's grace and kindness entered the picture, a way for salvation became possible by the very agent called the Holy Spirit. Verse five shows that this salvation comes about as an act of God and not by our own works of righteousness. Verse 7 tells us that we are forgiven as a result of or an act of grace because of His Son, Jesus Christ. We then become heirs of eternal life or of the Kingdom of God.

WHO CAN BECOME A CHRISTIAN?

In Romans 3:19 everyone stands guilty before God and deserves the death penalty. In verse 20 you can see the law cannot forgive your sins but makes known what your sins are. So something very good, "the law" exposes you as guilty before God. The law plays its vitally important role.

When you read verse 21, you will find that there is a righteousness separate from the law. The word "without" in the Greek would be translated "separate from". It doesn't mean "to do away with" the law, simply that there is another aspect of salvation apart from and separate from the law. So we find that true righteousness comes from God by our believing in Jesus Christ's sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins.

Again in verse 23 every person has sinned. No one is exempt from sin and all have to be forgiven and this is by faith in Jesus Christ and because of His grace, (free gift) we are saved. In verses 24 and 25 the word "justified", simply put means that God has "made things right" for those who have faith in forgiveness in His blood. Verse 26 shows us that it is the righteousness of God that is really given to us as a free gift.

QUALITY OF GOD'S LOVE

We then in Romans 3:27 can boast, not in our own righteousness which is in the law, but in the work of God and the method God has chosen by faith and because of His grace (free gift, unmerited pardon). He has forgiven us and makes us righteous. So in all of this we find that according to God's plan and purpose, the new covenant contains a better way to receive salvation. Not according to the first covenant, but according to a better plan.

The plan of salvation is depicted in the book of Romans chapters three through eight. If you will read these chapters you will better understand what I call the "covenant of grace". In Philippians 3:9-10 it also defines this difference between the righteousness of the law and "...that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith". Paul says that his own righteousness is by the law and defines another way of righteousness. Continuing in Phil 3:1-11, Paul did everything according to the law. He was obedient to the letter, even to persecuting the Christians because he thought he was doing what God wanted him to do or what his peers and the Church wanted him to do.

Love is more important than authority. When the authority of the Church began as in Paul's case to make decisions against God's chosen, something was grossly wrong, and the same thing can happen all over again in the name of religion. In verses 8-9 Paul tells you in plain words the exact same thing I have written you in this article and I quote, "...that I may win Christ, and be found in Him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith." So, there is a righteousness which comes by the keeping of law, and there is a righteousness that comes from God as a free gift brought about by our faith in the saving grace of Jesus Christ. There is a difference!

Peter wrote about the grace of God (II Peter 3:18) and recorded that a Christian should grow in the grace and knowledge of God.

YOU - STEPPING OUT ON FAITH

The word "grace" also means "gift". We are to grow in the gifts of God that he has given to us. And the first and most important gift is the "agape" love that is spoken of in Ephesians 3:17-19: "that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God".

There are many more scriptures in the New Testament that talk about salvation because of God's grace through faith of the believer. I think that in your small community Church you will learn that walking by faith is something that you will automatically learn to do. Because when you step out on faith and write a newspaper article, or visit a rest home or prison or even go on a small radio program, it isn't based on statistics or numbers. It is based on the fact you are trying to be a light in your community and letting yourself be known as one of God's servants. Perhaps through your efforts God will honor you and cause sinners to come to Christ. You are more alone in a community Church setting and you will learn to trust and lean on God more.

You need to learn to serve God by faith and walk in faith as Abraham believed God and received the gift of righteousness (Gen 15:6). Of course, true obedience was in Abraham as well. Because he believed and did what God asked, Abraham received the free gift of righteousness. This is the plan of salvation that you and I should embrace and learn to walk with in faith. Everything we do should be done by faith as if God Himself is right there with us, and He is, doing it with you as your partner.

GOD HAS CLEANED YOU UP!

Now that God has given you righteousness separate from the law, what does God require of you? One thing you must understand - the law is spiritual and now that you have Christ in you by His Holy Spirit, you have a helper in your Christian walk with God. It is no longer you that is doing it -- it is Christ in you by His Spirit that keeps the laws which now are not just a book of rules to follow, but are being written on your mind and heart by God! This is one aspect of the new covenant. The new covenant still has the spiritual laws of God that we must follow. Jesus said, "...if you love Me, you will keep My commandments". There are conditions to the new covenant just as there were conditions to the old covenant. Only the new covenant contains more of what God is doing to save us.

In John 15:10, Christ said, "If you keep My commandments, you shall abide in my love; even as I have kept My Father's commandments, and abide in His love". And verse 12, "This is My commandment, that you love one another".

Under the old covenant, God dealt with the nation of Israel as a whole. The people on an individual basis did not have direct access to God. There was a tabernacle unto which the people were justified to - the priest entered the Holy of Hollies once a year on behalf of the people (Heb 9:2-8). The people of Israel were near to God. Today under the new covenant, we the people on an individual basis are the tabernacle of God. He dwells in us, and each one of us has direct access to His throne at all times. We do not need a human or angelic intermediary to contact God. Jesus Christ is the intermediary. He is our High Priest. The 9th and 10th chapters of Hebrews explain these covenants in detail. You should study these chapters and pick out the difference between the two covenants. Under the old covenant God did hear their prayers, but God was not dwelling in them by His Holy Spirit creating in them what was necessary for eternal life. According to Gal 3:21-22, the old covenant was not designed to give them eternal life. The new covenant takes care of that flaw and makes it possible by God's grace and our faith in His sacrifice for each individual to receive eternal life.

God has given us the inheritance by promise (Gal 3:17-18) just as He gave it to Abraham by promise. So in a real sense the promise under the new covenant was given prior to the covenant God gave Israel. This is one of the aspects of the new covenant. We have the promise of eternal life and that necessitates the grace of God. This is something coming from God to you.

In Ephesians 2:16-19 this promise is made to all races of men. Those who God calls and those who believe in the sacrifice of Jesus by faith, so God can favor them.

THE GRACE COVENANT

The grace covenant is based upon God's promise to you. It is based upon a better promise and what God can do for you. God is now working through all races and this is what angers the Jew's even today. They still haven't recognized the salvation through faith in Jesus Christ and that we are saved by the good grace of God. They are still living under the law and claim their salvation by the law. This should help you understand why I have written this article on salvation. The new covenant is an act of what God is doing for us by His grace through our faith in Him. This really puts you on the road top true obedience and faithfulness to obey God by His love in you! You are not serving your flesh; you are serving the true God. God says for us to ask for forgiveness of our sins every day. God hasn't given us a blanket coverage for the future; we must continue to repent of our sins.

If God is going to give us eternal life, the only righteous we will qualify for is the righteousness of God. In Romans 3:27-28 we as Christians cannot boast that we are better than other people. We cannot boast justification by the law anymore than another person. We can boast in the forgiveness of Jesus Christ. It is based upon the law of faith. God now establishes the law in us (Rom 3:30-31) to become a part of us as a result of our faith in Jesus Christ. This is the best way for God to establish His laws in our hearts and minds. This is a better way, and this is a better promise from God. The promise of eternal life in the kingdom.

In II Thes 1:11-12, which compliments Paul's gospel he received from Christ in Acts 20:24, we see that this same gospel is again mentioned. Also II Thes 2:13-17 shows the process of salvation along with the study made in Romans (chapters 3-8). I think it appropriate here for you to read Titus 2:11-15 which makes the way of salvation very plain according to the plan and way of God. It shows that God's unmerited pardon or grace brings salvation.

I hope this article has helped to establish more firmly in your minds the way to salvation and has given you deeper understanding concerning the promises of God according to the new covenant. Don't forget to continue to grow in the grace and the knowledge of God.

(all scripture was quoted from the King James Version).

We urge all of you to join us this year for eight days of worship and fellowship. Arrangements have been made to hold the Feast of Tabernacles in beautiful Fort Walton Beach, FL at the BLUE HORIZON, located at 1120 Santa Rosa Blvd. The Zip is 32548.

Please make your reservations today by calling 1-800-336-3630 or (904) 244-5186. The manager, Frank Dubeck, has offered the church a special rate of $36.00 a night for the kitchenette units. Be sure to tell them you are with United Biblical Church of God for this rate. See August's Sentinel for more details on attractions and accommodations.

The fall Feast days are the grand finale to a year of worship. It is a time that God COMMANDS us to come and worship Him and at the same time enjoy our family and friends! This is one of the gifts our Father has given us. We are told to worship, celebrate, rejoice, and relax.

This year the theme for the Feast is OVERCOMING. We will be focusing on Christian living and how to apply biblical teachings to our everyday lives.

Monday night October 12 at 7:30-9:30 P.M. we will have hospitality night with coffee and cookies. This will allow all of us to meet the new people and reunite with our friends from past years. There will also be a meeting for everyone planning to speak this year. If you have a sermon or a sermonette prepared, please make every effort to attend. We hope to see all of you there and we will pray for your safe trip.

CHILDREN'S CRAFTS

Please notify Mary Carr or Linda Lewallen immediately at P.O. Box 30616, Knoxville, TN 37930-0616, if you have youngsters who are planning to attend the children's classes and participate in crafts. They must have their names and ages today so supplies can be ordered for crafts, etc. Write A.S.A.P., so your child is not left out due to a lack of supplies.

In the Church of God there is a tradition of abusing the people through a false doctrine on Church government. This abuse has been so bad through the history of the Church that thousands of faithful members have been thrown or dragged out of the Church. Most have been hurt so badly that they will never comeback. A few of those people are my friends who will never let themselves trust a minister again. They simply can't spiritually survive another dictator and are afraid they will get hurt.

Whenever God gives His blessing to a small group and they begin to grow, it seems like a leader always emerges and forms a "corporate structure". After this is done, the leader tells the group God is working through him and he is in charge. He then looks at how the kingdom is structured: God in charge, His Son as second in command, and then a orderly formation with a chain of command. The leader then sells the idea to the Church that they should organize the same way. After all, God is our example right? So he becomes number one, and then sticks his son in as number two. Then he sets up a pecking order and appoints others to be over the congregations reporting back to him.

The whole plan is to structure everything to make sure that he retains absolute control of the Church. The leader even fools himself into believing it is for the good of the Church. After all, he can"t allow himself to be put in a position where control could be lost. He forgets the Church doesn't belong to him, that it is the property of GOD!

Of course, he will fill the board of directors with trusted family members and employees who wouldn't dare go against his wishes (for fear of the loss of their paychecks). To be fair, most of the time this is done in the beginning of the organization, and there might not be an ulterior motive. The problems come later if Satan is successful in transforming the leader into a dictator.

The Church usually goes along with this type of structure because they either don"t understand the Biblical examples of how Church government should be patterned, or they don"t think it is important. Most of the members don"t take into account that God can organize His government the way He did because He is infallible. He is not going to be deceived by Satan like a man can, and almost always will be. God will ALWAYS be righteous in His judgements and dealings with others. He will NOT fail! Man can"t even come close to this. That is why God never intended Church government to be structured from the top down.

Where should the headquarters for your local Church be? If you live in Knoxville, Tennessee it"s not Crystal River, Dallas, TX, or Los Angeles, CA. It"s Knoxville, Tennessee. In other words, your headquarters is the same place that you fellowship. So why do organizations appoint themselves to lord it over others? Power, greed, and money! They want to control you and to usurp God"s money.

In Biblical times there were local synagogues for the people to worship in each Sabbath. There was also a temple in Jerusalem that was looked upon as "headquarters". That was where all the Holy Days were spent. It was where the Lord dwelt in the Holy of Holies. The people did not send their tithes to Jerusalem for the priests to divide up and then send money back to meet expenses at the local synagogues. They tithed to the local synagogues and the synagogue sent a tithe of the tithe to Jerusalem for the temple, etc. Neh 10:38 "And the priest, the descendant of Aaron, shall be with the Levites when the Levites receive tithes; and the Levites shall bring up a TENTH OF THE TITHES to the house of our God, to the rooms of the storehouse."

This is how local Churches should operate today if they are affiliated with a larger organization! Tithes support the Churches and help the widows, children, and the poor. Who is in a better position to administer this? The local Church that is right there, or a "headquarters" that is halfway across the country! Most of your "leaders" will never tell you this because the thought that you might learn it sends cold chills down their spines. The Bible says they should operate on a tithe of the tithe. 100% of all first tithes should go to the local Church. Of this 10% of everything collected should be sent to "headquarters" if you have one. This is to meet publishing costs, costs for the Feast, salaries, or other expenses they have. Instead they tell you your calling is to support their calling. In other words "pray and pay".

This article is not about tithes however. It is about Church government and how it should be structured. Lets look at the examples in the Bible and see how God intended the Churches to be organized and who should really be in charge.

(1) Did God choose Israel, or did Israel choose God?

Israel accepted God as their leader before he commanded them to do anything. They chose to follow God, He didn't appoint Himself as their leader and then order them to obey. Exo 19:5 "`Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. :6 `And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation." These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel." :7 So Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before them all these words which the LORD commanded him. :8 Then all the people answered together and said, "All that the LORD has spoken we will do." So Moses brought back the words of the people to the LORD." Israel chose God as their leader, submitting themselves to His laws in exchange for His promises.

(2) The people of Israel chose the 70 men who were their leaders not Moses. He only laid hands on them after they were chosen by the people. Deu 1:13 "`Choose wise, understanding, and knowledgeable men from among your tribes, and I will make them heads over you." :14 "And you answered me and said, `The thing which you have told us to do is good.""

(3) When you have more than one person who qualifies for a position and you don"t know who to appoint, you cast lots and have God decide. Act 1:23 "And they proposed two: Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias. :24 And they prayed and said, "You, O Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which of these two You have chosen :25 "to take part in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place." :26 And they cast their lots, and the lot fell on Matthias. And he was numbered with the eleven apostles."

Who decides who will be the minister of a local Church. Is it "headquarters"? Can they send a 23 year old student who has never experienced the real world to a local church who has never heard of him? Can they tell them "this is your teacher"? Are you supposed to send a resume to someone in a distant city like you were applying for a job and have them appoint you? That is nonsense; the local Church is the one who appoints its ministers and deacons. They know who God is working with; they see him every week! It will be the person who is already doing the work, serving the congregation! They don"t need an outsider to tell them who that person is; THEY WILL KNOW HIM BY HIS FRUITS!

(4) When the local Church in Jerusalem grew, the people in the local Church decided who the 7 deacons were going to be. The apostles didn't appoint them, and a "headquarters" didn't train them. Act 6:2 "Then the twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, "It is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables. :3 "Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business; :4 "but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word." :5 And the saying pleased the whole multitude. And THEY CHOSE Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch, :6 whom THEY set before the apostles; and when they had prayed, they laid hands on them."

If it sounds like I have very strong feelings on this subject, IT"S BECAUSE I DO! I have these feelings because of the people that I personally know who are no longer members of the Church. They know God"s plan of salvation; they know about the kingdom, and they understand the law and God"s grace. They were hurt by little dictators who didn't understand when they were ordained they took a step DOWN in the congregation. They didn't understand that now everyone else was GREATER than they were! They didn't understand that the only purpose they had in life from that point on was to SERVE.

The reason the congregation chooses who will be ordained is very simple. If it were up to one man, people who are hungry for authority would butter him up and become his friend in order to obtain power and control. You can fool one person, but you won"t be able to fool the whole Church. God knows our weaknesses and compensates for them by not giving authority to one person. It is for these same reasons that a minister can"t excommunicate anyone. That is the job of the congregation. This eliminates personality conflicts.

A minister is not the number one position obtainable in the Church; It is dead last. Your "rank" is buck private! That is why you don"t "decide" you are going to become a minister. It is not like becoming a doctor or a lawyer where you take a course and learn all the right answers so you can pass a test. To be a minister of Jesus Christ you must be called. That is why there are so many abuses in the ministry today. You must be willing to humble yourself and become the servant.

I am a minister in Knoxville, Tennessee. Every member that is in the Church is above me. It does not belong to me and I don"t control it. The way our local Church is set up: God is in charge; Jesus is our leader; the angels protect us; the congregation makes the decisions; I carry them out, and serve them all. How is this accomplished without mass confusion? We have God"s Holy Spirit living in our hearts. Is your Church structured like this? If not, you need to find out why.

I was in the U.S. Navy during World War II, serving as a fire control man aboard an APA. I was at the two major invasions: Leyte Gulf on Oct 20, 1944 and Lingayen Gulf on Jan 9, 1945 in the Philippines. Our ship was in Manila Bay the day the old walled city fell on Mar 9, 1945. It took six tugs to maneuver us around the sunken ships and up to a pontoon dock to enable us to pick up the critically wounded. Manila Bay was a total disaster. With all the sunken ships it looked like the destruction of Pearl Harbor, only a hundred times worse. There were several hundred ships with their bow or stern sticking above the water. The tugs were necessary to maneuver us around and through this vast destruction. But that was only the half of it. Manila itself was a disaster. The old walled city was aflame and burning. Buildings were in rubble. It looked like the pictures we"ve all seen of Berlin. I"ve been told Manila was one of the most destroyed cities in World War II.

When the television pictures started coming out of Homestead AFB and south Florida, it looked like a holocaust as all will attest to. I immediately thought of Manila and the destruction I saw there. One destruction was man made, and the other was a holocaust caused by nature. Homestead, outside of not burning, looked like it had been completely destroyed by conventional bombs. It is estimated that $20 to $30 billion dollars of damage has been done. Jobs have been lost, and 80,000 people are out of their homes. We should be thankful that only a few folks lost their lives. It is a miracle that the loss was so light. However, it did not take long for people to start complaining about the relief effort. The mass media is still pushing the lack of a coordinated effort. THE GOVERNMENT HAS BECOME AMERICA"s GOD.

Could all of the destruction that has come on the United States of late be a warning to us? Hurricane Hugo in South Carolina $4 billion; The earthquake in San Francisco $7 billion; Hurricane Andrew in Florida $20-$30 Billion; Hurricane Andrew in Louisiana an estimated $1 billion.

This is not the same America I was born in. The laws of GOD mean nothing. Marriage is not sacred anymore. Over 50% of marriages end up in divorce. The family is no longer a husband with one wife and children. It has become a "do your own thing society". Homosexual and lesbian marriages with homosexual and lesbian "ministers" in churches that claim to be Christian congregations.

Children are controlled, not by the parents, but by the state. Children can now sue their parens and the courts recognize these law suits. Adultery is so commonplace it is not used for divorce anymore. In the streets of America, prostitution is rampant. All this is bandied about in the talk show business as some great thing.

When is America going to WAKE UP and REPENT for our sins and start living by GOD's laws? Do you know if we don't repent, what we saw in South Florida and what I saw during WWII in Manila will look like a Sunday picnic compared to what is coming on this world shortly.

We live in the most critical times in world history. Regardless of what Pres. George Bush says about living free from the fear of a hydrogen bomb attack, the world is NOT a safer place. All of those hydrogen bombs that used to be controlled by the Soviet Union are now split/divided between Kurdistan, Russia and Ukraine, and they are FOR SALE.

America needs to WAKE UP and start keeping GOD's commandments before God tales vengeance against our country for going to another god. A god of `everybody does their own thing'. WAKE UP before New York, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Chicago, St Louis, Kansas City, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Miami, Tampa-St Petersburg, New Orleans, Denver, Albuquerque, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, Seattle, San Francisco, San Diego, Los Angeles, and hundreds of other major cities throughout the U.S.A. look not like Manila or South Florida, but look like Hiroshima AND Nagasaki!

The prophet Ezekiel says it much better than I can. Look at Eze 6:2-7 "Son of man, set your face toward the mountains" (Kingdoms) "of Israel, and prophesy against them, and say, `O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the LORD GOD!' Thus says the LORD GOD to the mountains, to the hills, to the ravines, and to the valleys: "Indeed I, even I, will bring a sword against you, and I will destroy your high places".

Then your alters shall be desolate, your incense altars shall be broken, and I will cast down your slain men before your idols. And I will lay the corpses of the children of Israel before their idols, and I will scatter your bones all around your altars. In all your dwelling places the cities shall be laid waste, and the high places shall be desolate, so that your altars may be laid waste and made desolate, your idols may be broken and made to cease, your incense altars may be cut down, and your works may be abolished. The slain shall fall in your midst, and you shall know that I am the LORD."

Eze 7:5-7 "Thus says the LORD GOD: `A disaster, a singular disaster; behold, it has come! An end has come, the end has come; it has dawned for you; behold, it has come! Doom has come to you, you who dwell in the land; the time has come, a day of trouble is near, and not of rejoicing in the mountains."

Who is going to bring in the relief when these things occur? The city? The county? The state? The federal government? The time to get help is now. The time to go to God is NOW while there is still time to save this country from total destruction!

Let us pray that we are counted worthy to escape all these things that are surely coming on America. STAY TUNED.

Once again this month I thoroughly enjoyed the Jerusalem Sentinel. Thank you for good Biblical sermons. I can't tell you how much this means to me since I don't have a local Church to attend and depend solely on reading GOD's word and the few tapes or written sermons that I get.

I am so looking forward to attending the Feast of Tabernacles with your group this year. I am now counting days instead of weeks, only 39 days left. I look forward to a real spiritual uplifting and good fellowship and communion with GOD's people. My one desire in life now is to serve our GOD, do the best I can toward all my fellow man, and be an instrument in HIS hands if HE can use me for HIS glory. With HIS help I can succeed for "I can do all things through CHRIST who strengthens me." I know we shall have a good and uplifting time at GOD's Feast.

MAY GOD BLESS AND KEEP YOU IN HIS WORK AND PERFECT LOVE!

B.R. FL

Is everyone ready for the Feast? By the time you receive this, some of you will be packing and making your last minute arrangements. We will be praying that you have a safe journey. I am looking forward to seeing all of you again this year. We plan to have several outings and functions; there should be something for everyone. If you play a musical instrument, please bring it along with your suggestions on what you would like to do.

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