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Letter to the Brethren: April 23, 2015

Letter to the Brethren: April 23, 2015

Dear Brethren and Co-Workers in Christ:

Greetings from the Five Cities region of California.

From preparing for trips to planning for the Feast of Tabernacles to Canadian matters to PayPal problems to radio to African issues, etc. it has been a full week.

Santa Fe, New Mexico: April 25, 2015

As mentioned before, my wife Joyce and I plan to be in Santa Fe, New Mexico the Sabbath of April 25, 2015.

If you are interested in possibly meeting with us for a Sabbath service in Santa Fe, please email me when you can: cogwriter@aol.com.  We look forward to meeting interested people who can attend.

If you might come, let us know as soon as possible as we need to insure that we have sufficient room.

If you already contacted me, about coming, you do not need to re-email me unless you will not be able to come.

Location: Homewood Suites by Hilton Santa Fe – North.  10 Buffalo Thunder Trail, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87506.

Time: Services are expected to begin at 2:00 pm.  Because we (my wife Joyce and I) will need to escort you to the room, please arrive in the lobby of the hotel between 1:30-1:45 pm if possible.  I believe all who have contacted me know what I look like, but I do not know what you look like as I am not sure if I have met any of you who contacted me about this before.

PayPal Problems: Resolved

We had a problem with PayPal, basically because of the fact that a change to a WordPress file stopped PayPal from working properly.

If you had problems, we apologize.  This was fixed yesterday.

To donate to the Continuing Church of God via PayPal, go to the Donations page at CCOG.org.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

2015 Feast of Tabernacles in Denver

As mentioned last week, for the Feast of Tabernacles in North America we finalized arrangements for a site in Denver, Colorado in the USA and Niagara Falls, Ontario in Canada.

Here is some information about the facility in Denver:

Holiday Inn Denver East-Stapleton

3333 Quebec Street
Denver, CO 80207
United States

Tel: 303-321-3500

This high-rise hotel, which boasts views across the Rockies, is a mile from the I-70 Highway and 10-minutes’ drive from Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.

The modern rooms come with desks and flat-screen TVs, plus stereos, in-room video games and coffeemakers. There’s also free WiFi and high-pressure showerheads in the bathrooms, while kids 19 and under stay free with an adult.

Amenities include 2 on-site dining options, Quebec’s Bistro which serves Colorado-style dishes (where kids 12 and under eat free) and the Spur Bar & Grill, plus an outdoor pool (open year-round) and a fitness center, as well as free parking and an airport shuttle service.

Room Block
Room Sun 09/27/2015 Mon 09/28/2015 Tue 09/29/2015 Wed 09/30/2015 Grand Total
Run of House
Single 10 $ 99.00 10 $ 99.00 10 $ 99.00 10 $ 99.00 40
Daily Total 10 10 10 10 40
Room Thu 10/01/2015 Fri 10/02/2015 Sat 10/03/2015 Sun 10/04/2015 Grand Total
Run of House
Single 10 $ 99.00 10 $ 99.00 10 $ 99.00 10 $ 99.00 40
Daily Total 10 10 10 10 40
Grand Total: 80

Basically, you can get a room from the Holiday Inn for USD$99 per night.  And there is not a charge for parking.

WHILE IT IS MORE CONVENIENT TO STAY AT THE HOTEL WE ARE MEETING AT, YOU CAN CHOOSE ANY FACILITY YOU WISH AS WE DO NOT REQUIRE ATTENDEES TO STAY AT ANY PARTICULAR FACILITY.

One of the tourist offices in Denver states this about the area:

Welcome to Denver, where 300 days of sunshine, a thriving cultural scene, diverse neighborhoods, and natural beauty combine for the world’s most spectacular playground. A young, active city at the base of the Colorado Rocky Mountains, Denver’s stunning architecture, award-winning dining and unparalleled views are all within the walking distance from the 16th Street pedestrian mall. Upscale shopping awaits in Cherry Creek, while Denver’s seven professional sports teams entertain year-round. http://www.denver.org/ acessed 04/14/15

Tripadvisor lists over 2,000 restaurants in Denver, plus there are at least hundreds in the near-by cities. Here is a link to: TripAdvisor ranked restaurants.

There are numerous activities in the area, including the Denver Zoo, Elitch Theme Park, 16th Street Mall, and Mt. Evans. Here is a link to: TripAdvisor ranked activities.

For more information, contact Dr. Bob Thiel, email cogwriter@aol.com

2015 Feast of Tabernacles in Niagara Falls

Here is some information about the facility in Niagara Falls:

DoubleTree Fallsview Resort & Spa by Hilton – Niagara Falls

6039 Fallsview Boulevard, Niagara Falls, Ontario L2G 3V6

www.NiagaraFallsDoubleTree.com

Hotel (905) 358 3817 | Fax (905) 358 3680

Guestroom Requirements:

Deluxe Queen Riverview Rate (CDN $) per night Single/Double
Sunday, September 27, 2015 – Thursday, October 1, 2015
5 – 10 rooms
$109.00
Friday, October 2, 2015
5 – 10 rooms
$159.00
Saturday, October 3, 2015
5 – 10 rooms
$219.00
Sunday, October 4, 2105 – Monday, October 5, 2015
5 – 10 rooms
$109.00
*Extra adult beginning with the 3rd adult – $20.00 each additional, daily.
Room Type: Superior First Class Riverview Rooms, Queen Beds. Upgraded views or suite types quoted upon request. Rates may differ if length of stay or date(s) of stay changes.
 Rates are net-non commissionable and subject to 13% HST and 3% DMDF
 Self-parking daily $13.00

Hotel Features:

 Just 400 yards from the Fallsview Casino Complex, two short blocks from the brink of the Falls. Walking distance to entertainment and dining.
 Referencing the natural elegance of the Frank Lloyd Wright era and the rustic timeless architecture of a Grand National Park Lodge
 Four Diamond CAA/AAA Award recipient
 Buchanans Chophouse – smart casual dining with a Regional flare
 Moose & Squirrel Coffee Pub – proudly brewing Starbucks Coffee
 Indoor Pools, Cedar Sauna, Whirlpool, Fitness Facility, Seasonal Outdoor Hot Tub & Garden Sundeck
 Five Lakes Spa AVEDA – relax, rejuvenate, revive
 Complimentary High-Speed Internet (wired and wireless), 37” Flat Panel Television, Sweet Dreams By Doubletree Sleep Experience in all guestrooms
 Green Key Eco-Rating

There is a C$13 parking fee for overnight parking. Daytime parking is free.  The booking cost over the weekends in all the Niagara Falls hotels I checked with is rather high, so keep that in mind should you want to arrive early there.

WHILE IT IS MORE CONVENIENT TO STAY AT THE HOTEL WE ARE MEETING AT, YOU CAN CHOOSE ANY FACILITY YOU WISH AS WE DO NOT REQUIRE ATTENDEES TO STAY AT ANY PARTICULAR FACILITY.

One of the Niagara Falls tourist offices states this about the area:

Niagara Falls Canada attractions create an authentic Niagara experience, ride a Hornblower Niagara Cruises in the morning and head off to the Whirlpool Jet Boat tour in the afternoon. Souvenir shop and then head out to the Fallsview Casino. Smell the roses at the Niagara Botanical Gardens then zip up to the top of the Skylon Tower for the best view around.

There are so many things to do in Niagara Falls! Greg Frewin Theatre Magic Show will amaze you and kids can even get a photo with a tiger. Grown ups, honeymooners and empty nesters have more things to do in Niagara Falls than ever before. Spend a morning playing at our award-winning golf courses, spend an afternoon sipping Chardonnay on a Niagara wine tour in Niagara-on-the-Lake and then enjoy a candlelit dinner at a Fallsview restaurant. You may want to relax at a spa, or enjoy a Niagara sightseeing tour. A romantic kiss at the Niagara Falls fireworks. is the perfect ending to any evening. http://www.niagarafallstourism.com/play/ accessed 04/14/2015

Tripadvisor says there are over four hundred restaurants in Niagara Falls, Ontario: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurants-g154998-Niagara_Falls_Ontario.html

Note: Non-Canadian citizens (including those from the USA) should insure that they have proper documents to get back to their countries of residence.

For more information, contact Herb Haddon, email hwahaddon@gmail.com

The Feast of Tabernacles in 2015

If you plan to go to either the site in Denver or the site in Niagara Falls, please email me or Herb Haddon.

While we believe we will have enough room at both locations, if one location fills up, we would ask you to go to the other.  So, the sooner you tell us where you want to go, the better.  Though you DO NOT have to do it this week.  But you most certainly can.

As mentioned last week, we are also expecting four sites in Kenya (ontact Evans Ochieng, email evochieng74@gmail.com), one in Tanzania (ontact Evans Ochieng, email evochieng74@gmail.com), one in New Zealand (contact John Hickey, email john.h@vodafone.net.nz), and a video site in the Philippines (contact Oscar Mediavilla via email hansmeidavilla@rocketmail.com).  If you are not from one of those areas and want to attend, please contact the person responsible for it first.

We would love to have a site in Europe, and perhaps if someone over there volunteers, we can have an official video site in at least one European nation.  If not in 2015, maybe in another year.

We may have sites coming in Ethiopia and/or Nigeria. At this instant, leaders from these two countries have asked to be part of the Continuing Church of God, but we have not personally met them yet (contact has been via email and/or telephone). The Ethiopian group came from someone from the Church of God Seventh-Day–a group that generally does not observe that festival, but as those there who contacted us have been keeping it, if they are with us, then there will be some type of a CCOG site there.

At least some in the Nigerian group basically seem to have come from Protestantism, and most there probably have not kept the Feast of Tabernacles.  Kenyan Pastor Evans Ochieng and I are trying to get the Ethiopians and Nigerians more information as well as learn more about them.

Please pray that we will have the type of wisdom and love needed to know how to best work with other groups that sometimes contact us.

There are two groups with a distant relation to us in Asia (Kachinland and India) that will be having their own sites, but they, at this time, would not be considered as CCOG sites.

More information on any and all the CCOG Feast of Tabernacles sites is expected to be added to the article Feast of Tabernacles’ Sites for 2015 throughout the year and you can always go there for the latest posted information.

Canada Matters

We submitted a letter to the Canadian authorities who have so far not approved our registration there as they want more information and a greater distance between the finances of the CCOG in Canada and the USA.  We have made various changes because of this and a couple will be mentioned today.

The first is that we got an official mailing address for the Continuing Church of God, Canada:

    Continuing Church of God Canada
    P.O. Box 344
    Harvey Station STN MAIN
    Harvey Station, NB
    Canada    E6K 3W9

The second is that we are in the process of having a separate website for Canada.  For some odd reason, this took part of last week and this one in order to get the URL (website address) for Canada.  Now that we finally got it, we can start to try to put up a basic website for the Continuing Church of God, Canada.  This week, I laid out a basic website that will be reviewed and perhaps revised, by the church’s President (Michael Radtke) and Vice President (Herb Haddon) in Canada.

German Translations

Did not get around to mentioning last week that we have the second edition of the Bible News Prophecy magazine available online in the German language: Bibel Nachrichten Prophezeiung: April-Juni 2015.  We also have another booklet in the German language: WO IST DIE WAHRE CHRISTLICHE KIRCHE HEUTE?

While I do not intend to mention all the translations that happen in this weekly Letter, since German is a relatively new language for us to have materials in, I thought I would mention it now.

An Answer to Prayer: New Doors Opening Up!

Last week, I mentioned that a service I used back in 2009 to promote my 2012 and the Rise of the Secret Sect book reneged on its agreement to promote my latest book.  I also mentioned trouble with a press release firm related to the book as well.

And I asked that you would, “Pray that God would open more doors.”

Well, even though they made me edit out a lot of what I wanted to say, the press release firm agreed to post the press release and did that last Friday morning.  This small ‘door’ to proclaim the message of the Bible to the media was opened.

Furthermore, something that I did not mention is that another firm that I also used in the past to assist with getting radio interviews, failed to get back to me.

But as it turned out, the owner of that firm personally called me on Friday to discuss getting radio interviews.  I went over the problems with the other two firms and their objections.  I then ‘warned’ him about some of what might be the more controversial points of the book for 21st century society (my opposition in the book to the homosexual agenda), but none of that deterred him.  So he sent me his proposal, which I went over on Monday and we were able to make a deal then.

We will try to go through the doors that God opens.  I also did a radio interview on Tuesday.

Thank you for your prayers.

Second Passover

Someone asked me the date for the ‘Second Passover’ this year.  The Bible, in Numbers 9:1-14, has a provision that those who who were unable to partake of the Passover essentially due to illness, travel, or similar unavoidable circumstances, can take it later.  This year, it should be taken shortly after sunset on Saturday, May 2. This Passover, like the other one, is only for  baptized members.  Here is a link to an article: Keeping Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread. Here is a link to an online video: CCOG Passover Service.

World News Events

The nation of Israel is to observe the 67th anniversary of its founding through today (see 67th Anniversary of the ‘State of Israel’–Are Protestant prophecy interpreters in error?).  Because many Protestant prophecy watchers consider the 1948 year of the founding to be significant, I decided to make a video for this week’s recommended sermonette about that.

Yesterday was called ‘Earth Day’ and various ones made speeches related to climate change.  But the tendency is, that other than mentioning greed, sin tends not to be blamed as the cause of some of the bizarre weather we have had.  Instead, there is a coalition of world leaders who seem to get various physical changes mandated to attempt to deal with this (see USA, UN, and Vatican share ‘climate change’ agenda).  The Book of Revelation shows that heat and other ‘climate change’ matters will be significant in the future, but that despite them, humans will not repent as they should (e.g. Revelation 16:8-9).

Some with ties to the so-called Islamic State killed Ethiopians who were in Libya this week as the Arab League was discussing building a military coalition to deal with the Islamic State (see Islamic State kills Ethiopians; Arab League attempting to put together ‘king of the south’ coalition).  The Bible shows that a confederation of Arab nations, along with Turks and Cushites, will form, but it will not end up well (Daniel 11:40-43).  Despite what the Bible says, many are trying to put together the type of military coalition in that region that the Bible shows will end in failure (see also Ezekiel 30:2-8).

China has been active trying to build its ‘Silk Road’ which it hopes will ultimately connect it (through other nations) to the Middle East, Europe, and Africa.  This week, the heads of China and Pakistan worked on security matters as well as matters related to the Silk Road project (see China and Pakistan continue to build ties: Could the ‘Silk Road’ project be a prelude to the gathering at Armaggedon?).  Because the Bible tells of a time that the ‘kings of the east’ will end up in the Middle East in a place I have visited known as Armagdedon (Revelation 16:12-16), it may well be that the Silk Road project will assist the travels that will later take place.

The USA and Europe have been working on a trade agreement known as Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP).  Because of increased anti-American sentiment in Germany over USA espionage and the USA’s pushing of genetically-modified organisms (GMOs) for the food supply, thousands have protested against the proposed deal (see Obama pushing TTIP, while thousands of Germans protest).  The Bible shows that the world will gain wealth through trading with the end time Babylonian power (Revelation 18) for a time.  Therefore, I expect that the USA will make further trade concessions with Europe that will ultimately partially lead to Europe fulfilling that role.

A new poll came out in the USA showing that more there are accepting marijuana (see Marijuana nation? New poll leaning in that direction).  The Bible warns about intentionally toxifying oneself and that is what marijuana normally does.

Synthetic Vitamins/False Religion

A study came out this week explaining that the typical synthetic vitamins people take can increase the rates of cancer (see Typical vitamin supplements cause cancer; false religion does not bring salvation).  The synthetic vitamins that many take remind me of the false religion that many accept.

The reality is those in the false religions tend to have a wrong understanding of salvation and do not understand God’s plan.  The truth about the early Christian church and what happened to it can be known (see Continuing History of the Church of God). Where the most faithful Christian church is can also be determined (see Where is the True Christian Church Today?).

Jesus said:

23 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.  24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth. (John 4:23-24)

8 “These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. 9 And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men. (Matthew 15:8-9)

21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.  22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’  23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ (Matthew 7:21-23)

Most WILL NOT WORSHIP GOD IN TRUTH, but instead cling to falsehoods and false traditions.  Many use Jesus’ name, but He says He will say to many that He does not know them.

Like those who swallow synthetic vitamins, nearly all take false beliefs into their hearts and minds all the time.  They hope, despite the truth, that salvation will come from faiths built upon falsehood.  Just calling Jesus ‘Lord’ does not make one a real Christian.

Suggested Sabbath Service

Here is our suggested format for Sabbath services this week:

Note: If you have a slow internet connection, you can watch these by starting the video, then below it (and towards the right) look for an outline of a gear–if you click on that, it will allow the YouTube video to be played with lower video quality, but at least it will not stop often–you can select a quality as low as 144p.

If your internet connection is still too slow (as my home one is) and/or you prefer audio messages to audio-visuals ones, go to the YouTube link for the message, click on SHOW MORE related to the description. You will then see something that says, “Download MP3.” Below that is a link to an MP3 file. Most computers (and even some cellular telephones) will allow MP3 files to be downloaded and played. This is an option we have made available (but we are also looking into ways to improve that as well)–and, of course, we have written article options that we list each week.

Some people have found that if their internet connections are not fast enough, that they can simply listen to the messages that are found at the new Bible News Prophecy online radio channel.

IN CASE YOU DO NOT RECEIVE A ‘LETTER TO THE BRETHREN‘ FOR ANY WEEK, REMEMBER THAT THERE ARE MANY SERMON MESSAGES ON THE ContinuingCOG channel AND MANY SERMONETTE MESSAGES ON THE Bible News Prophecy channel.

Concluding Comments

Notice the following question and answer:

28 Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, “Which is the first commandment of all?”

29 Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.  30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment.  31 And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

32 So the scribe said to Him, “Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth, for there is one God, and there is no other but He. 33 And to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

34 Now when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” (Mark 12:28-34)

Brethren, if you can remember to truly love God and your neighbor, you will never be far from the kingdom of God.

Sincerely,

Bob Thiel, Pastor and Overseer
Continuing Church of God