Dear Brethren and Co-Workers in Christ:
Greetings from Grover Beach, California.
A comment related to the recommended sermon for last week (21 Century False Prophets) posted at the anti-COG Banned by HWA website was:
No one predicted the collapse of the USSR, the Russia Ukraine war, the Gaza war, the Iran crisis, Venezuelan spectacle, the overthrow of Gaddafi in Libya, the Assad regime in Syria etc etc etc. They got it WRONG folks, and that sent any credibility they and their ‘pretenders’ to Herbs throne out the door.
Well, the old WCG did predict publicly in 1979 (as I heard Dr. Hoeh teach it at the Feast of Tabernacles in Tucson, AZ) that Eastern Europe would unite eventually with Western Europe, and hence be outside of the USSR’s control. And the EU is proof that happened.
Now, related to Russia and Ukraine, back in 2013 I specifically predicted that Russia would end up with parts of Ukraine, plus clearly did make predictions about the Iran crisis, regional conflicts involving Israel, as well as specifically writing that the Assad regime would have to change or be replaced.
Do not let naysayers dissuade you from the truth.
This week’s recommended sermon is 21st Century Prophets (and Prophetesses).
Bible News Prophecy International
Received the following email yesterday:
The Bible News Prophecy International site is back up. There are 41 languages on the site and approximately 3-4 sermonettes for each language including Will the Great Tribulation Begin in 2026, EU-Mercosur Deal, Doomsday Clock, Civil Unrest in the USA, Mr. Beast, Children, and Lab-Grown Meat, and America and Mystery Babylon. It was taking a long time to create these in all of the languages so not every language has all of them. But we recently came across a timesaver so we hope to get future ones out in all 41 languages. On January 1 we had three languages and the website was down or attacked repeatedly over the last 7 weeks, so this has been a lot of work with some very dedicated brethren. It made me think of Galatians 6:9
And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.
The languages we have are: Afrikaans, Arabic, Azerbaijani, Bengali, Bulgarian, Catalan, Cebuano, Chichewa, Chinese, Dutch, French, German, Haitian Creole, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Irish, Italian, Japanese, Javanese, Kiswahili, Korean, Luo (Dholuo), Malay, Marathi, Norwegian, Persian, Portuguese, Punjabi, Russian, Serbian, Somali, Spanish, Swedish, Tagalog (Filipino), Tamil, Telugu, Turkish, Ukrainian, Urdu and Vietnamese.
The information is building and we are trying to keep up with a new sermonette each week. When we have more messages, we will be changing the format of the online radio program. Right now we only have sermons/sermonettes in Spanish, Dholuo, and Cebuano. By summer we hope to be able to have 5 main languages broadcasting around the clock. These will be Portuguese, French, Hindi, Chinese, and Spanish. With five languages, we would have 4-hour chunks of time to broadcast messages, which is why we need to build up more messages in those languages. One of our brethren collected information on the languages covering 95% of the world. English is 16.5%, Chinese is 14%, Hindi is 8%, Spanish is 7% and French and Portuguese are 3%. So with these languages and both Bible news Prophecy sites, we should cover over 50% of the world’s population!
In addition we are recording audiobooks. We have the Gospel of the Kingdom of God audiobook in French and Chinese done. Portuguese and Spanish are coming soon, followed by Hindi. Since we have several Portuguese and Spanish books available from native speakers we should be able to get these done soon too.
Social media updates
The CDLIDD facebook page has 431 followers, MeWe has 65, Instagram has 56, and Threads has 5. The screenshot below shows where the MeWe followers are from and as we add more languages from around the world we should see these countries numbers increases. These social sites are also linked on the BNPI.net website.
Online radio, in multiple languages, is one of the ways we are reaching out to support the harvest of “a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues” (Revelation 7:9).
Podcasts and Reaching Guam
Last Friday and Saturday, I was a guest on a live podcast called the Vantage Point Podcast with Henry. I was part of a panel for a two-part discussion on the “Spirit of Antichrist.” Because the host and other panelists were Protestants, I anticipated that parts of this could be difficult, which is why last week I asked for your prayers about it. The podcasts were 2 hours each, so the speaking portion of the Sabbath was a bit full for me as I also did a sermon and sermonette.
Anyway, I was able to mention the Sabbath, issues with Emperor Constantine and other antichrists, as well as to put forth the biblical Church of God view on prophetic topics while encouraging people to heed Jesus’ words to “seek first the kingdom of God” (Matthew 6:33).
Interestingly, on the Sabbath, over 300 viewed the live podcast in a Protestant church service in Guam. I have never been to Guam before and doubt that anyone in the CCOG ever reached 300 people in Guam at the same time before this.
I also was a guest on a different podcast program on Tuesday, February 24th, and hope to be able to share the link to that when it is available.
Of course, being a podcast guest gives us an opportunity to be able to reach audiences of the podcast programs that we may otherwise not reach. This is a major opportunity the CCOG is utilizing with no direct financial costs.
Podcasts are currently one of the doors that Jesus has opened for the remnant of the Philadelphia portion of the Church of God (Revelation 3:7-13).
Although our finances are stretched, we did send just funds to continue our radio presence in Kenya–as radio is a door that we are also using.
To see about other doors, check out the Continuing Church of God Multimedia page.
Rwanda, Burundi, and the Congo
As mentioned before, governments such as in Rwanda and Burundi have implemented laws that are difficult, if not impossible, for small churches to be able to operate under.
While the President of Rwanda suggests that he means well after closing thousands of churches, Jesus (cf. John 7:15) and His Apostles (cf. Acts 4:13) would not have qualified under the Rwandan rules .
It is not just a theology degree that is required–the degree must be from a Rwanda government approved school. That, as well as physical building and other requirements, makes it nearly impossible for groups who do not agree with the mainstream to qualify. Furthermore, in Burundi, they raised the minimum number of people in order to register a church and we do not have quite enough for a church based outside its borders.
So, what to do?
Give up?
No!
One way that we have been dealing with these rules is to not hold group services in one physical location, but to use WhatsApp and the Internet.
Moise Nshimiyimana sent the following report from Rwanda:
Dear Pastor and Overseer Dr Bob ,
Greetings from Rwanda and as well as from the Whatsapp group where we Rwandans , Congolese and Burundians meet. However, on that group we also connect with brother Aaron from Uganda and brother Augustin live in Malawi as Burundian refugees. Therefore in that group we provide a lot of support with CCOG different .
Again, let me I thank God who has continued to be with me during my Illness, and also thank you because of compassion with me and prayers from the CCOG email group called PrayersRequest. After three months with treatment, now something has changed within me , my illness has reduced by about 50% . Now I can do something, unlike before.
In addition, we continue to fullfil the main mission of proclaiming the Good News of the Kingdom of God here in Rwanda by using online platform during Sabbath Furthermore, we have now rented a house where we teach music and singing and where we will occasionally meet to learn hymns from CCOG book and special songs. Attached there is a picture of that house and we will put up a sign soon like CCOG Rwanda Studio and we will be posting our activities on a YouTube channel called CCOG Rwanda Studio.
Moreover, among our brothers in Burundi there are some who desire baptism so that they may be able to participate in Passover. We discussed that they might come to be baptized in the Congo or that people from Kenya might go to Burundi to baptise them because I answered them that me is not possible to go to Burundi by land border , only by air travel and it expensive.
However, in the Congo, prayers are needed . Yet they continue to face various consequences of war such as economic hardship , now then Martin’s eldest son was abducted and disappeared and it has been now two and a half months without finding him.
Let we continue to pray,
Best Regards,
Moïse.
When one door closes, often another opens. So, we are glad that we are able to function in this capacity in Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Please pray for our brethren there, as well as the whereabouts of Rwanika Sebulikoko Martin’s eldest son.
Rift Valley Report
Received the following report today from pastor Tiongik Sawek:
Receive greetings here from Rift valley Kenya, we are happy and continuing well with the word of God. Last month and beginning of this February, we visited Kiribwet and Roborwo local CCOG churches, we were received well, the brethrens also are committed and working according to CCOG doctrines.
I also received a report from the Mau region, and I am glad that a new CCOG church has been established,we really thank God.
Again initially Evangelist Ochieng had told the locals to look for more number of Deacons, Elders and pastors, so we are still waiting for his communication on the date he will be visiting Rift valley as we had already have the quorum.
I still pray for this events and may God bless you. …
THANK YOU.
Regards,
Pst. Sawek
So, another congregation. We continue to reach people that God calls, consistent with Romans 11:25 (see also What About Romans 11:25 and the Full Number of the Gentiles?).
Defamation Decision
For the past couple of years or so, there have been many negative reports being passed about related to Evans Ochieng and Radson Mulozowa.
In the Letter to the Brethren: February 12, 2026 there was an email from former United Church of God Pastor, John Otieno Owak, where he explained his knowledge about why that various negative reports related to Evans Ochieng as well as negative reports about the CCOG in Malawi were false.
Late last month, on January 30, 2026, someone claiming to be Louis Wahela of Malawi posted bad things about Radson Mulozwa at the Banned By HWA website.
However, 02/13/26, Louis Wahela sent me (Bob Thiel) the following email which starts off stating he did NOT make the post attributed to him at the Banned By HWA website:
Let me stay that today I was with … lawyer, RADSON to present my speech as I am not the one who wrote this letter on website and I know nothing about these letters. After being asked with radson about these leatters. I said the same I said when I was taken to police last time that we are not aware of this together with machemba we refused in the presence of Constable Matipwiri a police officer for phablombe
Dr Bob let me assure you that I know nothing and I don’t know what is the main purpose of writing these letters instead of preaching the gospel
Pastor Bauleni, machemba, sister Priscilla when we were called at the police all of us refused that we are not writing
What I know is that maybe T… has some issues with you which needs you to sit down and solve because I don’t see Christianity on what is happening
Do you know that I do chat with Mulozowa ,meet with even communicating via phone and we were together at the lawyers office
Can I say something bad against him on what grounds.for me to know the truth about Sabbath it’s because of him
Last week when I was at the office of Mulozowa lawyer our lawyers was asked about the website letter that radson children went to his office to deliver there testimony against their father but our lawyer refused that he knows nothing and it has taken long period since he communicated with foster
Dr Bob the children of radson are staying with him in his house so is it possible for them to speak against their father and even saying bad about him .I could believe if they were staying with their mother but these are accuser of the church of God who does wish you well
Machemba is the overseer and me his assistant, sister Priscilla our treasures, Bauleni is the secretary of Hope of Israel
How come this is happening without our knowledge
Pastor frankly speaking under the fear of God I don’t know these letters
Looking forward hear from you
Louis Wahela
So a deacon in the Hope of Israel is 1) denying that he made an anti-CCOG post at Banned, 2) saying he regularly communicates with Radson Mulozowa, 3) he learned the Sabbath from Radson and would not have written against him, 4) that Radson’s children live with him and are not speaking against him, 5) and that various leaders in the Hope of Israel in Malawi he accepts are not associated with the negative reports about me, Radson, or the Continuing Church of God.
Anybody can claim to be anybody in parts of the internet. Since Louis Wahela wrote that no one from Hope he wants to work with is doing this, we may not know who has been posting all of those things.
Sadly, many have believed gossip and talebearers.
For years, some associated with Hope of Israel have falsely claimed that I never looked into various allegations in Kenya and Malawi (which I did) and could not see the truth because 1) I did not want to as 2) supposedly I was under the spell of witch doctors I never met nor heard from. But the fact is that I did investigate in many ways on multiple occasions. The fact that I did not share their improper conclusions and/or react as they wanted me to does not change the truth. Anyone who claims that I am or ever was supportive of witch doctors is spreading a falsehood.
Related to negative reports about Radson Mulozowa over the past few years from two associated with Hope of Israel, he and others gave information/testimony to a court in Malawi denying various negative reports.
Yesterday, I received a copy of a Malawi court judgment against two people for defamation against Radson Mulozowa. So, a court ruled against two who defamed Radson.
While I do not know how Malawi courts define defamation, here is some of what the Cornell Law School has posted about it:
defamation
Defamation is a statement that injures a third party’s reputation. The tort of defamation includes both libel (written statements) and slander (spoken statements). State common law and statutory law governs defamation actions, and each state varies in their standards for defamation and potential damages. Defamation is a complex area of law as the lines between stating an opinion versus a fact can be vague, and defamation tests the limits of the first amendment freedoms of speech and press.
Elements
To prove prima facie defamation, a plaintiff must show four things: 1) a false statement purporting to be fact; 2) publication or communication of that statement to a third person; 3) fault amounting to at least negligence; and 4) damages, or some harm caused to the reputation of the person or entity who is the subject of the statement. https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/defamation
In Radson Mulozowa’s case, the court concluded that those who defamed him apparently did not provide sufficient/any evidence that Radson was guilty of the negative tales they told/wrote/spread about him.
Do not be one who listens to talebearers instead of believing the facts.
The Bible teaches:
20 Where there is no wood, the fire goes out;
And where there is no talebearer, strife ceases.
21 As charcoal is to burning coals, and wood to fire,
So is a contentious man to kindle strife.
22 The words of a talebearer are like tasty trifles,
And they go down into the inmost body. (Proverbs 26:20-22)16 You shall not go about as a talebearer among your people … (Leviticus 19:16)
Yet, the Book of Proverbs notes:
16 The lazy man is wiser in his own eyes
Than seven men who can answer sensibly. (Proverbs 26:16)
Many critics think they are wise, but many have not seemed to have been interested enough to take the time to check out the facts to be able to discern the truth over falsehoods.
The true church will continue to the end of the age (Matthew 16:18, 28:20).
Suggested Sabbath Services
Here is a suggested Sabbath day service for our scattered brethren and other interested people for the Last Great Day Sabbath service:
- 2-3 hymns (our songbook, The Bible Hymnal, contains the materials from the 1974 Bible Hymnal from the old WCG with new covers, plus ten additional hymns; there is also some Choral Accompaniment online).
- Opening prayer.
- Sermonette: Dross and the US Dollar. Other sermonettes are available at our Prophecy channel on BitChute https://www.bitchute.com/channel/prophecy/
- Announcements (if any; though for many it will be this letter) and one hymn.
- The suggested sermon is: 21st Century Prophets (and Prophetesses). Other sermons are also available at the COGTube channel on BitChute https://www.bitchute.com/channel/cogtube/
- Final hymn.
- Closing prayer.
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. 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 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. There are also some messages at the CCOGAfrica channel. There are also messages in the Spanish language at the CDLIDDSermones channel.
World News Items
The Europeans continue to take steps to improve their trade and push for a stronger military (see Ursula von der Leyen: One Europe, One Market). Prophecies related to Mystery Babylon the Great will be fulfilled.
Related to allegations of improperly disclosing information, etc., the UK, Australia, and New Zealand are supporting the idea that former Prince Andrew be formally removed from the succession list for British royalty so that he can never become king (see Australia calls for former Prince Andrew to be officially removed from possible kingly succession, and New Zealand supports it too). That said, the throne of David continues and Jesus will one day return to take it over (see also our free eBook Lost Tribes and Prophecies: What will happen to Australia, the British Isles, Canada, Europe, New Zealand and the United States of America?).
US President Donald Trump gave his State of the Union message Tuesday evening. It, and comments about it, continue to point to a divided nation (see State of the Union: Divided). Such division will not end well (cf. Matthew 12:25; Mark 3:24-25; Luke 11:17).
Concluding Comments
The Apostle Paul wrote:
1 Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, 2 fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. 3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. 4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. (Philippians 2:1-4)
Brethren, remember that Philadelphian Christians look out for the interests of others.
In the Continuing Church of God ways we do this include proclamation support, literature, personal visits, and assisting poor and hungry brethren in places like Africa and Haiti.
Remember humility as that is something that Laodicean Christians often seem to overlook.
Sincerely,
Bob Thiel
Pastor and Overseer