Greetings to you all around the world from our office in Grover Beach, California.
Spring Holy Days
The Spring Holy Days are almost upon us. Last year, we produced a sermon on them you may wish to watch/rewatch titled: Keeping Gods Holy Days in the Spring.
Although the answer to the question which is the title of one of our booklets, Should You Keep God’s Holy Days or Demonic Holidays?, should be obvious, most people do NOT observe God’s Holy Days in the Spring. Instead, a variety of pagan-based observances are kept by most who profess Christianity.
Anyway, as far as when God’s religious days are in the Spring, the first is Passover. It is to be kept after sunset 31 March by baptized members in 2026.
The Night to be Observed is kept after sunset on 1 April 2026. The First Day of Unleavened Bread runs from sunset 1 April through sunset 2 April in 2026.
The Last Day of Unleavened Bread runs from sunset 7 April through sunset 8 April in 2026.
Audio Issues
In late 2024, Steve Dupuie and I tried to use an alternative to Skype to record the Bible News Prophecy program from a place called Riverside. This was needed because it was announced that Skype, which we had been using, was being discontinued.
The attempt to use Riverside.fm did not go well enough at first. But, finally that was made to work and we still use it for our sermonettes.
However, a couple of months ago, I also tried to use it for our sermons. While there have been advantages to Riverside (including it seems to help me slow down my speaking), we continue to be plagued by audio and other problems.
So, this coming Sabbath, I plan to go back to use the old video camera that I have been using for over a decade as the sound quality is more consistently better.
In the meantime, Steve Dupuie is looking at the audio issues, so I might one day go back to Riverside for the recording and processing of sermons.
Anyway, we apologize for the audio problems, but are working on them.
Assisting in the Work
In the Book of Psalms, David prophesied:
3 Your people shall be volunteers In the day of Your power; (Psalms 110:3)
Steve Dupuie asked me to include the following in this Letter to the Brethren today:
Dr. Thiel
I have come to realize that there are many readers of this Letter to the Brethren that would like to help in the final phase of the work but aren’t exactly sure how to go about it.
I would like to invite any that are interested in doing the work to contact me.
For a brief overview of the requirements and special skills needed to help – there are none.
All you have to do to is want to.
We all learned how to do what needs to be done as we went forward in faith. In whatever area you want to help those of us that are already in that aspect of the work will share what we learned and will be eager to learn what you already know.
One of the areas we could use some help with is speaking another language. There are other areas we can use some help too.
If you want to know more about what we have to do and if it is something you want to do, contact me. There is no commitment.
Since Amazon Kindle improperly removed all our literature for a false reason, we have been moving our literature to another platform.
We have just moved our hymnal over, so we are once again able to print it. Our songbook is also still available free online: The Bible Hymnal.
Death of David Stevens
Nearly two years ago, when my family was in the Phoenix, Arizona area, I baptized David Stevens. His wife, Charlotte, left a telephone message that he died. She did not list the cause and left no funeral information. When I tried to return the call multiple times, the number was not connecting.
David Stevens being baptized
Anyway, David Stevens was faithful to the end (cf. Matthew 24:13).
Burundi Registration
As mentioned last year, the government of Burundi requires churches to be registered. Augustin Mpawenimana feels that we now can qualify.
Augustine Mpawenimana and Evans Ochieng
So, we are starting the process of attempting to register the Continuing Church of God in Burundi.
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).
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.
One of the reasons that many in Iran continue to fight is that some Shi’ite Muslims hope that Donald Trump is the Dajjal (Islamic Antichrist figure) who is to rise up just before the 12th Imam, known as the Imam Mahdi who they hope will lead them to conquering the world (see also Time for the rising up for the Shi’ite Imam Mahdi in Iran?). Donald Trump is not the Dajjal nor is Iran about to conquer the world–despite it causing chaos, oil issues, and other problems.
Over in Europe, Germany is working on increasing its military strength. With only 1% of the world’s population, Germany is reportedly responsible for 6% of the world’s total military spending (see EU looks to AI as Germany becomes the biggest European military spender). While Germany lost WWI and WWII, consistent with Daniel 11:23-24, it will win what can be called WWIII.
Concluding Comments
The Apostle Paul wrote:
27 Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. 28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. (1 Corinthians 11:27-30)
Yes, brethren, we are to examine ourselves each year prior to Passover.
Now as far as the cup goes, our recommended sermonette for this Sabbath covers what liquid should be in it:
Many churches use grape juice for the ceremony they call Passover, the Lord’s Supper, and/or Communion. Did Jesus use fermented wine or grape juice when He introduced symbols for the Christian Passover? Did the use of grape juice become popular in the United States after Thomas Bramwell Welch began pasteurizing it? Does natural grape juice start to ferment fairly soon after it is made? Grapes become ripe in the late Summer or early Fall, and Jesus’ last Passover was in the early Spring. Was it possible for unfermented grape juice to have been used by Jesus and His disciples? What did ‘Christianity Today’ publish in 2026 about wine vs. grape juice? Should 21st century Christians follow the same practices as Jesus when it comes to unleavened bread and wine? What about molasses and water instead of wine or grape juice? Did early Seventh-day Adventists originally use wine and then switch to grape juice? What did James White write? What did Ellen G. White later write? Should people change the practices of Jesus if they are real Christians? It has been stated that it was impossible for grape juice to be drinkable and unfermented to be used in the Spring in the Holy Land. If something is actually impossible, then it did not happen. Dr. Thiel and Steve Dupuie go over these matters in this video.
