Dear Brethren and Co-Workers in Christ:
Greetings from the Five Cities region of California.
On a personal note, yesterday was my 48th anniversary of moving to California.
That said, we continue to receive additional translations of our English language booklet, The Gospel of the Kingdom of God this week. Jesus’ prophecy in Matthew 24:14 will be fulfilled and having additional translation supports that.
Update on Social Media
Richie White and Shirley Gestro sent the following from New Zealand related to social media:
Bible News Prophecy Flipboard Page
https://flipboard.com/@ProphecyNews
Magazine news mobile App and on desktop. Includes, COGwriter.com Church of God news articles.
September 3, 2024
Articles: 21,077
Page flips: 236,716
Viewers: 26,168
Followers: 4,508
Magazines: 23
Bible News Prophecy Online Radio
https://www.biblenewsprophecy.net/
The online radio site offers free access to a wide range of content, including:
- Online radio station streaming 24/7
- News, Biblical, and prophetic Interviews in audio, written and video format
- News and analyses audio and written reports
- In-Depth Biblical Sermon Podcasts
- Biblical Audiobooks
- Youtube videos added in last year or more
- Access to current news and analysis articles, links to literature in over 120 Languages, English Language Books and Booklets, radio stations around the world, and multi-media page.
Radio station streaming server statistics:
Total Listeners: 66,358 (Sep 2023 to Aug 2024)
Average listening time: 35 minutes (Jul 2024 – Aug 2024)
Top countries: USA, Germany, Canada, Jamaica, Australia (Jul 2024 – Aug 2024)
Listening hours: 9,273 hours (Jun 2024 – Aug 2024)
Top Mobile Apps/Browsers: Android browser, TuneIn, Chrome, Simple Radio, Unknown (Jul 2024 – Aug 2024)
Listening options available on desktop and mobile Apps.
First 7 in the list below added in the last year:
- One Stop Radio and One Stop Radio App
- MyTuner and MyTuner App
- Streamitter
- FMRadioFree.com
- Radio Stay and Radio Stay App
- Radio FM and Radio FM App
- Spotify (Audio books) Audio Books — Bible News Prophecy Radio
- TuneIn and TuneIn App: 1.5K added to favourites
- Streema Radio and Simple Radio App by Streema
- Online Radio Box and Online Radio Box Android App
- vTuner
- Mobile stream
- Winamp, VLC, iTunes, and other media players
Listening options available here: Bible News Prophecy On Air — Bible News Prophecy Radio
Audio Books
https://www.biblenewsprophecy.net/audio-books-1
Author: Dr. Bob Thiel. Narrators: James Martenet, Steve Dupuie and Harry Packingham. Available to listen on the site or download to your device.
From November 2023, 8 Audio books uploaded to the radio website. We utilise Spotify for our audio books, an audio/podcast site, suitable for large mp3s.
Spotify Statistics:
Total played/downloaded: 66
Countries: USA, New Zealand, Canada, India, Denmark, South Korea, and Russia
Top audio books of interest: Hope of Salvation: How CCOG differs from Protestanism and Universal Offer of Salvation – Apokatastasis Can God Save the Lost in an Age to Come?
Bible News Prophecy Radio Pinterest Page
Pinterest posters are created for BNP interviews and Sermons. These are categorized into separate boards.
Statistics for: Last 90 days, 6/5/2024-9/3/2024
Impressions: 71,460
Top Pins:
24 Items to Prophetically Watch in 2024. Total Impressions: 6,088
Great Tribulation: 2026 or 2027? Total Impressions, 5,808
Top Boards:
Bible Q & A, and Sermons – total impressions 37, 270
Daily Bible News & Prophecy updates – total impressions 8,050
Bible News Prophecy Radio MeWe Page
https://mewe.com/biblenewsprophec/feed
Followers: 422
Yes, we are attempting to use social media as well as use online radio.
More on the various media the CCOG uses can be found on the Continuing Church of God Multimedia page.
Feast of Tabernacles and Canada
The Feast of Tabernacles runs from sunset October 16th through the Last Great Day which ends sunset October 24th in 2024.
Our planned North American site is at the Moody Gardens Hotel & Spa, 7 Hope Blvd, Galveston, TX 77554, 409-744-4673. While no one has to stay at that hotel, at this instant we are encouraging people in the United States and Canada to attend the site in Galveston.
That said, we are planning two video festival sites in Canada.
One is near London, Ontario. Here is information about the area:
Rooster Hill Ranch
Note that this is a working farm, so there will likely be noises from cattle, goats and chickens/roosters. There is one working dog in the house that is restricted to the mud room and 3 cats (2 more outside) that are friendly. Daily farming activities (checking/feeding critters) start around sunrise but I can start with chores away from the buildings first.
Lots of room for tents if anybody wants to “camp out”.
Room for a camper/RV if someone wants to use/bring one of those.
Nearby hotels:
Best Western Plus Stoneridge Inn & Conference Centre (13 minutes)
Cardinal Court Motel (15 minutes)
Ramada (20 minutes)
Courtyard (22 minutes)
Four Points (21 minutes)
London Travel Inn (22 minutes)
And lots more…
Nearby Restaurants:
20-30 minutes from all manner of dining in London
Local Attractions:
Grand Theatre (London, 35 minutes)
Stratford (3 theatres – world class + lots of restaurants, 1 hr)
Niagara Falls (2 hr, lots of hotels there if one wanted to stay overnight and return to the farm for services)
Butterfly Conservatory (Niagara Falls, 2 hr)
Grand Bend (fantastic sunsets over Lake Huron) (1 hr)
Point Pelee National Park (most southern point in Canada) (1.5 hr)
Toronto Zoo (2.5 hrs)
CN Tower (Toronto, 2 hrs)
Royal Ontario Museum (Toronto, 2 hrs)
Royal Botanical Gardens (Burlington, 1.5 hrs)
Lots of “lesser” tourist attractions (like Parks Blueberries, various smaller theatres, etc.)
Farm-bound Activities:
Feeding critters, collecting eggs, flying kites in the hay field, nature walks in the bush or hay field, fishing in the pond, sunset watching (can be quite spectacular), fire pit/marshmallow roast (will need to get twigs from the bush earlier in the day), deer watching (evenings), feeding from the garden, bicycle riding (2 or 3 bikes, plus a couple of small child bikes), learning how to grow vegetables naturally, learning about basic chicken husbandry, making butter/yogurt, visiting a small local dairy to see where the milk at the store comes from (and maybe see how cheese is made?). BBQ on one day?
For more information send an email to nlafonta@hotmail.com
The other video site is in New Brunswick, but it may not allow transfers. For more information, send an email to giseleghaddon@gmail.com
Although we have those video sites planned in Canada, we strongly recommend that Canadians should be attending the USA site or one of the many international sites if possible. God commands people to attend the Feast. Canadians normally have no problems being able to cross into the USA, so we are encouraging attendance in Galveston.
Information regarding our planned sites around the world is in the following article: Feast of Tabernacles’ Sites for 2024.
Dying to Look Good?
The Book of Ecclesiastes has the following as part of its introduction:
2 “Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher;
“Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.” (Ecclesiastes 1:2)
And vanity of appearance is something that Satan deceived himself by:
12 … ‘Thus says the Lord God:
“You were the seal of perfection,
Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
13 You were in Eden, the garden of God;
Every precious stone was your covering:
The sardius, topaz, and diamond,
Beryl, onyx, and jasper,
Sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold.
The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes
Was prepared for you on the day you were created.14 “You were the anointed cherub who covers;
I established you;
You were on the holy mountain of God;
You walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones.
15 You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created,
Till iniquity was found in you.16 “By the abundance of your trading
You became filled with violence within,
And you sinned;
Therefore I cast you as a profane thing
Out of the mountain of God;
And I destroyed you, O covering cherub,
From the midst of the fiery stones.17 “Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty;
You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor; (Ezekiel 28:12-17)
But it is not just Satan who has been affected by vanity of beauty.
While males are certainly often vain, females in many societies are immensely focused on outward appearance.
Yet, the Bible teaches:
4 … glorious beauty is a fading flower (Isaiah 28:4)
Looks do not last, but many spend a lot of time on their outward appearance. And while that can please them, and sometimes others, there are risks.
A couple of decades ago, a chiropractor telephoned me and asked if she could send me a copy of her anti-cosmetic book titled Dying to Look Good.
She sent it and I read it.
Basically, the book warned of the dangers that many of the commonly used chemicals in cosmetics posed many health risks. Specifically, it classified over 1200 cosmetic ingredients according to safety, whether they may cause allergic reactions, whether they have been reviewed by the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Panel and if they are approved or recognized as safe by the FDA. It also lists over 750 cosmetic and personal care products that have been evaluated as “safe.” Related to it, the author claimed:
Many of the ingredients in the cosmetics, toiletries and personal care products you use every day are harmful. Studies have found that nearly 50% of cosmetic products evaluated were contaminated with the cancer-causing chemical 1,4-dioxane. Cosmetics, toiletries and personal care products do not require FDA approval before they are sold to the public. A harmful product can only be removed from the market if the FDA can prove in a court of law that the product is harmful, improperly labeled or violates the law. …
You can’t depend on the FDA or the manufacturers to make sure the products you buy are safe. It’s up to you! Protect your family’s health.
Well, that book came out back in December 2000.
What about the situation today?
Well, many dangerous chemicals are still used.
And most, while not dangerous in small amounts, can be in large amounts.
One of the reasons for this post is that the Associated Press published the following several days ago:
Young girls are using anti-aging products they see on social media. The harm is more than skin deep
August 31, 2024
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — When she was in fifth grade, Scarlett Goddard Strahan started to worry about getting wrinkles.
By the time she turned 10, Scarlett and her friends were spending hours on TikTok and YouTube watching influencers tout products for achieving today’s beauty aesthetic: a dewy, “glowy,” flawless complexion. Scarlett developed an elaborate skin care routine with facial cleansers, mists, hydrating masks and moisturizers.
One night, Scarlett’s skin began to burn intensely and erupted in blisters. Heavy use of adult-strength products had wreaked havoc on her skin. Months later, patches of tiny bumps remain on Scarlett’s face, and her cheeks turn red in the sun.
“I didn’t want to get wrinkles and look old,” says Scarlett, who recently turned 11. “If I had known my life would be so affected by this, I never would have put these things on my face.”
Scarlett’s experience has become common, experts say, as preteen girls around the country throng beauty stores to buy high-end skin care products, a trend captured in viral videos with the hashtag #SephoraKids. Girls as young as 8 are turning up at dermatologists’ offices with rashes, chemical burns and other allergic reactions to products not intended for children’s sensitive skin.
“When kids use anti-aging skin care, they can actually cause premature aging, destroy the skin barrier and lead to permanent scarring,” says Dr. Brooke Jeffy, a Scottsdale, Arizona, dermatologist who has posted her own social media videos rebutting influencers’ advice.
More than the physical harm, parents and child psychologists worry about the trend’s effects on girls’ mental health — for years to come. Extensive data suggests a fixation on appearance can affect self-esteem and body image and fuel anxiety, depression and eating disorders.
The skin care obsession offers a window into the role social media plays in the lives of today’s youth and how it shapes the ideals and insecurities of girls in particular. Girls are experiencing high levels of sadness and hopelessness. Whether social media exposure causes or simply correlates with mental health problems is up for debate. But to older teens and young adults, it’s clear: Extended time on social media has been bad for them, period. …
The cosmetics industry has acknowledged certain products aren’t suitable for children but has done little to stop kids from buying them. …
Ingredients like retinol and chemical exfoliants like hydroxy acids are inherently harsh. For aging skin, they are used to stimulate collagen and cell production. Young or sensitive skin can react with redness, peeling and burning that can lead to infections, acne and hypersensitivity if used incorrectly, dermatologists say.
Dermatologists agree a child’s face typically needs only three items, all found on drugstore shelves: a gentle cleanser, a moisturizer and sunscreen. https://apnews.com/article/influenced-skincare-routine-mental-health-f59bb09114ab93323e3a47197a1ad914
I would suggest that young women do not really need a moisturizer, but the reality is that they want to use more chemicals than that.
The prophet Jeremiah was inspired to write:
25 The Lord is good to those who wait for Him,
To the soul who seeks Him.
26 It is good that one should hope and wait quietly
For the salvation of the Lord.
27 It is good for a man to bear
The yoke in his youth. (Lamentations 3:25-27)
Yes, it is better to start as young as you can to serve God.
The Psalmist wrote:
2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: 3 Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, 4 Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, 5 Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. (Psalm 103:5)
Living God’s way is best for the young and those older.
That said, society has long put an excessive value on female appearance.
But with the internet and social media, the pressures on young women have escalated and not helped them.
Looks are not everything.
And according to the Bible, temporary and not that important.
The Bible teaches:
30 Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing,
But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised. (Proverbs 31:30)3 Do not let your adornment be merely outward — arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel — 4 rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God. (1 Peter 3:3-5)
No matter what people do, if they do not die, they will age.
And then eventually they will die.
Yet, “righteousness endures forever” (2 Corinthians 9:9).
Therefore, “seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:33).
Be careful not to take steps to die to “look good.”
That said, we all age.
Related to that, we put together the following video on our Bible News Prophecy YouTube channel:
14:18
Let’s Talk About Aging
Could you have the wrong attitude about aging and the elderly? Should your goal to be to retire and cease being productive? What did Herbert W. Armstrong say about it? What does the Bible say about aging? Is it better to listen to God when you are in your youth? What about later? Since physical life is temporary, should that motivate us to better obey God? What are some things we can do physically in order to be healthier? What about avoiding things like smoking, too much alcohol, and obesity? What about spiritual things such as prayer, Bible study, paying attention to church services, and fasting? Are there benefits from responding to God sooner than later? Who is Jesus, the author of ETERNAL SALVATION, for? Steve Dupuie and Dr. Thiel go over these matters.
Here is a link to our video: Let’s Talk About Aging.
Suggested Sabbath Day Services
Here is a suggested Sabbath day service for our scattered brethren and other interested people:
- 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.
- The suggested sermonette is titled: Should Christians Eat Insects? 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, which for most who receive this letter via email will be: Mystery of Civilization (and Nimrod). 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 mobile 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.
In case one or more of our video channels are unavailable, down, restricted, or ?, understand that we are on multiple platforms.
For sermons in English:
ContinuingCOG YouTube channel. Dr. Thiel has produced video sermons for this channel.
Also available at BitChute COGTube https://www.bitchute.com/channel/cogtube/
For sermonettes in English:
Bible News Prophecy YouTube channel BibleNewsProphecy https://www.youtube.com/user/BibleNewsProphecy.
Bitchute Prophecy https://www.bitchute.com/channel/prophecy/,
Vimeo at Bible News Prophecy https://vimeo.com/channels/biblenewsprophecy
Brighteon Bible News Prophecy https://www.brighteon.com/channel/ccogbnp.
Rumble https://rumble.com/c/biblenewsprophecy.
DailyMotion https://www.dailymotion.com/dm_e24c8ac0050c5e7445cd5573711869c6/videos
For animations in English:
CCOG Animations YouTube channel.
Also available at BitChute COGAnimations https://www.bitchute.com/channel/coganimations/
Sermons and sermonettes in Spanish:
CDLIDDSermones channel.
African videos:
CCOGAfricaYouTube channel.
Also available at BitChute COGAfrica https://www.bitchute.com/channel/cogafrica/
Audio messages:
Bible News Prophecy radio. This is an audio version of the Bible News Prophecy videos on one of our internet stations as well as our radio broadcasts in English. The BibleNewsProphecy.net website also has information about our international radio presence for Europe, Asia, and North America. That page is also available as a mobile app.
Bible News Prophecy International radio. This has links to our non-English language online radio station as well as materials in multiple languages.
There is also additional information at the Continuing Church of God Multimedia page.
World News Items
Although the Holy Days are getting closer, do not allow yourself to get caught up with the hype associated with the coming ‘ring of fire’ solar eclipse that is to begin around the time the Feast of Trumpets begins in Jerusalem this year (see MS: Have You Heard About The “Ring Of Fire” Rosh Hashanah Eclipse That Is Coming In October?). Those pushing the hype with scriptures err by not understanding the timing of some of the scriptures that they tend to cite.
That said, the Sunday election results in eastern Germany are consistent with a shift in Europe away from migrants (see Shifts in Germany and elsewhere in Europe). The election results have caused concerns from the liberal elite in Germany (see ZH: German Elites Call For “Firewall” To Prevent Conservative Governance After AfD Election Win). Yet, Russia seems pleased with the results, which showed increased support for the anti-migrant, semi-pro-Russian AfD party (see Russia pleased with AfD results; European leaders meet to discuss increasing military without the USA). Regarding the AfD party, we did a radio broadcast and sermonette video related it before (watch AfD: Prelude to a Hitler Beast?).
The anti-migrant shifts in Europe are helping set the stage for the reorganizations coming in Europe that will lead to the coming totalitarian Beast gaining power consistent with Revelation 17:12-13.
Elsewhere in Eurasia, we are seeing more nations aligning with the BRICS+ alliance (see Turkey applies to join BRICS and Vladimir Putin invites Mongolia to join October summit). One of the goals of the BRICS alliance has been to bypass and push aside the US dollar for international trade. While they have not fully succeeded in that yet, they have been taking steps and ultimately what they are doing will greatly hurt the US dollar.
Concluding Comments
Jesus taught:
8 “Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. 9 In this manner, therefore, pray:
Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
10 Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors.
13 And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.14 “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. (Matthew 6:8-15)
Brethren, pray for God’s kingdom to come and remember to be forgiving.
Sincerely,
Bob Thiel
Pastor and Overseer