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God Commands Our Presence At His Feasts!
Here's Why!
Soon now, people all over the world
will be packing up and setting out via automobile, motor home, bus,
train or airplane to gather together with other brethren for eight days
of rejoicing, celebrating, recreating, and feasting on the rich
spiritual food, as well as the very best of physical food and drink.
It is a fascinating phenomenon!
Especially to me, personally, for I well remember when the only people
on earth keeping the Feast of Tabernacles so far as we knew was my own
family and a tiny group of church members in Eugene, Oregon, in the
early 1930's! Later, my father found a mountain resort on the Mackenzie
River in Oregon called "Belknap Springs" (which is still there, although
the original old building was burnt down) and a little group of perhaps
fifty or sixty began keeping the Feast there.
From those humble beginnings, the
Feast of Tabernacles grew until my father and I would appear at eleven
different US sites; from Long Beach, California to Big Sandy, Texas, and
from St. Petersburg, Florida to Squaw Valley, California; at our
facilities in Mt. Pocono, Pennsylvania, The Dells, Wisconsin, and Lake
O' The Ozarks, Missouri. We spoke before crowds of 8,000, 11,000, and
even 15,000 at a time!
Today, as a result of the
disintegration of the Worldwide Church and the spin-off of dozens of
smaller organizations, there are people who will be meeting in hundreds
of sites on every continent, sometimes within only a few miles, or a few
blocks of each other, and "ne'er the twain shall meet." While that is
sad, one can nevertheless rejoice that many have not abandoned their
custom of keeping the Feast!
Why do so many continue to cling to
the custom of Feast-going?
Because these people know God
COMMANDS their presence at His Feast!
Those who have experienced previous
feasts know what a wonderful, rewarding and uplifting time it is; as if
God has designed His special "vacation plan" for our families. Having
once experienced the Feast, each one of God's children is eager to
repeat the experience each year - zestfully looking forward to yet
another "best Feast ever!"
God has especially BLESSED the
Intercontinental Church of God by providing TWO NEW FEAST SITES for us
this year! The two new sites are right here in our new Headquarters
offices and auditorium near Tyler, and in beautiful Myrtle Beach, South
Carolina.
All the information you will need
about all EIGHT sites can be found at our Feast of Tabernacles
information page.
CHRIST IS
COMING BACK TO EARTH!
Jesus Christ is on a countdown from
heaven!
Even now, a heavenly clock is
ticking away, inexorably moving toward a time which only the Father
Himself knows (Matthew 24:35); a time when Christ will launch Himself
from heaven toward this earth at the helm of countless millions of
powerful angels!
While we cannot know the "day nor
the hour" of that stupendous event, we CAN know the general time, from
Christ's own prophecies.
We know that America could once
again be targeted by insane, hate-filled Islamic terrorists! We are
constantly being warned about "dirty bombs," or the dangers of
biological and chemical weapons; about possible cyber warfare; about
poisoned food and water supplies; about terrorists wanting to kill as
many Americans as they can.
We know that the Palestinians
continue horrifying suicide bombings against helpless men, women and
children in Israel, and we know that a PALESTINIAN STATE may be just
ahead! We know that presages terrible DANGER for Israel. We know that
Christ said we are to WATCH JERUSALEM, and that when the "Abomination of
Desolation" is set up, and when Jerusalem is "surrounded with armies"
then the TRIBULATION is about to begin!
We know that the tribulation will
put DOWN AND OUT any further organized attempts at preaching the gospel
of the Kingdom of God to a rebellious, Satan-deceived world, and that
the ministry of the "two witnesses" (Revelation 11) will begin! God's
people, the MODERN nations of the so-called "Lost Ten Tribes," will be
viciously attacked, and CONQUERED by an enemy they do not now suspect!
Only about ONE THIRD of them will remain alive- as CAPTIVES by foreign
conquerors!
Then will come the heavenly signs
(Revelation 6,7), and the DAY OF THE LORD.
We know God will then INTERVENE in
the course of these horrible human events, and tell His Son and our
soon-coming King, "It is time!"
Christ will then hurl Himself
toward this earth! He is coming as A WARRIOR, to MAKE WAR!
Isaiah prophesied, "But with
righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the
meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his
mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked" (Isaiah
11:4).
John saw a vision of this
stupendous event: "And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse;
and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in
righteousness he doth judge and make war.
"His eyes were as a flame of fire,
and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man
knew, but he himself.
"And he was clothed with a vesture
dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.
"And the armies which were in
heaven [millions of angels!] followed him upon white horses, clothed in
fine linen, white and clean.
"And out of his mouth goeth a sharp
sword [metaphor for His commands], that with it he should smite the
nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the
winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
"And he hath on his vesture and on
his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.
"And I saw an angel standing in the
sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in
the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper
of the great God;
"That ye may eat the flesh of
kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the
flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men,
both free and bond, both small and great.
"And I saw the beast, and the kings
of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against
him that sat on the horse, and against his army.
"And the beast was taken [seized;
arrested!], and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before
him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the
beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive
into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
"And the remnant were slain with
the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of
his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh" (Revelation
19:11-19).
Though millions profess to
"worship" Christ, it is not THIS Christ they worship!
Millions of nominal, professing
"Christians" cannot IMAGINE that Jesus Christ would administer the DEATH
penalty to rebellious, satanic, brutish murderers, and to false
religious posturers who deceive the masses!
Notice further: "And the ten horns
which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet;
but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.
"These have one mind, and shall
give their power and strength unto the beast.
"These shall make war with the
Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and
King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and
faithful" (Revelation 17:12-14). The ten nations to finally form the
BEAST power in central Europe will assay to FIGHT the returning,
conquering Christ!
Satan the devil is PREPARING the
nations to do just that! With millions in many nations fascinated by
concepts of extraterrestrial beings; with the incredible interest in
astrology, witchcraft, demonism and Satanism today; with the
introduction of "star wars" concepts; anti-ballistic missile missiles
and "Strategic Defense Initiatives," the satanic armies of the Beast
power will be deceived by Satan to believe they are defending themselves
against an INVASION FROM OUTER SPACE!
They will aim their lasers, their
anti-aircraft batteries; their anti-missile forces and all their guns
and aircraft toward the skies, where they will see mind-boggling
displays in the heavens; the sun "black as sackcloth of ashes," and the
"moon as blood."
Christ will DESTROY the armies of
the Beast! Notice, "And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will
smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh
shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes
shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away
in their mouth" (Zechariah 14:12).
As if with powerful laser-type
rays, with Divine POWER, Christ will cause the bodies of His enemies to
simply DEMATERIALIZE! Their helmets and uniforms will collapse; sink to
the ground with only a pile of white bones inside!
No, THIS Christ is NOT the Christ
of millions of professing "Christians" today!
CHRIST'S
FIRST GREAT EDICT
Soon after Christ stands once again
on this earth, the FIRST GREAT COMMAND to all the survivors will be
issued! Notice God's prophecy: "Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight
against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.
"And his feet shall stand in that
day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and
the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east
and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of
the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the
south...And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all
the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to
year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of
tabernacles.
"And it shall be, that whoso will
not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship
the King, the LORD of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain.
"And if the family of Egypt go not
up, and come not, that have no rain; there shall be the plague,
wherewith the LORD will smite the heathen that come not up to keep the
feast of tabernacles.
"This shall be the punishment of
Egypt, and the punishment of all nations that come not up to keep the
feast of tabernacles" (Zechariah 3-19). If you have not yet heard it,
write or call (903) 561-7070 for your FREE copy of the tape "The First
Great Edict."
Christ's edict will not be a casual
invitation. It is not optional.
Today, all too many people are
CASUAL about God's Holy Days and Sabbaths. Some allow any small excuse
or difficulty to come along and decide not to attend! But then, after
Christ sets up His world-ruling government on this earth ALL NATIONS
WILL BE REQUIRED to come to the FEAST OF TABERNACLES; to sit at the feet
of the King of Kings and be taught of HIS new world order!
As I have explained for many years,
you and I, as "new creatures in Christ," are living only TEMPORARILY in
these human, physical bodies. The time is coming when only the SPIRIT
creature being formed within us will survive!
God's Special Savings Plan For The
Feast
For many decades, those of God's
people who have chosen to OBEY God have known about what came to be
called "the second tithe." This SECOND ten percent of ones' income is to
be set aside for the specific purpose of attending God's Feasts. It is
for US, not for the work, or the church - but for us and our own
families!
God commanded, "Thou shalt truly
tithe [the word "tithe" means "one tenth"] all the increase of thy seed,
that the field bringeth forth year by year.
"And thou shalt eat before the LORD
thy God, in the place which he shall choose to place his name there, the
tithe [this is not the FIRST tithe, which God claims for Himself, but a
"second" tithe which WE are to consume, ourselves!] of thy corn, of thy
wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herds and of thy
flocks; that thou mayest learn to fear the LORD thy God always.
"And if the way be too long for
thee, so that thou art not able to carry it; or if the place be too far
from thee, which the LORD thy God shall choose to set his name there,
when the LORD thy God hath blessed thee:
"Then shalt thou turn it [agrarian
produce or cattle] into money, and bind up the money in thine hand, and
shalt go unto the place which the LORD thy God shall choose:
"And thou shalt bestow that money
for whatsoever thy soul lusteth [earnestly desires] after, for oxen, or
for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatsoever thy soul
desireth: and thou shalt eat there before the LORD thy God, and thou
shalt rejoice, thou, and thine household" (Deuteronomy 14:22-26).
It is OUR money, to spend on
ourselves, our families, and our loved ones! Yet, it is to be set aside
for a HOLY PURPOSE!
Those who have OBEYED THEIR GOD in
faithfully setting aside this SECOND ten percent of their annual incomes
have been able to greatly REJOICE in God's feasts! Thousands, over the
decades, have been able to travel overseas to a different Feast site;
have been able to take their children to Europe, or Britain, the
Philippines, or Australia, or some other country, and to meet and come
to know and love their brethren of different countries and difference
races.
Others have decided to see
different parts of the United States. Some in Canada have traveled all
the way to the sugar white beaches of the Florida panhandle, to Destin,
to enjoy God's Feast there. Some from the eastern states have flown to
beautiful Lake Tahoe, high in the majestic Sierra mountains of
California, to observe the Feast there.
Those who have done so can tell
you, "Obeying God PAYS OFF!" They are able to dine out in restaurants,
selecting the best of the menus; to participate in the many special
events at the Feast, such as beach parties, skating parties, picnics,
barbeques, or the "family night fun show." They are able, because they
have faithfully SAVED toward the Feast, to purchase special gifts and
special clothing for their children and themselves!
Many find they have enough that
they can GIVE to those of poorer circumstances, helping them rejoice in
the Feast!
You need to determine RIGHT NOW
that you will make every effort to be with others of God's people at His
wonderful FEAST OF TABERNACLES this year! There, you will hear
inspiring, uplifting, thought-provoking sermons and Bible studies. You
will learn of many fascinating things to see and do in the area, for
each Feast site is chosen with such things in mind. You will be able to
meet and come to know HUNDREDS of brethren of like mind and convictions,
and to renew old acquaintances from the past.
You will know why God commands us,
"...and YE SHALL REJOICE before the Eternal your God." (Leviticus
23:40).
PLAN NOW
to attend one of the EIGHT U.S. Feast sites, or one of our sites in
other countries.
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