July 2010

July 15, 2010

Dear Brethren,

The whole world is anxiously watching the unfolding oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. It appears the “leak” is releasing a great deal more oil than originally estimated. This event really demonstrates the utter weakness of man against the powers God created in the earth. Considering the numerous difficulties plaguing the nations of the world—especially the coming economic meltdown—it appears that God is correcting the nations. In particular, God is correcting this nation—America—because we have rejected Him. But why would God do this?

When the history of the founding of the United States of America is examined from the original documents, it is clear that the founders actually believed and trusted in God, as well as lived by the principles of God’s Word. Many of the signers of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were keenly aware that the hand of God was behind the establishment of this nation, just as it was with England in the 16th and 17th centuries. Indeed, the founding of both nations was the fulfillment of specific prophetic promises God made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

The origins of America reach back into biblical history—back nearly 4,000 years to the time that God called Abraham. God’s promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are found in the book of Genesis. Notice God’s original pledge:“And the Lord said to Abram, ‘Get out of your country, and from your kindred, and from your father’s house into a land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation. And I will bless you and make your name great. And you shall be a blessing. And I will bless those that bless you and curse the one who curses you. And in you shall all families of the earth be blessed’ ” (Gen. 12:1-3). 

Most Protestants narrowly apply these verses to the Jews in Palestine today, as they do not understand the prophecies concerning the twelve tribes of Israel and their prophetic role in the last days. This knowledge, however, is available in books such as Judah’s Scepter and Joseph’s Birthright, which you can download from our Web site, cbcg.org. Steven Collins wrote a series of books detailing the history of the “lost” ten tribes of Israel from the 700s BC to the present time. His first book is called The Lost Ten Tribes Found! Still, most people do not have a clue about the birthright-related prophecies God has fulfilled in modern times through the descendants of Joseph—the UK, a commonwealth of nations, and the USA, the greatest nation in the history of the world. 

What follows is a short overview of the promises God gave to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Notice that it involved nationsandkings—rulership as the most powerful nations on earth. As we will see, the birthright blessings—of material wealth and financial power—went to Joseph, the son of Jacob, the firstborn of Rachel. Moreover, the birthright promises have little to do with the Jews from the tribe of Judah.

In Genesis17, we find that the Lord elaborated on these promises by changing Abram’s name to Abraham, which means “father of many nations.” God said, “And I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your seed after you in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your seed after you” (verses 6-7).

Then God changed Abraham’s wife’s name from Sarai to Sarah, and gave this blessing to her: “And I will bless her, and give you a son also of her. Yes, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations—kings of people shall be from her” (verse 16).

Later, when Isaac was about 15 years old, God tested Abraham by asking him to offer his son as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of Moriah. After faithfully passing that ultimate test, God made the promises He had made to Abraham irrevocable: “And He said, ‘Do not lay your hand upon the lad, nor do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.’

“And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked. And, behold, behind him a ram was entangled in a thicket by its horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son. And Abraham called the name of that place ‘The Lord Will Provide’; so that it is said until this day, ‘In the mount of the Lord it will be provided.’

“And the angel of the Lord called to Abraham out of heaven the second time, and said, ‘By Myself have I sworn,’ says the Lord, ‘because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son; that in blessing I will bless you, and in multiplying I will multiply your seed like the stars of the heavens, and as the sand which is upon the seashore. And your seed shall possess the gate of his enemies. And in your seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, BECAUSE YOU HAVE OBEYED MY VOICE’ ” (verses 13-18).

After Abraham died, God appeared to Isaac and conferred the promises to him: “And the Lord appeared to him and said, ‘Do not go down into Egypt. Live in the land which I shall tell you of. Stay in this land, and I will be with you and bless you, for to you and to your seed I will give all these lands; and I will establish the oath [covenant promises] which I swore to Abraham your father. And I will multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and will give to your seed all these lands. And in your seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws’ ” (Gen. 26:2-5).

When Isaac was old, he passed these promises and blessings on to Jacob: “[May] God give you of the dew of heaven, and of the fatness of the earth, and plenty of grain and wine. Let people serve you, and let nations bow down to you. Be lord over your brethren, and let your mother’s sons bow down to you. Cursed be everyone that curses you, and blessed be he that blesses you” (Gen. 27:28-29).

Jacob, whose name God changed to Israel, had 12 sons whose descendants became the “twelve tribes of Israel.” Joseph was Jacob’s favorite son and was the firstborn of Rachel. While Reuben was the firstborn of Leah, he disqualified himself from receiving the birthright blessing because he defiled his father’s bed. Thus, in the last says of his life, Jacob called for Joseph (and his two sons Ephraim and Manasseh) in order to pass on the birthright blessings of Abraham. “And it came to pass after these things, that one told Joseph, ‘Behold, your father is sick.’ And he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. And one spoke to Jacob, and said, ‘Behold, your son Joseph comes to you.’ And Israel strengthened himself and sat upon the bed. 

“And Jacob [Israel] said to Joseph, ‘God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me. And He said to me, “Behold, I will make you fruitful and multiply you. And I will make of you a multitude of people, and will give this land to your seed after you for an everlasting possession.” And now your two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, who are born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are mine. Like Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine’” (Gen. 48:1-5).

He continued and said to Joseph, “ ‘Please bring them to me, and I will bless them.’ And the eyes of Israel were dim for age; he could not see. And he brought them near him, and he kissed them and embraced them. And Israel said to Joseph, ‘I had not thought I would see your face, and, lo, God showed me also your offspring.’ And Joseph brought them out from between his father’s knees [the ceremonial method of adopting and conferring his name upon them], and he bowed his face to the earth.

“And Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel’s left, and Manasseh in his left toward Israel’s right hand. And he brought them near to him. And Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it upon Ephraim’s head, who was the younger, and his left upon Manasseh’s head, crossing his hands, for Manasseh was the firstborn. And he blessed Joseph and said, ‘May God, before Whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God Who fed me all my life to this day, the Angel Who has redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads. And let my name be perpetuated in them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac, and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth” (Gen. 48:9-16).

As we will see, the two boys were to become great, powerful nations. This blessing could not possibly refer to the Jews of today, because all the Jews scattered in the world—along with those in Palestine—number no more than 15 million.

The nearly-blind Jacob deliberately crossed his hands to bless the boys. Joseph thought his father had made a mistake and tried to change his hands so that the right hand blessing would be upon the firstborn, Manasseh. “And Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, and it displeased him. And he held up his father’s hand to remove it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head. And Joseph said to his father, ‘Not so, my father, for this is the firstborn. Put your right hand upon his head.’ And his father refused and said, ‘I know it, my son, I know it. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great [America, the greatest nation in the world], but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations [the British Empire/Commonwealth].’ And he blessed them that day, saying, ‘In you shall Israel bless, saying, “God make you as Ephraim and as Manasseh.” And he put Ephraim before Manasseh” (Gen. 48:17-20).

After this special blessing on Ephraim and Manasseh, Jacob called the other sons and pronounced blessings upon each of them. These blessings would be fulfilled in the last days. Notice: “And Jacob called to his sons and said, ‘Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you what shall happen to you in the last days. Gather yourselves together and hear, sons of Jacob, and hearken to Israel your father” (Gen. 50:1-2).

In addition to blessing all his other sons, Jacob added more to the previous blessings he had given to Ephraim and Manasseh. As you read the following passage, think of all the blessings, wealth, military might and the multitudinous populations of the UK and the USA. “Joseph is a fruitful bough, a fruitful bough by a well, whose branches run over the wall. The archers have fiercely attacked him and have shot at him, and hated him. But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob—from there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel—by the God of your father, Who shall help you. And may the Almighty bless you with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lies beneath, blessings of the breasts and of the womb. The blessings of your father are greater than the blessings of my ancestors, to the utmost bound of the everlasting hills. They shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him, the ruler, the leader who was separated from his brothers” (Gen. 50:22-26).

Just before the 12 tribes were to enter the Promised Land, after wandering in the wilderness for 40 years, Moses again blessed all the tribes. Notice the blessing given to the sons of Joseph: “And of Joseph he said, ‘Blessed of the Lord be his land, with the precious things of the heavens, for the dew, and for the deep that couches beneath, and for the precious things of the fruits of the sun, and with the precious things of the yield of the months. And with the chief things of the ancient mountains, and for the precious things of the everlasting hills, and for the precious things of the earth and fullness of it, and for the good will of Him Who dwelt in the bush. Let the blessing come on the head of Joseph, and on the top of the head of him who was separated from his brothers. His glory is like the firstborn of his bull, and his horns are like the horns of the wild ox. With them he shall push the people together to the ends of the earth. And they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh’ ” (Deut. 33:13-17).

There is no doubt that these blessings have been poured out upon the end time descendants of Joseph—Ephraim, the British Empire/Commonwealth, and Manasseh, the United States of America.

To the tribe of Judah was promised the Scepter of Royalty, established with the throne of David, which God declared would never perish. “I have made a covenant with My chosen; I have sworn to David My servant, ‘Your seed will I establish forever, and build up your throne to all generations’ ” (Psa. 89:3-4). Judah’s twin sons were Pharez and Zarah. The linage to David came through Pharez. During the days of the prophet Jeremiah, after the people of Judah were carried away captive to Babylon, the scepter was transferred to the line of Zarah. Jeremiah was given custody of the king’s daughters (Jer. 43:6). A remnant of the Jews from Judah went to Egypt, along with Jeremiah and the kings daughters.

The history of the king’s daughters is picked up in the early history of Ireland, where the descendants of Zarah had migrated in the 700s BC. Apparently, Jeremiah brought the daughters to Ireland, where one of the daughters, Tia Tephi, married a royal descendant of Zarah. Thus, the kingly line promised to Judah was reestablished in Ireland, and has since been passed down to the present-day throne of the United Kingdom.

However, the birthright was given to the descendants of Joseph: “And the sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel—for he was the firstborn; but since he defiled his father’s bed, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph the son of Israel, and the genealogy is not to be reckoned according to the birthright; for Judah prevailed among his brothers, and from him came the chief ruler, but the birthright was Joseph’s” (I Chron. 5:1-2).

Thus, the twofold promises given to Abraham resulted in: 1) the promise to David of an everlasting throne, which would continue throughout all generations; and 2) the promise of material birthright blessings, which went to the descendants of Joseph, Ephraim and Manasseh.

As found in Deuteronomy 28, there are conditions of obedience attached to the promises. “And it shall come to pass, IF you shall hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lordyour God to observe and to do all His commandments which I command you today, the Lord your God will set you on high above all nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you if you will obey the voice of the Lord your God” (Deut. 28:1-2). The next 12 verses are filled with the greatest blessings Israel could possibly expect. Remember, these blessings are conditional upon the obedience of God’s people. When you read of these blessings, you would think Israel would have been diligent to obey God so they could receive these great blessings in full. Yet, throughout the history of the nations of Israel, ancient and modern, there have been few times when they have obeyed God in order to receive His blessings in full.

God’s promises also include curses for disobedience—and the lessons of history show that such curses are real and do come to pass when individuals and nations disobey God. Curses are the consequences of SIN!

After describing blessings to the children of Israel, Moses described the curses that would come upon them if they disobeyed God. Notice, they are also conditional: “And it shall come to pass, IF you will not hearken to the voice of the Lordyour God to observe and to do all His commandments and His statutes which I command you today, ALL THESE CURSES SHALL COME UPON YOU AND OVERTAKE YOU” (verse 15).

The next 53 verses list the curses. We would do well to read these verses and realize that such curses are now coming upon us in varying degrees. These curses are afflicting our nations today because we have rejected God. When we reject God, God says He will reject us (Hosea 4:1-12).

Look at what we have done! After all the blessings God has poured out upon America and Britain because of His promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, we as nations have rebelliously rejected God. The worst and most deceitful part of our rebellion is that it has originated from the pulpits of the so-called “Christian churches”—by rejecting God’s laws and commandments, claiming that Jesus has “abolished” the Law! With contempt and disdain “Christianity” has also rejected and despised God’s holy Sabbath, Christian Passover and feasts and Holy Days. As a result, we have systematically kicked God out of our governments, schools, courts, homes and personal lives. Is it any wonder, then, that we are stricken with sickness, disease, drought, floods, winds, crop failures—exactly as prophesied in Deuteronomy 28. Consequently, we are overwhelmed with crime, deceit, cheating, stealing, adulteries, fornication and a host of sexual perversions and diseases on a scale that rivals Sodom and Gomorrah. And, as we have recently covered, we are now being overwhelmed with unsolvable immigration and financial disasters of a magnitude that can only lead to national disintegration and destruction.

Once again, we need to remember that in addition to all the curses listed in Deuteronomy 28, the most prominent prophecies unfolding before our eyes were foretold by God: “The stranger dwelling among you shall get up above you very high, and you shall come down very low. He shall loan to you, and you shall not loan to him. He shall be the head, and you shall be the tail. And all these curses shall come on you, and shall pursue you and overtake you, until you are destroyed because you did not obey the voice of the Lordyour God to keep His commandments and His statutes which He commanded you.

“And they shall be on you for a sign and for a wonder, and on your seed forever. Because you did not serve the Lordyour God with joyfulness and with gladness of heart for the abundance of all things, therefore you shall serve your enemies which the Lord shall send against you in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in the want of all things. And he shall put a yoke of iron on your neck until he has destroyed you” (verses 43-48).

There is a parallel prophecy in Leviticus 26 that helps explain what is happening to our nations today: “And I will break the pride of your power, and I will make your heaven like iron and your earth like bronze. And your strength shall be spent in vain, for your land shall not yield its increase, neither shall the trees of the field yield their fruits” (Lev. 26:19-20).

What is the “pride of our power”? It is our military power, our economic power (the “almighty dollar”) and our representative government. These three will begin unraveling in the next few years.

Aftershock—The Coming Global Financial Meltdown: The CD in this mailing contains two messages from the book Aftershock—How to Profit in the Coming Global Financial Meltdown. I have also included on this CD a message I gave back in September of 2008 entitled The Two Trillion Dollar Meltdown (at that time we were witnessing the near collapse of our entire financial system). With this perspective, you will see that our financial problems have been steadily building over the past 30 years.

The writers of this book conclude that when the world’s financial system collapses (as is being planned by the elite)—and after a time of unprecedented suffering and hardship—world leaders will establish a new global central banking system with a digital worldwide currency, probably called the International Monetary Unit (IMU). I will soon bring messages which will show that the G-20 (Group of 20 Central Banks) has been preparing for this.

Remember, all these things are coming upon us because of our collective sins against God. There will be no quick fix through government, financial overhaul or “budget cutting.” The only thing that will stave off these events—even for a short time—is national repentance and a genuine return to God the Father and Jesus Christ and the Word of God.

There Is Some Good News: In spite of the fact that our nations are sick and thoroughly corrupted, God has“left us a very small remnant, [or else] we would have been [destroyed] as Sodom [and] we would have become like Gomorrah. Hear the Word of the Lord, rulers of Sodom; give ear to the law of our God, people of Gomorrah [here, God is spiritually comparing our nations to Sodom and Gomorrah]” (Isa. 1:9-10).

This very small remnant is found in four ways: 1) the churches of God who are faithful to God; 2) the few people in the world who have not bowed the knee to Baal and have godly moral conduct; 3) the few in government who are sincerely trying to be honest and promote good laws based on godly principles; and 4) those who are fighting against abortion and uphold the sanctity of the life of the unborn.

Indeed, there are a few individuals in the world who are warning about the coming calamities, financial disaster, immigration problems—and are trying to implement honest fiscal and governmental policies.

But the churches of God are especially important, because we need to preach the Gospel and uncompromisingly warn the people of the world of their sins—and proclaim the return of Jesus Christ. We are the spiritual remnant—who have the Spirit of God, the testimony and faith of Jesus Christ and keep His commandments. If we are staying close to God through prayer and Bible study, growing in grace and knowledge as we should, perhaps God will push the heavy hand of His punishment off a few more years into the future. 

We can understand this concept because of what God told Jeremiah when Judah was wallowing in sin and corruption—ready for captivity as punishment for their rebellion. God showed that He would hold back His hand of correction for the sake of even one man:“Run to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, and see now, and know, and seek in her open places, if you can find a man, if there is one who does justice, who seeks the truth; and I will pardon her” (Jer. 5:1).

Many times, for the sake of one God-fearing individual, God has mitigated His punishment and spared His people. This is what we need to be doing and praying about for our nations. That is the GOOD NEWS IN THE MIDST OF TROUBLE!

Special Church at Home DVD: A few months ago we sent you the audio portion of our Church at Home half-hour online videos. At that time, we had not figured out how to put more than three programs on a DVD. Since then, my son Jonathan has figured out how to put nine videos on one DVD and retain good technical quality. As a result of his efforts, we have enclosed the first DVD of Church at Home. When you view these, you will see what you missed by having the audio only! 

We hope that you will use them for your personal study, as well as share them with other brethren and even new people who want to know the truth of God’s Word. If used in this way, these half-hour videos can be very effective tools in preaching the Gospel. Indeed, we are all in this together, spreading the Word of God in these critical times.

The New Judaism Book: The printing of the book Judaism—Revelation of Moses or Religion of Men? has been completed. Philip Neal, our editor, has done a superb job in writing this well-researched, eye-opening book. It is a must-read for every true Christian and especially the professing “Christians” of this world. When you receive your copy, you will probably have a hard time putting it down. You should be receiving your copy almost immediately, as they will be mailed starting at the end of this week. 

This is a most important book. Without knowing the history and development of Judaism, it is nearly impossible to comprehend certain vital aspects of the New Testament. Today, we are confronted with the problem of Catholic traditions and the supremacy of the pope; in Protestantism, there is the argument that the Law has been abolished. But the circumstances were far different during the time of the early church. The key issue for them centered on whether followers of Christ were obligated to keep the traditional laws of Judaism—or the laws and commandments of God as magnified by Jesus.

Most people today are ignorant of the conflict between early Christianity and Judaism. Thus, they fail to appreciate the complex issues faced by the original apostles. While many understand the clear statements of Christ, they are confused by Paul’s difficult passages concerning God’s laws and commandments. Without this knowledge of Judaism, Protestants especially misinterpret the New Testament and believe that Paul “did away” with the Law. They carelessly assume the Law of God is a curse, and that the Old Testament is unnecessary for Christians today! 

Nearly all of these false beliefs stem from a poor understanding of Judaism. To add to the confusion, nearly every false Protestant doctrine concerning the Law is rooted in the improper translation of key New Testament passages. In turn, such translation errors are also based on a poor understanding of Judaism. 

As you read this book, you will see why Jesus fully rejected the Jews’ religion of His time. To add to your reading and study, we have just converted to MP3 CD the audio cassette series I did years ago entitled Scripturalism vs. Judaism. This series will demonstrate from the Word of God the conflict that existed between Jesus and the Jewish religion—a conflict that still exists to this day between Christianity and Judaism. This series will no doubt be a real eye-opener and help you to appreciate the new book even more.

In the new book on Judaism, we have included the appendix, “Understanding Paul’s Difficult Scriptures Concerning the Law and Commandments of God” (previously published in our Bible). This is a thorough study concerning the laws and commandments of God, showing the correct explanation and interpretation of Paul’s difficult writings. 

Finally, because you have heard me talk about The Code of Jewish Law many times, we have included a 32-page appendix concerning those laws. As you read through the samples of those humanly-devised laws, you will see why they are called burdens in the New Testament and why they were rejected by Jesus and the early church. As the book also brings out, the perfect laws and commandments of God, coupled with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, bring true blessings and freedom as God intended.

The Christian Passover Book: Last week, we sent the new downsized version of TheChristian Passover to Thomson-Shore for printing. In this third edition, we have updated nearly all of the Old Testament passages using the text of The Holy Bible In Its Original Order. (We are completely out of the hard-cover, 8-1/2” x 11” second edition.) We have reconfigured the book with a bit smaller type, made it paperback for easy handling, and reduced it to a convenient size of 7” x 10” (and about 1” thick). It should be finished by the middle of August. However, because so many want to continue using the second edition, we will not automatically send you a copy. If you desire one, you can order it by filling out the coupon provided below.

Brethren, we realize that we will all be facing increasingly more difficult times in the near future. Please stay close to God the Father and Jesus Christ in prayer and study, so that you will be spiritually strengthened through the power of the Holy Spirit of God. Always remember, “ALL THINGS WORK TOGETHER FOR GOOD FOR THOSE WHO LOVE GOD AND ARE CALLED ACCORDING TO HIS PURPOSE” (Rom. 8:28).

We gratefully thank you for your continued love and prayers for us and all the brethren, especially in the difficult times we face. In these tighter financial times, we truly appreciate that you have been faithful in your support through your tithes and offerings for the work of the ministry. Thank you so much. We stretch every cent as far as it will go. Remember, through what we are doing together, everyone is serving the brethren and preaching the Gospel to the world. We pray for you every day, continually asking God to heal you, and to strengthen and comfort you in the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ. Finally, always keep your hearts and minds focused on the love of God and the love of the brethren. May God’s love, grace and blessings be with you every day.

With love in Christ Jesus,

Fred R. Coulter

FRC

Special Feast of Tabernacles Announcements

Hollister, California:

The Lutheran Church we have met in the past several years, has completely closed down—very few attendees.  As a result, we have had to change our meeting place.  It is only about a 15 minute direct drive from Ridgemark Golf and Country Club in Hollister.  You will not need to change you’re the reservation you have already made.  The entire Feast of Tabernacles meetings will be held at: 

The Hilton Garden Inn  

6070 Montery Road

Gilroy CA 95020  Phone 408-840-7000

Palm Springs, California—The Room Rate has been reduced to $99.00 and $89.00

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Restoring Original Christianity—for Today!

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