Dear Brethren and Co-Workers with Christ,
Greetings from Charlotte, NC! The return of Jesus Christ is getting closer month by month! For those who have “eyes to see,” many key situations are now coming into focus preparatory to Christ’s Second Coming. As most of you know, I have detailed these key events to watch for in the booklet entitled, Fourteen Signs Announcing Christ’s Return. If you have not received that booklet, please write or call for it and read it carefully—comparing it with current events as you see these things slowly but surely unfolding.
Recently, the President of Iran has again publicly called for the total destruction of the State of Israel! And multiple thousands of his supporters regularly hold mass rallies and chant, “Death to America!” and, “Death to Israel!” For those of us who remember, many of these events are eerily reminiscent of what happened just prior to World War II! We remember the very similar rantings and ravings of Hitler and Mussolini just before they launched the greatest war in modern history.
Yet, America and the West are doing essentially nothing to actually stop Iran from developing atomic bombs. Ditto for North Korea which already claims to have atomic weapons and the means to “deliver” them to Seattle and San Francisco! Of course, many meetings and “conferences” are held to discuss these ominous events. But no genuine solution is even remotely underway. Because our U.S. military is already essentially “exhausted” by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, these other threats throughout the world continue to grow. In much of the world, sadly, America is increasingly being seen as a “paper tiger.”
The Eternal God warned our forefathers in a “dual” prophecy which definitely applies to us today, “And after all this, if you do not obey Me, then I will punish you seven times more for your sins. I will break the pride of your power; I will make your heavens like iron and your earth like bronze” (Lev. 26:18-19). This prophecy applies to all the nations which are descendants of the “House of Israel” including America, Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. And much of the fulfillment of the above prophecy is already underway!
For instance, the Australians are already experiencing one of the worst droughts in recorded history. Our correspondent in Australia has just reported, “After a heat wave this past weekend—up to 44°C (111°F)—we survived the most severe conditions for bushfires on record in South Australia…. The dams and water tanks are empty because there’s been no rain. Remember—summer has only just begun!” Also, a report from the Sydney Morning Herald (October 28, 2006) describes this aspect of the tragedy, “With parts of NSW [New South Wales] experiencing their driest weather on record, the state’s winter-planted grain crops have been devastated and Australia is heading for its smallest harvest in more than 10 years.” Sad to say, these types of conditions are destined to increase and also to affect vast areas of the United States and Canada as well! As Jesus said, “Watch and pray…”
However, we in this Work of the living God have an awesome and inspiring proclamation to make to the entire world with increasing power! We are called upon by God to preach the message of the coming Kingdom of God—a genuine Government under Jesus Christ (Rev. 11:15), the coming of Tomorrow’s World which we describe to you so often. We have the honor and privilege not only of helping people understand what is ahead in this world, but also of giving them a genuine understanding of the “calling” of true Christians to become kings and priests in this magnificent Government. It will soon be set upon earth and bring a type of peace and joy which has never before been experienced! As the end of this calendar year approaches, brethren, let us be thankful for the understanding that God has given us and for the “reasonable” peace and tranquility most of us are still experiencing—at least up to this time.
We are grateful for the increases in the Work that Christ is using us to do, and for the growth of our impact on this confused world that so desperately needs the message we have to give. Here are some of the latest statistics supplied to me by our capable staff:
- This has been our biggest year for television. In the past 12 months we added 34 new TV stations to our broadcasting log. This raised our reach to 141 million households in North America, the United Kingdom, Europe, the Middle East, northern and southern Africa, the Caribbean Islands, Australasia and the Philippines. The telecast is now airing on more than 200 over-the-air TV stations, cable systems and satellite systems.
- According to our latest Nielsen TV-market data, the Tomorrow’s World telecast has now been viewed at least one time in North America by 9.9 million households since January 1999, when the telecast began. Two million new households watched the telecast for the very first time this year.
- Our annual worldwide TV response reached 200,000 this year—the highest ever, and up 27 percent over a year ago. Our response for the United States and Canada was up 31 percent over 2005. Fifteen TV programs this past year generated more than 4,000 responses for each airing.
- Our Tomorrow’s World magazine circulation has now surpassed 300,000. Since 1999, more than 7.6 million magazine copies have been sent to readers in 171 countries and dependencies around the world. According to the United Nations’ official list, the Tomorrow’s World magazine has now gone into 78 percent of the world’s countries. (We only wish this was 78 percent of the world’s population!)
- Our Bible Study Course was requested by a record 17,500 new students this year. Since we first offered it, more than 96,000 students have enrolled in the 24-lesson course.
- This year we were able to send out more than two million items, including booklets, reprints, audio tapes and CDs, Bible Study Course lessons and magazine copies. All of this totally free of charge, of course.
- Even though we never ask the public for money, and never will, the number of supporters for this Work rose significantly this past year. Tomorrow’s World magazine subscribers and TV viewers, who chose totally on their own to become co-workers with us, rose 21 percent over a year ago, and one-time contributors increased by 53 percent over last year. Even though the total number of people and contributions may seem quite small for what is being done in this Work, the increases are very encouraging and much appreciated. It allows us to do even more!
Well, that’s about it for this time, dear brethren and co-workers. In closing, let me just urge you to pray fervently for Christ’s return and His wonderful Kingdom to be set up. We truly “need” it. For our entire way of life will begin to change dramatically when, for instance, we in America and Canada begin to be increasingly attacked by Muslim terrorists right here—and experience the horrified reaction from our friends and neighbors to the kind of suffering and anguish that goes on day and night in Iraq. Truly, our “hearts” must increasingly be looking toward God’s Kingdom and our energies focused on doing the Work of the living Jesus Christ while we have the opportunity.
With Christian love,
Roderick C. Meredith
P.S. Please remember that any December contributions that are postmarked with a December date will be counted as year 2006 donations, even if we receive them in January 2007, and may be tax-deductible in 2006. So be sure any December donation is postmarked no later than December 31.