Newsletter 59, February, 2001

 

What is Giving & Sharing? | What Is the Sharing Library? | Sharing Library Order Form | Why Read the Early Writings of Herbert W. Armstrong? | How Giving & Sharing Preserves the Legacy of Herbert W. Armstrong | Vaccines: Are They Really Safe and Effective? | God Won’t Ask | Bible Correspondence Course | PAL Format Videos for International Brethren | Victor Kubik’s Good Work for Needy Brethren | Think on These Things | The Race Change | Peter in Rome? | The Awful Crime of Rape | Why Count Pentecost? | Imitators or Followers of Christ? | A Simple Lesson inTithing | Bible Sabbath Musicians: United in Music

 

What Is Giving & Sharing?

 

Sometimes, folks get the wrong idea just what our Giving & Sharing ministry is all about.  Giving & Sharing was founded in 1978 by me, Richard C. Nickels.  Giving & Sharing is a nonprofit religious service, not a church organization.  Giving & Sharing’s Board of Directors each volunteer to assist our program.  Our goals are: (1) to distribute Bibles, religious books, and articles at the lowest possible cost;  (2) to promote the Good News of the Kingdom, observance of Biblical Law, Bible Sabbath and Holy Days, Tithing, Healing, Laws of Health, Marriage and Family; and (3) to oppose eating Unclean Meats, observing Holidays of Pagan Origins, unscriptural Divorce and Remarriage, and Sexual Perversions.

We publish and distribute many items to further these goals, both on the Internet at www.giveshare.org, and from our nonprofit, mail order bookstore at PO Box 100, Neck City, Missouri 64849.  See our latest Order Blanks.  Earl and Wanda Lewis do most of the mailing of books and literature from our Missouri Bookstore, assisted by John Guffey of Oklahoma City, and sometimes myself.  Steve Kieler of Fort Dodge, Iowa, counsels and helps people with personal, religious, and financial problems, through the “Help Lines” service.  I edit the free 24-page Giving & Sharing Newsletter, published 4-6 times a year.  Several writers, typists, and proofreaders assist Newsletter production.  Representatives in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and the United Kingdom distribute the Newsletter and receive funds from orders and donations to cover local postage expenses.  Literature orders are forwarded to Missouri for shipment.  Other Newsletter distributors are in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, and the Philippines.

It is not correct to say that the Nickels’ family operates the Giving & Sharing ministry.  Many people volunteer their time and contribute funds.  I work full time as an Accountant for a major coal mining company, and also volunteer many hours a week for Giving & Sharing.  In 22 years of service to God’s people, I has never received one cent of remuneration.

Giving & Sharing does not “sell” books or literature.  Like Focus on the Family, we ask for a “suggested donation” for some of our literature, which roughly represents our cost.  If someone cannot afford to send our suggested donation, we will send an item free, or on loan.  Only contributions above our “suggested donation” are USA income tax deductible.  Widows, prisoners, or less fortunate brethren in Africa and Asia, are usually the recipients of gratis books and literature.

Giving & Sharing needs volunteers to manage our website, translate articles, and duplicate audio tapes.  Those who desire a hands-on ministry, may find these and other positions within the Giving & Sharing service, rewarding and satisfying.  Our reach overseas, especially to Africa, stretches our resources.  Would you like to help?  Please contact us.

Our “Sharing Library” began as an auxiliary service of G&S in 1990.  Recently, John Crissinger, a professional librarian of the Columbus, Ohio, area, agreed to assume the leadership role of this free lending library of good family and religious material.  He is excited about the possibility of expanding this service.  Books are loaned for four weeks, and tapes and videos for one week.  With this issue, we include a listing of Sharing Library resources.  If you have good used books, tapes, or videos, that you wish to donate to Giving & Sharing’s free lending library, send them to: Sharing Library, Box 581, Granville, OH 43023.  There is no request for donations.  USA income tax-deductible contributions to “Sharing Library” are receipted through Giving & Sharing, as it is an integral part of our operation.  At the present, the Sharing Library service is limited to North America.  Thanks for your help in promoting good reading and listening material to God’s people.  Is anyone interested in setting up an International Library?

 

What Is the Sharing Library?

 

Sharing Library is a service ministry founded by Giving & Sharing. It provides Sabbath-keepers access to a diverse collection of helpful resource materials to aid in their Christian walk.  It is difficult and time-consuming to locate good Christian living, home schooling, inspirational biographies, music, Christian recreational reading/viewing, and Hebrew/ Jewish roots materials, etc. The Sharing Library seeks to meet this diversity of need in a timely manner by lending a variety of resources through the mail. This ministry operates solely through the freewill giving of friends of the library, and therefore recommendations, although appreciat­ed, far exceed available funds to buy them.

Sharing Library Librarian John Crissinger is a past library director at Ambassador University. Other volunteers serve as reviewers of selected new resources for the Library.

 

Borrowing Guidelines

 

q       Items are freely mailed and we ask borrowers to pay return postage.

q       A maximum of six items checked out at a time.

q       Books, CDs, and audiocassettes circulate for 4 weeks; videocassettes for 1 week.

q       Success of the Library partially depends upon the prompt return of borrowed materials.

q       Occasionally items will be damaged or lost. If that happens, please notify the librarian. If the borrower is able to help towards its replacement, the Sharing Library will be much appreciative. However, the value of materials is only in their being used and thus worn out, not in residing on a library shelf.

q       A borrower failing to return an overdue item is not allowed to borrow again until the item is returned.

q       At this time, service is limited to the United States and Canada.

               

Collection Development Guidelines

 

We welcome your contributions of good used books, tapes, and videos.  To maintain a quality collection of high value, all resources are evaluated prior to being added to the library.  Preference will be given to items which teach Christian principles, inspire, or aid parents in instructing their children. Stamps are always appreciated.  Please contact: Sharing Library, John D. Crissinger, Librarian, PO Box 581, Granville, OH 43023-0581, Phone: 740-522-0692, E-Mail: mapsnbooks@juno.com

 

Why Read the Early Writings of Herbert W. Armstrong?

 

Herbert W. Armstrong (1892-1986) is both vilified and deified by people in the Church of God today.  As the most famous Sabbath-keeping minister of the Twentieth Century, Armstrong was an instrument God used to teach tens of thousands of people around the world, the seventh-day Sabbath, and many other Bible truths.

Because of his corrupt lifestyle, some reject Armstrong’s teachings.  Quite a few throw out many of his doctrines because of his later abuse of Church government.  Others seem to worship Armstrong, but cling only to the teachings he espoused at his death in 1986. 

Yet, it is shocking that so many, who owe their spiritual roots to Armstrong, have strayed so far from his original teachings.  Few realize that Armstrong himself departed from many of his earlier beliefs.  We need to continually review his early teachings in order to be encouraged to hold fast to God’s Truth.  Our book, Early Writings of Herbert W. Armstrong contains public domain articles written from 1928-1953. Giving & Sharing distributes a bound edition of this book for a suggested donation of $9.00. Order from Giving & Sharing, PO Box 100, Neck City, MO 64849.  Or, you may view the entire book online at www.giveshare.org/library/hwa/.  If anyone cannot afford a copy, we will send one free of charge.

Why should we read, and reread, the early writings of Herbert W. Armstrong?  Because he explains key aspects of Bible Truth essential to Christian life.  We need to be jolted out of our complacency, and have a burning passion to get back to the faith once delivered to the saints.  Here is a summary of some of the early writings of Herbert W. Armstrong:

The core teaching of Herbert W. Armstrong can be summed up in one word: FAITH. Armstrong defined faith in God, made faith plain and understandable, and showed how faith and works are one characteristic, that we need to have faith in God to be healed, that we should be faithful in marriage, that we need to trust the Savior to run His Church, that the Sabbath is a test of faith, that we can faithfully trust Christ when He said He would be three days and three nights in the grave before His resurrection, that God has not cast off His people Israel today, and that we, in faith, can look forward to the return of the Messiah and the establishment of the Kingdom of God on this earth (the World Tomorrow). The world is on the verge of end-time wars, earthquakes, famines, disease epidemics, and martyrdom of God’s people. FAITH is the missing ingredient that we need to carry us through to the return of our Savior, to overcome all and to endure to the end. Herbert W. Armstrong was indeed an Apostle of faith.

Yet today, most people in the wealthy nations have more faith in their retirement savings account, than faith in God.  They spend much more time thinking about, and working with, their financial portfolio, than their spiritual portfolio.  Armstrong’s articles, “What is Faith?” and “What Kind of Faith is Required for Salvation?” are of great help to our faith.  These are the two lead articles in our book, Early Writings of Herbert W. Armstrong.

One in two marriages today end in divorce.  Marriage and family are the foundation of our society, which is crumbling before our eyes.  Even in the Church of God, divorce, and divorce and remarriage, is as common as water.  These things ought not to be so!  Marriage is for life, no if’s, and’s, or but’s.  That is the way God designed marriage.  God’s scattered people need to recapture the vital Truth that marriage is for life!  We do not need to miss out on the full, joyful, abundant life that God intended us to have.

In light of this, God’s people today need to recapture the Truth about health and healing.  God is our only healer, not doctors, medicines, herbs, etc.  Where is faith in God for healing?  Where is the desire to observe laws of health to keep our bodies healthy?  Health and divine healing are complimentary doctrines sorely neglected in the Church today.  Armstrong’s article, “Does God Heal Today?” along with “The Importance of Fasting,” and “Ten Simple Rules That Lead to Health,” cover a subject often neglected in the Church of God.  Satan and his minions are bombarding God’s people with unhealthy food, poisonous chemicals, and polluted air and water, in order to weaken and destroy us, so we will give up on God and not be able to perform His work.  The promised protection of Psalm 91 is available only to those who faithfully trust, and obey, the Eternal.

Do you know the fundamentals of your belief?  In the 1960s, and 1970s, many in the Church of God never saw their own Church’s Statement of Beliefs, or even knew it existed.  When I dug them out from dusty filing cabinets at Ambassador College in 1973, I was amazed.  The twenty doctrinal points of “Fundamentals of Belief, Radio Church of God,” beautifully summarize major Bible teachings.  Written by Armstrong in the 1930s and 1940s, these points are well worth memorizing.  If you do not review basic doctrines from time to time, you are in danger of forgetting them.  Here is point #20, “We believe in the personal, visible, premillennial, imminent return of the Lord Jesus Christ to rule the nations of earth as King of Kings, and to continue His priestly office as Lord of Lords; that at that time He will sit upon the throne of David restoring all things during a thousand-year reign upon earth and establish the KINGDOM OF GOD upon earth forever.”

 Information is being spread today that Armstrong taught that his Church organization was the only true Church, and that he and his ministers would not baptize people unless they agreed that the Worldwide Church of God was the only true Church.  That was not the case in 1969, when I was baptized.  And, Armstrong’s early writings clearly contradict such false teaching.  Here is an important example of how later doctrinal corruption replaced, in some instances, earlier teachings.  Armstrong’s Bible Studies, “Did Christ Reorganize the Church?” (also known as “the 1939 article”), and “Why Should We Have Churches?” clearly present Bible Truth on Church organization and government.  God’s Church is a spiritual organism, not an organization.  We are baptized into Christ, not a denomination.  Let us never forget that.

The Sabbath and Holy Days are vital tools to worship God, and to understand His plan for mankind.  Armstrong’s early Sabbath and Holy Day articles are classics: “Which Day is the Sabbath of the New Testament?” “The Sabbath a Perpetual Covenant,” “When, and How Often, Should We Observe the Lord’s Supper,” “How to Figure Passover, 14th or 15th?” “How to Figure Pentecost,” and “Beautiful Secluded Mountain Resort Taken Over for Feast of Tabernacles (Belknap Springs).”

The latter article should be read especially by those who keep a worldly, materialistic, Feast of Tabernacles, typified by Destin, Florida.  Several groups today keep the fall Feast at Destin, a wealthy resort community, with lots of cars, shopping, and amusements, and expensive condos.  Yes, it is possible to worship God in Spirit and Truth at the Feast in Destin.  But, there is a better way.  Contrast a Destin-type Feast with that of the 1945 Feast of Tabernacles in Belknap Springs, Oregon.  At Belknap Springs, everyone was together in a natural scenic resort, far from the maddening crowd.  They prepared their own wholesome foods and stayed in the same accommodations.  Compared to the modern Babylonish Feast atmosphere, a Belknap Springs type Feast is smaller, more intimate, away from worldly influences.  You get to know the brethren better.  You do not waste time in thick automobile traffic.  Food tastes better in God’s Creation.  You can appreciate God’s creation and pray to Him on your knees in the woods, rather than in your chic condo.  A Belknap Springs type Feast costs less, so you can afford to keep three pilgrimage feasts a year (Unleavened Bread, Pentecost, and Tabernacles, Deuteronomy 16:16) instead of one big orgy of spending.  Belknap Springs stands in stark contrast with Destin.  We need to worship God in an atmosphere of spirituality rather than commercialism and materialism.  That is one of the main reasons why you need to read, The Early Writings of Herbert W. Armstrong.

Another major topic covered by Armstrong’s early writings is Israel.  The Truth About Israel — Bible Study Quarterly,” and “The United States in Prophecy,” explain that the blessings of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, have descended upon the Anglo-Saxon peoples of the United States, Great Britain, South Africa, New Zealand, and Australia.  We are part of the tribe of Joseph (Ephraim and Manasseh).   We have God’s blessings for a purpose:  to spread the Gospel to the entire world.  Those who work for the destruction of modern Israel are fighting against God.  The identity of Israel is one of the most important Bible truths.

Finally, we Sabbatarians of the Church of God need to realistically look at the life of Herbert W. Armstrong.  My brief biography of Herbert Armstrong, in Appendix C of Early Writings of Herbert W. Armstrong, is a frank analysis of Armstrong’s life and legacy.  We should not idolize this great preacher of so much of God’s Truth; neither should we disdain him for his sins and shortcomings.  We should be thankful that God used Herbert Armstrong to spread His Truth, and to give it to us.  The zeal of Herbert Armstrong for spreading God’s Truth is a phenomenal example for us to follow.  The reason we publish Early Writings of Herbert W. Armstrong is to encourage the Church of God to renew its zeal during this time of lukewarmness.  May we all earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered to the saints.

 

How Giving & Sharing Preserves the Legacy of Herbert W. Armstrong

 

To preserve the legacy of Biblical Truth proclaimed by Herbert W. Armstrong, Giving & Sharing was founded in 1978.  Giving & Sharing is a religious service, not a church organization.  Here are some of the major items published by Giving & Sharing to accomplish our goals:

·        To preserve the history of the Church of God:  History of the Seventh Day Church of God, Vol. I, by Richard C. Nickels, 158 pp., $9.50, covers the history of Church of God, from 1800 to the present.  Six Papers on the History of the Church of God, by Richard C. Nickels, 354 pp., $14.00, provides additional historical material.  “The Remnant of Israel, 1915-1929,” compares G.G. Rupert and Herbert W. Armstrong’s teachings.  History of the True Church, by A.N. Dugger and C.O. Dodd, 108 pp., $7.50, is the classic Church of God (Seventh Day) Church history.  Giving & Sharing’s “Church History Resources” include many more books.  Write for a free listing.

·        To preserve true Bible Doctrines: Biblical Doctrine, 92 pp., $4.00, analyzes doctrines of various Sabbath-keeping groups.

·        To support faith in the Almighty for healing and obedience to Bible health laws, including abstinence from Unclean Meats: Biblical Health and Healing, 98 pp., free.

·        To show the validity of Biblical Law and help believers understand which Old Testament laws are in force today: Biblical Law, 68 pp., $5.00.

·        To promote observance of the Bible Sabbath and Biblical Holy Days: Biblical Holy Days, over 500 pp., $20.00.

·        To promote the sanctity and permanence of marriage and the family relationship, in opposition to divorce and remarriage and sexual perversions: Biblical Marriage and Family, 92 pp., free.

·        To encourage tithing: The Tithe in Scripture, by Henry Lansdell, 60 pp., free, is a definitive book on tithing.

·        To encourage personal Bible Study using Bibles and Bible helps: we publish Newsletters, and Bible Studies. Our free article, “Basic Bible Study Tools,” explains how to use Bibles and Bible helps. The book, The Bible Home Instructor, by A.N. Dugger, 182 pp., $9.00, presents home Bible Studies in question and answer format.

The above is only some of the material we offer.  Write for our free Giving & Sharing Order Blank.  Our motto is, “Freely ye have received, freely give,” Matthew 10:8.  Thank you for your contributions to assist this ministry.

The legacy of Biblical Truth taught by Herbert W. Armstrong will only be preserved if we, through the Holy Spirit, live the Eternal’s Truth, and fulfill the Great Commission by sharing it with others.

 

Vaccines: Are They Really Safe and Effective?

 

Your immune system is one of the most important assets you have.  You need a strong immune defense system to ward off disease.  For years, we have objected to routine vaccinations because they often are made from unclean substances.  Neil Z. Miller’s book, Vaccines: Are They Really Safe and Effective? ($9 suggested donation, plus $2 postage from Giving & Sharing, Box 100, Neck City, MO 64849) gives additional good reasons not to choose vaccination.  Vaccines can cause the disease from which they are intended to protect you.  All vaccines have undesirable side effects, which can in some cases lead to seizures, brain damage, and death.  When you tinker with the body’s immune system designed by the Creator God, all sorts of developmental disorders, autoimmune diseases, and unprecedented rise in criminal activity and violent crime, can result.  This book is packed with facts and well-documented footnotes to help you make decisions regarding vaccinations for yourself and your family.

Well-substantiated scientific statistical reports have shown a trend in America towards deteriorating health in children and young adults.  Allergies, eczema, autoimmune diseases, behavioral disorders, and chronic fatigue syndrome, have skyrocketed.  While unhealthy diets and exposure to toxic environmental chemicals have their part in this trend, Miller targets vaccination as a major cause.  Childhood vaccinations thwart the normal development of immune systems.  Many common infectious diseases were already declining due to improved sanitation, before vaccines were introduced.  There may be a direct relationship between vaccinations and the modern epidemics of chronic fatigue, autoimmune disorders, AIDS, learning disabilities, and other health problems.  Before the mid-twentieth century, minor childhood diseases such as measles, mumps, rubella (German measles) may have served a major role in the normal development and strengthening of the immune system of children.  By altering nature’s normal defensive pattern with unnatural vaccines, we likely have set the stage for more serious diseases later on in life. 

There is no credible evidence that the polio vaccine caused polio to disappear.  In fact, the number of polio cases increased after mass inoculations.  From 1973-1983, 87% of all polio cases were caused by the polio vaccine.  Similar results occurred with other common vaccines.  In 1984, 58% of all measles cases were contracted by people who were vaccinated against the disease.  This demonstrates a little-known fact:  vaccinations do not necessarily prevent you from contracting the disease!  A study shows that of 103 children who died of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome), 70% had received the DPT (diptheria-pertussis-tetanus) vaccine within three weeks.  Doctors tend to report deaths caused by vaccine under some other name, and are generally reluctant to tie vaccines to a host of neurological problems.  Many neurological problems caused by vaccines are then treated with high-powered drugs, which, in turn, cause other problems.

Neil Miller states that no vaccine can guarantee genuine immunity.  Often, the opposite is the case: the vaccine increases the chances of contracting the disease.  All vaccines produce side effects, and their long-term effects are unknown.  Many choose not to take the risk.  Most states provide waivers permitting parents to object to mandated vaccinations on personal, religious, or philosophical grounds.  However, many colleges are now requiring new students to be fully vaccinated as a prerequisite to admission.  All states, except Mississippi and West Virginia, permit a religious exemption.  For more information about vaccines and how to avoid them, see the Global Vaccine Institute’s website, www.thinktwice.com.

 

God Won’t Ask

 

God won’t ask what kind of car you drove, but will ask how many people you drove who didn’t have transportation.

God won’t ask the square footage of your house, but will ask how many people you welcomed into your house.

God won’t ask about the fancy clothes you had in your closet, but will ask how many of those clothes helped the needy.

God won’t ask about your social status, but will ask what kind of class you displayed.

God won’t ask how many material possessions you had, but will ask if they dictated your life.

God won’t ask what your highest salary was, but will ask if you compromised your character to obtain that salary.

God won’t ask how much overtime you worked, but will ask if you worked overtime for your family and loved ones.

God won’t ask how many promotions you received, but will ask how you promoted others.

God won’t ask what your job title was, but will ask if you performed your job to the best of your ability.

God won’t ask what you did to help yourself, but will ask what you did to help others.

 God won’t ask how many friends you had, but will ask how many people to whom you were a true friend.

 God won’t ask what you did to protect your rights, but will ask what you did to protect the rights of others.

God won’t ask in what neighborhood you lived, but will ask how you treated your neighbors.

God won’t ask about the color of your skin, but will ask about the content of your character.

God won’t ask how many times your deeds matched your words, but will ask how many times they didn’t.                                                                                                                       — from the Internet

 

Bible Correspondence Course

 

We are grateful when other brethren are doing a good work for the Lord.  Tom Justus and the Springdale, Arkansas, Church of God, have for several years been republishing basic Bible doctrine booklets for free distribution.  Write them for a listing of free booklets.  Recently, they have also been publishing the 32-lesson Bible Correspondence Course, edited by Jerald and Marcia Byers.  I especially urge those of our readers who are in prison, or in Africa and Asia, to write for the Bible Correspondence Course: Church of God, Sabbath Day, PO Box 1645, Springdale, AR 72765.

 

PAL Format Videos for International Brethren

 

VHS NTSC videos commonly used in North America do not work on video players in some other countries.  Instead PAL format is generally used.  Giving & Sharing is pleased to announce that our International Representatives have a PAL format VHS video for lending purposes, of the outstanding 85-minute history of the Waldenses, “Israel of the Alps.”  Truly, God has preserved and protected His Sabbath-keeping Church throughout the ages!  Filmed onsite in the Alps, this inspirational video is available for the equivalent of US $5 for a 14-day loan.  Write to our reps in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, or United Kingdom (for addresses, see masthead on page 2).  Those in North America may obtain an NTSC format of “Israel of the Alps” for a suggested donation $30, or borrow for $5, from Giving & Sharing, PO Box 100, Neck City, MO 64849.

If these PAL videos are well-received by our international audience, we will plan to add more items in the future.

 

Victor Kubik’s Good Work for Needy Brethren

 

Matthew 24 and 25 are a continuum.  The Messiah’s Olivet Prophecy of endtime events in chapter 24 continues in chapter 25 with three parables of instruction for the Church.  The Parable of the Ten Virgins in verses 1-13 instructs God’s people to be ready for His coming, and not go to sleep spiritually.  The Parable of the Talents, verses 14-30, admonishes the Church of God to work and produce results for Him.  Finally, the Parable of the Sheep and Goats at the Last Judgment, verses 31-46 is a serious call for us to feed the hungry, cloth the naked, and visit prisoners.

These three parables essentially have the same message:  “What are you doing spiritually?  As believers, you must have a direct part in God’s Work, or you are none of His!”  We should draw a direct connection between Matthew 24:14, “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come,” and these three critical “Church doing” parables.  Preaching the Gospel and taking care of the poor are two sides of the same coin.

Victor Kubik is a remarkable individual who has grabbed the bull by the horns in his efforts to provide humanitarian aid to Church of God brethren around the world.  In our “fat, rich, and dumb,” culture, we tend not to have proper empathy for those less fortunate than we are, shockingly, not even for our spiritual brethren!

It is difficult for us to conceive of living in a country where meeting together on the Sabbath is outlawed.  Nevertheless, many of God’s people have, and still are, facing such extreme difficulties.  They face a real challenge providing for their families because, in some areas, it is well nigh impossible to get a job that does not require work on the Sabbath.  Are we turning our backs on God’s people?  If we are, we may hear the awful words from Jesus, “Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me,” Matthew 25:45.

Mr. Kubik didn’t purposely start out to feed and clothe the needy.  As a leading minister in the Worldwide Church of God, Kubik was introduced to a Ukrainian refugee Michael Palchey in 1991, in Florida, after Palchey had gained religious asylum in the USA in 1980.  Palchey was the founder of a group in the Ukraine that came to the Sabbath Truth in 1946.  Originally a stubborn, Sunday-keeping Baptist, Palchey at first refused to heed the visions of one of his members, a woman, who was told by an angel that they were keeping the wrong day of worship, and that many other things needed to be corrected in their religious belief and practice.

However, God struck down Palchey and opened his mind.  About 200-300 people changed from Sunday to the Sabbath at the preaching of Palchey.  He established twenty-six or more Sabbath-keeping churches in the western Ukraine with over 3,000 members.  During the Communist era, you could go to jail for merely possessing a Bible.  Palchey was arrested and sent to Siberia for 20 years.  After the death of Stalin in 1953, his sentence was commuted.  In the Transcarpathian Mountain region, Sabbatarians are now the third most-recognized Church.  It is said there are 3,000 in this part of Ukraine, 4,000 in Romania, and another 3,000 in Moldova.  They keep the Sabbath and the Passover, but most do not at this time keep the rest of the Holy Days.

In 1990 at their meeting in Florida, Palchey urged Kubik to visit the Sabbatarians in the Ukraine.  After several failed attempts, Kubik and John Karlson met the brethren in 1992, and has since made further visits.  In the post-communist Transcarpathia, unemployment runs at 70%, and a good job earns $50 per month.  The Sabbatarian brethren were undergoing severe difficulties.  Kubik’s sister (not in the Church) had been involved in sending 20-ton container shipments to Russia, and Victor learned from her the mechanics of conducting relief operations.  Medicine can be had for 5% of cost, and in some cases, government agencies will fund the full shipping costs.   Several containers have been shipped to Chernobyl, Ukraine, as needed.

Also as a result of the breakup of the former Soviet Union, a large group of Sabbatarians in Tajikstan were being oppressed by the dominant Islamic government.  The winter of 1996 was their time of Great Tribulation, as they needed to flee to  Ukraine.  A worldwide time of fasting and prayer was called, and miraculously, next spring, the brethren were able to flee unharmed.  The last to flee was their pastor, Franz Klassen, in August, 1997.  The day after he left for the Ukraine, Islamic rebels captured the airport.  The Ukrainians, and Tajik refugees, have been helped by Kubik’s efforts.

Victor Kubik wears many hats.  He pastors several United Church of God congregations in Indiana.  He has formed an independent humanitarian organization, “Lifenets,” which co-ordinates relief aid to our brethren and has a network of distributors.  Kubik says that every dollar given is multiplied many times over in thrifty measures to get the most help to God’s people. Kubik maintain two websites, www.lifenets.org, and www.kubik.org.  Current Lifenets projects include helping brethren in Guatemala with clothes, and to pour concrete on the dirt floors of their homes, assisting brethren in Malawi, Zambia, and elsewhere.  The emphasis is on helping needy people in practical ways to become self-sufficient.  For example, a shipment to Guatemala will include income-producing sewing machines and stoves so that the brethren can be self-supporting. If you would like to participate in direct aid to our brethren, contact Victor Kubik at 888-821-0095, or E-mail him at vic@kubik.org.

There are some real lessons for us in helping the poor and needy.  As the saying goes, “There, but for the grace of God, go I.”  Paul exhorted the New Testament Church to gather up produce to aid the Jerusalem brethren during a time of famine, I Corinthians 16:1-3.  The example of Ukranian Palchey demonstrates that God works with anyone He chooses, even the “other sheep,” not of this fold, John 10:16.  Victor Kubik has a unique ability to find those other sheep, and mobilize spiritual and physical help to these scattered brethren.  This is what God’s people should be doing.

So, this is where the rubber meets the road.  There are so many believers who do little or nothing for others, whether to spread the Gospel, or to help our needy brethren.  A recent telephone call I received highlights the tragic shortsightedness of some.  A man called to condemn me for my frank historical biography of the life of Herbert Armstrong.  Rather than wanting to work for promoting God’s Truth and sharing it with others, he wanted to lure me into an argument.  I don’t have time for such things.  There is work to do in serving God’s people.  Most of the spiritual harvest that is ripe at this time is concentrated overseas, in places like Africa, the Philippines, Ukraine, Latin America, and elsewhere.  Instead of bashing or worshipping Armstrong, debating the Sacred Calendar and the Sacred Name, or other trivial pursuits (relative to the big picture), we need to be doers of Matthew 25.  Keep oil in your lamp by immersing yourself in God’s Word.  You fulfill this by sharing God’s Truth with others, combined with a genuine outreach program to the needy.

May we all be Victor Kubik’s.

 

Think on These Things

 

It doesn’t take a Bach or Beethoven to realize that folk melodies, especially Celtic tunes, are an excellent musical genre to uplift and inspire.  Accomplished poetess Barri Armitage has adapted lyrics poetically from Scripture with new arrangements of traditional melodies to produce an outstanding 71-minute Audio/CD, “Think on These Things.”  Long-time Church of God member and deaconess in the Washington, D.C. area, Barri brings prize-winning poetical talent, professional musical ability, and zest to her work.

Sixteen songs are on this professional produc­tion, including “Think on These Things,” “Joy Will Come in the Morning,” “Bless the Lord, Oh My Soul,” “Song of Moses,” “Healed by His Stripes,” “Bought With a Price,” “Under the the Shadow of His Wings,” “The Virtuous Woman,” “Fear Not, Little Flock,” and my favorite, “Oh Lord, You Have Searched Me,” which is based on Psalm 139 set to the old tune which we now call Greensleeves. Barri’s goal is to offer praise to God, and she has succeeded well.

Vocalists include Barri’s husband, Dave Armitage, Rose Bello, and Eileen Townsend.  Piano accompaniment is by Carnegie Hall performer, Rachel Franklin, and guitar by Billy Kemp.  Think on These Things,” Inspirational Songs by Barri Armitage, is available postpaid for $11.50 for an Audio Cassette, or $15.50 for a CD (Maryland residents, add 5% sales tax).  Sheet music with words and notes is available for $4.75.  I like to have the sheet music so I can sing along.  Write:  Barri Armitage, 13904 North Gate Drive, Silver Spring, MD 20906.

Music is such an important part of worship and praise to the Eternal, that Giving & Sharing is promoting a Bible Sabbath Musicians Association.  If you would like to be a part of this group, to share and discuss Christian music with other Sabbath-keeping brethren, please contact Robin Todd at 360-923-9236, robinsyngs@aol.com, or see our website, www.giveshare.org/music.

 

 

The Race Change

 

Why was Simon Magus and his Gnostic teachings so readily accepted in Rome?  Why did the Roman Empire fall?  Why did the prophet Daniel see only one image representing a series of Gentile kingdoms that was to rule the world (Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome)?  Why does the Bible say that “Mystery Babylon” is the city on seven hills (Rome), and how is Rome connected with Babylon?  Why is the dominant philosophy today in favor of doing away with national barriers (globalism), eliminating races by intermarriage, and forming a one-world government?

These and more questions are answered by an amazing article, “The Race Change in Ancient Italy, 300 B.C. and 300 A.D.,” by Ernest L. Martin.  The answer is simple:  the Romans who founded the greatest of human world empires were gradually replaced by Chaldean peoples from Babylon, who had migrated through Syria, Phoenicia, Egypt, and elsewhere.  Hordes of slaves were brought into Italy, and often they were freed to become Roman citizens.  Latin Romans migrated out of Italy to the colonies.  Historians confirm that the “Romans” who fell at the demise of the Roman Empire were not from native Latin Roman stock, but were overwhelmingly Babylonian in race, religion, and culture.  And, Rome did not “fall” either.  Babylonian religion and race, which contributed to Rome’s demise, remained a powerful influence in the Roman Catholic Church, and even to our time.  The Chaldeans of Babylon figure prominently in Bible prophecy (Isaiah 13:19-22, 43:14, 47:1-15, 48:20; Jeremiah 21:4-5; Hab­bakuk 1:6).

“Hath a nation changed their gods, which are yet no gods?” Jeremiah 2:11.  Later “Romans” did not change their gods to Mithraism from the East.  These new “Romans” were basically Babylonian by race and brought their Babylonian gods and worship with them to Italy.  Babylon had figured prominently in the religion and political power of the Persian, Grecian, and Roman Empires.  In a literal sense, Rome ultimately became the “New Babylon.”

Rather than being distinct kingdoms, Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome were a continuum, influenced and often led by the same Babylonian people.  As given in “The Race Change in Ancient Italy” article, the historical proofs are absolutely astounding! 

What are the implications of the “race change” today?  The Anglo-Saxon peoples of the United Kingdom, United States of America, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa, I believe are part of Israel.  They are being overwhelmed by a “race change” today.  By about 2025, demographers expect that Hispanics will be the majority race in the United States.  As a result of disobeying God, curses rather than blessings are befalling our nations.  The stranger [non-Israelite] that is within thee shall get up above thee very high; and thou shalt come down very low,” Deuteronomy 28:43.  These strangers are not necessarily “bad” people, but they think and act differently than Israelites.  They usually have strikingly different religious views.  These various peoples are changing the Anglo-Saxon countries in many ways, and not always for the better.

Israel is God’s instrument for teaching His ways to the world.  Israelites have failed miserably in this divine task, and will be punished severely.  Since they have oppressed other races, Israel will learn how it is to be oppressed, in a coming national captivity.  Knowing they are being punished for their sins, many will repent.  In the World Tomorrow, Israel will be the leading nation to assist the Messiah rule all nations.  After the return of the Messiah, all nations will be forced to live in racial peace and harmony, in their own territories.  There will be one law and one God, with the many racial and national varieties that God intends among men.  May the Eternal speed that day!

The well-documented article, “The Race Change in Ancient Italy,” by Ernest L. Martin, 29 pages, is available for $4.00 from Giving & Sharing, PO Box 100, Neck City, MO 64849.  Or, view it online at www.giveshare.org/babylon/racechange.html.


Peter in Rome?

 

There is little credible evidence to support the common belief that the Apostle Peter was ever in Rome.  David Albert’s 1973 thesis, “Peter in Rome?” presents Biblical and historical evidence that contradicts one of the fundamental teachings of the Roman Catholic Church.

Paul noted that he did not wish to build upon another man’s foundation, Romans 15:20.  Paul’s ministry did not overlap Peter’s.  Peter was in Babylon in Mesopotamia, I Peter 5:13, where a great many Jews and Israelites lived.  The earliest records of Church history do not support Peter’s martyrdom at Rome, nor his supposed twenty-five year episcopate at Rome.  Only later did the tradition develop, because of the need to support Papal supremacy.  Another “Peter” did come to Rome during the first century.  This was Simon Magus, originator of counterfeit Christianity.

Giving & Sharing has reprinted, “Peter in Rome?  A Review Of The Literary Record In The Light Of Scriptural Evidence” a public domain thesis by David Albert.  It is available free on the Internet at www.giveshare.org/churchhistory/peterinrome/.  A 31-page printed version is available for a suggested donation of $4.00 from Giving & Sharing, PO Box 100, Neck City, MO 64849.

 

The Awful Crime of Rape

 

The Bible is clear that convicted rapists deserve the death penalty, Deuteronomy 22:25-27.  Often, there are no corroborating witnesses to the crime, so what is a victim to do?  It behooves young girls, as well as women of all ages, to be informed about rape.  One source of information is on the Internet at www.911rape.org, produced by the Santa Monica UCLA Medical Center.

Teenage girls and college students are vulnerable to rape.  In a recent survey, fifty percent of rape victims were under 18 years of age.  Eighty percent of victims are raped or assaulted by someone they know, “acquaintance rape.”  Much information about rape, including rape drugs, “What to Do if You Are Raped,” help for teenagers, and more, is at this website.  If you do not have Internet access, go to a public library that does, and read this educational material.

May God protect righteous women and girls who trust in Him.  May His Kingdom of peace and safety come soon!

                                                                                             — written by Richard C. Nickels