America Has Chosen Its Next Leader

Seven Things Trump Says He Will Do As President

Trump Policies…

The ‘Times’ reports:

End “Green New Deal Atrocities”

“It’s All About Energy”

In the situation regarding global warming and climate change it is hard to sort out truth from error. However, there is a method which we can apply to help understand the situation.

In the West, they have built huge solar farms, covered the landscape with solar panels and wind turbines, to create very expensive energy. This source of energy is reliant on the wind blowing and the sun shining. It’s just not reliable! Then, to compound the problem, many people have bought electric cars, putting further strain on the national grid. It is simply not sustainable!

Meanwhile, in the East, they enjoy cheap plentiful energy created by coal fired power stations that can operate whatever the weather.

You do not need a degree in economics to realise that it is cheaper to produce goods when you have a reliable source of cheap energy.

Mr Trump is a businessman, and he sees right through this scam!

He can see, and understand, the problem he calls “the Green New Deal, the Green New Scam. Greatest scam in history… ”

China: Coal Power

Ukraine: “Stop The War On Day One!”

War On Woke

Trump To Go After “Woke Generals”

Dramatic Power Shift

What follows is a partial “shopping list” of changes that Mr Trump wants to bring about:

• Deport undocumented migrants
• Moves on economy, tax and tariffs
• Cut climate regulations
• End Ukraine war
• Pardon some January 6 rioters
• Sack Special Counsel Jack Smith
• End “Green New Deal atrocities”
• Halt offshore wind energy projects
• Oil - his “drill, baby, drill” slogan
• Cut sex and gender transition programs
• Close the border
• Defeat inflation
• Build “state-of-the-art next-generation missile defence shield”
• The death penalty for drug dealers and child traffickers
• Complete the Mexico border wall
• Tariff on imported goods
• Tax breaks for oil, gas and coal companies
• Back out of the Paris agreement to cut emissions
• Taiwan to pay the US for defending it
• Europe to pay for NATO
• Clean out the deep state
• Control of the public health agencies
• Get woke Left-wing Democrats fired

The list goes on and on … as Mr Trump tries to get America ‘back on track’!

What We Watch For…

Confrontation! Many of these changes are not going to go down well with around half of the population, which could lead to rioting and violence. Some of the problems, such as inflation, cannot be solved overnight. That will take time. International relations are looking a bit tense, with Europe wanting to help Ukraine defeat Russia. The Middle East problem is not going to be solved quickly.

Prophecy seems to indicate end time problems between the USA, Britain and Israel (Isaiah 9:21). All around the world, nations are getting ready for war. If the situation in Israel deteriorates, then Israel could resort to using nuclear weapons… it will certainly be interesting to see how end time events unfold.

God Steps In

We understand that God has a great master plan for all of mankind, and that plan cannot be thwarted. God will intervene in world events when necessary. The final 10 nation Beast power happens because that is what God wants to fulfil His plan. This is revealed in the book of Revelation:

The 1335-Day Mark Link With Prophecy

This coming together of the 10 nation Beast power seems to mark the resurrection of the Holy Roman Empire. Mr Armstrong explains:

Unless God intervenes, the end result of the Great Tribulation is the TOTAL DESTRUCTION of mankind!

“My Words Shall Not Pass Away”

Back from the Feast

It seems incredible that the Feast this year is now over and everyone's been back home now for a little while, as it feels like it was only yesterday that Judy and I were setting off for our temporary dwelling in mid-Wales! By all accounts the Feast this year has gone very well indeed and certainly fulfilled its primary role of whetting our appetites for the Utopia just ahead of us now at the return of Jesus Christ. As we learnt during the 8 days, Christ and His wife of spirit-born saints will prepare an entire earth for the Great White Throne Judgement period, but that millennial rule is not only going to prepare this earth for that awesome event – but I personally feel it will form a vital part of our training programme as well!

In the same way, this present life – even within a world ruled by Satan – is also a training programme for our future role. It stands to reason that, as God guides us as to the best way to teach our children, He also knows the best way to teach us -- HIS children -- and that is on a day-in and day-out basis, walking by the way. That each day is another step in our 'curriculum' is an aspect we need to keep firmly at the forefront of our minds, in order to cope with what this world throws at us.

Biblical Examples

To cement this concept, just reflect on a few of the Bible's 'greats' and the training God put them through:

• Abraham – "Now I know him ... " (Genesis 18:19, 22:12) ;
• Moses – 40 years a general and 40 years keeping sheep,
• And Joshua his servant/understudy;
• Elisha's training alongside Elijah (I Kings 19:19);
• King David's whole life, from teenage to his 70's (I Samuel 16:13)
• Queen Esther "Who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this? (Esther 4:14)
• Daniel, trained from his youth in the court of Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 1);

But for the moment, let's consider just the story of Joseph. Joseph was 17 when he was sold into slavery, imprisoned on a trumped-up charge – where he rubbed shoulders with a couple of men from the royal court – and after 13 long and difficult years, overnight became second in command to Pharaoh, the greatest world ruler at that time. He must have had some very dark days early on in this trial but in his late 30's, – at the end of the 7 years of plenty in Egypt and 2 years into the famine – he was able to say to his brethren:

Like Joseph, what happens in our life – whether orchestrated by God, or allowed by Him – is in actual fact, part of the vital, personalised training programme He is putting us through.

Applied in Life

God's method of training does not follow the path of this world's education. The academic form of this world's education was originated by the pagan Greek philosopher Plato, 427-347 B.C. He was the founder of educating via a regular curriculum in a fixed place. He called it the academy. God's system however is very different in form. It is also diametrically different in content as Mr Armstrong explains:

Our Future Role

At the Feast this year we were pointed forward to our role as teachers in the World Tomorrow – teaching the vast spiritual dimension of the two trees to the entire world. But that education is also going to be different in form as well. We might well be in charge of some Sabbath services, but the learning will not primarily be within a classroom. It will take place to an even greater degree as humanity begins to apply what they learn, with us at their side much of the time. Such knowledge is not merely academic, but practical, living, active – we are students or disciples of a complete Way of doing things. As the Living Word explains via Moses ...

This method of learning as we "walk by the Way" is also very much the way the Feast of Tabernacles is designed. The messages given paint a picture of the peaceful and joyful consequences experienced by humanity then guided by God's spirit, which in turn encourage us to live that Way during those eight days, as a real live foretaste of the Wonderful World Tomorrow.

Valuing The Textbook

In this "information age" of the 21st century we are swamped with facts, figures, news -- via the TV, smartphone, internet, radio, and many of the younger generation -- the so-called millennials – might think it has always been so! It's hard for us to imagine not being able to pick up a book, or access the internet to gain a bit more insight into a particular subject. This freedom though is not universal! In some communist and muslim countries even today, information is carefully guarded and only certain censored snippets allowed to filter through to the general population. In fact, at one particular time and place during WW2, possessing a book – any book – became a death sentence. From the true story of teenager Dita Kraus, who became the "The Librarian of Auschwitz", (by Antonio Iturbe):

What a privilege we have to have free and easy access to the BOOK of books ...the Holy Bible! And not only access to the physical book, but the blessing of spiritual insight as to the priceless treasure it contains. At the heart of all we learn and apply – including the awesome picture we were given of the Millennium during the Feast – is the printed Word of God, which is our instruction book, our training manual. Yet I wonder if we don't sometimes lose sight of JUST HOW PRECIOUS THAT WORD IS? It is the very sword of God's Spirit (Ephesians 6:17) – used by Christ to defeat Satan in the temptations on the Mount (Matthew 4). For as Christ tells us:

Even in New Testament times, very few of the population were wealthy enough to have their own scroll of Isaiah, and the epistles to the 7 churches in Revelation 2 and 3 were handwritten and passed on from church to church. God's church through the Middle Ages struggled to pass on even parts of the Old and New testament to their followers. Many personal sacrifices were made through the ages to allow us to have our complete Bible: The meticulous copying by candlelight down through the millennia; The Jews even devising a numeric system that guaranteed the complete accuracy of the Hebrew that was copied; Then finally the invention of the printing press. It's sobering to read of the history of censorship of God's word:

There have been people such as Tyndale who were willing to give up their life – literally, at the stake – just so you and I might have an English Bible on our laps. When we see the fervour of such people and the satanic opposition arrayed against them, I think it gives even added emphasis to God's command to be diligent in applying ourselves to the study of His Word. (II Timothy 2:14-18) And knowing our future as kings and priests, we should be able to personally relate to God's command regarding the kings of Israel:

Before you Start

I'm sure that before each meal, we are careful to thank God for providing the food and ask Him to bless it, so that it will nourish and build our bodies. And before church services each Sabbath, a prayer is given to thank God for the understanding of the Sabbath and to ask a blessing on the speaking and the hearing. So surely then, it makes sense to do the same on our private, personal study? We need this spiritual food far more than any physical food! And without God's input, we don't stand a chance of understanding what He is saying to us. As Mr. Armstrong consistently explained to us:

Note-Taking

Part of that diligent study would almost certainly include note-taking of various sorts – yet this is an area in which I have noticed a decline compared to years gone by. Perhaps it is that we are so used to a keyboard these days that we find note-taking difficult. But unless we have severe dyslexia or another disability, I would hope that we are all taking notes during services. If not, then now is the time to begin. You may think, "Why bother when we have the audio files available today at the click of a mouse?" But note taking is not to replace the audio, but to augment it and act as an aid to the memory.

Do you know that even if we never review our notes, note-taking is still beneficial? When we listen to a sermon, we use our ears. When we turn to each passage quoted within our own Bibles we additionally add the sense of sight to the process – magnifying the experience. When we then take a note as well, we add the sense of touch and hand-movement to the process, once again adding another dimension to the experience within our minds. Each addition helps us to remember. Each addition reinforces the lesson learned.

In addition to taking notes on a piece of paper or notebook -- or marking up a transcript -- also be aware just how valuable marking your Bible can be, including the adding of notes in the Bible margins. A sermon given a few years ago on this subject is due to be replayed at the end of this month ... "Bible Study Techniques".

Review

Yes, the Feast of 2024 is now over. But what the festival pictures should live on – in the messages posted to the website certainly, but also within our notes. That process of adding additional dimensions to the listening process by taking notes can be reinforced even more if we now take the time to review those notes – opening our Bibles to each scripture, reading around them to gain the context, making notes even of how this might apply to ourselves personally and the future of our loved ones. Take the time too, to visualise what you are reading. Many passages in Isaiah paint amazing word pictures! For example, see the awe and joy on the faces of your grandchildren as you call up a tame bear or lion for them to play with. In your mind's eye, see that individual you have just read about in the news that has suffered the loss of their family in devastating flooding and visualise the time when you'll be bringing them back together again. See yourself literally restoring sight to the blind, limbs to the disabled. Make it real, make it live!

Remember, we are presently in higher education – education for the highest job possible! Apparently we lose 70% of what we have learnt in a lecture within 24 hours! It is unthinkable that such a serious student would not also review the notes he took in a lecture. It is all very much part of being stewards of the mysteries of God – guardians of priceless knowledge, hidden from the world, revealed at the end-time to only those specifically chosen by God. But as the apostle Paul points out to all who are stewards of such mysteries, "it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful." (1 Corinthians 4:1-2)

Our Future Reward

As Jesus Christ reminds us in His final words in Revelation "behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be." (Revelation 22:12) We are indeed to be rewarded by our works. True, we are not saved by them, but our works are going to determine the area of responsibility best suited to us at that time. In John 14, Christ tells us that He is preparing that office of responsibility for us, and as we can extrapolate from Deuteronomy 6, He is also preparing us for that role, day by day, year by year.

That future job and reward, and the joy that is set before us has a great deal to do with how well we apply the things we understand from God's Word today. And this includes applying the information we gained from the messages given during this recent Feast of Tabernacles, which are part of the "washing of the water by the Word" that Christ can then use in our personalised training programme the rest of the year, and on into the coming Millennial reign.

A scripture to close on - and one that was read more than once this past Feast is from the fascinating book of Isaiah. Read it again, putting yourself in this picture. If we want to be an integral part of Zion – spreading God's law from Jerusalem – then let's take the relevant steps this coming year to make sure we understand the Word of God by asking for His help, as enthusiastic students, thereby having a hands-on part on bringing peace, prosperity and everlasting joy to the earth.