During the 2008 presidential campaign in the USA, one candidate ran on the slogan of “Hope and Change.” Since his election and now almost eight years later, most people feel there is no hope and things have only changed for the worse.

There is a physiological effect that happens to people when they lose hope. I read a story several years ago about two people lost in the wilderness in winter time. The difference between the one who died and the one who survived was that the survivor never gave up hope.

Once hope is gone, a sinking feeling of despair sets in, which might even lead to losing the will to live.

In 2 Corinthians 11:23-28, the apostle Paul lists the many things he had to suffer through:

“Are they ministers of Christ?—I speak as a fool—I am more: in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often. From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness—besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches.”

Just what was it that drove him in the sense that he would endure all this hardship without throwing in the towel? He gives us the answer in the book of Acts:

“Why should it be thought incredible by you that God raises the dead?” (Acts 26:8).

“I have hope in God, which they themselves also accept, that there will be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust” (Act 24:15).

“But when Paul perceived that one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, ‘Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee; concerning the hope and resurrection of the dead I am being judged!’” (Act 23:6).

Notice, Paul had hope in God that there would be a resurrection of the just, and it is clear that that hope drove him on to endure his suffering. It also gave him focus and vision to endure to the end.

It clearly states in the Scriptures that there is a persecution of the saints coming, including martyrdom (Revelation 12:17; Matthew 24:9). These are sobering prospects which we must not deny.  Some will be saved from persecution and martyrdom, while others will have to go through them (Revelation 12:6, 14).

What will make the difference in being able to endure whatever God decides is best for us to make it into His Family? It is to never lose hope and to keep our focus and vision on the hope of the resurrection.

We must never give up that hope! It will carry us through tough times and enable us to stand before the Son of Man in the Kingdom of God.

For the last two years a robin had been building her nest on the top of a climbing clematis plant on the corner of my front porch.  It was somewhat of an ideal location–not too high from the ground so when the baby robins left the nest they did not injure themselves, and it was also under the cover of the eves so it never rained on the nest. It was shaded, so it never got too hot, and the mother robin was used to us going in and out of the front door and sitting on our rocking chairs on the porch.

This spring we had to cut back on the clematis and dispose of the nest which had been there for two years. When the robin returned to find no clematis plant or nest to occupy, she was not deterred but built a nest about six feet away on the downspout of my gutters. It is approximately the same height and a bit closer to where we sit on our rockers, which does not bother her.

In the due course after sitting on her eggs and subsequently hatching two baby robins, I was fascinated while rocking on the porch at how much care she and the male robin had for their babies. They would work as a team in feeding them, each bringing worms for them. At times, when she was on the nest keeping the babies warm, he would show up with a worm, give her a portion and feed the rest to the young robins.

I was impressed by the dedication, focus and teamwork they tirelessly kept in order to feed those young birds and keep them warm. I thought, what an example of teamwork, dedication to a cause, and unity of goal, which they exemplified to feed the young robins to the point they could leave the nest and take care of themselves. This brings to mind the Scripture in Psalm 133:1: ”Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brethren to dwell together in unity!”

We as a church have been given the responsibility to get a message of hope out to a dying world. This gospel is the only hope for mankind. When we work together in unity and focus on the task at hand, then we can and must complete the task we have been given.

As to the robins, what happens to them? They go south for the winter and return again to carry on the teamwork in the spring to bring forth new baby robins, feed and care for them till they can take care of themselves and repeat this process till they die. That’s dedication, teamwork and unity of task.

If we remain faithful in the task we have been given collectivity as a church to work together in unity and focus on the job at hand, our reward is almost incomprehensible. For our dedicated teamwork, we get to live as members of the ruling God Family for eternity. If we die before Christ returns, we get to be resurrected into that very same Family with the same reward. How good and how pleasant it really is for brethren to work together in unity.

One of my favorite Scriptures about the Millennium which shows what conditions will exist in Jerusalem in the future, is in the eighth chapter of the book of Zechariah, verses 3-5:

“Thus says the LORD: ‘I will return to Zion, And dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. Jerusalem shall be called the City of Truth, The Mountain of the LORD of hosts, The Holy Mountain.’  Thus says the LORD of hosts: ‘Old men and old women shall again sit In the streets of Jerusalem, Each one with his staff in his hand Because of great age. The streets of the city Shall be full of boys and girls Playing in its streets.'”

Christ promises here that He will return to Jerusalem, and we also get a glimpse of conditions there when old men and women will sit in the streets and young boys and girls will play there without fear of harm.

What a contrast as to what we see there today, with terrorists attacking citizens, setting off bombs which kill innocent men, women and also children, while young Palestinians are not only taught to hate the Jews, but also, how to stab them to death.

Things will only get worse until the return of Christ, when a new mindset will be instilled in people, causing totally different conditions.

Jeremiah 30:18-20 tells us:

“Thus says the LORD: ‘Behold, I will bring back the captivity of Jacob’s tents, And have mercy on his dwelling places; The city shall be built upon its own mound, And the palace shall remain according to its own plan. Then out of them shall proceed thanksgiving And the voice of those who make merry; I will multiply them, and they shall not diminish; I will also glorify them, and they shall not be small.  Their children also shall be as before, And their congregation shall be established before Me; And I will punish all who oppress them.”

Eventually, there will be peace in the region which has been impossible to achieve under the current rulers in the area, because of the absolute hatred for the Jews and the desire of some of the surrounding Arab nations to completely annihilate the state of Israel.

But this will change, as we read in Jeremiah 31:33-34:

“But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”

For conditions to improve in the Middle East, a change of heart and attitude is needed for all the nations in the area, and then, and only then, will there be peace in that part of the world, and in all countries. Let us pray that those wonderful days are not too far in the future.

The Republican presidential candidate in the United States, front-runner Donald Trump, is using quite successfully the slogan: “Make America Great Again.”  He states correctly that the United States is losing in trade deals to China, to Japan and to others, and he blasts the terrible Iran deal and Obamacare, but he announces that when he is President, he is going to turn all of this around.

He promises to build a great wall in order to halt the flow of illegal immigrants coming through the porous American-Mexican border into the USA, and that Mexico will pay for the wall. He also proposes to deport all illegal aliens and to temporarily halt the flow of all Muslims into the United States till “we can find out what… is going on.” He declares that he will build up the armed forces so that no one will “mess” with the USA; that he will properly take care of the veterans; and that he will take out ISIS so that the world and the United States can feel safer.

These are just a few of the promises he has made.

In regard to the border fence, one cynical television commentator said if he builds a hundred foot fence, the Mexicans will build a one hundred ten foot ladder. Mr. Trump countered that it will be a real wall which Mexicans cannot climb over. Other objections are that it would be impossible to deport all illegal aliens, but Mr. Trump’s response is that something similar was done in the past by another American president.

The question is, could any President turn things around for the US?

Let us remember that the national debt as of this writing is $20.9 trillion, and it is growing constantly. By the time you read this editorial it will be $21 trillion, a number that’s hard to get your mind around. This is a growing debt with no turn around in sight. That’s some $62,000 per citizen. So if you have a child born in the near future, he is faced with that debt.

Crime is rampant in some American cities, and the United States is the world’s biggest consumer of both illegal and prescription drugs. Politicians are corrupt, and some are only in politics to line their pockets.

Many American citizens know this, and they long for change. The interesting thing is, no matter what outlandish statements Mr. Trump might be making, his support is growing steadily, defying all “conventional” rules of “politics.” If somebody like Donald Trump would become President, he might very well be able to turn things around for the USA, to a degree, but a high price would have to be paid. Mass deportations would shock the world and might trigger civil unrest in the USA, and more violent acts by governmental forces might be the consequence. Favorable trade deals for the USA under Donald Trump would not create a friendlier world view towards the USA… they would just bring about the opposite result and might even lead to violent resistance from the rest of the world.

We must understand that what is happening right now in the USA is in no way “coincidental.” It is obvious that God is involved to bring about His plan and purpose. Because of our national and individual sins, God has removed the blessing to Abraham from the modern nations of the ancient house of Israel, namely the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Australia and South Africa. Rather than prosperity, these nations are facing war and enslavement.

The only real and lasting solution is the return of Christ to end the madness. We are not to get involved in the politics of this present evil age, but we have an opportunity today to be involved in the future in making “The World Great,” not just the United States. Once the government of God, the Kingdom of God, is established on the earth with just rulers, things will be turned around in due time. There will be only one world-ruling government on earth, with Christ as the Head and the resurrected saints as kings and priests ruling under Him (Revelation 5:10).

There will be no more beheadings, no more rampant crime, no more poverty, religious confusion and hatred against other races and ethnic groups. The world will come to worship the true God and keep the commandments, speaking one pure language (Zephaniah 3:9).

As the called-out ones, we have the opportunity now to prepare for participation in that future government to make the world a better place; so it behooves us to remain faithful to our calling and our present responsibilities to preach the gospel of the Kingdom of God to the world as a witness and endure to the end, so that we can truly make “The World Great.”

Are you up to the challenge?

You have to wonder what in the world is going on, when considering recent attacks by terrorists, which include the bombing of a Russian commercial airplane with 224 passengers aboard who all died; the Beirut individual bombing which killed 43; the Paris terrorist attack with a death toll of 130 innocent non-combatant civilians; and the terrorist attack in Mali, Africa, which killed 20 people.

I remember the Ambassador College choir song,  “It Won’t Be Long Now,” and I ask myself how long this madness can go on. It’s like Satan is on a rampage, influencing these senseless murders which are a reflection of his mind, since Christ referred to him as a murderer from the beginning. It should be no surprise to us to see what’s happening now, since Satan attempted an overthrow of his Creator in the distant past, and the Bible tells us he will try again in the end time:

“And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him” (Revelation 12:7-9).

Satan knows that his time is short (verse 12), and he has become very active. We do not set dates for the return of Christ, yet looking at what’s happening with increased frequency, callousness and heartless attacks on innocent victims, this has to be alarming, and we may be closer to the Great Tribulation than many think.

Current conditions should help us to follow Christ’s admonition and put more impetus on us to pray fervently that God’s Kingdom may come, since it is the only solution to the madness of this current world under the sway of Satan and his merciless, indecent and demented demons.

The sooner we complete our job of preaching the gospel in all the world, the sooner this evil age will end. Now is not the time to slack off, but we should rather stay committed to our commission and responsibility, while staying close to God, because things are only going to get worse, before God’s Kingdom will be established on earth.

We can sigh and cry in the meantime and wonder just “how long” will this go on before we see a world of violence, senseless killing and mayhem under Satan’s influence come to an abrupt end. We long for the time when the world tomorrow, the Millennium, will be ushered in—when all will truly enjoy peace and prosperity. Surely, “it won’t be long now.”

When we travel to the ministerial conference and the Feast of Tabernacles in the United States, I fill up my van with gas and I know that it will get me to Goldendale in Washington, which is about 557 kilometers from our home.  We stop there, take a break and re-fill the gas tank.

As God’s people, we have had the opportunity at the Feast to fill up our spiritual tanks by drinking in the messages which had been prepared for us.  Our spiritual tanks have to take us through the long winter months up to the next Holy Days in the Spring.

In order to do that, we had to take full advantage of the blessings that God provides for us at the Feast.  One manner to maximize the effectiveness of the spiritual benefits was to ensure we remained in good health in order to attend all the services so we were able to benefit from the messages which we received.  This ensured our spiritual tanks were topped up in order to carry us to the Spring Feasts.

Another benefit was the fellowship we were able to enjoy with one another. Since some of us who are more remote and isolated only see each other once a year at the Fall Festival, this was a time to renew and refresh the friendships we have with one another. We had opportunities to eat in fine restaurants with one another and sharpen one another through good conversations while rejoicing of being together on this occasion.

So the Feast provided both spiritual and physical benefits. We drew closer to God and reached a better understanding of His plan and laws through the messages and we drew closer to each other via the fellowship we enjoyed with one another.

God knew through His plan of salvation, which incorporates all seven of His Holy Days, that there would be a long duration of time between the Fall and Spring Holy Days, and He expects of us to take full advantage of the Fall Festival to ensure that we will have enough spiritual fuel to take us to the Spring Festivals.

The question is, did we take full advantage of the blessings which God offered us? Or did we neglect to attend the Feast even though we could have done so? Did we neglect to listen carefully to the messages and to fellowship joyfully with brethren of like mind? If we did not do this, then we will have a much more difficult time to cope with the long winter months until the Spring Feast Days. In that case, perhaps heart-rending repentance and prayer to God for extra strength would be very important.

Those who will be able to look much more confidently in the future are those who faithfully obeyed God’s command to observe the Feast in the right way and with the right attitude; who will dwell and meditate on the messages that they have heard; and who will be diligent to practice what they were taught. We pray that you belong to that category.