Preaching the Gospel and Feeding the Flock

The Church of the Eternal God is now being featured on Facebook.

A new member letter has been posted on the Web and sent out. In the letter, Norbert Link reminds us of man’s incredible accomplishments and miseries, and he points out the need to focus on our awesome future, even and especially in times of trial.

Our new booklet, “Germany in Prophecy,” was sent to our Graphic Designer, Shelly Bruno, for finalization.

We are starting a new Internet advertisement campaign in Great Britain, offering our free booklet, “Angels, Demons and the Spirit World.”

A new StandingWatch program has been posted on our Web site and on YouTube, titled, “Why So Much Sickness?” Are you eating mislabeled and wrong fish? Up to 70% of Americans do so. Are you eating poisoned shellfish-with levels so high that one mussel could kill several people? Are you suffering from the incurable E.coli virus? And did you know that due to our own fault, the antibiotic-resistant bacteria MRSA kills more Americans annually than AIDS, and that wrong food kills one American every two hours? It is high time to focus on God’s health laws.

A new German AufPostenStehen program has been posted on our Web site and on YouTube, titled, “Gehsteigberatung ungesetzlich?” In addition, several German sermons, which had been posted before on blip, have now also been posted on YouTube.

A new German sermon was posted on the Internet, titled, “Die Suche nach der Wahrheit” (“The Search for Truth”).

Please feel free to proceed with making reservations for the Feast of Tabernacles 2011 with the Hilton Garden Inn at 601 James Way, Pismo Beach, CA 93449. When you call under 1-805-773-6020, please make sure that you mention that you are attending the Feast convention of the Church of the Eternal God. Further information is available on our Web site (www.eternalgod.org), under “Feasts.”

Many Words

by Eric Rank

Throughout the course of a normal day at work, I interact with a lot of different people. An increasing part of my job lately involves the task of communicating with others. I communicate with my team to build plans and organize the goals we have. I communicate with the clients to keep them informed of the progress we’re making on our projects. I communicate with my supervisors to keep them up to date on the current issues my team and I face. It all means that I do a lot of talking throughout the week. While it seems like a simple thing to provide information to the right people at the right time in the right amount, doing it well can be very challenging.

Most of the time, I have enough of a solid foundation to present things in an adequate manner. However, I recently noticed a peculiar habit I’ve developed. On occasions when I don’t know much about a topic, but I am put on the spot to communicate an idea or present some other analysis anyway, I tend to say more than I would if I had understood the topic inside-out. The Bible teaches that a fool is known for his many words. To my chagrin, I’ve come to learn this first hand! However, being aware of this tendency, I’m learning to recognize when I’m heading into uncharted territory, and admit to myself that I have more to learn. Indeed, the first step in achieving growth is submitting to the need for it.

Does the Bible say anything about Esau and his descendants? Is Esau the ancestor of modern Turkey?

The Bible has indeed much to say about the descendants of Esau in our times. In this Q&A, we will discuss the history and the modern identity of Esau. In a subsequent Q&A, we will be addressing the future of Esau, as prophesied in the Scriptures.

Esau was the twin brother of Jacob. Due to the fact that he sold Jacob his birthright for some red stew, he became also known as “Edom,” which means “red” (Genesis 25:30). Later the name Idumea (Isaiah 34:5, Authorized Version; the New King James Bible says, “Edom”) was applied to some of the descendants of Esau or Edom. Herod the Great was an Idumean. (It was Herod who killed the male babies in Bethlehem and surrounding areas, from two years old and under, compare Matthew 2:16.)

Edom is also referred to as the land of Seir (Genesis 32:3). Edom, or at least the southern part of Edom, became known as Teman, who was Edom’s oldest grandson (Genesis 36:10-11). (One of Edom’s other grandsons was the fierce warrior Amalek, Genesis 36:12.)

The Easton Bible Dictionary informs us that Edom “extended from the head of the Gulf of Akabah, the Elanitic gulf, to the foot of the Dead Sea… and contained, among other cities, the rock-hewn Sela, generally known by the Greek name Petra [2 Kings 14:7, compare margin of the New King James Bible]. It is a wild and rugged region, traversed by fruitful valleys. [Edom’s] old capital was Bozrah (Isaiah 63:1). The early inhabitants of the land were Horites. They were destroyed by the Edomites (Deuteronomy 2:12), between whom and the kings of Israel and Judah there was frequent war [2 Chronicles 28:17].

“At the time of the Exodus they churlishly refused permission to the Israelites to pass through their land (Numbers 20:14-21), and ever afterwards maintained an attitude of hostility toward them. They were conquered by David (2 Samuel 8:14…), and afterwards by Amaziah (2 Chronicles 25:11, 12). But they regained again their independence, and in later years, during the decline of the Jewish kingdom (2 Kings 16:6), ‘Edomites’… made war against [the house of Judah]. They took part with the Chaldeans when Nebuchadnezzar captured Jerusalem, and afterwards they invaded and held possession of the south of Palestine as far as Hebron. [Biblica–The Bible Atlas, adds on page 308 that “Judah’s final destruction occurred when Edom enticed Judah to join in an anti-Babylonian coalition… but… Edom then participated with Babylon in the destruction of Jerusalem that followed.” As we will see in a subsequent Q&A, similar events will occur again in the near future.]

“At last, however, Edom fell under the growing Chaldean power (Jeremiah 27:3, 6)… After an existence as a people for above seventeen hundred years, they have utterly disappeared, and their language even is forgotten forever…”

But this last statement is not true. As we will see, the Bible contains many prophecies about the nation of Edom for the end time; therefore, descendants of Edom must exist today. They may not be living in the areas where they used to live, and they are not known today as Edomites, but they must exist somewhere. The Encyclopedia Britannica, 1959, states for instance under Edom that “many of the Edomites, pushed out of their former territory by the Nabataens, drifted westward across the Araba…”

We also need to note that many commentaries apply end-time prophecies regarding Edom to ancient times and claim that these prophecies were already fulfilled. This is a grievous mistake, precluding those authors from realizing what is announced to happen in the near future.

We read about an interesting “blessing” in Genesis 27:39-40, which Isaac gave to his son Esau, after he had been deceived to bless Jacob. It says that Esau or Edom would dwell “without” [as it should be rendered] the fatness of the earth and the dew of heaven [in comparison with the blessing which Isaac had given Jacob]; and that he would live by the sword and “serve” his brother (Jacob or Israel) [This last statement is actually a repeat of the prophecy pertaining to Jacob and Esau, which Rebekah received in Genesis 25:23].

Isaac also told Esau that in due time, he would break his brother’s yoke from his neck. Halley’s Bible Handbook claims that the Edomites “were subservient to Israel; and in time, they did throw off Israel’s yoke (II Kings 8:20-22).” Biblica—The Bible Atlas states on page 114 that “Herod the Idumean—better known as Herod the Great, the ruler who played a pivotal role in Jesus’ early life—murdered the royal family of Judea, including one of his own wives and a number of his children, and forged alliances with Rome. From that time on, Jewish tradition saw Rome as the embodiment of the continuing struggle between Jacob and Esau.”

While all of this may be partially true, we will see that Isaac’s prophecy for Esau is far more encompassing and applies also and foremost to more recent historical and even still future events. Edom is not just a symbolic reference to Rome or the modern Roman or Babylonian system in the end times, but a distinctively existing nation—which will however, to an extent and for a while, support modern Babylon in an attack against the state of Israel.

The Church of God has taught for over sixty years that many Edomites are today to be found in the modern nation of Turkey, and that biblical prophecies relating to modern Edom mainly address the Turkish people. (As an aside, the famous mountain of Ararat where Noah’s ark rested after the Flood, is situated in Turkey).

The following was stated in an article by The Plain Truth, dated 1966, titled, “Turkey in Prophecy”:

“Turkey can be identified by research in encyclopedias, or history books dealing with the subject, as the descendants of Esau… One of the grandsons of Esau was Teman (Genesis 36:11). Teman became a great leader among the peoples… As the Edomites began to expand…, portions of the land began to bear the name of Teman… much of the area… including … Turkestan… became known as the ‘Land of Temani’ (compare Genesis 36:34 [according to the Authorized Version; the New King James Bible says: “the land of the Temanites”)… Is it any wonder then that the indelible stamp of Teman, one of the leading dukes of ancient Edom, was carried down into modern history in the form of the ‘Ottoman’ Empire?”

The Ottoman Empire existed for about 400 years and ended with World War I. The Funk and Wagnalls New Encyclopedia tells us that the Ottoman Empire or the “Turkish state was the dominant power in the eastern Mediterranean from the 16th to the 19th century. It was broken up at the end of World War I, and its Anatolian heartland became the modern Republic of Turkey.”

During its high days and years of conquest, the Ottoman Empire ruled over countries and areas such as Algeria, Tunisia, Yemen, Egypt, Syria, Palestine, Arabia, Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, Serbia, Croatia, Armenia, Georgia and the Crimea, and it even besieged Austria’s capitol, Vienna (in 1529). It had at that time broken the yoke of Jacob (including Jacob’s son Judah) from his neck.

The fact that the name of the Turkish Ottoman Empire is derived from or related to Teman is confirmed by other authors as well. For instance, the encyclopedia Wordnik states regarding Edom: “Edom is O’theman of the Bible, and O’theman of the Bible is Turkey.” Also, many claim that the name “Turk” is associated with “Turkestan,” where, as we recall, many of the Edomites and more precisely, the Temanites, had settled. We are also told by some that the Khazars called the Byzantium Emperor the “King of Edom.” (Note that the name Byzantium is ancient for Constantinople, which is today Turkey’s capitol Istanbul.)

Turkey did in fact live by the sword, as Isaac had told Esau, but, as we showed in the Current Events section of our last Update (Update No. 496), it has now advanced to a very prosperous country in the Middle East, manifesting more and more its (ongoing) independent status from the house of Judah—the Jews—and now also increasingly from the modern descendants of the ancient house of Israel—the USA and Great Britain. This means, then, that biblical prophetic references to Esau, Edom, Seir, Idumea and Bozrah refer mainly to the modern nation of Turkey.

(To Be Continued)

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

Preaching the Gospel and Feeding the Flock

Please feel free to proceed with making reservations for the Feast of Tabernacles 2011 with the Hilton Garden Inn at 601 James Way, Pismo Beach, CA 93449. When you call under 1-805-773-6020, please make sure that you mention that you are attending the Feast convention of the Church of the Eternal God. Further information is available on our Web site (www.eternalgod.org), under “Feasts.”

A new StandingWatch program was posted on our Web site and on You Tube, titled, “New Great Depression in 2012?” According to CNN, almost 50 percent of Americans worry that the US is likely to slip into another Great Depression within the next twelve months. The Guardian postulates that America is in an advanced state of cultural decadence and that it can be compared now with Rome prior to its fall. While the US is facing higher annual interest rates on the huge national debt of 14.34 trillion dollars, it provides hundreds of millions of dollars of foreign aid to some of the world’s richest countries, while at the same time borrowing billions back from them. What IS going on in our nation, and WHY?

Our booklet, “Germany in Prophecy,” has reached its final review cycle.

The draft for a new booklet, “Paul’s Letter to the Philippians,” has entered the first review cycle.

Norbert Link’s video-recorded sermon, “The Mystery of Understanding,” has been posted on the Internet.

A new German sermon, dealing with Ethiopia in the Bible, has been posted on the Internet. It is titled, “Aethiopien in der Bibel.”

God Shows the Way

by Ben Agbayani (Canada)

2008 was the year of a full transitional period for me. My family and I were attending a church organization which simply preached a “gospel” about the person of Christ (as they understood it). One day, I found myself wanting to learn more. I was feeling that I was starving spiritually.

On one occasion during services, my family noticed that when the pastor spoke about something, I would turn to passages in the Bible looking for Scriptures that would confirm what he said, but I found none supporting his preaching. In other words, he spoke empty words.

Finally, after having studied the false teaching of the “rapture,” I asked several members and ministers about this concept, but I was only given disappointing answers. When I asked the leading Church pastor, he answered: “If you were God, would you like your people to suffer during the tribulation period? Of course not.”

My eyes grew big, and I was quite surprised that he evaded the question by trying to pull a trick answer, like a magician would act. I realized that he had no answers, and he recognized that I knew, and from that point in time, I was viewed by the entire congregation as someone who had a different spirit.

I prayed to God to show me His Way and to reveal to us where the true remnants of His church are today. God led me to the doorsteps of the Church of the Eternal God and its StandingWatch programs. In 2009, my wife and I were baptized by Mr. Messier, and we are happy to be Spirit-begotten members of the true Church of God.

What does the Bible say about Ethiopia?

Even though Ethiopia is not mentioned as often in the current news as countries such as Egypt, Libya, Syria or Iran, the Bible has much to say about the past and future of Ethiopia. As we pointed out in a recent Q&A on Egypt, Ethiopia was at one time the influential “king of the South,” as mentioned in the book of Daniel, and the Bible shows that Ethiopia will still play an important role in future world affairs. This is not that surprising when considering even the present role and status of Ethiopia, which should not be underestimated. As the Wikipedia encyclopedia tells us:

“[Ethiopia] is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 85.2 million people… When Africa was divided up by European powers at the Berlin Conference, Ethiopia was one of only two countries that retained its independence. It was one of only four African members of the League of Nations. After a brief period of Italian occupation, Ethiopia became a charter member of the United Nations. When other African nations received their independence following World War II, many of them adopted the colors of Ethiopia’s flag, and Addis Ababa [Ethiopia’s capitol] became the location of several international organizations focused on Africa… Ethiopia is one of the founding members of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), G-77 and the Organisation of African Unity (OAU).

“Today, Addis Ababa is still the headquarter[s] of the African Union, the Nile Basin Commission, the Pan African Chamber of Commerce (PACCI) and UNECA. The country has one of the most powerful militaries in Africa and Addis Ababa is the headquarter of the continental African Standby Force (ASF)… Currently, Ethiopia is the top coffee and honey-producing country in Africa, and home to the largest livestock population in Africa. Ethiopia has close historical ties to all three of the world’s major Abrahamic religions. It was one of the first Christian countries in the world, having officially adopted Christianity as the state religion in the 4th century. It has a Christian majority and a third of the population is Muslim…

“Ethiopia, which has Africa’s second biggest hydropower potential, is the source of over 85% of the total Nile water flow and contains rich soils… today Ethiopia has the biggest economy in East Africa… as the Ethiopian economy is also one of the fastest growing in the world. It is a regional powerhouse in the Horn and east Africa…”

Many commentaries recognize that Ethiopia, formerly known as Abyssinia, descended from “Cush” of the Bible (compare Young’s Analytical Concordance to the Bible, under “Ethiopia.”). The word “Cush” means “black.”

(Please note, however, that descendants of Cush can also be found today in other parts of the world. For more information, please see our Q&A on Ezekiel 38 and 39. In this Q&A, we are strictly addressing the history and prophecy, relating to Ethiopia.)

Cush was a son of Ham, one of the three sons of Noah (Genesis 10:6). Cush was also the father of Nimrod (Genesis 10:8-12).

Cush is also identified, in Genesis 10:7, as the grandfather of Sheba (Sheba’s father was Raamah). From this it follows that the famous queen of the South, or the Queen of Sheba, who visited King Solomon to test his intelligence and wisdom, was actually the Queen of Ethiopia (compare 1 Kings 10:1-13; 2 Chronicles 9:1-12; Matthew 12:42; Luke 11:31). The Queen of Sheba is known in worldly records as Queen Makeda, Empress of Axum. According to legend and tradition, the royal house of Ethiopia under, then, King or Emperor Haile Selassi (1892-1975), claimed to be descendants of a “union” between King Solomon and the Queen of the South. It is also well known that one of the royal titles of Haile Selassi was the “king of Judah.” Not that well known might be that three royal sons or princes and three royal daughters or princesses of the late emperor are still alive today.

Historically, we read that Moses, apparently prior to his conversion, had married an Ethiopian woman (Numbers 12:1). Later, during the reign of King Solomon’s son, the king of Egypt attacked Judah with the help of Ethiopia, because Judah had greatly sinned against God (2 Chronicles 12:1-3). Subsequently, Zerah the Ethiopian and his great army attacked Judah under King Asa (who was then a righteous king), but at that time, God helped Judah (2 Chronicles 14:8-13; 16:8). Later, Isaiah was given a prophecy proclaiming the defeat of Egypt and Ethiopia through King Sargon of Assyria (Isaiah 20:1-6).

At the time when Jeremiah was imprisoned and thrown into a dungeon, because he proclaimed the unpopular message of an impending defeat of Jerusalem through the Babylonians, Ebed-Melech, an Ethiopian eunuch, came to Jeremiah’s rescue and was rewarded accordingly by God (Jeremiah 38:6-13; 39:15-18). Later, the famous Persian king Xerxes I (referred to in the book of Esther as king Ahusuerus), who married Esther, reigned over Ethiopia (Esther 1:1; 8:9). And in New Testament times, we hear that “a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace the queen of the Ethiopians, who had charge of all her treasury…, had come to Jerusalem to worship” (Acts 8:27). God sent the evangelist Philip to that influential man to baptize him, and he returned to his country “rejoicing” (compare Acts 8:39).

We read in Nahum 3:9 that Ethiopia, as well as Egypt and Put (Libya), will be modern Nineveh’s helpers (that is, the modern Babylonian system under Assyrian or German leadership), prior to the destruction of modern Nineveh. They will help modern Nineveh to fight against Israel and Judah. Even during the time of the “day of the LORD” (a time beginning about one year prior to Christ’s return), the Ethiopians are still described as “mighty men” of war (compare Jeremiah 46:9-10).

But we also read that this particular alliance will change—as alliances change often and quickly in wars—and that the modern king of Babylon will attack and conquer Egypt and Ethiopia (Ezekiel 30:1-9; 29:10; compare also Isaiah 18:1-6). Zephaniah 2:12 tells us specifically that “You Ethiopians also, you shall be slain by the sword.” We also read in Daniel 11:42-43 that the modern king of Assyria of the Babylonian system will be ruling over the Ethiopians.

We are specifically told in Isaiah 11:11 that at the time of Christ’s return, the survivors of the modern descendants of the houses of Israel and Judah will find themselves enslaved in countries such as Assyria (Germany), Egypt, Pathros (upper Egypt), Cush (Ethiopia), Elam (Iran), Shinar (part of Babylon, Genesis 10:10), Hamath and the islands of the sea. [Regarding “Hamath,” this word designates descendants of Ham’s son Canaan—a brother of Cush (Genesis 10:18). The word has no connection to Syria or today’s city of Hama which is 200 km north of Damascus. As we pointed out in a recent Q&A, the Syrians are descendants of Noah’s son Shem (Genesis 10:21-23; 22:20-21)—not of Noah’s son Ham or his grandson Canaan.]

We don’t know when and exactly how the survivors of Israel and Judah will become captives in Ethiopia and in some of the other countries mentioned. It could begin to happen when Ethiopia fights with Assyria against Israel, or later, when Assyria fights against Ethiopia and then transfers and settles some of its Israelite captives there.

We also read that some Ethiopians will become a part of an army, led by Russia, to invade the Promised Land. This will happen just after Christ’s return to this earth; compare Ezekiel 38:5. God will supernaturally destroy this hostile army. We also find that in the Millennium, the surviving Ethiopians will turn to God.

For further information on Ethiopia and her allies, please read our Q&A on Libya.

God asks the question in Jeremiah 13:23: “Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard its spots?” Even though the answer to this question is, “No,” God will nevertheless see to it that the Ethiopian will change his mind. God is not a respecter of person—he loves Ethiopia as much as Israel (Amos 9:7). And so, when God gives the Ethiopians a new heart and a mind to understand, they will respond. Isaiah 18:7 has this to say about the Ethiopians:

“In that time a present will be brought to the LORD of hosts From a people tall and smooth of skin, And from a people terrible from their beginning onward, A nation powerful and treading down, whose land the rivers divide—To the place of the name of the LORD of hosts, to Mount Zion” (compare Isaiah 2:1-4; see also Isaiah 45:14, saying that the merchandize of Cush—Ethiopia—will become Israel’s property, and that Ethiopians will come “in chains” and worship God and recognize Him as their only true God).

Finally, let us read this encouraging promise from God, relating to the future of Ethiopia, in Psalm 68:31: “Envoys will come out of Egypt; Ethiopia will quickly stretch out her hands to God.”

Sadly, much horror, pain and suffering will have to be endured first, before this glorious time can begin.

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

Standards

On June 18, 2011, Eric Rank will give a sermon from Colorado, titled, respectively, “Standards.”

The services can be heard at www.cognetservices.org (12:30 pm Pacific Time; 1:30 pm Mountain Time; 2:30 pm Central Time; 3:30 pm Eastern Time). Just click on Connect to Live Stream.

Preaching the Gospel and Feeding the Flock

Please feel free to proceed with making reservations for the Feast of Tabernacles 2011 with the Hilton Garden Inn at 601 James Way, Pismo Beach, CA 93449. When you call under 1-805-773-6020, please make sure that you mention that you are attending the Feast convention of the Church of the Eternal God. Further information is available on our Web site (www.eternalgod.org), under “Feasts.”

A new StandingWatch program was posted on our Web site and on You Tube, titled, “Iran’s Future.” Today’s news on Iran is somewhat confusing and puzzling. The Guardian tells us that a power struggle is going on between President Ahmadinejad and the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. According to the New York Times and the IAEA, Iran is able to build a bomb right now. Israel has threatened that they would attack Iran in that case. The Washington Post says that Iran is actively supporting the government of Syria against the demonstrators. Deutsche Welle reports that Iran provokes Germany by not initially allowing the German Chancellor and her party to access its airspace to travel to India. On the other hand, Der Spiegel states that Germany is still the third-largest exporter to Iran. What does this all mean? Does the Bible tell us what is in store for Iran?

Norbert Link’s video-recorded sermon, “Paul’s Letter to the Philippians, Part 7,” has been posted on the Internet.

Two new German sermons,  focusing on the Feast of Pentecost, have been posted on the Internet. They are titled, “Geheimnisvolles Verstaendnis, Teil 1 und Teil 2.”

Storyline

by Manuela Mitchell

A few months ago I heard a song on the radio that caught my attention due to its melody and rhythm. The more I listened to the song, the more I liked it. The second time I heard the song, I paid closer attention to the words. With music, I tend to listen to the melody and if it still interests me, I listen closely to the words, so that I am able to understand the storyline. I have memorized the words to a lot of songs, due to the fact that I listened to the story. Every time the song played on the radio, I enjoyed singing along, even though I had nothing in common with that particular storyline.

Approximately two or three weeks ago, that same song that I liked so much played on the radio again, but this time it wasn’t the same. I didn’t sing along to the words, I listened even more intently and couldn’t  hold back the tears. The storyline in the song became the storyline of my life. My husband has been out of work for a little while, the bills don’t go away. There are more stresses due to insurance, rent and other things that cost money, all to be covered by my 2 days/week job, which of course doesn’t equal out. It would be easy to lose hope, to become depressed and to lose focus of what is truly important. In the song, the characters kept their sanity by staying home, drinking cheap wine and talking all night; while trying to make things better between the two of them, as financial hardships have a way of destroying the love in a relationship.

While times have been tough, I understand that this is nothing compared to what it could be. My family and I are still so blessed, despite the few setbacks. We have our love, our health, our family and friends, our home, but most importantly, we have God. God knows our family’s needs and I believe He will provide and take care of us.  Even though I thought about my physical life while I listened to that song, after comparing it to my spiritual life, the storyline is much different.

©2024 Church of the Eternal God