Best Wishes for the New Year! 2011
Ring out the old, ring in the new, Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
The year is going, let him go; Ring out the false, ring in the true.
Alfred, Lord Tennyson, 1850
Martha M. Odlum
Editor: A half-century ago, one of the great ladies of the Israel Movement gave us a short message of encouragement as we entered into a New Year. Her name was Martha M. Odlum, the wife of our founder, Professor Edward Faraday Odlum. Here is that message, which is even more needed today.
“To all British Israel friends everywhere a very happy year and may the Heavenly Father shower His richest blessings on each one of you.
There is every indication that the time will not be long before our Lord’s return. Troublesome times must come before this great and glorious event. “Nation shall rise against nation, kingdom against kingdom; and there shall be famines, pestilences and earthquakes in diverse places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.” (Matt. 24:7-8)
Yes, there will be times of testing when all Christians must stand firm and live very close to their Saviour. Thank God that so many believe in the Gospel of the Kingdom as well as the Gospel of Salvation. Praise God for so many teachers and leaders who have worked so tirelessly to point out this great truth.
But what about those who do not believe? What bewilderment and consternation there will be for them. They cannot lift up their heads and know that their redemption draweth nigh, as Jesus said to do when these things begin to come to pass.
Even good Christians do not believe that Christ is coming back to rule. They are not taught it. Very few churches teach it or even mention it. The shepherds have failed to lead their flocks aright.
Let us pray this year that God will raise up still more leaders, speakers and workers to make plain this great Bible truth and bring these people back into the right path, so that their blindness shall be taken away and they too will be able to look up, and lift up their heads, knowing that their redemption draweth nigh.
May God give us the victory through prayer.”
Editor: Now, here we are in 2011 and those troublesome times are upon us, yet, perhaps this is a a sign of how badly our Movement will be needed in the final unfolding of the six days of God’s Great Plan. Our leaders today stand ready to fulfill their awesome responsibility and we have asked just a few to give us their thoughts as we enter this important year. Our President Bob Vermaat leads off.
“I write to the members of the body of Christian Israelites, British Israel or Identity, or by any other name you like to call yourself, from all of us here at the Association of the Covenant People, greetings and best wishes in the New Year that is upon us. It is a time of uncertainty for we cannot look into the future, time can only be measured by what happened in the past. So, in looking back, let us find the guidelines for the actions required to take us into the future.
May the God of our Fathers guide us and lead us and richly bless us in the coming year.”
Pastor Karl Schott
Editor: Of course, our special correspondents join my co-editor Holly Mills and myself, and echo Bob Vermaat’s words and wish you peace, safety and prosperity in the coming year. One of the staunchest leaders of Israel Truth is Pastor Karl Schott, of Christ’s Gospel Fellowship, Spokane, Washington. He and his wife, Audrey, have ministered for half a century reaching out to believers and to unawakened Christian Israelites across America and the Israel World. Here are his inspiring words.
“It seems very clear now that we are in the time of Jacob’s trouble. Our financial institutions are facing great challenges and difficulties and unemployment is taking its toll on our people and our economy. Going forward to 2011, it doesn’t look like there will be much of the improvement we need and hope for. This is sad because the USA was given huge blessings, but today we are greatly burdened. Nevertheless, we are simply passing through and the Lord Jesus Christ will yet come with His power and glory. When this happens, all Israel nations will be blessed. Praise the Lord.”
Michael Clark
Editor: For a perspective on Europe as we enter 2011, we enquired of Michael Clark, the dynamic leader of British-Israel-World Federation in the United Kingdom. It is remarkable to have witnessed the progress of his organization since he became president a few years ago. His magazine is exceptional, as are his YouTube presentations and the Federation’s conferences. He has lent a hand strengthening associated organizations and seems always available to travel for conferences in the United Kingdom, America and Canada. He is also a writer of note and never misses an opportunity to express views on matters that conflict with God’s Word. Here are his thoughts on 2011.
“The main concern in Europe in 2011 is going to be whether or not the euro will hold. Monetary union means that stronger economies bail out weaker ones in a debt crisis. The European single currency has never been a purely economic issue. Helmut Kohl acknowledged this when he declared to the Bundestag as German Chancellor in 1991: “It cannot be repeated often enough. Political union is the indispensable counterpart of the economic and monetary union.” This is why the UK should stand apart. Ireland, Greece and Portugal are in a debt crisis. These eurozone economies face prolonged austerity to reduce their debt burden. The stresses of the adjustment are going to be intense. The political capital invested in the euro makes it unlikely, it is said, that the currency will collapse under the weight of the crisis. But the architecture of Europe’s currency union is flimsy and a collapse is possible sooner rather than later. Strengthening it would require its members to merge budgetary policies. That is a centralising course that no British government should countenance.
There were strong arguments for Britain to participate in a rescue package for Ireland, given the seriousness of the crisis and the exposure of British banks. But the possibility that the contagion will spread to Portugal, Spain and even France in the new year is being mooted now. The UK needs to be considering separate arrangements to cope with the crisis.
Prophetically Britain does stand apart in the end from the EU-Babylon and with the fragmentation of the eurozone now coming into view, the next step could be a two-part eurozone in which the weaker economies separate from the inner core. A more radical development also in prospect is that Germany itself may detach early from the euro rather than wait to the end to pick up all the debt of a failing currency. There is a momentum building up among Germans for investing in gold as they remember what happened to their currency in the 1930s. “
Kent Purvis
Editor: Filling the shoes of Douglas Nesbit, long time president of British-Israel-World Federation in Toronto, is no easy task but Kent Purvis has filled them very well and is taking the organization is a new, invigorated direction. Their new magazine, resplendent with colour, and great articles was one of his first objectives. With the help of his equally hardworking wife, Alison, and a couple of other dedicated members, he has revamped the organization, from its direction to its conferences. His thoughts on 2011 are very perceptive.
“Greetings to ACP and its members and readers. 2011 will be a most challenging year. The respect of the United States around the world will continue to dwindle due to the revelations from WikiLeaks, which will undermine the trustworthiness of American diplomats and their diplomatic efforts around the world. This has been seen already in the tensions between North and South Korea in recent weeks; the United States asked China to intervene by talking to North Korea. China has a political and economic stake in what develops from these events. And this is conveniently happening when the U.S. is trying to force peace in the Middle East. The upcoming year will likely see the continuing rise of China as an economic, political, and military power, replacing the United States as the superpower of the world. It is truly becoming the time of the “Kings of the East”.
Europe is in turmoil with debt and the bailouts of Portugal, Ireland, Greece, and Spain; not to mention the resulting protests by the citizens due to austerity measures being forced on them. In all the Israel Nations, general dissatisfaction with the authorities is at an all time high and the scenes seen at the G20 summit riots seem on the verge of breaking out everywhere. Civil strife would appear to be imminent: anger and dissatisfaction is rampant, and it can only be a matter of time before it spills out into the streets. Canada has seen its future in the G20 riots in Toronto, which were unimaginable at this time last year. We in Toronto were absolutely stunned to find out that events like these could happen here, but they will continue to happen and worsen. We can only pray and remember that our Lord and Saviour is our refuge, and he will be coming in glory to reign forever.”
Editor: One of the busiest pastors I know is Jory Brooks. He not only holds services at his Restoration Church in Detroit but he is one of the driving forces behind Canadian British Israel Association. He is a sought after speaker, both in America and Canada but also internationally. And a fine writer for magazines, including our own Thy Kingdom Come. Here is Jory’s outlook.
“New Year’s Greetings to all of our readers throughout the world! From my vantage point as a pastor in the United States, we are seeing continuing political and economic mayhem, joblessness, and growing fear for the future. There is no question that we are suffering the fruit of our own doings as a nation. There is no sign here yet of repentance, although we are in desperate need of turning to God and His Word for answers. The ministers in our area of Michigan typically engage in only a very limited and surface reading of the Scriptures, and the great majority of churches seem focused on entertainment and social activities. One is reminded of the proverbial ostrich with his head in the sand! It seems unavoidable that things must get much worse before America will get on her knees.
As we begin the year 2011, I recall that the number eleven in Biblical symbolism represents turmoil and confusion. How sadly appropriate to our situation! It was just revealed that China—which has already put many of our industries out of business in producing a large and growing amount of all of our goods—has been providing nuclear bomb technology to sworn enemies of our nation, including North Korea, Iran, and perhaps other radical regimes. (Wall Street Journal, 12-7-2010, A17) The threat to our very existence as a free people is growing in many parts of the world. Will God bring judgment upon America? Time will tell, but we all should redouble our efforts in evangelism this coming year. I urge you to buy some books and tracts for your friends, relatives, and acquaintances. Sign up new readers to B.I. magazines such as Thy Kingdom Come. I pray that we all will do our part in an effort to awaken our western peoples before God’s sore judgment arrives. The only way for our nations to know what God requires of them is through knowledge of our commission and duties as the House of Israel, His Servant People. May you and your families stay strong in the Word of God. I pray that our Lord’s blessings and protection will be upon you throughout the coming year.”
