Letter to the Brethren: June 19, 2025

Greetings from Grover Beach, California.

We hope all of you are seeking first the kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33).

That said, I was a guest on another podcast this week.

It was called, Let’s Be Frank, and was live out of the Netherlands. I was pleased to be able to do a live podcast which was also one out of Europe. The program was between 70-80 minutes in length. We discussed church history, that the faithful church did not change major doctrines over the centuries, the gospel of the kingdom, why one can accept miracles and prophecies, God’ purpose for humans, and more.

Podcasting has been an open door for us to reach people we would otherwise not reach.

Juneteenth

Galveston Juneteenth plaque
(Photo by Joyce Thiel taken during the Feast of Tabernacles in 2024)

Today is now known as called Juneteenth in parts of the United States.

In the past several years, there has been increased interest in this previously little-known holiday.

Now, even certain California State employees are getting the day off, as a paid holiday, for it.

During the Feast of Tabernacles in Galveston Texas in 2024, my wife and I visited the area commemorating it.

Here is some information about Juneteenth:

Sam Roberts and his family are planning for Juneteenth, the newest U.S. holiday commemorating the 1865 emancipation of Black enslaved people at the end of the Civil War.

On Sunday, the Roberts family and other Americans will attend celebrations and observances. It’s part of a growing national recognition of a pivotal moment in U.S. history that’s been a part of the fabric of Black culture for generations.

“Juneteenth is our Freedom Day and African American communities have been celebrating June 19th for a long time,” said Roberts, a father of two from Washington, D.C. It’s the second national observance of the holiday since Congress authorized it and U.S. President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law last year.

“While July 4th is the celebration of freedom for the United States, Juneteenth is a celebration of freedom for African Americans after the Civil War,” said Jesse Holland, an author and Black historian.

The push for a Juneteenth federal holiday came amid the popularity of the Black Lives Matter movement and a year after nationwide protests against racism and police brutality. It followed the murder of African-American George Floyd by a white Minneapolis police officer in 2020. Since then, the annual celebration has taken on a new meaning for some in the Black community.

“Juneteenth reminds Black Americans we still face the challenges of hate and discrimination our ancestors endured,” Roberts said. “We have to redouble our quest for equality.”

Some historians believe greater awareness of Juneteenth will encourage forward leaning conversations among Americans about race relations and the legacies of slavery. …

“Not every African American in the United States are descendants of slaves, but for the large majority of us who are, Juneteenth is the time for us to take stock of who we are today, where we came from and the sacrifices our ancestors went through before and since the Civil War,” Holland told VOA.

Freedom declarations

U.S. President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, a declaration following the end of the Civil War that legally freed more than three million enslaved Blacks in Confederate States. But not all slaves were free because the proclamation could not be implemented in parts of the southern United States.

To enforce the proclamation, Union Army Major General Gordon Granger marched into Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865, to issue the “General Order Number 3,” which ended the enslavement of Blacks in Texas. The mandate freed an estimated 250,000 slaves two-and-half years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed.

“White Texans knew the Civil War was [over] and slavery was banned, but they didn’t tell their slaves the war was over for years [in order] to continue to get free labor out of them,” said Holland. “Juneteenth is when the lie ended and federal forces showed up to enforce the new federal law saying slavery was illegal in the United States.”

While Juneteenth is celebrated as the end of slavery, the practice of involuntary servitude continued briefly in the states of Delaware and Kentucky. On December 6, 1865, ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution abolished slavery in the United States.

Juneteenth awareness

The first events commemorating Juneteenth date to 1866, when former slaves celebrated their new freedom with prayer, feasting, song, and dance. The anniversary saw a decline in popularity in the 1950’s and 60’s as Black Americans focused on the civil rights movement and ending racial discrimination. Juneteenth saw a revival in the 1980’s when Texas became the first state to declare the date a state holiday. https://www.voanews.com/a/us-observes-juneteenth-national-holiday-/6621998.html

Racial discrimination is a problem in many societies.

Liberation from oppression is a good thing.

Whether an additional holiday will help is a matter of debate. The real solution is the Kingdom of God.

Jesus came to proclaim that liberty:

1 “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me,
Because the Lord has anointed Me
To preach good tidings to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives,
And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord,
And the day of vengeance of our God;
To comfort all who mourn,  (Isaiah 61:1-2)

God has a plan which will result in people of every nation and race being saved:

9…I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”  (Revelation 7:9-10)

God has a plan where people of every nation will be able to rule:

9…You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood
Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation,
10 And have made us kings and priests to our God;
And we shall reign on the earth.  (Revelation 5:9-10)

God has a plan where “all flesh shall see the salvation of God” (Luke 3:6):

21 And it shall come to pass
That whoever calls on the name of the Lord
Shall be saved. (Acts 2:21)

1 Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:1-4).

God has a fantastic plan.

Whether or not you observe Juneteenth, pray for God’s Kingdom to come (Matthew 6:10).

Baptisms

Pastor Ezekiel Ombassa Oanda has sent me photo and information about people he baptized last Sabbath:

 Thanks for your prayers and continued support that you always provide both spiritual and physical.

    The baptism went well and it was so wonderful as you can see … There were very many people who attended to witness that program.  Those who were baptized in the name of our lord Jesus Christ some departed from catholic and SDA and have seen the truth. God called them out and are now added to His flock in Jesus’ name.

    This work needs more assistance to help do things better. This makes you to stand on your feet without shaking. Thanks for having a yes written on your face. More stars will be added on our crowns when the master of this work comes in.

  I was very tired and was not able to share the pictures with you immediately after service. Still am indoors to have some rest.

    God loves you and yours. Keep in touch and keep up the good work. Galatians 6:9.

       Yours fellow disciple of the Christ Ezekiel Ombaso Oanda

In another email, in response to my question of how many, he wrote:

Twenty two of them.

Remember that Jesus said, “there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents” (Luke 15:10). Over in Kenya, there were those 22–hence a lot of rejoicing by angels in heaven!

Furthermore, perhaps it should be added that baptism, in a spiritual sense, is liberty to the captives (Isaiah 61:1).

Jesus in 2032?

Could Jesus return in 2032?

Artist’s portrayal of Jesus’ return

Israel and Iran have been battling again.

Israel’s defenses (like the Iron Dome) have been breached again and can and will be breached in the future.

The attacks do not seem to be over, though one or both sides could pause them for a time.

In a post last week (see Israel attacks Iran–might Iran retaliate and cause ‘great damage’ to Jerusalem as prophesied in Isaiah 22:6-8?), I pointed to this matter as possibly tying in with the return of Jesus in 2032.

Why?

There are several scriptural reasons, but they are contingent on, or at least possibly tied to, the following:

1. If the last days that the Apostles Peter (Acts 2:14-17) and Paul (Hebrews 1:1-2) told of only refer to days 5 and 6 of seven one thousand year days (they possibly could include the latter decade of day 4) and
2. If Jesus was killed and resurrected in 31 A.D. and
3. If there is a precise and literal 6000/7000 year plan and
4. If the 6000 years ends after the 2 1/2 year great tribulation and before the start of the one year ‘day of the Lord’ (Isaiah 34:8) –then that would seem to be the year 2031–and
5. If the current (or related soon) conflict results in “great damage” to “the city of David” in the fulfillment of Isaiah 22:6-8 and
6. If that results in a peace deal with some type of a seven-year component and
7. If that part of the deal is the prophesied one which becomes confirmed by a “prince” (Daniel 9:26-27) in 2025, then
8. We would expect the Great Tribulation (Matthew 24:21-22) to start about 3 1/2 years afterwards–which is when the deal is broken and the abomination of desolation will be set up (Matthew 24:17; Daniel (9:27; 11:31) and then
9. Jesus would return about 3 1/2 years later, which presuming item 7 occurs, would be in 2032 (the year 2025 plus 7).

Last year, in the COGwriter.com article related to the 6,000 years, I had the following statement:

If Jesus was killed in 31 A.D., presuming there is a 6,000 year plan (see Could God Have a 6,000 Year Plan? What Year Does the 6,000 Years End?), and the 6,000 years ends at the start of the “Day of the Lord,” we may see the confirmation of the deal of Daniel 9:27 perhaps by the Fall of 2025.

When I was part of my previous COG, I advised its leadership to consider that the 6,000 years could end one year before Jesus returned–as the Day of the Lord is God’s wrath on the disobedient on the earth. And that may be the case.

As most of you are aware, I have repeatedly warned that we were likely to see a regional war before the deal of Daniel 9:27 is confirmed.

While I did NOT believe that Iran’s attacks in April 2024 (see NM: Iran Warns of ‘Stronger Response’ If Israel Retaliates to Attack; I365: Biden: US won’t support Israeli response to Iran attack) or October of 2024 were that, these current battles may turn into that war.

Jesus said:

37 And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch! (Mark 13:37)

Here is a suggested Sabbath day service for our scattered brethren and other interested people:

• 2-3 hymns (our songbook, The Bible Hymnal, contains the materials from the 1974 Bible Hymnal from the old WCG with new covers, plus ten additional hymns; there is also some Choral Accompaniment online).
• Opening prayer.
• The suggested sermonette is titled: Prayer works and aids in healing. Other sermonettes are available at our Prophecy channel on BitChute https://www.bitchute.com/channel/prophecy/
• Announcements (if any; though for many it will be this letter) and one hymn.
• The suggested sermon, which for most who receive this letter via email will be: Daniel 4-5: The Handwriting on the Wall. Other sermons are also available at the COGTube channel on BitChute https://www.bitchute.com/channel/cogtube/
• Final hymn.
• Closing prayer.