"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever."

(Heb. 13:8)

CIRCULAR LETTER December 1990

I greet you all warmly in the precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ with the words: "… To preach the acceptable year of the Lord…" (Isaiah 61:2; Luke 4:19)

All Bible readers know what this year of grace means. It refers to the year of Jubilee, which followed after seven times seven years, specifically, in the fiftieth year. In such a year of the Lord, all those who were indebted were set free. Every year has been such a Jubilee for many since the Lord first proclaimed it for the New Testament time period almost two thousand years ago. Most believers know the year in which they experienced their conversion. They remember it fondly. For them, it remains the special year in which they received forgiveness of their sins. Thanks to the great Day of Atonement on Golgotha, those who believe in the accomplished atonement may go out free.

Last year was also such a year of Jubilee for many. If time continues, next year will also be a gracious year of the Lord for many. The eternal gospel, proclaimed as if by the sound of trumpets, reaches the ends of the earth. We are now once again at the end of a year and we keep hearing that time has never passed so quickly as it does now. On the threshold of 1990 and 1991, the course for the future was already set, at least as far as a united Europe with 340 million inhabitants is concerned, as it will become a true world power by the end of 1992. Why, it is also repeatedly asked, are the borders falling now and not earlier? Why is the quest for unification the primary concern of the peoples of Europe now and not earlier?

This century has seen remarkable events, some of which were still witnessed by older generations: two world wars, the cruel, forever incomprehensible extermination of millions of Jews. After the Second World War, the Cold War began. Both military blocs were rearming. All of a sudden, everything has now changed overnight: rearmament is being replaced by disarmament, the worst weapons systems are being scrapped, and there is only one goal left, specifically, to achieve peace and safety and to build the pan-European house in which all peoples and nations will have a place.

One might ask: Are You, O Lord, establishing Your kingdom at this time? The time of the Gentiles is coming to an end, and the time for Israel is dawning. All spiritualized interpretations, specifically that the New Testament church has replaced God's people Israel, are without biblical foundation. The church of the Gentiles is spiritual Israel in the sense that it has truly received circumcision in its heart through the Holy Spirit according to the Word of God, having experienced a renewal and regeneration by grace. There are also people in this generation who, like Jacob, are being transformed into Israel, from supplanters to wrestlers of God. Every person who awaits the transformation of the body at the return of Jesus Christ must have experienced such a transformation in their heart, become a wrestler of God, and bear the victory of Jesus Christ. Circumcision of the heart occurs through faith through the power of the Word, which is sharper than any twoedged sword.

The Lord God made a covenant with Abraham and all Israel at that time and required painful circumcision of the body as a seal of the righteousness of faith. The people of Israel as the nation of Israel forever remain the people of the Lord. The same Lord made a covenant with the New Testament church and requires circumcision and the renewing of the heart. Only in this way do we receive confirmation through the sealing of the Holy Spirit that this work of God's grace has been accomplished in us. Condemnation came through the law, preceded by transgression through disobedience. The origin of sin lies in unbelief — rebellion against God — and leads to the transgression of the commandments and prohibitions given by God. Since this transgression occurred in the flesh, and we were thus separated from God in this body and delivered unto death, the Saviour had to appear in the flesh to remove this separation through atonement and reconcile us with God. At the same time, He overcame death and rose again on the third day. His victory is also our victory.

Setting the Course

In these tumultuous times, much is also happening in religious and political matters. The European train travels through the countries and stops at all national main stations; all politicians must board and travel along. And those already on board, who realize where this train is headed, dare to jump off the moving train like the "Iron Lady." But someone else immediately takes their place, and the process continues. Anyone who does not participate today in the overall process described in the prophetic word for the end times must be replaced. Time is pressing because it is short, and the "Europe of the Fatherlands" must be operational soon. It will be a Catholic World Empire in which all other churches will submit to the Roman World Church. National rights will be partially relinquished, and the individual nations will, as it is written, place their own power at the disposal of this final world empire, which has a superior function, as has already been foretold to us in the Word of God.

As already known, there are not only the flags of individual countries, but also the European flag, which can be seen almost everywhere. Buses are decorated with it and airplanes carry the blue flag with the twelve stars. It can be seen everywhere on leaflets, even at national events; it was even used in the last election campaign in Germany. Added to this is the European currency, the ECU (European Currency Unit). The ECU coin of '92 has two sides, as is usual. On one side, which is of particular interest to us, you can see a woman riding a beast, surrounded by twelve stars. The image of the woman on a bull￼A close-up of a coin AI-generated content may be incorrect. comes from Greek mythology; the encircling border of twelve stars is new. What might the designers have had in mind when they created this design? Perhaps Mary as the crowned Queen of Heaven? It is quite something to see how cleverly the prince of this world produces such an elegant combination. Since the days of Adam, through the time of Jesus, and up to the present day, the adversary has used scripture passages that fit his concept, but which he tears out of their divine context because he pursues his own goals. This is indeed the hour of the great deception that shall come upon the entire earth.

But it is also the hour of glorious truth, in which God's Word, through revelation, shines more brightly than ever before. There is only one reference in the entire Bible to a woman wearing a crown of twelve stars. We find this in Revelation 12. However, the woman in Revelation 12 does not ride on a beast, as the woman called a harlot does in Revelation 17, who is full of names of blasphemy and described as Babylon the Great, the mother of abominations and harlots of the earth.

The architects of Roman Catholic Europe have exposed themselves. They have mixed up Revelation 12 with Revelation 17 and something is presented that does not actually exist. It is a time of unification for everyone in all areas and in all domains. A masterful temptation is being touted as the offer of the hour by deceiving the masses. In addition to the symbol of the woman, as shown to us in Revelation 12, it should also be noted that this is not really the World church. The number 12 only applies to Israel and the church. God made a beginning with the twelve tribes and founded the Old Testament congregation; he made a new beginning with the twelve apostles and founded the New Testament congregation on Jewish soil. The number 12, in reference to Israel and likewise to the twelve apostles, is also shown to us in Revelation 21:12-14 in the description of the city of God: "… at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel… the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb…" Abraham was already looking for this city (Hebrews 11:10), in which all the just men made perfect of the Old and New Testaments have their dwelling place.

Revelation 12 and 17 have nothing in common. Chapter 12 symbolically shows us the church founded by God Himself on Jewish soil, crowned with the doctrines of the twelve apostles. Revelation 17 makes us aware of the World Church, which commits fornication with the kings of the earth and shares power. This time is very tempting, as in the time of Noah, mixing occurs under religious pretext. At that time, the God-blessed descendants of Seth, called the children of God, mingled with the murderous descendants originating from Cain. Due to this fact, the LORD God decreed the end of all flesh, giving the following reason: "My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh" (Genesis 6:3). At that time, there were obviously people in this God-blessed lineage who had the Holy Spirit but allowed themselves to be drawn into the mixing and thus rebelled against God, gave up their independence, and joined the crowd.

The same thing is happening now. The greatest mixing of all time is taking place: Protestants and Catholics, believers and unbelievers, Christians and Anti-christians. Seen in this light, this coin symbolizes exactly what is happening now, which is the total mixing. There is, generally speaking, no longer a clear spiritual perspective regarding the religious development of our day. Everything is connected and entangled with politics and economics. There is also no generally clear separation between what is described in Revelation 12 and what is described in Revelation 17. Everything is simply mixed together. The once worst opposites — Pentecostalism and the Catholic Church — now foster the best of relationships. Now, alongside all the Protestant Pentecostal movements, there is also the Catholic Pentecostal movement. Since the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965), everything has changed on a religious level, even if individuals are not so aware of it. We are dealing with a political, religious, and economic transformation and reorganization. These areas are all part of the Roman World Empire. One could easily adapt the text from Genesis 11:4 for today's endeavour: "Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name." This city is well known, as is the steeple of St. Peter's Basilica, which points to heaven. But the only way that leads to the Father, and thus to heaven, is Jesus Christ our Lord.

The mission of the church of Jesus Christ nevertheless remains; the everlasting gospel is proclaimed throughout the world. As Bible-believing Christians, we long to report soon not only on the political and religious developments as they fit into end-time prophecy, but also on the yet to come, final work of God. The promises given to us for this time must be fulfilled just as the prophetic word is generally being fulfilled before our eyes. Just as we are now looking at the overall development, so may the picture change such that the whole world can then see what is happening in and through the church of the living God. We may praise the grace of God, for it is truly only by grace that our spiritual eyes have been opened; it is only by grace that we have understood the call: "Come out…"; only by grace do we recognize the time and the message of this hour. Just as Israel returns home from all peoples and was set apart from all nations from the beginning, so now the people of the Lord are returning home to the land of the divine promises for this time and are separated from all denominations. Israel was to be a people of kings and priests (Exodus 19:5-6); the same is said of the New Testament church of the living God (1 Peter 2:9-10). The people of Israel are already in the Promised Land, necessary for the selection of the 144,000. The church has also entered the ground of the divine promises for this time and takes its stand in faith. We believe that God watches over His entire Word in order to fulfill it. He reserves the order of events associated with the plan of salvation for Himself, but it is certain that He will once again move heaven and earth and perform a short and mighty work for the glory of His name in His church. Indeed, it will be the triumphal march of the Almighty with those who have believed and trusted in Him. As certain as His Word has always been fulfilled, and as the many testimonies of Scripture are now being fulfilled before our eyes, so we as the called-out congregation of the Lord, can trust our God fully and completely. HE which hath begun the work will perform it in a great triumph on the day of the return of Jesus Christ. Thanks be given to HIM now.

Mission Report

We are grateful to God that the various borders have fallen and the doors to Eastern Europe have opened. At first glance, there now seems to be more religious freedom there than we practice here. Singing and preaching are taking place in streets and squares, and meetings can be held in cultural centres and public buildings everywhere. We were also able to foresee this development based on the word of the Lord in Matthew 24:14: "And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come." The statement is very clear, as is the order. First, the proclamation as a witness to all nations, and then shall the end come. Other doors will open, and the message of salvation will indeed be brought to the people of this earth for the last time through the means that are now available.

I myself have made very good use of this year and held meetings in many countries and cities. The meetings in Romania were the largest in terms of attendance. God used our beloved brother Matthias and others mightily to bring audiences of up to 3,000 people together.

In other Eastern European countries we have also found open doors and hearts everywhere, for which we are very grateful to the Lord. Providing literature in various languages ​​has also become necessary as part of this work. Although we know that the coming of the Lord is near, we have decided to build a printing press with an office and shipping rooms here on the mission grounds. Work began at the beginning of December, and we hope it will be operational in about five to six months. According to the Word of God, we should work while it is day, and that is exactly what we intend to do. It is also written in Matthew 24:46: "Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing…" Before that, it speaks of his master appointing him over his servants to give them meat in due season. And after that, it says: "Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods." It is our task to distribute the revealed Word as spiritual food, and we may testify, as it is written here, that this is now the full revelation of the Word, and that the Lord abundantly satisfies us with the goods of His house.

It is a matter close to my heart to take this opportunity to sincerely thank all of you who so faithfully support this missionary work with your prayers, tithes, and offerings. As I have often said, everyone who participates in this far reaching world-wide missionary work, which was commissioned by God in accordance with the Holy Scriptures, will be rewarded by the Almighty. From the very beginning, we have never once had to present a program or ask for donations, nor have we ever sent invoice documents with our shipments. The Lord God has thus far arranged everything such that the necessary funds were available at the right time.

We wish the brothers in Switzerland the special blessing of the Lord for their missionary work, so that the accumulated funds can soon be used to acquire a meeting centre there too. In this context, we sincerely wish Brother Alexis Barilier the blessing of God and support for the French-language ministry. Likewise, we remember the missionary work led by our beloved brother Etienne Genton in Italy. May God’s blessing rest in a very special way on what is being done there too. We also wish all other brothers in all countries God's support and blessing, wisdom, and grace to do everything at the right time and in the right way for the glory of God.

For the year 1991, we share the hope that, like a Jubilee, it will bring us deliverance, redemption, and healing by grace from all spiritual, mental, and physical distress. After all, faith comes from preaching and preaching comes from the Word of God, and thus God Himself has assumed the responsibility of confirming His Word to those who believe it. HE is faithful and will do what He has promised. Be encouraged, all of you, for the Lord is with us according to the promise He made: "I am with you always, even unto the end of the world."

Meeting Announcements

Year End Meetings
Zurich Volkshaus, Helvetiaplatz

Friday Dec. 21, 1990 7:30 pm Weisser Saal

Saturday Dec. 22, 1990 6:00 pm Weisser Saal

(film showing planned)

Sunday Dec. 23, 1990 2:00 pm Theater Saal

Year End Meetings in Krefeld
Mission Centre, Am Herbertzhof 11-17/ corner of Untergath

first meeting Dec. 29, 1990, 7:30 p.m.

last meeting Dec. 31, 1990, 7:30 p.m. with Love meal

God willing, I will be in Krefeld every first weekend (first Sunday) and every last Sunday of the month in Zurich. Everyone is cordially invited to the meetings at any time.

May the Lord bless you all and be with you all.

By His Commission￼