Dear Good News Reader,

Jesus Christ’s disciples admired the enormous and intricate design of the temple buildings in Jerusalem. Awed by the beautiful white marble and the gold ornamentation, they asked Jesus if He was as impressed as they were. He astonished them with His reply: “Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down” (Matthew 24:1-2). Jesus’ shocking statement greatly troubled His disciples who later privately came to Him, saying: “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming and of the end of the age?”

Christ then revealed the extraordinary conditions that would be present on earth prior to His return. He said it would be a time of escalating lawlessness, distress and uncertainty. He declared it would be a period of enormous religious deception and confusion and that wars, rumors of wars, disease epidemics, famines and numerous earthquakes would convulse the nations. He warned that these grave conditions signaled not the end, but merely “the beginning of sorrows” (Matthew 24:8).

What lay ahead, He continued, was an even more appalling and devastating time of “great tribulation” (Matthew 24:21). During that time of the devil’s “wrath” (Revelation 12:12), literally hundreds of millions would be slaughtered in brutal, ghastly warfare (Revelation 6:8). He further cautioned that “unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved” (Matthew 24:22). The prophetic book of Daniel describes this very same era by asserting that at the end of the age “there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, even to that time” (Daniel 12:1).

The United Church of God, an International Association, publisher of the Good News magazine, comprehends the depth of Christ’s cry of alarm and is gravely serious about alerting earth’s inhabitants to what Jesus described as the approaching “days of vengeance” (Luke 21:22). We are urgently preaching and publishing a message of warning and repentance to people living in this fearful age (Luke 3:7-8). We are also proclaiming to them Christ’s announcement of hope and optimism for the days immediately following His second coming.

The 456,000 circulation Good News magazine, the World News & Prophecy newsletter, 30 booklet titles, a state-of-the-art World Wide Web presence (www.ucg.org), print and Internet advertising and numerous television and radio programs are key elements in a vigorous effort to reach all lands and all peoples (Matthew 28:19).

We are committed to proclaiming right, godly solutions to the quandaries people wrestle with today. We are also energized about teaching the radiant truth of the coming wonderful world of tomorrow. We trust that what you read in the Good News provides you with valuable understanding and encouragement. Please don’t hesitate to let us know if we can be of additional help.

Sincerely,

Roy Holladay
President
United Church of God, an International Association

PS—We welcome you to write or visit our Web site (www.ucg.org) for your own free copies of our booklets and publications on biblical prophecy including: The Middle East in Bible Prophecy, Are We Living in the Time of the End?, The Book of Revelation Unveiled, The United States and Britain in Bible Prophecy, You Can Understand Bible Prophecy and World News & Prophecy.