To the Ends of the Earth

Last February, my wife and I traveled to Tierra del Fuego, the southern tip of Argentina, where the stunningly beautiful Ushuaia—a provincial capital—claims to be the world’s southernmost city, advertising itself as “the end of the earth.” Neighboring Chile claims the same distinction for its Puerto Williams, where we broadcast the Tomorrow’s World program for about a year, and we will leave it up to these two nations to fight it out (hopefully without going to war, which they have nearly done on occasion).

This was a “business trip”—Church business—but it was also an experience of a lifetime and very educational. While in Ushuaia, we visited a small park with plaques giving the Argentine point of view on the war with Britain over the Falklands/Malvinas, and we took a boat trip down the Beagle Channel past Puerto Williams.

Chile gave logistical support to Britain during that war, which did not help its often-strained relations with neighbor Argentina. Few outside South America are aware that the Beagle Channel, which separates the two countries, became a source of conflict in the late nineteenth century, when both nations claimed ownership of islands in the channel. Both sides were ready to go to war by the early 1980s, as international attempts to mediate the conflict all failed—until the newly elected Pope John Paul II intervened. “On [November 29, 1984], the heads of state of Chile and Argentina signed a Treaty of Peace and Friendship at the Vatican. The islands on the northern channel were awarded to Argentina and the islands on the southern half to Chile. Moreover, both countries could sail through the area although the marine territory belongs to Argentina” (“How John Paul II helped Chile and Argentina avoid going to war,” Rome Reports, November 30, 2009).

All of this aside, our main reason for visiting “the end of the earth” was to see our Living Church of God congregation three hours away in southern Argentina—yes, there are members and supporters of Tomorrow’s World all the way at the end of the earth. These members are mostly Spanish speakers, but with the help of translators we had a wonderful visit with them, enjoying heartfelt fellowship over a fantastic barbeque. There are always hugs and kisses (on the cheek) whenever we visit our brethren in the Spanish-speaking world.

As you may be aware, Living Church of God members and coworkers support the proclamation of the true Gospel of Jesus Christ to all mankind. They make it possible to go on television and radio and to distribute this magazine—along with all our other resources—free of charge to more than 500,000 subscribers. Those of us behind Tomorrow’s World are few in number, but the scope of our influence is farther and wider than numbers might indicate. We are scattered across the earth as salt is sprinkled on a plate of gourmet food, and in this short note I will share with you some details in this regard.

The Gospel Is a Light for Salvation

The Apostle Paul quoted the prophet Isaiah, saying, “I have set you as a light to the Gentiles, that you should be for salvation to the ends of the earth” (Acts 13:47). As I saw during our trip to Tierra del Fuego, our influence does reach the ends of the earth—and countless places between the two polar regions. We have subscribers scattered across far northern Canadian villages, and these include communities that you have probably never heard of in the territory of Nunavut: Pangnirtung, Gjoa Haven, Pond Inlet, Cambridge Bay, Baker Lake, Sanikiluaq, Arviat, and Whale Cove.

Some years ago, one of my colleagues visited a man living in Kugluktuk, above the Arctic Circle. This dedicated man requested baptism, and our minister was able to fulfill his request. Yes, we are a little flock, but our reach is great. The Tomorrow’s World magazine reaches 176 countries, we have active Living Church of God congregations in 67 countries, and we have baptized members in an additional 31 countries—where we hope to form congregations in the near future. We have subscribers in Russia, China, and the Middle East. We have subscribers in Scandinavia, South Africa, and countries in between. We have congregations in Vanuatu and recently started a congregation of about 35 people in Fiji. Our members in Myanmar have had to flee their homes and businesses due to the civil war there.

Jesus gave the Apostles a commission to take His true Gospel to the world, to make disciples of all peoples, and to baptize them. Baptism symbolizes our acceptance of Jesus Christ as our Savior, who died, was buried, and was resurrected three days and three nights later. By undergoing baptism, we show our acceptance of His sacrifice on our behalf and demonstrate our full intent to put to death our past life and come up to a new way of living (Romans 6:1–7).

Preach the Way of Truth, Righteousness, and a Warning to the World

Of course, we recognize that we will not convert the whole world at this time. We are living today in Satan’s world, as Jesus made clear (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11). The Apostle Paul also spoke directly about this fact. “But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them” (2 Corinthians 4:3–4). “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience” (Ephesians 2:1–2).

Why do most mainstream churches fail to teach this important truth? We find the answer in these very passages: Satan is now the god of this world, and he has deceived it (Revelation 12:9)—and this includes the overwhelming majority of those who call themselves Christian. That is why Jesus warned us against false Christianity (Matthew 24:3–5; see also Revelation 6:1–2).

We preach the true Jesus of the Bible and the message He preached while in the flesh, recognizing the time in which we are living. Just as Noah preached righteousness, warning the pre-Flood world, we are obligated to do the same as we approach the climax of Satan’s 6,000 years of rule over mankind (2 Peter 2:5).

To preach that message, we must also recognize the house of Israel. The Jews are one of the twelve tribes of Israel, but they are not all that remains of the Israelites. This is clearly seen in Ezekiel 37:15–28, where it is prophesied that the house of Judah and the house of Israel (two nations that separated during the tenth century BC) will be brought back together after Christ’s return. If you do not understand this amazing truth, order a free copy of The United States and Great Britain in Prophecy, or read it online at TomorrowsWorld.org. You cannot make sense of events now taking place in our world without this understanding.

Since we know who the house of Israel is, we are held accountable for warning its people (Ezekiel 33:1–7). But God also lays upon us the responsibility to warn all those in danger: “Deliver those who are drawn toward death, and hold back those stumbling to the slaughter. If you say, ‘Surely we did not know this,’ does not He who weighs the hearts consider it? He who keeps your soul, does He not know it? And will He not render to each man according to his deeds?” (Proverbs 24:11–12).

God has given His servants the responsibility of preaching the true Gospel, warning the world of what is coming, making disciples of all nations, and spiritually feeding those He calls. Yes, we are a small flock, but we continue to take these commissions seriously—all the way “to the ends of the earth.”