Letter to our Friends ── March 11, 2025

Leonard V. Johnson

Pastor and Co-Founder

Greetings Brethren, Friends, and Co-Workers in Christ:

We continue to do the LORD God’s will and work in proclaiming the glorious, good news of the Gospel message unto the world and helping feed His spiritual sheep (Matthew 28:19-20; John 21:15).

Major “Sign” To Watch For!

Sadly, we continue to witness the descendants of the old Worldwide Church of God misappropriate Matthew 24:14. They are doing this for greed – for profit (cf. Jude 1:10-11). They continue to teach it as, “And this Gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a WARNING and a WITNESS unto all nations, …” It does NOT say that! They continue to teach that the fulfillment of this verse (of course fulfilled by them) is the ultimate sign of our Lord Jesus Christ’s glorious and powerful Second Coming! It isn’t.

As I just went over in our recent A Morning Bible Study ── What major “sign” did our Lord Jesus say we would see to indicate that the end of this present evil age has come? He covers it for us in verse 15 ── “’ Therefore …’” The word therefore is an adverb that means “For this reason.” In other words – Because this happens, then comes the end of the age.

“’ Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place’ (whoever reads, let him understand).” – Matthew 24:15.

And then our Lord Jesus continues in WARNING those that are in Judea (which is modern-day Israel) to ‘flee to the mountains’ and to leave that surrounding area ── Palestine. Because destruction is coming to the city of David (cf. Isaiah 22:6-9).

The ‘abomination of desolation’ is indeed a two-fold prophecy. A Catholic European final powerful civic leader (an antitype of Antiochus IV Epiphanes) mustering his military forces to occupy Israel, thereby defiling the holy place (Jerusalem), taking away the newly reinstituted daily sacrifices ── and the placing of his military forces (of which is his “god of fortresses”) within Jerusalem along with a powerful and very influential final Catholic religious leader who will be claiming that he is God (see: 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4) The “the abomination of desolation.”

This is the major “sign” to watch for!

However, before even all this occurs, we read verses 9-14, which our Lord Jesus Christ begins with “’ Then …’” And this means, “At that time,” or “What happens next” after “’ the beginning of sorrows.’”

“’ Then … [and remember that this is an end-time prophecy] … they will deliver you [and He is speaking concerning mostly of the end-time prophets; see Revelation 11:3-12] up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by ALL NATIONS for My name’s sake. 10) And then many will be offended, will betray one another [speaking surely concerning those that are professing to be a Christian], and will hate one another. 11) Then MANY false prophets [See, He is speaking of end-time prophets] will rise up and deceive many. 12) And because lawlessness will abound, …’”

And I want you to imagine what we in the United States of America have been witnessing the last four years! Lawlessness abounded! And I also want you to imagine what the United States of America will become again after these next four years ── if a Democrat is elected POTUS!? Again, Lawlessness will abound!! Surely, something to seriously think about!

“ ‘… the love of many will grow cold.’”

And if you’ve been watching the news within the United States of America, such as the Satan-influenced anti-Israel protests around the nation, ‘the love of many is growing cold!’

Verse 13 – “’ But he [and our Lord Jesus isn’t just speaking to us dear Brethren, He is also speaking concerning His end-time prophets that will be confronting the “god of the earth,” and testifying before the kings of the earth around the world] who endures to the end shall be saved. 14) And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world AS A WITNESS TO ALL THE NATIONS, and then the end will come.’” – Matthew 24:9-14.

The LORD God’s end-time WITNESSES come on the scene, preaching throughout the world the gospel of the soon-coming kingdom of God!

They will be given power from God Almighty and Jesus Christ to begin prophesying – testifying - to kings, to world rulers, to the subjugated elect of God, to a great religious leader and political leader – standing before the god of the earth (Satan the devil) – WARNING for 3 ½ years! Having the power from GOD to heal, to ‘shut up the atmosphere from rain, to turn waters to blood, and to strike the earth will all plagues as often as they desire’ (see: Revelation 8:7-12). And this ‘gospel’ is the announcement of the coming Kingdom of God! The Kingdom of God is the GOVERNMENT OF GOD! And, as these end-time prophets, under the direct inspiration of God’s Spirit, are proclaiming this soon-coming WORLDWIDE GOVERNMENT, ‘the abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet,’ will be set up ‘standing in the holy place’ – talking about Jerusalem. And this will come about when European forces invade the Middle East to put down Islamic resistance – to crush it militarily. “’ For then …’” – when you see this great military force enter Jerusalem from the North – Europe – and take over Jerusalem, and a great holy man claiming that he is now God – that is the ‘abomination that makes desolate’ – Jesus says, “‘… there will be great tribulation, …’” – many, many horrible globe- girdling problems! “…’ such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.’ ’And unless those days were shortened, …’” – except this end-time trauma be shortened, “…‘no flesh would be saved; …’” – and as some translations say, ‘saved alive; but for the elect’s sake …’” – a certain group of people who are very near and dear the hearts of God the Father and Jesus Christ – referring to the physical people of the House of Israel. Once named Jacob.

The complete annihilation of all mankind will be halted by the LORD God!

Spanish Translations

We are continuing to translate sermons and audio articles into different languages, i.e. Swahili, Dutch, Khmer, and Spanish. Our latest sermon translated into Spanish, “Why We Are Called ── Now.”

Let us always and forever thank Almighty God and our Lord Jesus in opening another door for this ministry to continue reaching as many people as needs to hear and learn God’s living gospel message! cf. Revelation 3:8. With this opened door we are reaching people that we otherwise would not be able to reach. Our top listening countries are Ireland and Kenya!

Brethren, Friends, and Co-Workers, if anyone would like to help translate or transcribe our sermons and or articles into Spanish, please message Minister Leonard Johnson via our Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/LeonardJohnson01/). God Speed!

We are also very pleased to announce the launch of The Independent Christian Church of God's website:  https://ticcog.carrd.co/

Let us pray that this website is blessed by Almighty God and our Lord Jesus Christ in helping the work of the LORD God! 

Suggested Sabbath Day Service

Here is our suggested Sabbath day service for our scattered Brethren, Friends, and Co-Workers around the world:

• TWO songs of praise. (Our songbook, The Bible Hymnal, is suggested; there are some Instrumental Accompaniment to the Bible Hymnal available on our website).

• Opening prayer.

• Announcements – from the deacon or pastor.

• Sermon – from the pastor or guest speaker. The one suggested for this week is “Christ – Our Atonement” delivered by Minister Leonard V Johnson.

• Closing song.

• Closing prayer.

Some World News In Relation To Biblical Prophecy

In the United States of America, with the shift towards Making America Great Again, along with our reciprocal tariffs, Europe has asserted that she will begin to massively increase her military funding (See: euro news - Von der Leyen pitches '€800bn' defence package ahead of EU leaders' summit).

Europe is certainly paying attention to President Donald Trump, and although many in Europe loath him, they certainly appear to respect him ── certainly wondering within themselves that they too need a strong and bold leader, along with a united military to back that boldness up.

Illegal immigrants crossing our borders are down, and the deportation of illegal criminals within the US is way up!

Certainly, various people in Europe are keen on this, particularly supporters of the political parties such as Germany’s AfD, which did very well in elections held on 23 February 2025.

So, what is to occur within Europe?

Their military spending will drastically increase, and they will begin fervently deporting their (mostly) Islamic immigrants. Yes. Consistent with God’s living prophetic word (e.g., Daniel 11:25, 39-43; Revelation 13:3-4). A final United Europe is growing stronger in the minds of European leaders in the face of a growing isolationist United States!

Regarding immigrants in Europe, there have been calls to deport Syrian immigrants (See: German-Foreign Policy.com - Upheavals in Syria (II) Scholz declares his willingness to cooperate with "the new rulers" in Syria. In Idlib, where they have previously ruled, women have no voting rights, Christians have no citizenship, and torture and enforced disappearances are widespread). According to Wikipedia ── The number of Syrians in Germany is estimated at around 800,000 people in March 2021. This includes Arabs, Kurds, Turks, and Assyrians, as well as smaller minorities from Syria. The majority of Syrians in Germany are refugees of the Syrian Civil War. According to the UNHCR, there were more than 584,000 Syrian refugees and asylum-seekers living in Germany last year. 1 Predominantly Islamic.

They certainly do not want to return to Syria.

However, notice this two-fold prophecy concerning Syrians ── from God’s living word ──

“ … the LORD shall set up The adversaries of Rezin against him, And spur his enemies on, 12) The Syrians before and the Philistines behind; And they shall devour Israel with an open mouth. …” – Isaiah 9:11-12.

As far as the Syrian connection from the prophet Isaiah, does this mean that all or most of the Syrian immigrants here in America and Europe are terrorists? No, of course not. Yet, as we posted in February 2021, there has been an egregious amount of “pestilences” along with TERRORISM since 9/11! The United States of America, along with our British allies, should expect even more deadly terrorist attacks to come from Syrians – and others!

Homegrown terrorists (many of whom are Islamic Syrians with allegiance to Islam) are a grave problem in America and the United Kingdom ── all of whom hate Western religion, ideologies, and culture. The LORD God’s living word is clear in prophesying of increasing problems from most Syrians and Philistines (modern-day Palestinians)! “Israel” certainly does include nations in Europe, such as France.

── Be sure to read today: “Freedom ── A True Blessing From God”

Soon, a “United” Europe will reach a breaking point with the crime and havoc caused by Islamic immigrants within their borders! And they will begin deporting on a massive scale!

The LORD God’s living word shows us that Europe will once again reorganize (though as strong as ‘iron mixed with clay’), and a strong and charismatic European leader will rise once again ──

“’ The TEN HORNS which you saw are ten kings [or, kingdoms ── as God views kingdoms] who have received no kingdom yet, but they receive authority for one hour as kings with the beast [a final Catholic influenced United States of Europe; also known as a final “Holy” Roman Empire]. 13) These are of ONE MIND, and they will give power and authority to the beast.’” – Revelation 17:12-13.

A final European civic leader, who is also known in God’s word as a final “king of the North,” will ultimately strengthen his religion of “military strength and superiority – his “god of fortresses” (see Daniel 11:36-38), with “a god which his fathers did not know.” This final European civic leader will be stronger militarily than his fathers could ever dream of! He will, however, be in bed with Catholicism! He will make a deceptive peace deal with leaders of a final Islamic confederation of nations (see Psalm 83:3-8). This Islamic confederation of nations will include Syria and Turkey ── yet Turkey will eventually back out of the deal and support this final European civic leader.

Reciprocal tariffs on Europe, along with violent and terrorist Islamic immigrants within her borders will be contributing factors in the rise of this final European “beast” civic leader ── and God’s living word shows us that this final European civic leader will eventually subjugate the United States of America along with the United Kingdom and her Commonwealth nations! Notice this ── again a two-fold prophecy ──

“’ Thus he shall act against the strongest fortresses with a foreign god, which he shall acknowledge, and advance its glory; and he shall cause them to rule over many, and divide the land for gain.’” – Daniel 11:39.

He will also overwhelm like a whirlwind an Islamic power from the Middle East and North Africa!

“’ At the time of the end the king of the South shall attack him; and the king of the North shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter the countries, overwhelm them, and pass through. 41) He shall also enter the Glorious Land [speaking of Palestine], and many countries shall be overthrown; but these [initially] shall escape from his hand: Edom [which is Turkey], Moab [which is Iraq], and the prominent people of Ammon [or Jordan]. 42) He shall stretch out his hand [the ‘king of the North’] against the countries, and the land of Egypt shall not escape’” – Daniel 11:40- 42.

Now, Turkey is basically to the north of Jerusalem. Iraq is basically to the east of Jerusalem. Jordan is basically to the southeast of Jerusalem.

Please note ── as a great many are wrongly claiming ── that this final “beast” is not RUSSIA! And, despite claims from a false prophet by the name of Joel Richardson, this final “beast” is not Islamic!

Also in the news ── Chuuk State, one of the four states of the Federated States of Micronesia (UN member state under a Compact of Free Association with the United States) has interests of becoming a sovereign and independent nation (See: DW - Micronesia: Activists push for Chuuk islands' independence).

Here is some information from Wikipedia regarding the four states of the Federated States of Micronesia ──

The Federated States of Micronesia, abbreviated FSM, or simply Micronesia, is an island country in Micronesia, a subregion of Oceania. The federation consists of four states—from west to east: Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei, and Kosrae—that span the western Pacific just north of the equator for a longitudinal distance of almost 2,700 km (1,700 mi). Together, the states comprise around 607 islands and a combined land area of approximately 702 km2 or 271 sq mi. 2 Chuuk Lagoon, previously Truk Atoll, is an atoll in the central Pacific Ocean. … It has a land area of 93.07 square kilometres (35.93 square miles), with a population of 36,158 people and a maximal elevation of 443 metres (1,453 ft). Weno city on Weno (formerly Moen) Island functions as both the atoll's capital and the state capital, and is the largest city in the FSM with its 13,700 people. 3

The Federated States of Micronesia can certainly be considered a type of “sea gate” ── Chuuk Lagoon was the Empire of Japan's main naval base in the South Pacific theatre during World War II. It was the site of a major U.S. attack during Operation Hailstone in February 1944 and Operation Inmate, a small assault conducted by British and Canadian forces in June 1945. 4 The United States of America could easily lose this important “sea gate” very soon.

Why do we say this?

Because of God’s living, immutable word! Many biblical prophecies speak of this. Let’s look at a promise given to Abraham ──

“ … ‘By Myself I have sworn, says the LORD, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son ── 17) blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess THE GATE OF THEIR ENEMIES.’” – Genesis 22:16-17.

Enemy “gates” were promised to Abraham’s descendants. And a great many “sea gates” were later in the hands of her descendants ── but now, many are no longer.

We in Christ’s Church have been proclaiming for decades that the United States of America and the United Kingdom and her Commonwealth Nations would ultimately lose control of many of her vital “sea gates.” And we believe they possessed them because of this great promise from the LORD God to patriarch Abraham. But they ultimately lose them one by one because of disobedience.

Notice one such prophecy from God’s living word ──

“’ And IF by these things you are not reformed by Me, but [continue] to walk contrary to Me, 24) then I also will walk contrary to you, and I will punish you yet seven times for your sins. 25) And I will bring a sword against you that will execute the vengeance of the covenant; when you are gathered together within your cities I will send pestilence among you; and you shall be delivered into the hand of the enemy.’” – Leviticus 26:23-25.

Sadly, the overall people of this world either are ignorant of, or outright refuse to believe, that the Anglo-Saxon descended nations received their great wealth and power because of the promises that the LORD God gave to Abraham, which passed down to Isaac, and onto Jacob/Israel, and was then passed onto Joseph, and onto Ephraim and Manasseh.

Notice this beautiful and glorious blessing that passed onto Ephraim and Manasseh ──

“ … ‘ Bless the lads; Let my name be named upon them, And the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; And let them grow into A MULTITUDE in the midst of the earth.’ 19) But his father refused and said, ‘I know, my son, I know. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great; but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his descendants shall become A MULTITUDE OF NATIONS.’” – Genesis 48:16, 19-20.

The great British Empire, which included the Commonwealth Nations, was the largest empire in the world and consisted of a multitude of nations. True that the Chagos islands, Falkland Islands, and Gibraltar are not technically separate nations, they do indeed consider themselves British, and are subject to both the blessings and curses given to Israel and his descendants.

Concluding Comments

Notice this from the Book of Proverbs ──

“For the ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD, And He ponders all his paths. 22) His own iniquities entrap the wicked man, And he is caught in the cords of his sin. 23) He shall die for lack of instruction, And in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray.” – Proverbs 5:21-23.

Brethren, iniquity against the LORD God will be punished ── including those who sin against us. Let us NEVER give up our hope in Christ and His master Plan.

In deep gratitude and love, in Jesus' name,