RETURN

" TA orthy is the Lamb that was slain to V W receivepower, and riches, and wis-dom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing." "Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lambfor ever and ever." Revelation 5:12, 13.
The General Conference Book Evan-gelism Department, during the last fi ve years, conducted a series of activities for the purpose of fulfi lling the commission of the Lord Jesus Christ to evangelize the world. The Spirit of Prophecy urges us to educate our young people to be dis-tributors of the printed page, since there is no work greater than the evangelistic canvassing work. Books are silent messengers; and according to the Testimonies, thousands of people will arise under the latter rain who were converted by the work of the can-vassers in the time of the end.
With much enthusiasm, and supported by God's hand, we were able to give canvassing seminars in different countries. These include countries in Latin America, such as Guatemala, Costa Rica, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, Venezuela, and Ecuador, all of which are part of different unions. For the fi rst time in the history of the Reform Movement, a seminar for deaf and dumb canvassers took place in Peru. We were very happyto see how these dear believers, despite their physical limitations, have used a particular system to distribute thousands of magazines; and they are still doing this today.

The theory and practice of book evan-gelism was also taught at Bethel Theo-logical Institute in Hungary. Additional activities were carried out in Eastern Europe to revive this type of work in Rumania, Italy, and Bulgaria.
For a long time, our believers have expected the book evangelism work to be forwarded in English-speaking coun-tries. For that purpose, the Publishing and Book Evangelism Departments of the General Conference initiated a proj-ect to produce publications that are attractive in both content and graphics. The project included the creation of a working system that can be applied in various unions. By God's grace, the Publishing Department was able to complete two books, and several thousand of them arrived in South Africa in June 2002. A training seminar was then held at the headquarters in Johannesburg. This pilot project is the beginning of a work that we hope to expand into other countries.
The Book Evangelism Department also prepared some training materials, including a canvassing manual in Spanish, containing more than 300 pages, titled Send Me! It can be used as a textbook and also as a correspondence course. Several hundred of these books were sent to canvassers in various issues. In addition, four issues of Siembra, a magazine to en-courage the canvassing work.
We thank the Lord for His help and hope in His promise: "He thatgoethforth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bring-ing his sheaves with him." Psalm 126:6.

"I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how He said, It is more blessed to give than to receive." Acts 20:35.
The above text has been the experi-ence not only of the General Conference in the past five years but also of the many contributors who gave for numer-ous projects. The income in this period was greater than in any previous period of the same length. Funds were expended not just for General Conference operations but also to answer numerous requests from fields and unions and to carry the work into new areas. As de-scribed on pages 3 and 15, the work has extended into the following countries for the first time: South Korea, China, Ban-gladesh, Suriname, Belize, and Mada-gascar. Brethren all around the world are working with great zeal and love to advance the cause of God.
Meanwhile, natural catastrophes, such as drought, earthquakes, hur-ricanes, and floods affected believers in Central and South America; help of various kinds was sent to them. How thankful we are that, although many of them suff ered loss of property, their lives were spared!
Now we have made investments for the advancement of God's cause, and we look forward with great anticipation to the results that will come from them. In-dividually and collectively we want to heed the counsel of Luke 12:33: "Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide your-selves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupt-eth." As long as there is opportunity, let us not just maintain but increase our in-vestment in the heavenly kingdom!

T oday more than ever, people are ask-ing the all-important question: How will the world end? Unfortunately, there are a myriad answers to this question. From every part of the globe there comes yet another speculation, another theory, another prophecy...
What are some of the predictions made by scientists, environmentalists, futurologists, politicians, and simply concerned people? Here is a list of eight ideas about how civilization may end.

1. Terrorists will use nuclear and/or biological weapons to destroy life on planet Earth.
2. The depletion of the protective ozone layer in the atmosphere will allow the sun's ultraviolet rays to cause deadly skin cancers.
3. Epidemics of fatal diseases will wipe out the earth's population.
4. Because of massive deforestation, ox ygen is being depleted and this will result in the strangling to death of the human race.
5. A massive asteroid will collide with the earth and cause the annihilation of the human race.
6. Earth's overpopulation will result in scarcity of food and mass starvation.
7. Extremists will fi ght religious wars to purge the earth of the infi dels, thus destroying everyone.
8. Lack of pure drinking water will result in massive deaths.

But the Bible alone has the true, reli-able, answer to the question, "How will the world end?"
"But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall beburnedup." 2Peter3:10.
An invasion from outer space is being planned by Jesus, the King of the Uni-verse. He will come back the second time with a host of angels to conquer evil and to literally destroy this sinful world.

Promise ofChrist's Coming
"And if I [Jesus] go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also." John 14:3.
Jesus Himself promised to return at God's appointed time to rescue those who are faithful to Him.
There are about 2,500 ref erences in the Bible to the Second Coming of Christ. In the Old Testament, for every prophecy of His fi rst coming, there are eight prophe-cies predicting His second coming. Two thousand years ago, Jesus clearly made this promise: "I will come again." He has not forgotten us, and He wants to take away all the pain, suffering, mis-ery and death. The blueprint of heaven calls for the restoration of the New Earth, where man and God will dwell in peace and happiness forever.

How Will Christ Return?
"But the day ofthe Lord will come as a thief in the night.”." 2 Peter 3:10.
Christ will come back to this earth un-expectedly, "as a thief in the night."
The wicked will be totally surprised and overwhelmed. They will not be ready for this grand event. In A.D. 79, Mount Vesuvius erupted unexpectedly. The prosperous and sinful city of Pom-peii was completely destroyed by this volcanic eruption. The inhabitants of this pleasure-loving city did not expect an explosion to end their lives. But the endless party that was their lives ended rather abruptly for the Pompeiians.
The sudden and unexpected return of Christ will also fi nd the wicked totally unprepared. No one will escape this fi ery and fearful day of judgment, except those who have made Christ their Savior.
"Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because ofhim. Even so, amen." Revelation 1:7.
Christ will appear in the same manner as He left the earth. This visible event will be witnessed by every living person. No one will miss seeing Jesus coming in the clouds of the sky. The angels accom-panying Jesus will blow their trumpets to signal the deliverance of God's people from the captivity of Satan.
When this heavenly invasion by Jesus occurs, the wicked will have no place to hide. Because of guilt and fear, they would rather welcome death than life.
Today is the Time to Prepare for Eternity
How can we get ready for the second coming of Christ?

1. Accept the f act that God loves us. John 3:16.
2. Recognize that we cannot save ourselves.
3. Believe that Jesus can and will save us.
4. Confess our sins to Jesus and believe that we are forgiven.
5. Claim His gift of eternal life and decide to serve Him for ever.

"He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned." Mark 16:16.

It is by the Lord's grace that His people can be found spread abroad through-out five continents and through His providence the work has advanced and extended in a marvellous manner in spite of the many difficulties and suffer-ings they have been through. Through-out history, the message has spread to new countries: "I will make mention of Rahab and Babylon to them that know me: behold Philistia, and Tyre, with Ethiopia; this man was born there. And ofZion it shall be said, This and that man was born in her: and the highest himself shall establish her. The Lord shall count, when he writeth up the people, that this man was born there." Psalm 87: 4-6

Just like the sacred scriptures point out, the people of God find themselves scattered throughout the entire world: "From town to town, from city to city, from country to country, the warning message is to be proclaimed...in the power of the Spirit, by men of faith. And it is necessary that the best kind of labor be given. The time has come, the important time, when, through God's messengers, the roll is being unscrolled in the world. The truth comprised in the first, second, and third angels' mes-sages must go to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people; it must lighten the darkness of every continent and extend to the islands of the sea.. Decided efforts should be made to open new fields in the north, the south, the east, and the west...."Eü, 19

AMERICAN CONTINENT
"And the earth helped the woman.”." Rev 12:16
This biblical statement is an histori-cal prophecy thatbegan its fulfillment in 1776, the date in which the North Ameri-can colonies became independent states and offered a home to all who were being persecuted for what their conscience dictated in Europe.

North America and English Caribbean
The greater part the northern continent is comprised of Canada and USA; in these English speaking areas, the church is made up of members and different church locales. In Canada the work is primarily centred in the city of Toronto and its suburbs, as is the case with Vancouver. The members of this country differ in ethnicity, and they ei-ther come from Jamaica or else Spanish speaking countries, not to mention its European members. Furthermore, the work is also going forward in its fran-cophone region.
Churches can be found all along the eastern and western coast of the United States, there are also churches and members in the interior, although in this area the number is greatly reduced. Member-ship in this country is also very diverse, with the majority of its members of Hispanic origin, nonetheless, other na-tionalities can also be found like in the former.
The Publishing Department of the American Union is accomplishing a great work and it is advancing and pro-gressing rapidly, it also supplies many English speaking countries, for instance, like Africa and Asia with English pub-lications.
Actually, this continental zone, in-cluded in a regional area, is under the leadership of br. Gary Foster who is both the president of the American Union and its regional representative for the General Conference. Moreover, this area also includes all the English speaking Caribbean islands, such as: the Baha-mas, Barbados, the Cayman Islands, Jamaica and many others located in the Caribbean Sea, whose official language is English. Concerning the islands, only Jamaica is formally organized, while the rest are made up of isolated members who have no representative.
In adherence to our administrative structure, this regional area comprises one union and diverse missionary fields. For instance, islands and former colonies which become new fields, to whom the last message of grace to this world must still be given. "There is work to be done in foreign fields, but there is work to be done in America that is just as important. In the cities of America there are people of almost every language. Theses

Religions in America

need the light that God has given to His church.(8T, 36) SC, 247 The divine com-mand is clear: "...to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, kindred, tongue and people."

North America, Central America and Spanish-speaking Caribbean
Geographically speaking, Mexico be-longs to the North American continent, yet, it is a Spanish-speaking country and for this reason it is included in the regional area that corresponds to Central America and the Spanish speaking Caribbean islands. This part of the American continent is also very extensive, since it is made up of three unions, and


Group photo ofmost ofthe visitors to the General Conference, ofthe International

Missionary Society, S.D.A. Church, Reform Movement, 25-28 July 2002, in Arnhem, Holland.

Presentation ofnewly elected offi cers. (Left to right) Brothers: V. Marinov,
A. Salaviov, S. Mascera, H. Holmstroem, S. la Corte, P. Rodriguez,
H. Rekker, G. Foster, A. Reto.

different missionary fi elds.
The Mexican Union is divided into different unions and fi elds, where there is constant development in the different lines of our work: canvassing, evange-lism, publishing...etc. The president of this union: br. Pablo Rodriguez is also the regional representative of this area for the General Conference.
Central America is divided in two unions, which are made up of the fol-lowing countries: Guatemala, El Sal¬vador, Honduras, Belize, which form a part of the South Central Union, while Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama are under the direction and supervision of the East Central Union. Recently, this area has suffered terrible natural catas-trophes: hurricanes, earthquakes, and fl oods, also, military skirmishes and se-vere social and political upheavals. Nev-ertheless, by the grace of God the work has grown magnifi cently and strength-ened in its different branches of development, which are: health centres, publish-ing houses, social assistance.. etc.
The Spanish speaking-Caribbean islands are the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and Cuba. The latter is un¬der a communist regime which does not make the preaching of the gospel any
easier, yet, there are still faithful souls in this place. In the former, two islands the church of God is fi rmly established.
South America
This part of the American Continent is very exten-sive and for this reason it has been di¬vided into different regional areas. The fi rst includes the countries of: Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia and the sec-ond: Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Brazil.
The fi rst regional area is relatively uniform, regarding the language that is spoken and the administrative struc-ture that characterizes these countries, together they make up of four unions, with the exception of Bolivia, which is a missionary fi eld. Furthermore, Spanish is the offi cial language spoken in all of these countries along with other dialects spoken by the different ethnic groups that are found in various regions. Through the Lord's grace and divine guidance, each one of these countries is fi rmly grounded in the truth. They are also growing and extending in these differ¬ent branches of the work: Educational, Canvassing, Evangelism, the Publishing Department.. etc. The regional representative of this area is br. A. Reto.
The second regional area is a bit more diverse regarding the language that is spoken. Of the fi ve countries that com-prise this region, four of them speak Spanish as their offi cial language, with the exception of Brazil whose language is Portuguese, nevertheless, the lan-
guage barrier is not that great, because they're both of Latin origin. The regional representative of this area is br. J. San-doya, who is also the leader of the Edu-cation Department for the General Conference. In Chile, Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil, the people of God fi nd joy in co-operating with the workers in the preaching of the gospel message. Also, the different branches of the church are fi rmly established here and are develop-ing effectively in terms of : Education, Canvassing, the Publishing Department, Evangelism.. etc.
As a result, the church of God is fi rmly established in the American Continent in the majority of its countries, 21 to be ex-act, and to a lesser degree in the isolated areas, where souls can be found in only 8 of the Caribbean islands.
THE AFRICAN CONTINENT
"From beyond the rivers ofEthiopia my sup-pliants, even the daughter of my dispersed, shall bring mine offerings." Zep 3:10
Furthermore, in Africa the people of God are represented in 18 of the remain-ing 22 countries. Although this work be-gan quite a while ago, there is still a great work to be done. "The churches of Africa held the Sabbath as it was held by the papal church before her complete apostasy. While they kept the seventh day in obedience to the commandment of God, they abstained from labor on the Sunday in conformity to the custom of the church. Upon obtaining supreme power, Rome had trampled upon the Sabbath of God to exalt her own; but the churches of Africa, hidden for near-ly a thousand years, did not share in this apostasy. When brought under the sway of Rome, they were forced to set aside the true and exalt the false Sabbath; but no sooner had they regained their inde-pendence than they returned to obedi¬ence to the fourth commandment." GC, 578, 579
With the primary objective of obtaining greater effi ciency in missionary work, this continent has been divided into four principal areas.
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South
This region is comprised of a great ter-ritory which is made up of the South African Union, which includes the fol-lowing countries: The Republic of South Africa, Botswana, Namibia and Swazi-land, as well as the South Central Afri¬can Union, which includes: Zambia, and the Malawi and Zimbabwean fi elds. This regional area is under the supervision of br. E. Chileshe. In each one of these countries English is taught and spoken, which greatly helps in the preaching of the gospel, though, a great number of different dialects can be found in each country, generally corresponding to the different ethnicities that comprise the country.
The Reform Message was fi rstbrought and fully established in the southern tip of the African continent in what was then known as Rhodesia, now part of Zimba-bwe and Zambia. Although the work of
Religions in Africa
God is fi rmly established in these coun¬tries, the possibility of growth and ad-vancement is reduced to very low lev¬els, due to the shortage of resources the brethren in these countries have. Mem-bers live in sub-standard conditions, that no human being should ever have to ex-perience and as a result their poverty is extreme. Drought, economic insecurity, political corruption, human exploitation, diseases like: malaria, dysentery...etc, limited education, the almost non exis-
tent road infrastructure and industrial growth, are great obstacles for the ma-jority of our brethren in Botswana, Na¬mibia, Swaziland, Zambia, Malawi, and Zimbabwe.


Delegates from Africa praising theLord.(Fromlefttori Ngoboka, S. Odhiambo, A. Ngwenya, S. Ruzaazi, P. Shirima and B.D. Fue.

The build-ings of the aforemen-tioned, with the exception of those that are in con-tact with the South African Republic, are very humble structures: the walls are com-posed of ado¬be, the roofs of straw, and the floors of dirt. Churches for worship-ping
God, and some educa-
tional projects for adult and primary are some of the institutions that are found within this área. With the pur-pose of expanding missionary work, a project has been started with A Better Life", and "Now help the work in this part of
East África área is com-of two unions: Kenya and Tanza¬nia, as well as the Ugandan, Burundian, and Rwandan fi elds. Br. P. Shirima who is under the disposition of the General Conference is the regional representa-tive. This area is progressing rapidly,
particularly in the Education Depart-ment, that provides for schools teaching at different levels for children. There are also, farming projects being developed
The majority of the brethren are youth between the ages of 16 to 35 and they are witnessing with an increasing number of interested souls in the fi ve countries that correspond to this regional area. French and English are the European languages that are taught and spoken in these coun¬tries, besides the tribal dialects that are also found within each nation.
In these last years this region has greatly suffered from diverse confl icts that have happened rapidly: tribal geno-cide, drought, massive refugee migra-tions, and other confl icts of a spiritual character. Many of these diffi culties have been solved, others have been partially solved, and others still need to be solved, yet, the advancement of the work of God offers great potential and hope.
Through voluntary offerings these edu-cational institutions have been erected, particularly in Kenya and Tanzania. The Reform Movement has had members in these countries since 1968 in Kenya,

and 1974 in Tanzania, while in Burundi, Rwanda and Uganda, the message is rel-atively recent: 1994 in the fi rst two and 1995 in the latter.
Portuguese and French speaking
Africa
Madagascar, Mozambique and Angola,
comprise the third administrative region under the supervision of br. D. Valverde.

______________________________________________________________

The first is a large island and the other two are continental countries where two European languages are spoken; French in Madagascar and Portuguese in Mo¬zambique and Angola.
These three nations are included in what are considered to be the poor-est countries in the world. Whether it is because of wars or natural catastro-phes, the majority of the people in these countries live in unbearable conditions for any human being, in respect to: nu-trition, housing, education, hygiene, se-curity and hopes for the future.
Angola has lived under civil war for more than 15 years and though it has declared peace several times, it is in a constant state of insecurity, because of roaming armed bands that circulate this region. A year ago, Mozambique, underwent a terrible flood of unbeliev-able proportions that 1/3 of the country still finds itself submerged under water. As a result the entire country could de¬clare itself a catastrophic zone. In Mad¬agascar a great part of the island has eroded because of tree felling and since there are no highways, this hinders the development of the country. Some of the more pressing problems in this area are: extreme poverty, undernourishment, il-literacy and malaria.
the last twenty years that the work has been firmly established in Angola and in Mozambique. Whereas in Madagascar only in the last year. If this recent time frame is taken into consideration, it is obvious that the needs of these fields are very basic. They need churches or build-ings to assemble for worship, and above all reading material in their native lan¬guages so that the work of saving souls may rise to greater prominence.
Fields supervised by the General
Conference Committee
The countries of Congo, Cameroon, Ghana, and Nigeria are under the su¬pervision of the General Conference Committee, and form the fourth region of the African Continent. The distinc-tive qualities that characterize these countries such as: the fairly new orga-nized structure in some places, or the ad-ministrative condition in others, made it necessary to place these countries under the direct responsibility of the General Conference.
The Democratic Republic of Congo, previously known as Zaire, has suff ered unbelievable political and structural re¬volts in the last few years, this has direct-ly influenced the condition of the work
in this country. It is one of the Af-with a greater geographi-where 95% of the popula-
Cameroon Republic one can , French and Native dialects r. The establishment of the Reform Movement is relatívely new in this country, where not even half of the is Christian (only 40% are), 20% is Muslim and the remaining 40%
beliefs.
The Ghana Republic has 75 languages and dialects with English as the co-offi-cial language. With the help of God the work is going forward in this country where 60% of the population is Chris-tían.
Christian. The official language although its own dialects are
The Federal Republic of Nigeria is 50% Muslim and 40% Christian. These facts offer a clearer picture of the prob¬lems found within this country and the special treatment that must be dedicated toit.
ASIAN CONTINENT AND OCEANA
" ...so that all they which dwelt in Asia heard the word ofthe Lord Jesús.”." Acts 19:10
In apostolic times the preaching of the gospel spread rapidly and our duty is to do likewise today, to proclaim before the world the news of the three angels' messages.
This continent has been divided into two regional areas: North and South. Oceana and the Pacific Islands are also included in the latter. Br. D. Ch. Kang is the regional representative of the fol¬lo wing countries: South Korea, Japan, China and Eastern Russia. The church was established in South Korea not too long ago and it has only been recently established in China. Contact is being maintained in North Korea through refugees, unfortunately, the strict com-munist regime greatly hinders the of¬ficial entry of the truth in this country. However, interest for the truth is even greater now; in order to purchase a Bible it is necessary to pay the equivalence of ten months salary and the punishment for being found in possession of a Bible is death. Even though they are in this situation there are still faithful members in this country. South Korea is helping North Korea by sending Spirit of Proph-ecy books, although it should be kept in mind that there are economic limitations in the South too.

The brethren in China receive regu¬lar visits by those responsible for South Korea, given that there are still faithful souls who are eager to hear the word of God. They meet in secret because the country is communist. Since the distanc-es are great in this large country, some of the brethren have spent half of their annual salary to buy their plane ticket,
THE SABBATH WATCHMAN