Bulletin of Prophetic Historicism

18 November 2012                                                                    Editor and Proprietor

                                                                                                   Edwin de Kock

Bulletin # 4

The editor/proprietor assumes responsibility for his own contributions. He is not, however, responsible or liable for the ideas expressed in pieces by other writers, also sometimes mentioned or cited.

                                A Dramatic Turn of Events

n Sunday, November 11, we trotted over the border into Nuevo Progreso, a Mexican village about forty miles from our home, to buy Ria a medication that is far too expensive in the United States. As we went onto the bridge which spans the Rio Grande, she remarked in wonderment that it was the third country we were visiting in eight days! We were still deeply affected by the unexpected turn of events which had produced our flight to Vancouver, Canada, on November 4 and our visit to Amazing Discoveries. We came back on the 7th. How did that happen?

      By the middle of October, the sales of The Truth About 666 and the Story of the Great Apostasy were grinding to a standstill. It is true that several self-supporting ministries still ordered several copies from time to time, for which we were thankful. A few ABCs also sold it, though with less enthusiasm. Much of the difficulty resulted from the deafening silence that the book encountered.  

      Not a single journal belonging to our denomination had reviewed it. This seems to be the result of a mindset as well as a policy opposed to self-publication by Seventh-day Adventists not employed by the Church. It seems to us that only its employees are assumed to have the training, the intellectual ability, and piety necessary for producing worthwhile books on prophecy. Also, denominational publishing houses must supposedly have a monopoly on printing such works. Self-publishers are therefore beyond the pale. We are still trying to work around this problem.

      Ria and I wondered how it was possible for such an important book to meet with a silence which was becoming palpable. As we saw it, it was God’s book, especially as we reflected on its scope, the way the Lord had called coworkers—people whom we would never in a million years have met or found on our own—and finally furnished the money to have a thousand copies printed in such a short time. Besides, if the book contained any major errors, critics would surely have pounced on me with glee, but nothing? It was like a conspiracy of silence.

      On the morning of October 16, we both prayed earnestly, but separately, for the Lord to intervene. A short while later, on that same day, we suddenly received an e-mail from Wendy Goubej, who works for Amazing Discoveries in Langley, BC, a suburb of Vancouver, a great city on the west coast of Canada. This is a self-supporting Seventh-day Adventist ministry, which especially focuses on prophecy and health issues, and had previously bought a good supply of The Truth About 666. It produces DVDs, uses the Internet as well as other electronic media, and operates a satellite channel,

      Amongst other things, Wendy is the editor of Amazing Discoveries. She wrote that they were creating a documentary in which they would like me to participate.

      “We thought you would be an excellent candidate for an interview as a guest commentator on the identity of the Antichrist in light of your books. Specifically we would ask you questions about the three ‘Arian’ races that were destroyed by papal Rome before it took power. We would also cover some of the symbolism of Daniel, the growth of the little horn power out of the 10 kingdoms, and the meaning of the 1260-day prophecy and the mortal wound received in 1798.

      “At the same time, we would like to incorporate an opportunity for you to discuss your book(s)—what they contain, why you wrote them, why they are important—that sort of thing, which we can then use towards an ad on the TV channel to advertise the books.”

      She wanted to come with a cameraman and interview me in our own home. In the light of our prayers, imagine our joy. We promptly invited both of them to come and stay with us here in southernmost Texas. But since Amazing Discoveries has its cameras, etc., already set up in Langley, BC, she suggested the next day they would pay for both of us to fly there on November 4! And that is what happened.

      On the way up in the airplane, I spoke to a young Canadian about the metal man of Daniel 2. It should perhaps not surprise us that he had never heard of Nebuchanezzar’s dream! So when we got home, I sent him chapters from my first book, Christ and Antichrist in Prophecy and History, which is currently out of print. We will be preparing it to sell as an e-publication but are also praying for funds to reissue it as a paper publication. It contains significant material which does not appear in any of my other books.

      After a long flight via Houston, Texas, and Phoenix, Arizona, we stepped out of the airport into the crisp, pine-scented air, with dazzling late autumn colors blazing into our delighted eyes. We were met by a wonderfully kind and friendly Nikolai Ilachtchouk, a brother from Russia who does the shipping for Amazing Discoveries. He whisked us through the streets of Vancouver, a beautiful and clean city in a fruitful area of Canada. It was wet and drizzly. Many fruit orchards and vineyards lie between the airport and Langley, where Amazing Discoveries’ property lies. Of special interest was a tunnel through which we traveled under the Fraser River.

      We arrived at their tasteful and comfortable guest apartment in Langley near their other buildings. There we enjoyed the warm love and hospitality of everybody, especially the Goubejs, a Czech-German family.

     They had sacrificially started this ministry after meeting Dr. Walter J. Veith from South Africa in 1992. Their website explains what followed: “After hearing his life story and seeing his passion for truth, we invited him to hold his first public Canadian seminars at the Massey Theatre in New Westminister, B.C. Over 1200 people attended his fascinating seminars on science and religion. Seeing the success of Professor Veith’s series, we formed Amazing Discoveries in 1993 as a way to expand our audience and consolidate resources.”

     For almost twenty years, this enterprise was funded mostly by the Goubejs and the sale of DVDs. Financially speaking, however, these now play a much smaller role. Other donors, who know the value of this work, have added their assistance. The ministry is board-led, but for the practical running of its affairs at Langley, this gifted and energetic family still remains its core. Wenzel, who owns a construction company, is President. His wife Dagmar is Executive Director and runs many operations of the ministry. Their daughter Wendy is Communications Director. She manages the video editing, website, magazine, the creation of marketing materials, public relations, internal communication, etc.

      At Langley, I spent a strenuous one and a half days in front of the cameras. The resultant material is of two kinds. The first is my additions as a guest speaker for the new documentary. This will not be finalized before next summer. My second recording session provided details for advertising my books. This, we hope, will be ready sooner.

      Wenzel is much involved in the carpentry and physical work required on the premises. Dagmar, who is extremely busy, was delighted to discover that I could also speak German. Wendy asks penetrating questions and is not satisfied by superficial answers. The ministry is highly efficient. It has two dozen or so wonderful hired workers to help in their offices, design department, with camera work, and in the production studio.

      At lunch, which was cooked by Edna from the Philippines, we met a young Chinese Adventist who works in the sales and IT departments and also helps with the assembly of the DVDs. These are professionally prepared and sold as well as shown on their satellite channel. One can clearly feel their love for the Lord as these fine people personally sacrifice to spread the good news. Later this month, Pastor François du Plessis, whom we know from our days in South Africa, will be visiting there for a series concerning the light that archaeology sheds on the Bible.

      Our journey to and stay at Amazing Discoveries was an unforgettable experience. Please pray for blessings on their ministry and us as we work to do our part in hastening the Saviour’s Second Coming. And kindly recommend my books to your friends.