Where
and How the Worldwide
From
its hey-day in the late 1960's, to today, the Worldwide
policy, operations, and basic doctrines. What does it all mean?
Is
Joseph Tkach really carrying on the legacy and tradition
of Herbert W. Armstrong?
What happened to the Church that
Herbert
Armstrong thought he was leaving to his successor?
William F. Dankenbring
Initially,
when Herbert Armstrong began serving God, he did not found a Church but rather
an evangelical work. As it grew, and
members were baptized, he called it the "Radio Church of God." In those days he acknowledged that the
But
after the Church grew big, and powerful, individuals began referring to the
"work" as "the Church."
By the late '50s and early '60s Herbert Armstrong himself began denying
the fact that others could also be part of the body of Christ, and began
calling virtually all other groups "counterfeits." This trend continued and grew more flagrant,
as the Church increased in power, income, and membership.
There
is a mortal danger in any organizational structure, whether ecclesiastical or
secular. As growth continues, management
systems are brought in, and faith and inspiration become overlooked and
neglected. Systems replace faith;
numbers crunching replaces inspiration.
Human logic and reason and planning take the place of looking to Christ
and expecting miracles to do the Work!
Specially designed "co-worker letters" are sent to people to
maximize the monetary returns -- taking advantage of widows, older people, and
those who are ignorant of the methods of modern evangelism!
"The Organizational Trap"
The
organizational trap swallowed the Worldwide Church of God, and a hierarchical
structure developed, with the ministerial elite on one level and the plebeian
masses of Church members down at the bottom.
Soon ministers were expected to always be called "Mr." and
never addressed by their first name! The
examples and instruction of Christ and the early Church were completely ignored
and bypassed. Jesus Christ said,
"The kings of the Gentiles LORD IT OVER THEM; and
those who exercise AUTHORITY over them call themselves
Benefactors. But you are not to be like
that. Instead, the greatest among you
should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who
serves. For who is greater, the one who
is at the table or the one who serves?
Is it not
the one who is at the table? But I am
among you as one who serves" (Luke
As
hierarchies develop, brethren begin looking to the lofty ministers as their
spiritual guides and masters, and not to Christ! The ministry becomes an inflated,
self-serving, ego trip! Humility is
swallowed up in pride and pride leads to arrogance!
Herbert
Armstrong incorporated the Radio Church of God in 1948. One 19 year time cycle, later, Loma D. Armstrong died
-- in 1967. One 19 time cycle later,
Herbert W. Armstrong died -- in January, 1986!
These numbers illustrate the fact that God was working with the
By
establishing a ministerial hierarchy, Herbert Armstrong was falling into the
trap of Satan the devil, and setting up a GENTILE form of Church Government,
the very thing Jesus Christ warned against and condemned (Matt.20:24-28;
23:8-12). He thereby created and
injected the seeds of the Church's eventual destruction and take-over by Satan
the devil!
Herbert Armstrong's
Own Sense of Church Government
Interestingly,
Herbert Armstrong wrote an article in 1939 in which he lambasted the concept of
a centralized and powerful Church government.
In that article he argued that the power really rested with the people
and local leadership of the Church, and that power should rest with each church
and local ministry in charge of its own government and affairs, under
Christ. He went so far as to declare
that centralized Church government was patterned after the government of the
It
is reported that in October, 1975, Herbert Armstrong ordained to the ministry a
certain Marc Segall (who later changed his name to
Courtenay), who graduated from
John
Robinson, editor of In Transition, and a former minister of the
Worldwide Church of God, spoke with Courtenay, and Courtenay confirmed the
accuracy of the report. Robinson writes:
"He said he was seated next to Mr. Armstrong during a
meal when the conversation
took
place. Mr. Courtenay said he had at the
time recently read Mr. Armstrong's
1939 article on government.
"'I asked Mr. Armstrong
about the article,' Mr. Courtenay recounted.
'At first he
gave
me the standard explanation that he hadn't fully understood government at the
time.' Mr. Courtenay said he then gently pressed Mr.
Armstrong on the issue and
asked
him again about the article.
"He said that Mr.
Armstrong became reflective and then gave him a more thoughtful,
candid
response.
"He said that the New
Testament reflected a collegial approach to church government
and
that what he wrote in 1939 was the ideal.
Mr. Courtenay said Mr. Armstrong
added
that if he had had more faith he would have continued that practice, but he
'was
afraid
of losing control.'
"I asked Mr. Courtenay
if anyone else heard the conversation.
He said his wife, Lisa,
had. I talked with her at length on the phone . .
. She said the conversation was as her
husband
remembered.
"'It was on the day
Marc was ordained,' she recalled. 'In
fact, Mr. Armstrong ordained
Marc. After the ordination we were at a restaurant
eating with Mr. Armstrong and some
other
ministers.'
"She said she remembers the conversation
clearly. She said there were times when
Mr. Armstrong
would speak candidly, and that was one of them" (In Transition, Jan.
3l, 1997, "WCG
governmental history traced up to Tkach era," by
John Robinson, p.24).
Approaching the Transfer of Power
As
the Worldwide Church of God organization grew, and the money poured in,
problems also grew in size and scope. In
1974, a rebellion among the ministry led to scores of ministers leaving the
Church together, with one or two thousand members. In the 1970s, liberal elements in the Church
sought to invoke changes in major doctrines, and conservative ministers balked
at every suggested change, leading to more defections and terminations.
Some
doctrines were changed, such as the Divorce and Remarriage doctrine. Others were altered slightly, such as the
healing doctrine, although many people were left confused on the healing issue,
since ministers seemed to imply that "faith" for healing was required
of members to be considered in "good standing," and yet members were
permitted also to seek the services of medical doctors, if they so chose.
In
1978, Herbert and Garner Ted Armstrong had a falling out, leading to their
irreconcilable separation, and Ted started up his own Church, the
Were
these men truly converted Christians who deserved such a ministerial rank? Or were they false shepherds who had stolen
in amongst the flock? Were they men of
God, or agents of Satan who had wormed their way into the ministry? Jesus Christ said, "You will know them
by their fruits" (Matt.7:20).
Throughout
history, beginning in the first century of the Church, Satan influenced evil
men to infiltrate God's Church, and rise up to positions of leadership. The early apostles had to wrestle with them
constantly and wrote of their nefarious workings (Acts 20:28-31; II Pet.2:1-3;
Jude 3-4). Such men, no doubt, looked
"good" on the outside, and dressed snappily, and acted like loyal, obedient
servants -- yet sooner or later, began to teach error, and began to go astray
and apostatize.
Even
so, Paul, Peter and Jude foretold the same sort of apostasy would occur in the
last generation, before the coming of Christ! (II Tim.3:1-11, 4:1-5; II Peter,
and Jude). Paul wrote, "Let no man
deceive you by any means: for that day
[the return of Christ] shall not come, except there come a FALLING AWAY FIRST,
and that man of sin be revealed . . ." (II Thess.2:3). The "mystery of iniquity" was already
at work in Paul's day, he said (v.7), but it would rise to a consummation of
deceitfulness and pinnacle of powerful delusion, in the last days (v.8-12), so
that those who do not have a "love of the truth" will be deceived,
led astray, and ultimately destroyed -- judged and punished with the wicked.
Who
can deny that massive changes have occurred in the Worldwide Church of God
since the death of Herbert Armstrong, eleven years ago? Over ninety major and significant doctrinal
changes have been documented by observers of the Church! Our article "90 Doctrinal Changes in the
Worldwide Church of God" documents them, one by one.
It
should be obvious, then, that Herbert Armstrong made a serious error in
judgment when he picked his successor -- or in allowing the process to occur in
the way it did. On the other hand,
perhaps he was trusting in "faith."
But it appears he put a lot of "faith" in the men around him,
who it turns out were untrustworthy and plotting scoundrels, several of them
seeking to gain control of the Church in opposition to each other.
Strangely,
Herbert Armstrong himself has admitted many times that he was a very poor judge
of character. Yet even he suspected that
there were men waiting for him to die, so they could take over the Church. Perhaps the biggest visible threat he saw was
in his own son, Garner Ted Armstrong, and that is the reason why he refused to
meet with his son or allow him to gain a foothold back in the Church, refusing to
reconcile with him out of distrust. He
may also have had Stanley Rader in mind, as it was reported that Rader had
plotted to have Herbert's wife Ramona to have Mr. Armstrong committed to an
institution in Arizona as being incompetent and unable to function and perform
his duties. Whether or not these
allegations were true, it was reported that a tape recording had been made of
such a conversation between Ramona and Rader, and later played for Mr.
Armstrong on board the Gulfstream jet, as it flew
over Los Angeles. According to those
supposedly in the "know," it wasn't until this time that Herbert
Armstrong really woke up to the danger that Rader posed for himself and the
Church, and determined to have him removed from all Church responsibilities --
even if it cost the Work "millions" to force Rader into retirement,
and pay off his contract.
At
any rate, concerns about successorship was heavily on
the mind of Herbert Armstrong the year before he died. That is why, less than one year before his
death, Herbert Armstrong wrote in the June 24, 1985 Worldwide News, at
the conclusion of an article entitled "Recent History of the Philadelphia
Era of the Worldwide Church of God" the following plaintive, thoughtful
words of concern:
"A final personal word. In a few days I will be 93 years of age. For some
years
now, there have been some, like vultures, waiting for me to die. They
would
like to come back and take over the leadership of the Church in my stead.
I
have been deeply concerned about this, but in no sense worried. This is the
Church
of God, not of any man. Jesus Christ is
the living Head of this Church.
I am
not. . . .
"When
I have, even rarely, mentioned my concern in this category, the response
of
members has always been the belief that God will keep me alive. I hope that
He
will, and I do try to take every care of my health and physical condition, but
whether
God keeps me alive 10 more years, or only 10 more minutes is entirely
in
God's hands. Brethren, put your faith in
Christ and the living God and not in
me. If Christ should remove me, He will direct the
Advisory Council of Elders
to
select one of them to continue leading you until the coming of
Jesus Christ in
power
and in glory. Pray that God will keep
YOU in His Church until He replaces
this
evil world and brings the wonderful, peaceful and blessed Kingdom of God."
Herbert
Armstrong wrote this in June 1985 -- just six and one half months before his
death! Strange, isn't it, that only a
few days before his final death, or there-abouts, a
mysterious "letter" appeared, supposedly "signed" by
Herbert Armstrong, which seemed to appoint Joseph W. Tkach,
Sr. -- a man who never amounted to much, and was a local elder for years -- a
man who was uneducated, of Russian stock, and who never finished high school,
let alone ever graduated from any college or university, including Ambassador
-- to take over the reins of the Church!
Strange,
isn't it, that Herbert Armstrong AT NO TIME gave verbal, obvious, unconditional
and clear instructions to the Council of Elders, to select Tkach,
and appoint him as the "Pastor
General" of the Church?
Judging
by what is known, it was his intent that the Council of Elders would
pick his successor. He did not want to
do it himself. He wasn't sure who to
pick! Therefore he never made it clear
who his successor would be.
But
in the weeks before his death, as he lay sick and weak, in bed, his health
failing, it seems circumstances raced ahead of him, and he was unable to really
handle the matter of his successor in a public, assertive, wise manner. So we are left with questions -- theories --
and more questions.
According
to John Robinson, publisher of In Transition, a monthly newsletter
published for the remnant churches that came out of Worldwide in the past several
years, Herbert Armstrong intended for Joseph Tkach
to answer to the Council of Elders, after Armstrong's death -- so said Aaron
Dean, Herbert Armstrong's personal assistant, at the time. But according to Dean, within months of
Armstrong's death, Tkach grew restive and tired of
the "constraints" that had been placed on him, and according to Larry
Salyer, a high level Tkach
minister at that time, Tkach demanded that WCG lawyer
Ralph Helge draw up papers to make the changes
necessary for Tkach to receive all Armstrong's titles
and powers.
The
Council of Elders, which had always been a "rubber stamp" kind of
group, anyway, acquiesced and caved in to Tkach's
demanded "changes," and enabled him to accomplish his desire. They were, of course, accustomed to
"government from the top down," and being "under
authority," as that is the form of government Herbert Armstrong had been
using for many years. So they apparently
did not "smell a rat." They
naively failed to do as Herbert Armstrong had willed for them to do, and
allowed Joseph Tkach to seize complete power and
control over the Worldwide Church of God!
Whether
this story is entirely true or not, I do not know. Other mind-boggling possibilities and
explanations of events in the last few days of Armstrong's life have been
whispered, circulated, and suggested, concerning the means by which power was
really transferred from Herbert Armstrong to Tkach --
including rumors of skull-duggery, deceitful
manipulation of an aged man who naively trusted his aides, suggestions that
important documents were signed unwittingly, which Herbert Armstrong never
fully understood or read, and even suggestions that Armstrong's signature may
have been "forged" on certain letters which appeared to appoint Tkach as his successor and transfer power to Tkach.
Some
rumors have even been in circulation which suggested the possibility of foul
play -- even murder. The last night
anyone saw Herbert Armstrong still alive, there was no nurse in attendance. There was no security guard in his room, or
nearby. Interestingly, the last one to
see him alive was none other than his trusted assistant Joseph Tkach, Sr., who was to replace him as Pastor General of the
Church and "apostle." After Tkach left his bedside that night, no one entered
Armstrong's room until the next morning, when his body was found dead. Contrary to an article which appeared in The
Worldwide News at the time, he died in his bed, and not sitting up in his
wife's favorite chair.
Did
Satan the devil pull off a master-stroke at the death and passing of Herbert
Armstrong? Was the "passing of the
baton" a notorious, nefarious FRAUD?
Was Herbert Armstrong, while on his death bed, surrounded by only a few
"trusted" aides, deceived, and taken advantage of? The horrendous
possibilities are mind-boggling!
Whatever Happened to the Council of Elders?
Herbert
Armstrong fully intended for the Council of Elders to select his successor,
knowing full well his own limitations and weaknesses. Why then, are we supposed to believe that he
suddenly "changed his mind" while on his death bed?
There
is an interesting prophecy in Isaiah, where God says: "Hear, you deaf; look, you blind, and
see! Who is blind, but my servant, and
deaf like the messenger I send? Who is
blind like the one committed to me, blind like the servant of the LORD?"
(Isa.42:18-19). In his old age, Herbert
Armstrong was partially deaf and partially blind. This is a prophecy referring to him! He made many mistakes, yet he was a servant
of God.
I
don't think Herbert Armstrong saw, grasped, or was fully aware of the possible
danger he was in, as he lay on his death-bed, with no clear decision having
been made as to his successor. Books have been written suggesting that Pope
John Paul was actually murdered in the Vatican by a conspiracy of high-ranking
cardinals, to perpetuate their own authority and doctrines. Other books have been written suggesting that
John F. Kennedy was actually assassinated in Dallas, Texas, in 1963, in a
massive conspiracy, involving U.S. government agents, the CIA, FBI, as well as
the Mafia. Some have suggested the
murder of the president may have been approved and engineered by Lyndon Baines
Johnson, his "successor," whom Kennedy had ruled out as his running
mate when Kennedy ran for re-election.
Was
Herbert Armstrong also the victim of a cabal, a sinister plot of Satan the
devil, to take over the Church? Whether
or not his death was due to sickness, or foul play, the results of his
unwillingness to name a successor early on, and his lack of creating a real
functioning Council of Elders, proved to be the "Achilles heel" of
the Church. The "fruits" of
the government and leadership of the Church since his death prove beyond doubt
that he would personally be gravely disappointed in the decisions and
leadership of his successors.
The Church After Herbert Armstrong --
the Laodicean Era Rises Up!
Since
his death in 1986, the Worldwide Church of God has suddenly veered off into
doctrinal heresies and distortions, reconciling doctrines with Protestantism,
and seeking to find favor in Satan's world!
The Church has VEERED OFF THE TRACKS and plunged into error and wickedness
-- a full-blown Laodicean condition which Jesus
Christ condemns!
Now
we are living in the FULL-BLOWN LAODICEAN ERA of the End Time remnant Churches
of GOD! Prophecy was soon relegated to
the dust bin; Herbert Armstrong's booklets were all carefully
"revised" and "rewritten."
All his own original writings have been scrapped, including booklets on
"Who Is the Beast?", "The Key to the Book of Revelation,"
and "Revelation Unveiled At Last!", his Autobiography, and all
his foundational doctrinal booklets!
His
book Mystery of the Ages, praised at first, was soon thrown out on the
trash heap. His book United States
and British Commonwealth in Prophecy likewise was soon withdrawn from
circulation, and quietly destroyed.
Prophecy and the identity of the lost ten tribes of Israel is no longer
of major concern or interest to the new Church leadership.
For
years I have been watching, documenting, and observing, as the Worldwide Church
of God, under Joseph Tkach, changed EVERY MAJOR
DOCTRINE OF THE CHURCH once taught by Herbert W. Armstrong!
I
have been warning members and ex-members since 1987 of the fundamental, awesome
changes taking place, as the Church plunged heedlessly headlong back into the
mainstream of Protestantism and modern "evangelical" Christianity --
so that it now receives raving reviews from such "Christian"
magazines as Christianity Today.
One of the major
doctrines of the Church in times past what that "Christians" are not
really "born again" until the resurrection, when we will be literally
"born" of God -- born into His Universe-ruling Family! But now the Worldwide Church of God, under
Joseph Tkach, Sr., now deceased, and currently run by
his son, Joseph Tkach, Jr., teaches that Christians
are "born again" at reception of the Holy Spirit!
Worldwide
no longer believes in a 6,000 year plan of God.
Nor do they stress the millennial reign of Christ over the nations. The Church actually claims the Kingdom of God
is already here, now, in the Church -- implying that if anybody leaves
the Church, they are cut off from God's "government" and will wind up
in Gehenna fire!
Yet,
at the same time, Worldwide now accepts ALL Christian churches and
denominations as being part of God's "true church" -- including even
Catholics, Episcopalians, Baptists, Methodists, you name them -- all, that is, except
the churches which have sprung out of Worldwide itself due to its massive
changes! These churches, such as
Global, United, and Philadelphia Church of God are looked upon as sects, cults,
and heretical bodies, serving Satan the devil.
The
greatest changes in Worldwide today, however, plain as the nose on Jimmy Durante's face, is the new teaching that the New Covenant
abolishes the need to observe the Sabbath, the Holy Days of God, and all
elements of the "Old Covenant"!
Even "unclean meats" may now be eaten and devoured with
cheerful abandon and gluttonous desire.
Truly,
if Herbert Armstrong were alive today, he would turn over in his grave. He would roar with thunderous indignation. He would put the scoundrels currently running
the Worldwide Church of God out of the Church quicker than you can say
"Joe Junior"!
Worldwide
Church of God now endorses Christmas observance, Easter Sunday observance, and
the Good Friday-Easter Sunday crucifixion-resurrection scheme. They preach "grace" and claim the
"law" of God is abolished and is contrary to grace.
And
the most amazing thing of all, to me, is that scores of thousands of people
appear to be going along with their historic rejection of the truth of God, and
turn to apostasy and rebellion against the laws of God!
How
blind, how weak, how deceived, can once "enlightened" people be?
Like
the proverbial frog that is put into a pot, and the heat turned up gradually,
so that it feels comfortable and warm, until its energy is sapped and it loses
its strength, so that as the water begins to boil, and bubble violently, it
dies a scalding death, so these erstwhile "Christians" and children
of God are APPROACHING SPIRITUAL DEATH -- AND DON'T EVEN SEEM TO REALIZE IT!
If you want to know more about the tragic
plunge into apostasy of the Worldwide Church of God, under the new leadership,
then write for our articles: "The
Mafia Apostle," "Is Joseph Tkach an
Apostle?" "The Plain Truth about Joseph Tkach,"
"Joseph Tkach -- Saint? or Monster?", "Crisis in the
Worldwide Church of God!", "Where the Church Went Wrong,"
"The Plain Truth about Church Authority," "The Pancake
Apostle," "The Great Apostasy," and "End-Time
Apostasy!" Also, write for the
article, "90 Doctrinal Changes in the Church of God!" Hopefully, these articles will help open your
eyes, or the eyes of some of your loved ones who have been deceived by this
end-time deceiver!
What Does God Say to
Do?
Where
will the diabolical, Satanic heresies END?
What
should MEMBERS of such a Church do about their affiliation? And what about members of the other apostate,
Laodicean churches, whether on the right or left
"wing"?
Isaiah
the prophet thunders, "AWAKE, awake; put on thy strength [the whole armour of God -- Ephesians 6:10], O Zion; put on thy
beautiful garments" -- the robes of righteousness (Isaiah 52:1,
Rev.19:10-12). "Now therefore, what
have I here, saith the LORD, that my people is taken
away for nought?
they that rule over them
[their shepherds or "ministers"] MAKE THEM TO HOWL, saith the Lord; and my name continually every day is blasphemed"
(verse 5). They blaspheme God's
name by their practices, their filthy deeds, their disfellowshipment
procedures, their false doctrines, their calling God's TRUE servants and
prophets "false prophets," "Satan-inspired," and other
epithets. They blaspheme God by their
every action and word, every day, as they abuse, beat, and browbeat the sheep
under their control.
The
prophet Ezekiel wrote, "The word of the LORD came to me: 'Son of man, prophesy against the SHEPHERDS
of Israel; prophesy and say to them:
"This is what the Sovereign LORD says: WOE to the shepherds of Israel who only take
care of themselves! Should not shepherds
take care of the flock? You eat the
curds, clothe yourselves with the wool and slaughter the choice animals, but
you do not take care of the flock. You
have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up the injured. You have not brought back the strays or
searched for the lost. You have RULED
THEM HARSHLY AND BRUTALLY. So they were
scattered because there was no shepherd, and when they were scattered they
became food for all the wild animals .
My sheep wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. They were scattered over the whole earth, and
no one searched or looked for them" (Ezek.34:1-6).
God
thunders, "I am against the shepherds and will hold them accountable for
my flock. I will REMOVE them from tending
the flock so that the shepherds can no longer feed themselves; I will RESCUE my
flock from their mouths, and it will no longer be food for them" (verse
10).
God
Himself says, "As for you, my flock, this is what the Sovereign LORD
says: I will judge between one sheep and
another, and between rams and goats. . . . See, I myself will judge between the
fat sheep and the lean sheep. Because
you shove with flank and shoulder, butting all the weak sheep with your horns
until you have driven them away, I will save my flock, and they will no longer
be PLUNDERED" (Ezek.34:17-22).
Almighty
God, and Jesus Christ, both have a severe "bone to pick" with the End
Time Church of God generation -- the people of God today. God says to His flock, His people, who have
strayed into the paths of sin and Laodicean
compromise and error: "Surely the
arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. But your INIQUITIES have separated you from
your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not
hear. For your hands are stained with
blood, your fingers with guilt. Your
lips have spoken LIES, and your tongue uttered wicked things. No one calls for justice; no one pleads his
case with integrity.
"They
rely on empty arguments and speak lies; they conceive trouble and give birth to
evil. They hatch the eggs of vipers and
spin a spider's web [the name "Tkach"
literally means "to spin a web"!].
Whoever eats their eggs will die, and when one is broken, an adder is
hatched. Their COBWEBS are useless for
clothing [rendering people "naked" spiritually!]; they cannot cover
themselves with what they make. Their
deeds are evil deeds, and acts of violence are in their hands. Their feet rush into sin; they are swift to
shed innocent blood [to disfellowship so-called
"dissidents"!]. Their thoughts are evil thoughts; ruin and
destruction mark their ways. The way of
peace they do not know; there is no justice in their paths [they "cover
up" the sins of the ministry, and refuse to judge individual cases with
righteousness, but always support the "minister," right or
wrong!]. They have turned them into
CROOKED ROADS; no one who walks in them will know peace" (Isa.59:1-8).
God's Rebuke and Warning
This
is a very serious rebuke and stern correction.
This is a description of the End Time Laodicean
Church, with all its "glory" and wickedness! The oppressed sheep of this Church cry out,
"So justice is far from us, and righteousness does not reach us. We look for light, but all is darkness; for
brightness, but we walk in deep shadows.
LIKE THE BLIND" -- Laodiceans are
"BLIND," remember -- "we grope along the wall, feeling our way
like MEN WITHOUT EYES. At midday we
stumble as if it were twilight; among the strong, we are like the DEAD. We all growl like bears; we moan mournfully like doves. We look for justice, but find one; for
deliverance, but it is far away" (Isa.59:9-11).
In
the middle of Great Tribulation, many of the people of this remnant Church will
finally cry out to God, confessing their sins and wickedness. They will pray, and say, "For our
offenses are many in your sight, and our sins testify against us. Our offenses are ever with us, and we
acknowledge our iniquities, rebellion and treachery against the Lord, turning
our backs on our God, fomenting oppression and revolt, uttering lies our hearts
have conceived. So justice is driven
back, and righteousness stands at a distance; TRUTH has stumbled in the streets,
honesty cannot enter. TRUTH is nowhere
to be found, and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey" (Isa.59:12-15).
In
their distress they will finally call on God, in deep remorse and repentance
for their sins, and God will forgive them, and wipe away their iniquities. He will deliver them from the Great
Tribulation, those who remain alive, and Christ Himself will rescue them
(verses 16-18). "From the west, men
will fear the name of the LORD, and from the rising of the sun, they will
REVERE his glory. For he will come like
a pent-up flood that the breath of the LORD drives along. The Redeemer will come to Zion [the remnant
Church in captivity], to those in Jacob who REPENT of their sins"
(Isa.59:19-20).
The Job of God's WATCHMEN
What
about you? Will you repent now? Or will you have to experience the pangs of
bitter travail and Great Tribulation to bring you to your senses?
God
has called prophets and watchmen to WARN His erring, sinning, straying people
to RETURN to HIM, before it is too late!
That cry and warning is going out!
God
thunders to us, "Shout it aloud, do not hold back. Raise your voice LIKE A TRUMPET. Declare to my people their REBELLION and to
the house of Jacob their SINS" (Isa.58:1).
God
tells His people, "I have posted WATCHMEN on your walls, O Jerusalem [the
Church]; they will never be silent day or night. You who call on the LORD, give yourselves
NO REST, and give Him no rest, till He establishes Jerusalem and makes her
the praise of the earth" (Isa.62:6-7).
God
says to His modern day watchmen,
"Son
of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of
Israel;
so hear the word that I speak and GIVE THEM WARN-
ING
FROM ME. When I say to a wicked man,
'You will surely
die,'
and you do not warn him or SPEAK OUT TO DISSUADE
HIM
from his evil ways in order to save his life, that wicked man
will
die for his sin, and I will hold you accountable for his blood.
But
if you do warn the wicked man and he does not turn from his
wickedness
or from his evil ways, he will die for his sin; but you
will
have saved yourself" (Ezekiel 3:17-19).
God
also warns us of the alternative:
"Again,
when a righteous man turns from his righteousness and
does
evil, and I put a stumbling block before him, he will die.
Since
you did not warn him, he will die for his sin.
The righteous
things
he did will not be remembered, and I will hold you account-
able
for his blood. But IF YOU DO WARN the
righteous man
not
to sin and he does not sin, he will surely live because he TOOK
WARNING,
and you will have saved yourself" (Ezek.3:20-21).
If
the wicked repent, and turn from their sins, God will forgive them. But if they are warned, and refuse to repent,
their blood is upon their own head -- they are responsible (Ezek.18:14-23). On the other hand, if the righteous man
"turns from his righteousness and commits sin and does the same detestable
things the wicked man does, will he live?
NONE of the righteous things he has done will be remembered. Because of the unfaithfulness he is GUILTY of
and the SINS he has committed, he will DIE" (Ezek.18:24).
End-Time Apostasy and You
The apostle Paul
warns us that many will be deceived and carried away by this terrible, end-time
apostasy because "they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful
delusion so that they will believe THE LIE and so that all will be condemned
who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness" (verses
10-12).
What is "the
lie" which these people will swallow, hook, line and sinker? It is not just any old lie -- it is THE lie
-- the very lie that Satan deceived Adam and Eve with in the Garden of
Eden! It is the lie that God lied when
He told Adam the day he sinned he would die.
It is the lie that if we follow Satan's ways we will become as
"gods" to know good and evil (Genesis 3:4-5). It is the lie that Satan brings truth and God
is a liar, the Word of God cannot be trusted, that the doctrines of the Bible are
false, that we can change them and still be saved! It is the lie that we should believe a NEW
gospel -- the gospel of "human salvation" instead of the
"kingdom of God," which Jesus and the apostles all preached! It is the LIE that we are "born
again" at conversion, when we "accept Christ," rather than at
the resurrection, when our bodies are changed to SPIRIT!
The Phillips
Translation has this passage, "The lawless man is produced by the spirit
of evil and armed with all the force, wonders and signs that falsehood can
devise. To those involved in this dying
world he will come with evil's undiluted power to deceive, for they have refused to love the
truth which could
have saved them. God sends
upon them, therefore, the full force of evil's delusion, so that they put
their faith in an UTTER FRAUD and
meet the inevitable judgment of all who have refused to believe the truth and
who have made evil their playfellow" (II Thess.2:9-12).
What about you? Do you still have the "love of the
truth"? Or have you "lost your
first love," like the Church of Ephesus? (Rev.2:4).
How important is
TRUTH and doctrinal purity to you? does
it make any difference? Are you willing
to compromise "a little bit," with error and falsehood? Are you willing to stand by and accept
doctrinal "changes" which you have not "tested," or
"proven"?
The apostle Paul
exhorts each one of us, "Continue to WORK OUT YOUR SALVATION with fear and
trembling" (Phil.2:12). Peter
exhorts, "Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to MAKE YOUR
CALLING AND ELECTION SURE. For if you
do these things, you will never fall, and you will receive a rich welcome
into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (II
Pet.1:10-11).
"COME OUT from among
Them!"
In the midst of all
the apostasy occurring all around us, where do you stand? What are YOU going to do about it? Your own eternal salvation -- and that of
your family and children -- is at stake!
God gives us
perfectly clear instructions on handling such matters in His Word. Some try to tell us, today, that the
appropriate action is to do nothing -- stay right where you are -- and WAIT
for God to CHANGE Worldwide and bring it back to the Truth!
Is
that what God says?
God commands us to
have nothing whatever to do with apostates!
Solomon wrote, "CEASE, my son, to hear the instruction that causeth to ERR from the words of knowledge"
(Prov.19:27). How can you cease to
hear such instruction if you continue to listen to it every week?
God
commands us further: "My son, fear thou the LORD and the king: and MEDDLE NOT with them that are given to
CHANGE: For their calamity shall
rise suddenly; and who knoweth the ruin of them
both?" (Prov.24:21-22).
Some today even
admit that the Worldwide Church of God has become "the synagogue of
Satan." They admit that the
leadership of the Church is led by Satan the devil. Yet, on the other hand, they claim that as
true Christians we should
continue to submit to church authority, in Worldwide, and WAIT for
God to bring the Church back to Him!
But
is this how God works? When the various
churches of God went astray in the first century, and became the
"synagogue of Satan," did God bring those churches back to Him?
No, absolutely
NOT!
The Gentile churches
throughout the Roman Empire, in Rome, Antioch, Ephesus, Alexandria, and other
major cities, which eventually became the Roman Catholic Church, NEVER RETURNED
TO THE TRUTH OF GOD!
In other words,
those very churches which led the charge into apostasy in the first century,
and departed from the truth, NEVER RETURNED!
In the centuries that followed, they only strayed further and
further from the right path!
The lesson ought to
be terribly clear to us of this generation.
To stay in an apostate church, waiting for it to repent, and God to
bring it to repentance, is STUPID -- INSANE -- AND SPIRITUALLY DEMONIC!
Paul makes the
course of action we ought to take when the Church we have belonged to departs
from the truth perfectly clear. He
writes: "Do not be mismatched with
unbelievers. For what partnership is
there between righteousness and lawlessness?
Or what fellowship is there between light and darkness? What agreement does Christ have with Belial
[Satan]? Or what does a believer share
with an unbeliever? What agreement has
the temple of God with idols? For we are
the temple of the living God, as God has said, 'I will live in them, and walk
among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Therefore COME OUT FROM THEM, and be
SEPARATE FROM THEM, says the Lord, and TOUCH NOTHING UNCLEAN; then will I
welcome you, and I will be your father, and you shall be my sons and daughters,
says the Lord Almighty" (II Cor.6:14-18, NRSV).
The apostle John, in
the book of Revelation, also makes the truth abundantly plain. He says we should have nothing to do with the
pagan, apostate "Babylonish" churches --
including those which at one time had the truth of God!
John writes: "Then I heard another voice from heaven
saying, 'COME OUT OF HER, my people, so that you do not take part in her sins,
and so that you do not share in her PLAGUES" (Rev.18:4).
That plain
language! I fear for those people who
refuse to depart from an apostate church, who listen to the pied pipers of
rebellion, who wistfully deceive themselves into thinking that if they just
hunker down and quietly remain, GOD will
straighten out the Church! In all history, God has
NEVER done that! Rather, He lets them go
-- and increases their punishment -- until He casts them into GREAT
TRIBULATION! And if they STILL do not repent -- they will end up in the LAKE OF
FIRE!
What about you? What ARE you going to do about it? What Church do YOU attend, today? God commands, "Choose you this day
whom you will serve" (Josh.24:15, KJV).