Open LetterDear Brethren and Friends : Greetings again from Southern California! Thank you again for all of your letters, your encouragement and support for the Work of Jesus Christ in these latter days! Once again I want to share with you one of the very encouraging letters which came recently: "I began to meditate on the changes and to study them. Like many second generation Christians, I grew up in the Church and simply accepted the doctrines as right because they made sense and my parents said they were right. I never really proved the Truth to myself. However, after the changes started to occur I was forced to go back and either prove the old way wrong or the new way right. I was unable to prove the new way right. "Next, I wrestled with the concept of ‘leaving the church' and all that implied. My parents, like many first generation Christians, had to make a lot of choices when they began to keep the Sabbath and follow God's way of life. Not the least of these decisions/trials were those involving their families and friends. I always said to myself that I would never leave the Church, and I haven’t, the Church has left me." At this time, I'm happy to announce the formation of another church recently in Indianapolis, Indiana. It is being hosted by Mr. and Mrs. George Dellinger—long-time deacon and deaconess in God's Church in that area. The pastor will be Mr. Charles Knowlton, who is also overseeing another small group in eastern Ohio and our Cincinnati church directly. Also, I'm happy to report that we have nine video groups," as we call them, who are receiving the video tapes of my sermons. These are smaller groups, perhaps only five to ten people, and we are not calling them churches as yet—until they become larger and we're able to work with a recognized leader for the group. So quite a number of full-fledged churches are on the horizon and our mailing list is growing at the rate of about 50 to 60 households a week at this time. So by the time you read this letter, we will probably have over one thousand households on our mailing list. We are also pleased to announce that three new radio
stations have been added: WAPI, 1070 on the AM dial in
Birmingham, Alabama; KAMT, 1360 on the AM dial in the
Seattle, Tacoma area; and WTHI, 1480 on the AM dial in the
Terre Haute, Indiana area. As more people begin to become
familiar with our broadcasts, a number of letters from
"new" people—those never associated with the
Church as far as we know—are coming in. We have already
received several dozens of such responses and expect several
hundred more in the near future! Some might ask: "Why
should we be so interested in the growth of the Work?" Because, as Mr. Herbert Armstrong used to say over and over, "our spiritual growth can often be measured by the extent to which our whole heart is involved in serving others through the Work of God". Also, as Jesus Christ said: "For where your treasure is, there would your heart be also" (Matthew 6:21). So to the extent we put our time, our energy and our treasure into God's Work, our hearts will be there also—and we will truly be laying up real treasure in heaven! Because I believe in doing the Work of God so strongly, I had to step out on faith at age 62 with (because of my first wife's death and a second marriage) a wife and two boys to support. Yes, it did take some faith and sacrifice and commitment. But, because I felt it was not being done properly elsewhere, I felt deeply "called" to preach again the Gospel of the Kingdom of God based on God's laws. I felt a need to preach the true Jesus Christ—NOT the Protestant Jesus. I felt the need to preach that 90 percent of end-time prophecy which is now being relegated to the ash heap. And I felt the urgent need to preach the Ezekiel warning to the British Commonwealth and American peoples while there is still time. When I re-read Jeremiah a few months ago, it suddenly "hit" me. For I, too, had been "reproached" for holding on to the Word. I, too, had been made a derision. And I, too, was "weary" of holding back from preaching the full Truth. Notice how Jeremiah felt: "Because the word of the Lord was made to me a reproach and a derision daily. Then I said, I will not make mention of Him, nor speak anymore in His name. But His word was in my heart like a burning fire shut up in my bones; I was weary of holding it back, and I could not" (Jeremiah 20 : 8-9 ). I know that hundreds of you out there feel that way also, and thousands of our separated brethren have similar feelings. We know that we have the priceless opportunity to warn over 350 million of our fellow Israelites of the soon-coming Great Tribulation. We do care about them! We want them to know the reality of God and His coming Kingdom. We want to share with them the tremendous sense of fulfillment we feel in truly knowing God and once again doing His Work. We can say as our Master, Jesus, said: "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work. Do you not say, 'There are still four months and then comes the harvest?' Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields; for they are already white for harvest! And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together" (John 4:34-36). So, brethren, let us never be ashamed of this zeal that I know most of us share for doing the Work of God. Let us pour ourselves into it and be thankful for the opportunity we have. We must never give up and get lukewarm in doing God's Work. We must heed God's warning in Proverbs 24:10-12: "If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small. Deliver those who are drawn toward death, and hold back those stumbling to the slaughter. If you say, 'Surely we did not know this'. Does not He who weighs the hearts consider it? He who keeps your soul, does He not know it? And will He not render to each man according to his deed?" No wonder we need to feel excited about warning this world, preaching the positive Gospel of the Kingdom of God and doing the Work! Editorial by Roderick C. MeredithTruthIn the early days of the Work of Herbert W. Armstrong, there were only a very few local churches. So most all of us who were converted in those years spoke of "coming into the Truth." Even years later, we would say: "When I came into the Truth". Truth is precious. As more and more professing Christian organizations "water down" Truth, or compromise with Truth in order to be "acceptable" to the world or to "mainstream Christianity", it is more important than ever that we in the Global Church of God make sure that we never do this! That is not easy. That path is not a popular one. That path led to many terrible beatings of the Apostle Paul, and even to the awful scourging and the agonizing death of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Brought before Pilate and accused of evil, Jesus said: "I have come into the world that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice" (John 18:37). Many of us know that there is a movement abroad to take thousands of God's people back toward the world. And to make them "blend in" with main-stream churchianity. Of course, Truth will be a major casualty in this subtle but pervasive movement. Perhaps an overmuch emphasis on the person of Christ at the expense of His message. A subtle watering down of the fact that the Ten Commandments are the very foundation of the Christian way of life. As Truth is compromised more and more so as to "fit in" with this world, individual truths about the reality of Christ's temptation, about the very identifying "sign" He gave that He would be three days and three nights in the grave may be "explained away" very cleverly or "watered down." Revelation 19:10 states: "For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." And Peter wrote: "We have also a more sure word of prophecy; where unto ye do well that you take heed...." (II Peter 1:19, KJV). Yes, the testimony of Jesus has directly to do with prophecy! It is absolutely vital that we preach the inspired warning message to our age that God's Word is filled with. It is vital also that the whole thrust of end-time prophecy does not become a "casualty of compromise." More and more leading men and woman are beginning to realize how important it is that they stand up for the Truth. So over the very next few months, you brethren should expect to hear of more leading men resigning from their jobs or being pushed out or put out because of their willingness to stand up for the Truth. If God guides most of them to join with us in the Global Church, let us make them welcome! They are not "Johnny come latelies," for the Global Church itself is barely three months old! And, as I have said before, each one must come at his own time in his own way—as God guides each one of us patiently and allows the different ways and approaches we all have to "seeing" things. Jesus said: "You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:32). Thank God that we in the Global Church are "free" to preach and practice the whole Truth, free to warn our peoples of the coming world cataclysm while there is still time, and free to do the Work of preaching the Gospel without fear or favor of men. Truth is, indeed, precious. Fundamentals of Prophecyby John Daneri Schroeder Prophecy and the CovenantsThere is an old and popular tale in which a man is sent to heaven to enquire of God on behalf of the children of Israel. He must ask if they are indeed the chosen people. God answers without hesitation, "Yes, Israel is truly my chosen people"—to which the timorous envoy replies, "Well, if Israel is truly the chosen people, then on behalf of the chosen people downstairs, would you please choose somebody else for a change!" We might chuckle, but deep inside we know it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God—to be "chosen." When we let ourselves forget the terms of a covenant with the God of Israel, trouble is on its way. When it arrives in full force, for a moment we might easily wish we weren't chosen. Yet, under His seemingly austere surface, God and His great covenants are the heart of a love story—the most intimate, personal, fervent—and occasionally the most painful and long-suffering of love stories. It hardly matters which version of the Bible we read, Protestant, Catholic or Jewish. There is but one thought throughout them all: God loves His creation, all of mankind, male and female, with a caring almost beyond human ken. The great family of mankind, with all its variety and color, is His constant preoccupation, the center of His untiring attentions and the eternal love of His life. There is no other explanation for the pain and loving kindnesses God has spent on His creation and continues to spend. Solomon wrote, Love is as strong as death, its ardor unyielding as the grave. It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame. Many waters cannot quench love; rivers cannot wash it away. If one were to give all the wealth of his house for love, it would be utterly scorned (Song of Songs 8:6-7, NIV). When we finally learn to know Him—the way He really is—His fiercely strong affections will have become mutual (Philippians 3:7-11, John 4:19). His caring will no longer be unrequited. We'll wonder how we could have been such blockheads. Being chosen will have become the greatest of honors. But for now, lest we should ever underestimate its power, we must learn by personal experience and observation, through complete freedom to choose right or wrong, the horror that is sin. The purpose of this installment is to discuss the three major covenants between God and man. We'll see the amazing similarities they share—that they are by far more alike than dissimilar. And we will see how the first two center our attention on the third—the culmination of all three—which is the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the singular goal and ultimate focus of all prophecy—the ultimate gift from God to man, in love. A Woman Clothed With the SunIn the distilled portrait of Revelation 12, we find a woman clothed with the sun, the moon at her feet, a garland of twelve stars on her head. Genesis 37:9-11 reveals her as the family of Israel, although in Genesis there are just eleven stars because the twelfth is Joseph's, to which the other stars are bowing low. This family, from the days of Abraham, has been the beloved—if difficult—wife of Almighty God (Isaiah 43:1- 4, 54:5; Jeremiah 3:20). In the Revelation account Israel gives birth to the male Child who eludes the devil and ascends into heaven. Shortly after His ascension, the woman flees to her place where she is nourished for a period of time. But the woman who flees is still the woman with twelve stars in her crown; the symbolism continues unchanged. There is just one woman in this prophecy. From history we know that in 70 A.D. Titus destroyed Jerusalem, burned the Temple of God and took the entire Jewish nation captive. From history we also know that although the people in Judea consisted primarily of Judah, Benjamin and Levi, there were by that time representatives of the other tribes there as well (II Chronicles 11:14-17; 15:9; 24:5; 28:23; Luke 2:36; Acts 2:36). The woman of Revelation 12 has twelve stars in her crown throughout the prophecy. She is always Israel. No reference is made here to the terrible captivity which took the teeming millions of Judea into Roman servitude after hundreds of thousands of them were brutally slain. The horrible fate of Judea is ignored in the Revelation 12 account. Our attention is directed only to what history says was a relatively small group, followers of Jesus Christ, who on a command from God, fled to safety in Pella, east of the Jordan river, shortly before the Temple was burned to the ground. The vast majority of the Jews (containing small remnants of all tribes) is treated in this prophecy as if it had ceased to exist. In this vision, for one brief moment, the Jewish remnant of Israel is a nation of millions. But in the next moment, she is a small congregation fleeing to her place of safety. Why? The reason is in the shift from the Old Covenant to the New Covenant, from physical Israel to a new emphasis on spiritual Israel. From Circumcision to FaithPrior to Christ's memorable night of bread, wine and foot-washing, the token of Israel's covenant with God had been circumcision of the male flesh. Some blood of the Sinai covenant was shed through, circumcision by each male child on the eighth day of his life. But when Jesus introduced the bread and wine of the New Covenant, no longer did God recognize the Old Covenant of the flesh (Galatians 5:2). It had begun with high hopes, but it languished as physical Israel failed to fulfill its worthy ambition (Joshua 24:24; Romans 8:3-4). God, of course, knew this would happen; He was wisely teaching us, through our own experiences, what He already knew (Deuteronomy 5:29; Jeremiah 31:31; I Corinthians 10:11). When Israel of Revelation 12 fled to Pella, she was still the woman of twelve stars, but she had become Israel of the New Covenant—Israel [the Church] of God (Galatians 6:16). She was primarily of Israel's bloodline, but she was now comprised only of those who had entered the New Covenant. And converted Gentiles had been grafted into her crown—because they too had become fully acceptable citizens of New Covenant Israel (Romans 11:17-18). In every way they too were now legitimate, spiritual sons and daughters of Abraham (Romans 11, 2:29, Galatians 3:28- 29). She had become spiritual Israel. Life or Death, Blessing or CursingThere are many covenants in the Bible. By covenant God promised never again to destroy mankind by a flood. By covenant He established a royal dynasty for David—and a priesthood for Levi. But in the main, God has from the beginning offered mankind just one great covenantal concept of incomparable love and strength, under which all the lesser covenants have been established. It cannot be otherwise. God is always and forever love; any marriage with God will be a marriage based upon and immersed within His perfect love—which is mutual obedience to His commandments. This great covenantal idea has been expressed in three major variations: (1) the covenant of Eden and the pre-flood world, (2) the Sinai, or Old Covenant, and (3) the New Covenant. All three covenants have been built on one central theme, most succinctly expressed through Moses in Deuteronomy 30:19-20. And all have at least potentially involved the entire human family. I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days... (Deuteronomy 30:19-20 AV). A careful look between the lines of Genesis 1 through 3 shows the Creator holding out life and death, blessing and cursing to our first parents. As naive as Adam and Eve were without the tempering experiences of childhood and youth under wise parental guidance, they were an easy mark for Satan's guile. As prematurely adult children, they quickly turned away from God and from life. God had promised that in the day they ate of the forbidden tree they would die (Genesis 2:17: II Peter 3:8). In due time came both death and curses. They were soon physically removed—taken into captivity—away from their good life and blessings, away from the beautiful garden God had carefully prepared for them, and away from the privileged relationship they had once enjoyed with God Himself. They were cursed—the inevitable effect of sin on humankind. Their children had to live and die with the bleak consequences of their parents' seemingly minor offense. The small amount of spiritual leaven (sin) they had worked into the human family so thoroughly leavened the pre-flood world that in two millennia God had no choice but to destroy everyone, probably billions, except Noah and his family (I Corinthians 5:6). Noah was a preacher of righteousness (II Peter 2:5). From the Psalms we know that God's righteousness is expressed in His commandments, small and great (Psalms 119:172). From the recorded history of Adam's world it becomes crystal clear that we dare not disrespect even the tiniest commandment of God; the corrosive leaven of Adam's seemingly minor .offence once destroyed mankind! From the testimony of that world before the flood, we also see that God's perfect commandments were as much the intended backbone of that covenant age as they were in the times of Abraham and Moses (Genesis 26:5). A New Covenant OverviewFrom Adam and Eve's world before the flood through the history of Israel beginning at Sinai, we see that God has consistently offered mankind free choice of either life or death, blessing or cursing-or some parallel expression of the same idea (Deuteronomy 30:15). It would seem that He has nothing else to give-unless there is something different in the New Covenant. But Paul wrote, to the church at Rome, For what The Law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of The Law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit (Rom. 8:3-4). Clearly then, something has changed—not the commandments of The Law but our ability to fulfill them. Jesus insisted that He came not to destroy the Law, but to fulfill it (Matthew 5:17). Paul shows that Christ condemned sin in the flesh so that we who possess the Spirit which empowered Christ can learn to fulfill The Law as He did. And this new ability to obey God will ultimately produce life and blessings instead of death and cursings. This is the subject of Paul's next thought. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to The Law of God, nor indeed can be (Romans 8:6-7). Paul is paraphrasing the concept of Deuteronomy 30:19 here. To be carnally minded is death (and curses), because a carnal mind cannot properly obey the laws of God. But to be spiritually minded, that is, to possess and use enough spiritual power to obey The Law, will produce life and blessings—the promises God has always offered for obedience. Our translations say that to be spiritually minded is life and "peace," rather than life and "blessings" as we read in Deuteronomy, but this is easy to unravel. The subject here is obedience to the five books of Moses—the Teachings God gave to Moses which are commonly termed The Law. These Teachings promise life and blessings for obedience from Genesis through Deuteronomy—as we have already seen. So it stands to reason that Paul here means life and blessings. These are the consequences of obedience—not merely life and "peace.” The Greek word for peace (eirene) had been used to translate shalom by the Jewish translators when they made the standard translation from Hebrew to Greek which we call the Septuagint (the LXX). Shalom is one of the three primary Hebrew words which mean "blessing." It is a synonym of berakah the word translated blessing in Deuteronomy 19. For Paul to have used a word commonly used in his own Greek Bible for a Hebrew word meaning blessing is understandable here, is it not? As substantive good, blessing is most frequently represented by the terms berakah, shalom and tov....Blessings include health, long life, many and enduring progeny, wealth, honor, and victory. ...Curses, it follows, are sickness and death, barrenness in people and cattle, crop failure, poverty, defeat and disgrace (Encyclopedia Hebraica, Vol. 4, p. 1083, Paragraph 1 ). Shalom is one of several words for things not originally part of Gentile cultures—so when the time came to translate the Hebrew Scriptures into Greek, the translators often had to settle for the best approximations they could find. Eirene came up an easy winner for shalom—because in life, peace relates strongly to blessings. But peace does not carry the comprehensive impact of shalom. Shalom includes everything God gave to Abraham—the spiritual blessings, the prosperity, health and general wholeness produced through fearing and obeying God (Ecclesiastes 12:15). But, Christ bore the curses of The Law in His own body so we could be blessed (Galatians 3:13-14). He died by the shedding of His life-blood so we could live (Genesis 9:4; Matthews 26:28). By His sacrifice He willingly accepted our well-deserved deaths and curses to provide us eternal life and blessings through the New Covenant—so very great is His love for us. This third and final New Covenant is the one to which the earlier two pointed. The Adamic, preflood covenant reaped chaos through disobedience. The Mosaic covenant managed to hold Israel's descendants in some degree of order. But the people lacked sufficient power for full obedience and had little access to spiritual justification. Both great covenants provided us costly examples by which we can learn; both were what Paul calls "schoolmasters," or "tutors" (Galatians 3:24). By the forceful examples of two 2,000 year covenant periods, we are funneled irresistibly toward our only true hope for eternal life and blessings—Christ crucified. We can be saved only by grace through obedient faith in the rich symbolism of the bread and wine of Passover (Ephesians 2:8-10). Summation and ConclusionAll the Law and the Prophets hang from the two greatest of commandments—to love God with our whole being, and our neighbors as ourselves. This has been true from the beginning. Doing this correctly is the many faceted subject of the Torah, as carefully explained and magnified by Christ and His apostles. Obedience to its commands brings life and blessings. Infractions bring death and curses, climaxing in captivity and death. The only safety valve in this otherwise rigid equation is Christ's relinquishing of His own life and blessings—to make them available to those who accept Him (Philemon 2:6-7—John l5:13). It is an extremely serious contract, entered by accepting the symbols of Christ's death and cursings as adequate payment to redeem our own lives and blessings (healings included). Those symbols are Passover's wine and broken bread, respectively. In Genesis 14:18 we read that Melchizedek brought forth bread and wine to Abram before the prototypical sacrifices of Genesis 15, whose covenant precisely foreshadowed the Exodus (Genesis 15:13-14; Leviticus l; Exodus 12:40-41). Christ, High Priest of Melchizedek's order, explained the bread and wine to His apostles before the Levitical priests sacrificed that year's Passover lambs (Hebrews 7, John 11:55, 18:28, I Corinthians 11:23). Abraham, whose spiritual children we are if we are Christ's, accepted Melchizedek's bread and wine (Gal. 3:29). He accepted the sacrificial symbolism of Genesis 15. He accepted the ram in the place of Isaac, Israel's father. Through these prophetic acts of faith, he obligated his distant first century progeny, through faith in Christ's then future sacrifice, to the New Covenant which would begin when a potential Husband had qualified—the resurrected Christ (Romans 7:4; Galatians 3:29). Later, through his personal circumcision, he obligated his contemporary off spring to the only covenant then available—the Old, or Sinai Covenant. Abraham's ancient activities with Melchizedek and Isaac prefigured the entire future of Israel and the nations (Galatians 3:8), including the New Covenant captivity of Judah in 70 A.D. It also prefigured the next and last horrible captivity of all Israel. Today Israel and the entire world, in that order, are responsible to the New Covenant (Acts 17:30; Romans 1:16). Most people on Earth are suffering the curses of disobedience now, but God will call each in his or her own time (Acts 2:39). In the first century; a precious few called-out ones comprehended the Divine Fulfillment [Jesus Christ] of Isaac's prophetic Ram and accepted Him in payment for their own lives. These few early Christians were virtually the only stars left in the crown of the woman clothed with the Sun. They alone had found safety in Pella (Jeremiah 23:6; Cf. Malachi 4:2). Most of Judea had not, and were carried into Roman servitude. Such is the love and the severity of God—as He patiently teaches us, through our own painful experiences, the indescribable horror of sin. He doesn't condemn us; He condemned sin (Romans 8:3, John 3:16). He loves us intensely. In the final, final analysis, these temporarily agonizing times will have led all of mankind, past and present, to the unspeakable joy of perfect unity with God—forever (Deuteronomy 6:4; John 17:11). News Trends and Prophecyby Ron Nelson Religion Taking a Leading Role AgainAnciently, religion was an extension of the state. It served to control and direct the minds and hearts of the people. In much of the Western world pluralism provides a "Heinz 57 varieties" of faiths from which one can choose. But now there is a paradox developing. On the one hand unusual, sometimes violent cults are making news again. And simultaneously, established state religion is coming back! Here's a sampling of this trend where religions are becoming more assertive on the world scene. Israel: "The ultra-orthodox and the extreme right; the very religious have never been so powerful in Israeli politics" so says Ehud Sprinzak, Hebrew University political scientist and author of The Asscendance of Israel's Radical Right. Mongolia and Cambodia: The communist hold is loosening in many Asian countries and Buddhism is making a comeback. Pakistan: Islamic law is now the supreme law of the land; dictating even many details of all citizens' lives. Brazil: Activist Roman Catholic Church leaders recently endorsed strikes, factory takeovers in protest over failed government anti-poverty programs. Clearly, religious activism has taken an upswing worldwide. From India to Africa, from South America to the heart of Europe, this is a GROWING phenomenon. Why Politicized ReligionAn observer of this trend, James Turner Johnson, a political science professor at Rutgers University, explains: "Religion is subject to being used politically in the search for a rationale or for identity during times of change, whenever there is a cultural vacuum or when the old order is falling apart." (Los Angeles Times, January 14, 1993). He added, "Religion is always there in the subculture and relatively easy to grab onto for political use." Why is it so easy to get people to go along with politicized religion? The article continues, "The yearning for old certitudes and new revelations abound. From ethnic revivals to Islamic fundamentalism, from Catholic conservatism to New Age holism and Japanese traditionalism, the quest is on for a way to fill the hollow where God and community dwelt." So religion fills a personal void in the people while serving the purposes of political demigods. This is why many U.S. political analysts expect the religion-in-politics trend to grow in the years ahead. Professor Johnson continues: "One common denominator among the diverse movements is the troubled environments in which they grow. They are often more a reaction to the weakness or outright failure of the traditional political forces than a display of piety. Alienated by political malaise or corruption and economic decline that has reached CRI SIS proportions, electorates are looking for viable or visible alternatives." Government isn't working. Frustration and disillusionment can cause people to latch onto a false hope. Is it any wonder that Christ must return with the power and authority to address the massive problems through His righteous government? Another denominator is the empty themes of these modern times. "Secular civilization, with its guided missiles and broken moral compass, its `good life' and bad faith, has never had more doubters," wrote editor Nathan Gardels in an issue of New Perspectives Quarterly that focused on the activist religions. So, some people are anxiously turning to whatever strikes them as an answer to these unsettling times. Only after Christ's government is established and beginning to bear peaceable fruits can conversion of the nations to God's true religion and way of life take place. Cults and Sects ProliferateA collateral effect of all this is the rise of bizarre cults and nonconforming sects. Most people view these groups as pathetic aberrations and don't take them seriously. But the violent or extreme behavior and weird customs of a noteable few is receiving a lot of attention in the media. This is beginning to concern people and is likely to lead to much less tolerance of all non-mainstream religious groups. Even God's people could feel the impact of these trends in the form of persecution from the outside. From the Church's infancy in the day of the early apostles, it has been singled out because it was "different." It was persecuted as a "sect" which was "spoken against everywhere" (Acts 28:22, 24:5). It is prophesied that God's people will be "hated of all nations" (Matthew 24:9). A Nebraska Wesleyan religion professor, Dr. Louis DeGrazia, was asked about the many cults in the news. He said, "People who call religious cult members `crazy' are simplifying an extremely complex phenomenon that has historical roots reaching back to [the beginning of) Christianity" (Lincoln Journal, March 2, 1993). Continuing his analysis, professor DeGrazia said, "Most cults have an apocalyptic dimension. They see themselves as bringing the existing culture to an end and bringing in a new age." If Satan can stir up a confusing hodge-podge of beliefs similar to the Truth, he hopes these will discredit and blunt God's Work and end-time warning message! This professor who has studied the historical aspects of religious cults and sects, as well as current cults, predicts, "As soon as the turn of the century ends, and people see that the world didn't come to an end, they will return to the present world and decide they might have to get on with their lives." False religion always eventually disappoints its adherents. Once people find they have been misled by false teachers, they are very wary and will naturally be suspicious even of the Truth if and when they hear it. It will tend to shut some people off who might have been called when they hear the true Gospel of the Kingdom of God. But the trend at large continues: "The unprecedented membership decline in old-line Protestant churches... [shows they] are losing members and influence. Meanwhile churches on either side of the spiritual spectrum are growing fast...evangelical Protestantism on the one hand and an assortment of Eastern, New Age and unconventional religions on the other." ( "The Church Search," Time, April 5, 1993.) The natural religious yearning of people is leading more and more to leave American mainline churches and look elsewhere. The more extreme or unusual of these groups may face growing intolerance or even hostility from society. But why more and more people are seeking and considering newer religions in their lives is explained by Dr. DeGrazia: "It signals that something is wrong with the culture, something is wrong with established religions, something is not answering those deep-felt needs. But cults rarely answer those needs either." Martin E. Mariy, professor of religion at the University of Chicago, senior editor of Christian Century and frequent contributor to other publications and newspapers gave his observations in a recent commentary, "If anything, here and abroad, the spiritual realm offers too much consolation to too many, and is growing as a force in personal and public life in a world that was supposed to have been, or [was] turning, secular" (Los Angeles Times, March 14, 1993). Violence in the Name of ReligionMr. Marty discusses the dark side of religion, "By now we are used to reading headlines from Northern Ireland that speak of Protestant and Catholic `armies,' of how `Jewish radicals on the West attack,' or `Muslim fundamentalists...assault' or how `Hindu militants attack a mosque.' Our domestic versions of zealotry have been milder, though our own civilization gets tested ever more frequently....But now there seams no place to hide. This winter, America joined the world of religiously inspired violence." "What to do?" Mr. Marty ponders, "The tempting counsel is: Make law serve to prevent such acts. Forbid religious extremist movements to exist. Force people to conform.... Surveillance of those who would murder and bomb has it place. Preventing bloodshed, especially when that bloodshed is in the name of God, is a praiseworthy, in deed, urgent activity. "But at a time when the veneer of our civilization seems to be cracking and when faith in the civility of faith is tested, the worst thing that could happen would be to clump together all the religious, the healers and the killers, the reconcilers and the haters, as if they were the same thing. Or to ask the government to get into the business of telling anyone what to believe and how to please everyone else, by [how] they express their belief. Such notions are dangers as threatening as the possibilities of future murders and bombings in the name of God." Perhaps it is a little shocking that Mr. Marty felt the need to call for tolerance in America but that tendency toward intolerance is growing in the United States as well as a11 around the world. If we think that kind of intolerance toward differences of all kinds is not likely to get out of hand in "enlightened" Western countries, read on. "Religion is still a defining factor in many of the nascent right-wing movements in Europe—ranging from France's National Front to the neo-Nazi groups in Germany and Austria—that oppose integration of foreign ethnic groups and religions in their own societies" (Los Angeles Times, January 14, 1993). The spirit and mood of the end time was foretold by Jesus in His familiar Olivet prophecy. Jesus indicated that religion would very much be an issue in the minds of people—and in the news—during the end time. Notice: "Many will come in My name..." (Matthew 24:5) and "many false prophets [religious leaders] will rise up and deceive many" (verse 11). This extremely terse overview of the end time notes that some of these trends will have tumultuous consequences: "when you see the `abomination of desolation' . . . standing in the `holy place' . . . flee" (verses 15-16). Political refugees escaping occupying armies—and religion at the center of the dispute! Religious oppression—even persecution—is really not so remote a possibility in time or location. Watch world news as these things unfold. Established religion is prophesied to be forcefully promoted as a political tool around the world. Even though we do not know when these events will culminate, we do know that eventually a large part of Europe is to be dominated by a great, long-established church, politicized and serving as the state religion! Should I Readily Accept Doctrinal Changesby Michael R. Meredith Does God want us to be open-minded to all doctrinal change? Does God's Word show us that we need to readily accept doctrinal change? When God has revealed truth through the body of Jesus Christ, does He expect us to readily change it when someone comes along and preaches a "new truth"? Clearly, God admonishes us throughout his Word that we must not readily accept "new doctrine" or "new truth". God strongly warns us against those bringing in "new doctrine" or preaching against truth that has been taught through his faithful servants. II Timothy 1:13-14 tells us, "Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. That good thing which was committed to you, keep by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us". Some have said that we must readily change as if that is a trait of spiritual maturity. God's Word, however, tells us in Proverbs 24:21, "My son, fear the Lord and the king; Do not associate with those given to change; For their calamity will rise suddenly, and who knows the ruin those two can bring." Does God readily change? Malachi 3:6 says, "For I am the Lord, I do not change...". Obviously, we should be willing to grow in knowledge and truth as God reveals, expands, or enhances proven truth or doctrine. II Peter 3:18 tells us, "But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ...." The Greek word "grow" in this passage comes from the Greek word auxano meaning to wax, enlarge, and or, increase. Clearly, the Apostle Peter is not advising us to change doctrine or even to alter doctrine. The Apostle Peter is encouraging us to magnify or increase our understanding and knowledge of God's Word. Jesus Christ set us this example in Matthew 5 when he expanded and magnified our spiritual understanding of the Ten Commandments, "You have heard that it was said to those of old, `You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.' But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother shall be in danger of judgment... You have heard that it was said to those of old, `You shall not commit adultery,' but I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart'” (Matthew 5:21-22; 27-28). Jesus Christ, in Matthew 5, did not minimize, change or "do away" with the doctrine of the Ten Commandments. Jesus Christ did, in fact, enlarge and increase our spiritual understanding of God's Law. One can search the Scriptures thoroughly and will not be able to find any scripture encouraging Christians to readily change doctrine or truth revealed by God through his faithful servants. As a matter of fact, God warns us repeatedly about false ministers who would change doctrine and would deceive many Christians in the process. II Thessalonians 2:15 tells us, "Therefore brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or our epistle." Knowing that many would try to deceive those in the body of Christ with false doctrine, the Apostle Paul, admonishes us in I Thessalonians 5:21, "Test all things; hold fast what is good." Spiritual maturity requires one to be steadfast in doctrine and truth! Notice: "Till we all come to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness, deceitful plotting ..." (Ephesians 4:13-14). Isaiah 24:5 says, "The earth is also defiled under its inhabitants, because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant." Psalm 78:37 and I Corinthians 15:58 show us we need to be steadfast in the faith and to God's Truth. Dozens of times throughout the Old and the New Testaments God warns us strongly about false preachers introducing a "new doctrine" or a "different gospel." The emphasis throughout God's Word, the Holy Bible, is to be wary of "new truth," "new doctrine," or a "different gospel." The Apostle Paul warns us vigorously about those who would bring a "different gospel" message into God's Church (Galatians 1:6-10). In this same warning passage, the Apostle Paul warns us that we must not preach or teach a different gospel or message in order to please men. He says in this same passage, "For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ" (verse 10). We should always be willing to change in attitude or doctrine if God clearly shows us we have been in error. However, we must be very careful and slow to change any doctrine or truth revealed through God's faithful servants. Once we are already in the true Church of God that keeps His commandments, the Bible clearly indicates that we should be extremely careful of any changes in basic doctrine. "This is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, that as you have heard from the beginning, you should walk in it. For many deceivers have gone out into the world..." (II John 6-7). Quick and Powerfulby Jess Reynolds Ancient Israel's captivity in Egypt was indeed bleak as they suffered and toiled under the hard bondage of their merciless Egyptian taskmasters. Many succumbed and died. The Israelites did, however, have one thing in common with their captors—neither master nor slave knew much of the true ways of the Eternal God. The Israelites' existence was indeed bleak during the days they labored under the heavy burdens of Egypt. They cried out by reason of their oppression—and God heard their cries (Exodus 6:5). The God of their Father Abraham sent one from among their brethren to be a deliverer (Exodus 4:19-23). We understand that Moses was a fore-type of our Savior, Jesus Christ, sent to deliver those held captive by sin (I Timothy 1:15). We read in God's word, the Holy Bible, the struggle these physical-minded Israelites experienced. We see how, eventually, these same people who came out of Egypt (a type of sin)—were again enslaved by sins (II Kings 23:34-35). Israel's repeated, agonizing mistake should be a sobering lesson for all of us today. We have come out of modern Egypt—this world with all its glitter, false beliefs and sinful ways. Dare we slip back? We should rather flee with all haste and never return, keeping in mind what it was like to have been in the world with no hope. We need to remember the lesson of Lot's wife who, once being delivered from Sodom, looked behind to the sinful society from which she had already escaped (Genesis 19:26). Will we similarly turn from our God and drift back to this world's moral and religious blindness? If we look back and deny God-then He will also deny us-and we will not be worthy of Him (Matthew 10:37-38). Each of us, at baptism, in a real sense, promised God: "I will obey You—I will keep your laws, statutes and judgments—I will strive to live the way Christ lived." In this season of renewal let us remember to take time out of our busy lives to pray, study, and fast. We cannot afford to long for anything contrary to the Way of life—the teachings of our Father. If we turn back to Egypt we will become enslaved as did our forefathers. We, as Christians, can derive some valuable spiritual lessons from both the captivity and deliverance of our ancestors in Egypt. Let us use these lessons as a reminder to reinforce our commitment and resolve to joyously serve our loving and merciful Lord and Master, and avoid a grievous enslavement to sin in modern Egypt. CorrectionsThanks to those of you who have contacted us regarding the inclusion of Exodus 12:3-14 on page 15 of the March 1993 Global Church News under the heading: The Night to be Much Observed. The reference (Exodus 12:3-14) to how the Israelites on the first observance of the Passover (keeping it in their homes by themselves or with a few neighbors) was to illustrate a principle only—that of togetherness in an appropriate setting. A type of setting that is acceptable for Christians today in keeping the Night to be Much Observed. Likewise, Jesus' personal example of meeting privately with the disciples in a room to observe the Passover is a another example wherefrom the same principle can be extracted. The reference to Exodus 12:3-14 was in no way intended to be a statement about the historical sequence of events of the Exodus from Egypt. Our letter entitled The Passover in your own Home incorrectly mentioned "cream of tarter" as a leavening agent. Cream of tarter can assist some leavening agents, but is not a leavening ,agent itself. Sour milk, honey, flour, and other ingredients can play a vital role in the leavening process but since they are not leavening agents, there is no need to put them out for the Passover or the Days of Unleavened Bread.
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