Table of ContentsGlobal Church News - January-February 1996 |
| Open Letter |
| Editorial by Roderick C. Meredith |
| Vital Keys to Changing Your Life |
| Dress to Please the Great Designer |
| America and Britain in Prophecy |
| A Christians Job Description |
Dear Brethren and Friends,
Greetings from San Diego! The Work of the Living Christ keeps expanding in every way. Your telephone calls keep pouring in, more new brethren are attending Global each week and, as you know, we're adding new, widely watched television stations. Let me remind you again to watch our program on the new stations in Shreveport and Nashville!
We are dedicated to really DOING "the Work"!
Now, we are grateful to announce that we have contracted with a new answering service which should be able to really handle, promptly and efficiently, all of our incoming calls from television. We simply outgrew the other answering service, and I am sorry that we were unable to switch to a new service even sooner than we did. But we are very grateful for the new one that has opened up and feel this will be a big boost forward in accomplishing the Great Commission. As we add more powerful stations, we hope and pray that the calls will really start flooding in and that this nation will begin to be warned as God intended.
Since the Feast, over 500 new members have joined with us! A number of additional elders and their wives have also come with us from our former association. Among these newcomers are Mr. and Mrs. Dan Hall. Mr. Hall, who was ordained 20 years ago, is now serving full-time in the Global ministry under the direction of Mr. John Ogwyn in the Louisiana/Mississippi area. Please pray for him and for all of these new brethren—that God will guide their lives and use them in His service as He wills.
By way of additional news, we are grateful to announce that Mr. Syd Hull, our minister based in South Africa, has established the Global Church in Kenya, East Africa. We now have about two dozen brethren attending church services in the Nairobi area.
As we enter this new year of 1996, it is vital that we rethink our priorities. Are we, as true Christians—"bondslaves" of Jesus Christ—convicted and focused on the importance of doing God's Work? Are we really giving ourselves in this crusade to reach a dying world with God's full Truth? Do we love our peoples enough to actively support "warning" our fellow Israelites and our Gentile neighbors—our friends—about the coming Great Tribulation (as I thoroughly explained last time)?
Also, how are you helping to build the Church? Are you serving, helping out and generally supporting your Church leadership to "feed the flock"—as we are certainly commanded to do?
Brethren, as I think about my personal responsibilities in "feeding the flock," I realize that there is NOTHING more important than helping us ALL to learn to reflect the LOVE of God and the MIND of Jesus Christ! Sometimes in our desire to "reach the world," and perhaps even to "shake up" some of our spiritually sleepy, separated brethren, we get too harsh, too accusative and too judgmental. We all need to emphasize more of the genuine outflowing concern of which the Bible speaks so much! Jesus Himself told us, "By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:35).
Yes, I deeply understand how this and similar verses were misused by leaders of our former association in an effort to do away with the Ten Commandments and the entire way of life that we had all learned. But, remember, Mr. Herbert Armstrong used this same scripture the right way long before some of these false teachers were even born! So, as you read the rest of this letter, DO NOT THINK for even one second that I am going to "water down" God's Holy, righteous law!
Quite the contrary. With God's guidance and inspiration, I hope to follow the example of our Lord and Savior and magnify some of the principles of His law as they affect our personal conduct in God's Church today. The Apostle Paul wrote, "For not the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be justified" (Rom. 2:13).
Instead of making "demands" as the ministers of Christ, Paul described how he and his fellow ministers served the Thessalonian brethren: "But we were GENTLE among you, just as a nursing mother cherishes her own children. So, affectionately longing for you, we were well pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God, but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us. For you remember, brethren, our labor and toil; for laboring night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, we preached to you the gospel of God. You are witnesses, and God also, how devoutly and justly and blamelessly we behaved ourselves among you who believe; as you know how we exhorted, and comforted, and charged every one of you, as a father does his own children, that you would walk worthy of God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory" (1 Thess. 2:7-12).
If we can learn to be "gentle" with one another as Paul was, if we can be "affectionately longing" for each other as he was, and if we can "devoutly and justly and blamelessly" behave ourselves in our relations with each other and all Christians, then our God and Savior will be well pleased indeed. But all too often, we fall short in sharing the deep affection and concern we should have for one another.
Jesus warned, "But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes!" (Matt. 18:6-7). So I implore all of you zealous brethren out there to be careful, considerate and sensitive to the feelings of others. DON'T assume that all of our newer members—or our tender-hearted ladies—will somehow be "benefited" by hearing graphic descriptions of the gory details of what a Nazi concentration camp was like or detailed accounts of the horrors of the A-bombing of Hiroshima.
For years I have realized that this is not necessary and often has a reverse effect—especially with very sensitive people. I come from a strong home and a strong family. But there are millions out there who grew up in broken homes and who have had very little confidence or self esteem, who are extremely sensitive, even to the point of having awful nightmares if a minister or another member gets too graphic in describing the horrors of the coming Tribulation or other similar subjects.
God tells us, "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus" (Phil: 2:5). He then goes on to show how Christ "emptied" Himself in order to serve us. So in all our words and actions, we need to think, "Will this kind of action or discussion really benefit, encourage and uplift the congregation or the group I am visiting with after Church? Or will it discourage, alienate or perhaps even unnerve many of my brethren?"
Again, a few of our brethren sometimes "get going" in a detailed, speculative discussion about the New World Order, government conspiracies or how rich Jewish bankers are purportedly taking over the entire world. Brethren, over the last 45 years I have read hundreds of pages of stuff along these lines. And most of it is just a big pile of BALONEY!
If you feel that the fruits of my 43 years in the ministry show that I am a faithful minister of Jesus Christ, then PLEASE LISTEN!
Of course President Clinton, former President Bush, Margaret Thatcher and many others have met and discussed the idea of a "New World Order." As highly intelligent men and women in leadership positions, they see the need for an effective, centralized world government to prevent humanity from DESTROYING itself! Since God has not yet called them to His full Truth, they can only think and plan for such a government along human lines. But they have children and even grandchildren living in our nations, so they are NOT REMOTELY interested in "giving away" America, Canada or Britain to some "Communist conspiracy"!
Can't we understand that?
And in the world today, the biggest and richest bankers and financiers are NOT Jewish at all! They are primarily Japanese, German, Swiss and then some British and Americans of Anglo-Saxon or Dutch descent. This old rubbish about "rich Jews" taking over has been around for over 100 years! It has never happened. It is never going to happen. And it is utterly ridiculous!
Much of the "rich Jewish conspiracy" talk originated years ago in Europe in connection with anti-Semitism in general. Such attitudes helped lay the intellectual groundwork for Hitler's campaign against the Jews and the ultimate use of concentration camps and gas ovens during the Holocaust!
Remember Jesus Christ was of the tribe of Judah—a Jew: "For it is evident that our Lord arose from Judah, of which tribe Moses spoke nothing concerning priesthood" (Heb. 7:14). Again, picturing Jesus Christ as both a Lion and a Lamb, notice how the Apostle John was inspired to describe Jesus' lineage: "Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals. And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth. Then He came and took the scroll out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne" (Rev 5:5-7).
Without question, Jesus of Nazareth was a Jew King David—who will soon rule again over all Israel—was a Jew And nearly all the original twelve apostles who will reign over the house of Israel under Christ and David were Jews! These men will SOON be resurrected and many of us—IF we can humble ourselves, learn to serve one another and be counted worthy—may be reporting to these former Jews in our responsibilities in the World Ahead! We had better think about how we will ANSWER to them and to GOD if we talk about, think about or in any way perpetuate this anti-Jewish attitude which led to mass murder and indescribable horrors during the war years when many of us were growing up.
THINK this over carefully!
The mind of Jesus Christ is a BALANCED mind. It is a mind filled with LOVE and outflowing concern for ALL human beings—of whatever race, color or creed. It is NOT a mind preoccupied with "catching" other people in real or imagined sins. It is not a mind preoccupied with "judging" and condemning all kinds of other political or religious groups.
We all need to humble ourselves and try to genuinely SERVE one another. It is always better to err on the side of LOVE rather than accusation and hatred. We all need to be soberly preparing ourselves—NOT the other guy—as part of the body of Christ. We all need to realize that just because we came out of our former association early, we do NOT automatically have greater spiritual wisdom and greater LOVE and outflowing concern!
Brethren, let's all remember that many misunderstandings and hurts have occurred within God's Church—especially over the past 20 years when Mr. Armstrong grew older and became more out of touch. When the "neoprotestants" in Pasadena's succeeding administration took over, they began to change nearly everything. Let's appreciate the fact that so many thousands of brethren have hung in there and have continued to keep the Sabbath, the Holy Days and much of God's precious Truth. Let's love and appreciate them—even if they are not within our particular church organization.
Our goal should be to spend our time and energy doing the Work to reach the whole world—and working on our own personal sins and problems. Remember the inspired instruction of the Apostle Paul: "For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another" (Gal. 6:3-4). And again, "For we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves. But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise" (2 Cor. 10:12).
Remember, brethren, I have repeatedly urged all of us NOT to feel spiritually superior just because we came out ahead of others. God is working with each family and often each individual in a different way in this regard. Some have been in circumstances where they just didn't see the depth of the apostasy until very recently. Some ministers may even yet be sincerely deluded into thinking that they are "serving the brethren" and "being loyal" by staying put. They may NOT YET have been forced to preach the new heresies. Someone may have scores of sincere brethren urging him to "hang in there" because he may be the only minister in the entire region still holding to most of the Truth.
Who are we to CONDEMN them if they finally come out a few months or even a couple of years after we do? In our organization, if I had that attitude, I would be condemning about HALF of our entire ministry!
Maybe some of us feel that we are spiritually "strong" because we came out early. IF we are stronger spiritually, then we should certainly heed these inspired words: "We who are strong ought to put up with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Each of us must please our neighbor for the good purpose of building up the neighbor. For Christ did not please Himself; but, as it is written, `The insults of those who insult you have fallen on Me.' For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, so that by steadfastness and by the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope. May the God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another, in accordance with Christ Jesus, so that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God" (Rom. 15:1-7 NRSV).
Dear brethren, it will take time for all of us to grow to the stature of Christ, which He wants us to attain even in this life. But I hope the principles and examples which I have given here will be used by all of you to aid in this growth process. We have been blessed immeasurably to have the opportunity to really know the purpose of our existence—hidden from generations of men and women in the past. Now, through the Global Church of God, we have been blessed to have a part in reviving the very Work of the Living God at the end of this age.
So let all of us be very thankful. And let us also be sure that each one of us, individually, demonstrates LOVE and LIVES the way of life that we preach. The result will be that we not only reach others around the world with the Gospel, but also that we will make our own "calling and election sure" (2 Peter 1:10).
Over 46 years ago, I met a remarkable man. This man radiated faith and courage far more than anyone I had ever known. God was indeed real to him. And he made God more real to me than anyone else had ever done.
This man was very human. He himself confessed he had faults and imperfections. But they were all up front. If you were perceptive, you could easily see them. He did not try to hide his mistakes. He was far more concerned about what God thought in some matter than what other people thought. In fact, he could be quite blunt and even abrasive in correcting his followers when he thought they needed it. He seldom tried to sugarcoat anything—even about himself.
This was because he truly believed that God was a wonderful, powerful, personal Father—and the great Governor of the Universe. So he really trusted God—and did not worry too much about what men thought.
This man's plans and thoughts were BIG because the God he so deeply believed in has indescribable power, wealth and vision. It was obvious that this remarkable man's thoughts and actions were greatly intertwined with his concepts of the greatness of God, what God's character was like and how we ought to reflect that in the way we live, the buildings we live and work in and the kind of music, art and literature we enjoy. His life was almost totally absorbed in doing the Work of God—and reflecting the character of God. He deeply understood that everything was related to God in some way.
When things went wrong in the institutions he headed; he would fall to his knees in prayer. For he knew God was there, and that there was good reason in God's mind to allow even a tragedy to happen—otherwise it just wouldn't occur. And when great blessings came along, this man was the very first to acknowledge that those blessings did NOT come from his human foresight, ability or hard work, but from God Himself, his merciful Father.
This man deeply believed and based his life on Hebrews 11:6: "But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him." I personally heard him quote this verse many, many times with great feeling.
Because of his absolute faith and trust in God, Herbert W. Armstrong was able to move from a little office and a virtually unknown Work he headed in Eugene, Oregon, to establish a college in Pasadena, California. It eventually became known around the world. One of his sons told me, "My dad didn't even have the money to build a good outhouse, let alone build a college!" But Mr. Armstrong did build Ambassador College's Pasadena campus, then another one near London, England, and eventually a third campus in Big Sandy, Texas. In addition, he was used by God to build a burgeoning Work that spanned the entire globe—with beautiful international offices in major cities around the world.
Were there setbacks and trials along the way? Of course there were!
I personally saw Mr. Armstrong face many of these trials. During the late 1940s and early 1950s, I was privileged to be at Ambassador College and see how Mr. and Mrs. Armstrong were willing to put their home up for sale to save that institution. I heard his ringing declarations of faith and courage when things got rough. I saw proof that God answered his prayers and delivered him and the Work—again and again.
In different versions, he said to me several times during the early years of the college, "Rod, I know that most of our professors and administrators are all discouraged and talking about `when this thing folds up.' But I know that God is in this Work and that it is NOT going to fold up. We've just got to do our part and then trust in God and I know He WILL do His part. He has NEVER let me down, and I know that He will not do so now!"
One of Mr. Armstrong's favorite definitions of faith is the description of Abraham's faith: "He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform" (Rom. 4:20-21).
Through absolute faith and trust in God, Herbert W. Armstrong was able to make a BIG difference in the lives of countless thousands of people. He was used to make God real to them—and to help them grasp the fact that we must LIVE God's way of life, not merely believe in the person of Jesus Christ. And, in a more personal way, he taught hundreds of us early students of Ambassador College a way of life based on quality, high standards and true culture, yet joined with awe and worship of the very real Creator God.
For this we should ALL be very grateful!
About the time you receive this magazine it will be the tenth anniversary of the death of Herbert W. Armstrong. He died, as did King David, "in a good old age, full of days" (1 Chron. 29:28). He lived a very long, exciting, challenging and extremely productive life, dying in his 94th year.
No, he was NOT perfect. He never claimed to be. But Herbert W. Armstrong set a tremendous example of faith and courage that all of us should try to emulate. Most of us would never have known the supreme purpose of life—the precious TRUTH of God—if Mr. Armstrong had not yielded himself to God and TRUSTED in Him the way he did. No matter how many years go by, let us never forget that.
by John. H. Ogwyn
How did a duplicitous, conniving "supplanter," appropriately named "Jacob," become transformed into a "prince with God"—and renamed "Israel"?
What led women such as Ruth and Rahab to make such an about-face in their personal lives? They completely forsook the pagan gods and practices of their youth in order to wholeheartedly embrace the God of Israel and His ways. What about Mary Magdalene? She was noted in her community as a "sinner." How did she completely turn from the immorality of her early life to become a devoted disciple of Jesus Christ and a follower of the way of righteousness? These individuals all underwent dramatic changes in their lives to become something far nobler, better and stronger! How?
The Bible certainly records stories of dramatic change in the lives of many individuals. How were they able to totally turn around their lives? Is it possible for you to make changes of equal magnitude in your own life? Yes you can! But to do so you must discover two vital keys of spiritual understanding. Most people overlook them entirely. Even those who acknowledge them generally misunderstand what they really involve.
In Acts 2, during the beginnings of the New Testament Church, Simon Peter preached a powerful sermon to multiple thousands assembled to observe the Feast of Pentecost. A number of those who heard him that day had, perhaps, stood in the mob assembled outside Pilate's Judgment Hall about seven weeks earlier. At that earlier time, they had shouted, "Crucify Him!" when Pilate offered to free Jesus of Nazareth. But now, believing the truth of Peter's message, they were convicted of the magnitude of what they had previously done. It was with a deep sense of shame and personal guilt that they now humbly asked him, "What shall we do?" (Acts 2:36-39). He responded by telling them to repent. Faith and repentance are the vital keys without which real change is impossible.
Faith and repentance are simple words, yet they carry profound meaning. Today, most people equate repentance with being sorry. However, real repentance is neither simply being sorry, nor is it an equivalent of the penance practiced by some religions. The concept of penance suggests that certain good actions can atone for previous bad ones. If real repentance isn't to be equated with remorse, regret or acts of penance, then what is it?
There are several words rendered "repent" in the Bible. The Hebrew term generally used in the Old Testament is shuv which means "to turn." In its meaning, the word goes "beyond contrition and sorrow to a conscious decision of turning to God" (Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, p. 909). In the New Testament there are two Greek words used to describe repentance. One is epistrepho, which means "to convert, to change, to turn to or against" (Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, p. 1,095). The other is metanoia, which literally means a "change of mind." Real repentance is not simply a feeling or an emotion. It is not an act of contrition or atonement. It involves a total turnaround, a complete change in life!
Before repentance must come faith. The kind of faith we're talking about is living and real. It produces a state of mind that wants to make an about-face and turn to God. This faith is a coincidence in God and His promises and it results in action! "Faith without works is dead," the Apostle James wrote in James 2:20. To really believe and trust God makes it possible for us to absolutely, unconditionally surrender to Him.
Understanding what God-fearing men and women of the past did helps us to understand the life-changing faith we need to embrace today. They saw the promises "afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth" (Heb. 11:13 KJV). First, we must see and understand the promises that God makes, be convinced of both their value and their reality, and then we must embrace them.
To embrace is to hold dear and precious. If we don't value and cherish what God offers we simply won't hold on and endure through the ups and downs of life. Because the men and women of faith held dear what God promised, they evidenced by word and action that they weren't part of this world. They were simply strangers passing through in quest of something far greater beyond.
The Bible makes plain that Satan the Devil is the "god of this age" and directs the course or pattern of this society (2 Cor. 4:4; Eph. 2:2). We cannot fit in with this world and fit in with God at the same time (James 4:4). Why is this so? Because in order to fit in with, and cultivate the acceptance and approval of, this world, a person must be in harmony with the values of this age.
John summed up the values of this present world as appealing to "the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life" (1 John 2:16). A quick examination of the billboards, television programming, popular music and content of most mass-circulation newspapers and magazines should make the apostle's point. This age is corrupt! The modern world's decadent value system is going to pass away, but there is a World Ahead based upon eternal values. That new world, God's wonderful World Ahead, will be permanent. If we really believe this, then we will want to turn to God with all of our hearts and learn how to dwell in harmony with Him forever.
Living faith produces action! Genuine repentance is one of the first actions it produces.
That is what Peter's audience evidenced when they asked him, "What shall we do?" They offered no excuses. They didn't attempt to minimize their actions. They didn't begin blaming others. Rather, they were humble, teachable and surrendered in their hearts and minds. Peter had preached the Gospel and they believed his message. They evidenced faith by their heartfelt desire to act upon that message. So they asked the question that day that all who desire genuine change in their lives must ask: "What shall we do?"
Change can be either for the worse or for the better. Today, sadly, many things are changing for the worse. To evaluate change, whether it is bad or good, a standard is needed. And before godly change can occur in our lives, we must clearly know the way to go. The Bible defines which way of life is wrong for us and what way is right. The biblical word to describe the wrong way is "sin," while the right way is called "love" or "righteousness."
Notice how the Bible itself defines sin: "To commit sin is to break God's law: sin, in fact, is lawlessness" ( 1 John 3:4 NEB). Let's get this—God's law defines sin. Which law? The great spiritual law summed up in the Ten Commandments (Rom. 7:14)! Paul explained that he would have had no way of knowing that lust was a sin except that the law, the tenth commandment, had said, "You shall not covet" (v. 7).
James referred to a "royal law" which regulated relationships between humans. He summarized this royal law as "love your neighbor as yourself," but went on to clarify that this law had specific points, such as "do not commit adultery" and "do not murder" (James 2:8-11).
After all, Jesus had summarized all the points of God's law by stating we are to love God with our whole heart and mind and being, and that we are to love our neighbor as ourselves. "On these two commandments," He said, "hang all the Law and the Prophets" (Matt. 22:40).
More than any other single word, love summarizes the very character and nature of God (1 John 4:8). But it is a love that "is the fulfillment of the law" (Rom. 13:10). John wrote, "This is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome" (1 John 5:3). And this way of love is called righteousness: "For all Your commandments are righteousness" (Ps. 119:172).
Simply put, sin is the transgression of God's holy, righteous law which tells us how to love God and how to love our neighbor. The fundamental points of God's law are summarized by the Ten Commandments and amplified and built upon by various statutes, testimonies and principles given throughout both the Old and New Testaments (2 Tim. 3:16-17). Jesus Christ said, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God" (Matt. 4:4).
God's law tells us how to be like Him ( 1 Peter1:15-16). However, all of us have fallen far short of being like God. What can we do? No amount of future good deeds can ever make up for what we have done in the past. This ought to be obvious even from looking at man's laws.
If you were arrested for murder, would the promise to refrain from ever doing it again earn your acquittal? Of course not! If we keep the law in the future, we are merely doing what is expected. No amount of future law-keeping can ever atone for past law-breaking. All of us have sinned (Rom. 3:23) and the wages of sin is death (6:23). God made possible our release from the death penalty, the curse of the law, by giving Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son, to die in our stead. We are, therefore, reconciled to God by the death of His Son (5:10). God took the initiative to bring us into harmony with Himself, which is what “reconcile" means. He has demonstrated His love by An attitude of giving the ultimate sacrifice, the life of His Son, to pay the penalty that you and I have incurred by our wrong thoughts, attitudes and actions (John 3:16). However, we must respond to God's grace through faith and repentance.
God's intent is to save us FROM our sins, not IN our sins. "Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?" Paul asks. "Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?" (Rom. 6:1-2). If we are to accept God's freely offered gift of eternal life, which we could never earn or deserve in a thousand lifetimes, then we must respond to Him by turning from our ways to His ways (Acts 2:38).
An attitude of unconditional surrender of our life and of our will is the mind-set of repentance. If we come to see the reality of the glorious future that God offers, and to genuinely believe His Word, then we'll want to seek God and His ways with all of our heart. That is what sparked the changes in the lives of men and women of faith. Living faith ALWAYS results in action! Repentance is a response to living faith. While it starts on the inside, it will also be reflected in outward changes. If we really have come to hate the old ways, we will want to turn from them.
Godly repentance is a vital key to real change (called conversion in religious terminology).
Before any of us can come to repentance, however, we must be convinced that God is right and that we are wrong. We have to come to God, acknowledging our sin with no excuses and recognizing our utter lack of self sufficiency to transform ourselves. If we admit our powerlessness to change ourselves on our own, believe and trust in God's power to do so through Jesus Christ and His sacrifice, and humbly ask Him to guide our lives—then we are on the way to godly change! We must be willing to search our lives and acknowledge our sins and shortcomings.
We will never really turn from something unless we have learned to hate it. We will never hold on to something unless we have learned to love and value it.
Different human societies in different times and places have had vastly differing concepts of right and wrong. God is the One who defines the difference, and His Word is the only source of really knowing which is which (Ps. 119:9-11).We must come to hate the evil and to love the good. God's law is the means by which we learn to differentiate between the evil and the good. We aren't born knowing right from wrong.
Being sorry and being repentant are two different things. In fact, the Bible shows that there are two different ways to be sorry—worldly sorrow and godly sorrow. The distinction is important because worldly sorrow works death (2 Cor. 7:10).
There is a kind of regret and remorse that can fill a person with despair and hopelessness. It can even lead to suicide. That is what happened to Judas Iscariot after the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. This kind of regret for past actions and their consequences is NOT real repentance.
Godly sorrow produces repentance, which in turn leads to salvation (vv. 10-11). Without godly sorrow, real repentance is impossible. However, even godly sorrow is not the same thing as real repentance. As 2 Corinthians 7:11 shows, godly sorrow will produce seven specific responses in those who have it, and those responses collectively constitute repentance.
Carefulness is the first response produced by godly sorrow.
If we've really come to recognize the deceptive , ensnaring, destructive quality of sin for what it is, then diligent carefulness is a result. Once, many years ago, I pulled up to stop at a traffic light and in a matter of moments a terrible accident took place before my eyes. When the light turned green, the car immediately ahead of me pulled into the intersection and was instantly struck by an oncoming vehicle moving at high speed. I was shaken to realize that I had come so close to being in a horrible wreck. What carefulness it wrought in me! This close brush with death made me extra careful to avoid potentially dangerous situations. It gave me a heightened awareness of my environment.
When we've really come to see sin as God sees it, we will hate it for its destructive power. When we truly grasp how close to death we have come, then what diligent carefulness it will produce in us!
The second response involves clearing away guilt.
We not only become careful in our desire to avoid future sin, we earnestly desire to clear away the guilt from the past and the shame that ensued. We do this not by excusing or justifying past actions, but by confessing them to God and asking His forgiveness (1 John 1:8-9). The typical response of human nature is to blame others or to minimize the seriousness of our actions. That's what Adam and Eve did when God confronted them in the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3:11-13) and that's what most of their descendants have been doing ever since. However, excuses and blame-placing can never really remove guilt. Only the shed blood of Jesus Christ can truly cover sin and clear away guilt (John 1:29; Rom. 5:9).
Indignation is the third result of godly sorrow.
Too commonly in our society, sin is treated as though it were "no big deal." But sin is obviously a VERY big deal to God, for it cost Him the life of His Son!
If we are motivated by godly sorrow, we will be indignant. We will be stirred up about sin and its results. God told Ezekiel the prophet to take special note of those who sighed and cried for the abominations of Israel (Ezek. 9:4). Such righteous indignation toward our own past, and toward the evils of our society, is a consequence of godly sorrow.
Godly fear is yet another result of godly sorrow.
The fear of God doesn't mean that we hide in a corner, terrorized by Him. It means, rather, that we stand in awe and reverence of the Great God. We fear Him for He has the power of life and death—power to execute judgment or extend forgiveness. We are deeply impressed with Him and with His awesome power and infinite goodness.
This godly fear is the beginning of wisdom. It is a starting point for really growing and going forward in our lives (Prov. 9:10). God has the power to back up His commands and instructions.
A fifth response is vehement desire.
David described in Psalm 42:1-2 how he thirsted for God. It was a thirst that could only be satisfied by that river of living water, God's Holy Spirit. Peter tells us that we are to desire God's Truth in the same way that a newborn baby desires his mother's milk (1 Peter 2:2).
Anyone who has ever seen a tiny baby eagerly and greedily seeking to "latch on" for his next meal has an idea of what vehement desire really is. This is the way that we are to hunger and thirst for God's righteousness (cf. Matt. 5:6).
Zeal is the sixth response that results from godly sorrow.
Being stirred up and on fire for God's way of life is a prerequisite for permanent change. To be zealous is to be passionately committed! Godly sorrow doesn't produce a tepid, lukewarm response—it produces zeal.
The seventh response that is produced by godly sorrow is a little difficult to understand in many Bible translations. The King James Version renders it "revenge." The New King James Version uses "vindication." In the context of 2 Corinthians 7:11, what the term actually means in the Greek is "a righting or avenging of wrongs. "
If we are motivated by true godly sorrow, we will have a desire to make things right. Christ expounded this principle in the Sermon on the Mount: "Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift" (Matt. 5:23-24). Godly sorrow doesn't only mean you tell God you're sorry. Wherever you have hurt or harmed someone else in any way, you will have a desire to make it right. Depending on what's involved, this may mean an apology or even making restitution.
Real repentance, according to Paul, is a composite of the seven responses to godly sorrow. It involves turning from the way of sin to the way of righteousness. It is a heartfelt, unconditional surrender of our life and of our will to the Great God.
A living faith and a genuine repentance engendered by that faith are two vital keys to permanent change. Without them, spiritual conversion can never take place.
by Colin Adair
Those who worship God are to worship Him in spirit and truth. God's main focus is on our spiritual development—our heart, our mind, our attitude. This is why God does not judge by outward appearances as men often do. God knows our innermost thoughts!
It is a mistake, however, to assume that God is therefore not interested in the physical aspects of our lives. We must realize that our physical and spiritual lives are intimately linked. As we are to be lights to the world and ambassadors for God, we should reflect His mind in our every action. This includes our dress, how we maintain our environment and all the other physical choices we make.
Years ago, I had the opportunity to attend concerts at the Ambassador Auditorium in Pasadena. I was struck by the fact that many patrons were extremely casually dressed. Blue jeans and open-necked shirts were the norm for many men and slacks and blouses for many women. While they were clean and neat, these types of informal dress just didn't seem to fit the occasion. In years past, it would have been unthinkable to attend a formal concert in a beautiful auditorium dressed so casually.
What has happened to our society? Have we become so laid-back that formal occasions are no longer viewed as such? Is it "old-fashioned" to dress up for a wedding or a special occasion?
No one would dream of putting on a tuxedo to go hunting in the woods or to clear brush on his property. But to suggest that there is appropriate dress for a wedding, funeral or concert is considered radical elite snobbism by some.
Of course, there have always been people in every century who didn't understand proper decorum and culture. In the l9th century, when the Duke of Argyle was at the theater one night in a sidebox, a person entered the same box wearing boots and spurs. (This was not a saloon in frontier Texas.) The duke arose from his seat and, with great ceremony, expressed his thanks to the stranger who, somewhat confused, desired to know why he was being thanked. The duke gravely replied, "For not bringing your horse into the box."
Just what do we mean when we talk about being cultured or observing proper decorum? Webster's Third International Dictionary (vol. 1, 1981) defines culture this way: "1 ) The act of developing by education, discipline, social experience; the training or refining of the moral and intellectual faculties. 2) The enlightenment and excellence of taste acquired by intellectual and aesthetic training; the intellectual and artistic content of civilization; refinement in manners, taste, and thought."
Boiling it down, culture simply means becoming educated to know how to behave, dress and act in given circumstances. Our motivation should be to express love for our fellowman in a way that would be readily understood by others.
But, you may say, who dictates what is proper conduct? Almost every society has its "Miss Manners" who holds forth on its customs and traditions. What may be proper dress in London or Milwaukee for a special social occasion may not be the same in say: Damascus, Nairobi or Helena. That is true. But for each society, the accepted rules of decorum and conduct are those that should be followed—unless they conflict with God's standards of morality and culture. As Paul wrote, "Do all things without murmuring and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world" (Phil. 2:14-15).
Is God concerned that we develop this refined side of life? We can gain an insight as to how we should behave in society from the Word of God.
God has a way of living that reflects cultural principles acceptable to Him. He wants His children to embrace these principles. He does not want cultural illiterates in His Kingdom, but children who know how to behave in the right way and appreciate the finer things of life—including fine dress.
As the Creator of the material universe, God appreciates beauty and quality. Is a sunset ugly? Does a rose represent shoddy bioengineering? Throughout His creation uncleanness and sloppiness is tidied up by marvelous cleanup crews—whether crabs; vultures, ants or bacteria.
Our God's very appearance and throne radiate beauty and splendor. Notice how the Bible speaks of His presence: "Then Moses went up, also Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and they saw the God of Israel. And there was under His feet as it were a paved work of sapphire stone, and it was like the very heavens in its clarity" (Ex. 24:9-10). When Moses asked to see God's glory he saw a Being of splendor and power and goodness. The Hebrew word rendered "glory" in Exodus 33:18 means splendor and the Hebrew translated as "goodness" means beauty.
The accounts of the throne of God in both Old and New Testaments show God's environment to be one of beauty, splendor and quality. "And I looked, and there in the firmament that was above the head of the cherubim, there appeared something like a sapphire stone, having the appearance of the likeness of a throne" (Ezek. 10:1). The sapphire is a transparent, richly blue, translucent crystal. "Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne. And He who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald" (Rev. 4:2-3).
The jasper stone is an opaque quartz of any of several colors (red, brown, green, yellow). Now we know, of course, that God's throne and surroundings are not literal, physical gemstones. But these precious and semi-precious stones, which we have on earth, are apparently similar in color or form to the adornments that God uses in heaven.
The point is that God dwells in beauty, glory and splendor. Notice how He wanted His earthly tabernacle adorned. "Take from among you an offering to the LORD. Whoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it as an offering to the LORD: gold, silver, and bronze; blue and purple and scarlet, fine
linen thread, and goats' hair; rams' skins dyed red, badger skins, and acacia wood; oil for the light, and spices for the anointing oil and for the sweet incense; onyx stones, and stones to be set in the ephod and in the breastplate" (Ex. 35:5-9).
God also gave instructions that the work was to be accomplished with the finest quality and craftsmanship: "And He has filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom and understanding, in knowledge and all manner of workmanship, to design artistic works, to work in gold and silver and bronze, in cutting jewels for setting, in carving wood, and to work in all manner of artistic workmanship.... He has filled them with skill to do all manner of work of the engraver and the designer and the tapestry maker, in blue and purple and scarlet, and fine linen, and of the weaver—those who do every work and those who design artistic works" (vv. 31-33, 35).
When it came to establishing the priesthood, God instructed them what to wear as well as what to do. Notice Exodus 28:1-2: "Now take Aaron your brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may minister to Me as priest, Aaron and Aaron's sons: Nadab Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. And you shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty."
Was God concerned about the kind of clothing they wore when they were serving Him? Yes! He did not allow them to wear just anything they wanted when they performed the function of the priesthood. The occasion required special clothing!
God spends quite a bit of time throughout the whole of Exodus 28 describing in great detail the garments that the priests had to wear. He didn't leave it up to them to wear what they wanted.
The principle we can learn from this is that special occasions require special dress. It is simply good etiquette and protocol to be in tune with social standards, as long as society doesn't degenerate and move away from God's standards. Today, sadly, society has lost much of its consensus as to appropriate standards of behavior and dress. Yet, as God's people, we should show the way even as others drift in the opposite direction.
Consider this parable of Jesus Christ: "So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good. And the wedding hall was filled with guests. But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment. So he said to him, `Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?' And he was speechless. Then the king said to the servants, `Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth'” (Matt. 22:10-13).
While Jesus' point was that we are to be spiritually prepared for the Kingdom of God, He used the readily understood example of inappropriate dress to teach it!
We know that the New Testament Church is called a special people, a royal priesthood. Wouldn't God also want His people, today, to come before His presence to worship Him properly attired? He does not say we have to wear special garments like the priesthood of old, but it should be obvious that we should come into His presence properly groomed and dressed to fit the occasion.
Would you attend a somber funeral in a bright suit and gaudy tie or a low-cut, tight dress? God's people should be sensitive to others' feelings.
Sabbath services are a joyous occasion, but they are also formal in nature because we are participating in a commanded assembly before Almighty God! Whoever you are, you should wear your best! If you are poor, living out of your car and have only two pairs of blue jeans to your name, it is no shame to attend Sabbath services wearing your best pair of jeans! But if you have the means of purchasing a good pair of dress slacks, honor God and wear those! God doesn't expect you to spend money on clothes when you need the money for food. If you let your need be known, perhaps one of your Christian brothers or sisters will give you some nicer clothes. Whatever our means, the principle is that we should dress in our best at Sabbath services because we are appearing before the Eternal!
Modesty should also be considered when selecting clothes to wear at services. I am not saying we should have a "yardstick religion" and start measuring hair lengths and skirt lengths. But certain "cool" fashions are inappropriate even though they may be stylish.
Women should ask themselves if their dress is one of the "too's"—too revealing, too tight too short, too low-cut, too "saxy." When you sit down, does it look like you're dressed for gymnastics instead of church services? Doesn't dress reveal something about a person's attitude? Of course! That's why millions of people spend small fortunes to acquire a "look." Fashion designers make lots of money to satisfy this human penchant. But you, a Christian, should ask yourself, "How does God see me?" The Apostle Peter said, "Do not let your beauty be that outward adorning of arranging the hair, of wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel; but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible ornament of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God" ( 1 Peter 3:3-4).
Does your dress show honor to Jesus Christ who had to die so your sins might be paid? Are you making the other brethren feel uncomfortable or embarrassed by your clothes being too something? If a minister feels he must speak to you about your dress, it is not because he wants to embarrass you. He is responsible to tactfully teach you a more perfect way to please God whether in dress or other matters!
Am I being prudish? Not at all. Prudishness is one thing; immodesty is another. God shows us what He thinks about it when He explained how the priests should be careful in their dress. We read in Exodus 20:26: "Nor shall you go up by steps to My altar, that your nakedness may not be exposed on it." The priests wore robes and they were warned by God not to expose inappropriate parts of the body. Why? It would have been unseemly and in poor taste. It would not have been proper behavior or culturally appropriate and it would not have been showing love for others. Modesty applies to men also, not just women. Sometimes men can wear clothing which is too tight and fall into the same trap as women.
I remember growing up in what was then a strict Protestant home. We "kept" Sunday as the "Sabbath" very religiously. We went to church morning and night, and I often attended Sunday school in the afternoon. The term "Sunday best" came to describe what we wore to services. None of us dreamed of going to church casually dressed.
We kept our best suit or dress for Sunday. We believed, after all, that we were going into God's presence, which was in church (so we thought). Just as we would have never dreamed of having an audience with the Queen, while wearing gardening clothes, so it never entered our mind to go to church and appear before God in anything but our best.
This is the thinking we all should have when we prepare to come before the Great God in Sabbath services each week.
We are living in a "casual" era. Many people want to be independent, to do their own thing, to conform to nonconformity. They resent being asked to wear the appropriate dress for the occasion. They seem to take delight in being different and, perhaps, shocking. So they mar a beautiful wedding by coming in shorts and thongs. They wear inappropriately casual clothes to concerts and recitals. They are uncultured, not knowing how to behave and how to dress.
There is, of course, much more to proper culture than the subject of dress. There is appreciation for fine arts and music, both of which have been corrupted for decades and fall short of God's standards.
An overall principle a Christian can use when buying material things is to purchase the best quality that one can afford within his or her economic means. The low price leader is not always the best value!
As God's people, we must learn that godly culture is something He wants us to attain. Let us seriously consider whether how we dress is proper for the occasion. Some have let down in how they appear before God at services. Let's change our thinking on this and dress appropriately. We must raise our standards, if necessary, from our present level of thinking to God's level of thinking.
The beauty and quality that surrounds God is symbolic—a visual manifestation of His character. We should surround ourselves with beauty and quality to the best of our ability—not for vanity's sake, but because it glorifies God and symbolizes those same qualities which we seek in our character.
Becoming cultured people, as God defines culture, is a worthwhile goal to strive for. Let it begin with proper attire for services, and expand into every area of our lives as we work to uphold the values and morals of our Father and our Savior, Jesus Christ!
by Raymond F. McNair
The America and Britain in Prophecy brochure is the result of more than 50 years of study into this subject. Much of the historical material which was included in the series of 24 articles in The World Ahead was condensed from a 332-page thesis I wrote in 1962-63, entitled Key to Northwest European Origins (not in print).
After having read Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong's booklet, The U.S. and British Commonwealth in Prophecy around 1945, I was convinced from the Scriptures that our Anglo-Saxon-Celtic peoples were the descendants of the Patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Nonetheless, I believed that there surely must be, somewhere, considerable historical information to substantiate such a belief.
Shortly after I went to Britain in 1958, where I lived for the next 15 years, I began looking into this subject. I visited the British Museum, various libraries and old bookstores seeking historical information on what is commonly known as "Anglo-Israelism." During the first few years of my research, I came across ample historical information to corroborate the fact that the peoples of Northwest Europe were indeed the descendants of the ancient Patriarchs. Key to Northwest European Origins was the outcome of my inquiry into this important subject.
History often repeats itself. And this is true of God's Church! In the early part of this century, one branch of the Church of God (7th Day) refused to accept or preach the truth concerning the identity and future destiny of the American and British peoples. Recently, the leadership of what had been the largest of the Sabbath-keeping Churches of God also rejected this important key of knowledge. God's Word says, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you" (Hosea 4:6)!
In 1929, Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong wrote to A. N. Dugger—one of the top leaders in the Church of God (7th Day) with which Mr. Armstrong was then associated—and asked him to critique his paper on Anglo-Israelism. In that paper, he proved that the Anglo-Saxon-Celtic peoples of America and Britain were, indeed, the descendants of the Ten Lost Tribes.
Mr. Dugger wrote the following response to Mr. Armstrong (dated July 29, 1929): "Dear Brother Armstrong. I... have just finished [reading] the manuscript... British Israel with the illustrations and maps. You have put much work on this and I am impressed to write you now while the matter is fresh on my mind and how it has interested me. I have seen no work near its equal in clearness and completeness.
"YOU SURELY ARE RIGHT, and while I cannot use it in the paper at the present you may be assured that your labor has surely not been in vain. There is a purpose in your having gone into this matter so deeply right at this time which is not difficult for me to fully see through, and you will hear more from THESE TRUTHS and the light herein revealed later" (Autobiography of Herbert W. Armstrong, vol. l, 1967, p. 406).
But the Church of God (7th Day) never officially endorsed or taught "these truths." Mr. Armstrong, however, thought the message contained in his manuscript was so important that, through the Worldwide Church of God, which he later founded, he published several editions of his work, entitled The United States and British Commonwealth in Prophecy (and later, The United States and Britain in Prophecy).
An estimated 10 to 12 million copies of the various editions of his book were freely distributed worldwide between 1940 and Mr. Armstrong's death in 1986. Perhaps as many as 20 million people have read one or the other of the editions which he distributed widely throughout the English-speaking world.
Undoubtedly, no man in history did more than the late Herbert W. Armstrong to publicize the notion that the peoples of America and Britain—as well as other nations of Northwest Europe—are descendants of the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel.
In his book, Mr. Armstrong wrote, "The all important MASTER KEY has been found! That KEY is the knowledge of the astonishing identity of the American and British peoples.... The one central MASTER KEY to the prophecies as a whole is the identity of the United States and the British nations" (U.S. and British Commonwealth in Prophecy, 1967, pp. 4, 8).
Unfortunately, the church organization Mr. Armstrong founded has, since his death, rejected this important key to understanding and has discontinued the publication of his informative, fascinating book!
The editor in chief of the Global Church News, Mr. Roderick C. Meredith, and I were both early students of Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong and served under him for decades as evangelists in the Worldwide Church of God. Seven years after Mr. Armstrong's death—after the leaders of that organization had rejected this and many other important truths Mr. Armstrong had taught directly from the Bible—we came to see that we could no longer continue serving God's people through that organization.
God has now raised up a new organization—the Global Church of God—to carry on His Work of preaching the Gospel of the soon-coming Kingdom of God to all nations, as well as to sound the important "Ezekiel Warning" to the modern peoples of Israel.
Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong always believed that the Bible itself was sufficient to prove which peoples now constitute the birthright holders of the Ten Lost Tribes—i.e. Ephraim and Manasseh. In fact, Mr. Armstrong never attempted to prove this subject through secular history. In America and Britain in Prophecy, I have striven to prove this subject both through secular and biblical history. While we definitely accept the sufficiency of God's Word, we realize that some people need more than just the Bible to convince them. Therefore we have offered many historical proofs to support the case that our peoples really are modern "Israel."
Following are samples of some of the views set forth in this brochure:
God Almighty made numerous unconditional promises to the Patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph), by which He solemnly promised their descendants would become "MANY NATIONS" (Gen. 17:6, 16; 35:11; 48:19), and would eventually become the most powerful and the wealthiest nations on earth—in the "last days" (49:1-28). Those promises were never fulfilled in the "Jews"! Instead, they have been fulfilled only in the Anglo-Saxon-Celtic peoples of Northwest Europe and their descendants.
In Old Testament times, the people of "Israel" never became "many nations." However, they finally become TWO NATIONS, in 930 B.C., when the then-united Kingdom of Israel split into two kingdoms—the Southern Kingdom of Judah and the Northern Kingdom of Israel. At that time, Jeroboam became Israel's king and Rehoboam became the king of Judah. "Israel" then comprised TEN TRIBES, while "Judah" was composed of only TWO COMPLETE TRIBES.
The Northern Kingdom of Israel, known as the "TEN TRIBES," continued as a viable kingdom, totally separate from Judah, from 930 B.C. until the fall of that kingdom in 734-721 B.C., at which time the Assyrians took its peoples captive. The Ten Tribes had become very populous—having a population of at least five to ten million in the time of King David around 990 B.C. (1 Chron. 21:5-6), and at least that many or more at the time of the Assyrian captivity. Some of these millions were deported northward to "ASSYRIA" and some eastward to the "cities of the MEDES" (2 Kings 17:6), on the southern shores of the Caspian Sea in Southwest Asia!
The Southern Kingdom of Judah-comprising the TWO TRIBES of Benjamin and Judah, plus some Levites—continued as a viable kingdom from 930 B.C. until its downfall in 586 B.C. (a period of 344 years), at which time the Babylonians took the peoples of Judah captive to Babylon. Shortly after the fall of Babylon in 539 B.C: after a period of about 70 years' captivity (Dan. 9:2; Jer. 25:11-12; 29:10)—some of the Jews returned to their former land of Judah, and reestablished themselves as the nation of Judah. However, only a small portion of the Jews returned to the Promised Land at that time—and not one of the TEN TRIBES returned with the Jews during their repatriation to the Promised Land, beginning around 536 B.C. From the fall of Jerusalem and the cessation of the Temple rituals in 586 B.C., to the establishment of the "house of God" and the Temple rituals after the return of the Jewish exiles (in 516 B.C.) was a 70-year period.
What became of the millions of Israelites of the Ten Tribes who went into captivity in 721 B.C.? Both the Bible and secular history (Josephus, especially) reveal that the peoples of the TEN TRIBES—taken captive, some northward to Assyria and some eastward to Media—never returned to their former homeland—i.e. to northern Israel, which in pre-captivity days had been dominated by its capital city, Samaria. At the end of the first century B.C., Josephus attested to the fact that the descendants of "the TEN TRIBES [were still] beyond Euphrates... an immense multitude, not to be estimated by numbers" (Antiquities of the Jews, bk. 11, chap. 5, sec. 2).
However, the descendants of the Ten Tribes did not remain forever in the region south of the Caspian Sea (Assyria and Media). Not many decades after their captivity, some of the western branch of those dispersed Israelites (called CELTS by the Greeks, and GAULS by the Romans) crossed the Dardanelles, entered Eastern Europe. Then, over a period of many years they migrated into Northwest Europe via the Danube River and various other routes.
The eastern branch of the dispersed "Lost Ten Tribes" (known as SCYTHS or SCYTHIANS) later migrated northward along the shores of the Caspian Sea, then trekked westward along a route just north of the Black Sea, as they slowly made their way across southern Russia and northern Poland. They then went further west into northern Germany and Denmark; of course, the migrations of those Scythian peoples, like the migrations of their Celtic kinsmen before them, occurred during a period of many centuries. It was many centuries after the Ten Tribes had been deported to Assyria and Media in 721 B.C., before the main body of the Scythian branch of the Lost Ten Tribes' descendants migrated into Northwest Europe, including Scandinavia and the British Isles.
Many of those same Scythian peoples (Angles, Saxons, Jutes, Danes, Normans, etc.) who first began migrating to the British Isles in the 5th century A.D. had lost their ancient name ("Scythians") and, in later centuries, were called by a comparatively new name"—GERMANS"! A sizable portion of these "Germans," who remained in northern and western Germany, later migrated to the United States. And some of those "German" tribes who had previously settled in Britain also migrated from the British Isles to North America—to the United States and Canada.
Even though large numbers of the modern-day Celto-Scythian descendants of the "Lost Ten Tribes" still live in Northwest Europe (Scandinavia, Holland, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Switzerland, etc.), many who migrated to Britain, the United States and various British Commonwealth nations had, in fact, descended from EPHRAIM and MANASSEH, the sons of JOSEPH, whom God had "sifted" through many nations (Amos 9:7-9).
The Bible reveals that Joseph and his descendants were given the double blessing of the birthright (Gen. 48; 1 Chron. 5:1-2) and were prophesied to become than the world's SUPER POWER, prevailing over all their enemies (Gen. 49:22-24), "push[ing] the peoples [i.e. Gentiles] to the ends of the earth" (Deut. 33:16-17). The latter-day descendants of Jacob/Israel were to become like a LION among the nations (Micah 5:8-9).
Another view repeatedly expressed in this brochure advances the proposition that throughout mankind's long history, God has only dealt with one nation, ISRAEL, on the national level! "You [Israel] only have I known of all the families [nations] of the earth" (Amos 3:2)! Almighty God promised, unconditionally, that Abraham and his descendants would be marvelously PROLIFIC, becoming "many nations" (Gen. 17:4), fabulously WEALTHY (27:28-29; 49:1-28), and incredibly POWERFUL (vv. 22-24; Deut. 33:13-17; Micah 5:8-9). The Great God could not fail to carry out His fabulous promises; God has, in fact, kept His unconditional promises to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph. And He has done so, primarily, through His guidance and blessings upon the modern Anglo-Americans, who are the direct descendants of the Anglo-Saxon-Celtic peoples of Northwest Europe. They alone have inherited the fabulous "birthright" blessings (1 Chron. 5:2)!
Britain and her British-descended Commonwealth cousins today are the prophesied MULTITUDE OF NATIONS which descended from a common ancestor, EPHRAIM (Gen. 48:19); while the United States is the GREAT NATION, which was to spring from Ephraim's brother, MANASSEH (v. 19).
The Anglo-Americans are only a portion of the Lost Ten Tribes—many others still reside in continental Northwest Europe! We need to understand, however, that our peoples are not God's "favorites," or His "pets:' Neither are these Anglo-Saxon-Celtic peoples wiser, better or "superior" to other people. God Almighty chose the people of Israel, intending to work out His plan through them, not because they were more numerous, wiser or in some way better than the peoples of other nations. Rather, the Almighty chose to bless Abraham's descendants—simply because God's "friend, " Abraham, showed absolute faith in Him and His promises, and because of Abraham's unhesitating obedience (Gen. 22:1-18)!
God inspired His servant Moses to remind the Israelites that He did not choose them because of what they had done, or because of numerical superiority. "For you [Israelites] are a holy people to the LORD your God; the LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth. The LORD did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people, for you were the least of all peoples; but because the LORD loves you, and because He would keep the oath [promise] which he swore to YOUR FATHERS [Abraham, Isaac, Jacob]" (Deut. 7:6-8)! "You [Israel] only have I known of all the families [nations] of the earth" (Amos 3:2)! How does God look upon His people, Israel? "For thus says the LORD... `He who touches you touches the apple of His [God's] eye"'(Zech. 2:8).
This brochure repeatedly expresses the view that "God shows no partiality. But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him" (Acts 10:34-35). "God is no respecter of persons" (Acts 10:34 KJV). "For God so loved the world [all the people] that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever [whether Gentile or Israelite] believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).
However, God's promise of making salvation (GRACE) available to everyone cannot annul His unconditional promises to the physical descendants (RACE) of the Patriarchs. According to the New Testament, as explained by the Apostle Paul, the true ISRAEL OF GOD are the people in His Church (Gal. 6:16). Paul also said, "For they are not all Israel who are [descendants] of Israel, nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham" (Rom. 9:6-7)!
Furthermore, the oft-repeated views expressed in this work should make it crystal clear that since God is not a "respecter of persons, " (or nations!), and since He always looks on the heart or attitude (1 Sam. 16:7; John 7:24), He bestows many physical and spiritual blessings upon both Gentiles and Israelites, which, of course, includes the Jews (Matt. 5:45). Those people living in the United States or in Britain, who have not descended from Anglo-American stock (i.e. are not of Anglo-Saxon-Celtic lineage), freely partake of the "blessings of Abraham" which Almighty God 'has bestowed so abundantly upon those nations. Even in Old Testament times, God Almighty permitted various non-Israelite peoples ("Gentiles") to leave Egypt with the Israelites, and later inherit the Promised Land along with them. "A MIXED MULTITUDE went up with them [the Israelites] also" (Ex. 12:38). "And when a stranger [foreigner) sojourns with you... he shall be as a native of the land.... One law shall be for the native-born [Israelite] and for the stranger who sojourns among you" (vv. 48-49).
In ancient Israel, non-Israelite "strangers" were always welcomed in the land, provided they were willing to abide by the laws, statutes, judgments and ordinances which God gave to Israel. Numerous safeguards were given in the "Law of Moses" protecting the "stranger" living in the midst of the Israelites. "You shall not oppress [abuse or take an advantage of] a stranger" (Ex. 23:9). For further biblical proof that God Almighty commanded his people to be concerned about the welfare of the "stranger" in their midst, note the following texts: Leviticus 16:29; 17:12-15; 23:22; 25:6, 35. God's great concern for foreigners living in the land of Israel was repeated by Moses shortly before his death (Deut. 10:18-19; 14:28-29; I 6:11; 24:17, 19-21 ).
All humans are created in the "image" or "likeness" of their Creator (Gen. 1:26). All have been endowed with marvelous minds by their Maker. And all have the potential to become God's spiritual "sons and daughters" (2 Cor. 6:18), and are destined to co-inherit the vast universe ("all things"—Rev. 21:7) with their all-wise, loving Creator!
The view expressed over and over in this work is that since God is no respecter of persons, He is not, therefore, a respecter of either the Jews, the Anglo-Americans or any other people! Neither does the Creator look down on non-Anglo-Americans in our midst. Many non-Anglo-Americans and Britons have made very fine contributions toward the establishment of the United States and the British-descended nations of the Commonwealth.
Furthermore, additional proof of God's providential direction of the Anglo-American nations is to be found in the very fact that the Great God not only blesses His chosen people, but He also chastises them when they flagrantly disobey Him—thumbing their noses at Him and His law. Blessings and privileges inherently carry with them weighty responsibilities and duties. The "Great Tribulation"—also called "Jacob's Trouble" (Jer. 30:7; Matt. 24:21 )—will befall the descendants of modern "Israel" because of egregious sins against their Creator!
Unfortunately, Americans and Britons of Northwest European-descent sometimes think that nearly all of the crimes committed by the peoples of our nations are perpetrated by non-Anglo-American ethnic minorities. But the facts show that all ethnic groups have contributed substantially, both to building up and to tearing down our nations. We invariably weaken our nations whenever we allow ourselves to become lawless, immoral, godless and racist in our thoughts and actions! Those who believe their own people are racially superior to other ethnic groups, and who discriminate against other ethnicities, weaken the very fabric of our multi-racial society, thereby preventing us from becoming a truly united people.
The divine mandate says, "You shall love your neighbor [regardless of his race] as yourself' (Matt. 22:39; Lev. 19:18)!
Those of you who have received any, or all, of the twenty-four articles in the America and Britain in Prophecy series in The World Ahead should be sure to retain those articles, since, for reasons of space, our brochure has had to omit some of the material contained in that series. On the other hand, we have added some material to make the new brochure more complete. It will definitely contain some new material of interest and value to our readers.
The publishers of the Global Church News expect to have America and Britain in Prophecy off the press and in the hands of those who have requested a copy in the very near future. We believe you, the readers of the Global Church News, will find this brochure interesting and informative—an eye-opening, yet accurate, work which will help bolster your trust in God's faithfulness in keeping His promises to the Patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
The Global Church of God will continue fulfilling its commission to give a loving warning to all the modern peoples of Israel (the Anglo-Saxon-Celtic peoples as well as the Jews!), in order that some may turn from their loathsome sins and be spared the Great Tribulation. That horrendous time, like a deadly cobra, will surely strike our nations, unless we truly repent!
Will you-unlike many others who, sadly, have abandoned their responsibility-get behind this crusade, both through television and the printed word, to help warn our peoples before it is too late? May God help each and every one of us to do our part in warning our peoples-so that their blood will not be on our heads (Ezek. 3:16-21)!
The America and Britain in Prophecy brochure clearly explains why the Global Church of God does not believe in or teach certain key elements of what today goes under the name of “Anglo-Israelism.”
The belief that the “Anglo-Saxon-Celtic peoples are descendants of the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel has been around a very long time. Apparently that belief, the idea that the British peoples comprised at least a portion of the Lost Ten Tribes, was deeply rooted in ancient British folklore. According to my research, the first mention in print of this belief is found in a book written in 1649 by John Sadler, Rights of the Kingdom. On May 18, 1903, Albert M. Hyamson read a paper (“The Lost Tribes, and the influence of the Search for Them on the Return of the Jews to England”) in which he discussed Anglo-Israelism with members of the Jewish Historical Society of England. In that paper, Hyamson mentioned, “In Sadler’s work… are to be found the earliest hints of an Israelitish ancestry for the English” (p. 63).
One of the first reasonably scholarly books on Anglo-Israelism, entitled Our Israelitish Orign, was published by author John Wilson in 1840. In 1861, George Moore published The Lost Tribes and the Saxons of the East and of the West. Then, in 1874, Edward Hine published a book entitled Forty-Seven Identifications of the British Nation with the Lost Ten Tribes of Israel. Six years later, The Geography of the Gates, by Philo-Israel, was published. And in 1881, John Heywood and W. H. Guest published Israel’s Wanderings, or The Scyths, the Saxons, and the Kymry.
Later, in 1902,m J. H. Allen published what proved to be a very influential book entitled Judah’s Sceptre and Joseph’s Birthright. His book is still being sold in the English-speaking world. In the late 1920s, Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong became acquainted with Allen’s book and subsequently incorporated some of Allen’s ideas in a book which he later published. It is, however, quite untrue that Mr. Armstrong in any way plagiarized material from Allen’s book. I possess copies of Judah’s Sceptre and Joseph’s Birthright, as well as various versions of Mr. Armstrong’s U. S. and Britain in Prophecy. But I have never seen so much as a single instance in any of the numerous versions of Mr. Armstrong’s work that plagiarized even one sentence from Allen’s book. On numerous occasions, Mr. Armstrong freely acknowledged his indebtedness to Allen for having clearly explained the biblical identity of the Anglo-American peoples—ideas which later helped inspire him to write his own 300-page paper on “Ango-Israelism.”
by Douglas S. Winnail
It is fashionable today in some "Christian" circles to assume that becoming a Christian involves merely believing in Jesus— that He was the Messiah, who lived and died and was resurrected. It is also widely believed that salvation is available merely for the asking. Just say a little prayer acknowledging you are a sinner, accept Jesus in your heart and, lo and behold, you are headed for glory!
This is an attractive message that is comforting and easy to accept because it is so simple to do and so little is required. Unfortunately, this message is deceiving. It seriously misrepresents what the Bible actually says. These fashionable, easy beliefs call to mind a prophetic warning God delivered through Isaiah concerning "a rebellious people... children who will not hear the law of the LORD" (Is. 30:9)—who say to their religious leaders, "Give us no more visions of what is right! Tell us pleasant things, prophesy illusions!" (v. 10 NIV). God prophesied that the time would come when people would be more comfortable believing an illusion than believing the Truth!
Does God require something of us beyond just trusting in Jesus Christ as our Savior and being a nice person? The biblical answer is a resounding YES ! We have a job to do! Jesus told His disciples, "You, therefore, must be [become] perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Matt. 5:48 Amplified Bible). What Jesus meant by our becoming perfect is that we are to develop complete maturity of godliness in mind and character. We must diligently pursue spiritual growth "till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ" (Eph. 4:13).
These plain instructions about growing and developing godly character echo throughout the entire Bible. The Apostle John was inspired to tell each of the seven churches in the book of Revelation that only those who grow and overcome will be given rewards (Rev. 2-3). According to the Bible, the fundamental challenge facing a Christian is to develop the mind and character of God.
Solomon was inspired to write, "A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches" (Prov. 22:1). The American naturalist and writer, Henry David Thoreau, observed, "The universe seems bankrupt as soon as we begin to discuss the character of individuals." Bernard Baruch, a counselor to several U.S. presidents, said, "During my 87 years I have witnessed a whole succession of technological revolutions, but none of them has done away with the need for character in individuals and the need to think." Perceptive individuals throughout history have recognized the importance of character
What is character? Why is God so concerned about your development? Do you know which qualities you should develop?
Character is the definitive traits of personality that distinguish us as individuals. Our character reflects who and what we really are—patient or abrupt, honest or crooked, good or bad. These traits also influence how effective we will be in relating to and working with other people. The individuals God is calling now must develop godly character in order to effectively reign with Jesus Christ in the Kingdom of God.
Are these character traits found in the Bible? Paul, clearly mentioning several of them, exhorts, "But you, O man of God... pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were called"(1 Tim. 6:11-12). Paul knew there was much more to biblical Christianity than a wish and a prayer. He brings up the subject of good and bad character in a letter to the Galatians (Gal. 5:16-24). Peter makes similar comments (2 Peter 1:4-10). God clearly delineates in Scripture the traits of character He desires us to develop and the personal flaws we must eliminate.
A most important character quality mentioned by Paul is righteousness (1 Tim. 6:11). This may evoke in your mind notions of cathedrals, choirs, organ music and sanctimonious, self-righteous behavior. However, the biblical definition of righteousness is much different from what most people think it is. David records God's definition in the Psalms: "All Your commandments are righteousness" (119:172). These commandments are found in what the Hebrews call the Torah, and the Greeks call the Pentateuch. These books of the law are called by English-speakers: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. The Ten Commandments, recorded in Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5, are the major summaries of God's spiritual intent communicated by these five books. They are the same ones Jesus referred to as being essential to follow to gain the Kingdom of God (Matt. 19:16-20).
The righteous character Jesus Christ requires of His disciples involves internalizing and living by God’s commandments—in the letter and in the spirit (Matt. 5:17-30). Those who proclaim that this is unnecessary for Christians today are promoting an illusion—a lie! (1 John 2:3-6). Anyone who is taken in by such erroneous teaching is being deceived (1 Cor. 6:9-11; 1 John 3:7-8). The Bible clearly indicates that the majority of professing Christians would be misled—even those doing "good works" (Matt. 7:15-23; Rev. 12:9). God refers to His Church as a "little flock" (Luke 12:32) that is scattered and persecuted (John 16:32-33), yet distinguished by keeping the commandments (Rev. 14:12), symbolized by the white robes of righteousness (Rev. 19:8).
Numerous scriptures reveal the importance of righteousness and why God is so concerned that we develop this quality. In Proverbs we read, "Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin [the transgression of God's law—1 John 3:4] is a reproach [a snare] to any people" ( 14:34). People or nations that follow the laws of God will grow stronger and prosper. Those who break God's immutable laws will encounter continual difficulties.
Governments and positions of authority are established and made secure by following God's commandments—for instance, being honest and not being sexually immoral. Righteous leadership produces happy people. But today, nations all around the world are witnesses to an unending cycle of government scandals (such as the alleged influence peddling by South Korea's former president), which have made the governed increasingly disillusioned and cynical (cf. Prov 29:2). When leaders violate the commandments of God, they lead their countries down the path of chaos and disaster.
Righteousness, or the lack thereof, will also determine your ultimate destiny. The Scriptures clearly reveal that not everyone who just believes in Jesus and is a "nice" person will enter the Kingdom of God. When Christ returns to this earth as King of kings, He is going to make a distinction between the righteous, those who love and live by the commandments of God, and the wicked, those who do not obey the laws of God—perhaps because they assumed they have been abolished (Mal. 3:18). Developing the godly quality of righteousness—learning to love the law of God as David did (Ps. 119:97-100) and living by God's commandments—is part of your passport into the Kingdom of God and eternal life (Matt. 6:33).
Self-discipline is another quality of character emphasized in the Bible: "He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city" (Prov. 16:32). To lack self-discipline is to court disaster (25:28). Diligence—disciplining yourself to pay attention to details (27:23)—will pay rich dividends. Slothfulness—sloppy, undisciplined thinking and acting—leads to disgrace and ruin (21:25). Paul likens the discipline necessary for living a Christian life to that needed to run and win a race ( 1 Cor. 9:24-27). He also states that Christians must learn to bring "every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ" (2 Cor. 10:5).
Learning to think and act as Christ would act is part of the challenge of living a Christian life. Discipline is needed to control thoughts and actions as you "work out your own salvation with fear and trembling" (Phil. 2:12). No, Jesus didn't "do it all" for us when it comes to character development. Building godly character requires learning to exercise self-discipline.
Sadly, social forces in recent decades have systematically destroyed discipline and self-control. We are urged to shop-till-you-drop instead of purchasing wisely within our budgets. This has led to an explosion of credit card debt. We are told, "If it feels good, do it," regardless of the laws of God. As a result, you see a steady stream of obituaries in the major newspapers featuring the pictures of young, professionally successful men dying in their prime from AIDS! Among young women, tens of thousands have sadly discovered that they have become sterile due to a sexually transmissible disease.
People have been told that happiness can be achieved by ignoring the discipline required to live by the commandments of God, yet the actual result is a society full of frustrated, unfulfilled, empty and neurotic individuals. Just look around you!
British historian, Alistair Cook, made a chilling observation when he wrote, "Historically, those people who did not discipline themselves had discipline imposed upon themselves from the outside." That is exactly what the Bible indicates is going to happen to the Israelite peoples whom God has blessed so abundantly, yet have sadly turned their backs on Him (Is. 5:11-13; 10:5-6). Perhaps now we can begin to understand why developing self-discipline is such an essential part of building godly character.
The modern religious notion of love is a warm, fuzzy, emotional feeling that comes over you when you think about God and His love for you. The actual biblical definition may be surprising to many. Jesus told His disciples, "If you love Me, keep My commandments" (John 14:15).
Loving God is actually equated with living by the Ten Commandments. Jesus set the example by following His Father's commandments (John 15:10), and by instructing His disciples to walk in His footsteps (Matt. 4:19). Loving God involves actually keeping His laws—including the Sabbaths AND the Holy Days. We should never take His revealed instructions lightly! When God told us to love our neighbor that specifically included not spreading lies about him, not stealing his property, not committing adultery with his wife—never lusting after any of his possessions.
Jesus also exemplified another aspect of godly love by acting with unselfish, outgoing compassion toward others (Matt. 23:37). He instructed His disciples on numerous occasions to conduct themselves in the same manner—even in the face of hostility (Matt. 5:43-45; 20:25-28).
The Bible plainly indicates that, when Christ returns, He is going to separate and reward with eternal life in His Kingdom those who have followed His instructions and developed compassionate character from those who did not (Matt. 25:31-46). Understanding and growing in godly love is a vital aspect of character
It has been said, "Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at its testing point. " Courage is a fundamental element in all components of character. It takes courage to obey the commandments in a society that asserts there are no absolutes or that Jesus came to do away with His Father's laws. It takes courage to exercise self-discipline: to get up in the morning, get a job or say no to temptations. It takes courage to show love and give unselfishly.
When Joshua took over the responsibility of leading Israel after the death of Moses, God admonished him to "be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law... do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go" (Josh. 1:7). David repeated these same instructions to Solomon, urging him to "be strong, therefore, and prove yourself a man.... Keep the charge of the LORD your God: to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commandments, His judgments, and His testimonies" (1 Kings 2:2-3).
In God's sight, manhood or womanhood is not demonstrated by smoking pot or engaging in immoral sexual behavior as our modern society often urges us to do. God labels such destructive behaviors the ultimate acts of foolishness by those who "lack understanding" of the consequences (Prov. 6:32). It takes real courage to resist these pressures in our society.
Courage involves facing and dealing with difficult situations, not avoiding or running from problems or quitting when the going gets tough. Courage can be developed by proving what is right and standing up for the Truth. God promises, "All things work together for good to those who love God [obey Him], to those who are called according to His purpose" (Rom. 8:28). Trials may come in your life, but God says that He will see you through and even make a "way of escape" for you—in His own time and in His own way (1 Cor. 10:13). Trusting God and His promises can help you build courage. It is really worth the effort!
Probably no other character trait is more noticeable and appreciated by others today than a confident, positive, hopeful outlook on life. Our society is permeated by cynicism, skepticism, distrust and despair. The fashionable routes to happiness are assumed to be seeking thrills and new experiences, acquiring material possessions and the instant gratification of unlawful desires. Unfortunately, these popular ideas do not produce lasting happiness and fulfillment.
Real happiness and a confident, positive outlook on life spring from roots deep within the character of individuals—roots that are invisible to most casual observers. God reveals the secrets to happiness in His Word. This, too, is an important aspect of godly character. The true paths to happiness and confidence come from knowing the true God and His purpose for human life (Ps. 144:15).
A positive outlook also results from keeping the laws of God and having a clear vision of the future as revealed in the Scriptures (Prov. 29:18), finding wisdom (3:13) and showing mercy to others (14:21). Real happiness that lasts does not come from acquiring things. It comes from seeing and preparing for your role in the Kingdom of God and learning to live according to the guidelines that God has revealed in His Word. This is what gives you hope and a reason for living.
Are you developing godly character? How do you know? How can you tell what your real character is like? Ask yourself the following questions—better yet, ask your mate or a close friend to give you his or her observations about your character in the following situations. The results could help you spot aspects of your character that may need some attention.
1) How do you react under pressure? Do your responses reflect the fruits of the Spirit or the works of the ,flesh (Gal. 5:19-23)?
2) How do you handle praise, criticism, blessings, difficulties, promotions or demotions? The Apostle Paul learned to handle them all with equanimity (Phil. 4:12).
3) Do you ever listen to yourself when you describe other people? Do you constantly criticize, condemn, complain and put others down, or are you objective and encouraging? Jesus cautioned His disciples on such matters (Matt. 7:1-6).
4) How do you act when no one else is around? Do you take liberties when you are away from people who know you? Godly character is consistent and without hypocrisy—it does not profess one thing and do something else (James 3:17).
5) How do you appear to others? Are you usually sad, sour or cynical? Or do you radiate joy, hope and confidence? Even our facial expressions and the light in our eyes can tell a lot about our character (Is. 3:9; Prov. 15:30).
If you analyze, carefully and prayerfully, what you discover as you review your responses to these questions, and if you apply the principles God reveals in His Word, you will be able to make meaningful progress toward building the kind of character traits God is looking for in members of His family.
Biblical Christianity is more than just believing in Jesus. Real Christians actually believe Jesus—what He said and taught us to do! They follow His instructions that are clearly recorded in the Scriptures. Developing godly character is a fundamental goal in a Christian's life. If you develop the mind and character of Jesus Christ, you are going to have the opportunity to help change the course of history in the World Ahead as you reign under Christ in the soon-coming Kingdom of God (Rev.5:10).