by Raymond F. McNair

Many of God's people have wanted to know why my wife and I withdrew our membership from the Worldwide Church of God. Here is the explanation of our decision:

Firstly, I wish to mention that we did not resign from the Church of God! Neither did I resign from the Ministry of Jesus Christ!

The prophet Amos best explains why we felt compelled to withdraw our membership from the Worldwide Church of God: "Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?" (Amos 3:3.) For some time now, my wife and I had been quite concerned about numerous "doctrinal changes" which we did not believe were in harmony with the plain teachings of the Word of God. We both wanted to be completely loyal to God and to the Worldwide Church of God, but found it increasingly more difficult to agree with the course which the human leaders had taken.

It became increasingly clear to us that many of the new "theological changes" were in fact directly taken from Protestant theology. It is a well-known fact that several of the top men shaping the "new theology" of the Worldwide Church of God had gone to the theologians of the colleges of this world, and had drunk deeply of this world's Protestant theology. Worse still, these same "theologians" began injecting their new-found Protestant theological beliefs into their literature, sermons, conferences, etc. It was becoming painfully clear to us that the time would soon come when some of the faithful "pioneer" ministers who had been trained by Mr. Armstrong himself for over 40 years would have to take a firm stand to defend the truths which were increasingly being cast aside by these newly-appointed Worldwide Church of God theologians.

The God IS… Booklet Did It!

When the God IS... booklet was published, the numerous false teachings in that booklet quickly brought into focus some of the "theological errors" which the group of Worldwide Church of God theologians had embraced. After studying this new booklet thoroughly, I saw that it is riddled with many errors. As a result, I wrote a rather lengthy "Critique of the God IS.:. Booklet," and sent it to key men at Headquarters, hoping that I might be able to find some answers to this "new-found theology," so liberally sprinkled throughout the booklet.

I received several "replies" from Pasadena but, to my disappointment, no real answers to the major points which I had pointed out as errors. (biblically-speaking) in the God IS... booklet. After numerous lengthy letters back and forth between Pasadena and myself, it became clear to me that the "clutch of theologians" shaping the "new Worldwide Church of God theology" were completely "off the track," and seemed to have no desire to get "back on the track." It became increasingly clear to me that I would get no real answers from anyone in charge of theology at the Worldwide Church of God.

As an example, the Worldwide Church of God had previously believed and taught that there is "one God" who consists of TWO PERSONS—the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong had clearly explained that in his book, Mystery of the Ages. Nonetheless, the "new theologians" rejected this plain biblical teaching. However, none of them could or would explain to me during our lengthy correspondence just what this new "GOD" was really supposed to be like. They rejected the plain statements of the Bible showing that man was made in the form and shape of his Creator; rejected the plain Bible teaching that God is a family, and that God is reproducing himself; rejected the former teaching that man will someday be born into the very FAMILY OF GOD—becoming God (Ephesians. 3:15, 2:19). It was evident to me that this "clutch of theologians" no longer believed that man would someday be elevated to Divine sonship/daughtership (II Corinthians 6:18) in the Divine family of God, thereby becoming "full-fledged members of the God Family" at the time when they will be changed into immortality, as the glorified children of God!

Sadly, my wife and I came to the firm conclusion that this new Worldwide Church of God doctrine of "God" is at complete variance with the teachings of the Bible—and also directly contradicts many truths which Mr. Armstrong clearly explained in Mystery of the Ages.

Why was Mystery of the Ages Destroyed?

Furthermore, We could find no satisfactory answer as to why the wonderful book, Mystery of the Ages, has been discredited and destroyed. No one to whom we had spoken could really justify the destruction of many thousands of copies of that book—especially since Mystery of the Ages had been repeatedly praised as such a wonderful work by the same highly-placed men in the Worldwide Church of God who later "killed the book." It seemed incredible to us that the "baby should be thrown out with the bath water." No one believed Mystery of the Ages was a perfect book—inspired with the same measure of inspiration as was the Bible. But it contained more vital truths (mysteries) than any other book we know of—outside the Bible itself!

Nevertheless, after studying Mystery of the Ages thoroughly (reading it again several times), it became clear to me that there was no valid reason for having destroyed that book. In my judgment, there wasn't a single valid reason for refusing to allow members of the Worldwide Church of God to receive copies of that enlightening book. As an example, many of us evangelists still believe the 263 page Mystery of the Ages contained far fewer errors than did the much smaller, newly-published, 56 page God IS... booklet, which I found just riddled with theological errors.

Why did my wife and I withdraw our membership from the Worldwide Church of God? Because of "serious doctrinal errors" which a few top leaders insisted on putting in various booklets, letters, articles, sermons, conferences, etc. Let me hasten to add that I had made it clear to the men at Headquarters that I did not believe that "change" was of itself necessarily wrong. (A good change is good, but a bad change—i.e. a change from truth to error—is very bad!]

To prove my point, I reminded them that I had gone to Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong myself and suggested that we make a change concerning the day on which we had kept Pentecost. Mr. Armstrong looked into the material I gave him, and then later explained to the entire Worldwide Church of God membership exactly why the Church had been wrong in keeping Pentecost on a Monday, rather than on a Sunday. He then led the entire Church into keeping Pentecost on Sunday, according to the Scriptures.

Later, Mr. Armstrong (after consultation with some of the leading ministers at Headquarters) also changed the Worldwide Church of God's teaching concerning divorce and remarriage. I also accepted this change, but only after spending about one month in intensive study, proving to myself from the Word of God that this change regarding divorce and remarriage was indeed correct. But those were the only two major doctrinal changes which I can remember Mr. Armstrong, as Pastor General, having made in the years since I became a baptized member in early 1949!

However, many big doctrinal changes have occurred since his death—changes which many ministers and members simply do not believe are biblically-based.

Two of these major "changes" which have been made by the Worldwide Church of God since Mr. Armstrong's death are: 1) a complete change regarding WHO AND WHAT GOD IS, and 2) a drastic change regarding WHAT REALLY CONSTITUTES THE TRUE GOSPEL. Mr. Armstrong had always taught us that "Christ's person was not the Gospel," and that the Protestant ministers were wrong in thinking that the Gospel was a message "about Christ," rather than being the very message, the Good News of the Kingdom of God, which He brought to mankind (Mystery of the Ages, p. 121). Now the Worldwide Church of God teaches that "Christ is the Gospel. Christ is the Kingdom of God." But that is not enough!

Protestant ministers often praise Christ, laud Him, pay lip-service to believing and teaching the "true Gospel," but they do not, in fact, know what the Gospel is. The Bible shows that the Gospel is the Good News of the Kingdom of God. God the Father sent that message to mankind by His Messenger, Jesus Christ: "The Word (Gospel) which GOD sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ..."(Acts 10:36). The Father was the one Who sent that Message to mankind, but the Father alone is not the Gospel! Jesus Christ is the Divine Messenger Who brought that Message, but Jesus alone is not the Gospel! Christ will be the King Who will rule over the Kingdom of God, using the Law of God as the "constitution" by which He will rule all nations, but the Law of God alone is not the Gospel.

To those who have eyes to see, it is painfully apparent that this "new gospel" which the Worldwide Church of God has been teaching is clearly a new message "ABOUT CHRIST," rather than being the VERY MESSAGE WHICH HE BROUGHT TO MANKIND!

There were numerous other doctrinal areas which God's ministers and many of the brethren began seeing were being shifted off the solid foundation of the Word of God and onto the shifting sands of modern Protestant theology. The "top shapers" of the Worldwide Church of God's "new theology" apparently believe they are still teaching the "Truth," but in all too many cases that is just not so.

History Repeats Itself!

With the formation of the Global Church of God, you brethren are witnessing Church history being repeated. Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong was ordained by "The State [Oregon] Conference of the Church of God", and later left them to begin a separate Work . (Autobiography of Herbert W. Armstrong, pp. 504a, 524-529). Yet, Mr. Armstrong always spoke of the Oregon Conference of the Church of God (who had ordained him and at one time had paid him a salary) as still being "the Church of God." But Mr. Armstrong felt he could not continue to follow the "leadership" of that branch of the Church of God—simply because they instructed him to baptize people contrary to the Bible. Also, Mr. A. N. Dugger, who was the leader of one of the two extant branches of the Church of God, clearly admitted to Mr. Armstrong that he was right in his understanding concerning the "identity" of the U.S. and Britain as the modern descendants of the so-called "Lost Ten Tribes of Israel." Notice Mr. Dugger's frank admission: "I have seen no work near its equal in clearness and completeness. You surely are right [concerning Israel's identity]... and you will hear more from THESE TRUTHS and the light herein revealed later." The above quote is found on page 406 of the 1967 edition of the Autobiography of Herbert W. Armstrong. It is interesting to note that the newer, 1986 edition of the same autobiography (published after Mr. Armstrong's death) did not include that important "Dugger letter"! Why not?

It is a well-known fact that some of the "top theologians" at Pasadena do not really believe in the truth of the message which is contained in Mr. Armstrong's book, The United States and British Commonwealth in Prophecy. No wonder that important book has been taken out of circulation for over two years—while some of these modern skeptics "review" it to see whether or not it should even be re-published!

Yet it is a fact that this interesting and informative book did more to build the membership of the Worldwide Church of God than did any other booklet or book. Some years back, when I was asked to address all of God's ministers in the Ministerial Refreshing Program, I did considerable research into this subject, and if I recall correctly, I discovered that about 15 million copies of The U.S. and B.C. in Prophecy had been sent out. There was no doubt in Mr. Armstrong's mind that it was a very important book. In fact, he called that book "the missing MASTER KEY to the prophecies" (Mystery of the Ages, p. 164). He also referred to the knowledge contained in that book as "this VITAL KNOWLEDGE"! (p. 160.)

Why have some "doubting Thomases" in the Worldwide Church of God been so negative toward that book, which contains so many truths—including the very GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST? People of African heritage in the United States were rightly interested in finding out more about their "roots," as was revealed in Alex Haley's book, Roots. Why would not the Anglo-Saxon-Celtic-descended peoples who have settled this nation (and still comprise nearly two-thirds of its people) also want to know about their racial "roots"? Why would anyone want to "cast aside" such interesting and "vital knowledge"?

I again ask: Why did my wife and I feel compelled to withdraw our membership from the Worldwide Church of God and become part of a "Work" that fully intends to teach and preach the real TRUTH OF GOD? We did so because we had come to see over a period of years that the top leaders in the Worldwide Church of God have been leading the Church down a rocky, treacherous road of serious doctrinal error!

Furthermore, our recent contacts with these same "leaders" have convinced us that they do not even believe they are leading God's Church into error. Therefore, how can they possibly lead it out of error and set it "back on the track"?

Mr. Armstrong's Frank Confession!

Not long before his death, Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong freely confessed that he had let down and had allowed liberalism to creep into God's Church. He admitted he had allowed God's Church to veer off the true "path of God" during the 1970s. But he also had both the will and the power and authority to put the Church "back on the track"! Notice Mr. Armstrong's own frank confession in the Worldwide News, Nov. 16, 1981: "Some of us have weakened. Some of us have been caught off guard. I am human like all of you, and I was caught off guard and without at the time realizing it, allowed this liberalism to creep into God's flock! I now repent of that and the living Christ leads me to do what He inspires me to do to correct it and get this holy Body of Christ BACK COMPLETELY ON THE TRACK ."

I must say that I am not convinced that the present leaders have either the "eyesight" or the will (or heart) to set the Church "back on the track" today. As I said earlier, if the "leaders can't even see that the Worldwide Church of God has veered dangerously off the true path, then how can they possibly set God's Church "back on the track"?

Even a casual perusal of the second and third chapters of Revelation will clearly reveal to anyone who has an open mind that Christ, the true Head of the Church of God, does allow the Church leaders to get "off the track," but does not force them "back onto the track." Note especially Christ's stern warning to the churches of God in Pergamos (Revelation 2:12-16), Thyatira (Revelation 2:18-23), and Sardis (Revelation 3:1-5).

But take special notice of Christ's warning to the "church of the Laodiceans": "And unto the angel of the Church of the Laodiceans write...I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot: I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm...I will vomit you out of My mouth. Because you say, `I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing'—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked—I counsel you to buy from Me gold tried in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent" (Revelation 3:14-19).

Surely, the "church of the Laodiceans" typifies a rather pathetic; lethargic condition that will exist with many of God's people at the climactic time of the end. This same "lukewarmness" is also typified by the "five foolish virgins" who are without their "oil" (i.e. without the Holy Spirit), at the time of Christ's glorious Second Coming to be united with His true bride! (Matthew 25:1-12.)

My wife and I do not want to be among the "lukewarm," or "wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked" brethren who can't see the real Truth of God, and must receive "spiritual eye salve" before they can see clearly what has really happened to the Truth of God during the past few years. We do not want to be among the "five foolish virgins" who are totally lacking in the "oil" (Holy Spirit) and who, consequently, will be rejected at Christ's coming!

Do we see among the "leaders" of the Worldwide Church of God any man who, like Mr. Armstrong in the 1970s, has the vision to see, and the courage to act upon that knowledge—and to "set God's Church back on the track"? Unfortunately, I do not see anyone among the "top leaders" of the Worldwide Church of God who appears both willing and able to do that in our time.

Must All of the Saints Be Under One Human Leader?

We all know that Christ is the living Head of His Church, as is stated repeatedly in the Bible, and that there is just "one true Church," or just "one body" (I Corinthians 12:12-27). But does God's Word say that all of the members in that "one body" must be under the supervision of one "human leader"? The answer is a resounding "No"! In fact there has continued to be numerous "branches" of the Church of God in existence upon this earth through most of this 20th century!

If we carefully study the first chapter of Galatians, we can clearly see that the apostle Peter was not over Paul, and neither was Paul over Peter. Rather, each of them had been given a separate jurisdiction: Peter was over the "circumcision" and Paul was over the "uncircumcision"—i.e. the Gentiles (Galatians 1:16-19). Paul did go up to the "Jerusalem Conference" (Acts 15), but there is nothing to show that he was under the direct jurisdiction of Peter and the apostles at Jerusalem. And he did rebuke the apostle Peter for his duplicity in an incident mentioned in verses 11-21 of the second chapter of Galatians!

Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong left that branch of the Church of God in which he had been ordained, and under whose authority he had preached. God led him to start a separate Work, but both the Church of God (various seventh day groups), and what came to be known as the Radio Church of God—later the Worldwide Church of God—were simply different branches of God's Church. (Mr. Armstrong often spoke of the early history of the Church of God (Seventh Day) which he said had split into two branches about six months before he was ordained a minister of God's Church.)

Recently, God has led Mr. Roderick Meredith, assisted by numerous other co-workers, to form the GLOBAL CHURCH OF GOD. This new branch of God's Church has been organized for the express purpose of reviving the true doctrines and the Work of the living God (Habakkuk 3:2). My wife and I have concluded that God is going to do a mighty work through the GLOBAL CHURCH OF GOD. We believe the GLOBAL CHURCH OF GOD is adhering far more closely to the true doctrines of God than is the Worldwide Church of God. We sincerely believe we can do far more to help the people of God by being a part of this vibrant, dynamic, "living branch" of the Church of God.

Also, I might add that I have known Mr. Roderick C . Meredith for 44 years, and know him to be a very sincere, humble, dedicated, truly converted and Spirit-filled "man of God" who will not compromise with God's Truth. Furthermore, I know that he, I and other ministers who are uniting in this dynamic ministry will be able to restore many of the important truths which have, sadly, been unceremoniously cast aside by the present leadership of the Worldwide Church of God.

I also wish to mention that we bear no malice toward the present leaders of the Worldwide Church of God, but will continue praying that they might "anoint their eyes with eye salve" to be able to see where they are seriously misleading God's people! We will continue to pray that God will bless and guide all His ministers who truly obey Him, and who steadfastly adhere to the wonderful truths which all of us were taught under the faithful leadership of God's end-time servant, Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong!

"Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast [in God's Truth], immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord"! (I Corinthians 15:58.)

I would urge all of God's people to heed Christ's warning: "take heed that no man deceive you" (Matthew 24:4). Remember that God commands his people to "prove all things: hold fast that which is good"! (I Thessalonians 5:21, KJV.)

My wife and I hope our "explanation" has clearly shown why we felt it mandatory to withdraw our membership from the Worldwide Church of God.

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by Sidney M. Hegvold

There is a widespread misunderstanding among many sincere Christians that is putting their eternal lives in grave jeopardy! This misunderstanding involves the consequences of leaving or staying with the visible Church. Which is the proper course of action?

What causes many normally rational people to develop such a fanatic loyalty to an organization, particularly to a religious organization or church? Why do some people continue to follow the leaders of that organization or church even when they have dramatically changed everything that had initially gotten them involved? A dramatic and tragic case is that of the recent standoff of the Branch Davidians near Waco, Texas and the tragic case of the Jonestown mass suicide about 15 years ago. These are extreme cases but they illustrate a basic error that has historically and is even today putting the spiritual salvation of many Church members in serious jeopardy. That deadly error is the misapplication of church government!

Church government is a spiritual government always subject to God's laws, although administered through people. It is always the individual's responsibility to do as the Bereans did: "Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so (Acts 17:10-11). Notice that it was a daily exercise and that it was also positive—not negative.

A Christian's submission to church government is always conditional as to whether the leaders of that Church are following Christ or not. For Paul was inspired to write: "Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ” (I Corinthians 11:1, KJV). Much as some would like not to have that personal responsibility, each one has a vital responsibility to do so, else why would Paul write: "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth" (II Timothy 2:15, KJV). All, like the Bereans, are responsible for their own salvation: "Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling" (Philippians. 2:12).

It is not necessary to be a Bible scholar to know whether the leaders of a church are actually following Christ or not: "But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ" (II Corinthians 11:3). The Bible gives some important but simple guidelines which, if followed, are absolute guarantees that a sincere Christian can never be led astray. Notice that there is a "simplicity that is in Christ" so, even though God provides the ministry to explain and expound the Scriptures, the meaning must always be understandable by even the less educated. Use of convoluted, philosophical, theological terminology should put any Christian on guard! The original disciples were not well educated but did have the desire to know the Truth and could be led by the Holy Spirit. No Christian who does sincerely "hunger and thirst after righteousness" can be deceived if these guidelines are followed because Christ said: "if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect" (Matthew 24:24, KJV).

Who Falls Away?

Historically it has often been the organized Church itself that falls away, not individual members within the Church! The true Church members are often the people put out of the Church: "I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to have the preeminence among them, does not receive us. Therefore, if I come, I will call to mind his deeds which he does, prating against us with malicious words, and not content with that, he himself does not receive the brethren, and forbids those who wish to, putting. them out of the church" (III John 9-10). The organized Church, itself, fell away from Christ and the Truth! This was already under way at the time of the original Apostles! Notice that John admonishes the members not to follow those leaders in their error: "Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good" (III John 11). The individual Christian had to have a way to distinguish between the evil and the good.

Any good history of the early Church is a record; of the organized Church going into apostasy and excommunicating those still following the teachings of the Bible and Christ. These small groups, or sects—the true Christians who had been put out of the large organized Church—were severely persecuted by that Church! They are most often called heretics in Church history books. Some excerpts from A HISTORY OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH by Williston Walker will illustrate these dramatic changes and the infusion of human reason and human authority into the Church hierarchy.

Thus out of the struggle with Gnosticism and Montanism came the Old Catholic Church, with its strong episcopal organization, credal standard, and authoritative canon. It differed much from the Apostolic Church; . . . it early developed a consciousness of strength and authority, which was doubtless increased by the fact that, by 100, it was, it would appear, the largest single congregation in Christendom. Even before the close of the first century Clement, writing anonymously to the Corinthians in the name of the whole Roman congregation, spoke as for those who expected to be obeyed. The tone, if brotherly, was big-brotherly (page 62-63).

The Roman Church congregation was simply the largest congregation of many autonomous congregations making up the early Apostolic Church and it was on this basis that it "developed a consciousness of strength and authority." That authority was not based on any biblical principle! How that authority was used by the leaders of the Roman Church congregation is well illustrated by "The Easter Controversy" .

Quoting from A HISTORY OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH again:

The problem [The Easter Controversy] was further complicated by a dispute, about 167, in Laodicea, in Asia Minor itself, as to the nature of the celebration on the fourteenth of Nisan, some holding that Christ died on the fourteenth, as the fourth Gospel intimates, and others placing His death, as do the other Gospels, on the fifteenth. The latter treated the commemoration of the fourteenth of Nisan, therefore, as a Christian continuation of the Hebrew Passover.

About 190 the problem became so acute that synods were held in Rome, Palestine, and elsewhere which decided in favor of the Roman practice. The churches in Asia Minor, led by Polycrates, bishop of Ephesus, refused conformity. Thereupon Victor, bishop of Rome (189-198), excommunicated the recalcitrant congregations (pages 64-65).

The dispute the Churches in Asia Minor were having regarding whether the crucifixion took place on the fourteenth or the fifteenth of Nisan gave the Church at Rome the wedge it needed to get the whole celebration changed to an Easter Sunday celebration. It is interesting to note that the Churches in Asia Minor, in spite of their differences, all rejected the Easter celebration and all were excommunicated.

It is often the visible organized Church that falls away from the Truth and Christ—not the true Christians. Of course, the faithful Christians after being put out or "pushed out" of an apostate church, nearly always go down the road and meet with others who hang on to the "faith once for all delivered" (Jude 3). This has been the consistent record of history.

The First Great Falling Away

The first government on Earth was that established by God when He placed Lucifer as the "guardian cherub" over His creation: "Son of man, take up a lament concerning the king of Tyre and say to him: `This is what the Sovereign LORD says: "`You were the model of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone adorned you: ruby, topaz and emerald, chrysolite, onyx and jasper, sapphire, turquoise and beryl. Your settings and mountings were made of gold; on the day you were created they were prepared. You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you. You were on the holy mount of God; you walked among the fiery stones. You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you. Through your widespread trade you were filled with violence, and you sinned. So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God, and I expelled you, O guardian cherub, from among the fiery stones" (Ezekiel 28:12-16, New International Version).

Notice that this great being was "anointed" and "ordained" by God to be the "guardian cherub" over His creation and was perfect in his ways from the day that he was created, as the King James Version translates verse 15. He was in the garden of Eden and he was a created being. This could not be referring to any human—it had to be referring to Lucifer who became the Devil and Satan by rebelling against God: "How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit" (Isa. 14:12-15, KJV).

This is the first record of God's government on Earth. God had anointed Lucifer as the guardian cherub over His creation. He was the leader and in charge of that government anointed for that position by God Himself! Apparently, all of the angelic host on earth were under his rule! Should all of the angels have followed Lucifer, when he rebelled, since he had been put in charge by God, Himself? This third of the angels thought that they should, and followed Satan in his rebellion against God. But could God hold them responsible since they were being loyal to His established government? "And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day" (Jude 6). Loyalty to God and His laws supersedes loyalty to any government or being even He anoints!

However, those whom God places in authority still must be respected because of their position: "Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation but said, `The Lord rebuke you,'” (Jude 9).

How To Guard Against Deception

Since every Christian is admonished to "work out your own salvation with fear and trembling" (Philippians 2:12), the tools to do so must be readily accessible, and they are. Each individual is personally responsible for his own salvation: "Even if these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they would deliver only themselves by their righteousness, says the Lord God" (Ezekiel 14:14). That admonition is repeated four times for emphasis. These Scriptures are referring to physical calamities that are prophesied to come but they illustrate the emphasis that God places on each individual's responsibility in receiving the gift of Eternal Life.

The warnings given in the Bible are always against false leaders: "And many false prophets will rise up and deceive many" (Matthew 24:11). It's the leaders, "false prophets", who are trying to deceive the members who are following Christ! This warning is repeated in the Epistles as well: "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world" (1 John 4:1). These false leaders are led by spirits which are not of God! The statement; "Christ leads the Church" is the rallying cry to cover the deception of those "false prophets" who are actually leading the Church AWAY from Christ and the Truth!

It is true that Christ does lead the Church but the Church leaders do not always choose to follow Christ's lead. Christ will not force them to follow Him but He does not relieve them from their positions immediately. God has not yet removed Lucifer—now Satan the devil—from his position of authority. In the New Testament he is called "the prince of the power of the air" (Eph.2:2). The devil or Satan is still a powerful influence in this evil world. Revelation chapters two and three detail many instances where the Church refused to follow Christ. Christ does not lead His Church into error! But to see where each individual really stands in his or her walk with God, He allows the Church to get into serious and prolonged heresy as clearly described in Revelation 2 and 3.

How does one test or "try the spirits whether they are of God" or not? "To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them" (Isaiah 8:20). "Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? ... if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments" (Matthew 19:16-17). The law or the "commandments" listed in Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5 are the keys or tools necessary to evaluate whether the Church leaders are of God or not. The commandments are easy to understand even by the "uneducated." So when anyone begins to "water down" the importance of God's Law, all our warning flags should go up. When we find that a religious organization—in its public preaching and literature—consistently soft pedals any reference to the vital necessity of keeping the ten commandments, and instead tries to blend in with this world and its false churches, then we should be aware that we are being fed "another gospel." Paul warned us that this might happen. "For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted, you may well put up with it" (II Corinthians 11:4).

Each Christian must "work out [his] own salvation with fear and trembling" (Phil.2:12). Personal responsibility cannot be abdicated by simply saying, "Christ leads the Church and true Christians must remain loyal to the church." The angels who followed in Lucifer's rebellion were not held guiltless because they followed the leader God, Himself, had ordained. Each individual is responsible and must worship God in "spirit and truth" (John 4:23). So each Christian is responsible to seek out and worship with those who will most closely follow the "whole counsel of God" (Acts 20:27) and who also do the Work of faithfully proclaiming the coming Kingdom of God (Matthew 24:14).

Christians must follow Christ, not any man or organization of men: "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me" (John 10:27). Don't put your eternal life in jeopardy by following men! "Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom" (Luke 12:32).

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by Ron Nelson

Crimes motivated by bigotry are up virtually everywhere around the world. In just the last few years there has been a perceptible increase in hate crimes from the neighborhood variety of vandalizing buildings and cemeteries to random incidences of physical violence. On the international level, vast changes in governments and shifts in balances of power have left whole ethnic minority communities terrorized and in jeopardy.

Presently, the most infamous of these is the slaughter in Bosnia. As the world looks on, the Serbs work their wickedness in open and heartless destruction of what is left of the Balkan state. The U.N. and the West seem almost powerless as a literal genocide is being committed by Serbs.

A former United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Sadruddin Aga Khan, speaks out in The New York Times, April 12, 1993:

The homilies and promises of a new world order will not be worth the countless hours of speeches, voluminous contents of foreign policy journals, mountains of U.N. documentation and talking heads' pieties on TV if the world fails its straightforward test. Genocide is being carried out on TV news every day; this is not Cambodia, where we could pretend we did not see it.

We have told the Serbs to stop. We have summoned all the authority of our new world to make the point. The Security Council has threatened. Europe, Russia, America and other governments have pounded their fists and said, "Enough!" The Serbs are not the only wrongdoers in the war, but they are the principal ones and are unstoppable. They may soon resume the large-scale "ethnic cleansing." The test is this: are we finally going to block them?

Yes, is anyone going to stop this mass murder of Muslims on the "Christian continent" of Europe? Or is the world on the verge of going completely out of control? The only real superpower, the United States, is making tentative gestures of intervention but the rest of the world is wary of intervening at all. (Many national leaders shudder at the thought of getting involved in escalating conflict in this region that was the very flashpoint of World War I.)

An interview appearing in The Los Angeles Times (March 12, 1993) centered on this present horror in Bosnia. Bernard-Henri Levy, leading French philosopher and author of the 1985 book, Barbarism With a Human Face, was asked "What does it mean that the West has in effect left Sarajevo and other parts of Bosnia-Herzegovina to die?"

Mr. Levy—a long time observer of the region—replied, "I think we are witnessing the revival in a soft and sated Europe of what in the 1930s was called the `mentality of Munich,' the mentality of appeasement and compromise with evil....I have the horrible suspicion that, in the cynical depths of power, European governments agree that ethnic cleansing and segregation into ethnic-based nation-states is the final answer for the Balkans."

This crisis in what was Yugoslavia highlights the fact that since the end of the cold war, the world is actually much more dangerous; it does not matter from which social, economic, or political prism it is viewed!

A Dire Forerunner

Bosnia's calamity is certainly a forerunner of greater conflicts prophesied to come in these "latter days." It should serve as a chilling warning of the bitter fruits of hatred and intolerance. Newsweek's May 3, 1993 issue had a special report from the war zone about the human suffering:

War is always cruelest to children, and the war in Bosnia has been no exception. But few of Bosnia's children have seen and endured more hell than those who have lived through the yearlong siege of Srebrenica. Most of them had to flee Muslim villages sacked and burned by the Serbs, only to come to a place where shellfire was but one threat: disease and hunger have been responsible for killing many of the 1,000 children who died in Srebrenica in the last nine months. (May 3, 1993).

Just a few years ago the Berlin Wall came down, communism was pronounced dead, and the Soviet republics disbanded. The long, dreary days and nights of the cold war seemed ready to yield to bright new prospects for this world. But one might ask, "What has become of the New World Order? Has it died?" Actually, there is a void—a dangerous power vacuum. For the time being most see the U.N. as the most likely alternative. In fact, as pointed out in a commentary by George Melloan in The Wal1 Street Journal, April 12, 1993, "There has been a virtual explosion of U.N. peacekeeping operations since the end of the cold war. The number of peacekeepers the U.N. has deployed around the world has soared to 55,000 from 15,000 only two years ago...."

The U.N.'s increasingly-ambitious world role is being undertaken by an organization that is inefficient and lacking in the kind of powers that would effectively enable it to serve as the world's policeman.

Some observers wonder if the Bosnian massacre in Europe might serve as a catalyst to unite European countries, to inspire preparation of its own "more efficient" policing force to control affairs that could affect all of Europe. Can the U.N. and NATO be relied upon to act in a manner reflecting the interests of Europe? At press time, United States diplomats were traversing European capitals looking for allies and a way it might respond to the crisis in the Balkans.

Holocaust Remembered

Such sad, grievous irony! Even while terrible mass brutality is being indiscriminately poured out on men, women, and children of Bosnia, at least two new memorials of the World War II Holocaust have been opened in the United States. February 9, the Simon Wiesenthal Center's Museum of Tolerance opened in Los Angeles. Then, April 26 in Washington D.C., the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum opened. It was hoped that these would serve to remind and thus help prevent this very thing from ever happening again.

At the dedication ceremony of the latter museum, President Clinton spoke of the ethnic cleansing and intolerance prevalent in today's world: "We learn again and again that the world has yet to run its course of animosity and violence. Ethnic cleansing in the former Yugoslavia is but the most brutal and blatant and ever-present manifestation of what we see also with oppression of the Kurds in Iraq, the abusive treatment of the Baha'i in Iran, the endless race-based violence in South Africa."

For years after World War II and the end of the concentration camps, writes John Darnton in The New York Times (April 25, 1993), there was "an unspoken assumption that never again would evil of that magnitude be tolerated. Not war itself, which was perhaps unavoidable, but war waged ruthlessly against everyday civilians who are selected for slaughter solely on the basis of ethnicity or religion—that would be ruled out of bounds for all time."

Those who study God's word should not be surprised that these things are happening. "For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue has muttered perversity. No one calls for justice, nor does any plead for truth. They trust in empty words and speak lies; they conceive evil and bring forth iniquity.... Their works are works of iniquity, and the act of violence is in their hands. Their feet run to evil and they make haste to shed innocent blood; their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; wasting and destruction are in their paths. The way of peace they have not known, and there is no justice in their ways; they have made themselves crooked paths; whoever takes that way shall not know peace" (Isaiah 59:3-8).

Although Isaiah 3:14-15 is a prophecy specifically about the leaders of Judah, it declares God's determination to one day intervene and bring to judgment the strong who attack the weak and defenseless: "The Lord will enter into judgment with the elders of His people and His princes: `For you have eaten up the vineyard: the plunder of the poor is in your houses. What do you mean by crushing My people and grinding the faces of the poor?'”

Even in a world filled with the effects of Satan, the present god of this world (II Corinthians 4:4), it is still shocking to see humanity's dark side so prevalent. We need to pray as David did: "Keep me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked; preserve me from violent men..." (Psalm 140:4). Never has God's Kingdom been so urgently needed to establish peace and civility among all men. Never has it been more urgent for us to pray "Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven"! (Matthew 6:10.)

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"Well, we just can't be sure," or "We can't tell," or "It really doesn't matter, does it?" How many times have we heard these statements and wondered—is he or she right?

If one were to consult an existentialist philosopher he might be told that we really cannot know anything for sure, everything is relative and uncertain—after all, truth is what you make it—isn't it? This kind of fuzzy thinking is common today.

Truth, that one precise, absolute, so highly prized and diligently sought after commodity in the legal and scientific forums of today's society somehow seems to take on an almost incomprehensible transformation when explored within the realm of religious beliefs. Indeed, when the “truth" of one man or group of men comes into conflict with the "truth" of another man or group of men we frequently see warfare as the result.

But one might ask, "Why so many different ideas?" "Isn't the truth the truth?" How can we know what the truth really is? Where can we find an authoritative source? Just who decides what is truth, what is right and what is wrong? How can we recognize the wheat from the chaff?

Straight from the Source

In Ecclesiastes 7:29 we read: "God made man upright but they have sought out many inventions." Sadly, those inventions have included a multitude of philosophies and self-serving versions of truth which have been employed in attempts to suppress, malign, alter, confuse and even obliterate the Truth of God.

Today, in the morass of society's often conflicting hodge-podge of fact and opinion, one source stands unbroken—the Holy Scriptures of the Bible—the inerrant Word of God.

We have the incontrovertible and ultimate reality —God's very own testimony as to what is right and wrong; what to believe and what to reject; who we must trust to know and those we should not trust.

Unfortunately there are those, who knowing the Truth, would have men believe a lie. These suppress the Truth in all unrighteousness ( Romans 1:18).

We must, however, if we are to truly be wise and discerning Christians examine and prove all things (including our own reasoning) in the light of God's Word which is Truth (Psalms 119:160).

We must remember the Apostle Paul's admonition to Timothy: "If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness; he is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings; evil surmisings, perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness; from such withdraw thyself" (I Tim.6:3 5, KJV). We must not become partakers of other men's sins (Ephesians 5:5-7).

In II Timothy 3:5 we are again warned of those having a form of Godliness, but denying the power thereof; "from such turn away”. "They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate" (Titus 1:16).

We must be careful to guard against those who under the premise of "scholarship" "strive about words to no profit, but to the subverting of the hearers" (II Timothy 2:14); those "ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth" (II Timothy 3:7) "Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth; men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith" (II Timothy 3:8).

"For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts they shall heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth and shall be turned unto fables" (II Timothy 4:3-4).

We can derive a valuable principle from the Apostle Paul's instruction to Timothy in II Timothy 3:14: "but as for you, continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them." "Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to those things which we have heard, lest we drift away" (Hebrews 2:1, emphasis ours).

We must accept the whole Truth of God recognizing that "all scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness" (II Timothy 3:16); and "knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation" (II Peter 1:20).

So let us go on to "prove all things and hold fast to that which is good" (I Thessalonians 5:21) not being ashamed, having rightly divided the Word of Truth (II Timothy 2:15).

We must always regard the Word of God as the ultimate authority in our lives. Through careful, diligent Bible study we can know truth from error, and separate the wheat from the chaff.

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