THE
Jesus
Christ described His Church of the last generation of this age as a Church
having grown lax, lukewarm, tepid --
spiritually lethargic, a compromising Church -- a
Church in
GREAT
DANGER! Old Testament Prophets warn of the same awesome peril! Do you
understand the danger? Have you properly assessed the peril? Do you know how to
ESCAPE from the Laodicean condition, without having to go through the Great
Tribulation?
William F.
Dankenbring
God
Almighty has very little good to say about His Church during the last days of
this planet earth --the final generation before the soon return of His Son,
Jesus Christ, to rule the nations of the world!
But the present
Church condition was prophesied long, long ago, in the pages of the Biblical
prophets, as well as foretold by Jesus Christ Himself!
Thousands
are blinded to the truth! They see and partake of the glittering facade of
respectability, the glamour of Church formal dances, the dazzling display of entertainment
programs held in the very "House of God," and think that they are all
right with God. Their eyes have been taken off of Christ, their Savior and
Protector, and have been hypnotized, mesmerized, by the seductive glamour of
the palpable present -- the existence of lovely buildings, glamorous television
programs, record-breaking mail, financial income -- but they are in increasing
danger of forgetting Christ, and ignoring His dire warnings of what is to
befall this present generation!
The
apostle Paul warned us, today, "Wherefore let him that thinketh he
standeth TAKE HEED LEST HE FALL" (1 Cor.1O:l2).
The
apostle Paul also warned the Hebrews, in a warning written down and preserved
for us, today, "Therefore we ought to give the MORE EARNEST HEED to the
things which we have heard, lest AT ANY TIME we should let them slip . .
. How shall we escape, if we NEGLECT so great salvation. . . ?"
(Heb.2:l-3). Jesus warned that in the
end times, many would be BLIND -- they would lose sight of the truth. He rebukes the Laodicean Church, the last
generation of His Church before His Second Coming, saying, "thou art
wretched, and miserable, and poor, and BLIND, and naked" (Rev.3:17).
A
condition of spiritual "blindness" has come upon many in the
"THE
MYSTERY OF INIQU1TY"
Notice
Paul's warning, written precisely for this end time in which we live. He wrote,
"For the mystery of iniquity doth ALREADY WORK" (II Thess.2:7). He
admonished the Thessalonians, that in the days of the end-time, the Wicked one
would finally be revealed whom Christ will destroy at His coming (II
Thess.2:8). This evil person will come "after the working of Satan with
all power and signs and lying wonders, and with ALL DECEIV ABLENESS OF
UNRIGHTEOUSNESS in them that PERISH because they received not the LOVE
OF THE TRUTH that they might be saved" (vs.9-10).
Notice!
How easy it is for the devil to deceive and mislead people with his subtle
poison! The ways of unrighteousness are extremely deceptive, alluring; they
even appear righteous, on the surface. They seem reasonable. But people are led
into error step by careful step, all as a part of Satan's crafty plot to
deceive the world (Rev .12:9). Like the frog put into a pan of tepid, lukewarm
water, with the water being brought slowly to a boil, the frog never notices
the true plight he is in until it is too late. The gradual rise in temperature
until he is boiled alive dulls his alertness, and before you know it, he is
dead!
So
it is with the devil's deception of people. Because so many people do not
really "love the truth," and cling to it, but willingly follow their
leader into error, Paul says "for this cause God shal1 send them STRONG
DELUSION that they should BELIEVE A LIE . . . That they all might be
damned (judged, condemned) who BELIEVED NOT THE TRUTH, but had PLEASURE IN
UNRIGHTEOUSNESSS" (vs.11-12).
God
Himself allows this to happen! Why? Because of the lukewarm, lackadaisical
attitude of His people! Because they don't really CARE about the truth!
Notice!
The world today, and the
The
apostle Paul warns, "For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the
Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. . . . But ye, brethren, are not in
darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children
of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of
darkness. Therefore LET US NOT SLEEP, as do others; but let us
It’s time to
Paul exhorts,
"And that, knowing the time, that now it is HIGH TIME to A W AKE OUT OF
SLEEP -- for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed"
(Rom.13:11).
The entire
Parable of the Ten Virgins
Jesus declared, "Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto
ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And
five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took
their lamps, and took no oil with them: but the wise took oil in their vessels
with their lamps. While the bridegroom
tarried, they all slumbered and slept And at
Notice this amazing parable! Nobody seems to believe it, today. Here
the entire
This parable applies to TODAY! Today we are living at the
This refers to THIS GENERATION!
And notice! Not half, but ALL the virgins "SLUMBERED AND
SLEPT"! (Matt25:5). Do you
see? ALL the virgins -- that is, ALL the
Church -- has been asleep. That means, even YOU!
"Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. And the
foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out
(Greek, "going out"). But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest
there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy
for yourselves. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they
that were READY went in with him to the marriage: and the door was
shut. Afterward came also the other
virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say
unto you, I know you not. Watch
therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man
cometh" (Matt.25:7-13).
A
Special Warning to Our Generation!
This
parable describes the condition of the entire
But
some -- fully half of the Church -- will not be ready when He comes. For them, it will be TOO LATE! It will be too late for them to build the
character, overcome, master themselves, put sin out of their lives, and to get
ready to meet Christ! They will have allowed the Holy Spirit in them to
diminish, and lessen, to the point of extinction. They will have grieved the
Holy Spirit by their careless disregard of the truth (Eph.4:30). They will have
carelessly, negligently, foolishly quenched the very Spirit of God which
imparts LIFE (I Thess.5:19).
Their
lack of love for the truth will do them in. They, and their foolish leaders,
will find out that the thing which mattered most to God was the very thing that
they neglected and ignored and treated with disdain and contempt -- the very truth
of God!
God
says to this generation, II And the vision of all is become unto you as the
words of a book (Heb., letter) that is sealed which men deliver to one
that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee; and he saith, I cannot; for it
is sealed. And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read
this, I pray thee: and he saith, I am not learned.
"Wherefore
the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with
their lips do honour me, but have removed their HEART FAR FROM ME, and their
FEAR toward me is TAUGHT BY THE PRECEPT OF MEN. Therefore, behold, I will proceed to
do a marvelous work among this people, even a marvelous work and a wonder. . . for
the wisdom of their wise men shall PERISH and the understanding of their
prudent men shall be hid" (lsa.29:ll-14).
This
is a prophecy for TODAY! GOD says the
Why
is this the case?
God
lays the blame squarely where it belongs! He thunders that their HEART IS FAR
FROM HIM! Oh, on the outside they may appear righteous to men, but on the
inside they are full of GREED, AVARICE, JEALOUSY, HATRED, STRIFE, BI1TERNESS,
REBELLION, LUST, and HYPOCRISY!
They
honor God verbally, with their lips, and make magnificent prayers in public,
and preach long, windy, boring sermons, but it is all a phony facade --a
charade -- a dazzling display of spiritual ineptitude!
God
says that in the midst of this confusion and spiritual CHAOS in His Church, He
will begin to do a special, unique, wonderful WORK -- a work that men will
marvel and wonder at! It will be done, not by human power, or might, or money
-- but BY THE SPIRIT OF GOD (Zech.4:6)!!!
God
looks upon the works of modern Church leaders as seriously wanting in many
respects. His description of the
God says of such spiritual leaders, "WOE UNTO THEM that draw iniquity with cords of VANITY, and sin as it were with a cart rope" (Isa.5:18). They drag their sins after them, all tied up in a huge bundle, refusing to part with a single one of them! They are full of VANITY and PROUD ARROGANCE -- not understanding that God HATES "self esteem"! We don't need to have more "self esteem" as the false prophets and pundits say -- rather, we need more HUMILITY and the fear of the Lord!
GOD
says to such religious leaders, "WOE unto them that call EVIL GOOD, and
GOOD EVIL, that put darkness for light, and light for darkness, that put
bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!" (Isa.5:20).
God
says WOE to them -- "they regard not the work of the Lord, neither
consider the operation of his hands" (lsa.5:12). They have become
distracted, bogged down, blinded to what is really important They minimize the
fulfillment of Bible prophecy at the very time we should be sober, vigilant,
and watching. They disregard what is the TRUE work of God, WARNING this world
and its nations of the coming punishment for their sins. They "water
down" the message of God, dilute it, claiming "people won't listen to
fiery words" of warning.
The
true Work of God? They are so deceived, spiritually, that they wouldn't
recognize it if they fell over it! Rather, they are doing their OWN work, and
calling it by God's name, claiming He sent them! In the greatness of their
folly, they have GONE ASTRAY!
God
Almighty warns them urgently to REPENT!
God says to the modem leadership of the Worldwide Church of God, and Church of God International: "Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; but ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof: I also will LAUGH AT YOUR CALAMITY; I will MOCK when your fear cometh; when your fear cometh as desolation, and yourdestruction cometh AS A WHIRL WIND, when distress and anguish come upon you" (prov.l:24-27).
The
Because of this attitude, God
says: "For
the TURNING A W AY of the simple shall SLAY them, and the PROSPERITY OF FOOLS
shall destroy them. But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall
be quiet from fear of evil" (prov.l:32-33).
What
about you? Are you willing to rub the sleep from your eyes, splash cold
spiritual water in your face, and W AKE UP to the true condition of modern
Church leaders and ministers?
Because
of them, God says, "Therefore MY PEOPLE ARE GONE INTO CAPTIVITY, because
they have no knowledge; and their honorable men are famished (Heb., "their
glory are men of famine"), and their multitude dried up with thirst"
(Isa.5:13).
Because of
spiritual compromise, and lukewarmness, tens of thousands of members of God's
A Warning
Straight from Jesus Christ!
Jesus Christ says of the Laodicean end-time
The
apostle Paul wrote of this fire. He
said, "Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare
it, because it shall be REVEALED BY FIRE; and the FIRE shall try [test, prove]
every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath
built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be BURNED,
he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved, yet so as by fire" (I
Cor.3:13-15).
The
prophet Ezekiel specifically foretold that this "fire" refers to
Great Tribulation and captivity. God told him, "And thou, son of man, take
thee a sharp knife, take thee a barber's razor, and cause it to pass upon thine
head and upon thy beard: then take thee balances to weigh, and divide the hair.
"Thou
shalt BURN WITH FIRE a third part in the midst of the city, when the days of
the siege are fulfilled: and thou shalt take a third part, and SMITE about it
with a knife: and a third part thou shalt SCA TTERE in the wind; and I will
draw out a sword after them.
"Thou
shalt also take thereof a few in number , and bind them in thy skirts. Then
take of THEM again, and cast them into the MIST OF THE FIRE, and BURN THEM IN
THE FIRE; for thereof shall a FIRE come forth into all the house of
This
punishment is coming upon our modern nations, who have forsaken the Living God,
and also upon the End- Time Church of God, which has departed from the truth
and settled down to become a part of this evil world.
But
what about you?
Jesus
warned, "And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be
overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so
that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that
dwell on the face of the whole earth.
Watch ye therefore, and PRA Y ALWAYS (always be praying), that ye may be
accounted worthy to ESCAPE all these things that shall come to pass, and to
stand before the Son of man" (Luke 21:34-36).
Are
you watching? And praying? Or are you following men into error and fantasy?
Are you redeeming
the time? Are you vigilant, alert, and sensitive to the danger?
The spiritual condition even within the Church of God would be so bad
during the final end-time generation before the second coming of Jesus Christ,
that Christ Himself asked, "When the Son of man cometh, shall he find
faith on the earth?" (Luke 18:8).
Jesus warned the Laodicean Church, "I know thy works, that thou
art neither cold nor not: I would thou wert cold or not. So then because thou
art LUKEWARM, and neither cold nor hot, I will SPUE THEE OUT OF MY MOUTH.
Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with good, and have need of
nothing; and knowest not that thou art WRETCHED, AND MISERABLE, AND POOR, AND
BLIND, AND NAKED" (Rev.3:15-17).
But why? Why should a Church in the midst of prosperity and seeming
plenty, be so spiritually poor, wretched, blind and naked?
Two causes can be ascertained for this: First, the members of the
Church, instead of overcoming the world around them, have instead been overcome
by the world and its negative, alluring, powerfully seductive influences!
Secondly, God ascribes a great measure of the blame and responsibility upon the
leaders of the Church -- the ministry -- the shepherds of the flock! Notice!
The prophet Zechariah was inspired to write, “Mine anger was kindled against the SHEPHERDS, and I punished the goats” (Zech.10:3).
God
continues, in the next chapter, "There is the voice of the howling of
the shepherds; for their glory is spoiled . . . Thus saith the Lord my God;
Feed the flock of the slaughter. . . whose possessors slay them, and
hold themselves not guilty: and they that sell them say, Blessed be the Lord; FOR
I AM RICH, and their own shepherds pity them not" (Zech.ll:3-5).
Notice
this passage carefully. Here is described in a prophecy for the "last
days" a picture of a "flock of the SLAUGHTER -- a flock, that is,
which is to be killed, devastated, martyred, slaughtered --in other words, a
flock which goes straight into the Great Tribulation! This flock is the
Laodicean Church!
Notice
again: The shepherds of this flock say to themselves, and its leaders say, "I
am rich. " How remarkable! Jesus said the Laodicean Church says of
itself, "I am rich and increased with goods" (Rev.3:18). Both Churches think of themselves as
"rich." This Church will be slaughtered and sold into slavery. The Laodicean Church, Jesus said, must buy
"gold refilled in the fire" -- Great Tribulation!
How
plain! The prophecy in Zechariah is speaking of the end-time LAODICEAN CHURCH!
“1nstruments of a Foolish Shepherd”
What
could be plainer? Dropping down to verse
15 of Zechariah 11, God says, “And the Lord said unto me, Take unto thee yet
the instruments of a foolish shepherd. For, 10, I will raise up a shepherd in
the land, which shall not visit those that be CUT OFF (put out of the Church,
or isolated from the Church, for some reason), neither shall seek the young
one, nor heal that that is broken, nor feed that that standeth still (he does
not really "feed" the flock good, nourishing, strong meat!); but he
shall eat the flesh of the fat (that is, he and his cronies will live
"high off the hog," in luxury and wealth), and tear their claws in
pieces” -- he will actually destroy the flock, devouring the sheep by
extorting from them every last cent they have, in the name of tithing,
offerings, and sacrificial gifts to the Church and ministry! (Zech.11:15-16).
God is not pleased with this kind of
wicked, self- serving, evil ministry. He
continues,
"WOE to the
idol shepherd that leaveth the flock!
the sword shall be
upon his arm, and upon his right
eye; his arm shall
be clean dried up, and his right eye
shall be utterly
darkened" (verse 17).
This end-time
shepherd of God's people will suffer greatly because of his wickedness.
But
what shepherd is this speaking about? Could this be a prophecy regarding some
flagrantly wrong minister in the world, one of Satan's ministers over his false
churches? For the apostle Paul said even the devil has his own churches and
ministers (II Cor.11:13-15).
But
notice! God Himself answers this question. He says about this shepherd, "
Awake, O sword, against MY SHEPHERD, and against the man that is MY
FELLOW, saith the Lord of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be
scattered: and I will turn my hand upon the little ones" (Zech.13:7).
This
shepherd of the end-times is not one of Satan's ministers; rather, he is God's
shepherd, one whom God calls "my fellow." God would not say this of a
minister serving Satan, in one of Satan's churches, masquerading as God's
Church. This must be written of a man in the End time OVER THE TRUE CHURCH OF
GOD -- but a man who has departed from
the faith, and gone seriously astray!
Obviously,
this minister over the Work and Church of God must be GOD'S OWN MINISTER --one
who was initially selected and appointed by Him! -- but one who begins to err,
and to sin, and to go astray from the faith, and from the truth of God!
His
authority begins to go to his head. His power and position begin to cause him
to become arrogant, proud, and to abuse his authority and control over the
Church! He becomes a spiritual TYRANT! He becomes a spiritual Ogre -- a type
of the very "Beast" of Revelation!
God says this vain
and arrogant shepherd shall be "smitten," that is, killed, and the
sheep shall be scattered. This
scattering occurs during the Great Tribulation.
Notice!
Zechariah continues, "And it shall come to pass, that in all the land,
saith the Lord, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third part
shall be left therein. And I will bring the THIRD PART through the FIRE, and
will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried . .
." (Zech.13:8-9).
What
period of time is this prophecy describing? As we already saw in Ezekiel 5,
this "fire" is describing the GREAT TRIBULATION! God is going to scatter His sheep in the
Great Tribulation, and turn His hand upon the little ones. He will work with
each individual personally, to determine whether they have the character traits
necessary to enter His Kingdom. Many of them will be martyred!
This prophecy is a prediction of the Great Tribulation and time of
Jacob's trouble, which is shortly to descend like a nightmare upon the world.
Notice that a "third part" will be scattered. Only a "few in
number" would be protected by God, symbolized by the few bound up in
Ezekiel's skirts (Ezek.5:3-4). This "few in number" undoubtedly
refers to the Philadelphia Church of God, the few members left alive in it, as
Jesus promised only them divine protection from the hour of trial which will
come upon the whole earth (see Rev.3:10).
The
prophet Ezekiel adds, concerning this horrible event, " A third part of
thee shall die with the pestilence, and with famine shall they be consumed in
the midst of thee: and a third part shall fall by the sword round about thee;
and I will scatter a third part into all the winds, and I will draw out a sword
after them."
This scattered
flock is further described in Ezekiel 34. This chapter is a stinging indictment
of the ministers of God in this end-time generation! Notice!
God thunders,
"Son of man,
prophesy against the shepherds of Israel,
prophesy,
and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God
unto the
shepherds: WOE be to the shepherds of Israel
that do feed
themselves! should not the shepherds feed
the flocks?
"Ye eat the
fat, and ye clothe ye with the wool, ye kill
them that are fed
(spiritually destroy or "disfellowship"
those who truly
understand God's Word!): but ye feed not
the flock.
"The diseased
have ye not strengthened, neither have ye
healed that which
sick, neither have ye bound up that which
was broken,
neither have ye brought again that which was
driven away (thrust
out of the Church), neither have ye
sought that which
was lost: but with FORCE AND WITH
CRUELTY have ye
RULED them (exercising
"authority"
in the Church of
God).
"And
they were SCATTERED, because there is no (true,
godly)
shepherd: and they became meat to all the beasts of the field, when they were
scattered" (Ezek.34:1-5).
This is a very
severe indictment of the end-time Church of God and its ministry!
God continues His rebuke: "There- fore, O ye shepherds, hear the word of the Lord; Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against the shepherds; and I will require my flock at their hand, and cause them to cease from feeding the flock; neither shall the shepherds feed themselves any more; for I will DELIVER my flock from their MOUTH that they may not be meat for them.
"For thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are SCATTERED; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day" (Ezek.34:9-l2).
This "cloudy and dark day" refers to the Great Tribulation and Day of the Lord (see Matt24:2l-22, 29-30). Joel describes it as "a day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness" (Joe12:2). It is a day of "destruction from the Almighty" (Joel 1:15).
Jeremiah also pronounces God's curse upon the ministers of His Church during the final end-time generation --the time in which we now live!
"Woe Be Unto the Pastors"
Jeremiah is inspired by God Almighty to continue in the same vein as Ezekiel. He writes, "Woe be unto the pastors that DESTROY and SCATTER the sheep of my pasture! saith the Lord. Therefore thus saith the Lord God of Israel against the pastors that feed my people; Ye have scattered my flock, and driven them away, and have not visited them: behold, I will visit upon you the EVIL OF YOUR DOINGS, saith the Lord" (Jer.23:l-2).
Jeremiah continues: "Mine heart within me is broken because of the prophets; all my bones shake; I am like a drunken man, and like a man whom wine hath overcome, because of the Lord, and because of the words of his holiness. For the land is full of adulterers. . . . For both PROPHET AND PRIEST ARE PROFANE; yea, IN MY HOUSE HAVE I FOUND THEIR WICKEDNESS, saith the Lord. Wherefore their way shall be unto them as slippery ways in the darkness: they shall be driven on, and fall therein: for I will bring EVIL UPON THEM, even the year of their visitation, saith the Lord" (Jer.23:9-12)
This is a prophecy for the End-time -- the time when God's flock is going to be scattered in captivity (Jer.23:2). God Himself will finally regather His flock, those left alive, from all the countries where they will have been driven (verse 3). At that time Christ Himself will rule over the earth (Jer.23:4-6). All these things show clearly that this prophecy is for the END TIME, not some other time or age!
The leaders and members of the Laodicean Church will not escape the Great Tribulation. They will find themselves right in the middle of it!
In Revelation 12 the apostle John says,
"Woe to the
inhabiters of the earth and of the sea!
for the devil is
come down unto you, HA VING
GREAT WRATH,
because he knoweth that he
hath but a short
time.
"And when the
dragon saw that he was cast unto
the earth, he
PERSECUTED the woman which brought
forth the man
child. And to the woman were given two
wings of a great
eagle, that she might fly into the wilder-
ness, into her
place, where she is nourished for a time,
times, and half a
time, from the face of the serpent. . .
"And
the dragon was WROTH with the woman, and
went to MAKE W AR
WITH THE REMNANT OF
HER SEED, which
keep the commandments of God,
and have the testimony of Jesus
Christ" (Rev.12:12-17).
Satan, will "make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus" (Rev. 12:17). As Ezekiel and Zechariah prophesied, a "sword" will be drawn out after them, wherever they have been scattered.
This will be a time of tremendous persecution and martyrdom of saints. Many will have to give their lives for the sake of Jesus Christ, or recant their faith and suffer the seven last plagues of the wrath of God.
Speaking of this time, John records, "And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were SLAIN for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?
"And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, UNTIL THEIR FELLOWSERVANTS also and their brethren, that should be KILLED AS THEY WERE; should be fulfilled" (Rev.6:9-ll).
This
"fifth seal " represents the Great Tribulation -- the wrath of Satan
upon the members of God's Church who were not among the "few" hidden
in the skirts of Ezekiel -- the "few" who are to be kept from the
"hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that
dwell upon the earth" (Rev.3:10).
ARE YOU PREPARED TO GIVE YOUR LIFE IN MARTYRDOM?
THE GREAT TRIBULATION!
This period of world-engulfmg Great Tribulation will come upon the entire earth. Jesus Christ foretold, "For then shall be GREAT TRIBULATION, such as was not since there was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever will be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved (alive): but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened" (Matt.24:21-22).
Jesus was talking about OUR DAY -- the "end of the world" (Matt.24:3) -- the time just before His Second Coming (same verse). He meant the future just immediately ahead of us!
Speaking
of this end time, Jesus said: "Nation shall rise against nation, and
kingdom against kingdom: And GREAT EARTHQUAKES shall be in divers places, and
FAMINES, and PESTILENCES (such as AIDS!); and fearful sights and great signs
shall there be from heaven. But before all these they shall lay their hands on
you (my servants, true Christians), and PERSECUTE you, delivering you up to the
synagogues (churches!), and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers
for my name's sake" (Luke 21:10-12).
Jesus
added, "For these be the days of VENGEANCE, that all things that are
written may be fulfilled" (verse 22). "But woe unto them that are
with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great
distress in the land, and WRATH upon this people. And they shall fall by the
edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive (as SLA YES) into all nations:
and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the
Gentiles be fulfilled" (verses 23-24).
During
this time the resurrected Roman Empire, with a supreme Dictator ruling Europe,
perhaps from the Atlantic to the Urals, and over a re-united Germany, in league
with the Pope and the Catholic Church, will "make war with the
saints" and will "overcome them" and will rule over many nations
(Rev. 13 :5-7). All who do not fall down
and "worship" this political-religious union of church and state will
be "killed" -- martyred (Rev.13:15).
Hundreds
of thousands --even MILLIONS -- will be killed -- put to death -- because they
will not submit to the Vatican and Papacy, and "worship" their
"image" of the "Beast"!
Who
would this group include? Most likely multitudes of Seventh Day Adventists,
Evangelicals, Baptists, Church of God Seventh Day, Church of God groups,
including United Church of God, Living, Philadelphia, and a host of others --
and certainly the apostate Worldwide Church of God!
God
knows His own. That is not our
problem. John records, " And I saw
the woman (great False Church) DRUNKEN WITH THE BLOOD OF THE SAINTS, and with
the BLOOD OF THE MARTYRS OF JESUS" (Rev.17:6). This great harlot church
(Rev.17:5), ruled by a great Pope or False Prophet like Balaam (Rev.13:11-14),
will persecute, hound to the death, harass, bully, torture, and cause to be
martyred, everyone it can catch who will not submit to its authority and
worship its "god" -- the Dictator himself, taken over and inspired by
Satan the devil (Rev.13:12, 11).
God
says of this coming great religious/political union, "they have shed the
blood of saints and prophets" (Rev.16:6).
Daniel
the prophet wrote also of this time. He declared,
"And they
that UNDERSTAND among the people shall
INSTRUCT MANY: yet
they shall FALL BY THE
SWORD, and by
flame, by captivity, and by spoil, MANY
DA YS. Now when
they shall fall, they shall be holpen
with a little
help: but many shall cleave to them with
flatteries. And
some of them of understanding shall F ALL,
to TRY them, and
to PURGE, and to make them WHITE,
even to the time of the end: because it
is yet for a time
appointed " (Daniel 11 :33-35).
Only a few of
God's servants will be spared from this future devastating persecution and
martyrdom. Only a relative "handful. "
The
prophet Malachi wrote, "Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to
another: and the Lord hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was
written before him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his
name. And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, when I make up my
jewels; and I WILL SPARE THEM, as a man spareth his own son that serveth
him" (Malachi 3:16-17).
God
says to His faithful servants, "Come, my people, enter thou into thy
chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: HIDE thyself as it were for a
LITTLE MOMENT, until the indignation be overpast. For behold, the Lord cometh out of his place
to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall
disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain" (Isa.26:20- 21 ).
The
prophet Zephaniah exhorts all of us, " Seek ye the Lord, all ye meek of
the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness:
it may be ye shall be HID in the day of the Lord's anger" (Zeph.2:3).
Jesus Christ says
to His Philadelphia Church:
"Because thou
hast kept the word of my patience, I also
will keepthlee
from the hour of temptation, which shall
come upon all the
world, to try them that dwell upon the
earth. Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which
thou
hast, that no man
take thy crown" (Rev.3:10-11).
The
Messiah also declared:
“Watch
therefore, and pray always that you may be counted
worthy
to escape all these things that will come to pass, and
to
stand before the Son of Man” (Luke 21:36, NKJV).
Will you be one of
them?
LAODICEAN CHURCH?
Mystery of mysteries, this question intrigues
thousands of people -- just where is and what
is
the "Laodicean Church" mentioned in
the book
of Revelation? Is there a Church on the face
of the
earth, today, which fits the description
Jesus Christ
gave of Laodicea? What is the truth? Can we
PROVE conclusively, at this time the IDENTITY
of the Laodicean Church? And if so, what should
you do about it? What is going to happen to those
who belong to that Church? Can you "choose"
which Church of Revelation you belong to?
I have been until very recently a member of the Worldwide Church of
God. For thirty years, I was a member of that Church, originally known as the
"Radio Church of God. " For thirty years, despite trials and tests
and obstacles, I remained faithful to the Church and the truth of God, and
although it became increasingly difficult to do both at the same time, I
managed to do it as long as Herbert W. Armstrong was alive and in charge.
But few people really understand what is going on, what is happening,
to the Worldwide Church of God, today, since the death of its founder in
January, 1986. Great changes are now beginning to take place. Few comprehend
it, but these changes are very significant!
These
changes could directly involve your own personal life, here and now, and your
ETERNAL SALVATION!
Stop for a moment, and look at the facts!
Crises in The Worldwide Church of God
In 1967 Mrs. Lorna D. Armstrong died. After her death, and without her
leveling influence, Mr.
Herbert W. Armstrong tried to
carry on the Work of God without her. But being a strong-willed individual, he
found it difficult to take criticism from others, and he was peculiarly
susceptible to flattery .He began making mistakes in his old age. He himself
confided to a few personal friends, "There is no fool like an old
fool." Herbert Armstrong was very
concerned what would happen to the Church after his death.
In 1971-2 a bombshell hit the Worldwide Church of God. It was discovered by leading evangelists that the son of Herbert Armstrong had been guilty of gross sexual sins and rampant adultery --cohabiting with allegedly scores of young women, including young Ambassador College coeds, babysitters, as well as consorting with prostitutes in Mexico City, Hawaii, and on other trips overseas. When confronted with the documented evidence, and the threatened resignation of 8 evangelists, Herbert Armstrong was forced to suspend his son from the ministry and exile him. Ted's latest flame, at the time, was a stewardess on the Falcon jet used by him in his travels around the country. His affair with "Gail" shocked the ministers at the ministerial conference held in 1972, and although Ted never publicly admitted the other liaisons at that time, other evidence surfaced that he had been leading a double, hypocritical life, as part-time evangelist on the one hand, and sexual raconteur on the other side.
Although
these sins were never admitted publicly, in order to safeguard the future of
the Church and Work, the fact was that eventually it was discovered that Garner
Ted Armstrong had been guilty of such things at least since 1965. Although
these sexual indiscretions-- blatant SINS in God's sight- were discovered in
1965, only a mild reprimand was given to Ted Armstrong by his father at that
time, and the sins were swept under the carpet and covered up.
In
the early 1970's Ted Armstrong was exiled from the Church for a few months
until his father was "satisfied" that he had repented. Then he was
brought back into the Church, and given more authority than ever, as the
"heir apparent" to take over when Herbert Armstrong finally died.
During
the subsequent years Herbert Armstrong himself remarried, a much younger woman.
Many opposed this marriage, but nobody could resist the desires of Herbert
Armstrong. In fact, according to information published in a periodical called
The Ambassador Report, Herbert Armstrong and his new "loved, "
Ramona, had sexual relations at least for one year before they formally became
"married. " This information came out in testimony and statements
made during the course of the infamous divorce trial between Ramona and Herbert
Armstrong. Eventually, the divorce trial was settled out of court
In
the meantime, in 1978 a split erupted into a chasm between father and son.
Although Herbert Armstrong had appointed his son to run the day-to-day
functions of the Church, a crisis arose when Ted Armstrong tried to move
Ambassador College to Big Sandy, Texas. The move would have cost the Work
millions of dollars, and when somebody secretly presented this information to
Herbert Armstrong, he hit the roof and exploded. He removed his son from his
office as the overall director of the Work, but said he could continue making
the broadcasts and telecasts. Angered, Ted Armstrong went to the newspapers to
tell his side of the Story. This course
of action infuriated his father, who then put him out of the Church --
"disfellowshipped" him.
During
this time, the animosity and passion was so great that at one point Ted
Armstrong threatened his father, saying, "I could destroy you, Dad."
He was, it turned out, referring to the sordid truth about Herbert Armstrong's
long incestuous relationship with his own daughter in the 1930's and 1940's.
In a book published by David Robinson, a former minister of the World- wide Church of God, entitled Herbert Annstrong’s Tangled Web, the author devoted an entire chapter to the sad Story of the incest which occurred for years between Herbert Armstrong and one of his daughters. Herbert Armstrong never denied the allegations. In fact, when his son threatened him with public exposure of the abominable details, his father admitted, "There have been times when I have not bee close to God."
During the late 1970's the Worldwide Church of God began publishing out of New York a fashionable magazine called Quest Ostensibly, this new magazine, on which millions of dollars were spent, was to help Herbert Armstrong preach the gospel. Although he never wrote a single article for Quest during its existence, the magazine was a disaster from the very beginning.
In the very first issue, the feature article about the famous football coach Vince Lombardi made profligate use of profanity and four-letter dirty words which no Christian should ever use! A subsequent article in this magazine described a man masturbating into a knothole in a tree!
At that time the Church also created Everest House Publishing. Their best-selling book was Danse Macabre by the horror-fiction writer Stephen King. This satanic author, who also authored Carrie, The Shining, Salems Lot, The Stand and a host of other horror novels and stories, used blasphemous words and took the names of God and Christ in vain repeatedly throughout the entire book! At the time I wrote a letter of protest to the Church, but the only answer I received was a one paragraph reply from evangelist Ellis LaRavia, in which the Church admitted to no wrongdoing, but did acknowledge they had discontinued any connection with either Quest or Everest House. All these horrors occurred while Herbert W. Armstrong was still ostensibly running the Worldwide Church of God. He permitted these things to happen. Whether he really knew what was going on, I don't know. But he should have known, since he was ultimately responsible for all Church activities and enterprises.
What must Almighty God and Jesus Christ have thought of this entire despicable, abominable era of God's End-Tirne Church? What must they have felt concerning the Church sponsored profanity , blasphemy, compromise with evil, and endorsement of Satanic writings?
In 1979 another crisis struck at the Worldwide Church of God. The state of California put the Church into receivership after receiving depositions and statements by top officials and former officials of the Church as to allegations of mismanagement, misuse of money, fraud and various abuses of government and leadership by Herbert W. Armstrong and his right-hand rnan, Stanley Rader. At first C. Wayne Cole, whom Herbert Armstrong had appointed to manage affairs while he was recovering in Tucson from ill health, wanted to cooperate with the authorities. But after speaking with Stanley Rader , Herbert Armstrong removed Cole from his responsibilities, and appointed Stanley Rader to manage the Church during the receivership crisis, and to resist the states's probe into the affairs of the Church.
One of the most scandalous accusations was the claim that Stanley Rader had profited enormously with his connections with the principal advertising agency used by the Church, and the claim that he made millions of dollars by the sale of a personal residence in Beverly Hills, bought for him by the Church. Although these claims were true, technically there was no illegality involved, although the "morality" of making personal profit using the tithe money of Church members was certainly questionable. How does such conduct square with the statements of Jesus Christ who said we must give up all to follow Him?
Shortly after this time the state ended the infamous receivership, due to the passage of new legislation in Sacramento. Churches, it was decided in the Petris bill, were not answerable to state officials as to how they manage their money, as such state involvement would jeopardize the constitutional rights of freedom of religion and separation of church and state.
Thus, although the receivership crisis exposed a very serious lack of accountability as to the Church usage of tithes and monies, it solved nothing. Of course, the final One to whom Church officials must give account is God and Jesus Christ, to whom they are very accountable! The receivership crisis, however, underscored the fact that many thousands of dollars, and millions of dollars, have been misspent for personal pleasure, extravagant hotel bills, yachts in Monte Carlo, paintings, silver and gold personal items, and so forth. How Jesus Christ will judge such activities and expenditures we shall see!
In January, 1986, Herbert Armstrong died at the age of 94. During his last years, he himself admitted that he was no judge of character. He had been completely fooled by some men. He did not know how to judge character. He was too easily impressed by mere ability and appearances.
Like king Hezekiah, in his old age Herbert Armstrong began to make many mistakes. He was cut off from the people. There was a formidable wall between him and the members of the Church. He was insulated behind the top administrators who erected a "wall" between him and the common people. But who was to protect him from the ambitions and aims of the top administrators?
During the last few years of Herbert Armstrong's life, it was virtually impossible to present new truth to him.
In 1985 during the fall I presented an astounding research paper on the amazing new truth of Daniel's 2300 day prophecy (Daniel 8). This paper was given to 12 top ministers, including those right under Herbert Armstrong. But they never presented it to him. It was ignored and pushed aside, while they waited for him to die.
In the fall of 1986 I once again presented this paper to the top administration of the Church. It was updated and improved, showing that this amazing new truth CORROBORA TED the feeling of Herbert Armstrong that the Six Day War of 1967 was in direct fulfillment of Bible prophecy! But again, this vital new revelation from God was completely ignored, and swept under the table. Those who were destined to take control of the reins of the Church after Herbert Armstrong did not present this paper to him. They ignored it They suppressed it
In January 1987, I decided to advertise this new truth about Daniel's
2300 days, and offer a booklet on the subject to my entire worldwide mailing
list When the new leadership of the Church saw my new catalog, a local Pasadena
minister was sent to my home to announce that I was suspended from Church. The
following week he returned, announcing that I was disfellowshipped. The next
week he called to inform me that I was going to be "marked" in the Pastor
Generals Report. and the announcement made in all the Churches worldwide.
I
was shocked -- stunned. I fasted three
days about the matter and came to a decision. As Peter and John told the
Pharisees, the visible "leaders" of the "church of God" in
their own day, "We must obey God rather than man" (Acts 5:29), so I
decided that I had no real choice. I could go crawling back into the Church,
confessing sin where I was innocent, and give up the truth of God -- or I could
stand tall and firm, and cling to the truth of God, and continue serving Him
without fear or favor.
The
decision was not hard for me to make. Many years before I had affirmed with
Paul, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power
of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also
to the Greek" (Romans 1:16).
I
also felt with Paul, who said, "For the which cause I also suffer these
things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am
persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against
that day" (II Tim.1:12).
What Is the Real Significance?
What is the real
significance of these things? What do they mean? Do you grasp it?
Notice what Jesus
Christ wrote to the Laodicean Church.
Jesus said,
"1 know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert
cold or not
So then because thou art LUKEW ARM, and
neither cold nor hot, I will SPUE THEE OUT OF MY MOUTH. "
Jesus
added, "Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have
need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art WREfCHED, and MISERABLE, and
POOR, and BLIND, and NAKED. I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire,
that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and
that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with
eyesalve, that thou mayest see. As many as I love, I REBUKE and CHASTEN: Be
zealous, therefore, and REPENT" (Rev.3:15-19).
Notice!
This Church needs REBUKING and CHASTENING. It has waxed lukewarm in spirit It
is blind --spiritually blind. This means its LEADERSHIP is spiritually blind.
And it is poor, and naked, and woefully wretched and miserable -a very sad
state for the Church of the Living God to be in!
Are
we also blind?
Age of
Laodicea!
Can
we not see from all the fruits that the Laodicean Age of the Church is now upon
us?
From the death of Mrs. Loma Armstrong in 1967 till the death of Herbert Armstrong in 1986, a complete 19-year time cycle, as God views time, the Church of God has undergone a major TRANSITION! The "Philadelphia Chapter" has been written. We are now in the midst of the "Laodicean Chapter"!
This
leadership rejects new truth. It is self-sufficient It thinks it is all right,
but God says it is in miserable condition. It is totally lacking in true
spirituality! It has the image, the facade --but it is a fraud! It refuses to
admit it is wrong. It refuses new truth. Although it may change doctrine as it
decides, it rejects what it does not want
Jesus
describes this wicked leadership as "wretched" and "miserable"
and "blind" and "naked." If we carefully look at the fruits
of the Worldwide Church of God during the last 20 years, what do we see?
I
have only hit the "highlights " in this article. I have only traced a
mere outline of what has happened in the Worldwide Church of God during the
past 20 years. Look at the evidence! You be the judge! "Prove all
things," as Paul commanded (1 Thess.5:21).
THE TRUTH ABOUT LAODICEA
The Laodiceans and the Pharisees have very much in common. In the eyes of Jesus Christ, the Pharisees were wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked. So were the Laodiceans!
Jesus said of the Pharisees, "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widow's houses, and for a pretense make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.
"Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves. Woe unto you, ye blind guides. ..Ye fools and blind. ..Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe. ..and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.
"Ye BLIND GUIDES.. which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.
"Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity" (Matt23:13-28).
Now consider carefully the following: The ancient Pharisees were the
leaders of God's Church in their day. They "sat in Moses' seat"
(Matl23:2-3). They had a great deal of true teaching (v.3). But yet their
doctrine and teaching were extremely DANGEROUS! They had so much truth that it
compounded their error, because people assumed they were teaching the truth in
all things.
The
Pharisees of that time were the rulers and ministers over the Church of God.
But they had gone far astray from the real, spiritual truth, so much so that
they did not even recognize their Saviour and Messiah! There had been no
prophets in Israel since Malachi, four hundred years earlier. During the
ensuing 400 years, the Jews became religious sectarians, led by the Pharisees,
their "ministers" and shepherds. In that sense, then, those Pharisees
were JUST LIKE THE MINISTRY AND HIERARCHY OF THE WORLDWIDE CHURCH OF GOD, TODA
Y!
Joseph
Tkach and his lieutenants, therefore, are nothing more than carbon copies of
the ancient Pharisees! Like them, they are guilty of all the things Jesus
condemned the original Pharisees for, including binding heavy burdens, getting
their priorities mixed up, stealing widow's houses, overly stressing the
"outside" of the cup -- the image and dress -- and neglecting the
inward man.
Even so it is with
the modern Laodicean/Pharisees!
Jesus warned the Pharisees, and His warning applies with equal force to the MODERN PHARISEES:
"YE SERPENTS,
YE GENERATION OF VIPERS,
HOW CAN YE ESCAPE
THE DAMNATION OF
HELL?"
(Matl23:33).
Jesus warned His disciples about the "doctrine" and teachings of the Pharisees. He declared, "TAKE HEED and BEW ARE of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees" (Mat.16:6).
What was this
mysterious "leaven "?
The
disciples thought He may have meant the literal bread they ate. But Jesus
answered them, "How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to
you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and
of the Sadduccees? Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the
leaven of bread, but of the DOCTRlNE of the Pharisees and of the
Sadduccees" (Mat.16:11-12).
Luke
explains this more clearly. Jesus said, "Beware ye of the leaven of the
Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. For there is nothing covered, that shall not be
revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known. Therefore whatsoever ye have
spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken
in the ear in the closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops" (Luke
12:1-3).
The
"leaven" of the Pharisees is fully described in Matthew 23 and Mark 7
as their hypocrisy and false, teachings. They were more righteous than God, in
their own eyes! They did not hesitate to "add to" or pervert the
meaning of His Word and His commandments.
Tradition Before Truth
Jesus
said of these Church administrators and leaders, "Howbeit in vain do
they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For
laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men. . ."
"Full
well ye reject Ole commandment of God that ye may keep your own tradition"
(Mark 7:7-13). They made the Word of God of "none effect" because
of their tradition, which they put before the Word of God.
The
very word "Laodicean" is meaningful and descriptive. It means: "The people decide," or
"The people judge." In other words, like the Pharisees the Laodicean
departs from the pure and true Word of God and becomes PEOPLE CENTERED instead
of GOD CENTERED. He adds do's and don't's to the plain and simple Word of
God. He becomes hypocritical. Like the Pharisee, the Laodicean minister
loves to exercise authority over the people, loves the acclaim of men, and
rules the Church of God with an "iron" hand. Notice the following
comparisons between Laodiceans and Pharisees, as Jesus described them.
1) both are self righteous. The
Laodicean thinks he is okay in the sight of God, but God says he is really
"wretched" and proud. He "thinks" he is rich, spiritually,
just like the Pharisees did of themselves, but God says he is really
"poor" spiritually.
2) both appear
righteous before men. On the outside, they seem to be righteous, but beware their
secret motives and inward agenda. They may look good, but God calls them both
"miserable"! Christ rebuked both strongly!
3) both are
"blind" spiritually. Christ repeatedly called the Pharisees
"blind, " and "blind fools." Even so, He also said the Laodiceans
are "BLIND" spiritually. They cannot see beyond the end of their
noses!
4) Christ commands
both to get serious and REPENT! The Laodiceans are warned that if they do not
repent, they will be cast into the Great Tribulation, to be given a chance to be
purged from their sins. The Pharisees, on the other hand are warned that unless
they repent they are headed straight for the lake of fire (Matt.23)!
5) both worship