INTRODUCTION
The ASTONISHING facts that the so-called churches are meant to be teaching, but are instead hiding from their members, while professing to be “doing-a work” should shock any who have been in God’s truth for any length of time! What is that work they are meant to be doing? And is suppressing the truth from their members part of their work?? These are very confronting questions, but answers must be given!
Some WILL be shocked by this article, but initially, by way of introduction to this article, please note that it is not our intention to criticize, ridicule, ride rough-shod over other churches, their beliefs, their ministers, or their congregations. Hence the reason we do not name & shame them. In fact, the Church of God is the family of God, our brothers & sisters in Christ, the sons & daughters of Abraham, & of Israel are being systematically re-deceived by the arch-enemy of mankind, that old serpent, called Satan, and the Devil.(Rev.12:9)
As a faithful remnant of the One true church of God, & possibly one of, if not the smallest organised church group with proper governmental structure, as begun by Jesus Christ to live by every word of God, we must speak truth, and as such, we have admonished many of our brothers, older and younger, to carefully check who they are following, whether God, or men.
God commands us to PROVE ALL THINGS, hold fast that which is good! I Thessalonians.5:21. And we hope to help all those called of God to come out of the lies & hypocrisies of your church which is not preaching the whole truth. Whether they are large or small, God is not a respecter of persons, organisations, ministers, members, or any thing in heaven or earth. But all that fear him in every nation, and obey him, he will honour! This is just another IMPORTANT reason we are commanded by Christ not to put father, mother, wife, children, brethren, sisters, or even his own life before God! (Luke.14:26-27) Saying here that when this is done, these are NOT-WORTHY to be Christ’s disciples!! Verse 33. Do you BELIEVE this??? Most do NOT.
As such, we have been warning many for around 16-years that they are in ERROR of the keeping of God’s commanded Holy days, and annual Sabbaths, called the Feasts of the Lord. And they have all, to a man, rejected this PLAIN, and easily provable TRUTH. Now, we have further rebukes for those who are sliding down a slippery slope called, “Laodiceanism”, meaning becoming lukewarm. In fact so many have become Laodicean, lukewarm, they will hardly preach prophecy, will not believe the truth concerning the CORRECT, & easily provable dates of God’s commanded Holy days! They have become so steeped in traditions, they can’t even recognize it anymore-What a shame!
Due to this lukewarm condition, we are among very rare & small company, as God’s faithful, called the elect in Scripture, who BELIEVE the GOSPEL. We are therefore directing this article to you that are prepared to be FAITHFUL to the living God, & his truth, those who will seek the kingdom of God above ALL THINGS.
Paul also had to finally realise that the Jews were not interested in the Gospel, or Christ, whom the prophets had foretold of, as he said to them in one place; “Your blood be upon your own heads; I am clean: from henceforth I will go unto the Gentiles”. (Acts.18:6) We also go now to ALL whom God will send, to truly learn, be taught, and follow the path Christ set for his church, the ONE-true church he said he would build. (Matt.16:18)
As a further lead in to this examination of who are the true church of God are & who are the elect, and who are proclaiming the true gospel, we must ascertain who are actually keeping God’s Laws, while also preaching God’s word. Before we examine this situation further down after the sub-head, Who Is, & Who Is NOT teaching God’s Truth, & What is TRUTH? below, let us first ask & hopefully answer some basic questions, and get the back drop of past and current teachings.
Which Gospel?
In approximately 27 A.D, the gospel of the kingdom began to be proclaimed by Jesus Christ according to all the prophecies that went before on him, and as mentioned in Mark.1:14-15; “Now after that John was put into prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand:repent ye, and believe the gospel. John had prepared the way before him baptizing them in the river Jordan. And Jesus himself went to John to be baptized, not that he had sins to be washed of, but he the principal, and correct order, that except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God, (John.3:5.) showed even he, Jesus, had enter the kingdom of God, in this designated manner, and lead by example all them who would follow, as he had explained earlier to the Pharisee Nicodemus.
This is the point where a member of the human family is actually begotten into the family of God! And the transcendent process of beginning to let Christ live his life in every newly begotten child of God commences. Of course, Nicodemus could not understand, just as any of us who have been baptized and received the laying of hands of the ministry and a begettal of God’s Holy Spirit could not understand until this process had occurred. The apostle Peter said in Acts.2:38. …Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission (removal) of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
We had to have our sins forgiven and washed away, to come up out of the water, symbolizing our watery grave, as those who have symbolically buried our old man-former life and ways, to begin living the life God has for every son whom the Father has chosen. As the apostle Paul under God’s inspiration taught in regard to baptism in Romans.6:3-5. Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ, were baptized into his death? Therefore, we are buried with him, by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For is we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection.
As Jesus Christ said in John.6:44. “No man can come to me, except the Father draw him, and I will raise him up at the last day. Do the churches of this world preach this? Do they ever speak of the gospel of the kingdom of God, and our need for baptism, and laying on of the hands of the ministry of God. (I Tim.4:14; II Tim.1:6.)
Only One-Gospel
With the gospel of the kingdom of God being proclaimed by so many, why are ALL these “churches” not all preaching the same thing? As one recently said; “To the untrained mind, they all look alike”; That is to the uninitiated, many of the doctrines being “preached” look almost the same, so that is enough for them. Is that enough for God? The apostle Paul had to contend with false teachers during his minstry, and under God’s inspiration, made it PLAIN, that there is only ONE-TRUE GOSPEL. See Galatians 1:6-7. Only 20-years approximately after Christ returned to the Father, the Gospel of God was already being watered down! Paul had to use very plain language to show these false preachers for what they were, and in the process, pronounced a DOUBLE-CURSE upon them, and ANY doing this. “But though we, or an angel, (fallen-angel) preach any other gospel unto you than that we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed. He then went on to say very plainly that he wasn’t a minister of Christ to please men, but Christ! Vs.10. That is because men have their own ideas and thoughts, not the thoughts of God and Christ. (Isa.55:-9)
Does this now mean we can all critique God’s word? Even recently, we have had certain contentious individuals demanding the ministry preach their ideas, not the ideas, the teachings and thoughts of God, setting aside the need for a faithful ministry! Is that what God’s word says? Does God teach the flock that they are to demand what they want? Never! God does have a specific governmental process, ordained in his word to follow. See Ephesians.4:1-6, 11-16. However, we all need to ask questions of all that is being taught, where we genuinely don’t understand. An inquiring mind, is an active mind, but a contentious one is not of God. Request your free copy of What is the TRUE GOSPEL?
What Is The True Gospel?
How many gospels are there then? Paul said there is only ONE gospel, and yet the churches all preach slightly different versions today. In Mark.16:16. What did Christ mean when he said; “He that believes and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believes not shall be damned? (judged) The verse preceding this statement is what focuses our attention in this matter. (Vs.15) “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He was referring to believing the gospel of the kingdom of God. And they that were sent to proclaim this gospel message, were empowered by the Holy Spirit to do this on a world wide basis, just as the 20th Century apostle was in the form of Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong. The question is, how many today believed the one true gospel message God sent his apostles to proclaim world wide for a witness unto all nations? Only 120 truly believed Jesus Christ’s preaching out of the many thousands who heard and saw the Son of God. What about you reading this, do you believe? Or are you confused by the myriad of “gospels” being proclaimed by the churches?
What Is The Kingdom of God?
Because so many are rejecting the true Gospel of the Kingdom of God, they are in fact rejecting God, and the conditions by which they can be saved! As God said of Israel in Hosea.5:6. “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because you have rejected knowledge, I will also reject you…Let’s remember that the Old Testament scriptures are part of God’s entire message and teaching to his people, with the New Testament scriptures referring back to them in many, many places, including where Jesus Christ himself made mention of in his last appearance with his disciples prior to his ascension to heaven. See Luke.24:44-51. And in confirming this, we see in II Timothy.3:15-16. All scripture is given by inspiration of God..the scriptures he was talking about here in Timothy referred to the Old Testament, as the New Testament had not been fully written at this time.
So what is the Kingdom of God? Briefly, it is the soon coming world ruling kingdom of the family, and government of the God-kind to be ushered in at a time yet future, when the Father shall send Jesus Christ in all the power and glory of the Father, to set up and administer God’s government, God’s Laws here on earth, and to put all those faithful in Christ who down through the ages (Millenia) who are to rule under Christ in that kingdom. In other words, all those whom the Father has chosen, and whom Christ himself will raise up at his return in that 1st-Resurrection of the saints. All those who are dead, and all those who are alive and remain on earth at that stupendous time! This kingdom will fill the entire earth, removing all of man’s governments, dominions and authority. This is confirmed in many scriptures, with Daniel chapter 7, describing this incredible message some 600-640 years BC! The whole of Daniel chapter 7, in particular reveals how end time events will unfold, but it also refers back to successive world ruling empires which would all rise and fall, with the ushering in of the final kingdom of God to be ushered in, ending every other kingdom, and Verse 27 showing that the whole kingdom would be given to the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom…
For a fuller explanation, request your free copy of Just what do you mean…KINGDOM OF GOD? Please note: All that we do, teach and provide is absolutely free of charge and cost. Jesus Christ said…Freely ye have received, freely give. (Matthew.10:8)
The Gospel of the Kingdom Foreshadowed in God’s Holy Days!
The plan of God as outlined in each of God’s festivals, called, The Feasts of The LORD, are magnificently revealed in these sacred annual Sabbaths. Beginning the year in God’s calendar for his people in Spring, when God delivered Israel out of Egyptian slavery after 400 years. In Exodus.12:1-14. God said to Moses and Aaron; “This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year unto you”. And they were instructed to command all Israel to begin preparation for the keeping of Passover on the 14th of this first month. This symbolized the sacrifice of the Lamb of God thousands of years later, but which was foreordained thousands of years before, at the foundation of the world! (Revelation.13:8) This feast was to be kept by an ordinance, and was commanded to be kept FOREVER! (Vs.14)
The 7-days of Unleavened bread commemorated Israel’s coming out of the land of sin with unleavened bread, and symbolized the complete removal of sin, leaven representing sin, and it’s complete removal during these 7-days-7, symbolizing completeness, as the death of the Lamb of God also represented Christ’s removal of the penalty of sin in the lives of all those who God calls to receive this unmerited pardon. (grace) As baptism also likewise represents to all those who truly repent, and be baptized for the remission of sins. And through the death of the sinless Lamb, our sins are forgiven, and the penalty of sins, which is death, (Rom.6:23.) is paid for by Christ’s death. These days were clearly kept by God’s church in the New Testament times, as we read in Acts.20:6 “we sailed away from Philippi after the days of unleavened bread” where they had observed these commanded days. Also Acts.12:3. And I Corinthians.5:7-8. Where the church were told to keep the feast… with the unleavened bread of sincerity.
Herein is a proof that God’s feast days were never “done away” at the cross, just one of many misunderstandings by those who want to tear down God’s Laws, God’s Holy days, God’s feasts, and God’s annual Sabbaths, so they could keep their own pagan days, and be “freed” from those “harsh old Laws of that harsh old God of the Old Testament”. No! God’s Laws are for our good, God is a God of love, and his way is the GIVE-WAY, the way of give, which means out-flowing, away from self. God gave us these Annual Sabbath Feast days, to be kept forever, and to keep us in the true worship of the true God, with these days also marking, as a sign, all them who keep these days in their “appointed” seasons and “appointed” times! So they not only symbolize very importantly a specific part of God’s plan of redemption and Salvation, but are also commanded to be kept in the Old Testament, and in the New Testament.
Without going through every Holy Feast Day, and their meanings, as symbolizing a specific part of the awesome plan of God, due to time & space here, please request your free copy of; Pagan Holidays or God’s Holy Days-Which?
Who Is, & Who Is NOT teaching God’s Truth, & What is TRUTH?
We now come to the main reason for this whole article, and the questions we will now ask you who are reading this, if you are in church groups who keep their feasts in accordance with the Jews traditions, or in accordance with God’s Law! For most of the churches, they are in ERROR most years by 2-days, because they count their feasts to start in accordance with a crescent moon, with some looking for a full moon, to “confirm” in their mind that they are in the correct time??? NOWHERE are we commanded to observe CRESCENT or FULL MOONS in any scripture in the entirety of the Bible! This came from Jewish tradition, and UNBELIEVABLY today, many are STILL looking for crescent moons! This is a Pagan observation. God’s Law calls for his people to live by EVERY WORD of God, not some of it, parts of it, or even MOST of it. We are commanded to keep the PASSOVER in the 1st month, which is in accordance by, and signified from the 1st NEW-MOON in the land of Israel. See Exodus 12:1-2. From there they were given the instructions to observe this special day on the 14th of this 1st month.
How can we know which is the 1st month, and how do we know to count to the 14th of that 1st Month? When you are shown, you will not believe how simple it really is-It’s quite literally child’s-play, it’s as easy as 1-2-3! In FAct we have an EZ2SEE-Calendar counter on this web site. For the full teaching on this INCREDIBLE subject, request your FREE-CALENDAR BOOKLET; God’s Calendar Challenge.
Every major group has looked at this subject with varying degrees of lukewarmness, and disinterest, preferring to stick with their well worn, and log-held error of traditions of men. The religion of Judaism has a set of “rules” of POSTPONEMENTS, called the DEHIOTH. These are wrong at least 60% of the time. And after years of telling new converts to keep God’s Sabbath, because Sunday is Pagan, being the 1st day of the week. They are now keeping God’s annual Sabbaths, the Feats of the LORD on days which are NOT ordained, or commanded by GOD!
EACH ONE OF THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS, REPRESENTS FACTIONS, FALSE TEACHINGS, & THEREFORE, FALSE CHURCHES
Q: So, Who is claiming to be keeping God’s Holy days, as a sign God gave his people, while keeping a combination of Jewish Postponements (Judaisms) & the traditions of men?
Q: Who is proclaiming to be teaching truth, while preaching wild speculation in prophecy?
Q: Who is claiming to be “THAT-PROPHET“, while decimating & ravaging the flock?
Q: Who paid millions of dollars of God’s tithes for the “rights” to use the free literature as written by Mr.H.W.A & formerly funded by the W.C.G, as well as separating families, forbidding them to see one another, casting them adrift, because some have left?
Q: Who is claiming to be an apostle today, and says he is doing more work, baptized more people, etc than the former apostle H.W.A?
Q: Who is claiming to be the end-time Joshua the high priest of Zechariah, and claiming H.W.A’S booklets for himself, having slightly edited them with very similar titles & deceiving the many?
Q: Who is presenting a glossy version of the truth, in a worldly “wise” way in their magazines, while despising prophecy, who also REJECT the truth of God’s ONE-TRUE Holy day Calendar for God’s feast days, while suppressing the truth of this? See (Rom.1:18)
Q: Who is also rejecting the TRUTH of God’s Holy day Calendar under the guise that God gave the oracles to the Jews? (Rom.3:1-2) They were not given God’s word to alter, but to preserve, never change! Instead they were changed, and replaced by the Melchizedek N.T priesthood at the tearing of the vail, for their disobedience!
Q: Who is even saying that the “great falling away” has not occurred, (II Thess.2:3) while the evidence is as plain as the nose on their face?
Q: Like wise, who are claiming they are “doing the largest work” while not only rejecting the truth of the Holy day Calendar, but puffing up their chest against all their brothers in the churches?
Is ANY of THIS, any of the above, and many such like things of God? A resounding NO! Many of our former acquaintance have sadly become “lukewarm” to these things, which God’s word teaches those with ‘eyes to see’, and ‘ears to hear’, that many of these will say to him in that day; “Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name? and in your name have cast out demons? (There’s only one-devil) and in your name done many wonderful works? And, what will the Lord answer these, who apparently understood, at least by some measure, prophecy, and were able to cast out demons, which mostly, members do not do, but the ministry do! What is the Lords answer? “I NEVER KNEW YOU, DEPART FROM ME, YOU THAT WORK INIQUITY! (Mt.7:22-23. Read whole chapter for complete context)
So what is the definition of Iniquity? LAWLESSNESS is the meaning, and the vast bulk of God’s churches are doing EXACTLY that! They have to a man rejected the LAW of God’s Holy day Calendar, called the feasts of the LORD, in favour of Judaisms postponements! Since when then did God EVER POSTPONE his Sabbath day, or annual Sabbath days? That is tantamount to saying God changes, contrary to Mal.3:6. Where God says “I am the LORD, I change not; therefore you sons of Jacob are consumed. What the apostle Paul also say about this in Heb.13:8? “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever.
Astonishingly, many of these same ministers have forgotten this, have they really forgotten? Or are they, like so many today IGNORING God’s word, because there is no hierarchical structure over them? Not that this is uncommon in our very, very scattered conditions, but these are definite “fruits” by which WE CAN IDENTIFY who are the TRUE, and who are the FALSE, as Christ also said back in Mt.7:20. “Wherefore, by their fruits shall ye know them. This is the process we all employed when first coming into God’s one-true church isn’t it? We came to understand that any who did not keep God’s one-true 7th-day Sabbath were not of God. That then eliminated almost all this worlds religions, making the process a great deal easier to navigate, and then we came to see that God’s annual Sabbaths were part of his IMMUTABLE Laws. Immutable meaning UNCHANGEABLE-and PERPETUAL, as is God’s word.
The DEFINING feature of this LAST remaining, and final church era, the 7th candlestick, is a propensity to a LUKEWARM attitude to God’s Law, and that has revealed the churches UNWILLINGNESS to accept God’s Laws instructing all who will receive it, that GOD DICTATES when, where, and how we are to keep God’s feasts, the feasts of the LORD, NOT man! Those keeping God’s annual Sabbaths IN their appointed seasons, on their appointed days CORRECTLY, as God COMMANDS, not men, has now become THE defining benchmark by which we can IDENTIFY the true church of God TODAY, in this last 7th candlestick church era. The TRUE Philadelphian’s are still keeping them CORRECTLY, Laodicean’s MUST now ANOINT their eyes before it’s too late, or be cast into the great tribulation staring down upon them as a yawning grave!
The above comments only hi-light the UTTER CONFUSION of all the churches who are all meant to be of ONE-MIND, yet they all teach varying degrees of the truth, or truth mixed with error, while one of their writers, not ordained, continually writes nasty and vindictive words about any “other–church“! Little wonder many of the former flocks have fled from them, though some were obviously not called, going back to Protestantism, and others became haters of faithful ministers. Some for understandable reasons where they were treated poorly, while others caused great tumult wanting to draw away disciples after themselves.
As one minister said to me recently, if we are not all standing on the same foundation, we are standing on a different one from Christ, and my teaching is that we better be on the RIGHT FOUNDATION, or we are headed for a fiery resurrection, instead ot he first resurrection & glory with all our faithful brethren.
Finally, it is little reason, we have not been able to merge with any of these groups, some of whom are now saying, “we are doing the largest work worldwide”, when it was Mr. H.W.A’s commission to preach the gospel on a worldwide basis. That was the work God obviously gave to his servant Mr. Armstrong, opening doors to him with kings, Queens, P.M’s, presidents and more world leaders than any other man without portfolio, perhaps than ever before! And still they “believe” they are doing this? How can divided and disagreeing churches expect to be able to carry out this work effectively? They cannot!
Now we have the deniers, both of of the True Holy day calendar, and those who look to men, those who want to be part of a “social group”, an organisation, rather than the spiritual organism of God’s choosing, the body of Christ.
If any have taken the time to read this far, you may have actually witnessed one or some of the questions mentioned above, and are possibly realising that what is written here has struck a chord with one, or many of you. If you have taken the time to read this far, there is a very good chance that you are serious enough to actually address this incredible situation as the ancient Bereans did, by studying the scriptures to see whether these things are so. If so, please request your FREE COPY OF GOD’S CALENDAR CHALLENGE, and include your full mailing address and full name. We will not follow up this gift to you, but will wait for further instructions, and requests from you, the choice is entirely yours. As we all know, God gives freely, it is up to all of us how we respond to God’s AWESOME calling. Brethren, I urge you to look at our tribute of Herbert Armstrong, and view the video link. This may help you to understand that we believe that commission was fulfilled. Don’t misunderstand what is written herein; We must continue to preach the good news of the coming kingdom of God to all whom God shall call. But if we are to be preaching on a worldwide basis, would not God open the doors to that work if it is His will? The church is now undergoing a “sifting and sorting”, of that we can be sure. The “wise” virgins took “oil” in their “vessels” with their lamps…Matt.25:4
It is HIGH time to GET READY for the RETURN of JESUS CHRIST,and to thoroughly examine ourselves. The night is far spent, the day is near, brethren of God, I implore you to search your consciences, and if you deem us worthy, we stand ready to be fellow helpers of your joy & faith in Christ Jesus.