Well, greetings everybody once again this afternoon; and to all of you people up in Canada listening at Vancouver, British Columbia; and all of you over in Big Sandy, Texas. I didn't know you were listening last night, but I'm informed that you were. And I am so happy to be back once again on this platform, in front of this microphone, before all of you.
That song "Jerusalem" means something very special to me right at this moment because I am due to arrive in Jerusalem, I think it's the 30th of June. I'll be there until after the 4th of July. The city of Philadelphia has donated to the state of Jerusalem, or the nation of Israel I should say, an exact replica (an exact duplicate) of the Liberty Bell. And Mayor Teddy Kollek, the mayor of Jerusalem, came to me about oh, a year and a half or maybe almost two years ago. He wanted to build a big park in downtown Jerusalem. There was none. He felt one ought to be there; and he wanted to call it the Liberty Bell Park, and this big Liberty Bell is right at the entrance of the park.
I agreed to help with it and to take care of the construction of the children's playground right at the entrance. Now it is complete, and it is to be opened to the public and dedicated on July the 4th, America's Independence Day. And it is an independence park and has very great significance to the United States. You might say that the United States has kept the nation of Israel alive.
You know there's been a great deal of debate in the last few days in Congress about sending arms to Israel, and Saudi Arabia, and to Egypt. But it seems like that's been settled finally by increasing the number of jet planes that the United States will send to Israel.
Anyhow, we hope for peace. We know there's not going to be too much for a while. Then is coming the great time of peace when Christ comes back to set up and to restore the government of God on this earth and set up the Kingdom of God. I hope to show you this afternoon the difference between the government of God and the Kingdom of God, because they are not synonymous.
Now just by way of a very, very brief announcement, I want to say that in the early days of my conversion, going back 50 years ago up in Oregon (and we were living in Portland, Oregon at the time) I was beginning to fellowship with the Church of God people up there. Now we find various eras of God's Church in the 2nd and 3rd chapters of Revelation, and that was what we call the Sardis Era. You read of it in the beginning of the first several verses of the 3rd chapter of the book of Revelation.
There was a mix-up in the Church. It was divided. And the man who had been the real leader of the Church, Andrew Dugger, had lost out by one vote. They were voting. They still had more Bible truth than any other church on earth; but they had lost a great deal of the original truth, which God has restored through me. And one of the things that was lost was on Church organization. Then Mr. Dugger left and, with another man, went to Salem, West Virginia and organized what he called the Bible form of organization of the Church.
Now we in Oregon knew that it was not the Bible form of organization at all. It was a true misapplication of some of the scriptures. The result is my mind was pretty much mixed up on just what is the form of executive organization in the Church. That is a thing that was hardest for me to understand, and it took longer for me to come to an understanding than anything else in the Bible. Now it is all clear.
I have made a mistake in the past because of that misunderstanding, although I have always known that God's form is government from the top down. Now this is too big a subject for me to go into in this one sermon, because I have something else that I think takes precedence and is so important I don't want to neglect it. But there will be an article in the Worldwide News thoroughly explaining that.
Now, let me just say that my recovery permits me to take the active position in the executive management of God's Work; and due to this, the announced changes in administration have been made. And now the Church is organized God's way, and it will have God's blessing. It will go forward. We expect to go forward now in radio broadcasting, getting back where we once were on the big radio stations coast to coast. It's very hard to get them to open up time; but we are doing everything we can. And that we will soon be daily, seven days a week, around the clock, on radio coast to coast. I know that's what the brethren all over the United States and Canada want. And of course, so far as other countries are concerned, we can't reach them with those same programs.
I'd like to read right at this point a verse that was my mother's favorite verse in all the Bible. It's the one 133rd Psalm, and verse 1.
Psalm 133:1 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!
We are in real unity, and the Work will go forward as never before. I'm sure I can promise you that on the authority of Jesus Christ.
GOD'S APOSTLE (PLAY FROM 7:22)
Now let me just say that God has put one apostle in His Church. I have never claimed to be that apostle -- that is, I didn't originally -- until I found that all of the Church recognized it anyway. And I would just simply point to 50 years of the fruits, and what has happened, and what God has done, and how He has used me in the last 50 years.
You know when John the Baptist sent some messengers to Jesus, when Jesus was on earth, to ask Him whether He was the promised Messiah, Jesus didn't say, "Yes." He didn't say, "No." He said, "You go tell John what you see being done. Tell him the fruits that you see, and he will know."
Well, no man made me an apostle; and men cannot elect an apostle. That would never have the approval of God in a million years. Christ Himself selected me, and laid on me the Great Commission of getting the gospel of the Kingdom of God (which is the good news of the coming government and kingdom of God) to all the world. Now that's why I've had to be away from here and in the capitals of the world for the last several years, a great deal; and again I will have to be.
Now I am planning to leave here on the 25th of June. I will be a few days in London, just in case I need a little resting up from that trip (because it is around, I don't know, an 11, 12, 13-hour flight). And then on the 30th of June we will fly on over to Jerusalem, and special plans are being made that our plane can land right at the Jerusalem Airport instead of the airport that is the only one that has been open in Israel at all, which is near Tel Aviv. And then you have a long full hour's automobile ride to Jerusalem. Well, I hope that we'll be able to land at the Jerusalem Airport, and they're trying to get special provision for that. I think that I will inaugurate the Liberty Bell Park with the inauguration prayer. And I will dine with the mayor, Teddy Kollek. Incidentally, he's been here and spoken to the college students; and he's a very good friend of mine.
Now, let me just say that I was never called to get into the college business. God called me to get the message that He sent by Jesus Christ, which is the good news of the coming Kingdom of God. Since it is good news of what is going to happen, it amounts to an announcement. It is not a soul-saving mission to convince people that it's true, or get people to agree. It doesn't make any difference. Whether you agree or you disagree, it's going to happen -- because God is going to do it! And, as my son Garner Ted has said many times on television and radio, God doesn't have to convince you or anybody. We're not going to do it. It's going to be done to us. But God is going to FORCE this world to have peace and to be happy, and tell people how to really enjoy life for the first time in 6,000 years. And that's going to happen soon, in our lifetime.
MISSION OF AMBASSADOR COLLEGE (PLAY FROM 11:20)
Now as I say, I was not called to get into the college business. But in the first years of my ministry, I held six-week evangelistic campaigns in many towns and villages up in Oregon. And always there were converts, and I would organize a small local church; but there was no minister. Now when the sheep have no shepherd, they do fall prey to the wolves or they run astray; and that's exactly what I saw happening. I saw that we had to have ministers in the churches. That I needed educated personnel to serve under me, and to help me in the many other facets of the administration of the Work of God.
And that's why Ambassador College was started. Then later God opened the college in England, and we were all of us that saw it and were at the top at the time, were convinced that God had shown us that He wanted a college over there. And then even after that, about 1963 or '64, the college in Big Sandy, Texas. Now we had the three campuses. God blessed it, and we now have in the neighborhood of 700 ordained ministers around the world. We have an educated ministry. We have many people in top executive positions that are Ambassador College graduates. And, actually the mission of the college has been fulfilled.
So we've come to see that the operation of a full 4-year liberal arts college is not longer necessary to fulfill the Great Commission. That's what I've been called to do. That's what my life has been devoted to, and will continue to be devoted to. So the college has closed its undergraduate program, and will continue to operate only in schools for ministerial and biblical studies. In other words, we will no longer have courses for job or professional training.
All the colleges and universities of this world, they devote their time mainly to teaching people for the various professions, various jobs or positions. And this college has never had that, except partially. But to what extent we have, that will now be eliminated; and it will be, as I said, a school for ministerial and biblical studies. This school, by the way, is a fulfillment of the concept that I invented and that I had back in 1951. And just this morning a copy of The Plain Truth from that time was shown to me, where it is stated out. And I am glad that we are doing what God has shown us must be done. That will greatly reduce the expenses and allow funds to be spent for the radio broadcasting and for getting the gospel around the world, which is the thing that we will be committed to from now on.
GOD CREATED ANGELS (PLAY FROM 15:08)
Now last night I told you that above all God is the Creator. But God also is perfect, holy, and righteous character. God first created angels and put them on the earth. He created angels BEFORE He had created the earth and the physical, material, universe. He put them here to have a part with Him in Creation. In other words, I wonder if you have seen and we have stores here in this area of unfinished furniture. It is furniture that is made complete except the polishing, or painting, or finishing has not been put on. Now you can buy very fine furniture that way if you can finish it yourself and save a lot of money.
Well, in a sense, that is the way God created the earth and the other planets around the world. He put the angels here to finish it, to build it up, to glorify it, to make it more and more beautiful. In order to do that, as I explained last night, He put His government over those angels. And to do that, He sat a super-archangel (one of the three top ones that He's ever created) on a throne to administer the government of God. But that {1} super-angel did not administer the government of God. Rather he led his people into the very opposite; Instead of building up, tearing down; Instead of light and truth, darkness and error. And instead of love, it was vanity and all of the things that we call human nature (which do, incidentally, come from the Devil and not from God) -- vanity, lust, and greed, envy and jealousy, a spirit of competition and strife and violence and tearing down.
So I read to you last night of the angels who sinned, and they are now demons. And the archangel Lucifer has had his name changed from Lucifer, which means shining star of the dawn (which he is not any longer); and God has named him what he now is -- Satan, which means adversary, competitor, rival, or the one working against you. That's what Satan is doing.
CHOOSING GODLY CHARACTER (PLAY FROM 17:49)
The one most necessary thing -- the one that is first of all in God Himself -- is holy, righteous, perfect spiritual character. The angels were made of spirit, not of matter. But there's one thing, as I explained last night, God cannot just create as it is and as a finished work of creation, and that is that kind of character. That must be participated in. Of course, it has to come from God; but the angels had to make the decision, and man has to make the decision. And it's like God said before Israel. He said, "I have set before you light and darkness, truth and error, God's way of love and the other way of hate, and jealousy, and envy." And He said, "CHOOSE!" Humans have to choose. He said, "Choose God's way."
Now, of course, He never forces anyone to do that. We are creatures of free choice. And character can only be built by those who have made that choice, and who have then opened their minds and their hearts to God to put His love, His Holy Spirit, His character within them. Now unless you have come to that point, unless you have repented of the way of this world -- as I say, of vanity, lust and greed, jealousy and envy, and competition and strife -- you are not on the way to that kind of character.
I told you last night that the angels went the wrong way. That left only God in the Person ... As I explained last night from John 1:1, one was God and one who was the Word. Now the Word later, about 2,000 years ago, was made flesh and dwelt among us. In other words, it was Jesus Christ; and God then became His Father. He had been with God for all eternity. There never was a time when they did not exist. Now don't try to understand that, because your minds can't understand it; but nevertheless you can't imagine it any other way either. You can't imagine anything else. Where did God come from if He hasn't always existed?
CHAOS AND CONFUSION (PLAY FROM 20:18)
Anyway, the angels failed and did not go ahead; and the result is (we read it in the 2nd verse of Genesis 1):
Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
But, as I say, there was part of that Creation that He did not finish at that time, and like the unfinished furniture; and the angels were intended to finish it, they didn't.
Genesis 1:2 And the earth was [or, had become] without form, and void.
That comes from the Hebrew words, tohu and bohu, which really means chaotic, in confusion, waste and empty or deteriorated. And that was the thing that had come to the earth. It was covered by water. It was in darkness. The sun was no longer shining. Lucifer had been a bringer of light, but he had turned to darkness. And even the sun was not shining.
Genesis 1:2 And the spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
The Spirit of God was there. Now I'd like to read to you from the {2} 104th Psalm and verse 30.
Psalm 104:30 Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: and thou RENEWEST the face of the earth.
Now notice that. God renewed the face of the earth. That's what you read of in Genesis 1:1. Not the original Creation at all! In verse 1:
Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens [and it should plural] and the earth.
But He put angels here first; and they had turned the wrong way, and turned light into darkness -- righteousness into sin. And so now, here was the Spirit:
Psalm 104:30 Thou sendest forth thy spirit ...
Here was the Holy Spirit of God over the watery surface. There was no land. It was all water.
Genesis 1:3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
The first thing God did was to restore light upon the earth. Now we are not told just how that light was. Because apparently it did not come from the sun because the sun did not shine on the earth until what is mentioned in the 4th day of this 7-day creative week -- which is not the original Creation but the renewing of the face of the earth for man.
Now then, as I said last night, when the angels had sinned, God was the only One ... God and the Word (who was to become Christ but had not yet become Christ), the only Ones! And you could say it was the God Family -- those Two -- who would not, and therefore could not, sin. God had to have people that He knew could be relied on never to go the wrong way, to do the job He wanted done. Not only this earth, but the whole vast universe!
This earth was a training ground. If the angels had made good, they would have gone on to Mars and Jupiter and Saturn and then after this solar system, to other planets of our galaxy and then to other galaxies. But they failed! And deterioration, and ... Ah, that word I tried to think of last night; it came to various planets. And that's the condition we find on the moon, and now we find it on Mars.
As I said last night, the first pictures of Mars -- photographed right on the surface of Mars -- were shown on a screen right on this platform by people about 5:05 to 5:10 in the morning when they began to come through. And I ... in fact some of you were here, and I was. I got in about 5 minutes before five, because I knew I'd been checking on when the picture would come through; and I was here in time for it.
AFTER HIS KIND (PLAY FROM 24:53)
Now God had to do something because He had tried angels, spirit beings composed of spirit. They are not composed of matter at all. There was no matter and no material universe when He first created the angels. They were already here when He created the material universe and the earth. And I read that to you in the 38th chapter of Job last night.
But it left only God, who had that kind of character and who could be entrusted to go on with the Creation and carry the Creation to its ultimate limit -- because, first of all, God is Creator; but He rules over His Creation. And He was the One who is the basic Source of truth, and knowledge, and understanding to those that He creates. A lot of people don't understand that much about God, which is too bad.
Anyway, God now saw that the only way was to reproduce Himself. To do that, He knew it was necessary to make man in His form and His image. God is formed and shaped just like we are. He looks like us except, instead of our pale faces and other colors of faces, God's face shines like the very sun for brightness. It'd probably put your eyes out if you looked straight at it because His face is so bright. It's not the sun but He created the sun. But now God had to create man in His own form and His own image. So He restored the earth, renewed the face of the earth; and then, coming down to verse 24, the 1st chapter of Genesis now:
Genesis 1:24 And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind.
There is no evidence that there was any such thing as reproduction before this time here. God started reproduction in animals, in fishes, in birds, and then finally in human life. Now notice: "God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature." The original word is the same word that is elsewhere translated "soul." Souls are made of matter; and they are not immortal, as the world has been misled to believe.
Genesis 1:24-26 ... after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: at it was so. (25) And [then] God made the beast of the earth after his kind [And so on. And then in verse 26.] (26) And God said, Let us [Not "Me" because God was Elohim, which is a uni-plural name and meant {3} the One that became the Father of Christ, or originally God and the Word. He said, "Let us ... "] make man in our image, after likeness.
So man was created in the image of God, but so there could be reproduction because God was going to reproduce Himself. And He put reproduction in the fish family, the bird family, the animal family, and the human family. And there probably had never been any such thing as reproduction before that time. There's certainly no evidence of it anyway. But now God made man male and female. Verse 27:
Genesis 1:27-28 God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him, male and female created he them. [And told us to reproduce ... Well now, wait a minute.] (28) And God blessed them, and God said unto them, [I want to read this.] Be fruitful, and multiply, and REPLENISH the earth.
It had already been "plenished" by angels, and "replenish" means fill it up again. A lot of people read right over that word and never get the meaning. Replenish the earth! Now you take back in Genesis, after the Flood, and you'll find that God said the same thing to Noah -- to reproduce and replenish the earth. Fill it up again after all had been destroyed except Noah and his family.
Well, now next I want to come to the creation of man. God spoke to the man He had created, and the woman. It says here in the 7th verse of the 2nd chapter of Genesis:
Genesis 2:7 The [Eternal] God formed the man of the dust of the ground.
BELIEVING GOD (PLAY FROM 29:54)
He had formed angels out of spirit, but now He formed man out of the dust of the ground. That was necessary so that, if man went the wrong way (as the angels did), God had a plan to have Christ come and be born as a human being, to live a perfect life and never bring on Himself the penalty of sin. But then to take our penalty on Himself and die for us, so we could be forgiven if we change our minds, repent, and begin to BELIEVE GOD.
God had thoroughly instructed this Lucifer, but he didn't believe God; and he turned angels away, so they became demons. Now "The LORD God formed man out of the dust of the ground." Ultimately, after the character of God has been formed in us, we will be changed to immortal spirit beings too; but only after that character has been formed in us in this first life.
Genesis 2:7-9 ... and [God] breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. (8) And the [Eternal] God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. (9) And out of the ground made the [Eternal] God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden [of Eden], and the tree of [the]knowledge of good and evil.
Adam had to make a choice. God first talked to him and instructed him. Then He allowed Satan (the former archangel Lucifer) to get to him. And it was to see whom he would believe. Now Adam believed on God all right. That is, he knew that God was the Creator and that God was his Maker. That he knew. But he didn't believe what God said! That's the big point, and that's exactly what people have not been doing ever since.
Very, very few; as a matter of fact, only 120 out of the thousands to whom Jesus talked after He came 6,000 years ago (and 4,000 years after Creation, approximately), there were only ... Let me see, it says 120 wasn't it that were left. You'll find that in the 1st chapter of the book of Acts, where all that really believed what Christ said and believed in Him -- had repented and believed and received the Holy Spirit on that day of Pentecost.
So there were the two trees.
Genesis 2:15 And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden [This is verse 15.] to dress it and to keep it.
I have been criticized for building such a fine college here, but that is the way God does things. Whatever God has ever made, He looked at it and "Behold, it was very good." Not very bad! And God has not criticized, but some people have. Well, I'll go on taking that kind of criticism because I'm dedicated to the way of God. And if you don't like it, as the old saying goes, you can lump it. You know I mean that in love. But I'm glad that you people here do like it. But he took the man and put him in the Garden to dress it and keep it.
Twice, two years in succession, which is the limit allowable, this college has been honored by receiving the award of being the most beautiful, the best landscaped and the best MAINTAINED campus in the United States. Now, why? I saw right here God put man in that beautiful place "to dress it and to keep it,"not let it run down to weeds.
Genesis 2:16-17 And the [Eternal] God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou may freely eat: (17) But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shall not eat of it: for in the day that you eat thereof you shall surely die.
Or "Thou," as it is in the King James, "shalt surely DIE." Now he was not an immortal soul. God said, "You will die." YOU, not just some kind of body that you are in, He said, "You will surely die."
Genesis 2:18 And the [Eternal] God said ...
Well, that's when He said it's not good for man to be alone; and He was right. And, of course, the apostle Paul talked to the unmarried and said it was better if they remained unmarried; but God said it isn't good for man to be alone, and I've always believed God. And I believe what God said! And He said it isn't good for man to be alone. Well you can make of that what you want.
GOD INSTRUCTS MAN (PLAY FROM 35:07)
But the thing is, after God had talked to Adam and Eve and had thoroughly instructed them ... Now, they were created on the 6th day of this what we call "creation week" but was only a renewing of the face of the earth; and the 6th day ended at sunset. Now undoubtedly that evening, after the sun had set, God talked with them for an hour or two and began explaining things to them. And then the next day until sunset was the Sabbath.
That was the first Sabbath, and God talked to them on that Sabbath day, just as God in the form of Jesus Christ later entered into the synagogue on the Sabbath day. God thoroughly instructed Adam and Eve in the ways of His government and of the possibility (if they chose life, instead of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil) that they could enter into the Kingdom of God and be BORN of God until they're His absolute children.
Now get this: God is the ruler. Now He is God the Father. The Father is the head of the Family. And even though we can become His children, and even though we can be made immortal and composed of spirit -- changed from matter into spirit at the time of the resurrection -- authority will always reside in the Father. And the Son as the executive, because He agrees 100% with the Father, will rule the earth. God will be King over all of the universe. And Christ, then, will come back again to this earth and will restore the government of God. And the Kingdom of God IS the Family, born children of God, that have the government of God. So its more than just the government of God, we have to become the very children of God.
Well, I don't need to go into it. You know that Satan then got to Adam through his wife. God may have talked to them just until sundown, and then the Sabbath ended and Satan came along on early Sunday morning. Now Satan's churches started keeping their religious services early, about sunrise, Sunday morning. That is the source and the beginning of the sunrise services on what they call Easter. And you'd be surprised if you get... well some of you have gotten the history of all of these things, and you know how the world has been so terribly deceived and has not known what went on.
REJECTING GOD'S REVELATION (PLAY FROM 38:05)
But Adam did not believe God. And then Satan came along and he believed Satan, and believed what Satan said. And so finally, it is here in the 3rd chapter:
Genesis 3:6 And when the woman [That's Eve, Adam's wife.] saw that the tree [that God had forbidden] was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
Now, modern science has a certain ... I call it the tools of science that they use. But first of all of the tools, basic ones, of modern science today is to reject revelation as a source of knowledge. In other words, God's Bible is the Word of God and is the basic source of knowledge. The first thing they do is reject that.
In this world's education you will not find anything about the exodus of the Israelites out of Egypt. You will not find anything about the Flood. They don't teach that in the colleges, or in school. Whatever God has said, they don't believe. They rely on what the human man has written from way back and what they imagine. And mankind has always been like that.
God knew that probably man would go that way. And that's why He provided all in advance, before THE WORLD WAS, for Jesus to give up His great position as the Word of God, the One by whom God created all things, and to come down and to take on the form of a human being and become human so that He could die. Now He was man, He was human; but He was also God.
I was asked just this morning by one, "Did Christ ever marry?" He was God, and He is going to marry. But He is going to marry the Church after we are made immortal. And if He had married a human woman, it would have been one who was half divine (divine as well as human) marrying a human. And what would have happened? What would mankind have done to their children? It would never have done.
But Christ, you see, is engaged to the Church of God. And after the Church has by a resurrection or an immediate change from mortal to immortal, from matter into spirit, He is going to marry the Church. And God the Father will be Father over us all. And we will be Husband and wife; and we will bear fruit, but the children will be ... At that time, God will open the doors of salvation to all that live; and they are not open now.
Now let me explain that much right now. Adam followed his wife ... Oh I started to tell you about the tools of science. The first thing is to reject the knowledge of God and the next thing is observation with measurement and the third thing then is experimentation. Then human reason, and through human reason then based on those things they come to conclusions they do in modern science. That's precisely what Eve did because, as I read to you:
Genesis 3:6 When the woman saw that the tree was good for food [There is what she saw.], and that it was pleasant to the eyes [which aroused lust in her], and a tree to be desired to make one wise.
She thought that she would come to know what is good and evil herself! She did not have to believe what God said was good and what God said was evil. She would decide that herself. And then she took of that tree. Now, when she and Adam took of that tree, they TOOK TO THEMSELVES the creation of knowledge, or decision of the knowledge of what is good and what is evil. Men ever since have tried to decide himself what he thinks sin is.
I have even questioned ministers, "What is sin? Give me a Bible definition." And they won't do it. They may know what it says in I John 3 verse 4, that "Sin is the transgression of the law." But they won't say it, because they try to say the law has been done away.
CHOICE AND CONSEQUENCES (PLAY FROM 43:12)
And so it is. Adam had made his choice. In other words, Adam said to God in effect ... And let me just paraphrase it in my own words. In effect, he said: "God, I want you to keep your nose out of my affairs. I will not accept you as my ruler. I reject you as my king, as my ruler. I reject you as my God for salvation. I reject you as a source of knowledge to tell me what is good and what is evil, and I will decide it myself."
And God said, "Well, I've given you the choice." Now, instead of choosing character, he chose the wrong way; and God allowed that. God has not going to force you to choose the right way. Adam was able to choose whatever he pleased, and so are we. But, if you make the wrong choice, you'll never have the character of God. And God is able to take care of that too.
From then in effect God said, "Okay. You have rejected me. You have said you will create your own knowledge. You rejected me as your ruler and my government over you. You have rejected me as a Savior and a God and as the source of knowledge. So now I sentence you and your children after you -- THE WHOLE WORLD that will come (and we have all come from Adam) -- to 6,000 years of being cut off from ME. All except the few in the world that I will decide I need to call and choose to do something for me in my service. Them I will call. But otherwise ALL HUMANITY will be cut off from me."
Now you read over here towards the end of the 3rd chapter of Genesis, and I want to take time to just read that:
Genesis 3:22-24 And the [Eternal] God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us [That is, God and the Word.], to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever [Lest he gain eternal life, lest he have salvation.]: (23) Therefore the [Eternal] God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. (24) And he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden cherubim [angels, or super-angels], and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life [lest people get salvation and immortal life].
So God took it away. And God said, "I will cut you off from me, and myself off from you." Now let me just explain a little further. 4,000 years later, Jesus Christ said:
John 6:44 NO MAN CAN come to me, except the Father which sent me draw him.
POPULATION EXPLOSION (PLAY FROM 46:36)
God left it that He could choose certain ones. And He has only chosen those He had a job He wanted performed in this 6,000 years. God has left Satan here on the throne until a successor shall have qualified (which Christ did just 2,000 years ago), and then be installed in office (and Christ is coming very soon to be installed in office). But until then Satan is still here. And he is the one who is "the prince of the power of the air" and who is broadcasting through the air. And the spirit in every one of us, our human spirit, picks up the message.
He doesn't broadcast in words. He doesn't broadcast in pictures, like a telecast. He merely broadcasts in attitudes and in, well, certain desires and impulses. And he puts it in human beings from the time they are little children -- selfishness, greed, vanity, wanting to "get" instead of "give" and help and serve; and all the things that we call human nature.
Now, we turn over next to the 6th chapter of Genesis. We notice that about 2,000 years have gone by and it's about 1900 and some.
Genesis 6:1 And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth ...
They did multiply at first. That is, there was a great rapid population growth -- a population explosion! We are now at that time once again when there's a population EXPLOSION. Do you know there are 2 or 3 times as many people on earth now as when I was born? That's how fast it's growing. And it will double in; well I don't know, within the lifetime of most of us. I hope that includes me. [And,]"When men began to multiply" as there was a population explosion at the time "on the face of the earth."
Genesis 6:1-2 ... and daughters were born unto them, (2) that the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took [to] them [selves] wives of all which they chose.
Now "the sons of God" were merely human beings, not angels; because humans reproduce after their kind, and angels can't reproduce at all.
Genesis 6:5-6 And [verse 5] God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. (6) And it REPENTED the [Eternal] ...
He changed His mind about it! And it isn't wrong, when you find you're wrong or have made a mistake, to change your mind.
Genesis 6:6-7 And it repented the [Eternal] that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. (7) And the LORD said, "I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast ...
It had come to the place there was only one man that believed God, only one, Noah. Noah was the only one. Noah was the only one who was perfect in his begettal, his generations (plural) -- of the original race of Seth, the son of Adam. By that time, of course, there were the various nations. But God did not intend intermarriage between the races, and does not today.
Some human being is going to disagree with that, because people decide on what they want. And I have been a little bit distressed to find that some of the girls on the campus want to date men of the other color, and that should not be -- because marriage is a different thing. It should be love the one for another, and no difference whatsoever because of race and other things. But in reproduction we are to reproduce "after our kind." I hope I've made that plain without further explanation.
Genesis 6:5 The [Eternal] saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
GOD'S PLAN REVEALED (PLAY FROM 51:20)
Now, there was no way to go on and save man. If you understand what God revealed to me 50 years ago, that we not only had been commanded to keep God's Sabbath, which is the very test commandment of the Commandments; but also the annual Sabbaths and festivals have very great meaning. I am quite DISTRESSED to be told that most of our ministers on the Feast of Tabernacles do NOT PREACH THE MEANING OF THE DAY; and I am going to take steps on that direction.
Today's holydays, annual holydays, are called TO TEACH US A LESSON. And the minister's sermons should be on what that lesson is. The first one, the Passover is the crucified Lamb. And it starts with our being changed from mortal to immortal, and it starts with Christ. The second, the seven days of Unleavened Bread picture our coming out of sin. AND I WANT THAT PREACHED IN THE CHURCH from now on!
And I say that with AUTHORITY, and I say it with POWER. If any of you think that I am senile and too old to carry on the Work of God, I think you are hearing it a little differently right now (because quite a few have suggested that, who are of opposite belief). And I speak with the authority of Jesus Christ! Jesus Christ called me and put me in the seat where I am. I didn't go to men. And it's something no man can do, and no man can put me out. Now then:
Genesis 6:11 The earth was corrupt [verse 11] before God, and the earth was filled with violence.
And, if you know now, God destroyed all the life forms. Some will say, "God isn't fair." Well, if you understand the annual holydays, the 8th day of the Feast of Tabernacles is to open our eyes to the Great White Throne Judgment. That's the time when ALL THOSE PEOPLE that were then destroyed are going to be resurrected and live perhaps a hundred years. The one scripture that has that can be translated another way. But anyway it will be the time that God has in mind, whatever that is -- whether it's 10 years or 100.
And then they will have the chance to come to see the truth. God has taken away all chance of salvation from them. Those people were NOT lost. They were NOT condemned, because God had cut them off. Now I want to make that plain. I've said and used the expression that God adopted a hands-off policy. I find that doesn't make it clear enough to people. People then assume that everyone is lost unless they've accepted Christ. THAT IS NOT TRUE! In other words, except those that God has CALLED -- no man can come to Christ. They are not lost, neither are they saved.
Now all who are living after the beginning of the Millennium, or after Christ comes, will have their chance then of salvation. All, everybody! But Satan will be removed. And now, with Satan here, God is not putting us where everybody has to overcome Satan. Christ had to, to lead. Christ had to overcome Satan in order to QUALIFY to take Satan's place and rule the earth. Jesus said, if we also overcome (and it means, overcome Satan.), we shall sit with Him on His throne.
And I told you last night how we are cleaning the debris and rubbish of 2500 years off of the throne where Jesus Christ is going to sit and rule. We are the preparing the way for Christ's coming and for the Kingdom of God, and no one else on earth is doing that. I want you to understand this great call and commission, and the great Work that this Church, and this is the Church of the living God, and not the church of man or the ideas of man in any way at all.
Now then: All of those people that God destroyed in the Flood will be brought back to life just as if ... They don't know anything in the meantime. And it's just like the next split second from the time they drowned and died, that they will wake up in the Great White Throne Judgment, after the thousand-year reign with Christ. And there won't be any Devil around. And God will show them the truth; and then I think most of them will take it, because they'll look back and see what they did. They'll look back and see that the 6,000 years have shown that if we go contrary to God's way, which the world has, it only brings all of the terrible wretchedness that we see in the world today. There is nothing ...
God said in effect to man (and I didn't complete that a while ago.), to Adam and to the whole world afterwards, "You go form your own governments." They've done it. Look what the governments of man do. They are at war all the time, and someone is plotting to overthrow every one of them. "You go and form your own religions." Look at the religions in the world. And not even those called "Christian" are not the Church of God at all; and do not get their truths out of the Bible, but try to read them into the Bible. I had to learn that 50 years ago, and that was the biggest upset in my mind that I had ever had in all my life. But nevertheless, let me just show you the wonderful justice of God as it is. Anyway,
Genesis 6:12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt ...
And, by the way, that's the word "corruption" that has come from the planets of the whole universe because of what the angels did. And man, when he is finally converted and saved (and there will be BILLIONS of us), that are finally going to be converted and will HAVE THAT HOLY RIGHTEOUS CHARACTER OF GOD. We're going to be sent to the planets all over the universe. That's after the Millennium. This earth will always be God's headquarters. Even God the Father is coming down to this earth. But the whole earth was corrupt:
Genesis 6:12 ... for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
GOD USES A FEW (PLAY FROM 58:22)
Well, so that is the way it started. Now God called one man back here, who was righteous and who believed in God -- Noah. God saved Noah from the Flood, as a type of saving from the eternal extinction of humanity. However, I want to show you now some things about how God has ruled; and God is the real Ruler, although He is allowing Satan to stay on the throne and to operate.
Now next we come to Abraham. And I would like us to turn now to the 12th chapter of Genesis and read the first verses.
Genesis 12:1-2 Now the [Eternal] had said unto Abram [his name was to begin with, but it became Abraham. To Abram] get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will show thee: (2) And I will make of thee a great nation [and so on].
Now he just simply said, there's no quibbling, there was no talking back. "Well, do I have to and can I do it tomorrow or next year? Can I go somewhere else?" That's about the way the average human would have resulted. But it says ... Let's see. Well it just says:
Genesis 12:4 So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken.
Abraham went. He didn't quibble. You know, when I first saw 50 years ago that we should keep the annual holy days as well as the seventh day of every week, I didn't know why. I didn't know the meaning of it, and I didn't know the real meaning until 14 years later. I talked to the people in the Church of God up in Oregon, that we call the Sardis Era of the Church now; and they only laughed me to scorn. And for 7 years my wife and I had to keep those annual days alone, by ourselves. But we did. I DIDN'T KNOW WHY. I DIDN'T ASK GOD "WHY?" I didn't say, "I won't do it until You show me why."
God said, "DO IT." I saw it was forever. I saw it was commanded. And that was enough for me. I said, "In due time." I craved understanding, and I wanted to understand it. But I knew that, in His own time, God would give me the understanding as to why and now I know. You've been taught why. You haven't had to wonder. You haven't had to just take it like God said. But I did, and that's the way Abraham did (and Abram, as he was originally called).
Now his sons Isaac and Jacob also followed with God. Jacob, of course, had a little trouble at first and was a supplanter; but finally repented and came back; and then Moses. But 430 years after Abraham, the children of Israel were slaves in Egypt. Now God called Moses. Moses was a ... (I'm not going to take time to read all of the scriptures on all of that, because the time is getting short; and I still have quite a little I want to say.)
God called Moses. Moses was not seeking God. Let me say this. Noah was not seeking God. He was obedient to God and all that but he wasn't seeking salvation or anything. But God called him out and said, "Noah I'm going to use you to preserve human life alive on this earth." God said, "I want you to do something. I want you to build a great ship right here on dry land." And for a hundred years Noah {4} he was building the ship. And he was mocked at, ridiculed by the other people. It seemed so crazy to them. And some of the things God tells us to do do seem crazy to people who don't understand.
Well, anyway, he didn't seek God; but God sought him and called him in this world of Satan's. Then later He called Abraham, and Abraham was not seeking God; but God, it says here, let me read that again, "[Now] the [Eternal] said unto Abram." Abram didn't seek Him. God sought Abram, and called him; and he OBEYED. And he obeyed; he became the father of the faithful (spiritually speaking).
Then later we come to the time of Moses. No I won't go through all of it, but let me just tell you this much. Moses had been over at his father-in-law's place, who was the priest of Midian; and he was returning back toward Egypt. He was walking, and he came across a burning bush. It was just a small bush, but it kept burning. Now he saw it for some time before he had walked up even with it and then he eventually passed it. And finally he turned back to see well what could keep that little bush burning all this time.
And God spoke to him out of the bush and said, "Moses, take your shoes off your feet because the ground whereon you stand is holy ground." God's presence had made that ground holy. God was there, and calling him. Well, Moses was not seeking God. God wasn't trying to get people converted or saved in those years. That's the point I want to get through to you. The others were not lost. They'll come up to the Great White Throne Judgment. But if I've never made that plain before, I hope I'm making it plain now so you can understand it.
There's not injustice with God, in any way at all. But God wanted us to write the lesson. He knew that man would be misled and deceived by Satan, and would live Satan's way. And for 6,000 years of human wretchedness, and human anguish, and suffering and death have proved that only living the way of God is right. Satan teaches people to live just the opposite way. And Satan's churches on this earth try to say God's law is done away. They don't believe in the government of God. That's exactly what has happened.
Now we come a little later to others. God selected Joshua. God selected and chose the; well they are called 'judges' in the Bible or the one translation calls them 'heroes' that rescued Israel when they were taken captive by other nations. And here we have the nations all over the earth.
But in the time of Moses, God made a proposition through Moses to the people. And He said, If you will obey My voice, and do what I tell you, and live My way -- I'll make you the greatest nation on earth. I'll make you the richest, the most prosperous. I'll make you the most powerful! So that five of you can chase 100, and 100 of you will put 10,000 others to flight. But if you do not, there is going to be a 2520-year time period when it would be withheld before that kind of blessing came.
God did not promise them any spiritual salvation. Only Moses, who led them out and the prophets that God called -- them God gave His Holy Spirit to; but it was not to others. Now later there was David and God chose him. However, David was out tending the sheep. He wasn't seeking God. But God had sent the prophet over to the house of Jesse, and they thought every one of Jesse's sons except David was the one that men had chosen. But God chose David. And so it goes. And it has always been like that. Now God chose the prophets of Israel, but the people stoned and killed many of them.
And then we come on down to Christ. And Jesus Christ preached the coming Kingdom of God and how the whole earth then would be freed from Satan and would have peace and would have salvation, and that this character would be built within them. Christ came to live the perfect life, with the kind of character that God wants us to have; and set us an example in that. Christ let Himself be killed, and paid the death penalty in OUR stead! We have inherited the death penalty.
The Work Today (PLAY FROM 1:07:44)
I'll tell you the first scripture that really opened my eyes to the fact that I and the other churches in which I'd been brought up were wrong was Romans 6:23: "The wages of sin is death." I said, "Well, that can't be. I'm an immortal soul. I can't die." Then, the very next part of the same verse: "But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Well, I said, "I've already got eternal life. I'm an immortal soul." But the Bible says, "The soul that sins, it shall die." Christ said to Adam, "You are a soul; and if you sin you will die." And I began to realize the truth finally, and that the churches are all wrong about going to heaven and their kind of a hell; and that they are wrong in saying that we are immortal souls, and practically all of their doctrines.
So God showed me those basic things, even during my intensive study of over six months before I was converted and baptized. And I don't know of any leader that is a world leader as God has made me now, or a founder of a religion. And of course I'm not a founder of religion. But I don't know of any that have ever come to it this way as a complete surrender to God, a complete believing what He has SAID. When Christ came and preached to thousands, only 120 believed what He had said after 3 ½ years of the very Master, Jesus Christ Himself, being here on earth.
Jesus did not come on a soul-saving crusade. Never once did He say, "Give your heart unto Me, and I'll give you salvation." He didn't say those things. Those are the things that Billy Graham and the modern Protestants say. The Catholics will say that they give you something at the time you die, and that's going to save you apparently. But those are the ways of the religions of man and not of God, my brethren.
Now the disciples went out teaching what God preached. God brought a messenger, a message from God; I mean God sent a message through Christ. And Christ brought that message, which was the good news that the government of God will be restored; but be restored by the very BORN Family of God. God is doing things in His time and His way, and God's way is PERFECT! But no man would do it that way, and the ways of man would be very imperfect.
Now, if we overcome, and turn from Satan's way unto God's way, and develop His kind of CHARACTER WE will sit with Christ on His throne and rule with Him. But the reason He has called us now, and called most of you, is to stand back of me in getting this gospel to the WHOLE WORLD, and not just the United States only. And not just Pasadena and some place like that alone, it's the whole wide world. And I am being heard in Canada as well as the United States right now, this very minute, and over in Big Sandy, Texas. I wish I was being heard in England and other places, but I am heard there on various times.
Now, let me see, is there anything that I overlooked that I've got to mention before I quit. Oh, about the college, one thing I did not say. The universities of this world in the main are devoted to teaching men for a profession, or for a job, or something like that. We will not have a job or professional training program. We will have, as I said, a school for ministerial and biblical studies. We do not need so many, so it's going to be ultimately cut down to 250 students. In other words, there's a reason for the college -- to provide an educated personnel to assist me, and for ministers. We now have around 700 ordained ministers all over the world. And, as a matter of fact, we have even more than we need right now on the payroll.
For years every student who made good was taken into the Work on graduation. But for the last several years, we've just been unable to do that. We're graduating more than we can use. And so it's foolish to go on trying to be in the college business and taking the money of God's people and spending it on that instead of what God said: Go and get the gospel around the world.
The Gospel To The World (PLAY FROM 1:12:50)
Now I'm going to go on doing that all around this world. And kings, and presidents, and prime ministers, and emperors even, invite me. I don't go in on them except at their invitation. But I have private, personal meetings with them; and they usually last anywhere from 30-35 minutes up to 2 hours. Twice I spent 2 hours with the king of Thailand, on each time I spent 2 hours with him. He appealed to me for help in certain ways that I found that I could help him. I sent a team of several men to be over there for 10 days, all over Thailand, not only in the Catholic city; but all over, and to find out what we could do and what we ought to do to help him. And finally they came back with the report, and there were about 6 or 8 of our top men that I sent over there.
Well, I will tell you one thing that has been done. We have been sponsoring portable schools for the mountain people that were uneducated. Not only are we getting them educated, but they have gone from ordinary farmers of things that are good to eat into opium and things of that kind of drugs because there was a lot of money in it. And so we've had to try to convert them back to farming vegetables. We've had to work out markets for their produce, and many things. But it is a program of the king of Thailand, King Bhumibol, which is very difficult for us to pronounce, and he is a friend of mine.
But God has given me favor in the eyes of leaders and heads of government in Central America, in Africa, in Asia, and in Europe, and all over. And He is going to continue that and I'm going to continue in that Work and the Work of God now will go ahead as it never did before. I am hoping that we will now get back, very soon, on radio until all over the United States and Canada we are covering it with half-hour programs every day. And they will be programs that are going to proclaim the good news of THE KINGDOM OF GOD!
Now I tell you, so far as the finances is concerned, I've found that it depends more on our pleasing Jesus Christ, the Head of this Church, than it does on any methods we use to try to raise money. And I know that, as we do that which is pleasing to God, He will back us; and He will provide every need, as He always has and as He will continue to do.
Well, I didn't want to carry it on to a full 2 hours today; and I think that that covers it enough. It has finally come up to today, when God has called me to get this out to the world. We're living in the generation when it is going to happen, and God wants it announced to around the world. I'm not trying to convert people in these other nations. Don't misunderstand. That isn't what God called me to do. But He wants it announced so that they can't say, "Well, God, why didn't you tell us?" He'll say, "I did, but you didn't listen." And that's what I'm doing. I'm telling them and announcing, and that's all. I don't have to get them converted.
The cooperation that we've had in Israel, and the dozens and dozens of times that I've gone to Israel and Jerusalem, never once have we sought a single convert; nor, as far as I know, have we made one. And they know that. This is not the time God is trying to save the world spiritually, but to get out the message. Now the way is open to carry the message in the 40th chapter of Isaiah, to tell them of the cities of Judah, that the Lord is coming with A STRONG ARM -- Armstrong. Is it a coincidence in the fact that God chose a man with that name to carry that message, to rule them in the Kingdom of God and to bring them peace? And they and the Arabs will all be at peace one with another.
We are helping to do it now and helping it with the Moshe Koll's Foundation, with the young people. And when I go over there, both Arabs and Jews are on the program. And they did for our students when they went over, and it's wonderful to see things like that happen.
And, by the way, the last time I saw the king of Thailand I asked him how was our program coming? He said over 90% (in fact, he said 95%) have been turned away from this drug production into food production. Now that's another wonderful thing that's been done. But at the same time it opens the door to have me, as I have had hundreds of times in Bangkok and over in Thailand, and get the truth of God there as an announcement. And that's all I am called on to do. It is being done, nobody else is doing it. This is the Work of God, and God has prophesied that He would send someone to prepare the way before Christ. That is being done, and not by anybody else -- as you brethren ought to know.
So now, I'm going to say "Goodbye" for this time. I'm getting back, and I'm going to be writing more than before. And I'm just coming along fine. I need to be more physically fit. In fact, I need to get in more walking. But my heart is back into fine condition. It was swelled way up. In fact, I had heart failure. Not a heart attack. It was heart failure, and it completely stopped. My breathing completely stopped, but it was restored. But God had not taken my spirit or my mind. And He has restored my mind. If anything it's better than it was before. And I still am not over 55 years old in actual mental powers and abilities. And I just want you to know that I'm coming back into active service again. I've had to take a lot of time off, and I haven't even done an awful lot of writing. I've done a little. But I will be doing more from now on.
So God bless all of you, and let's carry on. We are now in complete unity and we're going on together to get this job finished that God committed to me almost 50 years ago. So thank you all, and God bless you.
Showing posts with label 1978. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 1978. Show all posts
Zerubbabel's Temple
Zerubbabel's Temple
Greetings everybody. I just want to first announce to you that, before the Bible Study tonight, I'm going to do about a 15 minute televised talk that will be shown in all the Feast sites on the opening night. And it’ll be quite brief. When I've been making the circuit, speaking at every Feast site, of course I had to give a full sermon on the opening night wherever I was; or I couldn't get around to enough different sites in the eight days. I've been visiting as many as I believe 12 sites in the eight days. And in some cases I had to speak twice, at two different Feast sites the same day. And so, I'll record this first; and then we'll have a Bible Study.I'm a little disappointed that there're so few people out tonight. Someone told me they didn't know that I would be here. And that is very discouraging, and very disheartening. I tell you, brethren, I'm going to write an article on the purpose of the Church. I don't think many of our people know it, or else most of our people just want to finally become ashes under the soles of the feet of the few of us some day, in the Lake of Fire.
We're not taking this thing seriously. We're in the very last days. There isn't much time left. And I tell you the reaction is pretty discouraging. This Church has been going down, DOWN, DOWN! I can't bear it all up single-handed and alone. I've got to have some of you to back me up. I get letters from one now and then, "We're back of you 100%". Well, I need more—100% of the people to be back of me.
This Church has to been letting down spiritually. We're told to not forsake the assembling of ourselves together, and so much the more as we see the day approaching. And I guess we don't see it approaching, do we? Well, I think I may talk on that a little bit. And I will announce now that the next time I'm here… I can't tell you now if it'll be next Friday night, or not. But the next time I'm here, I’m going to get back to prophecy. WHERE ARE WE NOW IN PROPHECY? I understand that our ministers are not, so far as I know, not any of them have been preaching on prophecy for the last two years.
It seems like we've all got discouraged. Maybe we didn’t understand the prophecies? Maybe they're not being fulfilled? Maybe they’re not working out? Well, I’LL EXPLAIN THAT! It's a lot later than you think! But God has been holding up things. Did you ever read in the seventh chapter of Revelation how, when we get to the place that we haven't reached yet—that will be after the Great Tribulation, and after God sends these terrific, well, mind-shattering-almost signs in the heavens (in the stars, the sun, and the moon) to sort of shock this world into realizing that there is a God after all; and that He's beginning to intervene; and instead of the things going right on that are scheduled to go at that time, and the last plagues, and the Second Coming of Christ—God sends an angel, and says, “Wait a minute. Hold up. I still got something else, that we’ve got to hold up till it gets done.”
GOD HELD THINGS UP (PLAY FROM 04:15)
Do you know that is what happened after 1972? And GOD HAS HELD THINGS UP UNTIL THIS JOB GETS DONE. So, we get discouraged. And we decide, “Well, my Lord delays His coming. Maybe He's not going to come at all.” Now, what I'm saying is for the empty seats that are not filled. Obviously, it’s not for you people that are here. It's just too bad that the ones who need it aren't here to hear it. (It was very disheartening to me to find that we were going to suspend the Bible Studies for the summer.)
Now, where are the ministers? We used to have the front row filled with ministers. I don't see a one. Is there a minister here? I can't see you over there. [Laughter] I'm glad there's some one here. A lot of the ministers think, “Oh well, I don't need to go unless I speak. And if it's that Herbert Armstrong speaking, I don't want to hear him any more anyhow.” I don't know whether that's what you think or not. I know none of you would be here if God hadn't used me. I wonder how many of you think you would be here if I hadn't been used? Now, if you do, you had better think twice.
Brethren, let me tell you, I've been working harder these last 3 or 4 weeks than I have worked at any time in the last 15 years. I'm getting more done. I'm getting more accomplished. It's pretty hard to go against everything, when everybody just lays down and does nothing. We need to wake up! I tell you; but, if you don't wake up, I can't do it for you. God have mercy on your soul if you don't! (That's all I can say.) And some of you are going to need it.
And now I want to get my voice down a little bit, if I can, for this; because you will hear this again on the television screen the opening night of the Feast, wherever you are. I might mention now, before I start, that I am planning tentatively, if God is willing, to be at the site they tell me is the largest of the Feast sites—at St. Petersburg, Florida—for the opening night and for the first holy day. And they probably will have to hear this a day or so later, or else not hear it at all, because I will be there in person on that opening night. And I won't say much more than I'm saying here, because I'm not going to preach a whole sermon on that night (I believe it's a Sunday night. I'll have to check that with the calendar again.); and then preach a whole sermon on the next day.
But, naturally, I'm not making any effort to cover all the Feast sites in the United States and Canada again this year, as I have done. (At least one Feast site in Canada several years, up until last year.) And last year I was just starting to recover from complete heart failure, and I wasn't able to attend the Feast at all. But God has brought me back, and I am here. Well, I tell you, the day is coming; and Christ needs the Church all prepared and ready. And I think we're a long way from that. I don't know how to wake you people up! I frankly don't. I just sort of give up.
Now, if you men with the television screens are ready, I'll open up. And we're going to have to pretend that this is the opening night now of the Feast of Tabernacles, if you will for just about 15 minutes.
F.O.T. OPENING NIGHT MESSAGE 1978 (PLAY FROM 09:05)
Well, greetings everybody! Once again, let me ask—as I used to ask time and time again, year after year, at these Festivals—WHY ARE WE HERE?
I wonder if you realize that this is the largest annual Church conclave, or convention, on the face of the Earth. Now there was, at one time, I think a larger number of people than we have at any one site, meeting in the Rose bowl. I don't remember whether it was Jehovah’s Witness, or Mormons, or who; but there was something. But that was only one time; and it didn't happen the next year, or the year before. But ours is a Festival that comes year after year, in Feast sites all over this world. And we have almost 100,000 attending in the combined Feast sites all over the various parts of this world.
Now, these annual Festivals were ordained of God, not by man. And, if God did it, then He had a reason. And, if God did it, it's very IMPORTANT that we REALIZE THAT REASON. Very important! Now, why did He ordain these Festivals? Because our God, our Creator, knew that His people need to be reminded, year after year, of what is the most important thing in the lives of us who are His people—to be reminded of what God has prepared for us, if we love Him.
[** Loud noise at 10:56.]
I Corinthians 2:8-9 Which none of the princes of this world knew {1} [heads of big business; big banks; leaders in every walk of life in the world]: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. (9) But as it is written, [Now listen.] Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither has it entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for them that love him.
How does knowledge come into your mind? How do you come to know anything at all? How do you know everything you ever came to know? Well, it's about 95-98% through your eyes and ears; and the rest will come through the sense of smell, taste, or feel. But it continues:
I Corinthians 2:10 God has revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searches all things, yea the deep things of God.
And so these things are revealed by God—the things that God has in store for us. To us, these Festivals are the most important things in our lives. But the last few years we've been getting lazy. We're getting into the Laodicean condition. And that is the condition in which Jesus Christ says He will SPEW US out of His mouth! You spit out of your mouth things you don't want in there any longer, and I think we'd better wake up!
To us, these Festivals are important; but many of us are not considering them any longer as important as we ought. Now, last year, I heard reports of some Feast sites that NOT ONE WORD during the whole eight days was spoken BY ANY MINISTER of telling WHY THEY WERE THERE; WHAT THE FESTIVALS MEAN; WHAT IS THE MEANING OR THE PURPOSE OF HAVING THE FESTIVAL ANY WAY. And some wrote, “I could get better sermons if I'd stayed at home than if to have gone.”
I tell you, we need to wake up! And the ministry needs to wake up! God's ministers need a new SPIRIT OF URGENCY and POWER. Jesus Christ, the LIVING HEAD OF THE CHURCH, has been moving swiftly these last couple of months (these three or four months) to put His Church BACK ON THE TRACK—and so much the more, because we now see the day approaching when Christ is going to appear.
WE are in that generation. And WE are the ones that are getting sleepy. And we're ASLEEP AT THE SWITCH, brethren. And we're deciding that “MY LORD DELAYETH HIS COMING. LET'S SLUMBER, AND SLEEP.” We read in the 25th chapter in Matthew, while some of them were sleeping like that—the Lord came, and THE DOOR WAS SHUT. And they pounded on the door, and tried to get in. But Christ is going to say to those, “Go away, I never knew you. You haven't known Me. And you haven't cared.”
So I've assigned, to the ministers that are speaking here and at the various Feast sites, THE IMPERATIVE OBLIGATION to preach the meaning and the purpose of these Festivals. Not only the Feast of Tabernacles, but all the Festivals that show THE MASTER PLAN of God working out His purpose here below. Now, I plan to speak on this very theme tomorrow, on the first of the holy days.
Let me say that this is the 51st year of these Festivals for me. I first began keeping them with my wife—my wife of 50 years, who was taken from me in death now way over 11 years ago. (But, God has given me another wife, finally.) But she and I began keeping these Festivals alone for seven years because we told the brethren that I had discovered that they were ordained forever; and that we should be keeping them now. That Christ did. The early Apostles did. The early Church did. And, when I told the brethren in the Church then (and they were the Church that we find described as the SARDIS CHURCH in the Bible, the one that was spiritually dead), they laughed me to scorn. That's all. And they would not keep these festivals. And, so far as I know, those same people have not begun to keep them even to this day.
And my wife and I kept them for 7 years until the parent Church of this PHILADELPHIA ERA of the Church was founded, in August of 1933 in Eugene, Oregon. And that is the parent Church. And so, I've been continuing to keep these Festivals for 51 years. I know, I'm the only one here that can say that. But I just want to tell you how much gratitude it gives me to see that it has grown into what is now the largest Festival, or convention, or conclave held by any Church, or religious organization, or group on the face of this Earth every year. So now, there will be announcements. I will see you again tomorrow. And so I will say, “Good night.” until tomorrow.
ZERUBBABEL'S TEMPLE, BIBLE STUDY (PLAY FROM 17:03)
Now maybe we can get back to what I thought I would bring you tonight as a Bible Study. Maybe I should have gone right into the prophecies, but I had something else that I thought I would go through. Did you ever wonder about THE TEMPLE THAT CHRIST IS COMING TO? Now, you read in Malachi, the first chapter. I mean the third chapter, and the first verse:
Malachi 3:1 Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me.
Now, that messenger was a human messenger and for Christ's First Coming. You'll read in the first chapter of Mark and beginning with verses 1, 2, and 3, and along in there, that it was John the Baptist, preparing the way before the First Coming.
Malachi 3:1 And the Lord whom you seek [which is Jesus Christ], shall SUDDENLY come to his temple...
Well, what about that? Where is THAT TEMPLE?
Now, I remember we were discussing that over at Bricket Wood some ten years ago. And we said, “Well, is there any indication that the Jews are going to build a Temple?” And there was a rumor that maybe the Jews, when they took Jerusalem in the Six Day War… And that was back. In fact, that was just after my wife died, in the year 1967. The Israelis took over the old city of Jerusalem. And Jerusalem (You know, like the city of Berlin.) had been a divided city up to that time. And many of us wondered at that time if the Jews were going to demolish the Dome of the Rock, which is the large Moslem Temple there, and build a Temple to which Christ would come. But I don't know why we didn't understand. IT'S VERY, VERY PLAIN IN THE BIBLE ABOUT THAT TEMPLE, and I thought maybe it would be good if I explained that to you tonight.
THE BOOK OF HAGGAI (PLAY FROM 19:28)
Now these books in the Old Testament are not so called “Old Testament stuff.” THEY WERE WRITTEN FOR US. I'm going now to the book of Haggai. What I just read was in the last book in the Old Testament {2}, in Malachi. But, these books were written at a time when BOTH Israel and Judah were IN CAPTIVITY. And the only people in Jerusalem was that small contingent, comparatively small, of the Jews who had been sent back 70 years after the destruction of the Temple (which means about, let me see, that would be right around 475 BC) to build the second Temple. And so, as a matter of fact, this book of Haggai talks about the building of that second Temple. As it starts out, you may think this is just some old history. Oh, no, it isn’t. This is a prophecy for NOW. So, let’s listen.
Haggai 1:1 In the second year…
This is Haggai—just about the second or third to the last book in the Old Testament.
Haggai 1:1 In the second year of Darius the king [And this was the Medo-Persian Empire now], in the sixth month, in the first day of the month, came the word of the [Eternal] to Haggai, the prophet, unto Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel [Now Zerubbabel is the governor of Judah.], and to Joshua [who is the high priest] the son of Josedech, saying, Thus speaketh the [Eternal] of hosts, saying, This people say, The time is not come, the time that the Lord's house should be built.
You know, that's a prophecy for today. And that's what we're saying today. And when you see what the Lord's house is, you will see that what I've been saying to you up to now is absolutely true.
Haggai 1:3-4 Then came the word of the [Eternal] by Haggai the prophet saying, (4) Is it time for you, Oh ye, to dwell in your ceiled houses, and this house lie in waste?
The Temple—they were sent there to build the second Temple of God, and that's the one that was still there extant at the time that Jesus Christ came. Only the Roman king, Herod (who was king over that part of the Roman Empire occupied by the Jews at that time) had added some to it, and had enlarged it somewhat; but it was the same Temple.
Haggai 1:4 Is it time for you, Oh ye, to dwell in your ceiled houses, and this house lie waste?
Many of us are more concerned about the houses in which we live than the House of God that I'm going to show you about.
Haggai 1:5-6 Now therefore thus saith the [Eternal] of hosts; Consider your ways. [Now, this is true today. Notice this.] (6)Ye have sown much, and ye bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put into a bag with holes.
Do you recognize that as being true today? Inflation is going up, and the value of the dollar is going down. Now, there was supposed to be a postal strike today. It's been postponed a day or two. And we have taken precautions that, if that goes into effect; our Gulf Stream II airplane will go around and pick up the tithe money of the people at various places. Local churches will have someone take it by automobile to each of these places. We'll have our own postal service, if they're going to strike. And God has provided us with a way to do it. And “where there is a will, there is a way” brethren. The only thing is, I think we lack a lot of that will. (Now, continue verse seven.)
Haggai 1:7-8 Thus saith the Lord [or the Eternal] of hosts; Consider your ways. (8) Go up unto the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the [Eternal].
Now he's talking here literally about the second Temple that was built at that time. As I say, about 475 years before Christ.
Haggai 1:9 Ye looked for much, and, lo, it came to little; and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it. Why, saith the [Eternal] of hosts. Because of mine house that is waste, and ye run every man unto his own house.
TALKING TO THE CHURCH (PLAY FROM 25:10)
Now you’re going to see pretty soon that the house it is speaking of is the Church of God and the Work of the Church of getting this Gospel out. And we are growing weary, and we don' want to work on building this Temple—THIS CHURCH, WHICH IS THE TEMPLE!
Haggai 1:10 Therefore the heaven over you is stayed from dew, and the earth is stayed from her fruit.
God sends the rain on the just and unjust alike, and God can control the weather. Now, I don’t mean that He always does every little bit of a change in weather. God has set laws in motion that pretty much work automatically, and all that. God has sent lightening to strike certain ones dead that I guess were better off than if they were to go on living. And He did it for a great and good purpose.
Haggai 1:11-13 And I called for a drought upon the land, and upon the mountains, and upon the corn, and upon the new wine, and upon the oil, and upon that which the ground bringeth forth, and upon men, and upon cattle, and upon the labour of the hands. (12) Then Zerubbabel…and Joshua…the high priest, with all the remnant of the people [This was just a remnant of Judah that remained now, that had gone back over there to build this second Temple.], obeyed the voice of the [Eternal] their God, and the words of Haggai the prophet, as the [Eternal] their God had SENT HIM, and the people did FEAR before [And I hope that is true for us today, that we really will. They did fear before…] the [Eternal]. (13) Then spake Haggai the [ETERNAL'S] MESSENGER in the Lord's Message unto the people, saying, I am with you, saith the [Eternal].
Look brethren, IF we are only with Him, let me tell you, the Living Christ is with us. We've noticed attacks in the public press. Not only our two newspapers here in Los Angeles and Pasadena, but in Time magazine and other magazines all over the world. There's been a lot about us in the daily newspapers in London, England. And people read about us all over. But let me tell you, whenever something like that happens, I don't worry about it. But I do go to the Throne of Grace. I do go to my knees, and go to Jesus Christ—the Living Head of this Church. And He has delivered us every time, and He will! But we've got to BELIEVE that HE IS LIVING—THAT HE IS HERE!
While I'm thinking about it, let me tell you something else that has come to my mind. I'm going to have to write something and get it into The Good News on this line, and try to get it to the whole Church as soon as I can. There are too many people that are wondering, “Well now, who's going to take over if Mr. Armstrong dies?” I'm supposed to die right away because, of course, a lot of people do die before they are as old as I am now. But whether or not I die is going to depend on whether the Living Christ lets me, or whether He keeps me alive. And maybe we’ll see something about that before we get through right here. But someone says, “Well, have I appointed someone to follow and take my place?” THE ANSWER IS, NO! That is NOT MY PLACE to do! I HAVE NO AUTHORITY TO DO ANY SUCH THING!
You know, it's a great deal like the woman who was the mother of two of Christ's apostle; and she came to Jesus. She said, “Lord, when You come into Your Kingdom, I want to make a request. Please let one of my sons be on Your right hand and the other on Your left hand, when You come into Your Kingdom.” He said, “Madam, you don't know what you’re talking about. That is not Mine to decide. I have nothing to say about it. My Father only—God the Father—will decide who will be on My right hand and My left. I can't do it! That’s out of My hands.”
And let me tell you, THE HEAD OF THIS CHURCH IS ALIVE! Do you believe it? Jesus Christ! DO WE BELIEVE HE LIVES? Do we believe He's on the job? Do we believe, if I am in need of correction, that He is able to see to it and give it? Let me tell you, I BELIEVE IT! I believe it through and through. And I FEAR IT! And I TREMBLE AT IT!
If anything should happen to me… And it will only happen if God allows it. God can keep me alive as long as that is necessary; and He will, as long as He feels it is necessary. And I don't think He is going to take me from THIS WORK until this job is finished. But if He should (if I should be wrong about that), can you trust the Living Christ to provide the man that will take over?
If you'd ask me to choose, I couldn't do it. I wouldn't know who to choose right now. And I have no authority to do it. THIS IS GOING TO BE A TEST OF YOUR FAITH! Or, do you want to take it into your own hands, and know who it's going to be—someone YOU can know in advance? Some one YOU can approve? Some one YOU CAN VOTE FOR? Oh, sometimes I say, “Shame on us.” Let’s wake up.
Now, let's see if I can find my place here.
Haggai 1:13 Then spake Haggai the [Eternal's] messenger in the [Eternal's] message unto the people, saying, I am with you, saith the [Eternal].
I think that's where I was. And we need to realize that He is with us. And He's going to take care of His part of it.
HOW DID MR ARMSTRONG KNOW HE WAS AN APOSTLE? (PLAY FROM 32:12)
I am not here because a lot of people decided to vote for me, or put me here. You had nothing to do with me becoming GOD'S APOSTLE. Someone says to me, “Well Mr. Armstrong, how did you know you’re God's Apostle? Did Christ appear to you? Did He speak to you? Did He say, ‘Now, Herbert Armstrong, I make you My Apostle?’” I answer, “No.” “Did you know back in 1933, when this era of the Church was started, that you were God's apostle, that you would be?” No, I didn’t. “Did you know how big, or how great, this work was going to be?” No, I didn’t. I just knew that God had called me. He was using me. And, I would go as far as He wanted me to go—no further and no less, whatever that is. If it meant the whole world, I knew I would be able to do it, because I would do it in THE POWER and STRENGTH of THE LIVING CHRIST!
So then, how do I know today? Well, I will answer just as Jesus Christ answered when the messengers of John the Baptist came to Him and said, “Well, John wants to know, are You really the Messiah that was to come?” Jesus didn't say yes or no. He said, “You go tell John what you hear and what you see being done. Go and show him THE FRUIT of what you see coming from Me.” And by their fruits you shall know.
No, back in 1933, I didn't know. Well, how do I know now? Because I looked back on all these years, and I see the fruits. And YOU’RE HERE AS PART OF IT! You’re part of THE EVIDENCE because you’re here; and I had something to do with that, and so did Jesus Christ. And He was using me. I didn't do it myself. And woe be to me if I ever take credit for doing it!
WE MUST WORK! (PLAY FROM 34:22)
Haggai 1:14-15 The [Eternal] stirred up the' SPIRIT of Zerubbabel…and the SPIRIT of Joshua…the high priest, and the SPIRIT of all the remnant of the people; and they came and did work on the house of the [Eternal] of hosts, their God, (15) in the four and twentieth day of the sixth month, in the second year of Darius the king.
Now, come to chapter two.
Haggai 2:1-4 In the seventh month, in the [twenty-first] day of the month, came the word of the [Eternal] by the prophet Haggai, saying, (2) Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua…the high priest, and to the residue of the people, saying, (3) Who is left among you that saw this house in her first glory? [Meaning Solomon's Temple. It had such great glory, more than any building that had ever been built up until that time on the face of the Earth.] And how do ye see it now? Is it not in your eyes in comparison of it as nothing? [Well, it had been completely torn down, demolished. It was gone.] (4) Yet now be strong, oh Zerubbabel, saith the [Eternal]; and be strong, oh Joshua...and be strong, all ye people of the land, saith the [Eternal], and WORK; for I am with you.
And He says to us today to BE STRONG, AND WORK! And, GET BACK OF THIS THING! Now I tell you, if you look into the New Testament, you will see that Christ did NOT train all of the people. And there were, oh within a few days after the Day of Pentecost (It might have been the very next day.) the Church had grown up to a total of 5000 people. But Jesus Christ had NOT taught them to go out and carry the gospel message. It was only those that became His apostles.
Later, He taught (and apparently appeared, after He had gone to heaven, and yet came down) and appeared to Paul the apostle, in Arabia. And taught him just as He had taught the other apostles. GOD SENT THEM! “Apostle” is a word that means one sent forth. ONE SENT FORTH.
WHY NOT STAY IN PASADENA? (PLAY FROM 37:03)
I AM SENT FORTH! And if I go forth, and leave here, some people say, “Well, why isn't Mr. Armstrong staying here in Pasadena and taking care of the Church?’ I'll tell you why! The Church is supposed to HELP ME—not me take care of you! I am one sent forth with the gospel message! That's what God has laid on ME!
Christ didn't work from nine to five, in an office! He went from one city to another. Christ, there is a great deal of evidence that He had even gone over to Britain and to Western Europe. That was before He started preaching, however, at the age of thirty. There's nothing in the Bible about it, but there is other evidence that He probably was there.
I've often thought that He probably was at the very place that is the site of Ambassador College at Bricket Wood, in England. There we have five of the most beautiful cedars of Lebanon. And there are not over 20 or 30 cedars of Lebanon left in Lebanon. They're up high on a mountain. I've seen them, and photographed them. They've all been cut down. But the more beautiful of all are on our campus over there. And I think, though, we are about to consummate a sale of it because we have no further use for it now.
Let's see. I'm losing my place here.
Haggai 2:4-5 For I am with you, saith the [Eternal] of hosts. (5) According to the word that I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt, so, my spirit remained among you: fear ye not.
Brethren, is God's Spirit still with us in this Church? We're getting a little spiritless; and we need to REVIVE with the energy and vitality of the Spirit of the Living God!
Haggai 2:6 For thus saith the [Eternal] of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land;
NOW, WHEN IS THAT? He hasn't done that yet! Now, He begins to talk about US today! That’s the point I want you to see! That all of this (about Zerubbabel and Joshua, the high priest, building that Temple) was about the building of the REAL Temple today, to which Christ is going to come. Now, let’s listen.
A DIFFERENT TEMPLE (PLAY FROM 39:48)
Haggai 2:7 I will shake all nations; and the desire of all nations shall come [meaning Christ, in that case. Now, they don't really desire Him.]: and I will fill THIS house with glory, saith the [Eternal] of hosts.
Now, I don't think that He ever did, in that sense that it is intended here, fill that second Temple with glory. But now He’s talking about a DIFFERENT Temple. That was only a TYPE of it, TYPICAL of it, A FORERUNNER of it. Now He carries on and says:
Haggai 2:8-9 The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the [Eternal] of hosts. (9) The glory of this LATTER house shall be greater than the FORMER.
The glory of that second Temple NEVER remotely compared to the glory of Solomon's Temple. And yet, He's talking about a Temple that will be FAR GREATER in glory than Solomon's Temple. He's talking about the Temple to which Christ is coming—now in our time, in our living generation. Now, keep your ears and your mind open, brethren. You’re going to hear something here.
Haggai 2:9-14 And in THIS place will I give PEACE, saith the [Eternal] of hosts. [There's no peace on Earth yet! You see, it's coming when this happens!] (10) In the four, and twentieth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the [Eternal] by Haggai the prophet, saying, (11) Thus saith the [Eternal] of hosts; Ask now the priests concerning the law, saying, (12) If one bare holy flesh in the skirt of a garment, and with his skirt do touch bread, or pottage, or wine, or oil, or any [food], shall it be holy? And the priests answered and said, No. (13) Then said Haggai, If one that is unclean by a dead body touch any of these, shall it be unclean? And the priests answered and said, It shall be unclean. (14) Then answered Haggai, and said, So is this people, and so is this nation before me, saith the [Eternal]...
He's talking about our nation today. And he's talking about our Church today. And I'm going to prove it to you.
Haggai 2:14-18 …and so is every work of their hands; and that which they offer there is unclean. [And we better take heed.] (15) And now, I pray you, consider from this day and upward, from before a stone was laid upon a stone, in the Temple of the [Eternal]. [Or, the beginning of today’s Church of God in the Philadelphia Era of the Church today.] (16) Since those days were, when one came to a heap of twenty measures, there were but ten: when one came to the pressfat for to draw out fifty vessels out of the press, there were but twenty. (17) I smote you with blasting and with mildew and with hail in the labours of your hands; yet ye turn not to me, saith the [Eternal]. [He's speaking of us today, my brethren.] (18) Consider now from this day and upward, from the four and twentieth day of the ninth month, even from the day that the foundation of the Lord's temple was laid, consider it.
Now, I've marked here in my Bible: Is the glory of the second Temple greater than Solomon’s? No. This is speaking of the Day of God, and the Temple yet to be built—which is THE WORLDWIDE CHURCH OF GOD; and it's pretty well built already.
[**Glitch in tape at 44:23.]
{3} Haggai 2:19 Is the seed yet in the barn? Yea, as yet the vine, and the fig tree, and the pomegranate, and the olive tree, hath not brought forth: from this day, I will bless you.
And God has blessed this Church. But we are getting very lazy in returning His blessing, and being appreciative.
Haggai 2:20-21 And again the word of the [Eternal] came unto Haggai in the four and twentieth day of the month, saying, (21) Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying, ‘I will...
Now he doesn't mention Joshua, the high priest now. But “speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah.” He was the one who was sent to build this Temple.
Haggai 2:21-22 I will shake the heavens and the earth; (22) And I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms, and I will destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the heathen.
You know, that has been occurring in the last four to five years at the rate of one a month. The kingdoms haven't been completely overthrown. It was THE THRONE of the kingdom being overthrown—a military coup, turning it into a military government. That happened in Greece; and then, about a year or more ago, the military government decided to turn it back to civilians. And it's just a change in the government, just like we have a change when we elect a new President. It’s talking about a time when He would overthrow the throne of kingdoms, or governments, all around the Earth; and that never happened until now. It's speaking of today.
Haggai 2:22-23 And I will overthrow the chariots, and those that ride in them; and the horses and their riders shall come down, everyone by the sword of his brother. (23) In that day, saith the [Eternal] of hosts, I will take thee O Zerubbabel, my servant... [And it's talking about today, and not that day. Zerubbabel was only, as I say, a type.] saith the [Eternal], and will make thee as a SIGNET; for I have chosen thee, says the [Eternal] of hosts.
Now that is the entire book of Haggai, which consist of only the two chapters.
THE BOOK OF ZECHARIAH (PLAY FROM 46:57)
Now, I'd like you to turn to the third chapter of, or the fourth chapter rather of Zechariah.
Zechariah 4:1-2 And the angel that talked with me [Now, this is the Zechariah the prophet’s book. “And the angel that talked with me…”] came again, and waked me, as a man that is waked out of his sleep. (2) And said to me [And we need to wake up, brethren. He “said to me…”], What seeth thou?’ And I said, I have looked, and behold a candlestick all of gold, with a bowl upon the top of it, and his seven lamps thereon, and seven pipes to the seven lamps, which are upon the top thereof.
Now a candlestick, you'll find in Revelation the first chapter, is symbolically referring to the Church.
Zechariah 4:3-6 And two olive trees by it, one upon the right side of the bowl, and the other upon the left thereof. (4) So I answered and spake to the angel that talked with me, saying, What are these, my lord? (5) Then the angel that talked with me answered and said unto me, Knowest thou not [what these are] what these be? And I said, No, my lord. (6) Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the [Eternal] unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by MY SPIRIT, saith the [Eternal] of hosts.
THIS BUILDING IS BEING BUILT BY THE SPIRIT OF GOD! Not by might and power. Not by brick, and mortar, and wood, and plaster, and other physical materials; but by the Spirit of God!
Zechariah 4:7-9 Who art thou, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel thou shall become a plain: and he shall bring forth the HEADSTONE thereof with shoutings, saying, Grace, grace unto it. [Which is Christ, of course. Speaking of Christ's coming, and bringing forth Christ in OUR GENERATION.] (8) Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, (9) The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the Foundation of THIS house; [What house is it talking about? The one to whom Christ is coming.] HIS HANDS SHALL ALSO FINISH IT: AND THOU SHALT KNOW THAT THE [ETERNAL] OF HOSTS HAS SENT ME UNTO YOU.
I have taken great courage in reading that, more than once. Maybe you can understand why.
Zechariah 4:10 For who hath despised the day of small things? For they shall rejoice, and shall see the PLUMMET in the hands of Zerubbabel with those seven; they are the eyes of the [Eternal], which run to and fro over the whole earth [and so on].
Now, I'd like to go back to Malachi again. And let me just say that in the New Testament you will find that the Church is built into a holy Temple unto the Eternal. And it talks about every joint, and every part of it, is built by Christ; and it is built perfectly. Now some are going to be cast out. But those who really are in the Temple of God—in the Church—are going to be here for the coming of Christ.
MESSENGER OF THE COVENANT (PLAY FROM 50:54)
On over now to Malachi once again, and I'd like to go right on from where I was. Now, he talked about a messenger coming to prepare the way before Christ. And, as I say, you will find in a number of places (in Mark, and Matthew, and so on) that the one who prepared the way before Christ's First Coming was John the Baptist. But I'm going to prove to you now that this is talking about not just a First Coming but a Second. Let's go on reading the second part of the verse {4}, which I didn't read before. It says that:
Malachi 3:1 The LORD…shall suddenly come to his temple [which is the Church. And that Church—by the power of God, and with the Holy Spirit in it—it will be made immortal. And its glory will be greater than the glory of Solomon's Temple; but no human physical Temple ever was, or will be.], even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the [Eternal] of hosts.
That is speaking of Christ. He is the Messenger of the New Covenant. Now, the Old Covenant set up the children of Israel as one of the nations of this world. But Moses was the mediator of that Covenant. It was a material physical Covenant, of a material physical people, with only physical and national and material promises. No promise of the Holy Spirit whatsoever was given to ancient Israel—only some of the prophets. Moses will be in the Kingdom of God and some of the prophets, of course; but not the people as a whole.
BACK TO MALACHI (PLAY FROM 52:57)
Now then, let's go right on—verse two.
Malachi 3:2 But who may abide the day of his coming? [The Coming of Christ.] And who shall stand when he appeareth?
This is in, if you remember, the oratorio that we have had sung. Let's see. I don't know whether we've had that yet on this particular stage up here or not. But we have had it here. We did have it over in the Civic Auditorium. And we brought people all the way from England for it—The Messiah. And you've heard this being sung in The Messiah. Who shall abide the day of His coming and shall stand when He appeareth?
Malachi 3:2-5 For he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap: (3) And he shall sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver [Now, Jesus didn't do any of these things when He carne the first time. Not a one of these things.]: and he shall purify the sons of Levi [He didn't do that, when He came before.], and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the [Eternal] an offering in righteousness. (4) Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the [Eternal] as in the days of old, and as in the former years. [That didn't happen when He came before. The Jews rejected Him. Judah and Jerusalem was not a pleasant offering that was so happy and peaceful and joyous and all that.] (5) And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness, against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers.
Jesus didn't come doing that, when He came the first time. But, when He comes to RULE WITH A ROD OF IRON over all the nations, that's when He's going to do this. This is talking about the Second Coming. Now, it talks about a messenger coming before Christ. But Christ's coming is…the only coming described here is the Second Coming.
Do you think, if He had John the Baptist preparing the way before the First Coming of Christ, He wouldn't have someone preparing the way before His Second Coming (when He's coming in glory, in the power and Spirit of GOD ALMIGHTY, in all the supernatural power to rule the whole world, and to take over the thrones of every nation on this Earth)?
Malachi 3:5-6 And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers [I guess I read that.], and…against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turneth aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the [Eternal] of hosts. (6) For I am the [Eternal], I change not.
But some people think He's changed! Some people say, “This is OLD TESTAMENT STUFF. This doesn't apply to US, today.” The only people that could have read this were a little contingent of a part of the tribe of Judah. There might have been a little of Benjamin and Levi among them, but none of Ephraim and Manasseh. None of the Ten Tribes were there, and not even but a small part of Judah.
Malachi 3:5-7 …that turneth aside the stranger from his right {5}, and fear not me, says the [Eternal] of hosts. (6) For I am the [Eternal], I change not; [Some people think He does change.] therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed. (7) Even from the days of your fathers you are gone away from my ordinances…
THIS IS TALKING ABOUT US TODAY! It's talking as coming just before the Second Coming of Christ! THIS IS A PROPHECY! It's not a case of some old ancient history. We need to see what the prophecy’s all about here.
Malachi 3:7 Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, says the [Eternal] of hosts. But you said, Wherein shall we return?
Yeah, we don't know where we've gotten away from God. Well, let me tell you, we have in more ways than one—in this Church!
TITHING FOR US TODAY (PLAY FROM 57:38)
But He comes to this one thing:
Malachi 3:8 Will a man rob God?
That is NOT some OLD TESTAMENT STUFF! THAT IS FOR US TODAY! And if you think it isn’t, and you think stealing is all right, and you’re withholding your TITHE—“God have mercy on your miserable soul,” is all I can say. THIS IS A PROPHECY! It's for NOW! And GOD SAYS, “I CHANGE NOT.” You think He's changed today? Jesus said you tithe with mint and anise, and so on. “This ought you to have done.” Why did He say you “ought”? Because it is commanded! And TO WITHHOLD IT IS STEALING FROM GOD. God doesn't want THIEVES in His Church.
They say, “There's no law.” And the ministers have tried to come out. And I’M GOING TO CHANGE ALL OF THAT. And any minister that doesn't want to go along with it can just GET OUT OF THE CHURCH, and OFF OUR PAYROLL! Now those are pretty strong words, and I MEAN EVERY WORD I SAY. I would rather have one or two faithful ministers with me, than four or five hundred that have gone the way of Baal; and they wanted to make this a secular work, and get Christ out of it! They say there is no law at all about TITHING. THEY ARE MISLEADING YOU! And THEY ARE LIARS! Now, if anyone wants to come to me and say, “Ok, let's… I challenge you to a duel on that.” All right, let him come. I'M SPEAKING WITH THE AUTHORITY OF JESUS CHRIST! And these others are not.
Is stealing part of the law of God? “Thou shalt not steal.” Is that part of the law of God? It says, “Will a man rob God? Yet, you have robbed me.” YOU’RE STEALING! We ask Him, “How?” And he says, “How have we robbed Thee?” And He answers, “In TITHES AND OFFERINGS. You are cursed with a curse.” And this Church has been CURSED WITH A CURSE, and this is one of the reasons. And I'm going to try and KNOCK THAT OUT. I think maybe we’re going to lose a few members. You know if you've got a crate of apples and one or two of them become rotten, they're going to rot the ones next to it. And that'll keep on, if you don't get them out of there. They'll rot the whole crate. Now if we've got any rotten apples among us, I’ll tell you the quicker we get rid of them the better, brethren
Malachi 3:9-10 You are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. (10) Bring ye all the TITHES into the storehouse [That's to God's Church, and not just to any individual you want to.], that there may be meat [or, food] in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the [Eternal] of hosts, if I will not [He says, “Prove Me…if I will not”] open the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.
CLOSING THE CAMPUS IN 1948 (PLAY FROM 1:00:56)
Brethren, back in the early days, we (what few of us there were then) were tithing. Most of you weren't in the Church yet. I'm talking now about 1948. And very few of you were in the Church in 1948. There may be three or four here. I doubt if there's any more than that. And, if you are, you’re pretty faithful to have still been here all that time.
But in 1948 we were going to lose all of the campus that we had at that time. And we had to come up…I didn't know how much money; but, I found out later, it was going to take $50,000. At that time, how much do you think was the income of the Church? The whole Work of God was averaging $500 a day.
Now we thought that was pretty big. That was pretty big compared to what it had been when I had to hitchhike in order to preach in a country schoolhouse. And the only reason I had to go up to the country schoolhouse was because I didn't have money to hire a hall in town; and I could get the country schoolhouse without any charge whatsoever. That is the way THIS WORK was built! Others that have come along later saying, “Oh, I’ve devoted my life for the last so many years to this Work.” But YOU DIDN’T go through the hell I DID TO START IT! I lived—and I sweat, and bled, and died—that this Church could be built, and this Work could go on, and that Ambassador College could be built.
And we were going to have to turn a lease, an option, on what is now just the Library building, into a sale. And there had to be back taxes, and back property tax, and insurance to be paid. And what I didn't know is that the man we were purchasing it from had also borrowed about seventeen or eighteen thousand dollars that he was delinquent on, and he had not paid. And he couldn't turn it over to us until that was paid. And we had to have enough money to pay him that much before we could even get the property.
I had done everything I knew how. I had sent letters telling people of the situation. The money didn't come. I had gone… And this is before Mr. Rader’s time, when we had Bolivar O'Rear (who had been for some ten years an attorney in the Internal revenue department of Washington D.C). And Mr. O'Rear died a good many years ago now. But he was our attorney at the time. And he and I went to Washington, and to a lawyer friend of his that he thought was the specialist with this kind of thing, and could help us raise the money. We tried every way we could. The money didn't come.
Then I got on my knees. And I asked another, “Let's fast and pray, and let's take it to the Lord Jesus Christ.” And we did. And do you know that, about Thanksgiving time… I had to have this by about the 15th of December, and about Thanksgiving time, lo and behold, one day—instead of the five hundred dollars—two thousand. Let's see. Was it two, or three, thousand dollars? I believe it was three thousand dollars, came in. I've got to go back. I've printed this before. Some of you may remember it better than I do. I believe it was three thousand. Anyhow, the next day, to our amazement, three thousand dollars came in. And we couldn't account for it. But we had fasted and prayed, and we had put it up to Christ.
And that kept up for over ten days, until we had over $50,000 on hand. I finally came to find out that we had to have more money than I had dreamed of. But Christ had answered, and had sent every bit of it. I KNOW. I've been through this. I've seen the answers to prayer. I KNOW that Christ is living, and I KNOW that He hears us when we pray. And some of you have never had that experience. It's time that some of you get it. Get down on your knees, and wear them out! I'll buy you a new pair of stockings or trousers, or whatever, if you wear them out. And some of you may need it!
But this Church is cursed with a curse if we don't tithe. So, I'm going to correct that—no matter “come hell or high water,” or whatever else. And if some of our ministers say, “Oh well, we’re not for tithing.” All right. Goodbye. The Baptist probably will open up for you. They don't believe in it either. Maybe you can get a job with the Methodist.
PREACHING FOR PAY (PLAY FROM 1:05:58)
Maybe they're like the man that came to me up in Oregon about 35 years ago, and he said… No, this was about 40 years ago. Anyhow, this man came to me and said, “Well, I've just recently married.” And he said, “Now I've got a wife to support.” And he said, “I am a minister, but I've not had a pastorate for some years. I've been out of employment.” He said, “Mr. Armstrong, do you know of a vacant pastorate in some church in this county?” He says, “I have to be in this county because my wife wants to live here.” “Well,” I said, “I know of just one; and, so far as I know, that's the only one. But, that won't help you a bit.” Well, he says, “Why?” I said, “Because that's a Church of Christ, and you’re a Methodist. And you'd have to preach different doctrines than the Methodists believe if you...” “Well,” he says, “That's all right. I'll preach whatever they want me to. I just got to have a job!” That's the way it is! Now, if we've got any of that kind of ministers, I'll be very happy to say, “Good riddance.” And God will supply us with men filled with His Spirit.
WHAT IF SOMETHING HAPPENS TO MR. ARMSTRONG? (PLAY FROM 1:07:20)
Well, He goes on to show the blessings He will pour out then, if we do obey Him and we trust Him. Can YOU believe that Christ is alive? Are YOU worried about if anything happens to me? I'M NOT. I know that God will do one of two things: He'll either keep me alive OR He'll raise up the right man, that'll be His man. And it won't be someone that you people are going to vote on. You’ll have nothing to say about it!
WHO'S IN CHARGE? (PLAY FROM 1:07:55)
You have nothing to say about the fact I am where I am. CHRIST DID IT! And there's no way you could've stopped it, is there? CHRIST PUT ME IN. And all of you put together couldn't put me out, not if you wanted to! Some have said the Church would desert me in the last three or four months, with some of the actions that Christ has led me to take. The Church is 100% solid! Believe you me, brethren, THE CHURCH IS SOLID! AND WE ARE NOT DIVIDED ANY LONGER! Up until two or three months ago, for the last ten years, this Church has been divided. And people have said, “Well, who's in charge around here?” There's no doubt about WHO IS IN CHARGE any more now.
MINISTERS CHANGING DOCTRINES (PLAY FROM 1:08:47)
Then they tried to play this thing: That I was old, and imbecilic, and that I had become senile in my mind. And even one of our own main—or WHO USED TO BE one of our main—ministers, (And I'm just shocked that I heard this on a tape and heard his sermon that was preached in one of our other auditoriums, but not this one.) saying, when he was changing a doctrine that I had taught all these years (and which IS TRUE, and I’LL CHALLENGE HIM if he wants to debate on it). And he said, “Of course, now, Mr. Armstrong is old and feeble; and we just have to consider him as just a sort of father figure.” Some of you will remember! Some of you heard this sermon! I won't tell you who it was, but some of you will know.
He said, “His mind wouldn't be capable of going into this.” Well, let me tell you, my mind is a lot more capable than his mind! And it's going to be the way that Jesus Christ shows ME! And NOT the way some scholarly someone wants to get in a scholarly kind of a NON-Christian type of attitude, with a carnal mind, instead of the spiritual mind of Christ. And get into this leaven of intellectualism, and higher education! It's being kicked right out of this college, and out of God's Church!
Well, there are many promises here. Let’s prove God. He says, “Prove Me,” if He won't do this. I've been proving Him. He's taken care of me, all of these years. So, I think that I'd like to go on and read all of the rest of that in the fourth chapter. But I think we've taken enough time tonight.
And I will tell you that, two weeks ago when I spoke here, I'd had a very busy day all day. I had been in the office. I had conference after conference, with so many different ones; and some of it a little more strenuous than others. And then I finally had to work out something to say for the Bible Study that night. And I tell you, when I got home that night after the Bible Study, my blood pressure was down to an alarming place. It was really alarming, and my life was in danger. But I was just exhausted. I was tired. I had been over reaching, and going a little faster. And I haven't regained full physical strength yet. Let me say, I've regained about 80% of it. But, my mind is 100%. My mind is better today than it was twenty, and thirty, and even forty years ago! It is actually better. And you be the judge—by what you are hearing, and what you are reading, and what you are seeing.
THE INCREDIBLE HUMAN POTENTIAL (PLAY FROM 1:12:00)
I've been turning out more articles, and more books. And there's a big book ready to go to press now that will be sold in bookstores all over the United States—the first time I've ever been willing to do that. But there is a great audience of people that will not ever read The Plain Truth; will not reply for many of our broadcasts, or telecasts; are not going to be reached by us now. But they do go into bookstores and buy books. And if it's offered free, they won't take it. They want to pay for it. So, we're going to let them pay for it, if that's what they want. And I'm going to make it the highest price that the experts tell me will sell. Now, I'm not going to make it $50 a copy, because it wouldn't sell enough. But it will probably be in the neighborhood of say $9.90or $10. In this day in age, you know the businessman always has to cut it down to about $9.90 or $9.99. Sounds less. They always try to fool the people. I don't believe in that. So maybe we’ll just put a straight price on it, and let it go at that.
But I turned most of that copy over today. I still have to write one or two chapters. But that will be done within the next two or three days. I will tell you this: I consider that it is the most important book—the important writing—that has been written through any human being, or by any human being, in the last 1900 years. That’s how important I consider it!
BURYING THE TRUTH (PLAY FROM 1:14:02)
Now, it has already appeared (most of it) it) in The Plain Truth of two years, or more, ago—in the tabloid edition. But I doubt if you read it. I told the one who was then the managing editor that I wanted this put in big type; and I wanted it right up front. But he got orders. I was apparently not the boss, and I didn't know it. THIS WAS KEPT FROM ME! Boy, would I have COUNTERMANDED THAT if I had known. He was told to BURY IT IN BACK and put it in the kind of type that nobody will read it. And that's what happened. Well, those days are gone. Nobody else is going to say, “Just countermand what Herbert W Armstrong says.” No one BUT JESUS CHRIST; I mean, but no one!
So I hope that will be ready by the Feast of Tabernacles. And I don't know if books of that kind go out to the bookstores about twice a year (once in the fall, and once in the spring). And we're hoping, if I don't extend myself too far, that we'll have it ready for the fall. But, anyway, I don't want to over extend myself now tonight. And I'm going to rest you and let you go home and get some rest.
Now, tomorrow afternoon I expect to speak with the cameras. You see they’re all here. And it will be the message that... I will not have a message for you people tomorrow. But you can sit in on it. It will be the message that will be televised and sent to every Feast site in the world. I can't appear at all of the Feast sites in the United States and Canada this year, as I've done in past years. But I will appear AT EVERY FEAST SITE on the screen. And it will be shown on sixteen-millimeter film. On good-sized screens like the big one we have up here, when they let it down, under the curtains. At every Feast site all over the world—and not just the United States, but Australia, South Africa, South America, New Zealand—everywhere. And I will be doing that now tomorrow.
And I still have to prepare that tomorrow, before tomorrow night. So, I always have something to do. Well, I working harder now than I worked ten years, fifteen years ago, even twenty years ago. And I'm having to come back and do it. God will give ME the strength, and the energy, and the vitality. But, will you let Him give YOU the strength, and energy, and vitality YOU need for YOUR PART, brethren?
APOSTLE, ONE SENT (PLAY FROM 1:16:52)
The apostle is the ONE SENT. Not you. YOU are TO BACK. You will find, in the New Testament, the Church didn't go out. THE APOSTLE'S WENT OUT. Then there was one who had the Holy Spirit and had been beaten, who went out preaching, and that was Philip. And God blessed him because he had been with the apostles. But he then became a minister, and became an evangelist.
But the people as a whole were just back of those sent. An “apostle” is a word that means one sent forth with Christ’s message. And I just look back at the fruits of the last fifty-one years. And I know by the same way that John the Baptist knew whether Christ was the real Messiah or not. I know, because “by their fruits” you know; and that’s how I know.
Now, have a good night’s sleep. And I think I'm not as badly worn as I was two weeks ago tonight. And I hope I'll have a good night's sleep And I'll see you tomorrow afternoon.
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