By COGwriter
On September 11, 1980 the late Pastor General Herbert W. Armstrong (Herbert W. Armstrong) gave a sermon titled Trumpets and the Purpose of the Church in Pasadena, California.
That sermon was the basis for this article as much as the article are words from that sermon. However, its has been updated for information such as location, dates, scriptural references, and additional points. But, in an effort to vary our messages in content and style, this seemed to be another way to provide "meat in due season" (Matthew 24:45, KJV).
Greetings everybody! Hello there, as most of you know, I am recording this over in the Five Cities Region of California.
Towards the beginning of that sermon, Herbert W. Armstrong said "I hope we can expand onto many, many new stations."
We do as well. In addition to being on numerous internet platforms and radio stations that provide some coverage around the world, there are additional radio stations, to mention one item, that I hope we will be able to go on.
The fact that we have received additional translations of our English booklet, The Gospel of the Kingdom of God, in mulitple hundreds of more languages/dialects in the past year is helping set the stage for the short work of Romans 9:28 (see Preparing for the 'Short Work' and The Famine of the Word) and supporting the fulfillment of Matthew 24:14.
In his sermon, Herbert W. Armstrong then mentioned a series of advertisements the old Worldwide Church of God (WCG) had started to do in the Wall Street Journal under the title of, A Voice Cries Out. He also said:
I'm starting a series headed with a heading "A Voice Cries Out". A voice is crying out today in the spiritual wilderness of mixed up religion, spiritual mix ups, with everybody going the way of Satan, which is get, and almost no one living the way of God, which is give. In other words, out flowing love. God is love and His way is love, going out from self toward others, with concern for the good and welfare of others equal to your own self concern. And that is the way of God.
While we in the Continuing Church of God (CCOG) have not placed advertisements in the Wall Street Journal, we have ads in Google and Microsoft platforms. Plus we are a voice crying out--and if you are with us, you are supporting that.
Now, let's look at the prophecy in Isaiah:
3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
"Prepare the way of the Lord;
Make straight in the desert
A highway for our God.
4 Every valley shall be exalted
And every mountain and hill brought low;
The crooked places shall be made straight
And the rough places smooth;
5 The glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
And all flesh shall see it together;
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken."6 The voice said, "Cry out!"
And he said, "What shall I cry?""All flesh is grass,
And all its loveliness is like the flower of the field.
7 The grass withers, the flower fades,
Because the breath of the Lord blows upon it;
Surely the people are grass.
8 The grass withers, the flower fades,
But the word of our God stands forever." (Isaiah 40:3-8)
One of the points about proclaiming the good news of the coming Kingdom of God is to point out that human governments will not remain in place--they will be eliminated. Plus, our physical lives are like grass in that they are not permanent, but that God offers us permanent places in His coming Kingdom. One of the purposes of the church is support the proclamation efforts that Jesus set.
Now, we read in the New Testament that John the Baptist also referred to the passage in Isaiah. The New Testament mentions that in all four gospel accounts. Mark has the following:
1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. 2 As it is written in the Prophets:
"Behold, I send My messenger before Your face,
Who will prepare Your way before You."
3 'The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
'Prepare the way of the Lord;
Make His paths straight.'"4 John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. 5 Then all the land of Judea, and those from Jerusalem, went out to him and were all baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.
6 Now John was clothed with camel's hair and with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 7 And he preached, saying, "There comes One after me who is mightier than I, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to stoop down and loose. 8 I indeed baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit." (Mark 1:1-8)
John the Baptist proclaimed that the Messiah was coming.
We proclaim that Jesus will return and establish the millennial kingdom of God.
And that Jesus will return with the blast of a trumpet.
That is one reason observing the Feast of Trumpets is something that a Christian should do in the 21st century.
Before going further, let's also notice something from Luke's account:
2 ... the word of God came to John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. 3 And he went into all the region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins, 4 as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, saying:
"The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
'Prepare the way of the Lord;
Make His paths straight.
5 Every valley shall be filled
And every mountain and hill brought low;
The crooked places shall be made straight
And the rough ways smooth;
6 And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.'" (Luke 3:2-6)
It is verse 6 we should all look at for now. Despite John the Baptist explaining that Isaiah was telling us that ALL FLESH WOULD HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY for salvation, most professing some version of Christianity do not believe that in its intended way.
In the CCOG, we have explained more about that doctrine in our literature than any COG has done previously or since we did, as can be be seen in our free online book: Universal OFFER of Salvation, Apokatastasis: Can God save the lost in an age to come? Hundreds of scriptures reveal God’s plan of salvation.
Hence we in the CCOG have been a voice proclaiming good news in a bewildered world.
Purpose of the Holy Days
God tells us to give meat in due season, meaning we should explain items when they need to be as well as to make timely seasonal messages, such as on these Holy days. We go over the purposes of them to remind us year by year of the meaning these days are supposed to picture to us. Now on Trumpets we're beginning the Fall Holy days or festivals.
Now these annual Festivals have very, very great meaning.
Herbert W. Armstrong said:
And, you know for a long time I found that many of our ministers were not preaching about the meaning of these days — they'd preach on any old subject at the Feast of Tabernacles or at any other Holy Day. Well, I don't think this is happening anymore because the ministers are now preaching on the Meaning of the Day, the day that we're observing. There is very great meaning, even of this day, the Feast of Trumpets that we are celebrating today. And it is something that should bring us anticipations of great joy.
In fact all of these days should just bring us a joyful feeling.
Now Winston Churchill had mentioned to the United States Congress -- he spoke during World War 2 to the United States Congress, and he mentioned that there is a purpose being worked out here below. Well, God Almighty above is working out that purpose and God's purpose is simply... well it's sort of dual really. All of God ... {nearly} everything God does is dual, I wonder if you realise that. For example there was a first Adam who was physical, a second Adam who was spiritual. And everything is done in a one-two manner, or a dual manner.
Now God is reproducing Himself. That is His spiritual purpose, but also He has another...both purposes, both phases of the dual purpose are spiritual, the other is He is restoring the government of God.
Now very few people know -- and very few ministers of what they call Christianity in this world would know that God had a government on this earth--and I am not talking about the Roman Catholic Church, which thinks it is.
The government of God once ruled on this earth, but it is not being executed, it is not being run that way now and God is in process of restoring it through us in the Church (see also The Bible, Peter, Paul, John, Polycarp, Herbert W. Armstrong, Roderick C. Meredith, and Bob Thiel on Church Government).
God's Master Plan
Now in order to bring about His purpose God is working on a great Master Plan.
Now God Himself, before He started to bring about this great purpose of His, designed a great, superb Master Plan. And these festivals that He gave us to observe picture that Master Plan. Many people have never heard of these annual Sabbaths since the world's churches basically haven't been keeping them. As a matter of fact, in the churches claiming Christianity these days, they have not been kept since around the second or third century after Christ.
They were kept in the time of Christ. But ancient Israel only kept them part of the time, but they were ordained forever. And Christ knew they were forever, so as He was training the New Testament Church, He observed them. And the early church observed them until the false church had grown so big that the real Church had to go underground, and how they kept them from that time on we sort of lost track and we don't know, we've lost the history of it.
Herbert Armstrong related:
But nevertheless, God revealed it to me, back in 1927, in the spring. And Mrs. Armstrong, the original Mrs. Armstrong, who was my wife for fifty years, until death did part us, observed these days with me for seven years. We had to observe these annual Sabbath days alone, by ourselves. To the church brethren up in the Willamette valley of the Sardis era of the church, I revealed the truth to them and they laughed me to scorn -- exactly as you read back in the Old Testament when these days were discovered in ancient Judah. They sent men up to Israel to tell them that they should observe these days and they only laughed them to scorn. Well, human beings are the same even yet today. We haven't changed very much.
Here is the incident about keeping the Holy Days that Herbert W. Armstrong was referring to:
1 And Hezekiah sent to all Israel and Judah, and also wrote letters to Ephraim and Manasseh, that they should come to the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, to keep the Passover to the Lord God of Israel. 2 For the king and his leaders and all the assembly in Jerusalem had agreed to keep the Passover in the second month. 3 For they could not keep it at the regular time, because a sufficient number of priests had not consecrated themselves, nor had the people gathered together at Jerusalem. 4 And the matter pleased the king and all the assembly. 5 So they resolved to make a proclamation throughout all Israel, from Beersheba to Dan, that they should come to keep the Passover to the Lord God of Israel at Jerusalem, since they had not done it for a long time in the prescribed manner.
6 Then the runners went throughout all Israel and Judah with the letters from the king and his leaders, and spoke according to the command of the king: "Children of Israel, return to the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel; then He will return to the remnant of you who have escaped from the hand of the kings of Assyria. 7 And do not be like your fathers and your brethren, who trespassed against the Lord God of their fathers, so that He gave them up to desolation, as you see. 8 Now do not be stiff-necked, as your fathers were, but yield yourselves to the Lord; and enter His sanctuary, which He has sanctified forever, and serve the Lord your God, that the fierceness of His wrath may turn away from you. 9 For if you return to the Lord, your brethren and your children will be treated with compassion by those who lead them captive, so that they may come back to this land; for the Lord your God is gracious and merciful, and will not turn His face from you if you return to Him."
10 So the runners passed from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh, as far as Zebulun; but they laughed at them and mocked them. 11 Nevertheless some from Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem. 12 Also the hand of God was on Judah to give them singleness of heart to obey the command of the king and the leaders, at the word of the Lord. (2 Chronicles 30:1-12)
To this day, the majority of the descendants of Israel do not keep the biblical Holy Days, but there are SOME, like Hezekiah referred to back then, who do today. Such as probably nearly all of you who are reading this.
Festivals picture Spiritual Harvest
The biblical festivals are basically built around the material harvest, the physical harvest in Palestine. Of course that is a center of the world and God's headquarters was there -ancient Israel's headquarters were there, and Christ was there at the time He started the church and the church started in Jerusalem. And now in other words, the physical harvests are used to picture the spiritual harvest. Now there again you have the duality -- the physical and the spiritual, and the one is the type of the other and pictures the other.
Now the Festival season that God has given us which the Greco-Roman Catholic and Protestant churches basically don't know anything about, because they have departed from the word of God, the Bible--but instead relied on traditions of men.
Herbert Armstrong stated:
But the season starts in the spring with the Passover, and we have really festivals three times in a year, you might say -- the first two in the spring with the Passover which celebrates the death of Christ. Christ's death to pay the penalty of your sins and mine. You dirty sinners you, and I can point a finger at me, I'm a dirty sinner too. But Jesus Christ came and took your sins and my sins and took the penalty that we've incurred on Himself and paid it in our place.
Now that is quite a solemn festival but yet the very fact that it pictures the fact that Christ has paid our penalty in our stead should bring us very great joy. It really should.
Feast of Unleavened Bread
Now the second festival follows immediately beginning the very next day. That is the Feast of Unleavened Bread that lasts seven days. And that pictures — seven is God's number of completeness -- and it pictures putting sin completely out of our lives. We have to quit sinning. Now repentance doesn't mean just being sorry, that you have remorse, cry a lot of tears and you really are sorry, but tomorrow's a new day and you've forgotten all about it. That's not repentance. Godly sorrow works repentance and repentance is a change of mind so that you turn around and go the other way.
Repentance, in this context, means you realize what you did is wrong and you don't want to do it again. It means you stop doing it any longer. So when we repent of sin that means we stop sinning. You won't stop all sinning but whatever sin your repent of you stop that sin certainly and you'd better stop as many as you know about.
So the second festival is that seven days and how joyful that ought to be that we can now stop sinning, and that we have the Holy Spirit although the second festival doesn't picture that yet. But we do have the Holy Spirit to help us and so that we don't have to bring that penalty on us again.
Pentecost
Now the third festival comes more towards the summer, and the third festival will come in May or June and it's the Feast of Firstfruits. Now we call it Pentecost because in the New Testament you counted fifty days to get to it and Pentecost means "count fifty" in the Greek language. Now the New Testament is written in the Greek language, and Pentecost or the Feast of Firstfruits as it's called back in the Old Testament means that the church had been called and prepared to reap the first spiritual harvest.
The church in other words is the first group or the first body as a group that God had called to a begettal, to receive God's Holy Spirit and be begotten as the children of God. Not yet born ... we're in the same position as the unborn child in the mother's womb. During the time of pregnancy a child is -- the child is there, and the child is the child, the son or daughter of the parents and an abortion is a murder because there is a human life there, but it isn't yet born.
So we use the terms in physical reproduction of begettal or conception and then all the period from then until what they call parturition or delivery of the child into the world -- when the child comes out to live its own life in the world.
Well, we haven't come to that place spiritually yet. We are in the begettal stage and the church above is the mother of us all, and we're all children to be fed spiritually by the church, to be protected by the church from false doctrine and false ways and to be developed by the church by the spiritual food from the word of God, in the church.
Now the church is called to be prepared, in order to reap the first spiritual harvest. That harvest won't really be reaped until the second coming of Christ, and that's what we're observing today, is the second coming of Christ. The time between Pentecost in Acts 2 and Jesus returning in 1 Thessalonians 4 with a blowing of the last trumpet is what we call "the church age."
Now the Holy Spirit came on that Day of Pentecost. There were 120 people there. Jesus preached to thousands and thousands of people, but of all the thousands that He preached to, do you know how many really believed, and continued to believe and were loyal? Of all of the thousands, only 120.
You read in the 8th chapter of John, beginning with verse 30, and you'll have to read several verses from there, a great many verses. You'll find there is an account there of Jews who believed on Christ. Only believed on Him.
30 As He spoke these words, many believed in Him. (John 8:30)
You know today evangelical Protestants tend to say "if you just accept Christ, just believe on the Lord and you'll be saved" and that's all there is to it. Now there's one scripture that says believe on Christ and you'll be saved but those who just point to overlook that there are other scriptures say other things that you have to add to it. And they forget that. So it's a lot more than just believing.
First you have to truly repent, then you have to believe and obey, then we're to receive the Holy Spirit of God then we must grow in grace and in knowledge and we must overcome.
While various ones who are Protestant and/or who left the COG disagree, notice what the New Testament teaches:
30. Peter and the apostles answered and said, “We are obligated to obey God rather than men. 30. The God of our fathers raised up Jesus Whom you killed by hanging Him on a tree. 31. Him has God exalted by His right hand to be a Prince and Savior, to give repentance and remission of sins to Israel. 32. And we are His witnesses of these things, as is also the Holy Spirit, which God has given to those who obey Him.” (Acts 5:30-32, A Faithful Version)
17 You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; 18 but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.(2 Peter 3:17-18)
22 And you will be hated by all for My name's sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved. (Matthew 10:22)
We must develop character and that is the work of the church. When you receive the Holy Spirit, and which first came to the church on the day of Pentecost, that was a begettal.
Feast of Trumpets
Now today we come to the fourth festival which is the Feast of Trumpets, and the Feast of Trumpets announces the second coming of Christ. Now you can read back in Leviticus 23 verse 24:
24 Speak to the children of Israel, saying: 'In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a sabbath-rest, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation. (Leviticus 23:24)
On the Feast of Trumpets they blew the trumpet on that day with unusual solemnity and more -- as a matter of fact up until that time they'd blown a trumpet on the first day of every month, and I'm talking now about the Sacred Calendar that God gave ancient Israel. A Sacred Calendar begins in the spring, not just January 1st, it begins along in March/April and it's a different calendar altogether. It begins when life is budding out in nature. It is the beginning of new life.
And it begins when it ought to begin, but we come to this fourth festival which is the first day of the seventh month. Now it's the first of the Fall season (though technically the Bible does not say Fall and it can come as early as three weeks before the Fall), of the Holy days in the Fall. It pictures the trumpet judgments and second coming of Christ, with Jesus is coming to the church. Now when He comes, He is coming to the church and He will receive the church in the air. We will rise to meet Him. Those of us who are still alive will rise to meet him.
What is the Church?
Now that gets us back to the church and the church is preparing people for the second coming of Christ when we will rule and reign with Christ.
Now, why the church? In that regard we need right now to know. Christ is coming to the church and we need again to know what is the church, why is the church and what is its purpose.
Do you know the average person doesn't know? Sometimes I wonder does anyone understand why there is a church? People know there are lots of churches around. You ask the average person "what is a church?" -- "well, the church is a building. It has a sharply steeping roof. It has a steeple on top pointing way up to heaven ... (where we are not going to go anyway but they think we are).... and it will have a cross on the façade on the front. A church is a building where people go. People go to church."
Herbert Armstrong stated:
Well, that's not what I found in the Bible. I find that the church went to a building. And that building to begin with — do you know where they met? In a home, or the house of one of the members. They didn't have a building at all as the church started out.
When they built these big cathedrals that was later when a false church sprang up. The original church didn't have anything of the kind at all. And they met wherever they could, just like we do. We are following the pattern of that original church and no other church on the face of the earth is. But we are.
Actually, it was partially because of Emperor Constantine that the big catherdrals got started. Constantine had given pagan temples, like the Pantheon in Rome to the Church of Rome in the 4th century. Pantheon means "all the gods." In the CCOG, we do not have any cathedrals. But if you want to see some of how the original Christian building looked, some ancient bricks are on the cover of our songbook The Bible Hymnal.
Now if you look for the word "church" in the Bible, the first place the church is mentioned in time order, that is the time order of the existence of the church, is in the seventh chapter of Acts. Not the first place it's mentioned, but the first place in time order in the New Testament.
In Acts 7:38 where it says "this is he" referring to Moses "that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in Mount Sinai".
In other words, the church in the wilderness back in Mount Sinai with Moses.
That was a church, but usually it is called the Congregation of Israel not the church of Israel. But church means the same thing as congregation. Church comes from the Greek word in the New Testament "ecclesia". And ecclesia simply means -- ecclesia is a group of people. It's a called-out group of people. That's what ecclesia means.
Now they were a called out group of people in the Old Testament. They were the church or congregation of Israel, a human man. We today are the church of a divine personage -- God. They didn't have the Holy Spirit. We true Christians do have the Holy Spirit. We are begotten of God and children of God. They were only the physical children of Israel, but we are the spiritual children of God. Now there's that very great difference.
The Church began on Pentecost
But the New Testament church received the Holy Spirit on that Day of Pentecost. That's when the New Testament church began. Christ had prepared the church for three and a half years. He had taught and trained the apostles to be apostles. And trained them in the gospel of the Kingdom in order to take that gospel of the kingdom to the world.
Now, what is the church? When we get to that -- you know one of the things that the people in the world and the churches of the world simply do not know. They don't know that Jesus was born to be a king. You don't hear the many great evangelists preach Jesus was born to be a king. They don't preach Jesus as a king, they nornally just simply say Jesus is a saviour, "give your heart to the Lord and you'll be saved".
Herbert W. Armstrong said:
You see the way they picture it, this life they picture as being on a railroad trip. Now that's the whole life that you're living. And you go down this life. Now at the end of the trip on the track of the railroad, the track is set. There's a switch and one switch shoots the track or the train that you're on straight down to hell. But it's already set. Now if sometime along on the trip, which is your lifetime, you say "all right, I accept Christ", that changes the switch on the track at the end of the line and then when you get there now the switch is going to shoot you right up to heaven.
Well of course that's a lot of nonsense and it isn't true at all. But a lot of people believe that, they've simply been deceived. Satan is the great deceiver who deceives the whole world as it says in Revelation 12:9. But what they don't know is that Jesus was born to really be a king. That He came to announce a kingdom. A government. The gospel and the church are concerned with government.
I'm just talking to our own local group and I'll say it -- Does Billy Graham understand that. Do you ever hear him preach about the church and government? And that Jesus is a king and that we're going to rule with Christ in a government? Oh no, they don't believe that at all. They don't say anything about it. You just live your life the way you want but you must accept Christ and then you'll just go to heaven. I have heard Billy Graham say "The Bible says ...when we all get to heaven". I will give him a cheque for $10,000 if he will show me where the Bible says that. You know, I've never seen that in the Bible, neither have you. And neither will you. Because the Bible doesn't say any such thing. The Bible says that no man has ascended up to heaven and with Jesus Christ saying that too, and the Bible quotes Him.
Now, Jesus was the second Adam. God in creating people has a programme in mind and He made us first physical. So, first He started with the first Adam. The first man was called Adam, but then the spiritual phase of God's whole programme begins with Jesus Christ and Christ is the second Adam. And that is the spiritual phase. Not the physical.
Herbert Armstrong stated:
So Jesus is the second Adam. Now Jesus came for a dual purpose primarily. Jesus came - why did He come to earth? Primarily for a dual purpose. First, He came to be a king. You'll find it back in the 53rd chapter of Isaiah. You'll find it back in the 7th chapter of Isaiah, isn't it? No, it's the 9th chapter and the sixth verse. And so on.
So, He also came to be a saviour. His name was Emmanuel, which is "God with us", and He came as a saviour. He is the one seed in whom all the families and nations of the earth are going to be blessed, as their saviour. So, He came to save us and give us eternal life, but He also came to establish and restore the government of God.
And the government of God had once been on the earth but Lucifer took it away. The former arch angel and he has been changed now to become Satan. And his name now is Satan.
Now God's purpose begins with the first Adam who was a physical man. That's the physical phase of God's great master plan and of God's whole great purpose. And the spiritual phase of God's work — you see, it's a physical phase and a spiritual phase — now the spiritual phase begins with the second Adam who is Jesus Christ.
Lucifer becomes Satan
Herbert W. Armstrong said:
Now it's necessary to understand what happened to the first Adam, if we're going to understand this. You know, I've never heard the great evangelists go back to that, they just preach "just come up to the altar and I'll pray with you and I'll give you a little piece of literature" -- a little kind of a tract, just a cheap tract of some kind, -- " and I'll pray for you". And that's about all Well there is so much more than that. I don't mean to ridicule them at all, they're doing the best they know -- they just don't know any better, they're deceived. Doesn't mean they're condemned and God's not judging them one way or the other and neither am I.
But Satan, who is the former Lucifer, was once established on a throne, over angels. Now God set that throne and God set His government there and He set this super arch angel there to govern it. Now Lucifer may have been the most powerful angel that God could possibly create. There are two other angels as great as that, that are cherubs, Michael and Gabriel. But there is none greater except God Himself, and He has such great power.
But the government became inoperative because Lucifer rebelled. Lucifer, instead of the way of love, began to live the way of get. Which is the way of self. "I love me and I don't care anything about God. I covet more power. I am filled with lust ". And he was filled with envy and with hostility and he changed just the opposite of God's way of life.
So, the government became inoperative, and there was no government on earth as intended when God created Adam. The government of God was not being executed at all. Yet God's universe government -- now get this -- the universe government of God over the whole universe required that once Lucifer was set on that throne he must remain on that throne until a successor has qualified and been inducted into office and put on that throne.
So, Lucifer was changed to an adversary, which is what Satan means. And Satan is still there now in charge of this earth, and Satan was there when Adam was created, and Satan has remained there ever since and is still there up to this time now. Now Adam -- remember this -- the first Adam is the father or the progenitor physically of the whole world. He is the physical progenitor of the whole world. And the whole world started in and through him.
He had to make a choice. He had to decide between God's way and God's government and Satan's way of get, and God's way is the way of give, or love. But Adam was making that choice not only for himself but for the whole world, for all humanity that would follow him.
The Two Trees
There were two symbolic trees in the Garden of Eden. One was the Holy Spirit that is it represented the Holy Spirit, the Tree of Life. It was only a symbol of the Holy Spirit. The other tree was the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Now that simply symbolised what it says -- the taking to oneself of the knowledge of good and evil, or to decide for oneself what is right and what is wrong, what is sin and what is not.
Now Adam listened to his wife Eve.
Herbert W. Armstrong said:
As a matter of fact, you know there is a great deal of political interest right now going on about the ERA. The women all want this ERA. You know who started this woman's movement of the ERA? Well, it was old Mother Eve. She said "I don't want to be ruled by my husband. I want 50-50".
But 50-50 means I'm going to wear the pants always. It doesn't mean 50-50 at all. Someone is going to be the leader in every case. You can't have a 50-50. Try it, it won't work. It never did, it never will.
Now Adam -- Eve just grabbed him by the nose and led him along and Adam the poor simp he just went along with her. So Adam was not deceived, but Eve was.
But Adam made the choice for the whole world -- for his family. He was the father of that family.
God made that binding on the whole world until the government of God is restored once again to the earth! Now that meant it was binding for probably 6,000 years. But God did make an exception. It was binding except that God was going to call a few -- just one here, one there -- a very, very few, once in a while, that God would call to come to Him. Otherwise people are cut off from God! You read in the very last verses of the third chapter of Genesis how God drove the man and the woman out of the Garden of Eden and He put angels with flaming swords, pointing every direction lest they go back -- they or their children would go back and take of the Tree of Life. And gain immortal life and live forever in sin.
Now God did not intend for people to have eternal life and live forever in sin. Because sin makes you unhappy. Sin brings pain and sorrow and suffering. And God loves us too much to let us live forever in that kind of misery.
You know, back in the time of the Flood, do you know that it was in great mercy and love for the people, that God drowned the whole world except for Noah and his family? He saved them from more suffering. They were just bringing suffering. Violence filled the earth! And everything evil was filling the earth in that day and we are back to a time just like that again now. That's why we know we're right at the end of this age. We're at the end of this world. Just exactly as the Bible says, time and time again.
God called Certain Ones
Now, God called certain ones. For example He called Abraham. God must've called Abel because he is called righteous Abel, and then there was Enoch who walked with God, and Noah, but that's all we find at all until we come to Abraham, and God made all of the promises that we all have to rely on to Abraham. And Abraham's children were slaves in Egypt, four hundred and thirty years later, and God called them out and made Old Testament Israel His chosen nation.
Now they were just one of the nations of this world. He gave them His law. They had His spiritual law, the Ten Commandments. But they also had God's civil law for the regulation of man with his neighbour. Then they had some other religious laws that were only temporary until Christ. But they were a national government. But He did not give them the Holy Spirit. They were cut off from the Holy Spirit but He did give them the knowledge of right and wrong. He did give them the Ten Commandments and His spiritual law.
But they were just one of the governments in this world. But their prophets were given the Holy Spirit and their prophets were sort of co-founders of the New Testament church. I wonder if you ever thought of them as that.
Herbert Armstrong said:
The church is founded on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets, Jesus Christ being the chief corner stone. Now that's in the (what is it?) the second chapter, I believe it is, of Ephesians.
But, remember now, Satan is still on that throne and still has power. And Adam sold out to Satan, and when we have to redeem the time, as you heard in the sermonette today. We have to redeem it from what Satan has been leading us into. That's the thing we need to realise.
Four "Untils"
Now, to reproduce Himself, which is a purpose of God, God must save humanity from Satan. And He must save humanity from rebellion that Satan has led us into, and He must save us from death. So it required a saviour to pay our penalty for us so we don't die. So we don't have the penalty of death. And He can't save the whole world until Satan is put away.
Herbert Armstrong said:
So, in God's plan there are 4 different words I call "until". And I don't think you've ever seen that in print before. I have here two pages taken out of the manuscript of the forthcoming book "A Voice Cries Out", it'll be published pretty soon and this has already gone in for the ministers in the Refresher Course at Pasadena, and I'd just like to read about a....oh, it's about a page I want to read to you, or a little over a page here.
That there are four important I call them "Until", where it speaks about a certain thing won't happen until a certain time.
Now first, except for the very few, specially and individually called by God, all humankind was cut off from access to God or His Holy Spirit until the second Adam, who is Christ had qualified to restore the government of God, and actually had been restored on the government of God, ruling the whole world by the Kingdom of God. And the whole world is cut off until that time. Jesus Himself said plainly "no man CAN come to me except the Father which sent me draw him."
Now they're cut off from the Father unless the Father draws them. And Jesus said NO MAN CAN! I tell you, these evangelists that go out and preach to the world and say "whosoever will may come". There is even a hymn they sing "Whosoever will". You know where that is in the Bible? Back in the very last chapter of the Bible, after the thousand years, after the Great White Throne Judgement. But not during this time in the church. Not during the time of ancient Israel. Whosoever will could not come. No sir...not until then. Let's get the Bible straight.
Now, the second Until. The Holy Spirit was not yet given, even for the church when Christ was on earth until Jesus, having conquered Satan, and having overcome and qualified now to rule in the Kingdom of God, had been glorified in heaven. You read that in John 7: 37-39. And that was on one of the Feast days, it was the very last day, the very Great day after the Feast of Tabernacles, which we'll come to that in about two weeks now.
Therefore the Old Testament Israel could not receive God's Holy Spirit, only their specially-called prophets could. And they were specially called, and I tell, you I think it's still a question that is not made absolutely clear in the Bible as to whether the Holy Spirit of God was in them or with them. However, it is made clear they will be in the Kingdom, and how could they be begotten and come into the Kingdom unless the Holy Spirit had been in them, so I assume that some way the Holy Spirit was in them.
Now third, there's a third Until. Even the gospel, that is the good news of the coming Kingdom of God. The gospel is the good news about a government, but those that go out preaching the gospel, they call the gospel, only preach about a person, about Christ. Christ is only the messenger who brought the gospel, and that they don't preach at all. The Kingdom of God. Well, even the gospel could not be proclaimed until Jesus, the second Adam had qualified by overcoming Satan while Jesus was yet a human being.
Now, you'll read of that in Mark 1, verses 14 and 15 when He said the time was now at hand and He began to preach the Kingdom of God. So, during Old Testament Israel we read in Luke 16:16 "the law and the prophets were until John". Not the gospel...just the law and the prophets were until John and since that time the Kingdom of God is preached.
Now, there's a fourth one. Even now today, the heavens have received Jesus until the times of restitution of all things. You read that in the third chapter of Acts in verse 21. Acts 3 and verse 21. That is, the time of restoration of the government of God over the earth at Christ's soon coming, which will be very soon now, in our time.
Now Old Testament Israel had a function preparatory to the ultimate establishment of the Kingdom of God. But the gospel could not be proclaimed to the world, nor could God's called congregation of people, that is the church, have the Holy Spirit until first Jesus had qualified by overcoming Satan, and second, had been glorified after He ascended up to heaven. He had to ascend up to heaven.
The New Testament Church
But now we come to the church of the New Testament. The time had come when first the gospel announcement could go to the world after Christ had overcome Satan.
And second, the congregation or the church could receive the Holy Spirit and that's when the church really began. So that's what you find on the Day of Pentecost.
And now, in due time... I've been tracing things from the time of Adam on... but in due time, Jesus was born and He qualified by overcoming Satan. He was put to the very supreme test, as you read in the fourth chapter of Matthew. He qualified; He proclaimed the good news of the coming government, the Kingdom of God, the Family of God, ruling in the government. He taught His disciples and then He died for us and paid the penalty of our sin in our stead.
Now only then could God call a body, the church, to receive His Holy Spirit. It couldn't happen until that time, and receive the Holy Spirit on repentance and faith.
And even now we have to repent and have the faith in Christ to receive the Holy Spirit. So, that was the Day of Pentecost, the third festival.
But now, a little further before we come again to this. What is the church? What is the church? The church is the firstfruits, the first group or body to have the Holy Spirit of God, to be begotten by God that can be born of God at the coming of Christ.
Why the Church?
Herbert Armstrong declared:
Now why the church? What is its purpose? To be spiritually trained in God's government. And it's a matter of government and most of the evangelists of the world, and most of the so-called Christian churches don't realise anything about the government of God. To be trained in God's government and to be growing in spiritual character in order that we can rule with Christ. We're being trained as people to rule with Christ.
Yet, Laodicean Christians do not accept that governance and Jesus warns that He will vomit them out of His mouth (Revelation 3:16).
When Jesus comes, brethren...just stop and think a minute. He is not going to rule all alone by Himself with on one. He is going to have a very great organisation! You know old father Abraham is going to be there. He's going to be resurrected and he's going to have a very important position. And I think he'll be right next to Christ. I may be wrong about that but that is what I believe. And I don't say very often what I believe. Usually I speak with authority because it's in the Bible.
But we're to rule with Christ. Now you read back here in Revelation the third chapter and verse 21 and this applies only to the church, by the way. It does not apply to people in the Kingdom of God later, after Christ comes. This did not apply to ancient Israel. It only applies to us. Here it says, "to him" that's the words of Jesus Christ Himself, "to him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne as I also overcame and am sat down with my father in his throne" He that has an ear, he'd better pay attention and hear, He said.
Now also in the second chapter of Revelation and the 26th and 27th verses Jesus said "to him that overcometh and keepeth my works until the end"...now it's keeping His works...in other words, your performance, the way you live, God's way of living — right to the end of your life. "To him will I givepower over the nations and he shall rule them with a rod of iron."
We're going to rule the nations -- we're going to sit with Christ on His throne.
Now let's see something related to the last trumpet:
13 But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.
15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words. (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)
Yes, this should be comforting to us.
Here is more of what will happen to Christians associated with the last trumpet:
35 But someone will say, "How are the dead raised up? And with what body do they come?" 36 Foolish one, what you sow is not made alive unless it dies. 37 And what you sow, you do not sow that body that shall be, but mere grain — perhaps wheat or some other grain. 38 But God gives it a body as He pleases, and to each seed its own body.
39 All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of animals, another of fish, and another of birds.
40 There are also celestial bodies and terrestrial bodies; but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. 41 There is one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for one star differs from another star in glory.
42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. 43 It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. 44 It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. 45 And so it is written, "The first man Adam became a living being." The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.
46 However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual. 47 The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is the Lord from heaven. 48 As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly. 49 And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man.
50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. 51 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed — 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory."
55 "O Death, where is your sting?
O Hades, where is your victory?"56 The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:35-57)
Yes, we true Christians will win.
In his Pagan Holidays - or God's Holydays - Which? booklet, Herbert W. Armstrong wrote:
Unless Christ returns to resurrect the dead, we would never gain eternal life — if there is no resurrection "then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished" (I Cor. 15:18). Christ directly intervenes in world affairs at the seventh or the last trump (Rev. 11:15-19). A trumpet is a symbol of war. He comes in a time of worldwide war — when the nations are angry! As soon as the work of gathering in the firstfruits (pictured by Pentecost) is completed at the end of this present age, then Christ will begin to set up again the tabernacle of David (Acts 15:16) — to set His hand again the second time to recover the remnant of His people (Isa. 11:11) — to search out and to find His lost sheep that the ministers of the churches have failed to search out and save during this period (Ezek. 34:1-14).
Notice exactly when this takes place! "And it shall come to pass in that day, that the great trumpet shall be blown, and they [Israel] shall come which were ready to perish ... and shall worship the Lord in the holy mount at Jerusalem" (Isa. 27:13).
Let's look at that part of Zechariah and Isaiah:
14 Then the Lord will be seen over them,
And His arrow will go forth like lightning.
The Lord God will blow the trumpet,
And go with whirlwinds from the south.
15 The Lord of hosts will defend them;
They shall devour and subdue with slingstones.
They shall drink and roar as if with wine;
They shall be filled with blood like basins,
Like the corners of the altar.
16 The Lord their God will save them in that day,
As the flock of His people.
For they shall be like the jewels of a crown,
Lifted like a banner over His land —
17 For how great is its goodness
And how great its beauty! (Zechariah 9:14-17)12 And it shall come to pass in that day
That the Lord will thresh,
From the channel of the River to the Brook of Egypt;
And you will be gathered one by one,
O you children of Israel.13 So it shall be in that day:
The great trumpet will be blown;
They will come, who are about to perish in the land of Assyria,
And they who are outcasts in the land of Egypt,
And shall worship the Lord in the holy mount at Jerusalem. (Isaiah 27:12-13)
Going back to, and continuing in his Pagan Holidays - or God's Holydays - Which? booklet, Herbert W. Armstrong wrote:
When will Israel be regathered? At the sound of the trump — at the Second Coming of Christ. Because the churches have forgotten the Festival of Trumpets, many think that the return of a part of the Jews to the Holy Land and the setting up of a nation called Israel now is the fulfillment of this prophecy!
Much is associated with the blowing of trumpets, particularly the last one!
Notice the following from the prophet Zephaniah:
14 The great day of the Lord is near; It is near and hastens quickly. The noise of the day of the Lord is bitter; There the mighty men shall cry out. 15 That day is a day of wrath, A day of trouble and distress, A day of devastation and desolation, A day of darkness and gloominess, A day of clouds and thick darkness, 16 A day of trumpet and alarm Against the fortified cities And against the high towers.
17 "I will bring distress upon men, And they shall walk like blind men, Because they have sinned against the Lord; Their blood shall be poured out like dust, And their flesh like refuse."
18 Neither their silver nor their gold Shall be able to deliver them In the day of the Lord's wrath; But the whole land shall be devoured By the fire of His jealousy, For He will make speedy riddance Of all those who dwell in the land. (Zephaniah 1:14-18)
Now, what are the faithful supposed to be before then?
Well, Zephaniah continues with:
1 Gather yourselves together, yes, gather together, O undesirable nation, 2 Before the decree is issued, Or the day passes like chaff, Before the Lord's fierce anger comes upon you, Before the day of the Lord's anger comes upon you! 3 Seek the Lord, all you meek of the earth, Who have upheld His justice. Seek righteousness, seek humility. It may be that you will be hiddenIn the day of the Lord's anger. (Zephaniah 2:1-3)
Be humble enough to be a Philadelphian Christian despite being so scattered in the Western world and despite not having the amount of funds to deal with all the needs in Africa. We know that Zephaniah is a referring to Philadelphian Christians as they are the only Christians Jesus promised to protect from what will hit the earth as He said:
7 "And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write,
'These things says He who is holy, He who is true, "He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens": 8 "I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name. 9 Indeed I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews and are not, but lie — indeed I will make them come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you. 10 Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. 11 Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown. (Revelation 3:7-11)
The Philadelphian church is doing the work of going through the open doors. They do not let bad comments from others dissuade them from being faithful.
Now, let' notice some other things related to Jesus' return and that trumpet:
15 Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!" 16 And the twenty-four elders who sat before God on their thrones fell on their faces and worshiped God, 17 saying:
"We give You thanks, O Lord God Almighty,
The One who is and who was and who is to come,
Because You have taken Your great power and reigned.
18 The nations were angry, and Your wrath has come,
And the time of the dead, that they should be judged,
And that You should reward Your servants the prophets and the saints,
And those who fear Your name, small and great,
And should destroy those who destroy the earth." (Revelation 11:15-18)
Notice also something else from Revelation:
9 And they sang a new song, saying:
"You are worthy to take the scroll,
And to open its seals;
For You were slain,
And have redeemed us to God by Your blood
Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation,
10 And have made us kings and priests to our God;
And we shall reign on the earth." (Revelation 5:9-10)
WHY THE CHURCH? — WE'RE BEING TRAINED TO RULE WITH CHRIST WHEN HE COMES! GOD IS GOING TO HAVE A GOVERNMENT WHEN HE COMES! TODAY WE'RE CELEBRATING THE DAY OF CHRIST'S COMING, but I'm telling you what's being prepared for that time when Christ comes, and He's going to have a whole organisation.
Now for that He needed a church, and He needed a church that itself would be well organised, and well prepared. How was He going to train the church for that kind of thing. Well, that's very important to understand. I wonder if our brethren understand it. Can any individual Christian just say "well, I'd like to be a lone Christian, I'll go off ...? I'll just simply get into heaven, or I'll get into the Kingdom all by myself." Oh no, you won't. You can't do it that way. If you ever do, you won't have a very important position when you get there, I can tell you that, because we'll be rewarded according to our works.
But, the church is a special organism that is well organised.
Concerning Spiritual Gifts
Herbert W. Armstrong said:
I would like to have you turn with me to the twelfth chapter of first Corinthians.
Now notice the first verse. "Now concerning spiritual gifts brethren," that's to the people in the church "I would not have you ignorant". Now, I'm just going to hit the high spots, the parts we need to get. You can read it all at home.
"Now", he says, "there are diversities of gifts "but only one spirit, the same Spirit of God. "And there are differences of administrations but the same Lord. There are diversities of operations but the same God which works all in all."
Now you notice there, that there are different administrations and different operations. For these different operations we have to have different administrations. In other words, a different group of people administering those operations. In other words, different departments, and each department is an administration.
You know in the United States government we talk about the administration, the President? Well, he administers, he does what congress tells him to do. In other words congress makes the laws and he's supposed to enforce them or to run them.
So, you will notice now, beginning with verse 8 again. Let's see..."for to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom, to another the word of knowledge, by the same Spirit, and to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the same Spirit."
We don't all have ability to do the same thing. God is showing us that He gives special abilities to special people for difference performances, different operations, in the functions of the church. Now then, "To another, the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discerning of spirits, and to another different kinds of tongues," and so on.
And yes, prophecy is one of those gifts.
More on prophecy and the fulfillment of Acts 2:17-19 can be found in the article: Does the CCOG have the confirmed signs of Acts 2:17-18?
All these different things and gifts are the different operations to be administered in the Work of the church. Now, verse 11: "But all of these worketh that one and selfsame Spirit ". It's the same spirit working in each one of us — working in me, working in you, working in everybody else. So that we all get the complete work done and there are many things to be done. God does it with the same spirit dividing to everyone severally as He will. Now God is the one who decides what you're going to do. God prepared me to do one thing. He prepared someone else to do something else. He prepared another man to do something else.
He has prepared different ones for different administrations in the church, and God is the one who decides.
Church is One Body
Herbert W. Armstrong said:
"For as the body is one"...now we're all just one body, not several bodies, not several churches. Of course some people think " "well, you see, there is the Baptist church and there is the Methodist church and there's the Congregational church, the Presbyterian church and there's the Lutheran church," and maybe there's a Jones' church and a Smith church and some other church, I don't know, there's so many.
But the Church of God is only one. One body. Now let me see, if I get this place here....."the body is one but it has many members and all the members of that one body, being many," ...many members... "are one body." And we're all together. I'm going to show you how well we're all joined together.
"So also is Christ for by ONE spirit are we all baptised into"....how many different churches? How many different bodies? HOW MANY DIFFERENT CHURCHES DOES THE HOLY SPIRIT BAPTISE YOU INTO? The one body. I want you to notice it there.
Now then, drop down to verse 18: "But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him." Do you know that we get down even to you lay members! GOD set you in the church. We don't go out and talk you into being converted. I have never done that. Our ministers don't do that. We preach the gospel, the good news. We just announce that good news, but you have to come to us and every one of you did come to us, we didn't go and talk you into it. God adds to the church such as are to be saved. So says your Bible. In the second chapter of the book of Acts, incidentally if you want to find it.
Now verse 20: "...now are they many members YET BUT ONE BODY." Not several churches. Only one church. Verse 22: "Nay, much more those members of the body which seem to be more feeble, are necessary." We don't all do the same thing. Some say, "Well, I want a more important position". Maybe the position you're in now is more important and you just don't realise it. That could be.
Now drop down to verse 25: "That there should be no division"...schism...or division in the body, "but that the members should have the same care, one for another."
The church is not to be divided. There are not two churches, three churches, a hundred churches. And yet there are thousands ofdifferent Protestant denominations and churches.
In the end times, Jesus pointed to different parts of His church, with portions of Thyatira, Sardis, and Philadelphia at the end, plus plural Laodicean groups.
Well, now verse 26: "and whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it." If one suffers, we all suffer together, because we love one another and we have that bond of sympathy one to the other.
Herbert W. Armstrong said:
Now, verse 28: "and GOD hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers," and after that miracles and so on, with different helps, governments, and different languages and so on. Now that is explained a little more explicitly in Ephesians 4, where it says in verse 11, that God gave some, or Christ "gave some apostles and some, prophets;" Now there are no prophets in the New Testament church now.
And there were no prophets in the WCG then in that role. Yet, according to his long-time aid Aaron Dean, Herbert W. Armstrong did believe God would raise up at least two prophets before Jesus returned--and that they were alive when he said what he said.
Preaching of the Gospel
Now the preaching of the gospel is primarily to apostles and evangelists. An apostle is "one sent forth" — with the gospel. One sent forth. Well, an evangelist is one who also carries the gospel out and they're called evangelists in the New Testament, who went out, preaching the gospel to the world. But pastors are pastors over a local church and preach to those that are already in the church. But a pastor even can carry the gospel to the world in his own....he usually is a settled man in a certain location, but he can go out and preach the gospel in his own community or in neighbouring communities.
But anyway, we're all put in the church now (12) "for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry," that's getting the gospel out to the world, "for the edifying of the body of Christ." The teachers, the edifiers, so that we grow in grace and knowledge in order to help Christ to govern the whole world when He comes.
Ephesians 4:12 "Till we all come in the unity of the faith [and] to the knowledge of the Son of God unto the perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ."
That we be henceforth no more children tossed back and forth with different doctrine. But all with the same doctrine. Because in first Corinthians the first chapter and the tenth verse, the apostle Paul says we MUST ALL SPEAK THE SAME THING!
So, those who rejected hierarchical church governance left us because they wanted to speak and do things their way. Remember that Laodicea means "people jusge" or "people decide." They decided that they had a better way.
Herbert W. Armstrong was big on church governance in the last several years of his life, yet many reject that. We also have an article available titled: The Bible, Peter, Paul, John, Polycarp, Herbert W. Armstrong, Roderick C. Meredith, and Bob Thiel on Church Government.
Also, I have noticed that when I give sermons going through each verse of many of the Apostle Paul's epistles, that Paul emphasized aspects of church governance a lot.
Now you can't speak the same thing if you're not organised. How does God put the truth in the church? It came through Christ but Christ put it in the church through the apostles, and through the Old Testament prophets, which we now have as the Bible.
We are the Family of God
Herbert W. Armstrong said:
Now I want to go back here to the second chapter of Ephesians just a minute.
"Therefore"...in the church now..."you are no more"...this is verse 19 of the second chapter, verse 19: "Now therefore you are no more strangers and foreigners but fellow citizens with the saints and of the household of God;"
The household, brethren, is a family. We are the family of God, as you read in first John, the 3rd chapter. "Behold now...even now already...are we the children of God. We're not yet born, we're only begotten. But we're already the children of God. And His spirit witnesses with our spirit, in the 8th chapter of Romans that we are the children of God.
Ephesians 2:19 "Now therefore, we are no more strangers or foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints of the household of God"...a family... (20) "and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets"...that's the foundation, "Jesus Christ Himself the chief cornerstone".
Of course, in a sense, Christ Himself is the whole foundation, because the prophets and apostles are only built on Christ. Now... (21)"in whom the whole building is fitly framed together groweth unto a holy temple in the Lord."
What is the temple that Christ is going to come to? A lot of discussion about that. Are the Jews going to build a temple in Jerusalem? No. No. Christ came as a physical person the first time to a material temple built of stone and wood and gold and other materials.
Christ is coming as the SPIRITUAL Christ this time to rule and reign — He's coming to His spiritual temple, the church. Christ has called us to build that temple. He has called me to be the apostle, to lead you to be ready for His coming, to be trained and to grow up until we come to that place where we're ready. To rule with Him, and to take over the reins of government. You see how great it is and how important it is.
I'd like to turn over just a page here in Ephesians, over to verse 16 of the fourth chapter. Speaking of the church it says; "From whom the whole body", well, Christ," from whom the whole body.... is fitly joined together" and compacted by that which every joint supplies according to the effectual working in the measure of every part making increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love."
Now notice, we're compacted together. That means like glued together, as if we are....what is the word I want...welded together, and when you weld some metal together it's stronger than if it's all one piece to start with. The church is that much together.
False Churches
Now what about other churches? In the 17th chapter of Revelation you find a great false church and she has many daughters. In the 12th chapter of Revelation, just like this 12th chapter of 1st Corinthians I've been going through, you find the true church of God persecuted by the false church and by others. What about the false churches? God has BLINDED THE WORLD. GOD HAS CUT THE WORLD OFF. Are they lost? No, they're not lost. Are they saved? No, they're deceived. They have not yet been judged. Get that brethren, and remember that. GOD IS NOT TRYING TO SAVE THE WORLD TODAY! GOD IS ONLY CALLING A FEW AND THE PURPOSE OF THE CHURCH IS THAT WE BE SKILLED IN THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD'S WAYS, and that we grow up in character and we grow up in ability and be taught and trained that we can reign and rule with Jesus when He comes.
That is the purpose and we're here to celebrate the day that points to when He will come.
The Bride Made Herself Ready
Herbert W. Armstrong said:
All right now, I'd like you to turn over to the book of Revelation, and I may close with this scripture. In Revelation the 19th chapter, and let me see, I want to begin with verse 6, "And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude [and as] the voice of many waters and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying ALLELUIA; for the Lord God omnipotent REIGNETH".
Jesus is coming. That's what we're here today for to celebrate, but we're here to celebrate the time when the church shall HAVE MADE HERSELF READY.
Notice the next verse; "Let us be glad and rejoice and give honour to him; for the marriage of the Lamb is come and his wife" — that's the church — "HATH MADE HERSELF READY".
Brethren, are we ready? What we've been trying to do the past two years, and has been my whole function. I've not been going around the world speaking to kings and prime ministers and presidents of nations for past two years. Well, a little bit but not very much. I've been devoting nearly all of the time trying to get you, brethren, who are my children in the Lord ...all of you directly or indirectly, you're all my children in the Lord. ...
But notice that His wife has made herself ready. We're here to celebrate the time, and it's very soon now.
Now, I, too, have been working to help the wife, the Philadelphian church, be ready.
We have had sermons, sermonettes, magazines, weekly letters, and some of the most extensive books to ever be produced by any in the Church of God to assist you in doing that.
Now, unlike Herbert W. Armstrong I have not been going to world leaders in a private plane with an entourage. Yet, I have traveled quite a bit and have tended to meet with lower level leaders as well as people with various connections which I believe will assist us during parts of what I have termed the final phase of the work.
Next Holy Day
Now the next Holy day after Trumpets comes just ten days later. And that is a very important day. When Christ comes certain other things have to be done before He actually begins to reign. Now He doesn't actually just take over...the church isn't, I mean the world isn't going to be fully organised in a government and operating just the minute Christ comes. That's why we have a festival ten days later picturing another operation and then, five days later than that we come to the time of the Feast of Tabernacles that shows the Kingdom of God ruling in the Millennium for a thousand years.
Herbert W. Armstrong said:
I know I thank God and I hope all of you will for opening this wonderful new door of reaching the top people in the United States.
Now don't misunderstand me....we're not going to get many members from the Wall Street Journal. Don't misunderstand me, brethren. But God wants this gospel to go. I've talked to kings and emperors and presidents and people high in government all over the world. I didn't expect to convert any of them! I didn't try to....didn't go for that purpose. But I did talk to them of the difference between Get and Give. I did talk to them about God's way, I did talk to them about the problems and troubles in the world and how they're going to be solved for us. In some cases I don't even mention the name of God. I just mention something — they know what I'm talking about — that Unseen Hand from Someplace. That great, almighty Unseen Hand from Someplace that is going to intervene and help us. That message must go out. And it has gone out, and it will. But God is not trying to convert the world now but He is trying to train you and me, brethren, to be kings and priests with Him in the Kingdom of God and we shall reign on the earth. That's in the 5th chapter and the tenth verse of the book of Revelation [not Acts].
So with that I will say goodbye, God bless you all, and I hope I see you ten days from now once again. Bye bye for now.
God does have a plan.
And trumpets are part of that plan. And God wants you part of the plan.
Indirectly related to trumpets, the prophet Isaiah was inspired to write:
1 Cry aloud, spare not;
Lift up your voice like a trumpet;
Tell My people their transgression,
And the house of Jacob their sins. (Isaiah 58:1)
And that is something we in the CCOG are regularly doing and hopefully you are supporting.
Not in a lukewarm way, but in a loving and supportive way.
Many trumpet plagues are coming accorrding to the Bible--if people would accept calls from the Church that certain behaviors are sin and if the world would repent now, they would not have to endure the coming Great Tribulation or the trumpet plagues.
Instead in this age, there is a lot more censorship than when Herbert W. Armstrong was alive, at least in the USA and Western Europe. There are many sins they do not want mentioned and condemned.
Some governments are calling quoting parts of the Bible as well as referring to certain wrong behavior as sinful "hate speech" as they do not want the truth of God to be known or respected.
So, to do this, we must, as Jesus said:
16. Behold, I am sending you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore, be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. 17. But beware of men; for they will deliver you up to councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues; 18. And you shall also be brought before governors and kings for My sake, for a witness to them and to the Gentiles.
19. Now when they deliver you up, do not be anxious about how or what you should speak; for in that hour it shall be given to you what you shall speak. 20. For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father that speaks in you. 21. Then brother will deliver up brother to death; and the father, the child; and children will rise up against their parents and have them put to death. 22. And you shall be hated by all for My name’s sake; but the one who endures to the end, that one shall be saved.
23. But when they persecute you in this city, escape into another; for truly I say to you, in no way shall you have completed witnessing to the cities of Israel until the Son of man has come. (Matthew 10:16-23, AFV)
So, Jesus is pointing to difficulties until the last trumpet is blown, which is when He will come.
Jesus contrinued with more difficulties as well as more hope:
24. A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. 25. It is sufficient for the disciple that he become as his teacher, and the servant as his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call those of his household? 26. Therefore, do not fear them because there is nothing covered that shall not be uncovered, and nothing hidden that shall not be known. 27. What I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, proclaim upon the housetops.
28. Do not be afraid of those who kill the body, but do not have power to destroy the life; rather, fear Him Who has the power to destroy both life and body in Gehenna. (Matthew 10:24-28, AFV)
God has power human persecuters do not have!
Jesus contrinued with more difficulties as well as more hope:
29. Are not two sparrows sold for a coin? And yet not one of them shall fall to the ground without your Father taking account of it. 30. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. 31. Therefore, do not be afraid; you are better than many sparrows. 32. Now then, whoever shall confess Me before men, that one will I also confess before My Father Who is in heaven. 33. But whoever shall deny Me before men, that one will I also deny before My Father, Who is in heaven.
34. Do not think that I have come to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35. For I have come to set a man at variance against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. 36. And a man’s enemies shall be those of his own household. 37. The one who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and the one who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. 38. And the one who does not take up his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me. 39. The one who has found his life shall lose it; and the one who has lost his life for My sake shall find it.
40. The one who receives you receives Me, and the one who receives Me receives Him Who sent Me. 41. The one who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive the reward of a prophet; and the one who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive the reward of a righteous man. 42. And if anyone shall in the name of a disciple give to one of these little ones to drink a cup of cold water only, truly I say to you, he shall in no way lose his reward.” (Matthew 10:29-42, AFV)
And while Jesus will come at the last and seventh trumpet, understand that the Great Tribulation will come first and then there will also be six other trumpets, mentioned in the 8th and 9th chapters of the Book of Revelation, that will be blown before the seventh and last trumpet is blown for Jesus to return.
Do not give up. Endure to the end! The end of the church age is when the seventh trumpet blows and Jesus returns.
And the very good news is that Jesus will return:
15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words. (1 Thessalonians 4:15-18)
Yes, we are to support the church and comfort one another with those words.
Here is a link to a related sermon: Feast of Trumpets & the Purpose of the Church.
Thiel B. Herbert W. Armstrong modified sermon The Feast of Trumpets and the Purpose of the Church. COGwriter 2024 https://www.cogwriter.com/trumpet-purpose.htm 2024 0921