August 14, 2009
Preparation for the Coming Kingdom of God
Dear Brethren,
I have just e-mailed two articles to the Journal – the News Paper that is published in Big Sandy Texas – that focuses on the news about the Corporate Churches of God. As to why I write these articles for the Journal is because this is the only avenue I have with least expense to try and reach as many ministers and members as possible with the desire to bring us back together in the ONE and ONLY true Church of God (I Corinthians 12:12-13; Ephesians 4:1-16).
We, as pastors, were given a commission by God’s late apostle, Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong to PREPARE THE CHURCH for the return of Jesus Christ back to this earth and the assembling of God’s people to Him at that time (II Thessalonians 2:1). I want to be there with my deceased wife— and my present wife—and with each one of you along with the several thousand other members out there somewhere
With the realization that he was going to die, Mr. Armstrong wanted us to do all we can do to help ALL of His people to be counted worthy to escape the horrors that we are now seeing at the door and more importantly to be able to stand before Jesus Christ in all of His glory at His coming.
It should be the heartfelt desire within each of us, whether lay member, or minister, to do all we can to help everyone to that end; and we MUST NOT become weary with well-doing!
This is why I have been writing and sending articles to the Journal for about four years with that desire.
Quotes from one of my two articles just sent to the Journal
“With the knowledge I have of the major corporate Churches of God, and some of their erroneous teachings, and the acceptance of them by both ministers and members, apparently with no questions, just sleepy-time contentment, I am left discouraged, sad, and grieved at their lack of concern.
‘I love all of these men and women I have known for many years and do not want to see anyone have to suffer the horrors just in front of us. This is why I write as I do and have for about four years. However, it is like shouting into a very strong wind—going nowhere!
“Contrary to others, I seek no fame or monetary gain from my writings! Rather, my objective and heartfelt desire is to see a return to godly unity and brotherhood that can only be provided by Jesus Christ with the return to His ONE Church and to the fullness of His true teachings! (I Corinthians 12:12-13; Ephesians 4:1-16)”
Writings from ALL of Us
Brethren, I am acting for each of us when I write and send articles to the Journal. Your love and concern for them should be just as great as is mine for these lovely people and you should be praying— asking God and Christ to USE me. And realizing where we are in time, we should be praying for them daily as well; time is rapidly running out for all of us.
God has given each of us a part in this final phase of His Work and we MUST be about our Father’s business (Luke 2:49; Revelation 3:8). In addition we should be praying for more laborers to be in the harvest with us (Luke 10:2). As long as Christ sees fit to keep the DOOR OPEN for the gospel and the Ezekiel warning message, we must pray for others to help us. The night will soon be here when no one can work – the door will then be closed! (Romans 13:12)
We should also be praying for the two elders, Mr. Gary Liebold and Mr. Mark Mendiola, who are with us and devoting much time at their own expense to make possible the Philadelphia Remnant Magazine as well as conducting Bible Studies every other week. They are being used very much by Christ to be helpers of our joy (II Corinthians 1:24).
Not all of you are able to read those writings being sent to the Journal. Because of this, I am copying an article to this Pastor’s Comments that is currently appearing in the Journal. Hopefully after reading this one article, it will give you added fervency in your prayers for those reading the articles and for me in writing them.
Your servant and brother in Christ,
Don Billingsley
An Article of mine now appearing in the Journal
The Ezekiel WATCHMAN
God’s Warning Message
“An end! The end has come upon the four corners of the land! Now the end has come upon you, and I will send My anger against you; I will judge you according to your ways, and I will repay you for all of your abominations. My eye will NOT spare you, nor will I have pity; but I will repay your ways, and your abominations shall be in your midst; then you SHALL KNOW that I am the LORD” (Ezekiel 7:2-6).
Alton
B. (Don) Billingsley,
Church
of God, Faithful Flock
“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful Day of the LORD” (Malachi 4:5).
The Beginning of Jacob’s Trouble
“. . . Watchman, What of the Night? Watchman, What of the Night?” The watchman said, ‘The morning comes, and also the night. If you will inquire, inquire; return! Come back’ (repent, and then come back)” (Isaiah 21:11-12).
Soncino Commentary: “Watchman, What of the Night?” That is how far is the night spent? How long is the darkness with its frightening uncertainties to last? How near is the dawn of redemption? “If you will enquire?” Though a clear answer cannot or would not be given now, a repeated enquiry on some future day may be more successful. “Return, come” Or, ‘come again’ Some explain: return first from your evil ways and then you may come to enquire about your destiny.”
Though this was a proclamation of warning against Edom, in type—it carries a warning message to the Church of God and to Israel as well. Most members appear to be blind to the real answers of the coming night, as made known by the apostle Paul, and appear to have a lack of real concern about their destiny (Romans 11:5-10).
Repentance is needed to stave off the horrors soon to befall the unfaithful and lukewarm Churches of God, along with the House of Israel, and in particular, the House of Joseph,
Jesus
Christ enumerated the end-time prophetic events, each one leading to
another that is even more terrible than the ones before, all leading
to the Great
Tribulation,
and finally Armageddon.
After making these known He gave His ELECT
(The Church)
SIGNS to watch for that would enable each one to
know where we
are in time:
“Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. So you also, when you see all these things, KNOW that it is near [real beginning from previous verses]—at the very doors” (Matthew 24:32-34; Luke 21:29-32)
The house of Joseph has become like an airplane in a tail-spin—out of control and soon to crash! There are many large red flags to be seen all around us in this nation that makes this known to those who are vigilant!
And they pose grave danger threatening each one of us unless we truly believe what we see and read about these major national problems by respected conservative speakers and writers (as understood in view of the end-time prophecies).
Sadly, most are sleeping. The evidence of any real fire is lacking in all with the exception of those who are truly members of the Philadelphia Church Era. And up to this point in time even the few thousand members of this era are misguided and still wandering, not aware of this Work of Jesus Christ (Habakkuk 1:5; Isaiah 29:14).
Hardly anyone seems to care enough to check the beliefs of their corporate Church as to whether they square with the true doctrinal teachings as found both in the Bible and in the original unedited book, MYSTERY OF THE AGES, written by Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong during the last year of his life.
He was the teacher Jesus Christ sent to all of us during the close of this age. Tragically, they would rather trust in their false ministers who once taught the very same teachings, but since his death have gone off-track from those teachings.
Mr. Armstrong wrote we are in the time of final exams! And the daily bad news on the national and international scene supports his statement in light of the end-time prophecies. And the true members of God’s Church are not seeing themselves as being judged at this time even though the purifying trials and tests have fallen on the whole Church during the past few years, and are still ongoing (Daniel 12:10).
In view of what Jesus Christ said the times just ahead of us will be worse than any time before or ever will again; and how we are graded will be the final judgment on each of us whether life or death! (II Corinthians 13:5; Revelation 11:1.) This should stir each one of us to truly examine ourselves.
The Feast of Firstfruits-Pentecost-Feast of Weeks was recently observed. Now we are very close to the Feast of Trumpets. The meaning of both Holy Days should be very important to each of us. As we should know the Feast of Firstfruits pictures a select group of people who have been called by God through Jesus Christ to be harvested upon His return to this earth which is pictured by the Feast of Trumpets.
Scripture reveals those of the Sardis and The Laodicean Church eras won’t be counted worthy to escape the Great Tribulation. And only those who remain faithful to Him while experiencing horrible deaths at the hands of the military of the Revived Holy Roman Empire will be among those who will be harvested in that first resurrection.
Does this strike any real fear in us that we might not make it? If not, we are in bad shape spiritually! It is a sad ongoing fact that many thousands of the membership appear to be unconcerned. This is terribly tragic!
We are now perilously close to an economic crash! This will undoubtedly lead to the beginning fulfillment of the third and fourth seals as found in Revelation the 6th chapter. They will make possible the fulfillment of the 2nd seal in regard to the nuclear warfare to come upon Ephraim and Manasseh.
The greatest of depressions of all time to befall this country is being predicted along with what is now considered a pandemic of Swine or Bird Flu. This can lead quickly into a real shortage of food supplies and real hunger. Famine could very well be at the door.
There are those on FOX news and elsewhere who speak and write about the possible threats of a revolution taking place in this country because of the increase in taxes and the out of control spending in all phases of government from the top all the way down to the lower levels. Out of fear from big government, some states are beginning to pass laws to try and retain their own sovereignty. They are very concerned for they have no hope of any real lasting solutions for this nation!
Realizing we are going to be affected by these grave problems when they reach their fulfillment, the question comes to mind: why aren’t we as concerned as are these speakers writers? Do we not realize our eternal future is at stake?
God has a curse on the house of Joseph because of our rejection of Him and His holy righteous laws. As the result our sins have reached the cup of completeness (Genesis 15:16; Matthew 23:32). The end is virtually in sight!
Jesus Christ made known the signs to be watching for and they should enable people on the outside and those within the Church to realize—those signs are pointing to the closeness of the end-time!
It has been said there are none so blind as those who refuse to see even when the facts are presented to them. This idiom clearly makes known why so many in the world and the Church are turning their heads away refusing to see where we are in time; and what they will be soon facing! Unless they come to be awake in time, the result will be horrible and terrifying deaths during the Great Tribulation!
Hopefully and prayerfully the true people in God’s Church are not refusing to see the terrible problems and what they portend! They should know from their study of their Bibles this country is soon to reap what it has sown!
Otherwise, we will also enter into the Great Tribulation and suffer the same horrors of everyone not within the Philadelphia Era of God’s Church. We MUST remain vigilant while trying hard to be close to our God! This we must do if we hope to escape God’s coming judgment on this nation.
The hot summer is now very close that Jesus Christ was using as a reference to the close of this age and the judgment of God on the house of Joseph. Hopefully we are not of those who either are refusing to see the signs or sleeping their way through them. Our very lives and potential could hang in the balance.
The
MYSTERY OF THE AGES
To aid us in our study Jesus Christ led His apostle and the promised Elijah—His teacher—to write the last book of his life, THE MYSTERY OF THE AGES. Christ made possible this book to enable all of us to know which one is right in this state of religious bedlam (please read my article on the previous page – entitled: Apostles and Doctrine). This original unedited book will help any serious-minded member to locate the Congregation Jesus Christ is using today that is of the original Church that Jesus Christ founded in 31 A. D.
The
Philadelphia Remnant
To continually be informed of what is now coming down very hard and fast on the Church and on the nations of Israel, we offer freely a subscription to our bi-monthly magazine. It can also be read on our website (www.cog-ff.com). You need this magazine for it is unlike any other with its hard hitting articles that is spelling it out like it is—while making known where we are in time. It is also the most graphic and beautiful of all.
The
Three Elijahs
Presently the first 10 updated chapters of the proposed book of The Three Elijahs can be read in serial form on our website (www.cog-ff.com). Soon the whole book will be available to read on our website. This book makes known how these three men were used by God to perform basically the same responsibilities and for the same reasons. God had ample reason for these three men to have the same name as Elijah—though John and Mr. Armstrong had their own names, they were “. . . to go forth before Him (Jesus Christ) in the spirit and power of Elijah” (Luke 1:16-17). The identity of the end-time Elijah is proven with Biblical proof and by his fruits.
Mailing address: P. O. Box 8819, Modesto, CA 95357; Phone: (209) 772-0737
http://bodyofchristonline.us/ http://cog-ff.com http://www.ezekielwatchman.org/ http://worldnewsbulletin.com
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pictures above are intended
for educational
purposes only.
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