Pastor’s Comments November 3, 2006

Dear Brethren,

This past Sunday morning I watched a very moving documentary film, entitled: The Last Days that was made in 1998 by OCTOBER FILMS. It was an hour and one-half long film that focused on a few Jewish men and women who had survived the death camps run by the military German Gestapo during the holocaust of World War II. These survivors were relating the terrible times they not only had experienced but what they had witnessed with others including seeing members of their own families perish in one way or another. This film was replete with lots of film footage that made it very real and graphic.

Though I missed the first part of it what I did see and hear from these people was enough to move me to tears. One man had his grown son with him and a time or two while pointing out areas within the death camp where he had been brought back to him such painful and vivid memories that he would put his head on his son' shoulder and cry.

One woman went back to where she had lived in her home and pointed out things about it even though much had changed over the years. She said she quit believing in God after seeing what was happening to them. But toward the end she began believing in God thinking that it was not God but men who had done these terrible things to them.

Six million men, women, and children were taken from their homes and crammed into boxcars with no chance for restrooms, no food, no water and traveled for many hours in this condition until they entered the death camps in one place or another. Most were immediately put to death. The twin children and dwarfs were not put to death but underwent terrible and very painful experimentation by the infamous Dr. Mengerle.

As I already commented it was so very sad and sobering I could not help but shed tears while watching and listening to the survivors relate those painful memories, while they were wondering, why? The tragic part of seeing such a film as this is to know this is going to be repeated in a very short period of time.

This Will Soon Take Place Again

An H-Bomb Explosion Predating WWIII An American Soldier Liberating Jewish Prisoners WWII Himler and Top Nazis at Dachau Death Camp WWII

Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong Warning Israel

Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong cried out on a daily basis for over 50 years trying to get into the minds of all who listened, including you and me over those years, of what God tells is going to soon take place. And it will not be just the Jews this time, but to all of the nations of Israel.

In one of his letters he said there was a fire burning within him to cry out to Israel and the world. All of God's prophets had that same fire burning within them to deliver their messages of the coming disasters of their times, as well as to make known what is to befall the nations of Israel and the Church of God in this endtime. (Jeremiah 5:14; 20:9).

Noah cried out the warning for 120 years to the world of his day of what was soon to befall them and no one would listen to him (II Peter 2:5)! Even his own married family refused to believe him with the exception of those born to him during those years of preparing the Ark. Even Lot's married children would not listen to him. They accused him of joking! (Genesis 19:14)

Jesus Christ made known to us that what is coming is to be far worse than ever before or afterwards (Matthew 24:21; Daniel 12:1). He actually wept knowing what was coming on Jerusalem in 70 A.D., while knowing they refused to listen to His warnings to them (Luke 19:41-44). Further, He grieves now knowing what is soon to befall all Israel for He is a most compassionate and loving God.

They never listened during those times nor do they listen today!

To really listen with hearing is to become vigilant while trying hard to make the needed changes as well as establishing a closer relationship with God and Jesus Christ.

To make the point: After hearing such a sermon on recorded tapes from Mr. Armstrong there is hardly ever any talk that can be heard among the members about what they heard from him afterwards. Conversations for the most part go back to the normal everyday life. Just as Mr. Armstrong so often said, "Members do not really get it!"

SAFETY IN PROJECTED DATES?

Over the many years there have been the projected dates by at least two leading evangelists as to the year of the return of Jesus Christ. I suppose many of us believed them at the time. As the result many came to be somewhat laid-back because of these projected dates as being a few years away!

In the early 1950s, Mr. Ted Armstrong gave a speech in the Ambassador Club in which he said there were those who thought they could snowball it at the end! In other words they could be casual with their relationship with God while doing the things they wanted to do until the end was in sight and then they would make the needed changes.

This is almost like a deathbed repentance! And we know from Scripture this will not work for them.

Both of those evangelists are dead and the dates for the most part have come and gone. Before one of them died he had revised his projected date of the coming of Christ to the year of 2011.

I received a call from two members of a very large corporate Church the other night. During the conversation I was told the projected dates in their Church are 2017 for the coming of Christ and 2013 as the year for the beginning of the Great Tribulation.

Whether these dates are accurate or not it is not the point! The real thing to keep in mind is that we cannot ever let down our vigilance in our relationship with God knowing that we cannot rely on projected dates! And even if we could we should also realize that human life is very fragile and we could die at any time. And that would be the coming of Christ for us -- possibly the first one, or a resurrection we would totally surprised upon waking up to find we did not make it in the first one. And from what we have come to see with thousands of others, ministers and members both, this undoubtedly will the one for them. At least this is my hope for them, and not the 3rd one.

As we should have already learned we cannot go by the projected dates by anyone. We have to go by THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES in view of endtime prophecy!

Sadly, it becomes very easy to take it easy in ever day life with little real prayer time with projected dates while forgetting what Jesus Christ Himself said about the coming time of the Great Tribulation and His coming back to this earth.

What Did Jesus Say?

Think about what Jesus Christ said about the signs of the time we should be watching for that would predate His coming -- times we are now seeing:

"... Now when these things BEGAN to happen, LOOK UP AND LIFT UP YOUR HEADS, because your redemption draws near" (Luke 21:25-28).

And to emphasize what He had just said regarding the things we are to be watching for, He added:

"... so you likewise, when you SEE these things happening, KNOW that the Kingdom of God is near ..." (Luke 21:29-33).

Then Jesus Christ gave us a very solemn warning about resting on our laurels and taking it easy in this way of life! This could be our undoing unless we are very careful:

"But TAKE HEED to yourselves LEST your hearts be weighed down (with ever day living) with carousing, drunkenness, AND CARES OF THIS LIFE, AND THAT DAY COME ON YOU UNEXPECTEDLY. FOR IT WILL COME AS A SNARE ('A TRAP') on ALL those who dwell on the face of the whole earth" (Luke 21:34-36).

Then Christ tells us what we as God's true people should be doing in order to not only be able to survive the coming horrors, but to be able to stand before Him in the BRIGHTNESS OF HIS GLORY:

"WATCH (meaning, to keep guard, wakeful, watch), AND PRAY ALWAYS (Greek: TO BESEECH with real want, pray that God might change me, that I might be counted worthy, Revelation 12:14) that you MAY be counted worthy TO ESCAPE ALL THESE THINGS THAT WILL COME TO PASS, AND TO STAND BEFORE THE SON OF MAN" (Luke 21:36).

The Place of Safety

The very sad part of this is that every member feels they are going to the place of safety for virtually everyone believes they are of the Philadelphia Era while realizing it is the only one to be promised that blessing!

If this were true, then the prophesied martyrdom would not take place. There would not now be the existing eras of Sardis and Laodicea! Sadly, they forget the words of Christ to the Philadelphians by which they are to be found worthy to escape the coming martyrdom:

"... [You] have KEPT MY WORD, and HAVE NOT DENIED MY NAME (in the face of persuasive deception, accepting erroneous teachings while rejecting love for the truth, and also in trials and tests). ... 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 (Revelation 3:8, 10).

The Government of God

Not only is it important to obey all of the restored doctrines Christ used Mr. Armstrong to RESTORE WITHIN HIS CHURCH, but also among those doctrinal teachings the Church is to have in place and obey is the Government of God by a ministry that can be proved to be faithful to Jesus Christ and be caring for the people of God under their charge. A ministry that is also humble not glorifying itself.

Ministers who have not been guilty of conspiracy against the true leaders to form their own groups; and also who have not been disfellowshipped,
The elect should prove them to be the true leaders of God just as the members of the Ephesian Church Era did in their time (Revelation 2:2).

And a very good way to do this is to compare their teachings against the MYSTERY OF THE AGES. A book Jesus Christ led His late apostle to write to help us survive in these very strong and deceptive times, A book virtually all of the Corporate Churches will not accept in its entirety nor do they really want you to read it either.

No Fear of God

In view of ALL these warnings from Jesus Christ, His prophets, His apostles, and His end-time apostle, there seems to be A LACK OF REAL GODLY FEAR to motivate members to pay any great heed to the written words of these godly men that would enable all of us to be counted worthy in these areas.

Most seem to have removed not only Mr. Armstrong from their memory but all that Christ used him to do and teach us. Sad!

This is not only true within this Church with a few, but largely within all of the other corporate Churches of God!

A Letter from a Member Writing About His Observations

Please note an excerpt from a message of one respected member of a very large corporate Church who wrote about the time in which we now live and what he is seeing and hearing among the membership (his permission was given to use it):

"[Mr. Armstrong] He would often say that "many of you just don't get it"! How soon that so many have chosen to forget his admonitions and with certain leaders who have chosen to disagree with God's Apostle and then teaching things in contradiction.

"Oh, Mr. Armstrong was a very good individual, bringing us much truth, but he was so wrong on some things", "he made several mistakes that our modern leaders needed to correct", they would say. ...

Many of the people of God have chosen to agree with the things that they like, but those things that they don't like, they disagree!

We all know that the great tribulation is coming and there has been a warning as to what will happen when that occurs, but does it really sink in?!! Is the warning being heeded by those who have taken a very liberal approach and attitude to what they have been taught by God's Apostle?!

(Women getting raped, eating their own babies, husbands and wives killing and eating each other, all for the want of food)!!! I don't think that Christ will accept the excuse that we are only doing what our leaders have instructed us to be permissible. In Revelation it says that the people will be judged by the books, (referring to the books of the Bible) !

The warnings are there, will we heed or take the stubborn approach to the warnings, as those of the world tend to do, till the sudden destruction comes, with the tribulation striking and the horror that will follow.

I really don't know if there is anything that I might be doing that could cause me to have to go through the tribulation but that I ask God to somehow let me know so that I can repent without having to learn my lessons the hard way!! If I need to make further changes, I prefer to make those changes now!!" (Name withheld)

Hopefully all of would feel as does this member. To make the changes needed now rather than later.

Excerpts from Writings of Mr. Armstrong

In closing this letter, it is my hope we would be sobered and to really take to heart the following written words of God's late apostle, and the Elijah to come of this the end-time:

"...the final generation of the Church shall be LUKEWARM -- not less emotional, but more 'liberal,' more secular and less spiritual - less strictly biblical --[Jesus] "says...because we have kept God's Word faithfully, not liberalizing nor watering down, God will keep us from the 'hour of temptation, which shall come upon all them that dwell on the earth' to try and test them." -- "Personal from Herbert W. Armstrong," Plain Truth, August 1980.

"Those in the true Body of Christ shall be protected until this tribulation will be over (Rev. 3:10-11)--applying to those faithful in God's Work now going to the world. Rev 12:14; U.S.A. 26:20. But YOU must make your own decision -- and to neglect doing so is to have made the wrong decision! God isn't kidding! This is for real!...The decision in now yours!" --Armstrong, Herbert W. The United States and British Commonwealth in Prophecy. 1975; p:60

The Last Days

My dear brethren, by the signs we now see about us we know that we are living not only in the very last days, but we are on the very precipice of seeing the prophesied terrible things about to take place! Horrors that Jesus Christ has warned us about Himself as well as using other writers of Scripture! They are now very near at hand! I would hope all of us would see this and take the necessary steps to prepare ourselves for our salvation could very well be at stake!

Your brother in Christ,

Don Billingsley