An Open Letter

To the true and faithful members of God’s Church

--  Worldwide  --

 

Dear Brethren in Christ Jesus,

Time is running out! What we have lived and struggled for over the years is now at the very door! Soon the faithful will be gathered together by Jesus Christ, through whomever He chooses, to depart for the place He will have prepared for all who have been tested and proven themselves faithful to God’s teachings as once delivered to the saints. 

Once there the elect will wait until Christ is seen by all of mankind as He descends from heaven above to set foot on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem. 

It will be at that time that God will grace His faithful people with a new birth into His Divine Family to live in eternal joy and happiness.

At the same time, we are living in the most chaotic and dangerous period of time in our very lives for Satan is becoming increasingly active in trying to destroy each one of us before that time comes.  He is entirely focused on robbing each of us of our place in God’s Kingdom.

His primary tactic is deception, and he is continuing to use it widely and very effectively within the corporate Churches of God.

Satan’s destructive heresy began after the death of God’s true apostle, Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong, who stood in his way! Like a very tiny cancer it subtly began its deadly growth toward destroying the very Body of God.

It continued growing and spreading like leaven over time in the same manner as does cancer or gangrene within the Church until it was fully revealed in December 1994.

For many thousands -- it was then too late!  The spiritually fatal disease of heresy was running rampant and had been accepted by thousands of members!

Notice a parallel from the early Church that fits perfectly with our time today: “You ran well, who hindered you from obeying the truth?  This persuasion [from false ministers] does not come from Him who calls you.  A little leaven leavens the whole lump” (Galatians 5:7-9).

In the same way, deceptive heresy, like cancer, always spreads until it KILLS a person, unless it is caught in time! 

Note the warning from Paul: “But shun profane and vain babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness. AND THEIR MESSAGE WILL SPREAD LIKE CANCER, … [by those] who has STRAYED concerning the truth, … (II Timothy 2:16-18).

Shortly before the return of Jesus Christ, the apostle Paul was led by God to write of a falling away that would take place (apostacia – ‘a defection from the truth taught by the apostles’ -- II Thessalonians 2:3; Daniel 12:7). 

To avoid the growth and spreading of this cancerous heresy, he makes known that to receive healing that leads to salvation one must have a love of the truthand a belief of the truth(verses 10, 13).

The falling away has taken place precisely on schedule and for the same reasons, a lack of love for and the absence of a firm belief in the truth of God. And it continues to take place wherever there are those who are sleeping spiritually, who do not grasp the life, or death, importance of remaining faithful to the vital truth God led His late apostle to restore within His Church – again, precisely on schedule -- the end-time! (Malachi 4:4-6; Matthew 17:11).

To avoid the contracting of the cancerous heresy, and the laborious process to remove it, God commands us to AVOID apostates and heretics (Titus 3:9-11). 

Satan well knows he is running out of time! As we draw ever closer to the end of this age, he is working very hard through willing and known respected leaders of the past who have become apostate.  Leaders who profess to be the true ministers of Jesus Christ, while preaching just enough of the core restored doctrinal teachings to deceive the membership!  This is the same exact ploy we have experienced in very recent years.

Even some of the same old sayings are still being used by these men as they were used by the apostate leadership after the death of God’s late apostle to deceive us.

Remember -- “1. This change is not a change 2. It’s a matter of semantics or re-wording 3. It is only a clarification 4.  It is only a change in explanation not in doctrine 5. Mature Christians will see it   6. We are just putting the emphasis where it always should have been 7. Be patient with the weaker brethren who can’t see it yet 8. The change has nothing to do with salvation 9. Most scholars agree the change is correct 10.  The change will help to avoid unnecessarily offending the world 11. God is leading His Church to see these changes must be made   12. This change is made by the authority of Jesus Christ   13.  Anyone who cannot accept the changes isn’t satisfied with the leadership God has provided for His Church 13. Anyone who resists these changes is “spiritually rich and increased with goods” 14. We should not reject a point just because it is Protestant   15. Mr. Armstrong would have agreed with and made these changes himself   16.  Mr. Armstrong said privately before his death to make this change [healing]   17.  Mr. Armstrong was not a scholar   18. Mr. Armstrong always secretly believed this change 19. Anyone who resists these changes is only interested in glorifying the memory of a man.  20. This change will not affect how we worship God   21.  A bitter, satanic mind, does not want to accept these new truths. 22. God’s word is not black and white, there are many nuances.”

The leading evangelist in the last corporate Church of which we were a part of said to me:  “Mr. Armstrong changed before he died.”  “Doctrines?  They are only teachings!” In a sermon, he said, “If Mr. Armstrong were alive he would rewrite the Mystery of the Ages for that is the way he was!”

Consider the contrast of the following statement by the apostates, “Mr. Armstrong was not a scholar!” Now note the writing of Mr. Armstrong as to how he received the true teachings from God: 

“Do you know how I studied this question originally? … I got down on my knees and I would read it awhile, and then I would close my eyes and pray to God about it, and ask, ‘Oh God, open my eyes, open my understanding.  Help me not to be misled or deceived, but whatever is truth help me to see it and receive it.’ (‘Proving the Truth’ World Tomorrow Broadcast. #9879).

Writing of the early history of God’s Church that has come to life in our time today, he wrote:

“Even in Paul’s day, many among those attending at Antioch, at Jerusalem, and other places began to apostatize and turn from the truth and way of life, were no part of God’s true Church, though visibly assembling with those who were,  The ‘mystery of iniquity’ was already working inside these visible Churches. This apostasy increased!  By the year A.D. 125 the majority in most Churches, especially those Gentile-born, were continuing in many of their old pagan beliefs and practices, though professing to be Christians!  Gradually, a smaller and smaller portion of the visible Churches … remained truly yielded to God and His truth, and led of His Spirit.  After Constantine took virtual control of the visible, professing Church in the early 4th century, this visible Church became almost totally pagan, and began excommunicating and persecuting all who held to the true Word of God. [The same took place with many of us!]

“Finally, it became necessary for real Christians, who, even as scattered people, alone composed the true Christian Church, to flee from the jurisdiction of Rome in order to truly worship God (The Plain Truth, About Easter (1973), pp. 15-16, Mr. Herbert Armstrong).

The parallel of the early Church and the Church in our time today is most remarkable! 

Please carefully take a very close look at your leadership and the teachings of the corporate Church of which you are now a part, then ask yourself: “What are the differences in their teachings from those revealed by God through His late apostle?”

To help you to know, take the present doctrinal teachings of your corporate Church and place them side by side with the Mystery of the Ages and compare the two.

What about: “God’s form of government; Has it changed the gospel to include Christ – as has the Christian world; How about the officiating of inter-racial marriages; members who are allowed to marry outside the Church; makeup; birthdays; changes in prophecy; Passover on the 15th; the change of the two symbols of the Passover to be one – effectively eliminating the meaning of the bread, which symbolizes physical sin, thus weakening one’s faith in healing by Christ’s broken body; a literal place of safety; belief that Mr. Armstrong was God’s true apostle; the Elijah who was to restore all things; the Sacred Calendar?”

One should also beware of any leader who claims lofty titles for himself!

In this context think about another prophecy that is precisely on time in its fulfillment -- a lengthy WARNING for the last days:  “For the time will come WHEN they will NOT endure sound doctrine’ … but TURN THEIR EARS FROM THE TRUTH, and shall be turned unto fables …” (II Timothy 3:13-4; 4).

God’s late apostle, Mr. Armstrong, wrote: “Rather astonishing, isn’t it, that people who have heard God’s TRUTH preached for many years – people who first accepted it in the love of God, professed it, started out practicing it – should, through the years, fall away from the truth … [and] begin to embrace false doctrines and errors … 

“What is God’s sentence upon them?  Listen!

“It is IMPOSSIBLE for those who were enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good Word of God … if they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh’ (Hebrews 6:4-6).  “Let it be a warning to ALL, and let all FEAR, and TREMBLE before the all-powerful WORD OF GOD!” (“Why Local Churches?” Good News, March 1957, Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong).

Please heed the WARNING! Time is running out for all of us!

Will YOU believe FULLY what Christ said Himself -- as well as what He led His apostles to write, and speak?  

I urge each one to write for our new booklet to the address below, “Just what is an APOSTLE?” For your own peace of mind and stability in the truth of God, you need to understand the office of an apostle and how God has used them.  This booklet makes this very plain to the open mind.

Let all of us with love and great concern pray for one another.

Don Billingsley

P. O. Box 8819, Modesto, CA 95357 (209) 772-0737. www.cog-ff.com