An Open Letter

To the true and faithful members of God’s Church

--  Worldwide  --

 

Dear Brethren in Christ Jesus,

THE TIME IS ALMOST UPON US!!!  Over 55 years during this past century A VOICE CRIED OUT IN THE WILDERNESS of a world that knows not the true God, making known the horrors that it will very soon be facing as we draw near the end of the 6,000 years of time God has allotted to Satan and this evil world.  

I can well remember first listening to that voice LIFTED UP IN POWER, SHOUTING OUT THE WARNING of the coming time of Jacob’s trouble, in 1952 (Jeremiah 30:4-7).

Crying out about the horrifying time of famine, disease epidemics, now almost upon us, and then the knockout blow from the revived “Holy Roman Empire” to the house of Joseph and the other nations of Israel!  The Time of the Great Tribulation!

Scripture reveals this will be a most horrifying and sorrowful time. It also speaks of the martyrdom of many in God’s Church today – UNLESS there is AN AWAKENING from the sound slumber of many of God’s people (Revelation 6:9-11; 3:14-22; Matthew 25:1-13)! 

A time soon to come when Jesus Christ will deny an entrance to the place of safety, and possibly entrance into His kingdom, UNLESS THE ‘WAKE UP CALL’ IS HEEDED, NOW!  A time when Christ will say to those who refused to open the door to His knocking, “Assuredly I say to you, ‘I do NOT know you’” [anymore] (Revelation 3:20; Matthew 25:12).

These Scriptures make known there is A CUT-OFF TIME that is almost upon us! The time when Christ will cease knocking on the door of the hearts of those who fail to heed and OPEN to Him.  Later, when they knock, He will in essence say, it is now too late!  You should have listened and heeded when you had the opportunity to OPEN the door!

If we have had our eyes opened to see what is now taking place in Jerusalem and Europe, we should know THE PROPHESIED TIME IS ALMOST UPON US!

The basics are all in place and just waiting for the time when God will permit it to completely come together. 

We will soon see the prophesied 10 nations finally come together; whether some of them consolidate, or drop out, there will be just 10 as Scripture clearly makes known (Revelation 17:12-13).

Scripture also makes known the major player to be able to bring these together will be the false prophet (Revelation 13:11-18).  Because of God’s timetable, he is not yet able to do it. However he is actively making preparation for the one who will.

Think about the following article that should sober all of us: 

MADRID, JULY 24, 2003 – The press office of the Spanish Episcopal Conference has published an article presenting John Paul II’s proposed Decalogue for the construction of the new Europe.  In his last two Angelus messages, the [Vatican President] expressed his hope that Europeans not be satisfied by a “Europe of Merchants” but rather by a “Europe of values.”  The article proposes the theme of the post—Synodal Apostolic Exhortation “Ecclesia [Church] in Europe”

1.      Europe, in its history and in its present, is extensively and profoundly penetrated by Christianity.  The Christian faith has shaped European culture, making “one whole” with its history and, despite the painful divisions between east and west, Christianity is the religion of Europeans.

2.      The values advocated by the Gospel will contribute to construct the Europe of the spirit, the Europe of hope, …

3.      Christian inspiration can transform the political, cultural, and economic integration in a coexistence in which all Europeans will feel at home and form a family of nations, model for other areas of the world.

4.      The Christian roots are, for Europe, the principal guarantee of its future.  To ignore, forget, or conceal the Christian heritage in Europe is an injustice, and offense, a profound impoverishment that sooner or later will have to be accounted for.

5.      This is WHY the future European reference must be made to the religious heritage, particularly the Christian, and that its rights MUST BE RESPECTED AND RECOGNIZED. …” (My emphasis)

This should be sufficient to actually see how close this is to become reality!  All that is needed is the “power of miracles which will soon be given to the one who will fulfill that role. 

The Christian world will then be totally enraptured and captivated upon seeing those miracles, and will do whatever he asks of them (Revelation 13:13, 3)! With those masses fully behind him, the leaders of the 10 nations will have no choice but to accept HIM and his demand to come together -- thus reviving and giving LIFE once again to the Holy Roman Empire (Revelation 13:11-18; 17:12-13)! He then will cause them to accept the human leader to be the governing ruler over all 10 of them, a man who is called – THE BEAST! (Revelation 13:17-18)

Then the prophecies will come to pass concerning the defeat of the nations of Israel, captivity, and worse! The horrors of the Great Tribulation!

Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong wrote of this time in an article, entitled: “THE TIME HAS COME FOR FASTING AND PRAYER”  (For lack of space I can only take a few excerpts from it): 

“We are well into the TIME OF THE END!  The formation of the United States of Europe  - ‘the Beast Power’ of Revelation 17 – is close at hand.  And that will plunge our people and the world into the GREAT TRIBULATION, to be cut short by the DAY OF THE LORD and the coming of Christ in supreme POWER AND GLORY!

God’s Church is not yet READY to meet our GLORIFIED Lord in the air.  How, then, shall we get ready?  … God instructs how to GET READY, before the DAY OF THE LORD, especially in the prophesy of Joel!  Read it carefully.  OBEY IT! Put it into action! (Joe1:14-15, 19; 2:1-2). …

Brethren, we NEED EARNEST FASTING AND PRAYER NOW!  We need to GET READY NOW – and grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Some of us are too far from our God right now. ….

THE TIME HAS COME for all of us in God’s Church to draw CLOSER TO HIM! I hope what has been written here will help you.”

Having in mind what God led Mr. Armstrong to write and WARN us, at that time, think -- how much closer we are now than we were then! What we see developing will suddenly come into its prophesied fullness, stunning the world! Unless we take heed NOW to ourselves, it may become too late for us!

Most of you have never experienced actual action in warfare.  I have.  It is terrible to see men killed in battle! But what is coming will pale into virtual insignificance all past wars for Jesus said what is coming will be so bad it will be unequaled in all of mankind’s history (Matthew 24:21-22; Daniel 12:1).

And like warfare, we find ourselves in a SPIRITUAL MINEFIELD of religious deception, due to false leadership! This can be extremely dangerous, and can bring about spiritual death; unless we are AWAKE to the real danger confronting all of us!  AVOID THEM!

Peter warns us: “… there will be FALSE TEACHERS AMONG YOU, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord [how? By moving away from the true teachings] who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction.  And MANY WILL FOLLOW their destructive ways, because of whom THE WAY OF TRUTH will be blasphemed (maligned, II Peter 2:1-2)

Paul had already made known the entrance of the teachers of false teachings into the Churches (Acts 20:29-30).  Peter is writing to the believing members about these false teachers which shall not at first openly and directly, but by the way bring in ERROR BY THE SIDE OF THE TRUTH – truths that were taught by Paul, Peter, and in our time, Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong.

Prove where the true and safe doctrinal path is by studying the Mystery of the Ages, along side of the Bible, and very carefully make your way through this minefield while making your way toward God’s soon-coming Kingdom.

My brothers and sisters, please ask yourselves: Are you where Christ would have you be? Are you sure? How do you know? Put yourselves to the test to make sure.  Remember, each one of us is accountable before our God!  (Philippians 2:12)

Brethren, THE TIME IS ALMOST UPON US! Jesus Christ says to each one of us: “WATCH therefore, and PRAY ALWAYS, that you may be counted worthy to escape ALL these things that will come to pass, and to STAND [in the Resurrection] BEFORE the Son of Man” (Luke 21:36).

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