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PASTOR GENERAL'S REPORT, September 15, 1980
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humans made from material soil, b) restoring the GOVERNMENT of God through
these future born children of God.
For this transcendental PURPOSE God has a MASTER PLAN for its
accomplishment. There are seven major steps in that Master Plan. The
annual Festivals of God PICTURE that Master Plan.
God commanded these Festivals to be kept FOR EVER--WHY? For His
CHURCH His purpose and reason is to remind us every year--so we never
forget--each of these seven steps in the working out of His Supreme
PURPOSE.
Just going through the motions of meeting together on each of the
Feasts would not accomplish God's PUPROSE in GIVING us these feasts--IF
WE DO NOT PROCLAIM SERMONS TO THE PEOPLE on the MEANING of these Festi
vals. By two or three years ago many ministers had drifted into preaching
on these feasts just whatever subject they themselves liked to speak on-
with not a word about the MEANING of the feast God wants the congregations
to bear in mind.
In the PAGAN religions, they believe that going through certain
motions--doing certain physical things--is the religious duty of people.
For example, one branch of "traditional Christianity" is merely a con
tinuation of the ancient BABYLONIAN MYSTERY RELIGION (Rev. 17:5). One
motion they go through, for example, is to cross themselves. It is
merely a SUPERSTITION. Without actually realizing it, the reason they
do this is that they suppose a harsh, stern, angry GOD of some kind is
watching. If they don't go through this motion this god will be angry,
and they will have bad luck. They think just going through the physical
motion will please this false, non-existent god.
But the REAL GOD is a God of LOVE--a God of KNOWLEDGE--of UNDER
STANDING--who wants to develop in us HIS holy, righteous, perfect
CHARACTER.
He gave us these annual Feasts to renew yearly in our KNOWLEDGE His
Purpose--what He is developing in us!
Now in Old Testament Israel they did not have the Holy Spirit. They
could not UNDERSTAND the SPIRITUAL meaning of these Festivals. But the
New Testament Church is the FIRST FRUITS--that is,the first GROUP or BODY
to receive the Holy Spirit AS A BODY to become the FIRST BORN as finally
resurrected and born GOD BEINGS.
Ancient Israel did not understand the MEANING of these Feasts. In
them God takes the MATERIAL HARVEST in Judea to picture to His Church
annually His SPIRITUAL HARVEST of GOD BEINGS.
True, God ordained the Feasts to be observed FOR EVER. But to
ancient Israel--AT THE TIME when they were in the desert BEFORE they
entered the Promised Land, God said to them, "Ye shall dwell in booths
seven days; all that are Israelites born" (NOT us that are Christians
begotten of GOD) "shall dwell in booths."
WHY? "That your generations may know that I made the children of
Israel" (NOT the begotten children of GOD) "to dwell in booths," WHEN?