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The Knowledge Explosion
I
n the last twenty years, the world has experienced a
KNOWLEDGE EXPLOSION! lts fund of knowledge–
especially in technological and scientific fields- has
more than DOUBLED. But the world's TROUBLES also
have doubled over the same period of time.
But what about God-revealed knowledge? That
knowledge- knowledge new to us- has burst on our
consciousness like a shocking EXPLOSJON! God said that
at "the time of the end, many shall run to and fro, and
KNOWLEDGE SHALL BE lNCREASED" (Dan. 12:4).
Do you realize HOW MUCH vital knowledge, revealed
by Goo, has cometo God's Church in the last three
decades? When 1 look back on it, it is AMAZING!
Many in God's Church- actually more than 99 percenl
-have come into lhe Church in that lasl 30 years.
Probably many of them, as well as readers of
The
Plain
Truth ,
have never realized
how
THE TRUTH was revealed.
Most members have been put into God's Church by the
living Christ with THE TRUTHalllaid out in order for
them. When they carne in, they carne into a Church that
already possessed the truth. They were able to learn it.
and cometo full understanding, in a very short time,
comparatively. That is
not
the way Mrs. Loma
Armstrong and 1 carne in!
We don't have ALL the truth God's revelation (the
Bible) holds for us, even yet. 1 believe we now have MOST
that is vital to us at this particular time! But 1 had to
come into God's truth a single doctrine, ora single bit of
truth, ata time. Il was not alllaid out
in
order-in
a clear–
cut, plain, well-organized pattern-as it is today.
So l lhought it would be interesting-and profilable-to
start at the beginning and give you, briefty, the stOry of
HOW God pul His truth into His Church ofthis
Philadelphia era (Rev. 3:7-13).
The Philadelphia era ofGod's Church had not come
into existence when God first called me. I' m sure most of
you know something of my background: of my early life
in the advertising profession; of having my business
taken away by nationwide conditions beyond my control
three times; ofbeing angered into my first actual STUDY
of the Bible.
The
PLAIN TRUTH December 1978
Mrs. Armstrong had been, in my view, "deceived" into
taking up with religious fanaticism. She had begun
keeping what 1 then called "the Jewish Sabbath." Unable
to argue her out of it,
1
started to study the Bible to find
where it commanded "Thou shalt keep SUNDAy!" Of
course l couldn't find it. But the study widened in scope
and !asted about six months before truth began to
clear before my mixed-up and befogged vision.
1
was
simultaneously challenged on the theory of
evolution.
Both challenges- the Sabbath and evolution-took me
to the first cha pter of Genesis. The simultaneous study of
the evolutionary theory brought on an intensive study
into the question: Does Goo exist? For evolution is the
atheist's attempt
10
explain the presence of a CREATION
wilhout a Creator.
That six-months' study proved these BASIC truths:
1) God does exist.
2) Evolut ion stands otsproved- an error- a false
theory.
3) The Bible (in its original writings) is the inspired and
infallible JNSTRUCTION BOOK of the Creator Goo lO
mankind.
4) The SABBATH is binding today, the SIGN that
identifies Goo to us , and identifies usas His PEOPLE.
5) At the very last o f this study, the fact that the
annual
holy days and festivals ofGod are also binding became
apparent.
6) Also [ had learned that the wages ofsin is DEATH,
not eternallife in hellfire- that it is eterna) punishment,
not eterna) punishing.
7) 1 had learned also that eternallife is God's GIFT by
His grace, imparted to us by His Holy Spirit.
Do you see. from this, HOW METHODICALLY God began
revealing His lruth tome? Those seven points are BASIC–
the FOUNDATlON! Knowledge ofthe TRUE God; getting
rid of the false god (evolution); PROOF of the AUTHORITY
ofthe Bible- the SOURCE ofknowledge; the Sabbath as
God's SIGN; the annual sabbaths, picturing God's PLAN
(though 1 did not yet- at that time- understand their
meaning); the PENALTY for sin;
(Continued on page 41)