Be Encouraged, Pt. 6

Ron Weinland

November 26, 2016

Well, it's good to be here in the Detroit area today and see so many that have been able to make it in with the threat of different kinds of storms coming around this way, or at least in some areas. Thankfully it's not too bad yet, although we did have someone call in that had a flat tire and stranded for a little while anyway and in a bit of a white-out. So there is snow out there somewhere. And hopefully when some of you are heading back this evening or tomorrow it will be cleared up so it won't be so bad.

I have a few announcements here today. First of all wanted to make comment here... Let's see, I have these in order and just passed up several of them. Wayne Matthews and Chris made it in to the U.S. They're down in Georgia today and he is giving the sermon in the Georgia area today. You'll be able to hear it next week as the pre-recorded sermon. So we're both speaking today. And hopefully he doesn't have any difficulty with being too tired, because I think he's had a couple days, basically, without sleep. Those trips can really take it out of you. It's about a 14 hour flight from Sydney – which I don't know, he might have come from Melbourne. But if he did, that's even longer. But the Sydney flight alone just to Los Angeles is a 14 hour flight. And if you've ever been on a flight that long you know that it takes it out of you. So, anyway, it's good that they're here.

We're going to have the ministerial meeting next week of senior elders and all the rest of the leadership, and looking forward to that. I've just about got everything ready for that particular meeting. Haven't had one since 2011 where we had everyone come in together like that so looking forward to being able to get together with them once again and discussing many of the things we have planned, where we're going, what we've done, and so forth, and some of the reorganization we're going to constantly be doing within the ministry. As long as we continue to go forward here we're going to continue to be making different changes within the ministry. And it's quite a bit different from those of you who have history in Worldwide. This is not the same at all in how things are functioning and how it's working. It gives a lot of people opportunities to do things that otherwise they wouldn't have the opportunity of doing, of learning and being trained and molded and fashioned in certain things in their life and giving us an incredible base as well for people who can be brought back at any moment in time, a lot of individuals out there that could easily get plugged back in when things begin to take place.

By the way, that reminds me I've written another post. It's not very large but I've felt so guilty, so bad that we haven't had one for so long that on the way up from down south I was working on one in the car and got it finished. So it's not that long. And a lot of it you already know, but it kind of helps summarize some things about where we are, where we're going, what we're doing with the book.

I wanted to mention here – a lot of you know Mieke and Gijs in the Belgium area. Their oldest son, Toon, had to go into the hospital. He had some difficulties. They found out that he had testicular cancer and had to have an immediate operation. They took care of the one problem that was causing it. And he also has a mass in his stomach area right now, somewhere in the back; I think it is, fairly large size. I think it's about the size of a brick. And so they took him directly to chemo after that in one of the best cancer hospitals there in that part of Europe, in south of Belgium. I can't think of the name of the city, and even if I knew it I probably would not pronounce it correctly. But, anyway, he is down there doing well. As a whole it's just going to be a long process of going through all this because the desire is, is obviously, to shrink that particular tumor and to deal with it later on. Evidentially, from what they're able to tell, it's not touching, connected to any of the organs, which is a major concern, obviously, in something like that. So if they're able to shrink it and everything will go well with that. And I know they would appreciate your prayers on his behalf, on their behalf, the family's behalf and on Toon's behalf as well there. Certainly a difficult thing to go through when you have somebody ... and I think he's close to twenty, somewhere in that vicinity. I'm not sure of the exact age. But that's a pretty tough trial to go through in life, and for the entire family, and for the Church there in Europe.

I wanted to also mention about Darlene down in Texas. A lot of you know her. She's had a battle with cancer for some time and came through the first spell very well and things were going well for some time here until just before the Feast. She's had a big relapse with that. It's come back pretty ferocious and basically in the final states of cancer. Pretty serious for her life and the time that they've given her, and so forth. So like you to remember her in your prayers as well. And, again, quite a trial to go through when you have to deal with something like that in life. But, again, I know a lot of you know her so I wanted to mention that to everyone today. Email has gone out to all the ministry into the Church areas as well concerning both of these individuals, but I did want to pass that along to you today as well.

One other thing here that I wanted to mention, just in planning, so that people can begin thinking about it, but we're going to be taking a trip. We have a meeting, well, we have Sabbath services down in Orlando coming up, and the main reason I'm going down there right now, Laura and I are going down there, is not just for the services, because we've had one down there not too long ago, but it's to talk to a hotel down there, to see the facility, to discuss some things with them directly face to face, and we're looking at having the Feast there next year rather than Cincinnati. So I wanted to pass that along to you. I know it makes it difficult, when we shift things around, for some. It makes it easier for others. So it's give and take in some things in life and that's the way it is. It's difficult as some people will not be able to go that perhaps went this year because it's a hardship going that far. But, again, there's a need from time to time to do this and we're going to try to do it. Right now it's about 90% sure this is where it's going to be. So I wanted to pass that along to you so you can be praying about that, and also to be tentatively making plans.

And on top of that, then, what would happen is that Laura and I will be attending there if that's the case, and it looks like it. And the reason for that is because we have now had a Feast in Europe and it worked out really well for Australia to be able to have the pre-recorded sermon on the first day, the two sermons, and then everything else, because of the other two speakers that we had, were able to shift things around in such a way that they were able to hear everything that was given over there in Europe the next day, for their next day, anyway. And the only thing they really missed out on in having to listen to or able to listen to was the Last Great Day, which people tend to do as soon as they can because the sermons are never exactly the same. They may be the same scriptures, but some of the content and things that are covered are quite different.

So again, we are planning on being in Florida as well with everyone and looking forward to that as being a Feast site next year. So again, that's pretty much 90% certain it will be there at this point. So we're already planning for next year's Feast! How awesome is that?

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Today we're continuing with the sermon series entitled, Be Encouraged, with this being Part 6.

God's desire for us is that we indeed be encouraged, that we are so blessed, to still be here in the Body of Christ, in God's Church after all the battles and spiritual warfare that we've been through. And we've been through a lot. And I can't help it when I go through a sermon like this and we talk about different things that have happened and reading some of the things that I'm doing here in the book, thinking about all the history.

Just like in this Detroit area. When I think about coming up here, when I was driving up here, when we were coming up here, thinking about all the things that took place up here even after the Apostasy, it's astounding, some of the kinds of battles that went on. And they were not a few; they were a lot. And the resistance that was there as a remnant group was being worked with, and others had ideas, beliefs, or whatever it might be, they wanted to have their own...their own minister that they could control and do what they wanted to like the Protestant churches in the world do. Well, I answer to God!

It reminds me, and I'll share this with you. I've probably shared it a million times. I'm going to share it again. It's like what I told a regional pastor when I told him I was resigning from the Worldwide Church of God, and basically his advice to me at that time was, "Well, be careful because they pay your salary." That infuriated me because I thought, "No, they do not! God Almighty does! And if it happens to come through them for a little while, if that's what's been happening, so be it." So I stayed around for just a few weeks – my wife quit going – but I stayed around for a few weeks because I knew there were going to be some people in the Toledo area who'd come up to me and say, "Why have you taken this stand to resign?" And that didn't happen.

Just a moment here. My computer is.... We're trying out a brand new computer here, a larger one. But, anyway, trying out a new system and everything is on here and today's a bit of a test. So I hope this goes well. I guess I could maybe tell you the extra reason why we're doing this, is because we're getting ready to do, set up some video's during services, to start videotaping the sermons. And I don't know if we can do it live, but we're going to try to do it live. We're going to probably use YouTube or something like that. And I don't know how this works, but at least people in different countries, they listen to it a week later anyway, will have the ability to already have it loaded on there. How we're going to stream it, whether we can stream it, I know it can be done, but some of our connections sometimes haven't been the best just for doing the audio part, let alone the video part as well.

So we're getting this particular system here set up because it'll handle the editing better than the one I had. Anyway, I need to get back into the sermon, but wanted to share that with you, other plans that we have and what we're doing.

But going back to talking about this particular area and what's happened over and over again and some of the people who wanted to have me continue on as their minister. They became upset because I started going down to Cincinnati area. And it was like, "No," in essence, "you're our minister." And they didn't want me to do that. And Georgia was coming along at that time. Johnny Harrell got in touch with us and we were going to go down there, and they were against that. And I thought, "You've got to be kidding! If doors open up and God wants to help people in other areas that's where we're going to be. And so those were just a few steps that led into things later on. But battle after battle after battle after battle. And we've gone through a lot.

So, if you're still here, be encouraged, because it's not a small thing. I'm getting ready to give that ministerial meeting, and I'm going to give some statistics (which I'll share with the Church later on, but I wanted to give it to the group meeting out there first), of all the ministry who's gone by the wayside since the remnant Church began...actually, only since 2008, because that was the time when we had the biggest increase. And the numbers that have gone by the wayside, the things that have happened really are quite... I was rather surprised, quite shocked, in essence. And it's astounding what we've gone through as a Church.

So you fought a good fight. As Paul said, he's fought the good fight. And we continue to fight. And that's what it's all about. You can't quit fighting. Paul didn't and none of us can either. It's a constant fight, this way of life. There's a being out there, and beings, that hate God, that hate this way of life, that hate the fact that God's spirit can dwell within us, that God can work with us, that God can mold and fashion something within us. And so they eat a lot of dirt. They eat a lot of the dust of the earth. I love that, that God revealed that, that there is a being and about all we could think of in times past was, "What do you mean he's cursed, that he's going to be licking the dust of the earth, the serpent that licks the dust of the earth." And we think things on a physical scale and we don't realize, no, no, no, that isn't what that was all about. It's about what he was going to do because God made mankind from the dust of the earth and Satan over and over and over again was going to have failure in his desire to destroy what God was doing. And so that's the way it's been because he's tried to destroy and thwart God's way from the very beginning.

And yet with those whom God works with, what he actually does is the very thing that is used to help teach us, to help train us, to help make us stronger. If He didn't leave him on this earth and do those things the process would be a lot different and it would take much longer, just as it did with the angelic realm to come to the point that they did. And so our process is speeded up, which helps me to think about a little bit, of what we're covering right now in this book, that with 2008 and what happened the process was speeded up for us to be able to be molded and fashioned on a higher plane, in a faster way than has ever been done in God's Church. And we've all been blessed to be a part of that, and that's astounding, exciting when you understand it – something, indeed, to be encouraged by if you really "see," if you can "see" and grasp what God is doing in our lives. It is incredibly inspiring.

So today is Part 6 of this part of to Be Encouraged. And each of these series we've been reminded of what God told the Israelites just before they were to enter the physical promised land. And that is a "type" as we have talked about, of what God is doing now in leading mankind into another age that He's promised, an age that's going to come under the rule and reign of Jesus Christ and those who come with him as God works to change this entire world, this entire earth, where there'll be one government, one way of life, one truth, one religion. That in itself is going to create incredible change that we can't even begin to grasp! Human nature is still human nature, but the world is going to be so much better, so much more beautiful and be able to have people work together for a common purpose, God's purpose for that last thousand years.

And so again, there's what He told the Israelites as they were coming into the promised land, and it is a message to us as well. And that's exciting. And so in the book of Deuteronomy, in the giving of the second law, I'm going to read it again as I've done in every one of these sections of this particular sermon series. It's Deuteronomy 31:6—Be strong and of good courage. Be encouraged! That's what this sermon is about. And be strong! Well, that doesn't just happen, does it? You've got to fight for this way of life. You've got to seek God's inspiration, God's spirit, and God's power in your life. And the power, the strength comes from Him. He's the one who makes us strong. How awesome is that? And then we're encouraged by that process as we see the evidence in our lives.

So again, Be strong and of good courage, and do not fear nor be afraid of them, for the Eternal your God, He it is who goes with you. I'm encouraged by that, because that's the message God is giving us right now. He's just reminding us and reinforcing in our minds that He's with us, we're with Him, and because of that He is with us and He's going with us, as it says here; He it is who goes with you. And not only that, but to understand He lives and dwells in us and goes with us and leads us. He will not fail you nor forsake you. God never fails us. We can fail God, and most people have. And we do in our lives too. There are times... That's what we have to repent of in life. But we repent, we desire to repent and change and become something different.

But I think of all those who have failed to hold on to the calling that God has given to them, to fail to fight for this way of life, who let the truths slip between their fingers because of something else in this world that they desire or raise up. The most common thing that happened at the Apostasy was family. And so people made choices based on family. Not because on conviction for God's truth and God's way of life. They did it because of decisions family members made. Because by that time there were many – or close friends, very close friends or family members who made a choice to go to this place or do this or whatever it might be, and so others just followed that rather than acting upon their convictions. And that's something that God has to know, must know about each one of us. Are we going to act upon our convictions?

And so we're tried in many things, and those things bring to the surface whether or not indeed we're putting God first, or someone else, or something else, or a desire for whatever it might be in life.

So again, "God will not fail us nor forsake us." Then that constant reminder at the beginning of this verse in each part of these series was followed by mentioning, as well, this section of Chapter 6, that we're looking at, and Chapter 6 entitled, “If You Will Listen, God Will Listen.” And that's a powerful message. That's the way it's been for so, so long, but even more so now at this point in time in our lives if we will hear what He's telling us, if we will listen, continue to listen to what God gives to us, God's there listening. He will listen to us and He'll be there for us. That's why Deuteronomy 31:6, well, that's how it comes alive, actually. That's what makes it real in our lives, if we listen then God listens.

So again, it also bears stating again, what's been repeated over and over again concerning what was referenced in Chapter 6 that we began reading that's under the heading: “The Factor in Determining Christ's Return – The Church.” The Church. That's powerful! It's inspiring. And it's a statement about the change that was made concerning whether Christ would return on Pentecost of 2012 or Pentecost of 2019. So again, it's important, as I've stated over and over again, to grasp what was stated in that first paragraph, and here it is:

There is one factor in the midst of all this that would determine which date God would send His Son to rule in His Kingdom. That factor was the Church—His Church.

Now, as I've read this now six times in a row I hope that that is coming home to us more and more and more as we continue through this particular series because this is an incredibly important statement that's made. It's an incredible truth that's given. To understand the magnitude of how God looks upon His people, of how important we are in His plan and His purpose. This is no small thing though we are very small. Size is not what it's about. God has a plan and He works with that plan accordingly and we are at a size that is good and proper. Just as we have read before in times past about Gideon and what took place there, and God whittled them down to size for a purpose. Because we can see, and we will see so much more in the future, that this is done by God's power. "Not by might, nor by power," man's power, what we can do, "but by My spirit," God says, by His power, by His might, by His spirit these things are going to be accomplished.

So again, the factor is the Church. It's about us; always has been. And the more we grasp that, the more we really "see" that on a spiritual plane, the more you really see that the more you will be encouraged in what God has given us, the more you'll be inspired to understand the magnitude of His love because that's what it's about. It's about His love for His people when He calls us. We're the ones able to receive that love. There is no one else in the world right now that is able to receive that love, truly. Now, He loves all the world, all of mankind, but it's not their time yet. He loves His purpose for their existence and their being, and has great desire for them, most of them in the Great White Throne. But now is our time. And that's what's important to God. This is where His focus is. This is where His eyes are. This is where His desire is. It's in our lives – in your life and my life. And that's no small thing, if we really grasp it.

So before we pick up where we left off last Sabbath we need to be reminded of the context of what we were addressing toward the end of that sermon. And to do that it'd be good to simply back up a few paragraphs and begin today, again, on page 255, toward the end of that sermon last week. I'm just going to pick this up. I thought about just picking up a few statements, but I think it's good we just pick it up here. Again, it's on page 255 at the top of the page with that first paragraph. I'm going to begin there today, just a few paragraphs, then we'll be caught up and continue on.

"This new truth," speaking of the truth that God was giving to the Church and had given, that really wasn't to be given until Trumpets, but the truth that God was giving there in that sermon toward the end of, I believe, it was June. I don't think it was July, whichever month it was. I believe it was the end of June. But that particular... yeah, it says it right here in the book – June the 28th. Anyway, I'll just read it here:

This new truth that was to be a test on the Church was given to it on the 28th of June in 2008.

It was the truth about the timing, the Holy Day that pictured Christ's actual return to this earth and His feet upon the Mount of Olives once again, being at Pentecost and not on Trumpets. Going on:

It was then that this change about Christ returning on Pentecost was revealed to the entirety of the Church. This did prove to be unsettling for a very few, which included a handful within the ministry. These did not respond well and this began to reveal their true spiritual state.

Whether they could see it or not. And most people can't. Most people don't know when they're falling asleep. If you knew you were falling asleep and you were concerned about that, what would you do? You know? So people don't know then they're drifting off asleep spiritually. Most of the time, a lot of the time, well, even physically and on a physical plane if you look at it, you know when you start you don't... It's just a process you go through and all of a sudden you might be watching something on TV and all of a sudden you're out like a light. And you don't think about it. You don't take conscious thought and you're going to stay awake. Because if you're going to stay awake you wouldn't have fallen asleep! I mean, duh! And spiritually the same thing happens to us in life if we're not careful, if we're not watchful and alert, all those spiritual examples. And so, repeat it over and over and over again. Incredible.

And so these people didn't realize where they were spiritually until this came along. And then they didn't really understand. They were already gone. Some of these were already gone when this happened. This just brought it to the light. Some stayed around for another whole year but they were already gone! They were already judged. They'd already cut themselves off from God's spirit because of other things going on in their life, and most of it a critical spirit. Incredible! Judgmental spirit toward others and toward the Church, toward the ministry, toward the leadership in God's Church, toward doctrines and so forth. Things weren't going their way. So, anyway, going on:

This did prove to be unsettling for a very few, which included a handful within the ministry. These did not respond well and this began to reveal their true spiritual state. In time, most of these became weakened by other events and eventually went by the wayside.

You know, how does God look upon something like that when something that He gives, something that only He can give to the Church, and when it's given and we don't embrace it? Because, you know, if we're plugged in spiritually, if we're watchful, if we're alert, if we're stirred up by God's spirit you know what you're going to do with a new truth? You're going to be excited about it! You're going to embrace it! And the more you embrace it, the more you come to see it's value, it's importance in your life – and that's a bit of the process we went through, because it took some time for some to go through that process to become more and more excited as they went along, to understand what it really meant. So again:

These did not respond well and this began to reveal their true spiritual state. In time, most of these became weakened by other events and eventually went by the wayside. This was a test that triggered a true response within these individuals that then began to become manifest and proved to be a major turning point in their life as they turned away from God.

They just continued to turn farther and farther away from God life, God's way of life. That's what it was.

However, for some in the Church, this proved to be a great spiritual wakeup call...

You know, sometimes people can be shaken by things when they come face to face to see their response, to see this isn't healthy. And they become shaken by something and they have to look at their life then and acknowledge their response and their thinking and to understand this isn't the way of God's spirit, this isn't right, and really become somewhat fearful that they come so close to going by the wayside with others. It should shake people up. And it's a wake-up call. Candidly, that's what happened after the Apostasy. God began to shake some of us up, began to help us see, "Look what happened. And look what lethargy... Look what letting down... Look what lukewarmness does spiritually in one’s life. Look what can happen." And by the grace of God you would be right there with them except He had a purpose and a plan to pull you out of it. He had a purpose and a plan of something He was going to accomplish. Not because of how good we were. Not because of how great we were, but because He had a purpose and a plan and He chose to work with us. Just as He first called us, why did He call us above anybody else? Well, that's God's, God's business, God's purpose. But we can't look upon it, and it's a big mistake to look upon it because of thinking that we're something special or we have something special within us, or whatever it might be, or we have special insight. No, that's not the reason. It's a matter of yieldedness to God and whether we can be worked with in pliability; if you will, being pliable, mouldable, of a right spirit that God's spirit can work with. Going on:

However, for some in the Church, this proved to be a great spiritual wakeup call as they began to recognize that a lethargic spiritual condition of Laodicea was starting to creep into their lives. This motivated these individuals to repentance and greater spiritual growth.

For most who were actively growing on a continuing basis on a spiritual plane, this new truth proved to be inspiring, especially as they began to see far greater importance in it. The Church became more excited about this change as the weeks progressed, and it proved to be a strong catalyst for far greater spiritual growth.

There was more to this new truth beyond the fact that it revealed the actual Holy Day when Christ would stand on this earth once more. It also revealed a big change that would occur in what had been seen as the actual day when Christ would return. This in itself proved to be exceedingly exciting for God’s Church.

And I hope you remember back about some of that, because I do. Because when we'd thought it'd begun back in February of 2008 and certain things were beginning to take place and moving forward, certain counts and so forth that were leading up to Trumpets of 2011, because we knew the importance or I knew, God had given about the importance of 2008 and the things that were to spin out in time from that, but nothing fit together. If you looked at numbers and things that were there nothing fit. But all of a sudden when God revealed about Pentecost and going on from 2012 things began to fit in place in an incredible way. And that was incredibly inspiring. So I don't know if you remember that about the Feast of Trumpets and periods of time after 2008 and forward. That's where so many of the things of counting began and began to fit into place, and have ever since. Going on:

As it was stated, before this change in understanding that Jesus Christ would return on a Pentecost, it was believed that he would return on a Feast of Trumpets, which is autumn in the northern hemisphere. Several months prior to this change given in June 2008, the Church had come to believe that Christ was going to return on the Feast of Trumpets in 2011. The reason for seeing that it had to be that specific year was because God had revealed that 2008 was the year that a final witness to the world would begin to be established, hence the title of the second book, 2008—God’s Final Witness. Since 2008 had been revealed to be the year when God would begin to establish a final end-time witness, the Church knew that witness would be accomplished within a prophetic period of 1260 days as prophesied. The only Feast of Trumpets that could be measured from any date within the year of 2008 and out to a future Feast of Trumpets had to be the Feast of Trumpets in 2011.

So, again, I've stated this in two different ways here, before and now in writing. Now going on, page 256:

So with this new truth about Christ returning on a Pentecost, this also required announcing a change to a new date for the return of Christ. The only time that could be measured to a specific Pentecost from 1260 days within the year 2008, had to be the Pentecost of 2012.

Although there was a change in our understanding about a different Holy Day being the date of Christ’s coming, this now became incredibly exciting. This count of 1260 days is one that is directly related to Daniel’s prophecy for timing of end-time events that includes the count of three specific periods of time. In addition to a 1260-day count, there is also the count of 1290 days and 1335 days mentioned in Daniel 12. All of the sudden these days began to fit into a very meaningful pattern, whereas they didn’t before in the previous count to Trumpets of 2011.

And as I was reading through some of this it struck me how that some became upset, and in the ministry, that it was like, well, you already have a date, Trumpets 2011, and now you're going to change it. "La dee dah." If God reveals it to be changed because of something He chose to reveal in a specific time, I'm going to do the same thing I've always done: follow God. And we understand, we grasp, we learn in God's Church that you can only have what God gives you at any moment in time. That's why the incident, the account, if you will, of what God did to Mr. Armstrong in revealing the actual day that Pentecost was to be observed back in 1974 was no small thing. It was actually to help us as well. Things happen in scripture, things happen over and over again. It's a building process. If you can always understand there is a building process.

And it's just like building cinder blocks for a wall of a building and you keep going up and up and up until you have certain supports you can begin to put in there and put a roof on and continue building, or whatever it might be you're doing. But there are certain things you just can't do until you get to certain points, whatever that might be. You can't put in a doorframe until you get the cinder blocks up past it, you know, and finally on the first couple of rows you can kind of see where it's going to go, but when it goes up here and you go across the top with the bar that goes across there, the metal beam, whatever it is that holds, supports the rest of the blocks after that, all of a sudden it's taking shape and becomes more exciting. You begin to see things fitting together. Well, that's what God's constantly doing in helping us to have a better vision and understanding of what He's doing. And sometimes we jump to certain conclusions because that's just the way we are. And He allows that. He allows us to see... or not to see, but He allows us to see things from our own vantage point, until He comes along and reveals what the truth is on a spiritual plane. Going on:

By counting back 1335 days from Pentecost in 2012, it leads to the 30th of September of 2008, the Feast of Trumpets for that year.

Incredible! You try to do that with different periods of time and you can land on some on occasion, but they're far apart. But I think of what we've gone through since that time and all the other numbers and everything that fit together and it's mathematically so far out there it's like those things of probability and chance concerning evolution. Doesn't happen.

This was incredibly inspiring for the vast majority of the Church, as this had awesome meaning that everyone understood. The Feast of Trumpets pictures the trumpeting of the announcement of the coming of the King of kings—the coming of the Messiah. That is the primary meaning of that Holy Day, and that is why the Church previously believed that Trumpets must be the Holy Day on which Christ would return.

But I also want to add there that Mr. Armstrong never said that in his writings. He said "it could be," basically, in essence, paraphrasing some of that, but it was as though it could be that particular day but he never came out and dogmatically stated that. But the ministry did. So we learn lessons. Going on:

However, with the new truth given to the Church in late June 2008, this now took on even deeper meaning. That is because it was now believed the trumpeting (announcement) of Christ’s coming would occur on Trumpets of 2008 and then 1335 days later he would begin his return to this earth on the very moment Pentecost began in 2012.

This test upon God’s Church in 2008 was actually far more important than we ever knew. It was of double importance, in one sense, because it was like two tests in one. Not only had truth been changed about a Holy Day, but now the timing for Christ’s return was also altered as a result, since it was now understood that he would not return on the day of Trumpets 2011, but on the day of Pentecost 2012.

It's amazing how this goes along, in some respects, with the new post. Because the point being driven home as we continue to go on here, if people in the world read this they'd think you are fruit loop. You are so far out there and you see something in all this? And yet I do. We do. And yet people can't... they don't have a hope of being able to read anything in the new book and not even a desire to want to do so in the first place, let alone being able to grasp it. And we should be able to understand that. You cannot understand nor "see" anything unless it's God's timing and God's purpose and He opens up your mind to receive it. That's why we're addressing things in this book so differently. We're not advertizing. We're not spending money on any of this stuff. It's an absolute waste of time. Leave the rest out for the post.

This was a mighty, strong. and telling test for God’s Church, as it would quickly and powerfully reveal the belief, conviction, and faith of each individual.

Now, that's a strong statement if we really understand it on a spiritual plane of what's being said. And candidly, things like that have happened through time, but especially since the Apostasy and as God has revealed one thing after another. Do we "see" it? How are we able to "see" it? And what are we supposed to learn from that if we see it and believe it with all of our being? Doesn't matter how smart we are, that you can open up your Bible and go through all these different scriptures to prove.... That's not... You know, sometimes people used to take those scriptures, "you prove all things," and they would talk about how you had to get out your concordance and you had to get out your Bible and you had to be able to go through all these scriptures. And it was like you could take this to somebody and you could prove it to them. I've heard evangelists on telecasts talk about how that there are things you can prove to yourself. Bull!

The only thing you can do is believe it if God gives you the ability to "see" it. You can't prove diddly squat on your own! Now, you can go through a repetition of looking up things and looking at what God has given to you, just like He did with the Holy Days. Mr. Armstrong wrote booklets, wrote things about the Holy Days. And because he gave those scriptures you could go to them then and say, "See, this is what it says." Who can see that? You can go to 1 Corinthians 5 and 6, 10 and 11 and you can talk about when it talks about the Feast of Unleavened Bread and talks about deleavening... you know, how you're supposed to become unleavened as you are unleavened, speaking of your homes, and telling us that we're, "and therefore, let us keep the Feast." And you think, the Protestant world doesn't understand that! What do you mean, "Let us keep the Feast." And it wasn't just a matter of "let us" in the sense of, "Don't you all kind of agree we should probably do this?" That's not what Paul was saying! It was a command, "Let us, therefore," is what he's saying, "keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread."

Now, you can't go out and prove that to anybody. I only tried it once and it was in that little place I was in for three years. I shouldn't have even done it but some challenged me on a couple of things in my life and my belief and whatever and I took them to that scripture and said, "What does that mean, 'Therefore, let us keep the Feast'?" You know, it doesn't say Christmas. It doesn't say Easter. It says, "Let us keep the Feast." And this is long after Christ was dead and resurrected. Because they like to say that he did away with all the law and so forth and the requirement for keeping the Sabbath and the Holy Days and the like. And it's like... I shouldn't even have done it because they can't "see." Nobody out there can "see." You can't take a scripture to someone and say, "Prove it." That verse has been so misused by the Church in the times past.

You know what I'm talking about? You're to prove it. What it means is what I've told so many times. It's like the person that buys the oxen or a brand new John Deere tractor. And that farmer is so excited to go out there and prove what it can do – to show, to see, to be excited about what he can hook up behind it and do better than what he was able to do in the past. Get two oxen out there when he maybe had a donkey before or something. Going to make a big difference in what he can accomplish so he goes out to prove what they're able to accomplish and do. He's excited!

And that's what it's talking about, the fact that we should be excited to be able to go out here and prove God's way of life because we live it! Not because you're so smart and so intellectual and so intelligent that you can go to different scriptures in here and prove any truth, because you can't. You can't prove anything. I hope you understand that. We're just at God's mercy for what we can see and what we can know and understand, that we can go to those verses and be inspired by them and we can maybe find them now, we can go look them up, we can get a Strong's Concordance out and look at some and find some similarities in some other places where God talks about Holy Days and we're able to understand it because of what's already been given to us. Not because of... Anyway, it is amazing things we've gone through in order to learn the lessons that we need to learn.

So the things that we have gone through to get where we are, the things how people took some of this and responded to it is absolutely incredible that God would give us an opportunity, a test to see what we're like, to see where we are, to prove where we are, that we can prove it to ourselves as well and be encouraged by it, be inspired by it. And if we're not, maybe to be shaken to the core of our being so we'll shake up enough to be afraid of how close we might have come to going asleep again and leaving. And we've just gone through that recently again.

We've had a smear of people who've been asleep for several years now that aren't with us anymore since the Feast of Tabernacles even. In a short period of time! Now, that didn't happen overnight and it didn't happen since the Feast. It was going on for a long, long time. Now, sometimes that's a disfellowshipment, sometimes it's a matter of a suspension just to shake individuals up, to give maybe two months you can't have fellowship so you can have some time to look into your own life and to examine yourself and to pray to God to stir His spirit up within you, to go before Him in a humble spirit and cry out and say, "Holy Father, help me to acknowledge, to see what I'm doing. Help me to see where I'm doing something wrong and what I'm doing wrong so I can understand what I've been told and why I've been separated for a time, so I can come to address it and change! I want to be a part of Your body." And some are responding, in part, like that. They're starting the process, and I believe will come through it. But not there yet! Because you have to be totally truthful with yourself when things like that happen. And sometimes we have to have a shaking. And so some here even with this truth when it was given were shaken, because they came close to leaving with the others. Some were rubbing shoulders too closely with some of them. And sometimes those things can pull you away, the attitudes and things that are passed along sometimes in life; it can rub off on you if you're not careful. So many lessons and things to learn. So reading it again here, this paragraph:

This test upon God’s Church in 2008 was actually far more important than we ever knew. It was of double importance in one sense because it was like two tests in one. Not only had truth been changed about a Holy Day, but now the timing for Christ’s return was also altered as a result, since it was now understood that he would not return on the day of Trumpets 2011, but on the day of Pentecost 2012. This was a mighty, strong, and telling test for God’s Church, as it would quickly and powerfully reveal the belief, conviction, and faith of every individual.

And I remember back about two ministers and knowing how they had responded and the attitude they had at that time and in the deep pit of my stomach I felt very deeply where that was going to lead. And it did another year later. Because they were too filled with pride to acknowledge and admit where they were, and to humble themselves, and to repent for having that kind of attitude and spirit toward what God gave to His Church. And so this matter of understanding how God reveals truth to us and what it means to live by faith. It's not always that easy to understand but it's something we need to embrace and grasp and understand very deeply. So going on here on page 257:

So indeed, God triggered a response that manifested the true spiritual condition of the Church, which could then be measured.

Because it's going to be made manifest. God will do things to bring people to a point. It doesn't mean He doesn't know where they are, but it helps to bring things to the surface to see indeed if a person will choose to repent because of a wrong attitude they've had and to get back on course and to seek repentance, as some did, or whether that attitude has entered in so deeply that because of pride they will not change. But God manifests it and brings it to the surface so that attitude and spirit can be seen. And He does it. I've seen Him do it over and over and over again in God's Church, long before I was ever ordained, that God allows things to come to the surface, to bring things to the surface so they can be seen, so they can be dealt with.

One of the main things worth repeating: I think of a minister that we had in Houston, Texas, and working with the youth group at that time. I don't even think it was called Y.O.U. yet, was it? I think that was pre-Y.O.U. at that particular point in time. But there was a large group there that we worked with. That was before I was even ordained as an elder there in the Houston Church, but anyway, there were several different parts. We had basketball. We had volleyball. We had cheerleading. Different things that we used to have in the youth programs, and so forth, working with teenagers and the like. And in this one particular case, because we had to make certain choices about certain ones that would be on a particular team some parents became offended because... Was it a daughter that wasn't allowed, wasn't able to accomplish what they... or wasn't placed where they thought she should be and so they became bitter toward me, bitter toward my wife.

And it's like this world today. It's like nobody can lose. If you're out here everybody's got to win. You can't keep score in little certain teams, and so forth, because you don't want to... It's like these crying rooms that they have now-a-days in colleges and universities. Can you imagine that? You have to have a crying room. I think that's where they actually had it. Was it in the university? It was in the high schools at least, where you could have a room to go cry because someone didn't get elected into office. "Boo hoo." And so they cry! And they have to go to this place where they're hurting and they can't study. You think, "What are we raising in this world? What are we teaching in this world?" And it goes back to this same mentality that you can't keep score for Little Leagues or whatever it might be because... and this concept that, yes, somebody if they put more into it, there are people who can excel and you drive yourself and you learn lessons from that. But to think everybody's equal and everybody's the same? That's a crock! It really is! We're not all the same and we're not all going to be able to do the same things! It's a matter of human nature and you have to learn how to deal with your human nature.

I had to learn at a very young age. I thought I was as good as some of the other basketball players out there. "I can do, I can do better. I'm sitting on the bench and he's out there...? I know I play better than him!" And it's that constant thing you have in your mind. I was very poor at the game, but at that stage of my life I thought I was pretty good. And that's the way we tend to think. But you learn through that process. You learn lessons of life. They didn't have a room for me to go cry in.

I mean, look how far this country has gone, to do what we're doing. It just... I think... I am embarrassed that other countries have to watch our news. I mean, seriously! For people in certain countries, "Those are Americans. That symbolizes America today. Look at where those people are. Be almost better if they weren't around, wouldn't it? Look how easy they are to pick off. Why be afraid of them?" Amazing. It's coming. And a lot of it just because of that kind of mentality and because of what we reflect today. Sad. Sad. Sad.

And so I remember what the minister told me, because I went to him and told him I'd rather not be involved in working with groups like this if it's going to cause such deep bitterness in people's lives because I don't want people mad at me. I don't want to have that kind of relationship with anyone else in the Church, and especially with the leader within the Church like this. And I'd just as soon not do it. And he said, "No." He says, "I've known for a long time there's something there but I haven't been able to work with it yet." He said, "This just helps bring it to the surface so that I can." That's paraphrasing it. I learned a great lesson from that because that's what God does in our lives. In time, God brings things to the surface. Some trial, some test. And this is pretty small in their life. But you know what? They went backward from that time forward. They got worse and worse and worse as time went along. They didn't get better. Sad. Incredibly sad.

So we always have choices, but God will use things to manifest them, to bring things to the surface that they may well not even have known about themselves. But what's sad is when people get caught up in it they never do learn it because if you continue to go farther and farther away from God you just lose more and more of that life and opportunity to change and you don't even see you've become blinded again. You can't see what you're doing. It's a horrible thing.

So indeed, God triggered a response that manifested the true spiritual condition of the Church, which could then be measured. It was then that God proceeded with His plan and purpose to create something far greater in His Church, to a degree and in a way that had never been done before. Since the Church passed this...

The Church had never experienced an Apostasy. Sometimes we don't grasp what we've lived through. Those of you who lived through an Apostasy, you have witnessed one of the most incredible things of all human history, one the biggest lessons that will ever exist in all human history. If you think about what the angelic realm witnessed when Satan, when Lucifer made the choice that he did and a third of the angelic followed him and they witnessed those things and what it did for them, those who remained faithful and strong because much stronger. Awesome! Spirit became far more deeply set in something they had never experienced before. They made choices in a manner that they had never had to make before and they made the right choices, those who continue to be faithful and loyal and follow God's way. And God has done things with mankind, worked various things through mankind, manifested certain things. But what we've gone through with the Apostasy and because of that what God could do in us in our lives through us is incredible. And candidly, we'll be given to see that in a greater way as time goes on in the future because we really can't fully "see" it now. Because we experience too many things sometimes in our life and we don't grasp the magnitude of what it was that we experienced. It was just something we lived through. It was what was normal to us. But to others in the future, they're going to come to "see" how not normal that was, how incredible that was, how awesome it was that something like that could happen to people who were impregnated with God's spirit – some for 10, 20, 30, 40+ years in God's Church, and yet it happened. The greater lessen than what happened in the angelic realm because it happened to people begotten of God's holy spirit. The angels never had God's holy spirit. And that's something, again, that's quite incredible that God has revealed to us and helped us to understand. Anyway, going on here:

It was then that God proceeded with His plan and purpose to create something far greater in His Church, to a degree and in a way that had never been done before. Since the Church passed this test with resounding success, God would now not only move forward the timing for Christ’s coming from the Pentecost of 2012 to the Pentecost of 2019, but He would begin preparing the world to now have the potential for far greater numbers to be delivered into the Millennium.

And I'll tell you what. We cannot fully grasp yet the response from the world in time because of that. I think often, not by chance, about what took place and how even the Jews have esteemed Esther, have esteemed her uncle, and that which they have celebrated. I believe it's called the feast of Purim. And it's not a holy day in the sense of – well, it may be to them – but it's like what we might have as a Thanksgiving or something like that, something that would be akin to that except they make it more than what they should. But, nevertheless, there is that which has great, great meaning to them because of what happened to the Jews at that particular time, a people that were going to be wiped out, in essence, and how God intervened and did the things that He did. And it's an incredible story.

And yet I think about what's getting ready to take place in a world that continues on and how they're going to look back at you, because many of them are going to come to understand that they have the opportunity to be there because of what you did. Now, you don't really grasp that yet. You can see it in part, and you can believe it in part, but when it comes to pass and you see how people respond and how people talk in the future, when they come to understand what God did as a result of something that continued on from a two-day fast – because it wasn't going to take away from the honor of what took place back in the time of Esther – to me that's an awesome thing, an inspiring thing to have participated in such a thing. But I'll guarantee you the world, and perhaps what an incredible thing if it would be a nation or so, that in a large part would be able to come through certain things because of how they respond. Whether they will or whether they won't, we don't know yet. But what an incredible thing if some of those things come to pass and they come to their look... and they're looking back and going to have (how could you even describe it?) a fondness? That word doesn't even grasp it really. A desire to those who lived through that. A desire to talk with those who went through it. A desire to thank them. A desire to be around them. A desire... That's why we have to go through the kind of humbling that we do. That's why we have to learn to wear sackcloth for a long period of time. That's why we have to fight against pride. Because those who go on as physical human beings at that time, that's going to be the tendency. And the day it does is the time when God will not be able to use them in that future time. And I hope that doesn't happen to anyone. But knowing human nature it probably will. But if it does, then there'll be those who won't be able to be used because it's an opportunity of service. It's an opportunity to be an example of something that is far beyond what we can really grasp and comprehend at this time. And so the opportunities in the future are immense for those who have an opportunity to live on into a new age. And those who don't handle it properly probably won't live too long. That's how serious it is. That's how important it is to God even in the Millennium. Going on:

Although God changed this timing, He did not reveal to the Church that He had done so. That in itself would become the primary tool God would use whereby He would continue an even greater spiritual creation within His Church. As a result, the Church experienced a molding and a spiritual fashioning of faith and strength to a level where members were made to stand fast against Satan, the demonic world, and the world itself, regardless of what these would throw at it.

It's awesome! So I think of some of the things we've already read here about what some didn't grasp, what some forgot when they became embittered. Because that's what happened, a spirit of bitterness came into some, an accusative spirit, a judgmental spirit, but it was also coupled with the spirit of bitterness. And that's a horrible thing when it happens. But by certain comments that were made that's why it hit deep down in the pit of my stomach. I especially think of two that that happened to in a very strong way, and I had hopes that they would come through some of those things, but the moment it happened I know how God looks upon such things, and God doesn't forget. If people go too far with some things and fighting against Him, some things are just flat taken away because what we're given is so great, and if we don't cherish it and treat it with the spirit we should, an attitude we should have toward God who gives it, then God doesn't forget it. And He's not going to give us the benefit of something that we haven't fought for and that we haven't loved and cherished and held on to and fought for and fought for over and over again in our life. So it's not meant to be easy. It's a battle. It's a fight, and you just keep fighting.

And so I think of this matter of faith, because at some point they lost it. At some point along the way faith wasn't there any longer, it wasn't being exercised in their life. And those who continued forward, those who have continued forward since that time who have been a part of us – those who joined later is another matter, the opportunity to come in and be a part and share as well, and learn from these things – but those who continued forward did so as a matter of faith. That's awesome! When you understand how important that is.... Because I think of the first night I heard about the Sabbath, the first night I heard about the U.S. and B.C. in prophecy[1] and some of the things in there; and I just heard about them, the Sabbath, some of the things about the Holy Days. Didn't have a Bible open in front of me, but I knew every one of those things was true. They clicked. Things that I didn't know, couldn't see before, hadn't heard of before. If I had they wouldn't have, they didn't gel because it wasn't my time. But when God opens up your mind, spiritually it's just opened up. When He gives the ability through His holy spirit it just has to be a matter of hearing. It's not even something you have to read. Most of the time in the New Testament Church it was because of what they heard. It wasn't because of what they read. They didn't have this book to read. They didn't have scrolls at their discretion to read, you know, up in Ephesus and Pergamos and some of those areas along that mail route, and Laodicea and all those areas. It's what they heard when ministers came through and talked to them and taught them. And they just, just like with you, there comes a point in time in your life where you know it's true and you believe it. It starts with what you're able to see and what you believe. It's there. God gives it. But how we deal with that afterwards becomes so incredibly important in our life.

So again, those who continued forward did so as a matter of faith, living according to what they believed. That's what faith is. God gives you something to believe then you make the choice to live by it, to do it. And that's a matter of faith then. You have faith in what God has given you to see, to believe. It's a powerful thing, it really is.

So again, it was a matter of acting upon what they believed, and basically, as a whole, brethren believed the 57 Truths that God had given to the Church. Well, it wasn't quite there, was it? But, anyway, the 50 Truths at that point in time, the 50 Truths that God had given to that point in time. And they were just beginning to really grasp and understand some of that, that last one. So again, as a matter of going through this incredible test in faith people were able to grow even stronger in faith. That's what's a beautiful thing about all this. If you continue to fight and God continues to give you more you actually can become stronger in faith, and because you're able to "see" and believe things that haven't been given. I think of all the things we've been given to believe and to live by faith in, as a matter of faith, and there's never been a time in the Church of God that people have been given this much. Because of where we are, not because of how good we are. It's just this is our time. This is when we're alive. And we're blessed to be alive at one of the most incredible times of all mankind and one of the most incredible times for the Church.

I think of the Millennium. Things are going to change in the Millennium. People are going to be molded in different ways than what those previous to this have been molded by. I hope you see that. Those who have lived during the past 2,000 years alone in the Church, what they have lived through, what they have experienced is the very thing that's helped to mold and fashion certain things within them that enable God to use them, to give them opportunity in a greater way in His government, in His purpose and His plan. And that's why those of you who continue on, who have started in this age and have the things molded and fashioned in you have incredible opportunity on into the Millennium period. But those in the Millennium are never going to go through things like you have. It's going to take a long, long time for certain things to be molded and fashioned within them on a spiritual plane because they're not going to have Satan around. They're not going to have the demon world around. They're not going to have all the pulls of the world around and the battles that we enter into. And there won't be any different groups trying to pop up and break away, certain things. They're not going to ever experience what you have experienced in some of the things that have happened in the splinter groups and some of the things within our own group and people have splintered away and done the.... They'll never experience those things.

And because they never will experience those things on the plane and magnitude that you have they're not going to have the same opportunity, because their purpose is different, to be molded and prepared for things that you are. You don't know what you've been given yet. You don't know and grasp deeply, fully yet what it is that's been placed before you. I hope you understand that in the Millennium how it's going to change drastically. There won't be any other churches out here. And if anyone tries it's not going to last very long. And if anyone doesn't come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles God says, "You're in for some tough times and you're going to have some hard economic times. And if you won't change then and come up and keep the Feast of Tabernacles you're going to die." It's what God tells them. And there are going to be people at the beginning of the Millennium who are just going to die because of plagues that they're going to experience. It's not a matter just of coming... of drought it speaks of on a particular plane there. God gets very strong. "If Egypt won't come up," what's going to happen? Well, it's not about the physical nation of Egypt; it's what it represents in human beings, and if human beings don't do what they're supposed to do and don't embrace what God has given to them? Because He's going to bring the world – this time Jesus Christ comes as a lion, with power, and there is no playing around. There are no crying rooms to go to. It's not going your way? Well, just come into our little crying room down here then. Cry it out. Boo hoo. Isn't that sick? No, you live this way or you die. And people can think, "Well, that's pretty cruel. That's pretty harsh." No, it isn't. It's a matter of love. And when you're resurrected later on, you realize how stupid you were for fighting against God and you wouldn't receive and wouldn't humble yourself to receive what He's offering you, that the rest of the world you could see around you was changing in and accepting and receiving? Candidly, some won't even be given that. But anyway, going on.

So let's pause here and consider some of the things written in scripture that concern faith, because it's a powerful thing. There are lessons here that need to be so deeply ingrained within us – how we're able to have belief, how we're able to have faith, and how powerful that is, what it means in our life. To understand how we're able to even have it and how we're able to keep it. It's a powerful thing.

Let's turn over to Romans 14:17[4:17]—(as it is written, I have made you a father of many nations), so here it's speaking about Abraham and some of the things that were going to come through him, and so Paul is... I'm just breaking into some of the flow here. But again, it says, before Him (before God) upon whom he believed, even God, who quickens the dead, and calls those things which are not as though they were. God's going to bring to pass what He's going to bring to pass, and so anything that's going to come to pass spoken of as it is. Who against hope believed in hope. That's kind of an awkward statement in some ways until you come to more fully grasp what he's saying here. "Who against hope." I mentioned something here, I don't remember if it was the last, in Part 5 or Part 4...

It's Romans 4:17 and we were in verse 18 where it says, Who against hope believed in hope. Now, as I said, that's a little bit awkward, but it's kind of similar to that statement I made, and I believe it was the last time, and maybe it was before that. I don't really remember. But I spoke of how, candidly, if I were, which I have, look at the world today the way it is, look at China, Russia, the U.S., Europe, the nations there. Oh, we have the Brexit at least, but now they're talking about how that could be prolonged for a long time before they're actually really out. But the ball is rolling. And we're seeing things prophetically already coming to pass. Because Mr. Armstrong, one thing that he was very powerful in, made it very clear, that Great Britain would never be a part of those 10 nations, which we know because of what God gave through him. So, no surprise, but we're able to witness, we're able to see it, we're able to be encouraged by seeing things come to pass. And so, as I mention some of this and looking at the world, thinking, "There is no way on earth that there is enough time, looking at conditions the way they are right now, that we're going to have WWIII before Pentecost of 2019. There's just too much that has to come to pass." Economically? I mean, look. Look how good the economy is right now. Anyway... The world believes that though and that's what counts, to a part, in part here. So if you look at the way the world thinks and the way the world is I'm looking at it and I think... And I believe, I'm saying this because this is what I believe. There is no way on earth. But I also have a hope because of things that I have seen, because of what God has given. I think of that last chapter and the timing of various things and seven periods of 1260 days and the meaning of 50 and 70 and how they plug in to two different periods of time and all the dates that come out. It is so incredible!

And mathematically to come out like that is astounding, the dates themselves and the things that God has given and come to pass already that happened around 2008 and all the things we've experienced and all the truths. I think of 2005 and the truth that God gave then that is so powerful, and all the rest of the truths that have come along. And so as I said, the only part of that equation, that if you looked at it physically, isn't there. So there is a hope, "Who against hope believed in hope." That's what it's talking about. Because I believe in the Great Almighty Powerful God who can bring anything to pass at any moment in time. Next week, if it was God's purpose, it would be here on our doorstep. Next week, if it was God's purpose, if it's His timing to allow this country to go under economically, something to happen, something to come out in the news that would start a panic on wall street and all of a sudden everything crash and crash around the world, then it would happen because it's God's time. Because we serve a great and powerful Almighty God. God is the one who sustains all this, allows it to continue on. And when God pulls it away and says, "Now do your thing," to the demonic world and to Satan, then it will be done! And it will happen swiftly and powerfully because that's how God has done so many things throughout time. And this time is the most important, in essence, except for the time of Christ and what happened then obviously for him and the purpose of establishing the Church. But as far as for the world and where we are now and on a scale and magnitude it is, this is the most incredible time because of what's coming, because Jesus Christ is now ready to come this time as the King of kings, not as a Passover. This is the most incredible time.

And so God will bring it to pass. That's why I am so at peace, so comfortable with, so thankful for the reality that we're planning a Feast down in Florida, and planning on planning for a Feast the year after that. That's just how much at peace, without worrying about everything else, and because when it's God's time it happens. And to realize that things can happen so very quickly, so very rapidly in a very short space of time? What a blessing. What a blessing for this earth. What a blessing for the Church. And it is about the Church still. Awesome!

Who against hope believed in hope, the kind of hope that we have because of the Great God whom we serve, that he might become the father of many nations. So what was his struggle? What was it he was addressing? Well, it tells about it doesn't it, according to that which was spoken, So shall your seed be. And being not weak in faith, he did not consider his own body that was now dead, when he was about a hundred years old. Didn't sweat it. God's word is true. God's going to bring it to pass. ...neither yet the deadness of Sara's womb. He believed God's promise. So he had a hope, as it says here. I love the way it says this, if I can find it again. Yes, "Who against hope believed in hope." So if you looked at it physically, Sara's womb, his age, a hundred years old, where they were, but he still had the hope of the truth of what God had given to him, and understood that he served a great and Almighty God that can make anything... If God says it's going to take place. "Speaking of those things as though they are," in essence.

So again, going on here, verse 20—he did not stagger at the promise of God through unbelief. He believed God. He wasn't shaken by unbelief. That's what happens to people at times; they begin to be critical and they begin to disbelieve in something, something, somewhere, something that's been given. "Well, if that didn't happen then, I don't believe this one either." If you had to change it from Trumpets now to Pentecost..." And then let alone 2012.

So again, he did not stagger at the promise of God through unbelief: but was strong in faith, giving glory to God. You know, thanking God, moving forward, believing Him and just moving forward and knowing that it would come to pass. ...and being fully persuaded that, being fully persuaded. And so there are things in our life we have gone through because we're fully persuaded. That's why we continue to do what we do. That's what faith is. It's acting upon your belief. Fully persuaded. That's why you continue to do what you do. And God attributes that... That's a matter of living by faith then. You believe it and you're persuaded.

...and being fully persuaded that what He had promised He was able also to perform. That's why when you know and you understand and you know God Almighty is in charge and everything happens according to His timing and His purpose and when He says it, it will take place, whenever that is. We wait on God. "And being fully persuaded that what he had promised He was able also to perform." And therefore, it was imputed to him for righteousness. It's a beautiful scripture. See, you can fall on your face (you should strive not to), I'm talking about when you slip, when you stumble, when you sin, when you do things that are a part of your human nature and you have certain battles you fight and you haven't fought them well and you stumble, because we're prone to stumble as human beings. It's just the way we are. But because of what we believe, we repent. We repent now more speedily, I believe, than we did 10 years ago, or 20 years ago, or 2 years ago because we understand the importance of not being cut off from the flow of God's spirit, so we repent quickly and have a confidence and a boldness before God that indeed we've been forgiven and we're able to continue to go forward.

But so much of the mercy that God gives to us, to be able to do that part, has to do with this part because He attributes righteousness to you – not because you are. You do continue to fight. You do continue to repent. And that's a required requirement of your life. But God attributes the faith you live by, because you believe what He has given to His Church and even how He's given it. You become convicted of those things; you live by faith in those things. And because you do God looks upon you in a special way, a unique way as a matter of mercy and kindness that He shows to you that we really don't deserve as human beings. But He does it and it draws us closer to Him and we grasp and learn that. To understand He attributes that to us as righteousness, it's a beautiful thing if you see it. I mean, how awesome is that, that the matter of living by faith has a great deal to do with the very mercy that God gives to you because you continue to fight for this way of life and you continue to move forward. And He looks upon you. Because otherwise His dwelling in us... well... and the flow of His spirit...

So often, even though we come to points of repentance of things, we still have weaknesses in our life, that in time God's going to show us this isn't right. There are things in my life I'm seeking to get refined in my life even now, about certain response to certain things in life that happen and how I might think or react to them. And I want those to become more fully refined and I fight and I pray about. And we all have certain things that there are things I'm sure that I still don't see. And when God shows us certain things in ourselves, of how we react to certain things at time, or whatever, and then shows us the spirit that's behind that, it's not a pretty thing. But there are things that all through our lives as physical human beings, we'll never come to see it all. You'll never be able to see yourself as God sees you. But you know how God sees you? If you live by faith He attributes it to you for righteousness sake and will continue to dwell in you because of the love, because of the mercy He desires to show, and because you are repenting, because that's a part of the process. It's a part of your belief that you do repent and you're living by faith, the very faith that you know that as soon as you do it, it's gone, it's forgiven, it's behind. That's why it's so bad when people judge others in the Body and don't realize and don't acknowledge sometimes, don't sometimes understand, just don't get it that when you attack, when you judge someone harshly and for something maybe they did or you think they did – sometimes it's only the things they did – but if you're right and they did something, that they have repented long ago, or whenever they've repented and God's forgiven them and yet we don't, how horrible that is? To so judge God's people? Who are we? And it's a matter of seeing ourselves in the mirror and realizing, "I've got enough problems with this one here. That's the one I need to be concerned with and that's the one I need to judge." See, it's self we need to judge the most. That's what it's about, judging ourselves. That's what Passover is all about, coming to Passover has a great deal to do with how we judge ourselves and the fact that we are judging ourselves and seeking to change.

So again, it's an awesome scripture, and one that you will grow in as time goes on and come to understand deeper and deeper and deeper and it'll mean more and more to you, and your love to God and Jesus Christ will become stronger and stronger because of your understanding of what this really means in your life. "And therefore, it was imputed to him for righteousness." Because it has everything to do with how God sees us and looks upon us and loves us.

Romans 5:1—Therefore, being justified... You're not justified by how good you are because you're just not that good. We're not that good. We're always going to have problems and sin in our life and God is exceedingly patient. But to live by faith? Ah, that becomes so much more important if we can grasp it. Therefore, being justified by/through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. By/through whom we also have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. So this has indeed a great deal to do with even faith and the very fact, the belief we have of the forgiveness of sins and what we have through Jesus Christ. And that's just the beginning of it.

Another one, 1 Corinthians 13:13. You know this scripture. You don't need to even turn there. And now abides faith, hope, charity, Godly love. It's God's love, agape. ...these three; but the greatest of these is Godly love. That's why we've come to a point now of such a full circle over the past several months of addressing certain things within the Church and focusing upon and not fully understanding what's been said about how much we have grown in faith in the Church, how much stronger our faith has become because of what we went through in 2008 and 2012 and continuing on. That's incredible. But you see, that doesn't mean anything if the love, if the love of God isn't in our life and actively working in us, if we're not thinking right towards our brother and sister in the Body of Christ. Then faith, it can't continue to be counted as righteousness because we're not believing God and living by what He gives to us in the first place. And the most basic of things that God really gives to us to live by is how we think about others, how we treat others. That has... That's where… That's one of the... It's one thing to go through the things we have as far as doctrines changed, or the date has changed. Those things, in one respect, are minor in comparison to how we are able to have the love of God in us and how we think then towards others. That's the most important of all. And then the other things will fall fully into place and have great power in them. That's why it states this, "Now abides faith, hope, and charity, these three; but the greatest of these is God's love." And it can only be in those who are in God's Church. It's not in the world.

I am going to put another plug in here. I don't think people sometimes realize when they're doing it, but it's something I don't like a lot. It's when you sign your letters "agape." For me, please don't do that. My proof of agape in your life is how you're going to live your life towards everyone else in the Body of Christ. To say it to someone else isn't necessarily the best thing to do. I hope you understand what I'm saying. Now, if you want to say "love," because of your love, because of your feelings, that's fine. But God's? God's love? Be careful! Be careful of what you're saying! That's a pretty high level, a pretty high standard kept there, and how deeply convicted are... How much do you really know for sure of everything you said there is...? You're putting yourself... It's just not a good thing. Take it from God's apostle, okay? It's not the best thing to do. So, just a little pet peeve of mine and sometimes people don't realize it. They mean well, you mean well, people mean well when they do it. And don't beat yourself up and don't send me a letter saying, "I'm sorry I did that! I didn't realize." Just forget it. It's behind. It's over. It's gone. Just go on. I don't even want to think about anybody who might have done it. I'm not going to go back and look. Right now in my mind I can't think of one person that's done it... Ooops, one came to mind just then! But that's going to be gone. Another half an hour it's going to be gone; won't even think about it again. But because I'm reading this it just happened to come to mind.

Hebrews 11:6—But without faith it is impossible to please Him. For he who comes to God must believe that He is, and now today to believe that He is the one and only Almighty Eternal Self-Existing God. Awesome what's been given to the Church! Because in times past we couldn't see that fully. And because of that we were judged in a different way. We were judged according to the present truth. But our present truth has changed a lot. That's awesome! But he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is the rewarder of those/them who diligently seek Him. "Diligently" is the key word here. You have to fight for this way of life. It can't be done in a lackadaisical way. It cannot be done in a lukewarm way because if it's done in a lukewarm way in time God will manifest that. Then, especially at this time, then it'll have to go by the wayside because it's not going to be for the age to come, unless God has mercy on different ones as He will within the Body that's caught in that and one day will awaken them if they're in a spiritual sleep.

So again, incredible this matter of faith and how it works in our life and has to do with what God has given us to believe. And we're at His mercy for what we're able to "see" and what we believe. You're at God's mercy for what you know, for what you believe. You truly are. Only God can keep you in the truth. And you have to cry out for it, you have to love it, you have to desire it, you have to want it, and you have to be willing to go through all kinds of trials and tests and battles and battling against self in response to various things. Because different things will try us at times as to where we really are.

James 1:2, going on, My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into different trials. Most of the times we can't do that until after we've gone through them. We don't generally jump up and down, and when we're starting to go through it. But in time we're able to come to grips with it, with God's help and God's spirit, and in time we even learn that certain trials and things come along, we realize, "I know why this is happening." We get a little faster on the draw.

Verse 3—knowing this that the trying of your faith works patience. It's a beautiful thing. I think of God's patience and I think of how impatient we are as human beings, how short our life spans are, in essence, and we can't begin to understand God and grasp the greatness and power of God and the patience He's had for so, so long and the patience He has with each one of us, candidly. Incredible patience. But He loves us with incredible love. Once He calls us and works with us and we continue to fight and listen, He works with us. And the trying of your faith works patience. Patience is so needful in our lives, to wait on God. To wait on God. To look to God in everything we go through. But let patience have her perfect work, that you may be perfected and complete. Everything doesn't happen overnight. Change doesn't happen overnight. And when we understand those things it gives us, indeed, great understanding and peace. But it talks about the importance of having patience and being patient, learning patience, exercising patience. You're given a lot of opportunities in this age to exercise patience. And we don't always do very well in that area. ...that you may be perfected and complete, lacking nothing. God desires that we be fully equipped, that we become stronger, especially because of where we are and who we are and what He's getting ready to do at the end of this age with those small in number that He's been working with that are going to receive incredible honor as time continues on. That's just God's way and He's preparing us to be able to deal with and handle a lot of those things.

1 Peter 1:3—Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again unto a lively/living hope. We live this. It's what we live. We live it day by day because of what we believe. We live by faith and that's stirred up by a hope that's deep inside of us. We look for a city whose builder and maker is God. We are living and experiencing the same thing as those who have gone before us and the things recorded about them and all the trials they have gone through. And we go through them as well. But we have to keep it in its perspective and why we're going through them and what we're experiencing and understand there's a purpose in it.

...has begotten us again unto a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that fades not away, reserved in heaven for you. I'll just mention here too. I think of those who have had opportunity at the end of this age, not only to have opportunity in a new age that's coming, but even more important that at the end of that thousand years and you're resurrected the opportunities you're going to have be able to serve in God's family are immense. Because the reality is you're being molded for that. See, there's a basic structure of 144,000, but there is a structure that's powerful that begins right... that starts right on top of that and continues on. And that's what you have if you can "see" it, if you can grasp it. It's a beautiful thing. Because you have an opportunity for things molded and fashioned within you that people aren't going to experience during the thousand years, truly. Not like what you've gone through and what you've experienced and what you have molded and fashioned already in you if you continue on and fight for what God has offered and placed before you.

So again here, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that doesn't fade away, reserved in heaven for you. And so that's reserved as well. It's not just about the 144,000; it's about that government and that Kingdom that continues on. There's a massive resurrection that takes place at that time. And how many billions are going to be resurrected? Don't know. All those who lived through the Millennial period who have God's spirit molded and fashioned within them, they're begotten of God's holy spirit and have opportunity to take care of, to enter into a time of working with the greatest part of salvation yet, because the greatest phase of salvation is in the Great White Throne. Billions upon billions to be worked with at that time. And far more than 144,000 being prepared to deal with that, to work with that, to make it possible to do and accomplish the kinds of things that God said will be accomplished at that time. And to think at the beginning of that structure what you're being offered? You do not grasp right now – and candidly, today is the first time you've ever been told about it, okay? That you have opportunity in the foundation of that structure. How awesome is that? You don't know all that God has placed before you. Fight for it. Fight for it.

...who are kept by the power of God through faith. So God, He gives us... there is a power there to be strong and of good courage. There is a strength and a power that comes from Almighty God, that He keeps us and molds and fashions things even more and more with us, stronger and stronger. But it's accomplished through faith, what we believe, what we're given to "see" and how we respond to those things we're given to "see." ...through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. Do you know who he's talking right there first and foremost? Those who are going to be a part of the 144,000. That's who he's preaching to. His preaching wasn't for those later on. Their focus was on the coming of Jesus Christ. His focus was upon what God had given to them, the commission given to the Church through that period of time in all those different eras, because their job was a matter of preparing for Christ's first coming as the King of kings. See? But it goes past that. It goes beyond that, doesn't it? Far beyond that.

So again, even more so things written here that are very powerful if we understand "the last time." Do you realize the end of 7,000 years it's the last of mankind? It's the last of any more for mankind. There are not going to be any more born after that. Once the 7,000 years has come to that point in time there will be no more children born, no more human beings born. Not beyond that, but a great resurrection of those who have already had birth, had life, who will be resurrected then. But there's not going to be any more birth. It ends. And those who are ready will have opportunity to be changed, to become a part, powerful part, especially if you're at the beginning of this. Incredible, the opportunities you have.

And it's not just about what you get. It's not just about where your position is. But you know what, it's nothing to shrink back from either, but to embrace. If God has given you opportunity and a calling to have something great as a part of His purpose and a part of His plan, embrace it, be thankful for it, because it means you can give more. That's what service is all about. It's about giving. And if God gives you the opportunity to give more, then embrace that and use that and recognize how incredibly... I don't have words to describe it! How incredible it all is, that God would give us such things. And as it says here, "reserved in heaven for you." It's kept for you. Whatever it is that you're given opportunity for God will keep it there until it's time. And for a lot of you you're not going to receive it until the end of the thousand years. Most of you listening today, it's for the end of the thousand years. And what an incredible head start you have. What an incredible place you have.

[Verse 6] Wherein you greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, you are in heaviness through various trials... Whoop, whoop tee do. That's my response. I'm sorry. I don't mean to be unfeeling, insensitive, or anything else, but my response is whoop tee do. Embrace them. Be thankful for them, because if they're not there you can't be molded and fashioned for something that great. Do you want it or not? Going to be some trials in it then. Going to be some hardship in it. That's all my life has been. And so well worth it. You can't compare anything with what God offers you, with what you might agonize through life in. And a lot of that agony comes with relationships with other people. And what they do or say to you or about you, or whatever is immaterial. It's about what God does in your life and how He works with you and what He has planned for you and the fact that you embrace that and have a relationship with the Great God of the universe. That comes first. And if others don't want to be a part of that I feel sorry for them, I truly do. That they would throw some things away, just like for a bowl of soup, an opportunity given and just throw it all away, just to have something to eat in one stupid little meal.

And that's just how dumb some mistakes in life have been when people have thrown away something that God has given. Frankly, some are a whole lot... I mean, they're really bad what people have done for something else, and just thrown it all away. For a little sex. For a little thrill. Incredible what human beings will do. That's the worst one and the greatest battle of all that people have had in God's Church and through time. It's one of the greatest pulls that human beings have. And how many have gone astray. Anyway. Incredible with how we function in physical life and what people will do and what they'll throw away for the most insane things. Incredible.

So again, Wherein you greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, you are in heaviness... Oh boy, it's almost time. ...through various trials...

One more verse here. Let's continue on. Verse 7—that the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perishes. You know what? You have to come to a point where you really believe that. I don't care what I go through, and some things haven't been so peachy keen at times, and most of those in the relationships when you get stabbed in the back by people. That's why that song is so deep inside of me, "Twas not a foe who did deride, for that I could endure." And it goes on and talks about walking to God's house side by side and counsel blended sweet with those you were the closest to. And when they turn against you it hurts! The betrayals in life when people are begotten of God's holy spirit and they just turn evil. It's horrible.

Because we all have desire when we're in God's Church to be close to each other and to share this life together. But sometimes, and too often, and more often than not, the many who have gone by the wayside have done so in a pretty bad way oftentimes because they turn against God's people, because they have to justify what they're doing. They have to come to hate something, and generally someone, in the process. Anyway, such is life, and it's not an enjoyable part of it.

So do you count the things you've gone through more precious than of gold? What does gold mean to you? What do dollars or euros? Not going to ask about Canadian dollars right now. I'm just kidding or Australian dollars, taking a beating. But that's only because we keep putting more and more U.S. dollars and making it harder on everybody else because we're going to buy what we need to buy first. The rest of you can suffer. Anyway. Sick, what we do as a people. Tongue in cheek – sick world.

So do you really think this way? Do those things mean more to you or are they just... Who cares? Who cares? What matters is this, the faith, the truth, the belief, the things you see, the things you know, the things you understand, the things you're blessed to live by no matter what comes along.

That the trial of your faith be much more precious than of gold that perishes, although it is tried with fire, may be found to praise, and honor, and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ. So you're going to be tried in fire, you know. It's just a part of the process. It's a part of what you go through. And every hardship you go through is truly an opportunity for greater spiritual growth. It really is. Truly is. ...whom having not seen you love. In whom though now you do not see him, yet believing you rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory, receiving the end, the purpose, of your faith—even the salvation of your souls. Powerful verse. Think about that this week. Pray about it. We'll continue on with the next part of this in Part 7.

[1] United States and British Commonwealth in Prophecy

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Footnotes