An Extraordinary 4½ Years, Pt. 2

December 9, 2017

Ron Weinland

Today we're continuing with a series that we started last week that is covering the article on the publication page of the Church's website, and the series carries the same title as that particular article, An Extraordinary 4½ years, with this being Part 2.

Again, I'm going to mention this each time we go through it because to me it's incredible. It's hard for us to remember the passing of time and what we knew at certain points in time, and that becomes a bit of a challenge, but it's very inspiring if you understand when we actually, or what we actually understood at any moment in time. Some of the things brought out in this particular article to me are incredibly inspiring and awesome to understand, and even more so now than what it was back then when this was put on the post site on May the 30th of 2013. So that goes back quite a ways and a lot has happened in the meantime, and so we're going to go through this entire article in this particular series covering these things.

In Part 1 we ended in the section that's covering the difference in how God works through a prophet compared to how He works through an apostle. Now, this is even more inspiring to me in so many ways, because what happens here as we begin to understand that there is a tremendous difference in things of how different ones are worked through, worked with, and especially in this particular subject matter, because it helps us to understand in a far greater way indeed how God works, how He works with us, how He molds and fashions us, how He works to transform us, and that's an incredible process.

So we'll pick up by repeating what was covered in the last few paragraphs where we ended last week. We'll pick this up again in the paragraph that begins, "Although I wrote the book 2008 – God's Final Witness…" So again, that's where we're going to pick it up, in that particular area there and continue on then from where we left off last week.

Although I wrote the book 2008 — God’s Final Witness, I have not understood all that is written. God inspired me to write about prophetic events, but as with so many of the prophets, I have not understood all that He has given. In God’s time and according to His purpose that He is working out, He reveals more and more about the prophetic events He has inspired to be recorded.

So again here, this is kind of a difficult thing sometimes to understand, but the reality is that God has a purpose for revealing more at specific moments in time, and He doesn't give us understanding of everything all at once. So we can read through it and feel that we understand everything perhaps, but we really don't. He will continue to build upon some of those things just as He has through time on things that God has given. There is no difference with this.

Concerning this book 2008 – God's Final Witness, now, something we have done is we have pulled back on promoting this particular book. We're obviously promoting the last one because of how things have changed, because of God's purpose and what He's working out, although everything may end up being as bad, in the sense of those things prophesied, they may be just as bad and can even be worse than what was stated in 2008 – God's Final Witness. That depends on people. It depends on their choices. It depends on whether they will humble themselves in what is going to come to pass. Yet God is showing that He's merciful. He wants mankind to understand that He is merciful, and He's giving that extra time to give that benefit, to bring about an opportunity to hear things, to listen if they will.

So everything in the world, in the sense of how God is working with it to bring about the end-time here, has changed compared to what we understood before. Before it was a matter of absolute judgment and specific things were going to happen to specific nations to a specific magnitude, or above and beyond, because it still depends on how people respond.

So much of what is written there about the Thunders and so forth, those things are all there. They're all solid and sound, absolute; they're going to come to pass. Certain things have already taken place, but not in the measure that they're going to yet. Again, rather than being confusing to some we're pushing the last book. We're going to be advertising the last book. We're going to be promoting the last book. As people come to understand that, if they have time and they go back they'll be able to go back and find the others as well, obviously, then they can read those things with better understanding.

It is because of this that I do not always know or understand what God has given me that is prophetic. Then as an apostle and minister, I have taught about these things God has revealed through me as a prophet. A prophet’s job (function) is not like that of an apostle.

The Bible actually speaks of two different kinds of prophets in the sense of how God works with them and works through them. One is (as I have mentioned many times) stated in the book on the back page, back cover, about what a prophet is, in the sense of what I was at that time, what I could say to that point in time, because I couldn't say more because I was resisting, frankly. Yet that is the definition of a prophet, one who is able to be given inspired understanding or speaking to give those things that are a matter of prophecy, but not a matter of God giving them specific prophetic things in the future. There's a difference. So you'll find that throughout scripture, that God has used prophets in different ways, especially in the beginning of the Church. They weren't for writing things for the future, they were a matter of things with inspired speaking, inspired understanding of things of prophecy. So again:

A prophet’s job (function) is not like that of an apostle. A prophet simply writes or speaks what God has given him and he does not expound or elaborate on it; however, an apostle does teach and expound on “present truth,” doctrine, and prophecy to the Church.

So as you see some of the writings in scripture of Paul, of Peter, of John, so much of what they wrote, those things that God gave to them, it had to do with their being apostles and their part, in that respect, of preaching what God had given to them, what Jesus Christ had given to them. But it wasn't until later on there was one account of Paul being given something that was prophetic, but he wasn't a prophet, there in 2nd Thessalonians 2. God did give him that to give to the Church so that the Church could understand Jesus Christ is not going to return until an Apostasy occurs within God's Church. Then the whole Church is going to know by what has taken place that it has occurred, a great falling away, an Apostasy. And then, obviously, later on in John and the Book of Revelation, that obviously being prophecy. Going on:

A prophet simply writes or speaks what God has given him and he does not expound or elaborate on it; however, an apostle does teach and expound on “present truth,” doctrine, and prophecy to the Church. [That's their job.]

Herbert W. Armstrong expounded upon truth concerning prophecy about the modern day nations of Israel…

Now, I might mention here, I might add something else. It's not a matter of prophecy, but God does give to apostles things to do with truths whenever He chooses to give that to the Church. That's different than prophecy, obviously. It's truth that comes through apostles. That's why other scriptures talk about the importance of that then in how God molds and fashions His people.

Herbert W. Armstrong expounded upon truth concerning prophecy about the modern day nations of Israel, as God had given him knowledge of who they were. God began to give him “some” understanding of the “Key of David” (Rev. 3:7), which included the identity of these nations and the identity of the monarchy that has descended from King David to this time and is still upheld as having some rule in Ephraim [in the] (United Kingdom) [basically]. Many of the teachings during that era of Philadelphia about prophetic events for the end-time were centered upon knowledge of the identity of the modern day nations of Israel. Those teachings were based upon what was known to that point in time of the “present truth” Mr. Armstrong had been given by God.

God’s apostle, Paul, knew of the prophecies and promise of Jesus Christ’s return as the Messiah and he spoke in the context of that happening in his lifetime. Yet later, God revealed to him that it would be farther in the future.

So that's where we left off last time. That's what I mentioned earlier about what was given to Paul, though he wasn't a prophet, but God gave him that particular amount to understand for a purpose and a reason, just as a portion of what the Key of David is about was given to Mr. Armstrong for a great purpose of the work during that period of time. Going on then:

This gives some context to better understand how God has been working in His Church. There are people who have rejoiced in what they believe proves I am not a prophet as a result of some things I have stated in sermons.

Sometimes that can be a battle for people in God's Church, too, because the reality is we wait on God. We have to learn that. We wait on God. We're not given all understanding. Sometimes I'm sent emails about certain things that are written, certain prophetic things, or whatever, and there are times that I cannot respond to some of those things because I don't have the answers yet and I'm not going to speculate. So there are things we don't know at certain times that we may have questions. Sometimes that can put people to the test because the reality is we have to wait. If we continue to wait God will show us.

It's just like what happened through the Apostasy. I marvel at what happened then of questions that would come into the mind if you really wanted answers: How could this kind of thing in this magnitude happen to God's Church if we're God's people? How could so many, a third of the Church, go back to what they were called out of? How could a third just stop? And how could a third be scattered all over the place? Where is God working? Where is God's government if this is His Church? So it causes you to answer certain things about what you deeply believe. It truly does. It's awesome what we have experienced, what all of us who went through that experienced. So going on here again:

There are people who have rejoiced in what they believe proves I am not a prophet as a result of some things I have stated in sermons. Yet these individuals have no understanding of the job and function of a prophet or an apostle.

We in God's Church, God wants us to understand those things. He wants us to understand how He works with us, how He molds and fashions us. I marvel at how much He's revealed in the last several years of that very process, of how He actually transforms us. That's going to come out a lot in what we cover in this particular sermon. It's good that we understand that. God is sharing that with us because there's been no other time in God's Church that people have understood that process of how God works to transform us in a meaningful active process. They had understanding that we are to be transformed, and that's basically it, "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus," and of the things it talks about there of that process then over and over again, like it talks about in Romans 12 verses 1 and 2 there, and 3, in talking about this process of being transformed. Going on:

Candidly, these same people would reject me as either anyway without any so-called “proof.” It obviously doesn’t really matter what others think or believe about such things, but what does matter is that God’s people know and understand the differences. Such understanding leads to a better grasp and appreciation of how God is working in His Church.

So now we're back, we're down to a point here now of the subheading, “Back to February 2008.”

Back to February 2008

On the first Sabbath of February of 2008…

So it's good to go back in this history because we've gone through a lot and we need to understand what we experienced and why we experienced it and what God's purpose was that we experienced it because God can give anything He wants to give at any moment in time. As soon as we started in Pentecost of 1998 He could have given us all understanding if He'd wanted to, or at least knowledge; we wouldn't have the understanding, but He could have given us all knowledge of that which we needed to the return of Jesus Christ right down to the line, everything perfectly, but He didn't choose to do that for a great reason and it's a part of the reason of how we're transformed and what we have to go through and why we have to dig deep into this. God wants to bring out what is in this mind and there are things that bring those things to the surface so that we can address them, otherwise we don't really know what is in here. Sometimes because of the trials and tests God doesn't know until we've been put to that test, and then our response will show and reveal those things very powerfully so, because we have the power of choice, and that alters things mightily when it comes to prophecy.

Just like what is taking place now and what God is doing in the world by offering what He is. But that doesn't mean people are going to accept it. What happened in Nineveh, that was awesome! But that doesn't mean people in this age are going to do this with modern technology and as spoiled as the world is and as deeply embedded as people are in their own ideas and their own ways and their own politics. It's not going to be easy. It isn't an easy thing for God to work with the world and nations, to help them come to a point where they have the potential for listening and being humbled, but that doesn't mean they'll respond in that manner. Candidly, many won't. But the hope is that many will, many more than what was predetermined to take place for 2008 to 2012.

So in this, continuing on here under this subheading, “Back to February 2008.”

On the first Sabbath of February of 2008 I gave a sermon entitled, “The 144,000 Are Sealed!”

Now, it's important to understand we know that was wrong. We need to understand why it was wrong and we need to understand why that was given at that particular time.

This sermon was given and based upon what God had just revealed to me about timing in Daniel’s prophecy about the 1335 days. Even now, God continues to reveal more about these verses that we have not known.

What's amazing is God has revealed even more since this was written back then and began to be posted then in May of 2013.

These things that were revealed back then, and some of those things being revealed in greater detail at the time for writing this article, were done so as a function of being God’s prophet.

However, the sermon I gave on that day was fully about my job as an apostle. These differences are being pointed out so you can come to see more clearly how God has been leading His Church and why He has also allowed us to conclude things that were not fully correct — primarily in timing. By design and by purpose the apostle, Paul, was allowed to believe Jesus Christ was returning in his lifetime.

God could have told him at the very beginning when He took the blindness away and Jesus Christ was working with him, as he was; he could have revealed so much more to him if he'd wanted to. He could have told him things about the Church and things that the Church would go through and exactly what was going to have to take place before he would return, but he wasn't given that, none of the apostles were. So all the apostles were allowed to believe that Jesus Christ was still going to return in their lifetime. That was their hope. That was their desire. And candidly, there's a lot of good to that sometimes. You know what happens when people think that something's going to be over a thousand years away, 1900 years away? You know what would happen to people in many cases in God's Church? "Why keep fighting?" It just dashes certain hope and desire. "Well, if he's not going to return in my lifetime…" and then all of a sudden the future and knowing you're going to die and knowing what you're working at and what your job is and the various things here. But when you you’re in a state of never knowing, because it could be at any time, this affects how you feel about your entire life.

And has that changed a lot in God's Church? Our whole life in God's Church has been one of believing Jesus Christ can return soon. Every car we've ever purchased we have talked about that "this is likely the last one." We've had so many cars because it wasn't the last one the first time we began to think that way. I think of Mr. Armstrong. God blessed him with a sense of urgency. He always had that mindset of a sense of urgency, except for maybe for the period of time that he was sick and getting close to the point of having the heart attack that he did and at the door of death and some of the things that were happening within the Church at that time, but even then he still had a sense of urgency. So in all the writings you read there's always a sense of urgency, and he conveyed that to the Church. Now, how important is that for God's people?

How important was that in 1950 when he sent people who were writing the Plain Truth over to Europe to listen to the beginning of a common market because that's what he did. They came back and reported, because he understood, God gave Him understanding there of certain things about prophecy concerning the nations there and what would happen toward the end and that there would be 10 nations that would rise in Europe and they would have a common currency and people laughed at him. A common currency? A common military? That they would be united under a single kind of government that they would be working through? People just scoffed at that, made fun of that.

So he sent people over there, and they came back and told about the European Common Market. It was the European Common Market before it became what it is, something fully different today. Incredible. Then it changed as time went along.

Again, we go through things, but we have to have that sense. So how important was it for people in the Church at that time to believe that the return of Jesus Christ could be soon? Because as he sent people over there do you think they thought, "Well, we've got another thirty years in front of us before that can come together," or do you think that they thought, "You know, this can come together quite rapidly. You know, they can be stirred up again. Things can happen in the world. Things can happen with the economy of the world that motivate people and generally lead to wars," because they do, and all the things that transpired there. It's important that people had a sense of urgency, and that they believe what I have always believed in God's Church, his coming can be soon.

What do you think about your nature? That's what's so dangerous with some of the scattered groups out there and what's happened to them and why they become even more and more lethargic through time because if you have someone telling you – which has taken place – that "It's probably a hundred years away." Hmmm. That changes everything. Where is the sense of urgency? Where is the pressure, the sense of pressure that we have to have as human beings to motivate us, to move us, because we can't think that way? "I won't be here in a hundred years!" It changes everything about how you think. But if you did as Mr. Armstrong, God gave to him that sense of urgency that it can be within a short period of time Jesus Christ can return, we have to be made ready. We have to be watchful. You think that wasn't being taught by Mr. Armstrong, "You have to be watchful. You need to be alert. You need to be on guard spiritually"? Absolutely! You can read about it. He understood. He motivated people to have that sense of urgency. It's a danger when you don't have that.

Do you know what happens when you don't have that? You have Laodicea, that spirit, a lukewarm spirit. When you're not moved and motivated because you have a sense of urgency in front of you that this can happen soon, things begin to change. Incredible, the process we've gone through, the process God takes His people through to mold and fashion something unique within them.

So again here, "By design and by purpose the apostle, Paul, was allowed to believe Jesus Christ was returning in his lifetime," until God inspired him to write what was in 2nd Thessalonians 2.

As an aside, what do you think some of that purpose was?

Hopefully we understand that deeply now. "The subject of that sermon," again, talking about this sermon given on February of 2008 entitled, "The 144,000 Are Sealed!"

The subject of that sermon was about the sealing of the 144,000, which was based on what God was then revealing concerning some of the meaning of the 1335 days of Daniel. This revelation was given to me as a prophet. It was simple fact! It was about the revelation of the meaning of the 1335 days being about the sealing of the 144,000…

That's what God had given; the 1335 days are about the sealing of the 144,000. He didn't give more; He just gave that.

…about the sealing of the 144,000 in the Book of Revelation. However, my speaking (preaching) and teaching in the sermon was in the function of an apostle. As an apostle, I based what was given in the sermon on what was given prophetically about the meaning of the 1335-day prophecy and the “present truth” we had to that time. That present truth we had was that Jesus Christ would return on a Feast of Trumpets.

So there's a great distinction there. If God gives a bit of an ability to see something, to know something about a prophecy, and that is our present truth, then we have to base that upon other present truth that we have to that moment in time. That's what we do. That's how God's prophets, that's how God's teachers have always done.

That present truth we had was that Jesus Christ would return on a Feast of Trumpets. An additional present truth was that God had revealed that His final witness was to begin in 2008…

It would begin to be given in 2008. It would begin at that point in time. It was just the same kind of blurb. "It will begin in 2008." That's all that was known. "The 1335 is about the 144,000." That's what was given to know, but as an apostle that all has to be based on present truth to teach about it, to preach about it. Again, that matter of what God had revealed:

…that His final witness was to begin in 2008, which was revealed as a simple fact as a function of a prophet.

There are some direct statements I made in that sermon, as an apostle, that were not correct — not for February 2, 2008. It was stated, “This is given by revelation only and by no other means. Let me say this another way. This is given by prophetic revelation and by no other means.”

But it was only about the 1335 days and the timing we thought that Jesus Christ would return, and that's what it was based upon, those things reveal prophetically.

Indeed, what was revealed to me concerning Daniel’s 1335 days being about the sealing of the 144,000 was a prophetic revelation given to a prophet. It was simple fact. However, as an apostle whose responsibility it was to preach about this was based upon what knowledge we had in the Church to that moment in time — the present truth. This revelation of Daniel’s 1335 days being about the 144,000 being sealed was given to me on that Friday evening before the sermon was to be given the following day. My conclusion was based on the belief of Christ returning on Trumpets of 2011 and the fact (prophetically revealed) that 2008 was the year God’s final witness would begin. My conclusion was wrong.

So God has allowed this through time through things that are taught. It's in the New Testament. Mr. Armstrong had the same things happen to him and we have them still happening now. To me that's inspiring to know and to understand, and to be at peace with that, to be confident and bold with that because there are reasons why God gives us little blurbs here and there to see at certain times with the present truth we have. That's what so much of this article goes into next as we keep going forward here. Going on:

This example is being given to show there is purpose to the process God uses to lead His people and different means by which He does so.

Because it's about us! It's about what it takes to mold and fashion the human mind in God's way, and it tries and tests the human mind as to where we are at any moment in time in the present truth that God has given.

Under the heading here, “Faith and Righteous Judgment”:

Faith and Righteous Judgment

God does not give us all truth that there is to know and we do not have the capacity to receive it anyway.

That's why He gives us a little bit at a time. I think about this was given in 2013 and I think of what God has given even more to understand this entire process since that time, and some of it has just been recently. He continues to give us more and more understanding.

I just couldn't help but interject this in thinking about this, about how God gives us truth, that He doesn't give us all truth that there is to know at any moment in time at all because we can't receive it. It takes time. Look how long it takes us sometimes to build upon certain scriptures that God has given. He reveals a little bit at a time and then we have that set in our minds; we see that for a time, we come to understand it more deeply, and then He gives us more to build upon that. It's a building process and that process never stops. I find that awesomely inspiring!

I just interjected here in the article here I think of the 3½ years that's also known as a period of time of 1260 prophetic days, and within that is also another period called "time, times, and a half a time." Now, some have had difficulty in struggling and dealing with some of this and not understanding there's always a 1260 days. It never changes, but within that God also gives two things to understand about time, time, and a half a time. It's always been that way, but we hadn't understood that. Different things are referred to in different places, that same period of time, 3½ years or 1260 days, or time, time, and a half a time; that never changed. But some misunderstood a particular sermon at one time when I talked about this subject of judgment because of the 280 days and because of what God had revealed concerning Mr. Tkach and the period that followed that fits into then that regular period of time that's left is time, times, and a half a time. So this can become very confusing to people.

I think about that period of time and what we were to learn and some of the things that we also learned if we are able to receive some of it, but this 280 days that leaves 980 days that is a time, time, and a half a time with the 280 days. Now, I'm not even going to spend the time of going into it again, okay, because it isn't that important right now. What is important is the 1260 days, the 3½ years, and the time, time, and a half a time we've always understood, that they're all the same. The 1260 days, the 3½ years, the things that happen in the end-time here that are specific periods of time, that we're in the seventh one now is awesome, it's inspiring, it's incredible.

But I think of what God gave then, and candidly I think the reason most of that was given that had to do with judgment was for me, of things I learned from the process and of things I had to go through to grasp and understand some things about God's judgment. When you begin to understand even more and more and more, that there are things that God gives in a very orderly and meaningful way, everything has meaning with Him that He gives to His Church. Everything that He does has incredible meaning and so does that period of time. But it's about judgment and that's all it's about. It's not about a specific prophetic period of time of 1260 days that we understand, but within that 1260 days, in every one of those segments you're going to come to learn and understand in time as God gives it that there is judgment, every time, every period of time. We don't know all those yet just as we don't know all that took place in the various eras of God's Church, but God had a purpose and a design in all of that. So it is a matter of judgment because God doesn't just give a prophetic period of time without purpose. I hope this makes sense. He gives a specific period of time – we're in the seventh one – and we don't understand it all yet. We don't understand what we've been through. We just know that we can look at those numbers and we can see absolute days that things have begun and when they've ended and be in awe of the timing of them. We don't understand them yet. And candidly, I don't know that we can fully yet. I think the 144,000 will be able to grasp it. There are things about God and there are things about how God does what He does that are, candidly, beyond human capacity. They really are. But the greater thing to understand in all this is everything is so minutely, perfectly designed and has incredible meaning and purpose in it.

So in time we will come to see and understand that every prophetic period that we've been going through has a period of judgment in it, of a period of time that is a matter of God's judgment – 280 days – followed by a time to see how we respond to it, to see how we deal with and yield to the process of what God has judged and why He's given a specific judgment in any moment in time. That's inspiring! But again, it can become very confusing, especially when you don't like math.

So I think of that particular period of time and I think of what God has given me as a result of that, and I am thankful. I am grateful. I don't understand it all, but there are things to see and understand. It's like looking at the universe and thinking about time and we're going to talk about some of that as we go along here. We can't comprehend those things. We can't receive all that. There's no way! So God gives us an overview. Look what He did in the beginning in Genesis, a quick overview. You get a couple chapters and you get a quick overview of what God was doing in remolding and fashioning the earth and in time He began to add knowledge and understanding to it and to grasp it, what was taking place beforehand with an angelic realm, and Satan's rebellion, and what happened on this earth and that which was worse than a nuclear winter that the sun couldn't even get through to the earth for we don't know how long. Millions and millions of years? We don't know!

To understand those things is not easy for the human mind. We can't understand 6,000 years of human history. We don't even have good history! Look how good a job that man has done with that and how man continues to change it, depending on what country you're in, depending on what kingdom has served and reigned and how they totally try to rewrite history because it's about themselves and some places they have gone in and tried to wipe out everything having to do with a nation's history and they try to create their own. Incredible! No wonder we're so blind. Think of the world today and how people have their own ideas of history, their own ideas of what happened during WW II. They have different viewpoints of how things took place and what changed and why it changed and what had certain effects in certain areas, and they write it from their own vantage point and their own prejudice. That's all man can do.

So again, reading this again, that first paragraph under the heading, “Faith and Righteous Judgment”:

God does not give us all truth that there is to know and we do not have the capacity to receive it anyway. We will ever be growing in that. God has been revealing truth to mankind for 6,000 years in a progressive manner AS His plan is unfolding.

I don't know about you, but I am in awe of that! If you think about time and think about what people knew, Abraham, Abram, I should say, and Sarah, and what they knew and what they didn't know and how they were judged, it's an awesome thing. You go on through time to the time of Moses and what was given to Moses, and yet how little Moses really understood and knew, but he was given so much progressively as a people that they had never had before in this manner. On and on it has gone through the time of the nation of Judah and all the prophets in Israel and Judah that God had raised up and all the things written in scripture that we have, and then Jesus Christ coming and revealing more, and just growing and growing and growing. After 4,000 years, that's a marvel. It was 4,000 years before Jesus Christ finally came to this earth. Incredible! It really is. God waited that long to reveal what He'd been giving and talking about for so, so long through prophets and different ones all the way through that time and the things He told and promised to Abraham that they didn't grasp nor comprehend. On and on it goes. It's incredible, it truly is. God is so incredibly great, almighty, and the manner in which He has worked with human beings and molded and fashioned His Temple is beyond understanding, but He gives us greater and greater understanding the farther we go.

God does not give us all truth that there is to know and we do not have the capacity to receive it anyway. We will ever be growing in that. God has been revealing truth to mankind for 6,000 years in a progressive manner AS His plan is unfolding. This has been often pointed out over the past few years, as it must become deeply engrained in us. This in itself is an important truth that aids in sharpening righteous judgment and works to build stronger faith.

We are judged by what we see — know and understand — at any moment in time.

Abram was judged by what he knew, which wasn't a lot concerning God's plan. On and on it goes through time, whatever people were given at any moment in time they are judged by that.

We are judged by what we see — know and understand — at any moment in time. Abraham and Sarah were judged by what God had given to them to know up until that time in God’s unfolding plan. They did not have the teachings Christ gave his disciples and they did not have what was later added as God gave even more through the early apostles that were to be recorded in the New Testament. They did not have what is written in the books of the Kings, nor in the Psalms and Proverbs, or what the prophets recorded.

Isn't that amazing? They didn't have those things.

Abraham and Sarah were judged first and foremost by their desire and willingness to live by a “basic way of life” that was founded upon two basic relationships in life — love toward God and love toward fellow man.

And how they lived that, and their belief in what God had to say, because God simply told Abram at one point there, "Leave your family. Leave your kindred and go into a land that I'm going to show you," and he went. He believed God was going to do something with him and through him and he just believed God. He obeyed Him. It says a lot.

They sought to live by the laws God had given them regarding how to love both. This is the most important part in one’s spiritual life.

It's how you live toward God and how you live toward others. That's what it's about. That's the most important thing in our lives. It's how we live. It's not all that we know. It's not all that we grasp and comprehend in God's plan. It's by how we live toward others and whether we truly obey God and put Him first in our life. Because if we put Him first then everything else in all relationships and how we judge matters will follow. That's just the way life is for God's people. Going on:

If God’s laws about how to have a right relationship toward others and toward God are not what regulates our behavior, then all the rest of the knowledge, understanding, and prophetic revelation God can give would have no meaning and purpose whatever (1 Cor. 13).

All you have to do is read 1 Corinthians 13 about what God's love is, how it acts, and how it doesn't act. We're learning that more right now in an intensified way because God wants us to be able to look at ourselves in a spiritual mirror and be honest with God, be honest with Jesus Christ, be honest with ourselves, and be honest in how we live life before God as far as His way of life is concerned. There's more of that taking place now, what God is putting upon the Church to understand, to know, and how to live than any time I've known in God's Church and any time I can read about in God's Church and it's because of where we are in time.

God is not playing games with His Church anymore. Not that He ever was, but He allowed many things to continue on – hypocrisies, lying, cheating, all the things that human beings can do in not being honest with God. That's not being tolerated anymore because of where we are in time. We are coming up to a point in time, Jesus Christ is returning, and a Church is going to be made ready, fully ready for His return. No one has the right nor can receive the honor to live on into a new age if they haven't been honest and truthful in living in this time, in this age with what God has given to them. If they're not willing to do that they will not live into that new age. So there is a huge and incredible amount that is placed upon us to grasp and see and understand now more than any other time in God's Church, though those things were true before, always have been true in God's Church, but the reality is God is making certain that His Church is of a certain way now more than ever before, and that which isn't is going by the wayside.

I am amazed of what continues to happen in God's Church. God is bringing things to the surface. I would fear deeply lying to God about anything right now in God's Church, truly. We're either going to live this way of life zealously or not, because, you see, with everyone else who's lived during, as a whole, Philadelphia, Sardis, Thyatira, and going all the way back, they're all dead. Those who will be a part of the 144,000 will be resurrected when Jesus Christ returns, but what about all the rest? Not till the 100-years, all those who were called, all those who had opportunity in God's Church who didn't live this way of life, who turned against the truth. Many were called and few were chosen. Well, there's a reason for that because they didn't live like they should have been living. So time has sorted that out and they're not going to be in the Millennium, obviously. They have to wait until the Great White Throne to be resurrected. There's going to be some weeping and gnashing of teeth of individuals who had the opportunity and didn't use it. What an incredible thing! That's what that's about when it says there's going to be weeping and gnashing of teeth. In other words, people are going to be so upset with themselves when they have their eyes open to see what they had opportunity for and the stupidity of what they did for the smallest of things in life that have no meaning in the sense of eternity, in the sense of life going on into everlasting life, of what people will give up.

People will laugh at or say, "Wasn't that as stupid thing, to give up an inheritance for a bowl of soup? Wasn't that a stupid thing?" Yes, it was. You know the account it speaks of there. The things that human beings have done to give up something that God has offered them, for something that is so meaningless, trivial, and for a short time – money gained in a wrong way, sex for the wrong use and the wrong way. How long is that going to last? What are you going to feel like if you live to be a hundred? You're not going to feel the same as you did when you were 20, 30, and 40, I can tell you right now. Matter of fact, when you get up around 60 and 70 you start thinking differently. You begin to understand more deeply what is more important in life, but when a person's not married or when they're first married that's what's heavy in people's minds and it's powerful to the human mind, it really is, to where people will make the stupidest, most ignorant mistakes in life – to give up something.

You have to marvel at the human life because what God is offering is not real enough or is not kept in that sense of urgency like it should be, that sense of urgency and understanding what it is that God gives us to hold on to, if we choose to hold on to it, and that becomes the most valuable thing to us and we learn to love more and more His truths and to hate anything that interferes with that, so much so that we cry out to God to help us to change, to not stay the way we are, and so choices. Choices. Choices. Choices.

So God's Church today is so different than it ever has been for what we have, for what we see, for what we know, for what we understand, and for what God requires of every one of us of how we're to live and if we are not willing and receive, strictly because of the time we live in, we need to grasp that with all of our being. It's about the time we happen to live in. Everybody else has to wait until the Great White Throne. God's going to see to it that there are others who have to wait to the Great White Throne as well. That's why they're not going to be allowed to live into the Millennium, to be known as, "Oh, you were in the Church of God but you did what? How did you live? And you never fought that? You didn't fight that like you should? That's kind of hypocritical, isn't it?" Yeah, it is, so God's not going to allow it. We should be fearful of that!

If God can prevent several tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of individuals to not live on into a period of time, to wander across the Jordan River to go into a promised land, He can easily keep a few from not entering into a new age. That's what's happening. So either we love this way of life, we love God, we're thankful for what He's placed before us, we're putting priorities where they need to be – God is first, or not. And if He's not first then what are we lifting up? What is it we're lifting up above God? God's not going to have that anymore because of the time we live in. That's a simple thing to understand. We need to understand that.

So I marvel there are still people out there cheating in tithing, cheating God, lying to God, who don't send in holy day offerings. It's not about the money coming in; it's about the fact that we don't obey God. I hope we have the picture! Slowly but surely all those are being brought to the surface, saying sayonara, auf wiedersehen, dos vedanya, because you do not belong here. If you can lie to God like that you do not belong here. Then how many other things are hidden, that people think are hidden that are not really hidden? God knows and sees everything in our lives and either we are repenting of sin and fighting every day of our lives and placing things where they need to be in the sense of value and appreciation of what God is offering us or we're not.

And God knows. God will bring every, every single one of those things to the surface. No one will get by. Even if it just means death. See, I may not know and learn all of them, but God will take care of it, of those that aren't brought to the surface and aren't dealt with. You just die, not live into the Millennium. It's as simple as that.

So I cry out about this more and more because I think, "Why? Why would we raise anything up to threaten or to thwart something so great that God offers us? How much do we really value it? How much do we really believe it?" So that's so much of the subject matter here. Going on:

Although Abraham and Sarah did not have the slightest fraction of all the vastness of knowledge and understanding of God’s greater plan and purpose for mankind that we have available to us today, they will be very great in the Kingdom of God. This knowledge alone should stir people to examine how they live toward and treat their fellow man.

You know, I'm amazed at why people can't get along in God's Church! And this goes on and on and on from area to area to area – it just pops up too often. What excuse do we have that we can't swallow our pride and call it what it is and just shut our mouths if we have to and don't worry about how we think we're treated by someone else? Just swallow the pride and get along! That's the most important thing. We don't have to have things our way! Because that's where conflict comes from. It's when we want things to be our way. "And when it's not my way I get my feelings hurt! Boo hoo hoo, someone isn't treating me fair!" I'm sorry, but I'm sick of this stuff in God's Church. I am sick, sick, sick of it! Because that isn't in God's Church! That isn't the mind of God that He's given to us. That's not the spirit of God that reacts to people in that way.

I hope we're starting to get this message of what God is allowing us to see. Who is it in God's Church you have difficulty with that you can't get along with, and then why? There is absolutely no excuse! Okay? There’s no excuse why we in God's Church can't get along and love each other with a sacrificing kind of love. So that brings up – where is the sacrifice? If you want something your way you're not going to sacrifice. You're going to want someone else to do things your way and you're going to push them and pressure them and cause their life to be miserable because you pressure and put them under such stress. Why do that to people? You want something your way! Well, that'd be great, wouldn't it? If everything went our way what would life be like? It wouldn't be that good. Let me just tell you right now, if everything went the way you want it to go as a human being it wouldn't be what it should be, because you wouldn't have the opportunities to grow spiritually like you need to, like must happen in life. So, I hope we're getting the message. Because, see, I'm crying out because I know that is not going to be allowed to live on into the Millennium if it doesn't change. That must change everywhere in God's Church.

I'll just tell you, almost every area of the Church of God right now that we travel to there's friction. Sometimes under the surface a little bit here and there, but there's still friction where people are struggling to get along. And I think, why? Who is it I can't get along with? Who is it that can't get along with me? I'm a nice guy. I'm kidding! Well, I try to be. I try to be just. I try to be right before God. I try to treat people fairly and when correction is needed I give the correction, too, with the hope and desire that people will change. It’s shepherding, loving God's people. Why can't we love God's people? Who of God's people do we not really love? Because if we're not treating them right we don't love them. Do we get the picture? If we're not treating somebody right in God's Church we don't love them, if we want them to do certain things a certain way to make us happier.

So every Sabbath, pretty much, God is bringing this out over and over again, everywhere I go. We've got to clean up the body. We've got to clean up our own lives. We've got to make certain that we're doing what we need to be doing as God's people, to live this way of life in truth and in spirit. See, because the other isn't. There's nothing truthful about it and there's nothing as a matter of relying on God's spirit in it if we don't get along with each other well, exceedingly well. And wherever friction happens we need to say, "I am so sorry, and I'm going to strive with all my being that this never, never happens again. I love you." I don't know if everybody can say that to each other. If we can't say that to everyone in God's Church something is really, really, really spiritually haywire in our lives. Truly.

God’s desire in us is to transform our minds so we can become Elohim [to live age-lasting life, on and on and on, that makes this life look so puny].

Seventy years, it's a puff of smoke. But not to us while we're living it. We think this is it, you know, and we're so demanding sometimes as human beings. We're so selfish sometimes as human beings, because bad things, messed up things come from selfishness – jealousy, envy, whatever it is, the anger, the inability to get along, and on and on and on it goes, all these things that come together because we're living selfishly. That's the bottom line. It's a matter of absolute selfishness.

God’s desire in us is to transform our minds so we can become Elohim. He desires to mold righteous judgment into our thinking…

How do we judge matters? See, selfishness has absolutely no place in righteous judgment. It can't exist there. They're totally contrary to each other. So again:

He desires to mold righteous judgment into our thinking — the mind becoming capable of formulating right conclusions and making righteous decisions [not selfish ones]. Righteous decisions come from basing our judgment of every matter in life by God’s revealed truth to that moment in time. So God tries and tests us by how He leads us and by what He has revealed up to any specific moment in time.

And so, first and foremost it's going to be by how we think toward each other and how we treat one another. But you know what? If we're not living that right and not living that right toward God, of how we honor Him and whether we're truly honoring Him or taking His name in vain by living selfish lives, he’ll bring it to the surface, because that takes God's name in vain. It's not using His spirit. It's not using His power in the way we're supposed to and making changes in our life the way we're supposed to.

So again here, it's first and foremost by what we know and how we treat others. But you know what brings those things to the surface? If we're not treating one another in God's love, in a right mind and being sacrificing in our thinking to be able to love others and getting rid of the matters of selfishness in our thinking when we make choices and decisions, if we're not doing those things then little trials and tests that come along in the Church bring that to the surface because those are the things that make us spiritually weaker so that when something comes along that tries and tests us it reveals where we are spiritually. There are many who have gone by the wayside because they haven't loved their brother.

They think it's because of women being ordained. I think of one that just comes to mind because some got upset. I think of some in Cincinnati, some leadership at the Church even at that particular time became jealous of specific individuals that were ordained, and those who were being worked with more and more. Jealousy because they didn't love them like they should have in the first place that began to bring something to the surface. It wasn't that they could say, "Oh, I don't think women should be ordained" and be righteous, and they're going to leave God's Church now because “such and such” shouldn't have been ordained and women shouldn't be ordained and whatever it might be. Something will come along to try people. That's the way it's always been in God's Church. Amazing!

But people don't understand that these little things that happen when this comes to the surface and someone is either put out or leaves is because something's been going on for a long, long time anyway where they become weak. It didn't happen overnight. It wasn't all of a sudden a certain decision. It's something spiritually that was taking place for a long, long time, of how they were living toward others. It's always been that way. It's been very hard for people in God's Church to understand that. When someone is disfellowshipped, somewhere along the line a long time ago they ceased to love like they should love – to love God first, to put God first, because if they love God first and foremost they wouldn't have done some of the things they did. They would have repented of those things. They would have been fighting against those things with all their being, and on and on it goes.

God holds His people to an exceedingly high standard. Should it be any other way? We are the only ones on the earth who have been given what we have, the kind of knowledge that we have. So shouldn't we indeed rise to a higher standard in all of our being knowing that we can do that with God's spirit, with God's help? Incredible!

There are different examples of this in the early Church. One important example early on that was difficult for some to receive was God’s revelation that the gospel was to now go to the gentiles.

Hmmm, had to learn about their fellow man because they were lifted up in their own self-importance, of how important the Jews were. "We are a special people." They still have that attitude today. "We are a special people. We're God's chosen people, and the rest of you…" That's kind of the attitude and spirit. But that's the attitude and spirit about every religion out there. "No, we know the truth. We know that you didn't accept the Messiah. You didn't accept Christ. We know who you are," all the smugness that human beings have toward each other and all the different religions. Even the scattered Church, "We know what you're like." "We know what that guy is like." I'm talking about even how they talk about each other, not about us. We know how they talk about us. But anyway, sad how human beings are, to get lifted up with self-importance and how we think about others, to look down our nose then at others. "But by the grace of God, there go I." Who are we? If we're so blessed to have had our eyes opened up, to be awakened, then how blessed are we? Are we better than they were? Not at all. It's just by God's purpose. Just like a calling, we’re not better than others in the world; it's by God's purpose. Just as we read last week there in 1 Corinthians. I believe it was chapter 3. So again, this gospel going to the gentiles.

This was new and it was a great change being required in the thinking of most. This put the Church to the test to see if all would continue to follow how God was leading them.

They had a tough time. They had this Paul, who they knew as Saul, who was out to kill them. He was out to drag them off to prison. They knew he'd given his consent because, see, it came from him, directly from him to kill Stephen. They didn't take Stephen's life without Saul's permission. They had to have his permission. That's the kind of power and authority he had. He gave his nod. Incredible! He sought after others, anyone he could, to put into prison and in some cases then to put to death. That was a pretty tough thing for them to believe, to receive, that Jesus Christ could have been working with him of all people. So it wasn't just toward gentiles, they had problems with the apostle, Paul, for a time there.

"This put the Church to the test to see if all would continue to follow how God was leading them." What an amazing thing. Pick out the one person who's the one who's trying to kill you and learn to love him and to forgive what he did before because he didn't know, and to realize that God was using him in a very powerful way to teach the Church and to go to the gentiles. Awesome! But that's how God chose to work. Now, is everybody going to receive that and thank God for it? It tries people. The fact that God has used me has tried a lot of people. Incredible.

This put the Church to the test to see if all would continue to follow how God was leading them. The response from each person would determine if they had the ability to judge various situations in a righteous manner involving the gentiles — according to that new truth God had revealed to them. [Incredible!]

This example can be likened today to what God has revealed to His Church about true freedom that is being restored to women by removing them from the kind of bondage they have been experiencing in the world for the past 6,000 years.

And boy, when that came out it was tough. It was too much for some and they're no longer with us. Even for those who are trying to receive it in some cases it's been tough because it's hard for people to see their prejudices, to see what's really inside of them. But this helped to begin to bring some of those things to the surface so people could begin to deal with them. Going on:

In the Church now, and in the Millennium that is coming, women are not second-class citizens who can be treated as inferior by men or looked upon by men as being in subjection to them. Such subjection would only be the case if it were on a spiritual plane when the need to administer God’s government might arise, [which I'll add is a rarity, ever, in God's Church]. In like fashion, there will be women who may also need to administer God’s government toward a man who in turn should be in subjection to God in such a case. In the Church now and into the future, God is removing the “curse” that started in the beginning due to the sins of Adam and Eve, and due to the sins of all who have lived selfish lives after that time.

Because that's just the way mankind went then. That's just the way of human nature. It's just a matter of human nature. Now, this has indeed has been a real test upon God's Church over the past many years and it still is. Some are still fighting and dealing with it, but at least they're fighting. It is the revelation of truth and the manner and timing God does so that has often put people to the test.

I'm going to turn over to 1 Corinthians 3. Let's turn over there and read some verses that go through some of this, that really fit in so powerfully here with what we're talking about. They are very basic, very sound, very powerful, because it reveals something of how we all are, and we're all going to do something that fits into what is said here. Every person does.

1 Corinthians 3:11-17—For no other foundation can any man lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. So it all begins with Jesus Christ. Everything starts there. All understanding, all knowledge, all truth that God reveals begins with him. Now, and not the word "if." It's better translated as "whether," because people will build upon one or the other. That's a reality and that's what this word really means here in this translation. Now, whether any man/person build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble… The point being is that an individual is going to build upon one of these on a spiritual plane, one of these. It's how they're going to respond to God and put into their lives that measure of work or lack thereof. So it's either going to be built upon gold, silver, which is less than the gold, meaning a person's still putting a great deal into it but not what the individual is with the gold. That's what the analogy is here being shown, that which is more precious. Because God, He doesn't set limits. We set limits upon ourselves by how we respond to what God gives to us, by how we build, and if we love this way of life and we want it with all of our being we're going to work for that. "Wood, hay, stubble…" so it just goes down, takes a little longer here, because wood can stand up for a time, but after a while it's not going to make it when certain things come along. Neither will "hay," nor "stubble" especially. It's going to go by the wayside quickly.

That's the analogy of what's being given here. Every man's work, see, what we put into it, "Every person's work." What do we desire? How much do we desire it? How much are we willing to fight? How much do we really grasp what God is giving us, and how much are we thankful for it because we see the value of it? I mean we really see the value of it because the more you see the value of it the more you're going to be willing to sacrifice and put into it. That's what it's about! So the more you're willing to put into it, well, that's what this whole thing is about here. What are we willing to do? It's the work we do. People have to work!

We live in a world today that people don't know how to work, as a whole; young people that come along in this generation, it's just gotten worse and worse generation to generation. And that can affect you spiritually if we don't know how to work physically in our life! Sadly, there have been some situations where we had to tell individuals, the scripture says, “if you do not provide," in essence here, paraphrasing some of this, "if we can't even provide for ourselves, let alone our family, if we're not willing to work to provide for ourselves, for our family," so a family can be a one single unit, starting here, and then whatever else is brought into it, "and if we're not willing to work and be productive and strive to accomplish that then God says we're worse than a non-believer, worse than an infidel." So those who are able to, those who are capable of doing so are expected to do so.

So there have been some cases where we told individuals, "You're young. You better start doing something or you don't belong here. You're young. Why can't you be productive? Do you not see that this is going to affect you spiritually in your life? If it affects you physically and you're not willing to put into it and not willing to strive to be productive or to do the things that prepare you (schooling, education) in order to be productive, then it affects you spiritually."

Do we grasp God's purpose? What kind of a God we serve? What kind of a future we have? That we'll always be working? Because that's where fullness of life comes from, excitement of life. It comes from productivity and doing, not sitting back and not doing anything, wanting others to do it for us, thinking it's maybe owed to us. Maybe the government owes it to us.

We've got a lot of people now days that it's so much easier just to go down to the line. Now, when it's needed, it's needed, and people should strive to get whatever help they can when they're in time of need. Please understand me. But we live in a world today where people get into a frame of mind where they think certain things are owed to them and the government owes certain things to us, and the rich, they owe it to pay it to the government so we can have our share too! I mean, some people have that attitude! It boggles my mind! Sure, I want to become wealthy so I can help you relax.

Every man's work shall be made manifest. See, it's going to come out sooner or later what we're made of, how we think, how we think toward God, how we think toward our calling. For the day shall declare it. I love that verse, "For the day shall declare it." There's a day coming that will make it manifest in everybody's life more than any other time. A time will come when everything will be in the surface and it'll be revealed, see. Either for the good or for the worse.

I think of people who have gone by the wayside. Their day came for the worse, went by the wayside. It was all made manifest, what they'd built upon and how they were living toward others, how they thought about what they'd been given, how they considered the truths that they had learned, such as Jesus Christ has not eternally existed. It blows my mind that people accepted that and then went back to some of the organizations scattered out here who do not believe that. How on earth can the human mind do such a thing? But it's done over and over again.

Every mans work/Every person's work should be made manifest; for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire. There will be a test. There will be a trial that comes along and you can't hold back anymore. It's like those two elders I've talked about up in Toledo when I took them aside and said, "I am getting ready to resign and here's what's coming and the Church is going to look to you to see what you do. Are you going to stand solid and firm for God's truth and God's way of life that you learned from the beginning or are you going to follow California and what they're saying to do now that God's law's being done away with? Which are you going to do? Because the Church is going to look to you to see what you are going to do in this. The day's here." I marvel at what they did. They didn't stand firm at all. What kind of shiftless, no good elders were they, to be ordained and not stand up for God's people? It blows my mind! That should have been the first thing in their mind, to be willing to sacrifice, to do no matter what comes their way. "Oh, it's going to be hard?" Well, boo hoo, you know! People are going to talk about you or just a few are going to listen to you, and the rest? Let me get out my little violin. We're to stand firm for God's way of life and for God's people. All of us! That's why we're to love all of God's people, and if we don't then its hypocrisy.

…because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every person's work of what sort it is, what we're really putting into it, how we're really living. You see, that's why I said when something comes along and someone comes to the point of being disfellowshipped or they leave God's Church this has been going on for a while. See, it didn't just happen overnight. How they've been living toward others has been going on for a long time. It's just now with this trial and test, this is what brings it all to the surface, see?

If any man's work abide, "stays, remains," is what it means, which he has built thereon, he shall receive a reward. What God's offering us, what He's going to give to us and how He's going to bless us for what we put into it, it's so awesome – truly is—far beyond our grasp and understanding, frankly.

Verse 15—If any man's work is burned… See, the wood, the hay, the stubble. The wood might last a little longer, might be able to stand, might be out in the courtyard a little longer because it takes a little while for the fire to burn through some things, but it's going to get burned up, see, unless there's a huge change. The hay and the stubble, that goes pretty fast. If any man's work is burned he will suffer loss, but he himself, as the word is, may be saved; yet it will be so. This is a proper translation. Some of these things aren't translated well sometimes in the King James Version at all. …yet it will be so as through fire. Isn't that amazing? God shows that even fire can be used to help sober a person, to help shake a person into reality, and help bring to repentance. So even if a person hasn't built as they should be building God has great patience and gives opportunity and time for people to repent and to make changes, but it's going to be difficult. It's going to come through a matter of trial and hardship and a test, in that respect, fire. That's what that fire means.

Do you not know that you are the temple of God? Do we see ourselves, that we're to be in the temple, in that respect, on a spiritual plane? We cannot afford to be out in the courtyard. We must be in the temple, worshipping in the temple spiritually before God, God in us, Jesus Christ in us and we in them? Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the spirit of God dwells in you? See, because if it does, if it is true, if it's alive then there are things we're going to be doing. We will be in the temple, but if the spirit is going by the wayside, if we're not utilizing it in the manner we should be, we aren’t in the temple. Why do we cry out? Why do you cry out for God's spirit?

Do you cry out for God's spirit in prayer? "I need Your help. I cannot do these things of my own. My spirit and my nature is one of selfishness. I need Your spirit. I want Your help to fight this. Please, continue to help me to fight and address these matters," whatever they are in life, "and to do the right thing, to have righteous judgment before You. Give me that strength! Give me that focus! Please, give me that desire, that encouragement of Your spirit," because that's what God will do. That's what He does to help us to change and overcome, but it has to come from God, because if we back away and we begin to quench the spirit and begin to cut off the flow of God's spirit because of negligence and sin and carelessness in our lives, of just how we treat people, then that's exceedingly dangerous and the flow of God's spirit then determines whether or not we're in the temple or outside of the temple. If God's spirit is there we're in the temple.

If anyone defiles the temple of God… How do you defile the temple of God? By not obeying God, by how we live, by not living right toward others. I referred to that a moment ago of taking God's name in vain. Spiritually, it's breaking that commandment, to take God's name in vain. We are the people, the Church of God. If we carry that name in us of who we are, in the temple of God, we are in the temple of God, then something must follow, see, and we will not defile then, we will seek not to defile, not to shame, bring shame into God's Church, not to bring shame into God's temple, but we will fight against it.

If any man defiles the temple of God, God, it's not "destroy," but it can lead to that if we don't repent at some point at time even in the Great White Throne, God shall, same word, defile, same Greek word. God shall defile him/her; for the temple of God is holy… God is pressing that matter home more now today and in the last several weeks since the Feast than any other time I've ever known in God's Church. He wants us to get the point of where we are now at this stage because this process of measuring the temple was right in this period of time. It began in the year before this and continued on, this measuring of the temple. It hasn't stopped, and will not stop. It is prophetic and it's being done within God's own Church and God's own people, because, you see, the focus above and beyond anything else in this world right now is still God's Church. That's awesome to understand. That's how important everyone who's in the Body of Christ is to God. We're first; it's where God's focus is first and foremost. . …for the temple of God is holy, which you are/which temple (understood) you are.

So continuing on in the article:

Some in the Church are still battling this and being tried by it, although this truth began to be delivered to the Church in 2009. This affects how husbands sometimes “think” it is permissible to treat a woman in a controlling manner as though they are subject to such demands or in how they might speak in a commanding manner…

Now, I know that this still has gone on to this day. I've known of some situations I've worked with where the individuals can't see they do this. They don't get themselves. They don't see themselves and because of that marriages come to an end sometimes. Marriages are not happy like they should be because sometimes people don't see this, of how they come across and how they treat in a condescending manner, though they think they're not being that way, toward a woman, because they don't see their own prejudice in their own mind. How do we really think? Well, God brings it to the surface through different things that happen in life.

So again, "or in how they might speak in a commanding manner," in other words, authoritative, "as though they are right and the woman's wrong." That's why it comes across that way because they know their right. That's just human nature anyway but it becomes worse when it's a relationship sometimes between a man and a woman because of the makeup of a man and just because of the way God created us. So a man uses that oftentimes in a very wrong way to push authority because he sees himself in a certain light that's not sound. A matter of fact, it's just pretty nasty. It's pretty disgusting. I could add a few words, but I'm not going to, what I think about it, because some would become offended by them. It’s really sick, that's what it is.

So again, authoritative, as though they are right and the woman is wrong because their way is better. "Don't you see it? Don't you see it? We should do this my way. It's the best way. Don't you get it?" I'm sorry; I've dealt with this a lot in God's Church. You think not? I’ve dealt with it a lot, way too much, and so often then when situations happen the man doesn't even see himself; he can't see what his thinking is like, where it's coming from and how he’s actually judging a matter. So again, sometimes they might speak in a commanding manner when they have no right to do so. There is no righteousness in that. There is no right judgment in that whatsoever.

Not only is there no right to do so, but it is also sin. [Amazing!] Even a few (a very few) men in God’s ministry are dealing with this newer and “present truth…”

That was written in 2013. Hopefully, it's not there now, though I imagine to some degrees it's still partially there in some cases but individuals are fighting it.

…men in God’s ministry are dealing with this newer and “present truth” in how they are responding to a woman who is over them in the administration of the government of God in the Church.

Now, that came out in some parts, when I was on a little sabbatical, but toward my own wife— and people didn't understand the authority there—or toward my daughter because they didn't understand the authority there, because they didn't recognize God's government there. It doesn't matter who it is, if they carry that authority, that title, then there is a certain way we should be in God's Church. I think of others as well, some who are senior elders, pastors, and sometimes how people have thought toward them, men and women, but oftentimes men, and towards others in the ministry who are women, who are elders over them in congregations and people, speaking of the congregation in particular. So my point being in all this when I say this has existed in the ministry, do you think it hasn't happened a lot more then within the Church? That's the whole point of mentioning that, that if it exists there please understand and know it exists more so within the Church as well, that it's there, it's alive.

So in that time, in 2013, more so than it is today, thankfully, because people are addressing those things in their life. They're seeking to change how they judge, how they think and it's a process. That's why I love how Mr. Armstrong said it's going to take three and four generations for people to get certain things changed up here because you can't get rid of all your prejudices overnight. It takes time to fight those things because they're so deeply ingrained in you. Most of those things were ingrained in you when you were a child! Please understand that. They are who you are grown up, see. The battles we fight so often they just have to do with the way we grew up, of who we became and just because we came into God's Church and went under the water and had hands layed upon us doesn't mean all that all of a sudden just disappeared. It didn't. On the contrary, now God brings things to the surface that with His holy spirit we can begin to work on them and we can fight them and we can change and become something different. Awesome! Going on:

In some cases, there is more than one woman over them as a matter of God’s spiritual government. The one whom a few are having a difficulty with is ordained a prophet, as Deborah was a prophet. These few must fight this battle (if it is one for them), just as some in the early Church had to fight their wrong thinking concerning the gentiles.

But this even more so in so many ways because we're talking about God's government now. So, anyway, amazing.

A person must change in their thinking as God reveals more truth to them in order for them to come into greater unity and oneness with Him.

Government is one of the most important things as well, you know. It's the first thing that was attributed to Mr. Armstrong as the first truth that was restored to God's Church. For a purpose that was number one.

Such changes of new revelation of truth often test and try people as to their faithfulness to God and their willingness to follow when, where, and how He leads.

So the ability to embrace a new truth when it comes along and then to fight against the prejudices we might have within our mind and our thinking that might resist it, well, that's an awesome thing, but God will give us the help we need if we cry out for it, and help to change and transform the thinking and give us, help us to have righteous judgment.

So as God reveals more to us we have to address changes in how we think if we desire to truly judge matters of life in a righteous manner — according to the ways, standards, truths, and righteousness of God’s word. We cannot serve God if we rely on our own ability to discern right and wrong…

See, that's the biggest mistake that can be made in a marriage with a husband if he doesn't see his wife as his partner together in life, as she must see him as a partner together in life, not one over the other in authority and power, being better than, knowing more than, whatever else might be there in life, in thinking that so happens in human beings. So, "we cannot serve God if we rely on our own ability to discern right and wrong," and sadly most of the time people don't think they are, but we do as human beings. We rely on ourselves and our thinking, of justice and judgment so often by what we think and how we see something, but God wants us to measure by how He sees it and wants us to see Him and His word and His truth, and then to judge according to that. That's a whole different ball game, truly.

We cannot serve God if we rely on our own ability to discern right and wrong, righteousness and unrighteousness, truth and error.

Because if we do we'll never be right, you know why? If we're looking to ourselves we're relying on selfishness, a wrong spirit, wrong thinking, a wrong mind because only God can reveal what is true and what is right. Only God can. "The human heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked; who can know it?" God does. That's why He works to transform us and He shows us how we think. He will reveal to us our wrong thinking. When is the last time you prayed to God, "Help me to see my wrong thinking"? Be careful. You cry out for that and ask for that, "Help me to see the things where I am judging things wrong." That's good to pray that, but be ready, God will show you. Things will happen. Things will come up in your life if you earnestly desire more and more to be able to correct. You might say, "Don't show me everything all at once, but please show me the number one thing I need to work on now and start focusing on now," and then just keep doing that. You ever prayed like that?

After all, that has been the problem from the beginning.

Just finishing that. Another section here entitled, “Grasping Time and The Present Truth”:

Grasping Time and The Present Truth

As I am writing, it has struck me even more deeply how and why God reveals His plan and purpose as He does. It is difficult for us, with such a limited human capacity, to grasp much about the concept of “time,” which in turn contains knowledge that can teach much more about God and His incredible greatness.

Today, I turned 64 [now that was back then] (at the time or originally writing of this). That seems like a long time ago, and for human life, it is getting close to the basic time God has allotted us to live — 70 years. But in reality, it is so incredibly short and in no way can be compared to or even worthy to be compared to what God actually offers us in everlasting life.

We just can't think that way, as a whole. We can try to think about that, life that goes on, but to grasp the concept of it, we don't. So often when people are younger the reality of what they're going to be in a few years doesn't hit people. That's why people don't plan like they should a lot of times in times past, and things for the future, as a whole, because it seems so far away, but it all comes around. Just ask some of the older ones here. You wonder where it went. It doesn't take that long. Twenty, thirty, forty years pass and you wonder where in the world did it go, but it's hard. It's really hard for us to think that way.

We cannot begin to grasp that concept of time.

In past sermons, the subject of our inability to grasp the magnitude of God’s physical creation has been addressed and along with that the concept of time in reference to that creation. How can we grasp the size of our own sun, which would take over 100 earths placed side by side to reach through its diameter?

I can't grasp that! You see it out there—we can't even look directly at it—but you get an idea what the size is looking at from what we see here, but to grasp that it'd take a hundred earths to go through the diameter of it? I can't grasp that and neither can you. I can't grasp the size of this earth.

How can we grasp the magnitude of power that created VY Canis Majoris of which it would take over 235,000 earths placed side by side to reach through it?

We can't comprehend that! We can't comprehend such a thing. 235,000 earths placed side by side? It'd take that to go through the center of that star? We can't think that. We don't know that. We can do it by numbers and try to appreciate numbers, but we don't grasp something like that at all.

Now just consider a factor of “time” that the human mind has absolutely no ability to truly grasp concerning the size of this universe that God Almighty created and sustains. Of the guesstimated number of stars in the universe, how long do you think it would take you to visit them all if you could do so at the rate of one million per second?

We don't even grasp a million let alone being able to do something a million within one second. See, our minds can't contain that.

It would take you over 8 trillion years!

That is mind boggling because we can't comprehend that. So when we start thinking about the creation of the universe we can't comprehend those things. Of all those stars that are out there, you think time doesn't go way past this? How long was it that God molded and fashioned the earth? How long was it in the creation of it? We don't know. We know about the remolding and refashioning of certain things and God placing certain life on it and so forth, but everything else, the sun, the other planets, the moon, everything else that's out there, we don't know. We haven't been told. All the other stars in the solar system, we don't know. And something like this? How long has God been working at various things in a physical universe? Well, like I said, if we're able to visit one million of these stars per second it would take 8 trillion years to do it.

How can we comprehend a mind like that, a being like that who is our Almighty God? And yet He deals with us. That's why when I think about David and what he saw in the heavens, and it goes back to Psalm 8. You know, he looked into the heavens and what did he see? Not very much you could count from the naked eye. "What is man that you're mindful of him?" That's to put us in awe of God's creation of us and what it's all about. How much do we appreciate those things and thank God for it? Going on:

The point of all this is that into eons of time God will still be revealing new truth — new knowledge and understanding to us. That process will never end. That is how great God is! As it was stated earlier in this article, “God has been revealing truth to mankind for 6,000 years in a progressive manner AS His plan is unfolding.” But this is already what God has been doing from the beginning from eons ago — revealing new truth and new knowledge, ever since He first created angelic beings in a spirit world. He has now been revealing truth for millions of years, [trillions, whatever it is, we don't know; we don't understand that] as He first began doing in the spirit realm.

This has much to do with how and why God tries and tests those whom He calls by progressively revealing His plan and purpose in the manner that He does.

Just the fact that God is sharing this with us is incredible. It wasn't shared with Peter. It wasn't shared with Paul. It wasn't shared with John. It wasn't share in Ephesus. It wasn't shared in Pergamos, Smyrna, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, or Laodicea, but God is blessing us with ability to have the eyes to begin to see things in a greater way, to be in greater awe of Him and how He does His creation in mankind than ever before. He's showing us the process and in a way that He has never revealed it, yet we can hear sermons and they can be from whatever period of time – just like some of these things since 2013 – and after a while it's as if we've always known these things. We don't realize that there's a scattered body out here who has never known any of these things, who would think you're nuts for believing some of the things you do, yet they're clear or they should be clear to all of God's people.

Through this process God can transform the natural way we think (the carnal way) if we faithfully and continually yield to that process of Him molding His “revelatory thought”…

That's what's awesome, to be in awe of; it's the mind of God! It's the mind of God. He's sharing His mind. That's what the word is, "the logos," and His truth is the logos. Everything He's given to us has to do with His word and He shares it with our mind, with our mind in the spirit and those things are there if we'll receive them and seek to hold on to them and learn to love them and pray and ask God for help to love them. So again:

Through this process God can transform the natural way we think (the carnal way) if we faithfully and continually yield to that process of Him molding His “revelatory thought” (logos - His word), His mind, and His character within us.

It was millions of years ago when a being named Lucifer recoiled at a truth God came to reveal to the angelic realm as part of His continual progressive revelation to them. That truth was about His plan and purpose that was being worked out at that time concerning why He was going to create the earth in the unique manner that He was.

For the first time God was going to put life – they'd never seen such a thing – to put life on something in the universe that was being created. They'd never had a place like that yet, and all of a sudden there is going to be something that actually had life in it. Everything else before that was just physical: stars, planets, moons, various things of various structures and shapes and purpose and design and size and all that was there. After so long a time finally God was going to create something where there was life. All they knew was their life. They knew they had life. But to think of something physically being created, it was going to have life, they were in awe! It was dumbfounding! God says they shouted for joy. Not just at the physical things being created, but of this even more so, as a whole, until they came to understand, when God revealed to them, the kind of life He was going to create – at whatever point He revealed that. We don't know when that was.

At this specific moment in time, God revealed His plan to create a spiritual family above that of the angels — the Family of God — Elohim. Lucifer rejected this “new truth.”

You know what amazes me, is the more we can come to see and grasp and understand that mind because that mind was a selfish mind. That mind was a greedy, jealous, envious mind. It is the mind of all human beings that God has allowed to exist. That's why He created us the way we are—to be physical—so we could experience that, that kind of thinking, and learn by choice, if we choose in time, to reject that, to realize how evil, how sick, how perverted selfishness is and what it produces because it produces every unhappiness.

That's what produces unhappiness in the world, selfishness. When we have unhappiness it goes back to selfishness, something we want, we're not receiving, and it's like a little baby; we want something and we're not getting it and so we're not happy. We become irritated and it's hard to understand our own minds and what can spur and spark those kinds of things into happening, yet they happen. Incredible, the minds we have, yet God wanted us to have that kind of a mind.

Satan is the beginning of it. He is the author of it. He is the first and everything that followed him, and every human being that has chosen that way, which every human being has except for one, Jesus Christ, has lived that way of selfishness, the way of jealousy, the way of envy, the way of self-judgment, perceiving that we think we know, we're right. What person doesn't believe they're right about almost any subject there is? We tend to think we're right. What we see, what we perceive, we think is right. Do you think you're wrong about most everything? Be honest. Think about it. When you're talking to someone later about something and they see something a different way or you see it as something and you're talking back and forth, think, why do you think the way you do and why do they think the way they do? So often you're just both wrong anyway.

Now, if we really understand our minds, unless it's something based on God's way of life, of God's truth, generally we really are wrong as human beings because we don't see everything perfectly well, perfectly right by any measure. We really don't. So we need to be suspicious of that first and foremost and want to be able to judge things by what is true, by what we know is of God. Then and only then can you be assured you're right.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1