Chapter Eight
“What
Shall We Do?”
Amazing -- but true!
Once human
beings begin a pattern of error, it is exceedingly difficult to correct the
error, and to come to the truth!
Herbert W.
Armstrong, pastor of the Worldwide Church of God, had much experience in this
regard. He himself wrote several years
ago,
"We
are all human. We are all
fallible. I have been wrong.
I
have made mistakes. The same is true of
all those God is
using
in HIS WORK."
Mr.
Armstrong continues, saying:
"God
says, 'PROVE all things.' That means you are
fallible.
This
means all the 'great' men are fallible!
ALL are human.
ALL
can be wrong -- and nearly all are. The
whole
world
is DECEIVED (Rev.12:9). . . .
"The
very recognition of that fact is the beginning of right
knowledge. We do recognize it -- that we ourselves
could
be
wrong. That is the first step toward
coming out of the
fog
of error and deception, starting toward truth."
Herbert
Armstrong went on,
"The
second step, if you would know TRUTH, is to be to
admit
being deceived or in error, and to reject it and accept
truth
new to me -- when proved even though unpopular . . .
To
find and live the TRUTH requires a HUMBLED mind"
(January
1985, Good News).
Those words
make sense. They should be an obvious
truth. But how many of us really
practice and listen to these words of wisdom?
The apostle
Jude wrote 1900 years ago, "Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write
unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should
EARNESTLY CONTEND (fight, struggle, strive) FOR THE FAITH which was once
delivered unto the saints" (Jude 3).
It
is not easy to be a true, genuine Christian.
It is not easy to stand apart, to be separate from the crowd, to accept
and practice NEW TRUTH, even when unpopular!
Nevertheless,
the facts prove that beyond any shadow of doubt that God’s original calendar
was twisted, distorted, and CHANGED by erring Rabbis in the fourth century, but
God has now RESTORED it to our knowledge!
To
God it is very important that we do things correctly, after His prescribed
manner and according to His precise instructions.
In
the days of David, when the ark of God was being brought from the house of
Abinadad in Gibeah, the ark was placed in a cart pulled by oxen, contrary to
God's command (Num.4:15, 19-20).
When a non-Levite, Uzziah, tried to steady the ark when the oxen shook
it, "God smote him there for his error; and there he died" (II Samuel 6:7, KJV).
It
does make a difference to GOD whether we obey His Law, just as He directed and
commanded, or whether we make human “changes” to it, and follow our own human
ideas and traditions, instead!
What About YOU?
What
about you? What are you going to do
with this totally wonderful new truth?
Will you observe God’s annual Holy Days based on His TRUE revealed
Calendar? Will you keep His
commandments in TRUTH?
Or
will you follow ministers of various churches who refuse to hear this truth,
who close their minds, and who follow “tradition” instead?
Will
you OBEY GOD? Or will you continue in
error?
Herbert
Armstrong wrote in a December 1976 Good News magazine,
"Wouldn't
it be all right to compromise, 'just a little,' on some
'unimportant
minor point'?
That
is some question! Many would answer in
the affirmative. “Yes, we might as well
follow the Jewish calendar, even if it has errors, even if it is based
on human traditions and human reasoning.”
But
Mr. Armstrong continued, warning God’s people:
"Nevertheless,
if we begin to compromise with God's TRUTH,
even
in smallest, slightest manner, we have allowed Satan to
get
a foot into the door of the Church, and soon he will push
open
the door (he is stronger than we) AND TAKE OVER
THE
WHOLE CHURCH."
What
a frightful warning those words are!
Although Mr. Armsrong died in January, 1986, his words still speak to us
from the grave, as it were. Herbert
Armstrong did not live to see his warning fulfilled. But because the leaders of the church he founded, under Christ,
went astray, many of God’s people are now headed for severe correction and
catastrophe, spiritually.
What
about you? Will YOU “compromise” with
this newly proven truth?
Will
you allow Satan to get a toehold, a wedge, a foot in the door, by compromising
with God’s Word, His Laws, His CALENDAR?
Don’t Give the Devil a
“Toe-hold”
Sadly,
many have followed the road of least resistance. They have spurned the pure Word of God and accepted ersatz, fake,
counterfeits palmed off as “truth” instead.
The various churches that came out of the Worldwide Church of God, when
it plunged over the cliff of apostasy and rank paganism, have not gotten “back
to the faith once delivered to the saints” (Jude 4). They have rejected this TRUTH about God’s Calendar, and so Mr.
Armstrong’s prophecy or prediction – his warning – has come to pass!
Thousands
are mired in sin, stuck fast in error.
They opened the door for Satan the devil to enter and gain a foothold;
and today he has pushed upon the door and TAKEN OVER THE WHOLE CHURCH
and has deceived many remnant, scattered churches and brethren!
Since
the vast majority of Church leaders have indicated that they will NOT repent,
at this time, the remnant branches of God’s Church are plunging into gross
error and compromise.
That
means, in order to remain faithful to GOD, and His WORD, there is only one
thing left for a TRUE child of God to do -- when a church goes astray, into
error, and refuses to repent -- ANY CHURCH -- then God's true people must
refuse to compromise, and FOLLOW CHRIST!
They must LEAVE such a compromising CHURCH and OBEY GOD’S WORD!
Some seem to think that they should
remain with their particular church, even if it is wrong, since they feel it is
“God’s Church.” But is a church going
astray from the commandments of God still really “His” church?
The
apostle Paul declares: “Do not be
unequally yoked together with unbelievers.
For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with
darkness? And what accord has Christ
with Belial? Or what part has a
believer with an unbeliever? And what
agreement has the temple of God with idols?” (II Cor.6:14-16).
Paul
goes on, “Therefore COME OUT from among them and be SEPARATE, says the
Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and
I will receive you, and I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and
daughters, says the LORD Almighty” (verses 17-18).
Will
we obey God? Our
spiritual SALVATION is at stake!!!
Mr.
Armstrong went even further, and warned in powerful words:
"A
little leaven leavens the WHOLE LUMP! I
have been
charged
with the commission of KEEPING GOD'S WORD.
Keeping
it inviolate -- NO COMPROMISE! I have
never
compromised
with God's TRUTH -- regardless of the cost
or
the circumstances. I never
shall!"
Mr. Armstrong made plenty of
mistakes. We all know that. But we should not “throw the baby out with
the bath water.” He also taught a tremendous
amount of truth. We should be thankful
for that. And we should heed his
warnings about compromising with truth, and refusing to repent when new
truth is presented to us!
Will
YOU compromise, even a "little bit," with the truth of Almighty God?
A
"little leaven" -SIN -- soon leavens the whole lump of dough. The Truth has been proved.
Will
you stand up, and be counted? Will you
come out of BABYLON, and OBEY GOD?
Herbert
Armstrong continued,
"I
will CHANGE
whenever proved wrong. I will accept
NEW
TRUTH as
often as PROVED to be new truth to
me or to the Church.
"But I will not compromise with the truth! I never have!
I won't compromise - not even 'just a little."
What
about YOU?
Will
you "CHANGE WHEN PROVED WRONG"?
Will you "ACCEPT NEW TRUTH"?
Will you "compromise" with this exciting new truth about God’s
Calendar? "NOT EVEN JUST A
LITTLE"? Will you refuse to grow
in truth -- refuse to OBEY GOD?
Stubborness Is like
Idolatry
God
says stubborness is as idolatry and witchcraft. God inspired Samuel to tell
king Saul, "For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubborness is
as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou
hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being
king"(I Sam.15:23).
Saul
"compromised." In his own
eyes, it was "just a little" matter.
And as a result, he was rejected by God, and lost the kingdom!
Beware,
brethren! If we compromise, like Saul
did, we also will be punished, only much greater -- our punishment could be to
lose out on eternal life and the real kingdom, the Kingdom of God!
King
Saul, upon hearing this reproof and rebuke, confessed that he had sinned,
saying that he had "feared the people, and obeyed their voice" (verse 24). He
looked to the opinions of the people for guidance, instead of to God! But his problem was more than that. His problem was he feared the people MORE
than he FEARED GOD!
Many
today “fear” their local ministers, or pastor of their church, it would seem,
more than they fear God!
Saul
did not have respect for the commandments of God. He "compromised."
He was so selfish, and self-centered, and full of his own EGO, that he
could not bear to admit error, to humble himself before all the people. He could not admit he was wrong before all
the people!
Sounds
like a lot of "ministers of God," today, doesn't it?
But
what about you, personally?
Because
of this SIN, God rejected Saul from being His chosen king. Although Saul remained in office for many
more years, he had already disqualified himself in God's sight.
What
about Church leaders today? Will they
repent? Will they change, admit they
have been wrong? Will they confess
their errors and sins, and begin to OBEY GOD?
Will they admit this wonderful NEW TRUTH, receive it with delirious JOY
and thankfulness and appreciation and gratitude, and cling to it with conviction
and earnestness?
Many
have shown by their fruits that they will NOT REPENT!
But
forget them for a moment. Let's look at
you. What is your excuse? What about you, yourself? Where will you stand?
At
the second coming of Christ, will you stand with the righteous and
obedient? Or will you stand with the
unholy and disobedient? Will you stand
with the sheep on His right hand, who obey Him, and who will enter His
Kingdom? Or will you stand with the
goats on His left hand, who disobey Him, and who will be thrown into outer
darkness, where there is bitter weeping and gnashing of teeth? (see Matt.25:31-46).
Herbert
Armstrong wrote, many years ago, saying we should ask ourselves these very
pertinent, profound questions:
"[Am
I] willing to admit being deceived or in error, and to
reject
it and accept truth new to me -- when proved even
though
unpopular -- even though it cuts me off from my family,
friends,
associates or club members -- even though everything
in
my selfish and vain nature rebels against it?
Am I willing
to
ACT ON IT -- OBEY the truth no matter what the cost?"
These are very serious words! Mr. Armstrong continued:
"To find and have the TRUTH requires
a HUMBLED mind. Did
you
ever know a person of great intellectual powers who did not
have
the kind of VANITY that shrinks from confessing he has
been
WRONG -- and has misled others?"
Herbert
Armstrong declared,
"I
had to be willing, continuously, to confess being wrong,
and
to embrace truths constantly NEW to me."
It
is hard to admit error. It is TEN times
harder to confess error, than to learn new truth! Regardless of what others may do, what will YOU do with
the truth? Are you willing to do accept
new truth, and CHANGE, even though it may cost you your church affiliation?
Would
you even be willing to give up fellowship, if necessary, to embrace new proven
TRUTH? Are you willing to STAND UP for
the truth of God and be counted?
God tells us:
"But on this one will I look:
On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at My
word" (Isaiah 66:2).
This is not
mere game-playing. This is not just a
game of monopoly, or poker, or "trivial pursuit." This is for REAL! The stakes are eternal life!
Is eternal life worth it?
The
decision is yours.