Dear Brethren and Friends, As God's Work, through the Living Church of God, increases in power and effectiveness, many will be offended. For the real Truth does offend people. Yet our great God commands, "Cry aloud, spare not; lift up your voice like a trumpet; tell My people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins" (Isaiah 58:1).
We do have the responsibility to heartfeltly warn people of their personal and national sins. We need to help them understand why they should repent and turn to the true God and His ways. We need to help God's people prepare to be the coming kings and priests in Tomorrow's World. Though far from perfect, we in the Living Church of God are doing these things with all our hearts, though many in the general public will be offended. But besides the general public, there is one special personality who positively hates what we are doing. For we are a direct threat to him and to his minions. This foul yet exceedingly powerful personality is Satan the Devil, who has a "kingdom" composed of millions of fallen angels who rebelled with him against God and His ways. Jesus Christ said: "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand. If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his [Satan's] kingdom stand?" (Matthew 12:25–26).
Christ indicated that there was a type of warfare going on between God's servants and Satan's demons. In Revelation 12:6–14, God reveals to us how, during the Middle Ages, the true Church had to flee from Satan and his followers. Then a "spirit war" (v. 7) will break out at the time of the end. Satan will make one last frantic attempt to overthrow God. At that time, in defeat, Satan is cast back down to earth, "having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time" (v. 12). Finally, very soon after this, the truly horrifying persecution begins on the Church and on the physical peoples of the house of Israel. It is rightly called, the "Great Tribulation" by Jesus Christ (Matthew 24:21–22).
Brethren, since Satan harbors bitter hatred against God and His true Church, do you think he will primarily "come after" the followers of professing "Christianity"—who are already blinded and under his sway? Will Satan come after the "fringe groups" among God's people who believe parts of the Truth, but are having little or no effect on the world as a whole? Or will this powerful ex-cherub "zero in" on the very ones among God's people who are the greatest threat to him and to his purpose—the "little flock" that is going through the "open doors" and powerfully warning the world of the coming Great Tribulation and of Satan and his devices, teaching those willing to listen how to follow and practice God's true government, how to prepare to be the kings and priests under Christ who will soon replace Satan and his demons?
The answer is obvious.
Certainly Satan will go after those who are most effectively doing the Work. For they represent the greatest threat to him and to his demons. The Devil can easily see that these people are directly preparing to be the coming kings and priests in God's kingdom. They are learning and practicing the correct form of Church government and are learning to exercise living faith in Christ as their real Leader. They are daily and hourly putting their trust in Christ to guide the Church, guide the Work and guide the life of each faithful Christian. It is these people who genuinely trust in Christ—these people who will be the Spirit-led kings and priests in Christ's soon-coming government— against whom Satan will most viciously attack!
Satan is angry at those who fully believe Christ, for they will have the great honor of bringing real peace and joy to this world under Christ. They will be the ones Christ uses to "execute vengeance on the nations, and punishments on the peoples; to bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron; to execute on them the written judgment—this honor have all His saints" (Psalm 149:7–9).
How Will Satan Attack Us?
Satan, of course, resents that we are being prepared to replace him. So he will strike out at us in many ways. We must be deeply aware of this—and of the reality of Satan and his involvement with the problems we often face. Most of the time, these trials and problems are simply a result of normal human conditions and human nature. However, sometimes—and perhaps much more often in years to come—we will sense that the real origin of these problems lies "beyond" mere human conditions.
God's word tells us that Satan is "the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others" (Ephesians 2:2–3). This scripture indicates that Satan is "in charge" of this earth's atmosphere. He is heavily involved in the media, and in the educational and political systems, as well as influencing the world's religious leaders. Even when we regularly immerse ourselves in seemingly "normal" television programs or motion pictures, we are—perhaps unwittingly— drinking in ideas and images from "Satan's Broadcasting System." For that is exactly what it usually is! Of course, the evening news programs— and political speeches, sports programs and strictly educational programs on the History Channel or Discovery Channel—are generally less harmful. But even in these programs, the commercial breaks are often filled with very worldly images of sex, violence and an appeal to covetousness, appealing to the self and to selfish desires, prodding us to "get" or "show off" or be sexually suggestive.
The mind of Satan is strongly evident in the television and film industry, and in most of what people read and hear today. Sometimes it is almost impossible to find a program, or see the cover of a magazine, that is not featuring something about sex or violence. Most of the talk shows and soap operas are filled with intimations of fornication, adultery and wife-swapping—and with a stream of "non-judgmental" portrayals of homosexuality, so-called same-sex "marriage" and other perversions.
If Satan can thoroughly break down what remains of national "norms" of culture and decency—and then take it several more steps in the wrong direction, he will certainly have succeeded in making our peoples "ripe" for national destruction and for the Great Tribulation that will come most directly on the American and British-descended peoples. Yet most people in our nations are being systematically brainwashed into believing that all this is "progress!"
Dear brethren, if we in God's own Church fail to grasp the enormity of Satan's participation in the media, in the God-rejecting educational and political systems and in the often-very-immoral approach of this world's businesses and industries, we are in terrible trouble. We must wake up!
Satan's Personal Attacks
We all remember the story of Job, a righteous man. Yet Job was at times "self-righteous," and God wanted to help him with this problem. So He allowed Satan to attack Job—and Satan did so with great glee!
After God described Job's righteousness, the Devil answered, "Does Job fear God for nothing?" Then Satan began to describe how Job was hedged about, blessed and protected by God. Satan suggested that if God took some of this away, Job's response to God would be to "curse You to Your face!" (Job 1:8–11).
Notice that God is in total control. God allowed Satan to strike Job's possessions and his children. Even Job's wife turned aside, and urged him to "curse God and die!" (Job 2:9). But Job held on, and had to go through some terrible humiliations until he finally realized his weakness in comparison to God. Throughout his trial, Job's basic attitude of acknowledging God and His righteousness remained, so in the end Job was vindicated and doubly blessed (Job 42:10). From time to time, God may allow Satan to strike at some of us, to humble us and to teach us powerful spiritual "lessons" we need to learn for all eternity. But we must understand Satan's involvement to fully grasp what is happening. Satan is called the "accuser" of the brethren (Revelation 12:10). He will accuse us to God—and sometimes, without their realizing it, he even "stirs up" converted brethren to accuse one another, to accuse the ministry or even to accuse God Himself! It is good to realize this, so we can beware of Satan and his devices!
As the "prince of the power of the air," who greatly influences the attitudes and thoughts of people in this world, Satan will very often "work on people"—not only to make them upset at God and at one another, but also to make them feel very discouraged, hopeless and even "cut off" from God because of their problems and their moods. We must constantly guard against this, and must "guard our minds" so that this does not happen to us. We must be aware that when deep feelings—sometimes inexplicable feelings—come over us seemingly without any reason, they may be coming directly from Satan the Devil. Satan would like very much to destroy you and me, to destroy this Work of God and to destroy any and all who are preparing to replace him as future leaders in Tomorrow's World! Almighty God tells us: "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you" (1 Peter 5:8–10).
If you have ever seen a realistic film about wild lions attacking people, it can fill you with a certain degree of horror. Brethren, Satan really is like this— and we must be aware. We must regularly drink in of God's Word to fill our minds with His thoughts and attitudes. We must regularly be on our knees in prayer to our Father, beseeching Him for protection against this "wild lion" who is constantly trying to attack us. We must exercise the "tool" of fasting to become genuinely humble before God so that our prayers may be heard! In fact, shortly before the above passage about Satan, we read these vital instructions: "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time" (vv. 5–6).
One of the most dangerous attitudes we can ever get into is that of "bitterness." As Mr. Herbert Armstrong often said, "bitterness is like heroin! If you allow yourself to be filled with bitterness, it will kill you spiritually!" So God tells us, "Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled; lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright" (Hebrews 12:14–16). Indeed, a "root of bitterness" will cause you to turn away from God and His Church. It will cause you to lose friends and family. It can lead you to become a truly "profane person" willing to give up your entire eternal reward for some cheap, worldly benefit, as did Esau—who for one morsel of food sold his birthright! So, learn to love people. Learn to forgive people, even if they have deeply hurt you. Learn to draw close to your God continually and, as James wrote, to "submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you" (James 4:7).
Dear brethren, we truly are in a "spiritual war." We must constantly be aware of this as a Church, and as individual Christians. For not only will Satan often attack us personally; he will attack the Work in any way he can. If he can destroy or greatly minimize this powerful effort to reach all the world with the Truth and the purpose of God, he will have achieved his end. In Ephesians 6:10–20, God describes in detail the spiritual warfare that every Christian must undertake. Please study this passage carefully. Please be sure that you begin to understand the "wiles" of the Devil. Realize that you do, indeed, need to "take up the whole armor of God." And note especially where Paul tells us, "above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one" (v. 16). For if we "drink in" this world's wretched and carnal attitudes in what we read, watch or hear, and then discuss, we can be powerfully drawn away from the reality of God, and from God Himself!
We must focus our minds on the reality of God as our Creator, our Father and the Living Head of the Church of God. By genuinely studying His word, constantly praying and communing with Him, meditating on His law, His will and His purpose, and by fasting before Him regularly and going all out to truly "seek" Him, we will win the spiritual battle in the end! But we must constantly build our genuine faith that God is our Father and that His purpose stands! Then, and only then, by this living faith we will win the ultimate victory. It is certainly worth it, when you consider the awesome blessings we will have for all eternity! If we do our part faithfully, we can remember Mr. Armstrong's encouraging words, "in the end, we win!"
With Christian love,
