Dear Brethren and Friends, Somewhere on this earth, God has true servants who will really do HisWork: preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom to all nations, powerfully warning the peoples of Israel of the soon-coming Great Tribulation, and truly "feeding" the flock, strengthening God's people spiritually and preparing them for the responsibility just ahead of becoming kings and priests under Christ and assisting Him in ruling this war-torn world (Revelation 5:9–10). Where is that faithful Church? Who are the genuinely zealous servants of the living Jesus Christ?
We must remember Jesus' prediction that after the coming final wars, droughts, famines, disease epidemics and earthquakes, "Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake" (Matthew 24:7–9). It is helpful for all of God's people to "get real" about this! We all should deeply respect and honor what Jesus Christ did through Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong in "reviving" the Church of God and the Work in these latter days. I loved Mr. Armstrong deeply and continue to honor him—as all of my family and close friends know well. Yet it is a fact that most people on earth never heard of Mr. Armstrong or the Church he led. And very few people today, more than 21 years after his death, remember him—or have even the faintest idea about what he taught.
During Mr. Armstrong's lifetime—and also today—"all nations" certainly did not "hate" God's Church or His people. The obvious reason is that they do not even know we exist! For all of the little scattered groups of God's people who descended from the work of Herbert Armstrong—all of us together— do not even number as many as 100,000 people! Yet the Mormons claim about 12 million, the Seventh Day Adventists claim about 20 million and many lesser-known churches have at least a few million members—let alone the Roman Catholic church with its more than one billion adherents, and some of the major Protestant denominations with tens of millions.
Somewhere on this earth…?
My brethren, how did you approach our Church-wide fast last August 4? Did you, personally, go "all out" during that time to humble yourself and draw closer to the great God who rules the universe? Are you now dedicated more than ever to giving your life fully to the God who gives you life and breath? Are you increasing the time and intensity you devote to Bible study, to deep meditation, to fervent prayer and to fasting? You will be reading this article right around the biblically commanded fast, the "Day of Atonement." On that day, did we—or will we—as a Church, realize our profound need to genuinely "seek God" and to go all out to zealously do His Work and reach out far more powerfully in preaching the Ezekiel warning to the peoples of Israel—while there is time? Will we also put our whole hearts into preaching the "Gospel of the Kingdom" as a "witness" to all the nations, as best we can?
While I am writing this, I just received several sobering news items describing how the President of the European Commission acknowledges that its recent "treaty" was crafted so that European Union member nations would not need to vote to approve it, since several nations voted to reject the European constitution previously proposed. Yet this "treaty" will, by their own admission, usher in a European empire! As the Daily Mail reported on July 11, 2007, "Gordon Brown was last night under pressure to hold a referendum on the controversial EU treaty after the president of the European Commission declared the document would usher in 'the world's first non-imperial empire.'"
Yes. A new "world empire" is in the making—as we have predicted for many years!
Also, news now comes that Pope Benedict XVI is beginning to impose his archconservative views on the Roman Catholic church, more than ever! Britain's Daily Mail for July 11, 2007 also reported, "Pope Benedict XVI declared yesterday that Christian denominations other than his own were not true churches and their holy orders have no value. Protestant teachers immediately responded saying the claims were offensive and would hurt efforts to promote ecumenism. Roman Catholic-Anglican relations are already strained over the Church of England's plans to ordain homosexuals and women as Bishops. The claims came in a document, from a Vatican watchdog which was approved by the Pope. It said the branches of Christianity formed after the split with Rome at the Reformation could not be called churches 'in the proper sense' because they broke with a succession of popes who dated back to St. Peter."
Increasingly, the Pope has been asserting the "primacy of Peter doctrine," and using this approach to try to claim total authority over Roman Catholics—and over all professing Christians who bend to His will! He may or may not be the "final one" described in 2 Thessalonians 2. In any case, he is certainly preparing the way for the final great false prophet who will work miracles and eventually deceive most of this entire world!
Meanwhile, the Jerusalem Post reports that the Israeli air force is practicing long-range bombing maneuvers in preparation for a strike against Iran (JPost.com, June 21, 2007). Israel's military is also bracing for confrontation as early as this summer with one of many enemies: Iran, Hezbollah, Hamas, World Jihad, or Syria (JPost.com, June 25, 2007). Richard Bolton, former U.S. Ambassador to the UN, has simultaneously been pushing the U.S. to "act now" to relieve Iran of its nuclear capability (JPost.com, June 27, 2007).
Perhaps even by the time you read this, Israel and America will already have "cooperated" in an aerial attack on Iran's nuclear installations—setting off shock waves through the entire Middle East! Regardless of the exact timing, events of this type will increasingly put America and its allies against the more than a billion people who comprise what is sometimes called the "Muslim nation!"
In addition, vast water shortages are beginning to occur in the U.S., in Australia and many other parts of the world. Within a few years, this will affect your life! As The Kiplinger Letter recently warned, "Get used to living with less water. Severe droughts are here to stay. Worst off: The South and West. But other areas also must learn to cope with less rainfall. The shortage is not yet a crisis, and with planning, it won't ever become one. But it still means lots of big changes" (June 22, 2007).
Brethren, these are just a few of the challenges now facing the peoples of America, Canada, Britain and Australia. We in the Church of God do need to realize, more than ever, that our God wants us to "watch and pray." As I write this, the radio news just reported that at least 400 fires are now raging across the U.S.—destroying trees, destroying crops and destroying lives.
At such a time as this, our God instructs us, "Consecrate a fast, call a sacred assembly; gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the Lord your God, and cry out to the Lord. Alas for the day! For the day of the Lord is at hand; it shall come as destruction from the Almighty. Is not the food cut off before our eyes, joy and gladness from the house of our God? The seed shrivels under the clods, storehouses are in shambles; barns are broken down, for the grain has withered. How the animals groan! The herds of cattle are restless, because they have no pasture; even the flocks of sheep suffer punishment. O Lord, to You I cry out; for fire has devoured the open pastures, and a flame has burned all the trees of the field. The beasts of the field also cry out to You, for the water brooks are dried up, and fire has devoured the open pastures" (Joel 1:14–20).
As the people "called" by God to warn our nations (Ezekiel 33) and to preach powerfully the Good News— that God will soon intervene in human affairs to set up His Kingdom and His way of life for all peoples—we should indeed "cry out" with increasing intensity and ask God to use our lives in His service. And we should not try in any way to "water down" God's commands for us to fully surrender and to give our lives in His service.
However imperfectly, brethren, I am sincerely trying to do that—more than ever—and I hope all of you can "catch the vision" and realize the absolutely awesome reward we will each have if we truly let Christ fully use our lives, our talents and our resources. The Christ of the Bible tells us, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?" (Matthew 16:24–26).
As the world around us dramatically changes over the next five to ten years, I hope and pray that all of you dear brethren will deeply understand why these things are happening and where events are leading. I hope we all can become even more sensitive to God's will, and to His awesome purpose for our lives. And I pray that we all can "burn our bridges" with our past weaknesses, and that we can rededicate our lives to God in a profound way. Truly, we must learn to trust that the wonderful practice of "giving" our lives to God on a daily basis is not really "giving up" anything, but is actually preparing us to "walk with God," right on over into the most glorious future that can be imagined— fully sharing life with God and with Christ, interacting with Them and fellowshipping with Them throughout all eternity.
