THE GOSPEL...
A MESSAGE FOR
THE NEXT MILLENNIUM
When did you last go to church, and hear the preacher say, "I have some GOOD NEWS for you about another important part of the coming GOVERNMENT OF GOD soon to be set up on this earth!"? Probably never! That is because the vast majority of preachers DO NOT KNOW, or DO NOT BELIEVE the real gospel of Christ!
Millions have heard a gospel "about" Jesus Christ, but they have NEVER HEARD the gospel HE BROUGHT to this earth, and delivered to His disciples! Jesus Christ came preaching the "Gospel of the Kingdom of God." Few know WHAT He preached! As shocking as it may sound; as INCREDIBLE as it may seem, millions of professing christians have NEVER HEARD the real Gospel!
by Garner Ted Armstrong
How many times have you heard it? "If you will believe on the Lord Jesus Christ with all your heart, you may be saved!" Thousands of times, in hundreds of radio and television programs each Sunday, and in thousands of pulpits across the land, people hear a story ABOUT THE PERSON of Jesus!
They hear His name praised; they hear about how He died to save sinners. All this is TRUE, of course, and there is nothing whatsoever wrong with telling ABOUT Jesus Christ, so long as you do not completely ignore the message He delivered to His disciples —the message He commanded them to proclaim and publish to all the world!
As astonishing as it sounds—millions of professing Christians who "BELIEVE ON" Christ (they really do!) have NEVER HEARD the message He BROUGHT!
Suppose you were expecting a message from a relative about an inheritance. Suppose a bicycle-riding Western Union telegraph boy came to your door, waving a yellow slip of paper in his hand. You then began to exclaim about what a "clean-cut, nice-looking young man" he was; commenting on his neat hair cut, and his clean and pressed uniform. You noticed how he had combed his hair, and that his nails were clean. You congratulated him on his mild, gentle manner. Then, you couldn't WAIT to tell all your friends about the "nicest young messenger boy" you had ever met; what a fine example of a hard-working young American man he was!
But you utterly neglected to ask him about the MESSAGE he had come to deliver; a message that said a new and different GOVERNMENT would soon be set up; a message that said you were an HEIR to a FORTUNE BEYOND YOUR WILDEST DREAMS!
Wouldn't you say such a scenario would be RIDICULOUS?
Why is it, then, that you have heard endless, repetitive stories about the MESSENGER who came to deliver a message, but have never heard the MESSAGE He brought? Like the familiar old hymn, "Tell Me The Old, Old Story," the "gospel" millions have heard seems to them something old, something ancient. Those who believe they are hearing the "gospel" from radio and television preachers, or from the pulpits of local churches, hear about "Jesus and His love" again and again. They believe they are hearing a very old story; something that took place about two thousand long years ago.
Far from being only the story about Christ's death, burial and resurrection, the gospel is the message He brought; the astonishing GOOD NEWS He painstakingly taught His disciples; the HAPPY ANNOUNCEMENT He commissioned them to take to all the world!
Believe it or not, the gospel Jesus Christ preached has to do with our day, now, and with the immediate future. The word "gospel" itself conveys a futuristic message; a description of the world in the next century, and on into the future for all eternity.
The good news Christ delivered includes the answers to the most perplexing questions confronting mankind: who are we, what are we, WHY are we here? Are we a conscious "soul" inside of an aging body; a "soul" which lives on consciously after the body dies? Do we live on a soul factory, where thousands of "souls" are coming into existence each day all over the world, as other thousands, whose bodies have died, are flitting up to heaven, or going down to "hell"?
Is God like an "absentee Landlord," who set all this in motion, and then departed into the "great beyond," or the great somewhere "up there," having delegated to "St. Peter at the pearly gates" the task of welcoming incoming souls, while the devil dances with glee as he welcomes those who descend to "hell"?
The Good News About The Kingdom
If I were to write about the Kingdom of Great Britain, or the Kingdom of Holland, or the Kingdom of Jordan, you would know immediately that I am writing about a GOVERNMENT; a specific country, or empire; a king or queen; a system of law; subjects who live in that kingdom, and who are subject to that royal throne.
But instantly, when I speak of the "Kingdom of God," it is as if the mind goes "tilt"! Suddenly, all is ethereal, vague, nebulous, "other-worldly," spiritual, mystical, UNREAL! To most, the expression "Kingdom of [not "in"] Heaven," as Matthew alone, among the gospel writers, expressed it, or the "Kingdom of God," as Mark, Luke and John expressed it, is not real, but imaginary; fantastic; something that belongs in the realm of the surreal.
Few know WHY that is! There is a reason, however, and the reason involves a deliberate plot to obfuscate, pervert and distort the message Christ brought to this earth into a completely different message—"another gospel," which is NOT the gospel of the Kingdom of God.
God's Word reveals that a great arch-demon, called Satan, has deceived all nations with lies and impenetrable "mysteries," thus wholly obscuring the clear, plain TRUTH of the gospel! God says, "And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
"And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.
"And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him (Revelation 12:7-9).
If you are a nominal Christian; Catholic or Protestant, you firmly believe that all Hindus are deceived! You believe Shintoists, Animists, Confucianists, Buddhists, and Orthodox Jews are deceived. Catholics believe Protestants are deceived, and Protestants believe Catholics are deceived. The point is, most people are willing to concede that a deceived person is a sincere person; that deception has nothing to do with honesty, integrity, or moral values.
To believe that another is deceived is to believe they are sincerely mistaken, not that they are a bad person. Notice! Paul wrote how he had not resorted to clever trickery or deception, as he preached the truth to the people in Corinth, but that he had "...renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the Word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.
"But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:
"In whom the god of this world [Satan!] hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them" (II Corinthians 4:2-4). The expression "are lost" is in the present progressive, or aorist tense in the Greek, and means "are being" lost.
Millions are deceived! They are spiritually blinded to the truth. Christ Himself said, in answer to His disciple's query about His habit of speaking to the crowds in puzzles, "Therefore speak I to them in parables [puzzles; conundrums]: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.
"And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:
"For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them" (Matthew 13:13-15).
This plain statement of Christ is almost NEVER quoted from the pulpits of Catholic and Protestant churches. Why? Because it flies directly in the face of the underlying belief of all evangelicals; the underlying premise upon which they base their "old, old story" about Jesus! They mistakenly assume Christ tried to convert everyone He could. They assume He never turned anyone away; that he was trying to "get the world saved" during His 33 and one-half years on earth. Not so. Even His own disciples did not understand until AFTER the day of Pentecost, when they were imbued with the Holy Spirit.
Just prior to that stupendous event, they saw Jesus Christ for the last time on earth. He had appeared to them many, many times over the span of a month and ten days. Notice the account, "To whom also he showed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:
"And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.
"For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days hence.
"When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?
"And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.
"But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Spirit is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth" (Acts 1:2-8).
Notice that His disciples asked about the restoration of an Israelitish nation; the KINGDOM OF ISRAEL! They had no idea of a globe-girdling kingdom which would encompass all nations. They expected the restoration of the kind of greatness Israel had enjoyed before the death of Solomon—a kind of greater Davidian or Solomonic kingdom, extending from modern-day Syria to the Tigris/Euphrates River, to the Nile Delta.
For years, Christ's disciples believed He would set up His kingdom THEN AND THERE! Many, many incidents during His three and one-half year ministry convinced them of it; at the feeding of the four and five thousand; at the overthrow of the moneychangers in the Temple; at the triumphal entry into Jerusalem; they believed He would cause a popular uprising, overthrow the corrupt Sanhedrin, expel the Roman occupying forces, and mount a throne. It was not until the miraculous manifestation of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost that they began to perceive the truly world-wide scope of their calling. Even then, they believed His kingdom; His earthly government, would be set up within their own lifetimes!
Even Paul thought so. He wrote, "Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
"Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
"In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed" (I Corinthians 15:50-52). Paul said "we," including himself and those who worked with him, as well as the brethren in Corinth.
We tend to think in terms of "then and there" when we read the Bible. The Protestant and Catholic churches have tended to make the "old, old story" an ancient one; a musty, dusty, "story" that belongs to the distant past—two thousand and more years ago. But you and I know we are living in the "here and now." The trouble is, we rarely apply the scriptures in the same sense; realizing that the apostles were living in the "here and now" so far as their daily lives were concerned.
NEVER did Paul, Peter, John, Luke, or any of the New Testament writers believe they would all die—molder in their graves— while century after century passed; while the 4th, and the 7th, and the 13th, and the 19th centuries dragged slowly on. NEVER did they realize that Christ would NOT return to this earth until early in the TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY!
Think how cruel it would have been had they known! Such knowledge would hardly have been calculated to inspire zeal, enthusiasm; an urgent zest for doing the work of God! Instead, it would have led to defeatism!
However, insofar as their lives were concerned, since they have been lying in their graves absolutely oblivious to the passage of time, the resurrection will occur, just as Paul said it would, and, in a "moment, in the twinkling of an eye" (so far as their consciousness is concerned) they will be in the Kingdom of God!
These men were, indeed, "young revolutionaries." Just like millions in ages past; and so many today, who form cliques, parties, bands, militia, groups, juntas, clubs or gangs; just like misguided organizations who seek to overthrow incumbent governments, they believed they were part of something which would SET UP A NEW AND DIFFERENT GOVERNMENT very soon in their own lifetimes!
Their question, quoted above from Acts 1, absolutely proves it!
They did not ask about the centuries to come. They did not ask about far off lands; about Britain, or Spain, or Africa—they asked only about restoring the kingdom (government) to ISRAEL; to their native land.
Paul's Message Was About The Kingdom of God
The apostle Paul continually preached about the KINGDOM OF GOD! Not only this, he preached the gospel of the kingdom from the Old Testament, which constituted the only scriptures extant during his day.
Christ had set the stage for exactly this kind of preaching when He instructed His disciples. Luke wrote of how the women and the disciples were reluctant to believe Christ had been resurrected, and how He expounded to them FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT all the scriptures about Himself; about His great eternal past; about His impending suffering, death, burial and resurrection; about His glorious second coming as King of kings and Lord of lords: Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken:
"Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?
"And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself" (Luke 24:25-27).
Have you ever gone to church, and heard a modern-day preacher PREACH CHRIST exclusively from the OLD TESTAMENT? Christ did! Paul did! Peter did! John did! All the apostles, evangelists, pastors and teachers of the New Testament church did!
They did not possess a single scrap of the "New Testament" of the Bible until Paul wrote to the Thessalonians in about 52 AD. By no stretch of the imagination did they attach the importance of "inspired scripture" to Paul's letter! Furthermore none of the other apostles were ever aware of such a letter, and very likely, not a single one of them ever read it! Yet, I Thessalonians, together with Matthew's book of the gospel, comprise the first two pieces of New Testament literature!
Notice a few examples of some of the scriptures Christ used when He expounded to them about Himself: "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.
"Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this" (Isaiah 9:6, 7).
This prophecy about Christ was NOT "the first Noel," or a beddy-by story about a "Little Lord Jesus." It was NOT a syrupy, sweet, sentimental story ABOUT THE PERSON of Christ, but about His awesome POWER; about His great COMMISSION; about who He was; what He was; why He came; what He taught; why He died; why He was resurrected, and the fact that He is going to return to this earth at the head of millions of CONQUERING ANGELS to set up His WORLD-RULING GOVERNMENT!
Notice how Paul continually emphasized the Kingdom of God! "And when they had appointed him a day, there came many to him into his lodging; to whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets, from morning till evening" (Acts 28:23).
Just as Christ had expounded to His disciples about His great mission on this earth from the "law of Moses," or the first five books of the Bible, as well as from Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel and all the other prophetic books, so all the apostles did the same. Remember, these were the only "sacred books," or "Holy Scriptures" extant at the time!
Under house arrest, awaiting trial before Caesar, Paul remained steadfast to his calling. Notice, "And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all that came in unto him,
"Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him" (Acts 28:31). Luke deliberately chose this phrase to close his lengthy treatise to his friend, Theophilus. These words were written in the latter 60's AD, or about thirty years after the resurrection.
What Is A Kingdom?
As mentioned previously, none of us have any problem understanding when we speak of the "Kingdom of Great Britain." Yet, when one speaks of the "Kingdom of God," it seems all the spiritual deception and confusion comes into play. Not one out of ten thousand church-going professing Christians truly believe in, or expect, the establishment of a new world order under Jesus Christ right on this good, green earth!
Instead, they think of "going to heaven."
But such is sheer nonsense, and will not stand the test of inspired scripture.
To constitute a kingdom, there must be a KING. The KING of His Kingdom, soon to be established on this earth, is Jesus Christ of Nazareth!
Remember the scripture in Isaiah 9 quoted above. Now, notice what Christ said to Pilate, when He was on trial for His life: "Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.
"Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice" (John 18:36, 37).
The Greek word "world" comes from the word cosmos, meaning "society," or the worldly system. Notice Christ said His kingdom was not a part of "this world" THEN!
Now, notice John's description of Christ at His second coming, as He vanquishes the armies of the Beast power which will fight His return: "These [the armies of the Beast] shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful" (Revelation 17:14).
Now, notice the description of Christ's second coming: "And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.
"His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.
"And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.
"And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.
"And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
"And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS" (Revelation 19:11-16).
How can ANY professing Christian doubt the plain meaning of this tumultuous, awesome prophecy? Christ is COMING BACK TO EARTH to RULE it with a rod of iron!
The KING of His Kingdom is Jesus Christ! The "good news of the coming government of God" is the same thing as "The gospel of the Kingdom of God." It is not vague, nebulous, ethereal nonsense, but a powerful advance message about a super, world-ruling government!
A Kingdom Must Have Territory
The kingdom of Great Britain is no longer the "British Empire," as it once was, but today is called "the United Kingdom." It includes England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. A king rules over TERRITORY!
Christ's Kingdom is not a nebulous "kingdom" in the "heavens," as many imagine it to be. Instead, it is to be set up HERE on this earth!
Notice the prophecy of the archangel Gabriel to Mary, announcing the coming birth of the Savior of all mankind: "And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.
"And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.
"He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
"And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end" (Luke 1:30-33).
Where is David's throne? It is here, on this earth! Notice how God sent Nathan to confirm an unconditional promise to David of a perpetual earthly throne: "Now therefore so shalt thou say unto my servant David, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I took thee from the sheepcote, from following the sheep, to be ruler over my people, over Israel:
"And I was with thee whithersoever thou wentest, and have cut off all thine enemies out of thy sight, and have made thee a great name, like unto the name of the great men that are in the earth.
"Moreover I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own, and move no more; neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them any more, as beforetime,
"And as since the time that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel, and have caused thee to rest from all thine enemies. Also the LORD telleth thee that he will make thee an house.
"And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom.
"He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever.
"I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men:
"But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee.
"And thine house [lineage; seed] and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever" (II Samuel 7:8-16). With some of his last words uttered on earth, David said, "...yet He hath made with me an everlasting covenant..." (II Samuel 23:5).
For an in-depth study of the perpetual covenant God made with David, and the astonishing TRUTH about the identity of the British Royal Family and the British people, as well as the identity of the United States in Bible prophecy, write or call immediately for your copy of Europe and America in Prophecy.
God promised David his EARTHLY throne would never cease! Christ is returning to this earth to inherit an EARTHLY throne! Notice how John saw, in vision, the very throne of God descending FROM heaven down to THIS EARTH: "And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
"And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
"And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away" (Revelation 21:2-4).
THIS EARTH is the territory which will be ruled by Jesus Christ and His resurrected saints, who will then be BORN of God; changed instantaneously into SPIRIT BEINGS (1 Corinthians 15:50-52). Notice it: "And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations [nations of human beings are on this earth, not up in heaven!]:
"And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father" (Revelation 2:26).
Jesus Christ continually spoke to His disciples of an EARTHLY kingdom to come. Notice His parable of the young nobleman: "He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return.
"And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come.
"But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us.
"And it came to pass, that when he was returned, having received the kingdom, then he commanded these servants to be called unto him, to whom he had given the money, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading.
"Then came the first, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds.
"And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities.
"And the second came, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds.
"And he said likewise to him, Be thou also over five cities.
"And another came, saying, Lord, behold, here is thy pound, which I have kept laid up in a napkin:
"For I feared thee, because thou art an austere man: thou takest up that thou layedst not down, and reapest that thou didst not sow.
"And he saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou knewest that I was an austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not sow:
"Wherefore then gavest not thou my money into the bank, that at my coming I might have required mine own with usury?
"And he said unto them that stood by, Take from him the pound, and give it to him that hath ten pounds.
"(And they said unto him, Lord, he hath ten pounds.)
"For I say unto you, That unto every one which hath shall be given; and from him that hath not, even that he hath shall be taken away from him" (Luke 19:12-27).
Christ is the young nobleman. The "far country" depicts heaven. His servants are given sums of money, analogous to talents and abilities; responsibilities and callings. Each is given responsibility according to his own natural ability. Notice that the reward is RULERSHIP over CITIES! Notice that Christ continually emphasized HIS RETURN to THIS EARTH—the servants did not go up to heaven!
As the saints cry out, Thou "...hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;
"And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth"(Revelation 5:9, 10).
Read the entire chapter of Isaiah 11, which depicts conditions to become extant ON THIS EARTH during the millennial reign of Christ. Here are a few excerpts: "But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.
"And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.
"The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.
"And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
"And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' [adder's] den.
"They [ravenous beasts; predators; poisonous snakes] shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea" (Isaiah 11:4-9).
Later, God says, "And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands [coastlands: margin] of the sea.
"And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth" (Isaiah 11:11, 12).
Can anything be plainer? Again and again, in entire chapters of the Bible, we are told that Jesus Christ is going to RETURN TO THIS EARTH to rule it with a rod of iron for 1,000 years! Notice! "Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle [this is the great battle depicted also in Revelation 19, at the time of the second coming of Christ].
"And his feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south" (Zechariah 14:3, 4).
Now, notice the prophecy about His disciples and His saints: "And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me;
"That ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel" (Luke 22:29, 30). These words were spoken by Jesus Christ during His famous "Last Supper," when some of His disciples began arguing about who would be the "greatest" in His kingdom. Remember, they expected Him to set up His earthly government THEN AND THERE. They had no idea more than two thousand years would transpire before this prophecy would be fulfilled.
Christ, then, is the KING over His coming kingdom, and the TERRITORY over which He will rule is THIS GOOD, GREEN EARTH!
As an aside, there are many tens of thousands of Sabbath-keeping people who believe the earth will be totally "desolate" during the Millennium; believing that the saints will be "up in heaven" during that time, while Satan wanders about the "desolate earth" in violent rage.
They believe this because of a deliberate, calculated distortion of Scripture by a woman some of them held to be a "prophetess." But God's Word says, "If they speak NOT ACCORDING TO THIS WORD it is because there is no light in them."
The pivotal scripture used by the lady in one of her major books is Isaiah 24. If you were to compare this chapter with the lady's prophetic book about The Great Controversy, you would find one of the all-time classic examples of deliberate wresting of Scripture in order to make it say something it does NOT say, or to OMIT the portions which directly contradicted her theory! You need to read the entire chapter slowly and carefully! It declares God's judgments upon the land of Israel, as well as other nations. Notice especially verses 3 through 6, which read as follows (I will include the numbers of the verses for your reference): "3 The land shall be utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled: for the LORD hath spoken this word.
"4 The earth mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away, the haughty people of the earth do languish.
"5 The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant.
"6 Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate: therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left."
Now, notice the same passage, with the portions highlighted in bold, which the would-be prophetess DELIBERATELY OMITTED in her attempt to prove a "desolate earth" theory:
"3 The land shall be utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled: for the LORD hath spoken this word.
"4 The earth mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away, the haughty people of the earth do languish.
"5 The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant.
"6 Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate: therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left"
Would YOU deliberately omit the words highlighted in bold type above? They include such phrases as "...the haughty people of the earth do languish," and, "The earth is defiled UNDER THE INHABITANTS thereof," and "...FEW MEN LEFT!"
Notice a few more verses from this same chapter, which were deliberately omitted by the would-be prophetess: "13 When thus it shall be in the midst of the land among the people, there shall be as the shaking of an olive tree, and as the gleaning grapes when the vintage is done.
"14 They shall lift up their voice, they shall sing for the majesty of the LORD, they shall cry aloud from the sea.
"17 Fear, and the pit, and the snare, are upon thee, O inhabitant of the earth.
"21 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth.
"22 And they shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days shall they be visited."
This is most embarrassing, to see how someone would deliberately OMIT statement after statement in the sacred Word of God in order to cling to an assumed notion, and deceive readers! It is true that Isaiah 24 is a powerful and horrifying witness against God's people Israel; that it shows great loss of life and destruction. But it does NOT show a "desolate earth" without a single inhabitant, and it does NOT show saints "in heaven" for 1,000 years!
How utterly DISHONEST it would be to place a period where a comma appears in your Bible, as in the case of verse six, where the lady ended her quotation with the word "burned" and OMITTED the phrase "...and few men left!" Did you notice the three little dots between the first quotation marks and the word "and?" Honesty in journalism REQUIRES those little dots to be inserted, which indicates to the reader that some preceding or succeeding words have been omitted. The three dots invite the reader to turn to the source of the quotation, and see what went before, or came after. To omit them is to pretend the remainder of the verse does not exist.
Now, notice the final capstone of the whole chapter, which refers to the heavenly signs (Revelation 6) to appear just before the Day of the Lord and the second coming of Christ: "Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the LORD of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously" (Isaiah 24:23).
The Great Tribulation occurs BEFORE the heavenly signs, and the heavenly signs occur BEFORE the Day of the Lord. Notice the proof: "The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come" (Joel 2:31). "Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken" (Matthew 24:29).
Therefore, the great events depicted in Daniel and the book of Revelation occur in the following order: (1) The GREAT TRIBULATION (Matthew 24:21, 22); (2) The HEAVENLY SIGNS (Rev. 6; Joel 2:31); (3) The Day of the Lord (Joel 2:1; Revelation 16).
God's Word issues stern warnings against either adding to it, or taking from it. It is a GREAT SIN to deliberately TWIST SCRIPTURE.
Read again all the scriptures in this section which absolutely PROVE, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that Jesus Christ will set up His Kingdom ON THIS EARTH, and rule over the nations for 1,000 years with His reborn saints!
A Kingdom Requires Subjects
Living Within The Kingdom
Time and time again, we have seen references to the SUBJECTS who will be within the TERRITORY ruled by Christ and His reborn saints. Many of the scriptures quoted above not only include statements about the EARTH being the realm of Christ's Kingdom, but include statements about Israel, Judah, and many, many other nations.
Notice a few more references as to the SUBJECTS of the kingdom: "And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious.
"And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time [the first time was when He delivered them from Egypt] to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.
"And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah [called the diaspora]from the four corners of the earth" (Isaiah 11:10-12).
Now, notice how ALL NATIONS will be forced to recognize the new, world-ruling government of God: "But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it.
"And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
"And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
"But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the LORD of hosts hath spoken it.
"For all people will walk every one in the name of his god, and we will walk in the name of the LORD our God for ever and ever" (Micah 4:1-5).
Clearly, this is describing the beginning of the millennial reign of Christ! It speaks of "MANY PEOPLE," and "STRONG NATIONS," not of "heaven," nor of a "desolate earth!"
A parallel passage is found in Isaiah 2: "And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord's house [symbol for Christ's new world-governing capital in Jerusalem]; shall be established in the top of the mountains [biblical symbol for nations; governments], and shall be exalted above the hills [lesser nations or governments]; and all nations shall flow unto it.
"And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
"And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more" (Isaiah 2:2-4).
Today, a black veil of ignorance and superstition blankets the minds of tens of millions. Satan has deceived all nations (Revelation 12:9). Only a precious FEW truly understand the great purpose and plan of God. As we have seen, Christ spoke to the masses in puzzles, riddles, and "parables." When His disciples asked Him about it, He quoted a passage from Isaiah the 6th chapter, which says, "And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.
"Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.
"Then said I, Lord, how long? And he answered, Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate..." (Isaiah 6:9-11).
The blanket of ignorance and deception will remain in place until AFTER the intervention of God in human affairs.
Perplexed by this prophecy, Isaiah asked, "Then said I, Lord, how long? And he answered, Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate,
"And the LORD have removed men far away, and there be a great forsaking in the midst of the land.
"But yet in it shall be a tenth, and it shall return, and shall be eaten: as a teil tree, and as an oak, whose substance is in them, when they cast their leaves: so the holy seed shall be the substance thereof" Isaiah 6:11-13). This strongly implies there will be only TEN PERCENT of God's people Israel left ALIVE by the time of the second coming of Christ.
A "tithe" of God's people will be gathered, and settled on their "old estates"; Americans to America; Britons to Britain; Canadians to Canada; Australians to Australia. Notice the description of this time: "But ye, O mountains of Israel, ye shall shoot forth your branches, and yield your fruit to my people of Israel; for they are at hand to come.
"For, behold, I am for you, and I will turn unto you, and ye shall be tilled and sown:
"And I will multiply men upon you, all the house of Israel, even all of it: and the cities shall be inhabited, and the wastes shall be builded:
"And I will multiply upon you man and beast; and they shall increase and bring fruit: and I will settle you after your old estates, and will do better unto you than at your beginnings: and ye shall know that I am the LORD" (Ezekiel 36:8-11).
The expression "ye shall know that I am the Eternal" (from YHVH, or Jehovah) does not apply today, for MILLIONS do not truly know the Eternal, and they DO NOT KNOW that Jesus Christ of Nazareth was the member of the Godhead who said "Let there be light," or who said, "Let US make man in OUR image" (Genesis 2:26 with John 1).
Notice how God shows the regathering of His people to their "old estates" in the beginning of the Millennium will result in their spiritual CONVERSION: "For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.
"Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you" [symbol of baptism, and the "washing of water by the word"].
"A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.
"And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.
"And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God" (Ezekiel 36:24-28). Notice which kinds of LAWS will govern all the nations of the world when Christ sets up His millennial rule.
A Kingdom Requires A System Of LAW
Read again the thundering pronouncements of God through Isaiah (Isaiah 2) and Micah (Micah 4); how the LAW SHALL GO FORTH OUT OF ZION!
The "law of the land" for the whole world will be the TEN COMMANDMENTS, as magnified by Jesus Christ in His famous "Sermon on the Mount."
There will be no further arguments, then. No bickering, arguing, debating, reasoning among men who strive to use the Bible to DO AWAY with God's laws because they HATE THE SABBATH! Then, they will be FORCED to obey, and the penalty for sin will be imposed swiftly, and sternly, if men refuse to repent!
Now, notice how not only the WEEKLY SABBATH will be ENFORCED upon mankind during Christ's government, but also the ANNUAL Sabbaths will be kept!
"And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles.
"And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain.
"And if the family of Egypt go not up, and come not, that have no rain; there shall be the plague, wherewith the LORD will smite the heathen that come not up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.
"This shall be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all nations that come not up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles" (Zechariah 14:16-19). It does not matter who a person is; it does not matter their race, color, language, or religion, they WILL BE KEEPING THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES in Christ's world-ruling government.
Notice what God says about His weekly Sabbath: "And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD.
"And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh" (Isaiah 66:23, 24). This horrifying picture describes the bodies of those who have broken God's laws; who have resisted Christ at His coming. The expression "their worm shall not die" refers to maggots, feasting on rotting human flesh, which do not die, but become newly-hatched flies.
Notwithstanding the clever attempts to do away with God's Ten Commandments by thousands of theologians who teach that Christ "nailed it all to His cross," there is simply no getting around the fact that these Old Testament scriptures are plainly referring to God's Ten Commandments; His weekly Sabbath (the fourth commandment), and His annual Sabbaths!
Review what you read earlier, from Isaiah 2 and Micah 4; how "THE LAW shall go forth from Zion!" By no remote stretch of the imagination does this mean anything but the holy, righteous TEN COMMANDMENTS OF GOD!
Notice some of the MANY scriptures in the New Testament which uphold God's Ten Commandments: Jesus Christ said in His sermon on the mount, "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
"For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled" (Matthew 5:17, 18). To "fulfil" means to "do, or perform." If you have an obligation to keep a promise; to fulfil it, you must do or perform the acts required by the promise, not abrogate the promise!
When a young rich man came to Jesus Christ to ask what he need DO to inherit eternal life, notice what Christ told him: "And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?
"And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments" (Matthew 19:17). When the young man wanted to know which specific ones, Christ cited several of the Ten Commandments, making it clear exactly which law it was to which He had referred.
Millions of professing Christians—church-going, believing people—adamantly REFUSE to believe they must KEEP THE COMMANDMENTS! Their pastors have been deceived; taught by worldly seminaries that the "law has been done away!"
Read all the powerful scriptures listed above about how Christ will administer HIS LAWS; the TEN COMMANDMENTS from His future world capital of Jerusalem!
Do you think the One who GAVE the law in the first place—who was the One who BECAME CHRIST (read John 1 with Hebrews 1) would give His people a law which He knew He would CHANGE?
Would God put people to death for Sabbath-breaking in Moses' day, and then CHANGE His law, allowing MILLIONS of people to break it today, and then CHANGE IT AGAIN, imposing it during the millennium? How utterly stupid would be such an assumption!
Let God answer: "For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch [this is the "Day of the Lord" just prior to Christ's second coming].
"But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall [depicting the return of Christ; His peaceful reign for 1,000 years].
"And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the LORD of hosts [we already read how this will occur "from Sabbath to Sabbath" in the millennium].
"Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments." (Malachi 4:1-4)
These closing words of the Old Testament deal with the coming of Christ, and the establishment of His new world order! They command all mankind to REMEMBER GOD'S TEN COMMANDMENTS!
Did God CHANGE them? "For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed" (Malachi 3:6). Paul wrote, "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever" (Hebrews 13:8).
Millions do not know the Bible definition of SIN! They do not know what sin IS. God says, "Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law" (I John 3:4).
The penalty for breaking any one of the Ten Commandments is DEATH. It is not the FIRST death, for it is "given for men once to die," but is the SECOND death — death by Gehenna fire, from which there is no resurrection! It is total annihilation; destruction; BY FIRE! You have already read how the righteous who will be in the Kingdom of God will tread down the ashes of those who rebelled against God.
Paul wrote, "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 6:23). Here are two opposites! DEATH on the one hand, and ETERNAL LIFE on the other! But God will not save a single person He cannot GOVERN! We will either surrender our will to God; in unconditional surrender, becoming willing to OBEY Him in everything, or we will not be in His kingdom!
Notice how Paul held the law of God in such awe: "Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good" (Romans 7:12).
John, the disciple who Jesus loved, was inspired to write much about God's Ten Commandments, which he loved. He said, "And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. (I John 2:3).
"He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him" (I John 2:4). Obviously, one who says "How nice it is to `know the Lord,'" yet refuses to KEEP THE VERY LAW HE WROTE WITH HIS OWN FINGER, is guilty of a great lie! You cannot "love Christ" Who WROTE THE LAW, and reject the law He wrote, or turn your back on the fact that sin is the BREAKING of that law, and that Christ died to SAVE SINNERS—those who BROKE HIS LAW! The very reason for Christ's sacrifice was because of LAWBREAKING!
John also wrote, "By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.
"For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous" (I John 5:2, 3). What is "GRIEVOUS" about the command to love God; to have no other Gods before us; to honor and love our parents; to refrain from stealing that which does not belong to us; to refrain from committing adultery; to refrain from lying?
Each one of NINE of the Ten Commandments are BELIEVED by millions of professing Christians, even if they are not always followed. But the FOURTH commandment is singled out for special wrath! Millions absolutely DETEST the Sabbath day, calling it "Jewish!" To them, anything "Jewish" is an abhorrent thing, and the word is spat out of countless professing Christian mouths as an epithet. But Jesus said, "...The Sabbath was made for man [He did not say "made for the Jews"], and not man for the Sabbath:
"Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the Sabbath" (Mark 2:26, 27). Which day, then, is "The Lord's Day"? It is the day of which Christ is LORD! The SABBATH day!
David, a man after God's own heart, said, "Oh how LOVE I thy law, it is my meditation all the day!" (Psalms 119:97). David, who repented bitterly when he broke God's law, will be YOUR KING and mine in the millennial reign of Christ!
Ezekiel prophesied: "And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd.
"And I the LORD will be their God, and my servant David a prince among them; I the LORD have spoken it" (Ezekiel 34:23, 24).
God says that a fragment of refugees; the "remnant" of all the nations of ten-tribed Israel will be delivered by the intervention of God by the heavenly signs, the seven trumpet plagues, the seven last plagues, and the second coming of Christ! It will be a HORRIBLE time—a time when perhaps NINETY PERCENT of the populations of many nations will die!
God told Jeremiah to write this stupendous warning in his book: "For, lo, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will bring again the captivity of my people Israel and Judah [bring them out of captivity again, for the second time], saith the LORD: and I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it.
"And these are the words that the LORD spake concerning Israel and concerning Judah.
"For thus saith the LORD; We have heard a voice of trembling, of fear, and not of peace.
"Ask ye now, and see whether a man doth travail with child? wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned into paleness?
"Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob's trouble; but he shall be saved out of it ["Jacob" is ISRAEL; ten-tribed Israel, as distinct from Judah, the Jews. They are to be saved "out of" the Great Tribulation, but they shall go THROUGH it].
"For it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD of hosts, that I will break his yoke from off thy neck [the "yoke" of the Beast and false prophet: Read Isaiah 47:5-11], and will burst thy bonds, and strangers shall no more serve themselves of him:
"But they shall serve the LORD their God, and David their king, whom I will raise up unto them.
"Therefore fear thou not, O my servant Jacob, saith the LORD; neither be dismayed, O Israel: for, lo, I will save thee from afar, and thy seed from the land of their captivity; and Jacob shall return, and shall be in rest, and be quiet, and none shall make him afraid" (Jeremiah 30:3-10).
Can anything be BETTER NEWS than to hear that CHRIST IS COMING AGAIN? Can there be any more GREAT, ENCOURAGING, GOOD news than the Gospel of Jesus Christ; the "Good News of the coming KINGDOM OF GOD" which is to RULE this world for one thousand years?
And can you think of any greater promise than to be given an opportunity to RULE WITH CHRIST over nations such as America, Britain, Germany, Russia, China, and Japan? Notice! And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:
"And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father" (Revelation 2:26, 27).
We must OVERCOME this evil world under Satan's sway; OVERCOME our own human natures through the power of God's Holy Spirit!
Peter commanded the shocked, frightened perpetrators of Christ's death, "...Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:38).
The GOOD NEWS Of
The Coming GOVERNMENT OF GOD
The "gospel" is a message of great, good news about the coming intervention of God in human affairs! It is a "NOW" message about world-shaking events of such imagination-defying magnitude that it boggles the mind!
Christ's Olivet prophecy, as recorded in Matthew 24 and Luke 21, speaks of massive earthquakes; of droughts and famines; topsy-turvey weather; of WARS and rumors of wars; of terrible religious persecution!
He said, "And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet [the end of man's civilization as we know it].
"For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
"All these are the beginning of sorrows.
"Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.
"And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another" (Matthew 24:6-10). Truer words were never spoken! We are now living in the time just before the events he depicted here; just before the remainder of this astounding, tumultuous chapter. He said, "And because iniquity [lawlessness — sin] shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.
"But he that shall endure unto the end [either the end of his life, or the end of the age], the same shall be saved.
"And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
"When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)
"Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:
"Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:
"Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.
"And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!
"But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the Sabbath day [Christ would never have issued such a warning about the TIME OF HIS SECOND COMING if the Sabbath day were not STILL A COMMANDED Sabbath!]:
"For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
"And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened" (Matthew 24:12-22).
How utterly DIFFERENT is the REAL TRUTH about the dynamic good news of the coming GOVERNMENT OF GOD to rule on this earth from the "old, old story" about the PERSON of Jesus Christ, while ignoring the message He brought!
Now, you have seen with your own eyes, in your own Bible, the real TRUTH about the gospel! It is the strategic plan for the future. It is the map for the 21st century. It is the program of God Almighty and Christ His Son, to bring PEACE to this sin-sick, plague-ridden, war-torn, poverty-stricken, hate-filled world of Satanic confusion at last!
May God give you the gracious mercy to HEED His witness and warning, and to REPENT before Him. As Peter cried out, "...Save yourselves from this untoward generation" (Acts 2:40).
In the near future, Almighty God is going to INTERVENE in human affairs! He has commissioned His servants to proclaim that advance good news! It is a VAST message; one which explains the very purpose for human life; WHY God placed mankind on this earth; WHY Jesus Christ died for the sins of mankind; WHY He is coming again! All those who God calls are expected to HAVE A PART in that great WORK of preaching the good news to the world!
Are YOU one who God is calling? If you wish a visit by an authorized representative of the Intercontinental Church of God, which is in close affiliation with the Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association, please call (903) 561-7070, or write or send E-mail to the addresses below. q
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This publication is intended to be used as a personal study tool. Please know it is not wise to take any man's word for anything, including ours, so prove all things for yourself from the pages of your own Bible. Because your salvation is between you and God, it is through such personal verification that you will gain confidence and come to know for yourself what is truth.
For additional related knowledge and understanding,
may we suggest the following titles:
Here's The Best News You Could Ever Hear!
What is Your Destiny?
Do You Have an Immortal Soul?
Coming Soon! An Invasion From Space
Why You Were Born
The Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association
P.O. Box 747
Flint, TX 75762
Phone: (903) 561-7070 • Fax: (903) 561-4141
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