The Battle Continues
The Worldwide Church of God has become just another Protestant denomination. Announcements in January, 1995, have altered the Church’s position relative to God’s Law. The new teaching is that the Church no longer demands a “legalistic” observance of the “Old Testament Sabbath,” Holy Days, or tithing. The prohibition against eating unclean foods has been downgraded.
Certain members have
been shocked at what may seem to be a sudden, dramatic, doctrinal
perversion. However, as early as 1972,
the Worldwide Church of God broke the Sabbath by hiring construction
contractors as its Big Sandy, Texas, campus.
Members such as myself, I am sorry to say, were required to work for
hours on the Holy Days, counting Festival Offerings and depositing the money in
the bank. In 1973, Church members in
Africa were told that they could go ahead and work on the Sabbath, if the
government required them to do so. The
continuing developments are not sudden, or new. Departing from God’s Law has been a recurring trait of Old
Testament Israel, as well as the New Testament Church of God. The vast majority have, and are at this
time, going along with doctrinal departure from the Truth of the Almighty.
Only a few (praise
the Eternal that there are some) are resisting the downward path, and
struggling to maintain the faith once delivered. We are here to help those who are fighting the continuing battle
against false doctrine. Some
people have just recently woke up.
Welcome to the battle!
For those wishing to
study the subject of God’s Law, we encourage you to write for our booklet, Biblical
Law. It has an extensive
article entitled, “Which Old Testament Laws Are in Force Today?” Also, it is essential to know more about
Church history, to realize that apostasy such as is happening today, has
happened many times in the past. Write
for our updated book, Six Papers on the History of the Church of God. While the forces of evil are having a time
of triumph, we shall, with the Almighty’s Spirit, never give in. We are assured in His Word of victory
through Him, John 16:33, I John 2:14, 4:4.
Whatever is your
present religious affiliation, do not be deceived into thinking, “it cannot
happen here.” In recent years, two
separate Church of God, Seventh Day, congregations have been infiltrated by,
and taken over by, Sunday-keepers who purposely want to rid the world of
Sabbath-keeping “legalists” (a derogatory term used against those who desire to
obey God in love). One of these
Churches had been keeping the Sabbath since 1860, and was probably the oldest
continuously Sabbath-keeping Church of God group in North America.
Do not underestimate
the zeal of those who are purposely undermining God’s Truth. What are you doing to contend for the
faith once delivered? Please write for
our new booklet, What Should You Be Doing? Get off your spiritual “duff,” before it is
too late. Join the battle against
Satan!
A Call to Arms!
Events are moving so
rapidly that it is impossible to address and counter all the attacks against the
Truth of God, that are coming from within the Church of God. Let us analyze a few of the previous
battles, and marshal our forces.
Church Government
was one of the first casualties. This
doctrine was taught very well in Herbert W. Armstrong’s famous 1939 Article on
Church Government. Yet, by the early
1950s, he set up a central Church Government that made all other doctrinal
changes possible. Such an unscriptural
government, with one man at the head, could result in almost the entire group
being led into doctrinal error. To
accomplish this, all Satan had to do was get the top leader to go into error,
and he would entice the vast majority of the Church away from the Truth.
In 1974, the
doctrine of the nature of God was changed dramatically. I am referring to the monumental change in
the teaching of divorce and remarriage.
Marriage is a type of the kingdom of God, the family of God. When you change your teachings so as to
allow divorce and remarriage for almost any reason, or no reason at all, you have
destroyed the Truth that God is an eternal family.
In the early 1990s,
Worldwide changed its teachings concerning born again, said that God is not a
family, supported the Trinity, and now denigrates the Law of God. These changes are somewhat anticlimactic. These doctrinal perversions are natural
steps from the 1974 destruction of the doctrine of marriage. If you have already swallowed the divorce
and remarriage change, you have a long way to go to get back into the
battle. You need to be “deprogrammed.”
The avalanche of
doctrinal changes has caused many people to become battle weary. The Bible predicted this would happen. Some of the saints are almost worn out, Daniel
7:25. Because iniquity, even in the
Church, is abounding, the love of many is waxing cold, Matthew 24:12. “And such as do wickedly against the
covenant [the attack is against the covenant of God] shall he corrupt by
flatteries: but the people that do know
their God shall be strong, and do exploits.
And they that understand among the people shall instruct
many . . .” Daniel 11:32-33. The end-time events leading up to the return of the Messiah will
culminate in someone scattering the power of the holy people, Daniel 12:7.
Brethren, do not
despair! This time is similar to the
“Battle of the Bulge,” Hitler’s last gasp.
The battle is the Eternal’s, not the battle of we few, puny, human
beings. The question is not who is
going to win. That has already been
decided. The question is, whose side
will we be on? Now, in the heat of the
battle, it will be decided whether we are spiritual men, or spiritual
mice. I encourage you, “Watch ye, stand
fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong,” I Corinthians 16:13. Read Paul’s stirring admonition in II
Timothy 4:7-8. “Fight the good fight
of faith, lay hold on eternal life,” I Timothy 6:12.
You have no doubt
read continual medical reports documenting the cancer-causing properties of
some chemical food additives or other man-made substance. With all these reports, it is easy to become
jaded.
However, we should
take note of the information provided in the September, 1994, issue of Focus
on the Family magazine, which cited an article in the American Journal
of Psychiatry by psychiatrist and medical researcher David Larson. Summarizing twelve years of psychiatric
literature, Larson found that those who have a strong religious commitment (a
relationship with God and fellowship with others), have better mental and
physical health. The more often a
person goes to church, the better his or her health. Dr. Larry Dossey found that prayer lowered high blood pressure,
and positively affected wounds, heart attacks, headaches and anxiety.
Larson states that
“Research studies indicate that divorce and the process of marital breakup puts
people at much higher risk for both psychiatric and physical disease — even
cancer.” He adds that divorce is only
slightly less dangerous than smoking a pack of cigarettes a day.
The divorce penalty
is much harder on men than women.
Researcher J. J. Lynch noted that divorced men are twice as likely to
die from heart disease, stroke, hypertension and cancer as married men in any
given year. Divorced men and women are
more likely, than the married, to suffer from chronic conditions, acute illness
and injuries, and suicide.
The effect of
divorce is devastating on children, as we could well surmise. The November 4, 1994, issue of The Wall
Street Journal carried the results of a long-term study by sociologists
William Axinn and Arland Thornton. They
found that children from homes where there was a divorce “were far more
inclined to endorse premarital sex and cohabitation, particularly if the mother
had remarried, than were children whose parents stayed together.” If the mother remarried, the children were
more favorable toward the idea of divorce, however, the daughters became more
hostile to marriage. Divorce breeds
divorce. The Bible warns us that sin
often continues from generation to generation.
Only with the Almighty’s help can we break the cycle. No society with wide-open divorce and
promiscuity can last for long.
The next time you
hear a liberal in the Church of God justifying divorce and remarriage (which
encourages more divorce), remember that their “liberating” teaching may liberate
you to an early grave. Believe
it or not, divorce does cause cancer, both spiritually and physically. The “Surgeon General” of the universe has
warned you in His Word to remain faithfully married for life.
Dr. Harris L.
Coulter is President of the Center for Empirical Medicine in Washington,
D.C. He has written several books about
the dangers of immunization, including DPT:
A Shot in the Dark. In the
February, 1994, issue of Dr. Atkins’ Health Revelations, Dr. Coulter
notes that since the end of World War II, the United States and Western Europe
have been hit with health and social afflictions resembling the Seven Plagues
of Egypt.
In the 1940s and
1950s, autism became a new disease, rising from eleven cases in 1943 to 250,000
today. “Crib death,” or “Sudden Infant
Death Syndrome,” became a serious threat to small babies, causing 7,000 —
10,000 deaths per year. There was a
sharp rise in chronic ear infections (otitis) afflicting 90% of the very
young. Today,
dyslexia/hyperactivity/attention-deficit syndrome affects one in five. Adolescent suicides are on the rise. In the early 1960’s, the American
Intelligence Quotient, as measured by standard tests, began its steady and
continuing decline. In the late 1960s
and 1970s, behavior disorders and skyrocketing crime became prevalent.
Do these events have
any common source or cause? Dr. Coulter
says, “My own research over the past decade suggests that the threads linking
these plagues to one another are the common childhood vaccinations against
whooping cough, mumps, measles, German measles, and others.” Childhood vaccination first became prevalent
during the 1940s and 1950s. Dr. Coulter
is a serious researcher, and presents evidence that especially DPT vaccine is
dangerous, causing a form of encephalitis, or inflammation of the brain. A 1991 study by the National Academy of
Sciences/Institute of Medicine concluded that Dr. Coulter was correct, that there
is a “causal relation” between the DPT vaccine and “acute encephalopathy.” There are hundreds of cases of
death-following-childhood-vaccination every year.
Of the 3-3.5 million
babies in the U.S. vaccinated yearly, only a few will die or suffer severe
neurological damage, but the majority will suffer no apparent harm at all. However, many are marginally affected by the
vaccine, and suffer minimal brain damage, making them candidates for autism,
mental retardation, ear infection, and impairment to their cranial nerves which
serve the ear. Those with mild brain
damage from vaccinations can become society “rejects,” and gravitate to drug
addiction, alcoholism, and depression, leading to violent behavior. Dr. Coulter concludes that many of our
social ills can be traced to childhood vaccinations, truly a man-caused
epidemic.
Another doctor to
issue a warning against modern medical practices is Dr. Jeffrey A. Fisher, in
his book, The Plague Makers (published by Simon and Schuster). He shows that indiscriminate use of
antibiotics is creating catastrophic new epidemics of untreatable diseases, of
which AIDS may be one. Some bacteria
are not killed by antibiotics, and become resistant. A new drug-resistant tuberculosis has a mortality rate of 40-60%,
just about the same fatality rate that TB had before the discovery of
antibiotics. Dr. Fisher says that
doctors, who are under the unhealthy influence of the giant pharmaceutical
industry, carelessly and excessively prescribe antibiotics. Although antibiotics are completely
ineffective against the common cold, this well-known fact didn’t stop doctors
from prescribing 900,000 useless antibiotic prescriptions. Dr. Fisher concludes by stating that if
antibiotics continue to be used irresponsibly, massive man-caused worldwide
epidemics will be the result. Truly,
the Messiah must return to destroy them which are about to destroy the earth.
Two health tips
promoted by Herbert Armstrong in his early years were: (1) the use of heavy
aluminum cookware, and (2) vigorous body massage with a towel after
bathing. He was 50% correct. Most reliable health information sources
today discourage aluminum cookware, noting that aluminum can lead to
Alzheimer’s disease. Aluminum cookware
should be avoided like the plague.
However, a vigorous body massage after bathing is good for the skin, and
improves your general health. I
remember learning from Eugene Smyda in Big Sandy, Texas, about the best way to
augment body massage. After bathing,
rinse your washcloth and use it to wipe off excess water on your body. Then take a Turkish towel and vigorously rub
over all of your body. You do not want
a soft towel, but one that will rub well.
Rubbing your body scrapes off dead skin, opens up pores, and increases
blood circulation. After such a
“tune-up,” your body can run smoother and you can be more productive in your
job and daily walk with the Almighty.
Another tip I have
learned about is a natural body deodorant that lasts for a week or two with one
application. You may not realize it,
but many anti-perspirants contain aluminum, which when applied under your arms,
can begin a body poisoning process. I
have been using Lavilin, an herbal long-life deodorant made from the oil of the
calendula plant, grown in Israel. Body
odor is created by perspiration reacting with bacteria on the skin
surface. These odor-causing bacteria do
not like to live around calendula. I
apply a tiny amount of Lavilin once a week, and its effect lasts 1-2 weeks, no
matter how many more times I bathe or swim.
It is not a harmful anti-perspirant.
For me, Lavilin eliminates body odor.
For more information, contact:
Micro Balanced Products, Box 8, Dumont, New Jersey 07628.
While some people
get “bug-eyed” about health matters, simple, basic suggestions are often very
helpful. For more information about
health from the Biblical viewpoint, please read our free book, Biblical
Health and Healing, available from Giving & Sharing. This book also contains a comprehensive
article on clean and unclean meats.
As wild buffalo
(American bison) grazed near our cabin, we watched the full moon rise over the
towering Absaroka Mountains. The sun
was setting, painting the mountains and scattered clouds pink. The 1994 Feast of Tabernacles had begun at
Lake Yellowstone in majestic Yellowstone National Park.
Our frontier cabin,
clustered in a virtual “booth city,” reminded us what a “temporary dwelling”
is. In previous years, we had lost this
understanding when we stayed in more luxurious accommodations. The Creator is very close in this
place. The moonlight shimmered on the
water. The peace of the night and the
sparkling sun of the day brought constantly changing glimpses of His majesty and
power. Wildlife abound, geysers and
other thermal features, canyons and waterfalls show His handiwork.
No television is
available here. During the day, we
could receive no radio stations except Park Ranger safety information. It was close to the end of the season, and
most park facilities would be closed shortly after our departure. The benefits of the fall season are
obvious: fewer tourists, fall color as
the leaves of mountain aspen turn yellow, cool days and brisk refreshing
nights. It is plain that the Eternal
has chosen to place His name here, long ago.
From the playful squirrels and chipmunks, to picnic mooching jay birds,
to soaring eagles, to wily wild coyotes, to the herds of bison and elk, the
animals praise their Creator in this preserve where hunting is prohibited. What a type of the World Tomorrow!
The power of the
earth’s forces is shown in the scores of spouting geysers, gurgling hot
springs, bubbling mudpots, and steaming fumaroles. The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone is graced with red and yellow
eroded cliffs and the roaring 308 foot tall Lower Yellowstone Falls. Old Faithful Geyser, the world’s best known,
erupts on the average of every 75 minutes.
We relished other geysers, such as Riverside Geyser, which spurts a
tower of hot water in the air over the Firehole River. Our favorite was Eychinus Geyser, which blew
a gigantic column of boiling water for over half an hour. No sermon was more powerful as the quiet
teaching of our Maker through His creation.
And yet, many of
God’s people who observe the Biblical Feasts do so in large city hotels and
resorts, far removed from the Almighty’s presence. They are missing so much when they do not enter into His
presence. And yet, not so many years
ago, there was a time when this basic truth was well understood. The urbanization of this world makes it
difficult for us to see God. As the
Savior would go out into a lonely place to pray to His Heavenly Father, so too
we often need to “get away from it all” and seek His face. And, what better time to do this than at a
Feast!
Here is a
description of the kind of Feast of Tabernacles that was observed in 1945 by
some of God’s people at that time:
We have taken over, for the full period [September 22-29, 1945], beautiful Belknap Mineral Springs, one of Oregon’s leading, nicest mountain resorts high up the Mckenzie [River] in the lofty Cascades, 60 miles east of Eugene.
Here
we will be utterly secluded from the world.
Belknap is a mile off the McKenzie highway, out in God’s majestic
worship-inspiring nature. Here we will
be away from the noise and hustle of man-made civilization, out in God’s great
natural out-doors where things are beautiful. . . .
(Herbert W. Armstrong, in The Good News Letter, 1945).
Armstrong
described the common meals the Church would have together, the cabins, and park
like grounds, where they could eat and hold services outdoors. “The mineral springs are hot springs,” he
said. “The water is boiling as it pours
out of the solid rock from underground in the side of the mountain. This mineral water is of very high quality
and will be of real benefit to the health of all who will drink it while
here. . . . There
is the best fishing in America on the McKenzie. . . . Just a word of caution, however: we are going to Belknap for a great
SPIRITUAL FEAST, so all hiking, fishing, etc., should be done at such hours as
not to conflict with any of the services.”
Elders John Kiesz and Frank Walker of the Church of God, Seventh Day,
were expected to attend and give sermon messages, in addition to Armstrong and
others.
So
here we have a great contrast: in those
days, the Feast of Tabernacles was kept in a secluded spot in God’s Creation,
with a small group of people who could engage in intimate fellowship away from
the world, and the Feast included speakers from other groups who were invited
to come and share Bible studies with the congregation. This is quite a bit different from the huge,
big city, Feasts that most of the Church of God members attend today. Which kind of Feast do you think would
enhance the spiritual welfare of God’s people today? At a place where you can see man, or at a place where you can see
God? At an Ephesian “first love” feast
site, or at a Laodicean feast site? Let
us recapture true values that are nearly ready to die out. Let us continue to rejoice in a Feast in
God’s presence, and allow Him to communicate with us.
Yair
Davidy, an Australian-born scholar living in Israel, has devoted much of his
life to researching the Israel identity question. He comes from a family who for some generations has believed that
the British (or at least part of them) were descended from the “lost” ten
tribes of Israel. He sought to prove
the question for himself, by a careful, objective, checking of authentic
sources.
The
result of his exhaustive research is the book, The Tribes. The Israelite Origins of Western Peoples. It is available from Yair Davidy, Susia
Hebron Mountains, 90401, Israel, for $25.00 (US funds). Although his work is scholarly, it is not
difficult to read. For effort, I would
give Davidy an “A,” and for execution, I would give him a “B.”
Davidy
concludes that the tribes are not exclusively concentrated in separate
countries, but that several tribes of Israel are in a number of countries. Often one tribe predominates. It appears that Britain has been influenced
by a number of different tribes of Israel, including Jews, and those from the
tribes of Ephraim, Manasseh, Asher, and Simeon. He designates the predominant influence as follows:
Tribe Predominant
Influence
Ephraim Britain
Manasseh United States of America
Reuben France
Simeon Celts and Jews
Levi With the Jews
Judah Jutes and Jews
Issachar Switzerland and Finland
Zebulon Holland (The Netherlands)
Gad Sweden
Asher Scotland
Benjamin Belgium and Normandy
Dan Denmark and Celts
Naphtali Norway
Davidy
brings to light a number of new (to me) pieces of information. His access to Jewish sources in Israel were
used to good effect. I commend Davidy
for his effort. Particularly, I
appreciate the fact that Davidy avoids racism, pointing out that the chosen
people of the Almighty have a responsibility to provide a beneficial influence
to all peoples of the world, based upon obedience to the Law of God and the
Bible. Since he has no denominational
axe to grind, Davidy’s research is very credible indeed.
In
the early 1980s, Seventh Day Adventist Brinsmead wrote a book against the
Sabbath, entitled Sabbatarianism Re-Examined. Brinsmead left the Adventists and is now an atheist. Dr. Samuele Bacchiocchi world-renowned
Adventist scholar on the Sabbath question, wrote a refutation to Brinsmead’s
points, in his book, The Sabbath in the New Testament (1985). Many of Brinsmead’s points were repeated by
another former Adventist minister, Dale Ratzlaff, who wrote Sabbath in
Crisis. Ratzlaff’s anti-Sabbath book is being distributed by the Worldwide
Church of God to its key officials.
Although
Bacchiocchi’s book, The Sabbath in the New Testament, has many fine
points, Giving & Sharing has never promoted this book because:
· Bacchiocchi
says the Holy Days are abolished (pages 196-197),
· He says the
resurrection was on Sunday (page 199, etc.),
· He says the
Bible does not give specific instruction when to begin the Sabbath (page 245),
· I disagree
with his “rational method” for how to observe the Sabbath during the Arctic
long dark or long sunlight periods of the year.
· Bacchiocchi
also promotes his book on the crucifixion, which he believes is on Friday.
The
Sabbath is a pivotal Biblical issue. It
is truly amazing how much error is being promoted, on both sides of the
question. We do promote Bacchiocchi’s
excellent book, From Sabbath to Sunday, because it concentrates mainly
on the history of the switch from Sabbath to Sunday and is a powerful witness
that the Sabbath should be kept. Order
a copy from Giving & Sharing.
Giving
& Sharing, PO Box 100, Neck City, MO
64849
Richard
Nickels, 3316 Alberta Drive, Gillette, WY
82718 307-686-5191