Will you have Christ’s new name?

-by Brod Andy Yparraguirre-

In Revelation 1:9-11 the apostle John wrote, “I John … was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, Saying, I am Alpha and Omega…”.

About 1920 years ago the Lord Jesus Christ through God’s Spirit brought the apostle John forward into the day of the Lord or the Lord’s day to reveal the things which must come to pass shortly (Rev. 1:1) from the viewpoint of that day! That day, the day of the Lord, began in October 1997 (“The Day of the Lord – 6000 Years Have Ended” 3^rd ed. pp.23-29) and since then much understanding have been revealed to God’s faithful servants pertaining to fulfilled prophecies of recent past, those which are happening (in the church and in the world) and what shall be hereafter (verse 19). Among the things revealed is the fact that time is running out (Rev. 10:6) for this world to continue with its wrong and sinful and deceived ways. The 6000 years given to man to prove his incapacity to govern and manage the affairs of men without God have already ended. The period of time wherein there is no more delay or “there should be time no longer” has already come and NOW more than ever WE KNOW THAT THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS NEAR, EVEN AT THE DOORS (Matt. 24:32-33)! Christ is coming very soon in the clouds of heaven (I Thes. 4:16-17) on a future Pentecost day (“The Feast of Trumpets or Pentecost?” booklet) to gather and receive God’s elect (Matt. 24:31-32).

This will be followed by the marriage ceremony in heaven (Rev. 19:7) between the Lamb (Jesus Christ) as the Bridegroom and the Firstfruits of God (Rev. 14:1-4) as the Bride. And then together with His Wife, the Lord Jesus Christ will return to earth as KING OF KINGS, and LORD OF LORDS to establish the Kingdom of God (Rev. 19:11-16; Dan. 7:13-14, 18) preparing it for the coming of the Almighty God our Heavenly Father (I Cor. 15:24). To be part of the Bride one must have been invited by the Father (John 6:43-44), made his wedding garment ready (Matt. 22:2-11) and endured unto the end (Matt.24:12-13). That end could either be one’s first death or the visible and glorious coming of the Lord Jesus Christ whichever comes first. The time for this most especial, wonderful and exhilarating event is looming in the horizon. Meanwhile time is ticking by swiftly and the time to measure the temple of God, the altar and its worshippers has come as foretold in the scripture (Rev. 11:1).

Those who are not watching their spiritual condition (Matt. 25:3) and failed to prepare their wedding dress (Matt.25:10; Rev. 3:18) will be overtaken (1 Thess. 5:1-4) by the opportunity and may not make it to THE MARRIAGE OF THE LAMB (Rev. 19:7). On that most awaited and very special day Christ will give the Bride His NEW NAME (Rev. 3:12). Were you invited to this very exclusive and most exquisite marriage ceremony that will ever happen before the very throne of the Almighty Father (Rev. 14:1-4)? Are you coming to the marriage of the Lamb? Will you have Christ’s new name?

Who Will Christ Marry?

Make no mistake. Jesus Christ will not marry every association that claims to be God’s church but in shameful disagreement, unable to reconcile and to come together as one body of one accord of one mind (Phil. 2:2). These churches seem to have forgotten scriptures which were often used in the past to keep harmony and unity in the church. Paul’s admonition to the church in Corinth is so clear that anyone called out of this world could understand unless he has succumbed to deception or become reprobate (Rom. 1:28-29).

1Co 1:10-15 Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. (11) For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you. (12) Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ. (13) Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul? (14) I thank God that I baptized none of you, but Crispus and Gaius; (15) Lest any should say that I had baptized in mine own name.

These churches are deceived into believing they are churches of God but in reality have become the synagogue of Satan that was prophesied to be a reality in our time now – in the day of the Lord. It is true that they were once of God’s church. But after the falling away (2 Thes. 2:3) Christ calls them the synagogue of Satan for denying him and not keeping his words (Rev. 3:8-10) faithfully to demonstrate their love for the truth (2 Thes. 2:10). Instead of upholding the incontrovertible truth that Herbert W. Armstrong (HWA) has fulfilled Matthew 24:14 – they are competing to preach again the true gospel to the whole world, denying in effect that Jesus Christ did it already through the end-time apostle. Their leaders are primarily at fault. They are in delusion believing that they can do a better work than the 50+years of HWA preaching and publishing the true gospel under Christ’s direction. Many of these leaders don’t even recognize HWA anymore as an apostle and end time Elijah. Make no mistake. They who are of God’s church today are only those who remain faithful unto God and Christ (Rev. 17:14). It is not enough that one has been called and chosen out of this world. Anyone called and chosen must also remain faithful and able to follow the Lamb Jesus Christ wherever he goes (John 14:4; Rev. 14:4) and endure unto the end (Matt. 24:13). Christ has departed the Worldwide Church of God (WCG) 30 years ago and those who profess faithfulness to him must be able to know where Christ goes and follow him there. But none can follow Christ where he goes or where he is and marries him unless one really loves the truth. Those who reject truth are not following Christ. The reason is simple. Jesus Christ is truth (John 14:6) and will marry only those who are faithful to the truth.

How Many Are the Bride of Christ?

Any Bible student knows the scripture which says that “… Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God”. Every man should not only take physical food but also believe every word of God, which is spiritual food, in order to gain eternal life. God’s word is truth (John 17:17) and every follower of Christ is expected to believe God’s every word. Sadly most of the professing Christians and many of the churches that descended from God’s true church can’t seem to agree on clear scriptures that indicate exactly the number of persons that will qualify and constitute as the Bride of Christ. God is ever consistent. Even from the time of God’s chosen people Israel, God has already hinted the number of people who will be Bride to Christ. Their number does not go by the millions.

Exo 20:4-6 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: (5) Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; (6) And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.

Only the “thousands of them” love the Lord God and keep his commandments. This means that those who will marry Christ are only in the thousands. The Lord God of the Old Testament who gave the Ten Commandments to the Israelites is no other than our Lord Jesus Christ, the Bridegroom whose visible coming is in the horizon. When Jesus Christ was preaching the coming Kingdom, he told his disciples “If ye love me, keep my commandments (John 14:15). Most of the Israelites did not love Christ and had rejected him (John 1:10-11). The Jews who were also of the house of Israel were responsible for his terrible death (John 19:1-16). Chapter 3 of the book of Jeremiah reveals the heart of the Israelites and Jewish people that they do not love the Lord God even after he pleaded with them. Some churches of this world claim that the Bride of Christ will be the nation of Israel. But the fact that they do not love God nor obey him but only the thousands negates this claim. So how many truly love the Lord God, who is our Lord Jesus Christ in the New Testament? Exodus 20:6 indicates the number but Revelation 14:1-4 gives us the exact figure of 144,000.

Rev 14:1-4 And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads. (2) And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps: (3) And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth. (4) These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.

The scriptures say that there are only 144,000 who “follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth” that were “redeemed from among men” as the firstfruits. The phrase “redeemed from among men” suggests that these 144,000 include a few Israelites and their patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and the other faithful personalities in the Old Testament including women Heb. 11:1-40). Following the Lamb wherever he goes expresses their faithfulness to him. These 144,000 who are called firstfruits that were redeemed from among men represent the first harvest in God’s plan of salvation for all of mankind from the time of Adam until the visible return of the Lord Jesus Christ.

You Were Invited

If you had been a baptized member of the Worldwide Church of God (WCG) before the falling away in 1990 or are presently of the Philadelphia Church of God (PCG), you cannot deny nor conceal the fact that you were invited to the MARRIAGE OF THE LAMB. Therefore this article is for you. It is time to make a self-evaluation of your standing before God and consider the state of God’s spiritual house today (Hag. 1:1-9). God has called you out of this world for a lifetime preparation to become part of the BRIDE of Christ. And what you are reading this very moment could very well be a final call to confirm your attendance to this very exclusive invitation of all time. No amount of excuses (Luke 14:16-24) will clear your name and responsibility if you ignore this final call. Either you will respond positively or suffer the consequences (Rev. 12:17; 1 Thess. 5:1-3). Since Jesus Christ ascended to heaven (Acts 1:9-11) almost 2000 years ago his disciples from generation to generation have been waiting and anticipating Christ’s glorious return (Matt.24:3; 1 Thes. 4:15-17) as a Bridegroom (Matt. 25:1, 5). Now the long wait might be over as his coming is imminent with all the signs we are seeing fulfilled in the church and in the world. The time has come for the called-out-ones of our generation to face a crucial test as a way of measuring. It is time to figure out the following:

Whether or not the day of the Lord has already come as “a thief in the night” (1 Thes. 5:2; 2 Pet. 3:10);
Whether or not the Bridegroom, Jesus Christ has already come (Matt.25:6); and
Whether or not they are measuring up to the desired qualities and character that the Bridegroom is looking for in his Bride (Rev. 19:7-8).

Hopefully a positive determination of these issues will lead them to where Jesus Christ is doing God’s work and be gathered together unto him (2Thess. 2:1).

God’s people today whether affiliated or not with established groups must already come to understand what sort of work Jesus Christ is doing today just before the appearance of the two witnesses (Rev. 11:1). Jesus Christ is doing now a measuring work to determine who the elect are that are ready to become his Wife.

Are You Coming?

If you still have a good measure of God’s spirit in you or even if it is just flickering, you will most likely say “Yes I am coming as part of the Bride to the marriage of the Lamb”. I really hope you will. But how do you intend to come? Make no mistake. You cannot come to the marriage ceremony unless you have the correct wedding dress: made of fine linen, clean and white.

“Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.” (Rev 19:7-8)

According to the scripture above fine linen is the righteousness of the saints. Therefore if you want to come to the marriage of the Lamb you must have the righteous character of the saints. At this point in the church’s history there are two ways by which one could obtain this, namely: 1) By returning to the faithful remnant of the 6^th candlestick church that continue to uphold the standard established by HWA (Rev. 3:9) or 2) By overcoming the great tribulation (Matt. 24:21-24; 1 Thess. 5:3; Rev. 3:18). Which way do you prefer? Choosing the first would mean accepting humbly that you have fallen asleep spiritually while waiting for the Bridegroom to come (Matt. 25:5) but like the wise virgins have enough spiritual oil for your lamp. Allowing the second implies that you have become lukewarm (Rev. 3:15-16) in loving the truth. If indeed you are coming to the marriage of the Lamb as part of the Bride now is the best time to make your wedding apparel ready not later. Dillydallying might not only cost you the first death (Rev. 6:9-11) but the second death likewise (Rev. 20:6, 14).

Christ Will Give You His New Name

Jesus Christ loved the church and will marry it definitely as it becomes ready to be his Bride. And if you are part of that church now, nothing in this world can stop you from marrying our Lord Jesus Christ but you alone.

Jesus Christ so “loved the church” and for this reason he “gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish” (Eph 5:25-27).

Our Lord and Savior has been yearning for this most glorious marriage ceremony to take place so that he can already receive us to himself (John 14:3) and we can behold his glory (John 17:24) in the presence of our God and heavenly Father. Moreover, he has waited for the day when he can to his wife his new name.

Revelation 3:12 reads,

“Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name”.

Jesus Christ loved the church. He gave his life for it to sanctify and cleanse of its sins (spot, wrinkle, etc) that it might become a glorious church before him on wedding day. On that glorious day Jesus Christ will gladly and proudly present the church, 144,000 strong firstfruits, bearing God’s family name, dressed elegantly in fine linen, clean and white before our Almighty Father as he conducts the marriage ceremony before His throne. And then at the end of the ceremony as the Father declares them Husband and Wife, Jesus Christ will give them his new name. Will you be one of those select few to receive Christ’s new name on that very special day? As one who has been called out and chosen and personally answerable to the Lord Jesus Christ, this is a matter between Him and you. Hopefully with the approval of the Bridegroom you can answer this question cheerfully with a resounding … YES! ●

Are you a stinking sacrifice?

-by Ariek Ben-Geere

(This is a reprint from The Eagles Series No. 19/2001 authored by Brod Belo Alvaran under a pen-name Ariek Ben-Geere, one of his several aliases ten years ago!)

Do you know that God wants us to smell sweet? When our Husband, Jesus Christ, sniffs around us, what odor do we emit? As His Wife, would He wrap us in His arms and give us a passionate kiss, or would He cover His nose and walk away in disgust?

God has a standing instruction to us to “present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God…” (Rom. 12:1). How can we present ourselves a living sacrifice? Do we know that God only accepts a sacrifice that emits sweet savour?

Sacrifice should smell sweet. Anciently, a sacrifice was an offering to God in the form of a clean animal which must be burned for one purpose: Moses says it was “for a sweet savour unto the Lord” (Lev. 8:21). God would inhale the “sweet savour” emanating from a burning sacrifice. After the flood, ” Noah builded an altar unto the Lord, and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar (Gen. 8:20). And the Lord smelled a sweet savour…” (v.21). Clearly, God was after the sweet savour of the sacrifice. Among God’s punishments to the Israelites was “I will not smell the savour of your sweet odours” (Lev. 26:31). As we shall see in this article, this punishment has far ranging ramifications. God’s rejection of a sacrifice’s savour extends to the person behind the sacrifice.

Cain’s malodorous sacrifice. There was a man whose burnt offerings were refused by God, and that was Cain. His story can be found in Genesis 4. “And Adam knew his wife, and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said I have gotten a man from the Lord. And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground (v.2). And in the process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord (v.3). And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and his offering (v.4). But unto Cain AND to his offering He had no respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell” (v.5). Cain offered the “fruits of the ground”, probably edible herbs and vegetables. Have you smelled the smoke of burning herbs and vegetables? Does it emit “sweet savour”? Far from it. Burning vegetables emit acrid odor, irritating to the nostrils, even suffocating. Some herbs are useful as insect repellent when burned. As a result, God was repelled by Cain’s offering. God had “no respect” BOTH unto Cain and his offering.

Brethren, the account of Cain’s life conveys two important lessons for us, especially during the Passover season. One is, when God rejects an offering (or gift), He is also rejecting the person giving that offering.

Sacrifice stands in for us. Every ancient Israelite, whenever one had committed a transgression, was required to offer a sacrifice. The sacrifice represents the person offering it. It takes the place of the person so that instead of the person dying, it is the sacrifice that dies, while the person lives a new, reformed, life – a life cleansed of sin. That is why a sacrifice points to the Savior. Christ is our Saviour because He stood in for humanity and made Himself our sacrifice. When He died, He represented our sinful bodies and our unclean minds. He died so that we may live, and so that we may “be renewed in the spirit of our minds”(Eph.4:23). He died so that we may lead a new life acceptable to God. But you may ask, acceptable as what? As part of His divine family! As HWA has taught us, we are going to become part of God’s Family, His body. In fact, we already are, only in the embryonic stage. However, God cannot absorb into His body a sinner, i.e., a person with an unclean mind, a disease-carrier, one who would sow discord and incite rebellion against God.

Christ’s sacrifice smells sweet. Christ, who lived a sinless life, was very much acceptable to God as a sacrifice. Christ “had given Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour” (Eph. 5:2). He was our sacrifice. He died for us, so that we may live as a living sacrifice. The question, therefore, is: Are we, individually, acceptable to God as a living sacrifice? Do we emit sweetsmelling savour?

Prayers are sweet odours. When we pray, we convey our thoughts to God. As a living sacrifice, our prayers serve as our sweet odours. John writes in Revelation 5:8 how that “the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints”. Our prayers, our odours, emanate from our mind. How sweet are our prayers? “He that turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination (i.e., not acceptable to God)” (Prov. 28:9). “The sacrifice of the wicked is abomination: how much more, when he brings it with a wicked mind?” (Prov. 21:27). Clearly, God is after our mental health, our thoughts.

Cain had murderous thoughts. Let’s read more details of Cain’s story to see what lesson it conveys today. “And the Lord said unto Cain, Why are you wroth? and why is your countenance fallen? If you do well, shall you (Cain himself, not the sacrifice) not be accepted? and if you does not well, sin lies at the door…” (v.7). Apparently, Cain was not doing well – there was something wrong in his attitude towards God and towards his brother Abel. In short, there was something wrong with his entire thinking processes. His thoughts were revealed in verse 8. “And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.” The verse didn’t say the two quarreled. They simply talked. Cain killed Abel in a surprise attack! It was a premeditated murder!

From this short account, we can deduce several things about Cain: 1) he had a murderer’s mind. Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong often said in his writings that “action follows thought”. In killing his brother, Cain simply followed his thoughts. 2) he had no respect for or fear of God who made him. As HWA often quoted in his writings, “the fear of the Eternal is the beginning of wisdom” (Ps. 111:10). Cain’s lack of Godly fear diminished his wisdom; 3) without any fear of God, he was just going through the motion of making an offering to God. Cain was insincere, his life was a show. His mental health was therefore afflicted with a disorder called hypocrisy which Christ warned us about. “Beware you of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy” (Luke 12:1).

What God rejected therefore was Cain’s thoughts. God is privy to every man’s thoughts. In Genesis 6:5, “God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually”. The next verse says God repented that He had made man! Obviously, that was because of man’s evil thoughts.

Part of God’s instructions in Romans 12:1 is to make our bodies “acceptable to God”. Bodies, item 4983 in Strong’s – means the sound whole. A sound body is physically and mentally healthy. Our thinking process is part of our body. King Solomon, the wisest of Kings, said that “as [one] thinks in his heart, so is he” (Prov. 23:7). God is after what we think, so this is the area that we should examine. Are our thoughts acceptable to God? Paul admonishes us in Rom. 12:2 to “…be not conformed to this world, but be you transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” There is that word acceptable once again. God is obviously after the “renewing of our minds”. Why? Because the development of one’s character is in the mind.

Clean thoughts are like clean animals. As mentioned earlier,only clean animals were acceptable to God as sacrifice. Clean animals were also prescribed by God as good for human food. When we eat the flesh of a clean animal, it becomes part of our body and helps build our tissues. By contrast, the meat of unclean animals can do damage when absorbed by our body. For example, it is common knowledge that pork contains large amount of hard fat that could damage our arteries and precipitate a heart attack. Pork is also a known carrier of various disease-causing cysts that could afflict humans with tumors and other cancerous growths. In forbidding the consumption of pork, God does not want our bodies to be infected, or much worse, become a disease carrier that can infect other people.

Similarly, a person with an unclean mind can transmit heresies, sow division to the body of Christ which could lead to rebellion against God en masse. That is why the prayers, the thoughts of an unclean mind is an abomination to God. As a living sacrifice therefore, it is necessary that our thoughts be clean, just as a dead sacrifice ought to be a clean animal. How then can we cleanse or renew our mind? Our minds are often infected with thoughts of sin usually from people with whom we come into contact with, from our own imaginations, or from the broadcasts of the “prince of the power of the air” (Eph. 2:2). (To aid our memory, these are called the three “S” – Society, Self and Satan.) We have to purge our minds of thoughts of sin coming from these sources.

Men more susceptible. The proliferation of pornographic materials make men susceptible to deadly thoughts. Christ said, “Whosoever looks on a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart [or thought]” (Mat. 5:28). The word woman means a wife in Strong’s. HWA said a betrothed woman is already a wife, so this woman could be either married or single but engaged. Men therefore should be extra vigilant because they are more prone to sinning in their thoughts.

A wife is God’s favour or gift to a husband. Proverbs 18:22 states: “Whoso finds a wife finds a good thing, and obtains favour of the Lord”. Did you catch the last part? A wife is a favor from God, a gift! For a married man to lust after another woman is, therefore, more than adultery – it is an insult to the God who gave his wife. Adultery therefore on the part of the husband is rejecting a gift of God. As we have seen in the case of Cain, when God rejects an offering, He also rejects the person behind the offering. This principle works the other way around, too. And this is the other main lesson in this article: When we reject a gift of God, such as a wife, we are also rejecting God.

But why look at another woman if you have a wife? Why not look and look at your own wife, appreciate every curve in her body, cherish her, give her all your love? God’s admonition is: “Husbands, love your wives” Eph. 5:25).

The Bride of Christ. It might come as a surprise to many, but Christ is pictured in the book of Revelation as a lion – the Lion of the Tribe of Judah (Rev. 5:5, 22:16). Think about that. Why would Christ reveal Himself as a Lion in the book of Revelation? We know that He is getting married. A lion cannot take another animal for a wife. If Christ is a lion, then His wife has to be a lioness! For those who have not studied zoology, a lioness is a most interesting and peculiar animal. Among her peculiarities is that when she is ready for mating, she emits a certain odor that is so irresistible to the head lion. To bring her sweet odours close to the lion’s nostrils, she presents herself before him in a most attractive manner, and that is by crawling (crawling position is her mating position), thus deliberately making it known to the head lion that she is ready. With the irresistible odour that she emits, the head lion could never say no, and indeed he never does, whenever the lioness comes around. They mate as much as 300 times, according to National Geographic, before the lioness hides in a den to deliver her cubs. In one documentary, a commentator said that “they almost never part”. Does that remind us of the verse that says “His wife has made herself ready” in Rev. 19:7?

Brethren, we are the [betrothed] wife of Christ, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. We are the tribe of [spiritual] Judah, His [new] pride, and we have to make ourselves ready – i.e., ready to be wedded with our husband! The question is, do we emit the odour that makes us irresistible to our head Lion? How does our living sacrifice smell? Are our prayers sweet odours or abomination? Are we attractive enough to make our Husband say “there should be no further delay” in His coming? Do we present ourselves to Christ like a lioness does to the head lion? Your answers to these questions could hasten or delay our wedding day.■

Q3. True or False: Christ did humanitarian work on Sabbath days

Question No. 3

True or False: Christ did humanitarian work on Sabbath days

-by Brod Andy and Brod Belo

We will show that the answer is FALSE. Christ did God’s work only!

We will continue our review of God’s doctrines in preparation for our final exam. We will focus on Sabbath-keeping.

The WCG under Mr. Joseph Tkach, Sr. instituted some changes on the Sabbath observance. In his Christmas Eve 1994 sermon (posted on GCI website), Mr. Tkach said:

“If the choice is between (not) working on the Sabbath and providing food for the family, IT IS NOT A SIN TO WORK ON THE SABBATH.

These were not the words we heard from our first teacher Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong when we were young and impressionable. These were the words of an examiner! To remind ourselves, we are now being tested. We are now taking our final exams. Our task is to contend for the faith that was once delivered.

This was what we heard when we were young:

Exod 31:14 (KJV) You shall keep the Sabbath therefore; for it [is] holy unto you: every one that defiles it shall surely be put to death: for whosoever does [any] WORK therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people.

Human laws may only be amended by human lawmakers. In the same manner, God’s laws may only be amended by God himself. Mr. Tkach in effect appropriated to himself a prerogative of God by amending God’s law on the Sabbath.

Deut 4:2 (KJV) You shall not ADD unto the word which I command you, neither shall you diminish [~~ought~~ anything] from it, that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.

As a servant of God, he elevated himself above his LORD. In legal parlance, this is called “usurpation of authority”.

Matt 10:24 (KJV, Christ speaking) The disciple is not above [his] master, nor the servant above his lord.

Let Mr. Tkach tell us his basis in issuing the above amendment to the Sabbath law. In the same 1994 Christmas Eve Sermon posted on the GCI website, he said:

“Work on the Sabbath
“In John 5, let’s see what Jesus did on the Sabbath, and what he said about the Sabbath. He had gone to the Pool of Bethesda and found a man who had been lame for 38 years. “When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, ‘Do you want to get well?’” (verse 6).
….This man did want to be healed, so Jesus said: “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked. The day on which this took place was a Sabbath, and so the Jews said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat” (verses 8-10).

Question: Is there a law forbidding man to carry his mat on the Sabbath? Let’s find out what kind of work may or may not be done on Sabbath days:

Exod 20:9 Six days shall you LABOR, and do all your WORK: 10 But the seventh day [is] the Sabbath of the LORD your God: [in it] you shall not do any WORK, you, nor your son, nor your daughter, your manservant, nor your maidservant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger that [is] within your gates:
11 For [in] six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them [is], and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.

The word WORK has different meanings.

In Exod 20:9 above-cited, the word WORK, Heb. MELAKA, item 4399 in Strong’s, means deputyship but not servile (servile means befitting a slave or servant), EMPLOYMENT. Melaka therefore means the worker is either an EMPLOYER who deputizes others, or a SALARIED EMPLOYEE.

So it is clear, if you are an employer, you may not operate your enterprise on the Sabbath. If you are an employee, you may not report for work on the Sabbath.

In the next verse, Exod 20:10, the word WORK, Heb. MA’ASEH, item 4639 in Strong’s, means occupation. This means the worker is SELF-EMPLOYED. This type of work is also not allowed.

Note that in both cases of melaka and ma’aseh, the worker is a free man.

On the other hand, the word LABOR in verse 9, Heb. Abad, item 5647 in Strong’s means enslave, bond-service, compel. It means the worker is a slave. The word labor therefore refers to servile work and the slave is not free. In this case, THE MASTER IS BEING ADDRESSED. He should let his servant rest on Sabbath days.

The law on the Sabbath in Exodus 20 was amplified in Deuteronomy 5:14:

Deut 5:14 (KJV, the LORD addressing the masters) But the seventh day [is] the Sabbath of the LORD your God: [in it] you shall not do any work, you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your manservant, nor your maidservant, …THAT YOUR MANSERVANT AND YOUR MAIDSERVANT MAY REST AS WELL AS YOU.

For this reason, servants who escaped from their masters, most likely arising from the masters’ failure to abide by the law, are not condemned by God:

Deut 23:15 (KJV) You shall not deliver unto his master the servant which is escaped from his master unto you: 16 He shall dwell with you, [even] among you, in that place which he shall choose in one of your gates, where it likes him best: you shall not oppress him. {likes…: Heb. is good for him}

Clearly, the fourth commandment prescribes that the Sabbath is a day of rest from our own occupations (for the self-employed), employment (for both employer and employee), and servile work (for the servant).

Human endeavors and worldly pursuits, are also prohibited:

Isai 58:13 (KJV, the LORD addressing the Israelites) If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, [(i.e., if you turn away your foot) from] doing your pleasure on MY HOLY DAY; and (instead) call the Sabbath a delight, the holy (day) of the LORD, honorable; and shall honor him (by obeying his fourth commandment), NOT doing YOUR OWN ways, nor finding YOUR OWN pleasure, nor speaking [YOUR OWN] words:
14 Then shall you DELIGHT yourself in the LORD; and I WILL CAUSE YOU TO RIDE UPON THE HIGH PLACES OF THE EARTH, and FEED you with the heritage of Jacob your father: for the mouth of the LORD had spoken [it].

MR. TKACH’S NEW DOCTRINE

Now, we can examine Mr. Tkach’s teaching on the Sabbath. He quoted from the account in John 5 in the NIV. Let’s read its entirety:

The Healing at the Pool
John 5:1 (NIV) Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals. 2Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda ^a and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. 3Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed (waiting for an angel to stir the water. 4 Whosoever steps in first when the water is stirred gets healed of his diseases) 5One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years.6When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?”
7“Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.”
8Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.”
9At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked. The day on which this took place was a Sabbath, 10and so the Jewish leaders said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat.”
11But he replied, “The man who made me well said to me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’ ”
12So they asked him, “Who is this fellow who told you to pick it up and walk?”
13The man who was healed had no idea who it was, for Jesus had slipped away into the crowd that was there.
14Later Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, “See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.” 15The man went away and told the Jewish leaders that it was Jesus who had made him well.
16So, because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jewish leaders began to persecute him. 17In his defense Jesus said to them, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.”

Let Mr. Tkach continue:

“Now admittedly, there was no emergency. The man didn’t have to go anywhere on the Sabbath. He could have stayed there until sunset. But Jesus had told him to carry something on the Sabbath, and the Jewish leaders didn’t like that. They found out that Jesus had done this healing on the Sabbath, and in verses 16-17 we read: “So, because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jews persecuted him. Jesus said to them, ‘My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working.’”
“Here Jesus admits that he was working on the Sabbath and he was not sinning.

Note: We have defined above all the kinds of prohibited human work which are mainly EMPLOYMENT or OCCUPATION for the purpose of earning a living. GOD’S WORK, which Christ was doing, was NOT prohibited in the fourth commandment.

Let Mr. Tkach continue:

“Jesus was not afraid to use the word “WORK” to describe what he was doing.

Mr. Tkach here did not distinguish between man’s work and God’s work. Remember that we are being tested by God. To state clearly, only man’s work is prohibited on the Sabbath.

Mark 2:27 (KJV) And he said unto them, The Sabbath was made FOR MAN, and not man for the Sabbath: 28 Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the Sabbath (indicating he could do God’s work!)

Let Mr. Tkach continue:

“In the new covenant, we need to take a more FLEXIBLE APPROACH with WORK and HUMANITARIAN needs.
“Scripture says that those who don’t provide for their own families are worse than unbelievers, and common sense says that, too.

That is correct.

1Tim 5:8 (KJV, Paul speaking) But if any (man) provides not for his own, and especially for those of his own house, he has denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel (unbeliever).

But God set a time limit on when to work for a living, and when to rest.

The Sabbath is a time for humans to stop working for a living. Working on the Sabbath day removes the holiness of the day, which is the emphasis of the command: Remember to keep it holy. On the other hand, the holiness of the day was reinforced when Christ healed sick persons on the Sabbath day because Christ was doing HOLY WORK.

To summarize, it can therefore be said that “God’s work may be done during Sabbath days”!

Let’s see what John said in another instance:

BLINDMAN A PROP TO SHOW GOD’S POWER
John 9:1 (KJV) And as [Jesus] passed by, he saw a man which was BLIND FROM [HIS] BIRTH. 2 And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?

Please take note of Christ’s answer debunking Mr. Tkach’s claim that he did humanitarian work:

3 Jesus answered, Neither had this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the WORKS OF GOD (not HUMANITARIAN works) should be made manifest (or visible) in him.
…6 When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay, 7 And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing.
…14 And it was the SABBATH DAY when Jesus made the clay, and opened his eyes.

In short, THE BLIND MAN WAS A PROP to support Christ’s HOLY WORK of preaching the gospel. He was introducing God the Father and HE WAS SHOWING THAT GOD THE FATHER IS A POWERFUL GOD.

Christ was therefore not doing humanitarian work, although it looks like he was at first glance.

John 9:4 I must WORK the WORKS of HIM (i.e., God the Father) that sent me, (not humanitarian – humanitarian work means work of humans, not of God)…

Let Mr. Tkach continue:

“Some people want boundaries spelled out for them. Others do not, and they want to live their Christian faith as guided by broader principles. Jesus saw PRINCIPLES as MORE IMPORTANT THAN SPECIFIC RULES…We see it in his approach to the Sabbath, too. HUMANITARIAN PRINCIPLES are more important than strict taboos.
“But not everyone has a grasp of the BROAD (humanitarian) PRINCIPLES as well as Jesus did. So, if they need rules, they are welcome to keep their own rules — as long as they do it to the glory of God, as long as their faith is in Christ and not in their rules. The main point is that one group shouldn’t criticize the other.

Mr. Tkach created here a “division” in the Church of God: Conservatives and Liberals:

“The CONSERVATIVES should not condemn the actions of others, and the LIBERALS shouldn’t despise the rule-keepers. We should welcome each other based on faith in Jesus Christ.” (End of quotes)

Question: How can we welcome in the congregation someone who is always ABSENT from the Sabbath assembly and working somewhere else to earn a living? This is a NONSENSICAL INSTRUCTION! (nonsensical – foolish, senseless, absurd; not practicable) This must be a test!

Isai 56:6 (KJV) Also the sons of the stranger (Gentile) that join themselves to the LORD, to serve him, and to love the name of the LORD, to be his servants, EVERY ONE THAT KEEPS THE SABBATH FROM POLLUTING IT, and takes hold of my covenant; 7 Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices [shall be] accepted upon my altar; for my house shall be called a house of prayer for ALL people.

To summarize, Mr. Tkach did not tell us Christ’s real reason for healing the sick on Sabbath days which was: to SHOW THE POWER and MIGHT of God the Father, NOT to do humanitarian work. Remember that we are being tested today.

Isai 58:13 (KJV) If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, [(i.e., if you turn away your foot) from] doing your pleasure on MY HOLY DAY; and (instead) call the Sabbath a delight, the holy (day) of the LORD, honorable; and shall honor him (by obeying his command), not doing YOUR OWN WAYS (like humanitarian work), nor finding your own pleasure (like going to the beach), nor SPEAKING [YOUR OWN] WORDS (like making plans for the next weekdays):
14 Then (in keeping the Sabbath properly) shall you delight yourself in the LORD; and I WILL CAUSE YOU TO RIDE UPON THE HIGH PLACES OF THE EARTH, and FEED you with the heritage of Jacob your father: FOR THE MOUTH OF THE LORD HAD SPOKEN [IT]. (Wow, this is God who promised this! God always keeps his promises!)

Delighting ourselves in the LORD means we only do God’s work on the Sabbath. MAN’S WORK is prohibited in order to give way to GOD’S WORK (God’s work is: creating man after his own likeness, Gene 1:26).

Christ’s conclusion.

Mark 2:27 (KJV) And (Christ) said…The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath…

Our conclusion: From the above indications, the Sabbath was made for man TO KEEP! Man is to remember to keep it HOLY as God made it. It was made for man; therefore we need to keep it holy WHILE WE ARE STILL HUMAN.■

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We welcome reactions and comments from the brethren to help clarify any issue relative to this article.

Q2. True or False: Jesus Christ is the Focus of Our Worship and Faith

Question No. 2

True or False: Jesus Christ is the Focus of Our Worship and Faith

-by Brod Andy and Brod Belo

At the outset, our answer is FALSE. Christ is not and should not be the focus of our worship and faith but God the Father in heaven. In John 14:1 Jesus told his disciples to believe God and believe him also. This single verse alone already shows the focus of our faith. First is belief in God the Father and second is belief in Jesus Christ.

Joh 14:1 (KJV, Christ speaking) Let not your heart be troubled: you believe in God, believe also in me.

It is easier to believe in Christ because of historical accounts but to believe in God the Father really requires much faith (Heb. 11:1). One just has to believe Christ without proof or evidence that there is a Father in heaven.

John 1:18 (KJV) No man had seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he has declared (or introduced) [him].

Our faith should be first and foremost to God the Father because we must believe who He is even if not anyone in this world except Jesus Christ had seen Him at any time.

Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that comes to God must believe that he is (God), and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Christ will look for that kind faith when he comes back:

Luke 18:8 (KJV, Christ addressing the elect) …[W]hen the Son of man comes, shall he find faith on the earth?

Having said thus, let us continue with our review of WCG doctrines in preparation for our final exam.

(All our posts on this section of the website are part of a review course designed ONLY for ex-members of the Worldwide Church of God (WCG) in preparation for the imminent return of our High Priest, Jesus Christ. If you were not a WCG member, this doesn’t concern you! )

In taking this review course, we should be reminded of Paul’s and Christ’s instructions:

2The 2:15 (DBY) So then, brethren, stand firm, and hold fast the instructions which you have been taught, whether by word or by our letter.

Reve 3:11 (KJV) Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which you have (been taught), that no man take your crown.

We need to dissect the teachings of our teachers to know which doctrine to hold fast.

Here are quotes from Chapter 2, page 13 digital copy, Transformed by Truth, by our SECOND TEACHER Mr. Joseph Tkach, Sr., as quoted by his own son, Dr. Joseph Tkach, Jr.:

“Christmas Eve Sermon, 1994
“No one would deny that the gospel, the message of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, is the CENTER OF CHRISTIANITY. But, it seems that Christians often get sidetracked. Unique doctrines, legalistic regulations, prophetic speculations, and personality cults seem to blur the central truths of the faith until some Christians act as if they are in a theological fog. God’s light doesn’t seem to be getting through the barriers they have erected.
“God graciously brings renewal among His people that REFOCUSES THEM ON JESUS, the Author and Finisher of our faith. FAITH IN CHRIST SHOULD ALWAYS BE OUR FOCUS.”

On page 17 of the same book, Dr. Joseph Tkach Jr. again quoted his father as saying:

“God respects our willingness to sacrifice to obey Him even though our understanding was incomplete. God doesn’t hold it against us. But now God has called on the church to grow deeper in understanding. To worship Christ and not the Sabbath. The Sabbath was not made to be worshiped; CHRIST IS TO BE WORSHIPED….” (End of quotes)

Let’s hear from the AUTHOR AND FINISHER OF OUR FAITH identified in Heb 12:1-2 as Jesus Christ himself. He said to a Samaritan woman:

John 4:21 (KJV) Jesus said unto her (a Samaritan woman), Woman, believe me, the hour comes, when you shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, WORSHIP THE FATHER.

Note that Jesus Christ introduced God the Father to the Samaritan woman. This was so because Christ’s main assignment was to introduce God the Father. How do we know this? Because he did it!

John 17:26 (KJV, Christ reporting his accomplishments to God the Father before his death) And I have declared unto them (disciples) your name, and will declare [it] (through the apostles): that the love wherewith you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.

In the Old Testament times the name of the Father was never mentioned in relation to worship so that neither the Samaritan woman nor the apostles had known that there is a God the Father. Abraham also did not have knowledge about God the Father. He knew only of the Most High God whose high priest was named Melchizedek (Gen. 14:18-20). The Most High God must be the God that Jesus Christ has introduced to the Samaritan woman and to the apostles as the Father to be worshipped. Also, during the time of the Israelites, the LORD God was the God that they worshipped (Exod. 20:2-3). This was the same LORD God who called Abram out of his homeland (Gen. 12:1) and the same LORD God who actually did the creation of all things (Gen. 2:4) and who, from all indications, became Jesus Christ (John 1:1-3, 14-18). A change was therefore instituted by no less that Jesus Christ on the matter of worship – he directed the people to WORSHIP GOD THE FATHER.

WORSHIP OF CHRIST NOT PRACTICABLE TODAY

When Jesus Christ was born wise men from the east sought where he was so that they could worship him (Matt. 2:2). They knew from scriptures (Isa. 9:6-7) that he was the mighty God that was to be born king in the throne of David. Even Herod the king of Judaea at that time also sought to see Jesus Christ purportedly also to worship him (Matt. 2:8). All of these previous forms of worship were by sight (Exod. 19:16-20) and not in spirit. Christ-worship therefore cannot be done today because he is not here. Instead, Christ told the Samaritan woman that the time comes (it has come already) … to worship the Father “in spirit and in truth”.

Father-worship therefore took effect after Christ declared it. That changed the whole thing about worship to God. Now the focus of worship is to God the Father and it is no longer by sight but “in spirit and in truth”.

John 4:23 But the hour comes, and now is, when the TRUE WORSHIPPERS shall WORSHIP THE FATHER in spirit and in truth: for THE FATHER SEEKS SUCH (true worshippers) TO WORSHIP HIM. 24 God [is] a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship [him] in spirit and in truth.

Note that Christ did not say he himself is seeking worshippers. Since true worshippers shall now worship the Father, then worshipping of Christ today is, from all indications, false worship. However, worship to the LORD God Jesus Christ by sight may resume in the future when he will reign for 1000 years not far away from now (Zech. 14:9,16), i.e., if he requires it, and that is a big IF. It could then be the time when all knees should bow to Jesus … to the glory of God the Father (Philip. 2:10-11) as some interpret this verse to mean. (Another interpretation is: all knees should bow to God the Father at the “name” or at the instruction of Christ, which is more consistent with his instruction to the Samaritan woman!) Mr. Tkach’s injunction therefore to worship Jesus Christ in our time now before his glorious coming is out of season and premature and is nothing more than man’s commandment, not God’s.

Note that Mr. Joseph Tkach, Sr. in effect contradicted, even countermanded, Jesus Christ in declaring that Christ himself is to be worshipped! Or, maybe not! What do you think? Remember that we are examinees! We are the ones being tested by God.

We are taking a “true or false” exam, so our off-the-cuff answer to Christ-worship is FALSE. As we have mentioned at the outset, Christ directed us to WORSHIP GOD THE FATHER, NOT HIM.

Paul made it clear to the Corinthians:

1Cor 8:6 (KJV) But to us [there is but] one God, the Father, of whom [are] all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom [are] all things, and we by him.
7 Howbeit [there is] not in every man that knowledge:

PRAYING AN ACT OF WORSHIP

Jesus taught his disciples to whom, when, where, how to pray and what to pray for:

Matt 6:6 (KJV, Christ giving detailed instructions on how to pray) But you, when you pray, enter into your closet, and when you hast shut your door, PRAY TO YOUR FATHER which is in secret; and your Father which sees in secret shall reward you openly.
…9 After this manner therefore pray you: OUR FATHER which are in heaven, Hallowed be your name. 10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done in earth, as [it is] in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.

Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong had issued an unnumbered restored truth directing us to worship the Father. Here is an excerpt from Mr. Armstrong’s Bible Study conducted on January 21, 1984 under the title The Spiritual Law versus Rituals:

(Play tape starting Counter at no. 17:12)
“THE EARLY NEW TESTAMENT CHURCH
“So now the first opposition of the Church was Jewish, who refused to accept Jesus as the Messiah. And so the purpose of the teaching of the twelve apostles was to prove that Jesus was the Messiah…

Let’s skip some details and continue:

(Tape Counter No. 19:08)
“All right, the third thing that happened next — this opposition put an emphasis on Jesus as the Messiah, and it had a tendency to DE-EMPHASIZE God the Father. Now bear that in mind, because I didn’t mention that Sabbath. That’s another truth (that GOD THE FATHER SHOULD BE EMPHASIZED). I don’t know that I’ve mentioned that before. Perhaps some of you never thought of that. LET’S SAY WE ARE REVEALING THAT TRUTH THEN RIGHT NOW.” (End of quotes)

Acknowledgement:

The authors would like to acknowledge here the contribution of the Church of God International (CGI) in identifying this hitherto unnumbered truth and sequencing it as No. 19 in Mr. Armstrong’s list of Restored Truths.

The pertinent CGI webpage featuring this subject may be accessed at the following address:

https://www.hwalibrary.com/cgi-bin/get/hwa.cgi?action=getstudytools&InfoID=1377460627&SearchWhat=KeyWord&SearchFor=Restored%20Truth%2019&NoShow=&page=&return=search

Conclusion: To state clearly, any pronouncement from any authority or layman prescribing Christ-worship before his coming reign of a thousand years is simply man’s idea and not based on the word of God. It is God the Father who seeks worshippers now and those who do that, in the words of Christ, are TRUE WORSHIPPERS.

John 4:23 (KJV) But the hour comes, and now is, when the TRUE WORSHIPPERS shall WORSHIP THE FATHER in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeks such (true worshippers) to worship him.

Any deviation from Christ’s instruction could make us false worshippers. That’s something we don’t want to happen to any former WCG member. ■

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We welcome reactions and comments from the brethren to help clarify any issue relative to this article.