Latest Audio - 2021-08-07
Anger, frustration, aggression, conflict, hatred and violence erupts around the world…
We are living in…
The Age Of Anger
One of the biggest problems in our world today is anger. As a result, people are becoming increasingly aggressive, which is leading to action - protests, mass shootings, riots, gang warfare and even wars.
Anger – A Worldwide Problem
“This resentment all-too-easily leads to poor decision making. Supremacist networks are able to feed on this alienation and anger and enlist ‘freedom fighters’ with the promise they will have a sense of identity. It also leads to the rise of demagogues - leaders who appeal to the desires and prejudices of the people. They put their faith in the people, who are often violent, in their desperation to feel heard.
This anger is seen all around the world at an alarming rate, and it should be unnerving. The more anger and resentment become commonplace, the more unpredictable people get.” (fourminutebooks.com)
America Has Become A Powder Keg
“Have you noticed that people are a lot more emotional these days? People are angry about the lockdowns, people are angry because others are not ‘properly’ observing the social distancing rules, people are angry about losing their jobs, people are angry about the shortages in the stores, and more than anything else people are angry at our politicians. Even before COVID-19 came along, I was repeatedly warning my readers that anger was rising to a very dangerous level in this country, and now this pandemic has made things far worse.
If you doubt this, just log on to Facebook and read some of the ‘discussions’ that people are having about this coronavirus. Many of those ‘discussions’ rapidly devolve into venom spewing contests, and sometimes this is still true even if people are theoretically on the same side.
There is so much anger and frustration out there right now… Overall, I have never seen so much anger and frustration in the United States in my entire lifetime, and it is truly a recipe for disaster. Unfortunately, I expect anger and frustration to continue to grow in the months ahead, and we could be building up to a very dangerous crescendo later in the year. (endoftheamericandream.com)
Even Skin Colour Causes Anger
“A research article published last month in the Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association called whiteness ‘a malignant, parasitic-like condition.’ That description, along with other language in the article, has caused public anger, and the backlash against the author was evident on social media.
The article, titled ‘On Having Whiteness’, was written by Dr Donald Moss, a white man who is a faculty member of both the New York Psychoanalytic Institute and the San Francisco Center for Psychoanalysis. Moss argues there is ‘not yet a permanent cure.’
In the article, Moss wrote that ‘white people have a particular susceptibility’ to the ‘parasitic’ condition, which he claims ‘renders its hosts’ appetites voracious, insatiable, and perverse.’ He explained he believed whiteness establishes ‘entitled dominion’ that enables the ‘host’ to have ‘power without limit, force without restriction, violence without mercy,’ and increases one’s drive to ‘terrorize’.” (thegatewaypundit.com)
Anger Causing Revolts
The Covid pandemic is a case in point. This has caused anger around the whole world.
“We are witnessing an epic global struggle for freedom, and the outcome of that struggle is going to greatly shape what our world is going to look like in the years ahead. Ultimately, one of the most fundamental rights that we have is the right to make our own health decisions. If someone else has the authority to make those decisions for you, then you aren’t really free.
This pandemic has transformed the debate over health freedom into the most hotly contested political issue on the entire planet, and the intensity seems to have been turned up a few more notches in recent days. As governments around the world have begun instituting new lockdowns, new mandates and new ‘health passports’, we have seen huge eruptions of anger all over the world.
Millions upon millions of people are fed up and are refusing to accept any more violations of their fundamental rights. But of course there are millions of others that are eagerly embracing the tyrannical measures that have been implemented by national governments around the globe. In the end, the scale is going to tip one way or the other, and the outcome is going to greatly shape the direction of humanity’s future.
Meanwhile, other ‘pestilences’ continue to make headlines as well. A drug-resistant ‘superbug’ that is ‘resistant to all existing treatments’ is causing quite a bit of alarm for US health officials at this moment… In the past we have seen isolated cases, but now we are being told that it looks like this ‘superbug’ is spreading pretty easily from person to person… I believe that we have entered a new era of great pestilences. Scientists all over the globe are constantly playing around with deadly diseases, and in many instances they are actually attempting to make them even deadlier.” (endoftheamericandream.com)
Worldwide Protests
“Following Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s announcement that vaccine passports would be required for nightclubs and other public venues, thousands of Britons protested in London to demand a return to freedom.
Amid worldwide demonstrations against Chinese virus lockdowns and vaccine passports on Saturday, thousands of protesters gathered in London’s Trafalgar Square. One protestor told Breitbart London that she had never attended a protest in her life until this year, saying: ‘The vaccine passport system is the final straw, it’s the thin end of the wedge’. ‘The funny thing is that all the conspiracy theories that exist keep on coming true.’
‘Deaths have dropped, people are getting vaccinated, and in theory, that’s supposed to protect us and here we still are. I see no end to it, they are never going to let go of the powers that they have stolen, they are loving it too much,’ she said. ‘When tyranny becomes the law, resistance becomes duty’.” (breitbart.com)
The Chinese Are Angry With The United States
“Have relations between the United States and China finally reached the point of no return? At this moment, it would be difficult to overstate how angry the Chinese are with the United States. Most Americans spend very little time thinking about relations with China, but over in China they are absolutely furious with us right now, and the developing situation in Hong Kong is one of the biggest reasons for that anger. Millions of people have flooded the streets of Hong Kong in recent weeks, and it appears that the Chinese have decided that enough is enough.” (theeconomiccollapseblog.com)
China Tells US Diplomat That Its Rise Can’t Be Stopped
“A senior Chinese diplomat on Monday bluntly warned the visiting American deputy secretary of state, Wendy R Sherman, that the Biden administration’s strategy of pursuing both confrontation and cooperation with Beijing was sure to fail. China’s vice foreign minister, Xie Feng, told Ms Sherman that the United States’ ‘competitive, collaborative and adversarial rhetoric’ was a ‘thinly veiled attempt to contain and suppress China,’ according to a summary of Mr Xie’s comments that the Chinese foreign ministry sent to reporters. Mr Xie’s remarks underscored the anger that has been building in China toward the United States, undermining the chances that the approach will work.” (dnyuz.com)
A Constant State Of Anger
“Those that prey on elderly people just because they are easy targets should be deeply ashamed of themselves. Unfortunately, we live at a time when violent criminals are roaming the streets of our major cities in packs, and many of them seem to have no sense of honor at all. Women are being attacked, children are being attacked, and those that are advanced in age are often specifically targeted. Reading that may make your blood boil, but they don’t care what you think. Many of these criminals don’t have respect for anyone or anything, and a lot of them have hearts that are as cold as ice.
We are now known around the globe for the blood that runs in our streets, and our leaders seem powerless to do anything about it. Of course our problems extend well beyond violent criminals. As Business Insider recently noted, it seems like a significant portion of the general population is in a constant state of anger these days… According to a psychiatrist from Harvard Medical School, the pressure that has been building up in our society is causing a lot of people to finally crack…” (theeconomiccollapseblog.com)
A Lesson From History
Let’s learn from the lessons of history. Three million people died as a result of anger… which led to aggression… which ended up in open warfare!
“Late in the evening of October 17, 1534, a small group of protestant activists swept across the five biggest cities in France, posting anti-Catholic propaganda posters all over town in major public squares. The activists even managed to brazenly nail one of their posters to the bedroom door of King Francis I, himself a Catholic.
Francis was furious. He had always been tolerant of protestants in his country and allowed people to worship freely… at a time when religious tolerance was quite rare in Europe. But he felt the activists had gone too far. So he had them all tracked down and burned at the stake. This was merely an opening salvo in what would eventually become a full blown civil war in France, known as the ‘Wars of Religion’ between Catholics and Protestants.
In retrospect this may be one of the most pointless and idiotic civil wars in the history of western civilization. Both sides were French – a kingdom that had existed for centuries and enjoyed a strong national identity since at least the mid 1400s. Both sides spoke the same language, shared similar values. Even religiously, they both worshipped the same God. They both had faith in Jesus Christ. They both believed in heaven and hell.
Their differences were minor. They had different customs and rituals. And they disagreed on small details – like predestination, the infallibility of the pope, or the supreme authority of the bible over the authority of the church.
Yet despite standing on the same ground on virtually 95% of everything, their 5% disagreement led to one of the deadliest wars in European history.
More than 3 million died as a result of this pointless conflict. And it took decades for the violence to stop and the French economy to finally recover.” (zerohedge.com)
The World In 2021
This world is full of anger, and anger’s close relatives, frustration, aggression, conflict, hatred and violence.
This is the world we live in.
This is the world that we have to come out of!
In Matthew 24, Christ warned about end time problems - wars, rumours of wars, earthquakes, pestilence and famine – but the first thing He warned about was deception. As the Apostle Paul also warned…
“But evil people and impostors will flourish. They will deceive others and will themselves be deceived. But you must remain faithful to the things you have been taught…” (ll Timothy 3:13, NLT)
We must constantly remind ourselves that we are observers, we do not get involved. We are ambassadors for the soon-coming Kingdom of God. This is not our world. If we support one side in any situation, this can lead to anger – and even hatred towards the opposing side.
The Apostle Paul warned:
“Therefore, come out from among unbelievers, and separate yourselves from them, says the LORD. Don’t touch their filthy things, and I will welcome you.” (ll Corinthians 6:17, NLT)
The Apostle James added:
“Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.” (James 1:27, NLT)
The message is simple. Don’t get involved with this world and its way of life, and we must not let Satan’s system corrupt us.
Mr Bowles made the following comment to me in a personal email which I will share with you, as it explains the position clearly:
“What is important for all of us to remember is that our expertise does not lie in the physical realm but we have been allowed to see the far more important spiritual implications within the various problems of this world. This is particularly true of the pandemic and climate change. With the present background of outright lies and dubious statistics it is impossible to absolutely know the truth – except for our spiritual position.
We are not virologists or climate scientists. We simply do not have the expertise to accurately know that a certain physical position is right. This is why we need to concentrate on the area that we do know and be content to let the potsherds of clay fight the potsherds of clay over this godforsaken earth during this present age of man.”
Where To Direct Anger
When we watch events, it’s sometimes hard not to be angry at the things that people do in today’s world. But there is something that we can do about it.
It’s not wrong to be angry – Christ was!
“And when he had looked round about on them WITH ANGER, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other.” (Mark 3:5)
Christ did something positive – He healed the man.
We can also use anger in a positive way… by following Lot’s example…
“But God also rescued Lot out of Sodom because he was a righteous man who was sick of the shameful immorality of the wicked people around him. Yes, Lot was a righteous man who was tormented in his soul by the wickedness he saw and heard day after day.” (ll Peter 2:7-8, NLT)
Take It To God!
Here is what God said!
“…set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof.” (Ezekiel 9:4)
God wants to see us beginning to think as He does – even in this area of when we get angry – and therefore gives us this instruction…
“Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ as obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.” (l Peter 1:13-16)
A Question of Foundations
... like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great. (Luke 6:49)
The Florida Collapse
I am sure most of us have seen the pictures of Champlain Towers South – a 12 storey ocean-side block of condominiums in Miami, Florida which collapsed suddenly in the early hours of Thursday, 24th June. In a report published in 2018 engineers who inspected the property warned of "significant cracks and breaks in the concrete" at its base, especially around the outdoor pool area and warned that design flaws and deteriorating waterproofing were causing "major structural damage". The report did not suggest that the building was at imminent risk of collapse but concluded that "this deterioration needs to be repaired in a timely fashion".
Of particular interest are the pictures taken from the sea which shows just how close to the beach the Surfside condominiums actually were – being located a mere few hundred yards across a highway from the sandy beach itself. It can't help but remind us of the graphic analogy Jesus Christ Himself made as to the folly of building houses on sand rather than rock:
- Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
- And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
- And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
- And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it. (Matthew 7:24-27)
The final death toll appears to be 98, with just one person being found alive in the first few hours after the building fell, and even he died shortly after rescue.
A Bigger Problem
As catastrophic as this condo collapse has been, there are many voices pointing to an even bigger problem within the USA. Many of the items that form the country's infrastructure – particularly bridges apparently – originally constructed during the stimulus years designed to counter the Great Depression, are now reaching the end of their lives, as this news report from April this year brings out:
The topic of improving our national infrastructure is once again front and center in Washington. For years, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) has been urging policymakers to reinvest in things like waterways, bridges, energy grids, and roads. In fact, ASCE reports that 43% of America's public roadways are in poor or mediocre condition, more than 230,000 U.S. bridges require repair and preservation work, and there is a water main break every two minutes, causing an estimated six billion gallons of treated water to be lost each day. (ncta.com)
... front-line workers, are currently relying on outdated roads, bridges, waterways, ports, runways and drinking water systems, many of which are more than 50 years old. More than 54,000 bridges across the U.S. are rated “structurally deficient” according to NAM. Roadways, ports and waterways are in disrepair. The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) released a report card in 2017 of infrastructure in the country and gave the nation a rating of D+. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, 65% of major U.S. roads are rated as “less than good condition” ...
... In order for America to remain globally competitive now and after this pandemic, our leaders must be committed to improving our infrastructure. China’s infrastructure investment is almost double the size of the infrastructure spending in the U.S., and India’s infrastructure investments are growing at a rate that triples the infrastructure outlays of the U.S., Canada and Mexico combined ... (industryweek.com)
A MUCH Bigger Problem
Just as the physical infrastructure we rely upon appears ready to collapse due to lack of maintenance, so too the spiritual infrastructure of society is crumbling as the foundational principles – the biblical bedrock on which our Israelitish nations were once founded – are no longer valued, let alone maintained. In the 19th century, when America and Britain were bursting forth on the world stage – the words of Christ contrasting building on either rock or sand were well known within society, and to a human degree understood, respected and taught. Today however, Jesus' foundational words – those found in Matthew 5, 6 and 7 – are no longer even known, let alone appreciated, and all around us we witness humanity's spiritual infrastructure in serious trouble.
- Hath a nation changed their gods, which are yet no gods? but my people have changed their glory for that which doth not profit.
- Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid, be ye very desolate, saith the LORD.
- For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water. (Jeremiah 2:11-13)
Night after night on our TV screens we witness the promotion of such broken cisterns in our news reports and the various human solutions being presented. Two of the most prolific areas at present lie in the presentation of the pandemic and of climate change. In the past humanity would have recognised the clear link between the disasters that are unfolding all around us and the moral degeneracy that is also so evident. But not today! Today they are put down to CO2 emissions and the need for vaccinations on a worldwide scale. The gods to rescue us from the present catastrophes are electric cars, the national health service, vaccine passports and 'track and trace'. From the very start of the pandemic – and also regarding the severe weather systems we are experiencing – nothing whatsoever has been mentioned about the possibility of us bringing this upon ourselves through unrighteous actions:
- In all his scheming, the wicked person arrogantly thinks, "There’s no accountability, since there’s no God." (Psalm 10:2 CSB)
Just contrast this promotion of broken cisterns with the approach of the prophet Daniel when Nebuchadnezzar was troubled by a dream that none of his wise men could interpret. In chapter 4, God warns the king that he is in danger of losing his kingdom – and his humanity – for a period of seven years, unless he recognises that he wasn't the great 'mover and shaker' he thought he was, but; "that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men and giveth it to whomsoever HE will". (Daniel 4:25)
- ‘King Nebuchadnezzar, please accept my advice. Stop sinning and do what is right. Break from your wicked past and be merciful to the poor. Perhaps then you will continue to prosper.’ (Daniel 4:27 NLT)
God is Not Mocked
One thing that is very clear within scripture is that God is both zealous and jealous of His true position within the minds of all of mankind – and in particular of the nations of Israel. (Exodus 34:14) In today's society man has progressed to the point of thinking we can do away with the need for a god of any kind – clearly predicted by the apostle Paul in the first chapter of Romans, which also lays out the moral depravity that would invariably follow – and which we also see all around us today. But the solution normally presented – to "follow the science" – is invariably morally corrupt because the 'science' they are following insists on the premise that there is no God, and goes downhill from there. And as Ezekiel warns us, any structure made to look good on the surface by being 'whitewashed' with political rhetoric – will ultimately be swept away in contempt.
- “Therefore, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: Because what you say is false and your visions are a lie, I will stand against you, says the Sovereign LORD.
- I will raise my fist against all the prophets [spokesman, speaker – Strongs 05030] who see false visions and make lying predictions, and they will be banished from the community of Israel. I will blot their names from Israel’s record books, and they will never again set foot in their own land. Then you will know that I am the Sovereign LORD.
- “This will happen because these evil prophets deceive my people by saying, ‘All is peaceful’ when there is no peace at all! It’s as if the people have built a flimsy wall, and these prophets are trying to reinforce it by covering it with whitewash! [untempered mortar, KJV]
- Tell these whitewashers that their wall will soon fall down. A heavy rainstorm will undermine it; great hailstones and mighty winds will knock it down.
- And when the wall falls, the people will cry out, ‘What happened to your whitewash?’
- “Therefore, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will sweep away your whitewashed wall with a storm of indignation, with a great flood of anger, and with hailstones of fury.
- I will break down your wall right to its foundation, and when it falls, it will crush you. Then you will know that I am the LORD. (Ezekiel 13:8-14 NLT)
The Last Straw
Most of us know what the phrase "the last straw" implies ... i.e. there is something seemingly insignificant that in reality is one step too far in the wrong direction. "It's the last straw that breaks the camel's back", and in the case of the Florida condominiums, the last straw was just one crack too many at the base of the building. Even though potential problems were highlighted in the 2018 report, for the next 3 years life went on as much as it always had ... until that fateful night when their world literally crashed around them. The collapse occurred suddenly without warning, with the residents asleep in the middle of the night – even though the warning signs were there for those who knew what to look for, and so it will be at the end of this age, just as we are warned by the prophet Isaiah:
- Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits:
- Get you out of the way, turn aside out of the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us.
- Wherefore thus saith the Holy One of Israel, Because ye despise this word, and trust in oppression and perverseness, and stay thereon:
- Therefore this iniquity shall be to you as a breach ready to fall, swelling out in a high wall, whose breaking cometh suddenly at an instant.
- And he shall break it as the breaking of the potters’ vessel that is broken in pieces; he shall not spare: so that there shall not be found in the bursting of it a sherd to take fire from the hearth, or to take water withal out of the pit. (Isaiah 30:10-14)
If we'd learn the lessons of history, we'd be able to recognise that over the past 6,000 years, there have been various 'tipping points' when God decided "enough was enough" ... as in the case of the Flood, Sodom and Gomorrah, and the Sabbath breaking and idolatry of Israel and Judah. But determining the ultimate tipping point – from this present age into the millennial rule of the God family – the Father reserves strictly to Himself. Even Christ and the angelic army with Him will not know for sure the day and the hour until that final 'straw' has been determined. But we can be assured, that when it does come, the Messiah – who has been waiting 2,000 years – will be ready:
- The LORD shall go forth as a mighty man, he shall stir up jealousy like a man of war: he shall cry, yea, roar; he shall prevail against his enemies.
- I have long time holden my peace; I have been still, and refrained myself: now will I cry like a travailing woman; I will destroy and devour at once.
- I will make waste mountains and hills, and dry up all their herbs; and I will make the rivers islands, and I will dry up the pools.
- And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them. (Isaiah 43:13-16)
Starting God's Church
When Jesus Christ, as the God of the Old Testament, decided to respond to Job, His first challenge from THE Master Builder to another, was to ask Job:
- Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding.
- Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it?
- Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof; (Job 38:4-6)
The importance of choosing the correct foundation is of vital understanding to any builder, be he human or God! And one of the main points of Christ's mission on earth was to build His church: "... and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." (Matthew 16:18). A church that would last for millennia has to have the right foundation ... and that foundation was to be on a rock, clearly aligned to the words of Christ Himself. It is little wonder then, that we find Matthew 5, 6 and 7 positioned immediately following His temptation in the wilderness and His choosing the twelve individuals specifically destined to begin the process.
This Sermon on the Mount was the basic syllabus for His students and laid out an entirely new spirit-led approach to God's law – writing that law in the heart, from which our words and actions would then flow. It illustrates the Mind of God, and the foundational principles brought out would not only form the bedrock, the 'underpinning' the apostles' beliefs, but were designed to be taken by them, applied personally and taught in the various circumstances that they in turn would encounter in beginning the New Testament church. Similarly they continued to comprise the foundation of God's church as it progressed through the Middle Ages, in the different church eras right down to the present day.
Two thousand years on, and in a diametrically different society, we were given an apostle who took these very same words and through God's inspiration explained to us the clear illustration of the Two Trees - the two Ways of Life; Give versus Get. It is the same church with the same foundation, laid by apostolic teachers under the direction of the Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ Himself, as our High Priest, and chief corner stone. (I Corinthians 3:11, Ephesians 2:20)
Building on a Rock
When remembering the illustration Christ gives us of the wisdom of building on a rock, rather than relying on a foundation of sand it is important that we notice just what the difference between the two actually is. In both cases the individual hears the words previously given. He undoubtedly would also see the wisdom within them. He may even teach or write about the principles Christ brings out. But the dividing line between the two individuals is the need to actually LIVE what he reads! Hearing is not enough, mentally agreeing with them is not enough – as only by applying the Way of Life they contain – ie. gaining the Mind of Christ – will we be able to withstand the many storms of life.
- But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great (Luke 6:49)
What makes this body of teaching so foundational, so vitally important, is that unless we get to grips with it, our house will not stand. It's back to the two trees ... it is a Way of Life that turns human nature on its head. In Acts 17:6, the apostles were accused of turning the world upside down! Christ used well-known circumstances of His day to illustrate "turning around and going the other way" to the approach that comes naturally, and we can't live this way without the indwelling of God's spirit. But if we don't live this way, we can't teach it either in the soon coming Kingdom of God:
- But I am the LORD thy God, that divided the sea, whose waves roared: The LORD of hosts is his name.
- And I have put my words in thy mouth, and I have covered thee in the shadow of mine hand, that I may plant the heavens, and lay the foundations of the earth, and say unto Zion, Thou art my people. (Isaiah 51: 15,16)
As Mr. Armstrong brings out in his sermon "Foundation of a New World":
Those converted during the Millennium, plus us, will all be in the Family of God in this NEW BUILDING, THIS NEW STRUCTURE. And the old structure will have crumbled and been long forgotten. Then, every one of them is going to be just like Adam was in the beginning. They're going to face the two trees, so to speak; but there won't be any devil there to deceive them.
We'll be there to teach them, and every influence around them is going to be a godly influence to lead them God's way. You know, personally I believe the overwhelming majority are going to respond and be saved when they are no longer deceived; but not all, otherwise the Bible wouldn't say that there are going to be those who will become ashes under the soles of our feet.
It's not a universal salvation. No one can be saved except he makes the decision himself. It's not only making the decision, it's acting on that decision. Sin is the transgression of the law, not just the temptation and the desire. It is acting on that temptation. It's when the desire comes, you meditate on it and you think, and finally you give in and say, "Well, I'll go ahead and do it." The doing is the sin! People are going to have to make their own decisions. They're going to have to be doers as well as hearers.
But finally it will be God's building, built on a sound foundation. But this world, this building, is on its last legs. We talk about the end of the world. It's drawing near. Be sure that you're not caught in the destruction, when the building crumbles that you don't fall down with it. Come out of it before that time, because we are going to have protection ... Come under that protection and we have nothing to worry about, but all hope and glory lies ahead for all of us. (Foundation of a New World, December 31 1983)
For the 98 who died in the Florida condo collapse, foundations that were laid in the building they looked upon as their home suddenly failed catastrophically. For them, the end of this age has already come. They will awake to a new world – a world built on an entirely new and lasting foundation, as different as black is from white, as up is from down, as give is to get. And on that rock the entirety of mankind will rest – and do so for eternity.
- Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces.
- Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth ...
- ... And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. (Daniel 2:34,35,44)
“Just what is an APOSTLE?”
Today we find the Church of God in a “wilderness of religious confusion!”
The confusion is not merely around the Church – within the religions of the world outside – but WITHIN the very heart of The True Church itself!
Read online or contact email to request a copy
