(NB Headings are not part of original, but are added for clarity)

The World Tomorrow

The Office of Christ

by Herbert W Armstrong

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Well greetings friends. This is Herbert W Armstrong with the Good News of the World Tomorrow.

What has Jesus Christ been doing for more than nineteen long centuries since He left this earth? Very few people ever give that a thought, very few know the answer. They sort of assume that He's just gone way off somewhere.

Perhaps the most neglected, the least read book of the New Testament is the Book of Hebrews. It's the Priesthood book, it is devoted to revealing the present office, the present twentieth century job of Jesus Christ. Christ rose from the dead, Jesus Christ isn't dead, Jesus Christ is alive. He went to heaven – but why? He's been with God Almighty, the Father, on the Father's throne, the throne of all the universe in heaven, for 1900 years. But why? What's He been there for? What's He doing there?

Now God the Father sits on a throne. Well now, what is a throne? A throne is a seat or a place from which a ruler rules. God is Most High Ruler over all the universe. Well then, what's Christ doing with the Father, on the Father's throne? You read in the first chapter of Luke that Jesus Christ was born to be a King and that He was born to take over the throne of his father David here on this earth. He's not on that throne now, He never has been. Jesus Christ has not yet become King. He's sitting with His Father on His Father's throne. What's He doing there?

My friends, He is there for one purpose, not just to bask in the sunshine of the Father's Glory, just to look in blissful awe and admiration at the Father, the Great God, with nothing to do. Christ is there on the throne of God Almighty in heaven on His Father's throne, He's there for a purpose, not as a king; He's there to serve, to help you. Oh I tell you, my friends, it's the most neglected thing in all the Bible. Why?

Now in this book of Hebrews you find the keynote of this – you find the reason for His being there in the seventeenth verse of the second chapter; Hebrews 2 verse 17: {1}

"Therefore he [speaking of Christ] had to be made like his brethren in every respect..." (Hebrews 2:17 RSV)

That's speaking of how He was made flesh and dwelt among us 1900 years ago, of how He was made human flesh; therefore He had to be made like His brethren in every respect. I want you to get that, He was made like us, and when He was, He was born of a virgin, He was born of a human being and He was human. Now He was also God because He was born of God, God was His only Father. But just the same, Mary, the virgin, was His mother. And He was born of humanity and He was born of the flesh and therefore He was flesh.

"Therefore he had to be made like his brethren in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God..." (Hebrews 2:17 RSV)

That's what He's been doing for 1900 years. Now I want you to get the impact of that, my friends. Listen carefully: the very reason that Jesus was made flesh, the very reason that He spent a three and a half year ministry on this earth, the very reason that He died on the cross, that He was resurrected from the grave, was one thing; in order that He could do what He's been doing for 1900 years. That thing which you hear practically nothing about, that very job, the great job that has lasted 1900 years. He was only on this earth, that is, in His ministry, about three and a half years. We hear a lot about that, we hear a lot about His crucifixion. You hear almost nothing about Christ in His present office. What He's doing now in this twentieth century, right now, what He was doing in the nineteenth century, what He was doing in the middle ages, what He was doing clear back there for 1900 and more, long years ago.

Christ is Still on the Job (PLAY FROM 04:39)

Now, He came to earth in the human flesh and here it expresses the purpose. He had to be made like His brethren, like us – human. He was God made flesh. And He was made like His brethren, He was like us, He was human! Did you ever read that we are to be made like Him and He is now divine? I'm coming to that again a little later, but listen:

"...he [was] made like like his brethren in every respect, so that [here's the reason] he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God..." (Hebrews 2:17 RSV)

He has been in that service of God for 1900 years. Jesus Christ has been on the job. He is not the King now, the Father is the King. He is on the Father's throne as High Priest to serve you. Now why should He care anything about you? He is now the Great God, why does He care about you? Why is He devoting His time now for you? Why has He been devoting His time there for 1900 years for humanity and right now for you and for me and those of us living at this present time?

Now go back to the very beginning of this Book of Hebrews once again. We've been going through it now in the past several programs. In the first chapter it tells us how great Christ is. Just once again, a very brief review. We see here that He is appointed the heir of all things, that's all the universe, and He created the world. We see here in the third verse of the very first chapter:

"He reflects the glory of God and bears the very stamp of [God's] nature, upholding the universe by his word of power [He sustains, upholds, the entire universe by the Word of His power]. When he had made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high," (Hebrews 1:3 RSV)

God Almighty is the Great Majesty of the entire universe. God not only created this universe but God created all force and laws and all that moves, all energy; and God rules through forces and through energies and through laws and God is the Ruler. Now, we don't recognize that God is a Ruler and the reason is that God has ruled that we must be made free moral agents and He made us thus. And God said to us; "...I have set before you life on the one hand, death on the other and God commanded us that we have to choose, life or death..." (Deuteronomy 30:19 paraphrased).

And the very fact that we must choose means God will not choose and God is allowing us to make our own choice, so God is not intervening unless we choose God; unless we choose to repent of our transgression of His Laws that He has set in motion and return to Him through Jesus Christ. That's why the world has forgotten God, the world has cut itself off from God. God has allowed this world to cut itself off from Him, God has forced this world to make its own decision; and the world has made the decision to cut itself off from God. So the world doesn't seem to realize that God exists. To the people of the world, they have gotten so far away from God, they are so cut off from God, that to the people of the world God is sort of a myth. God is not real. Apparently God seems to have gone way off. Oh, God hasn't gone way off, God is still ruling.

Look to the Word of God not Escapism (PLAY FROM 08:11)

My friends, someday you are going to come to see the truth. You are going to know that God set the bounds of the nations; you are going to see that God has caused the rise and the fall of nations. You are going to see that God has controlled the outcome of every important war; and you are going to see that we did not win World War I, and we didn't win World War II by our own power, or our own strength. You are going to see that God Almighty intervened; and in ways that you perhaps have not realized. But I've explained it on this program previous to now; God brought about the outcome of World War I and World War II and He saw to it that we won for a purpose.

And now we've come to the place God is not going to cause us to win any more wars. That's on authority of Jesus Christ and I want to tell you it's later than you think; we are not speaking on prophecy at the present moment. But I want to tell you there is nothing more important in your life than to know what is prophesied to happen to the United States. And I want to tell you if you try and run away and escape reality, my friends, it's going to overtake you, and it is going to be very real; and you are going to be sorry and; "There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth... " (Luke 13:29).

And if you will heed the warning; if you will look into the very word of God which has foretold many, many, many events that have happened exactly as God said they would. And God has brought them about precisely on schedule, some events right down to the day; 2500 years after God said it would happen and in exactly the precise manner that God had said. And these other things that are prophesied yet for the future are going to happen. God has given us a way of escape, He has given us a way of protection. You can find it; but if you just try escapism by blinding your eyes from it, by running away from it, by stopping your ears, by refusing to hear – then God says:

"My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee..." (Hosea 4:6)

Saith the Eternal God. That is Hosea four and the sixth verse. Now here we are in Hebrews; it is first showing us how great is Christ. He upholds, He sustains the entire universe by the word of His power. Now He is:

"... sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high [on His Father's throne], having become as much superior to angels as the name he has obtained is more excellent than theirs." (Hebrews 1:3-4 RSV)

Now how did He become superior to angels? By being born a Son of God; angels are only created spirits, angels are spirits. God made them so, God created them each one individually and separately. But Jesus Christ was made superior to them, He is made God by being born of God by a resurrection from the dead. Even, my friends and get this; even as you and I can be if we come to God on His terms and conditions. Now:

"To which of the angels has He ever said, 'Thou are my Son, this day have I begotten thee?' And where God has said, 'I will be to Him a Father, and He shall be a Son?'" (Hebrews 1:5 paraphrased)

Oh no; the angels are created beings, they are just something God made or created. But again, when He brings the Firstborn into the world, He says, Christ is only the Firstborn; only the 'first'born. We too, my friends, are to be born of God. And Christ is very God by being born of God by a resurrection from the dead. We are to be like Him, we shall see Him as He is; our vile bodies shall be changed and made like Him, like unto His glorious body. He has now been glorified – we too shall be glorified.

Do you know, my friends, their isn't one person in 100,000 in this United States, professing Christian churchgoer or not, I don't care how many church books you have your membership on. There is not one person in 100,000 in these United States that knows what salvation is; that knows what God has in store and prepared for those that love Him; and that come to Him through Jesus Christ, that are finally born of God. Oh you'd better open your eyes and your ears.

Why do you waste your time my friends in escapism? Why do you waste your time just being entertained and amused by a lot of fiction, by a lot of make believe that someone made up in imagination, a lot of circumstances and love stories and detective things and underworld crime and things? Of course they interest you, they fascinate you and they help you to escape reality. And some day my friends reality is going to catch up with you, and there's going to be weeping and gnashing of teeth; if you don't wake up while you have time and come under the one and the only escape that there is. The one and the only security, the one and the only protection; which is offered you by God Almighty and you won't get it running away from it.

No harm needs ever come to you but I want to tell you my friends, we're in the last days of this age of this world. And man is about to destroy himself and to destroy this earth and if God Almighty doesn't intervene soon there won't be any flesh left alive on the earth. So said Jesus Christ in Matthew 24 verses 21 and 22.

Now this is reality, you can't escape reality – you can run away from it for a while but it's going to catch up with you. You aren't going to find any movies, TV programs, or fiction magazines, or any of the other things that so many of you people have been wasting so many hours on. Now there may be times once in a while when if you've been busy and you haven't really tried to escape reality when a little relaxation of that kind may be alright but I think we are abusing the privilege - most of us – now don't you honestly? And don't you think that perhaps the wrong use of some of these instrumentalities that have been made possible to us in this day and age are becoming a great curse to most of us and to this nation? We're going the way of Ancient Rome just about as rapidly as we know how to go, and we won't heed the warning.

Righteousness and Lawlessness (PLAY FROM 14:27)

Alright listen; now then, further about Christ, He is only the firstborn and very next here it says:

"...Let all [of] God’s angels worship him." (Hebrews 1:6 RSV)

He is worthy of the worship of angels. Then again to the Son, the Father, God Almighty says:

"...Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever, the righteous scepter is the scepter of thy kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness and hated lawlessness..." (Hebrews 1: 8-9 RSV)

Now how many professing Christians are like that? Righteousness – do you know what righteousness is? There's a definition in your Bible, it's in the one hundred and nineteenth Psalm the one hundred seventy-second verse, and there it says; "...all they commandments are righteousness." (Psalms 119:172). All of the commandments of God and obeying them; and it's speaking of the Ten Commandments.

Now then, lawlessness; that's breaking God's Law or God's Commandments. And I tell you, my friends, there are many a professing Christian in this United States today that hates the Law of God. That hates the Ten Commandments and say; "I don't want any of those old Ten Commandments. Oh no; I, I, I, want to..." You know, they twist around, they don't know what it is to be under the Law, and they say; "Oh, I'm not under the law, I'm under grace." They turn grace into lasciviousness which is license to disobey, to do what they want to do, what they think is right. God says:

"There is a way that seemeth right [to you], but the end thereof are the ways of death." (Proverbs 16:25)

"...lean not unto thine own understanding." (Proverbs 3:5)

And if you would come to God:

"Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and return to God, God will have mercy on him because God's ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not out thoughts." (Isaiah 55:7-8 paraphrased)

Now; "...sin is the transgression of the law [of God]." (I John 3:4) Jesus Christ loved the law of God. Jesus Christ, it says here:

"...loved righteousness [which is the keeping of God's Commandments, Christ], hated lawlessness..." (Hebrews 1:8)

And loved righteousness. Jesus said; " ...I have kept my Father's commandments..." (John 15:10). And then again He said; "...I have [set] you an example, that you...should do as I have done..." (John 13:15 RSV). And Peter said that we should follow His steps.

Have you read those scriptures? Read your Bible, my friends, don't believe me. Now what I say to you is; the Bible is the Holy Word of God, it is demonstrated and proved that it is. Its proved it by prophecies, proved it by answered prayer, it has proved it in many, many ways. You can prove it if you want to prove it. Why don't you prove or disprove whether the Bible is the very Word of God, whether it does carry divine authority. You should tremble before the Word of God, but most people take it so lightly today, they don't realize the real authority in the Word of God, the Holy Bible. They don't realize you are going to be judged; and there's a judgment day coming and you are going to be judged by what is written in this Book, the Bible. So, I refer you to the Bible and I say take the Bible and read it.

Listen to preaching, how can you learn without a preacher but there are; "...many false [preachers] gone out into the world." (I John 4:1) so says your Bible. How are you going to know whose false?

"...If they speak not according to [the Word of this Bible, according to Isaiah], it is because there is no light in them." (Isaiah 8:20)

Now, by their fruits and by whether they speak according to this Word you can know. You don't need to guess, you don't need to judge, you can know and God tells you how you can know. Don't be angry my friends, you know, if I can't give you something new and different than you've believed on this program then you're wasting your time and this is not an amusement program, this is not a pleasure program, I'm not giving you a lot of insanity to laugh at, I'm not giving you some mystery melodrama. I'm giving you facts and I'm giving you truth right straight from the shoulder and by the authority and in the name of Jesus Christ. And if you have an ear to hear you better open them up and hear because time is getting mighty short. Now, listen, Jesus has:

"...loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; therefore God, thy God, has anointed thee with the oil of gladness beyond thy comrades. [Now then he speaks here about how Jesus actually] found the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of thy hands; they will perish, but thou remainest [think how great Christ is]; they will all grow old like a garment, like a mantle thou wilt roll them up, and they will be changed. But thou art the same..." (Hebrews 1:9-12 RSV)

Notice how it is speaking the greatness of Christ.

The Purpose for Angels and the Purpose for Man (PLAY FROM 19:06)

And then; He speaks here of angels in the fourteenth verse, and they:

"Are they not all ministering spirits [now to minister, serve, servants, angels; higher than men but they are servants; ministering spirits] sent forth to serve, for the sake of those who are to obtain salvation?" (Hebrews 1:14 RSV)

That means we, the brethren, those who are in Christ, those who are what? Not already saved - but it says; those who are to obtain salvation. Now, listen, angels have a job, and their job is to be ministering spirits the heirs, the human beings who are heirs of salvation.

Now, how great is man? Well, my friends, we are pretty little, we are pretty insignificant and we have all sinned; we have gone clear down to the very depths of the mire of degradation. We have built only evil characters. There is good and there is evil in human nature but we have let the evil dominate. Now:

"...What is man that thou art mindful of him, or the son of man, that thou carest for him? [Well God said that He made us] lower than the angels, [but He has] crowned [man] with glory and honor [now listen, and], putting everything in subjection under his feet. Now in putting everything in subjection to [man], he left nothing outside [of] his control. As it is, we do not yet [now get this; as it is we do not yet] see everything in subjection to him." (Hebrews 2:6-8 RSV)

Oh no; because we have not yet been glorified. Christ was the firstborn of many brethren. Christ, my friends, is the only human being who has ever been completely born of God and has become very God by a resurrection from the dead. Now I just read to you, didn't I, where the Father says to Christ; "...Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom." (Hebrews 1:8). He hasn't come in His Kingdom yet.

Now when He does and when we enter that Kingdom of God in the resurrection, when this mortal puts on immortality; when we are changed in the moment, in the quick twinkling of an eye; from mortal flesh to divine God. Then my friends, all things are going be put under us because God's purpose is making us after His image. He is recreating Himself, God is reproducing Himself. And you read in I Corinthians 15 that as we have born the image of Adam, of the earthy, of the earth and earthy; we shall bear the image of the heavenly, but we don't yet in this life.

Oh, how salvation and this thing of being born again has been so misrepresented. Now I know, my friends, there are thousands of you that think I'm all off, I don't know what I'm talking about because I don't say what you have heard and what you have heard preached, because I am preaching to you what the Bible says; not what you have thought it said. I challenge you in the name of Jesus Christ to open your Bible and read and see what is there. Now there are plenty of people that have been offended because - I don't know why people take offense at the truth of the Bible but some of them do. And yet those very people have later turned, something just made them do it; it was a challenge, they couldn't escape it. They turn and they read in the Bible and they are dumbfounded at what they see with their own eyes in their own Bibles. Now that's my challenge to you.

Notice, everything is going to be put under subjection to our feet – but here it says that:

"...in putting everything in subjection to [man] he left [God left] nothing outside of his [that's man's] control [that includes the whole universe, my friends]. As it is, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him. But [now listen, not yet, but here's what we do see; but] we see Jesus, who for a little while was made lower than the angels..." (Hebrews 2:8-9 RSV)

Yes, He was made flesh too, why? So that He could be our Hight Priest now and help us; and what's He concerned about helping us? Why are the angels ministering spirits to us when they are greater than we are? Why is Jesus Christ, great as He is, on that throne of God to serve us as our High Priest now? I've been showing you how Great is Christ. And yet Christ, who is so great, has been devoting one thousand nine hundred years and more; just serving us.

Us, who have sunken to the very depths of degredation. You people, if you can see it, have become so foul and so rotten because you have disobeyed the Laws of God. Because you have turned from righteousness to your own way and against God, hostile to God. We need a lot of cleaning up don't we? And Jesus died my friends that we could be cleaned up. He has gone to heaven as our High Priest for the very purpose of cleaning us up. Or do you want to be dirty and then go into the lake of fire – the second death, eternal punishment. Listen:

"...we see Jesus [we don't see everything under man's feet yet; but we see Jesus], who for a little while was made lower than the angels [while He was here on this earth, now], crowned with glory and [with] honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death [why?] for every one." (Hebrews 2:8-9 RSV)

That's for every human being that will make the right choice and turn to Him:

"For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist [notice how great He is; and it was fitting that He], in bringing many sons to glory..." (Hebrews 2:10)

He is in glory now, He has been glorified, He is very God, He sustains the universe by the word of His power. He's going to bring us to glory. We are to be like Him, we shall see Him as He is. Our vile bodies transformed like unto His glorious body. Now:

"...in bringing many sons to glory that [He], should make the pioneer of their salvation [who was Christ] perfect through suffering [and He had to suffer to do it, He suffered to pay a price for you]. For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified have all one origin [that, now notice]. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brethren [Christ great as He is, calls us brethren], saying, I will proclaim thy name [that's, God's name] to my brethren, in the midst of the congregation I will praise thee. And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Here am I, and the children God has given me." (Hebrews 2:10-13 RSV)

And that's all I have time for - oh, I wish I didn't have to stop there, I'm just getting started. I wanted to go on through the rest of the second and on through the third chapter of this Book of Hebrews, and then on into the fourth.

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