In July 1973 a 31 foot trimaran set sail from Tacoma Washington bound for Costa Rica – 3000 miles to the south. On board was a crew of 3: Jim Fisher, a Seventh Day Adventist missionary; his brother-in-law Bob Tininenko and Bob's wife Linda. But the journey that was expected to take approximately 3 weeks became a 10 week fight for survival when they encountered a freak storm off the coast of northern California. Battling gale-force winds and fifty-foot waves their boat capsized and the voyage then became a nightmare. For all who sail catamarans and trimarans – normally very stable boats – keep in mind that should they ever turn turtle then without specialist equipment and totally calm water it is impossible to right them again. And in this case they did indeed find themselves fully upside down in the Pacific Ocean.

Adrift

Helplessly adrift, and cramped in a mere eighteen inches of air pocket in the hull of the overturned boat, for over 70 days they fought for their lives against hunger and exposure. But what added to the horror more than the shipwreck itself was Jim's religious extremism, who, time and time again refused to cooperate because of his conviction that only prayer could save them – to the extent of jettisoning desperately needed food items, bottled water and even the water distillation kit, on the grounds that "God will provide". Against Jim's will, Bob managed to salvage some food items, and rationed what was left into a strict ritual each mealtime of half a teaspoon of sardines, five peas and four caramel chips, an occasional spoonful of peanut butter – but only one cup of water every three days. Linda – newly pregnant – starved to death one month into the shipwreck. Jim's vehement conviction "We shouldn't interfere with God's will" even prevented Bob from lighting a distress beacon and cutting free a portion of sail which could have been used to give them some control over their drifting further from the coastline.

The Houston Chronicle called it "a searing portrait of faith without reason" because while Jim figured his actions were in line with God's will, he was actually adrift spiritually. We can indeed remind God of His promises and He does promise to rescue us when in trouble – even mentioning in Psalm 107 those "in peril on the sea" – but we do not squander our resources and dictate to Him the how and the when of that rescue, as Jim was doing.

Yet do we on occasion sit back and wait for God to intervene when there are things we could/should do in the meantime to help ourselves? There's much truth in the old saying "Work as if everything depends on you and pray as if everything depends on God". So what IS the balance? How do we get in tune with God's will in our life, avoiding the potential hazard of trying to impose our will on Him?

Negative Examples

Just a cursory reading of the scriptures highlights the fact that most want their own way rather than the way of God – from the incident of the two trees onwards! However there are three examples specifically mentioned in the book of Jude - Cain, Balaam and Korah - which we would do well to take careful note of, as the attitudes they expressed were also witnessed in the early church. As Paul warns, such things in the Old Testament are written for our admonition so we don't fall into the same trap.

The Way of Cain

In the case of Cain and Abel, it is quite clear that God must have given them specific instructions regarding the offering He required, or else He would have been unjust in rejecting that of Cain's.

The timing of this offering is debatable but the phrase, "process of time" found in the King James was translated from the Hebrew, "end of days". Other translations render this as "at the designated time" – probably on one of the holy days at which a physical sacrifice was required to represent the "Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" (Revelation 13:8). This is why the casual relinquishing of a few vegetables simply doesn't fit the bill! God requires we serve Him with heart, soul and might, and not a sloppy "oh, this will have to do" kind of attitude. This is further reinforced when we consider how, in verse four of Hebrews 11, we read of faith found in Abel's offering – something that rests on hearing and faithfully acting on the Word of God (Romans 10:17), even if it takes financial sacrifice, or other kind of hardship – as part of an obedient frame of mind that declares "not my will, but THY will be done".

The Error of Balaam

When we come to the error of Balaam the duplicitous scheming to get his own way even goes up a notch from the way of Cain. His unmitigated greed to get his hands on the fee of divination and the great honour promised coloured all his subsequent actions and although he knew he couldn't directly oppose God, he most certainly was not in any way allowing God's will to take precedence over his own. This can also be seen in the way he did not wait for the princes of Moab to call on him – as God instructed. Instead, he immediately saddled up his ass and proceeded to do what HE wanted, heading off with them in great haste:

But his final devious recommendation to Balak – to use the women of Moab in bringing God's wrath on Israel by enticing them to participate in the idolatrous worship of Baal-peor – was indeed a stroke of satanic genius. It was also an action that fully justified his eventual execution. The irony is that Phineas – who was commended by the Eternal for executing Zimri and Cozbi in the tent – also presided over the execution of Balaam the instigator, whose entire aim was to get his own way and circumvent the will of God. (Numbers 31:6,8)

A colourful, extreme example, but how many times I wonder do WE want to circumvent God's will ... not wanting to go directly against Him, but maybe making excuses for our actions ... "I would think this is OK ... it's close enough to what God wants ... He'll understand my circumstances ... He surely wouldn't want me to turn down this opportunity now, would He?"

The Gainsaying of Korah

The third example given in the book of Jude – that of the gainsaying [opposition] of Korah – is if anything, yet another notch up on the error of Balaam. Korah's intent was absolute rebellion against Moses and the word of God that came through him. On numerous occasions, The Eternal had demonstrated clearly whom He had chosen to work through – from the various plagues in Egypt; to the parting of the Red Sea; to the destruction of Egypt's army; the provision of Manna; commanding water from the rock; being the intermediary at Sinai – all clear evidence of exactly who God had specifically selected.

A few verses before Numbers chapter 16 in which the incident takes place, God is very clear regarding the seriousness of acting presumptuously – because such an individual despises the word, and therefore the will, of the Eternal.

This was very much the position of Korah. Ignoring the very clear will of God who was obviously choosing to work through Moses and Aaron – he presumptuously put his own will uppermost and declared: "Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them: wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the LORD?" (Number 16:3) To which the Eternal made very clear indeed just Who it was that appointed Moses and Aaron to the positions they held – and just Whose will was going to prevail! Going against the government of God and the man or men He works through was so serious in God's sight that the punishment was nothing less than being swallowed by an earthquake.

We might not suffer that particular fate, but as kings and priests in training, it would be wise to take the following warning on board – if, for example, we should be tempted to discount the spiritual heritage given via the apostle Christ specifically chose to lead His church at the end-time.

Dictating Terms

In the account of the Triton trimaran, Jim Fisher's approach was akin to tempting God, dictating how and when He should act, in effect pressurising Him to rescue them! Satan attempted to get Christ to do the same ... "And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone." (Matthew 4:6). To which Christ pointed Satan back to the commandment in Deuteronomy 6: "You shall not tempt the LORD your God, as ye tempted him in Massah" (Deuteronomy 6:16, see also Exodus 17:7) There are many examples we can turn to within Scripture where people have had to learn that we don't give God the orders! One such person was the patriarch Jacob. As a young man he tried to make a deal with God, promising to tithe – IF God would jump when Jacob said jump!

But over a full lifetime of trials and difficulties he learned that God is not there to be bargained with. Instead he came to realise the much greater perspective God has and to therefore regard his entire life as merely a short pilgrimage (Genesis 47:7-9). Although we might smile when we read of Jacob's offer to tithe if God would do His part, we need to be aware that we too can fall into a similar kind of trap; possibly thinking ... "If I do such-and-such, then I'll get into God's good books and then He'll have to bless me with XYZ". It's a common human failing, as brought out in Isaiah 58: "Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not? wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge?" (Isaiah 58:3). God explains the problem in the verses that follow – that we're wanting Him to comply with OUR wishes, in our time frame! But once we get in line with His will He also promises enormous, eternal benefits:

It's no wonder God has given us time – a lifetime in most cases – to learn that obedience is not negotiable, and the will of God not only remains paramount, but is also for our overall good! We're His children, and He wants the best for us, but He sees the whole picture whereas most of the time we see just one small part of the jigsaw.

It is little wonder then that we – with our INcoming approach to life – are still getting to grips with this concept of "not my will but THY will be done". After all, so many of those God worked with in the past had to do the same. Moses – who talked to God face to face – wanted Miriam's leprosy cured immediately, but the One who became Jesus Christ, the Logos of old, had different ideas, most likely for a lesson to not only Miriam but also the whole congregation, regarding the individual GOD was choosing to work with! (Numbers 12:6-8)

After God's Own Heart

Similarly David besought God for the life of the child conceived in adultery with Bathsheba – but he had to accept that God's will must take precedence:

The above incident was part of a lifelong learning process for David. The miserable episode with Uriah produced profound repentance within him – a full intent to turn from his own way to God's way unreservedly and for eternity ... and by the end of his life, truly becoming a man after God's own heart:

Apostle Paul's Approach

Paul too had his severe trials, one being some kind of physical disability – possibly his eyesight – but he yielded to God's will for him, realising it was for his ultimate good.

Fiery Furnace

Often the hard trial or "course correction" has to be endured for the long term good of not just ourselves, but for others to learn from. A classic example which has stood the test of time is that of the fiery furnace in Daniel chapter 3, where the three men were warned of horrific consequences if they didn't obey Nebuchadnezzar's edict:

As we know, the three of them were bound hand and foot and thrown into the fiery furnace, and if they had time to think, I doubt it would have occurred to them in their wildest dreams that God intended to rescue them in such an outstanding, miraculous way:

Obviously an experience that they would never forget for their whole lives and which we can look back on - not only as a stunning example of bravery, dedication and obedience to the will of God, but how God can go over and above what we ask or even think. (Ephesians 3:20)

Christ's Ultimate Example

And "God's own heart" – after which we should all aspire – can be seen very clearly in Jesus Christ Himself, who was very Emmanuel, God in the flesh. The fact that He consistently prayed to the Father, "nevertheless not my will, but thine be done", when facing the greatest trial of His life (see Hebrews 12:3,4) was merely the concluding statements following a lifetime of doing the same – something absolutely all of us need to do:

It's not unlikely that in the hours of prayer in Gethsemane, God the Father communicated constantly with Christ and reminded Him ... set before Him, in effect, the joy that His sacrifice will bring ultimately to billions of human beings.

Relax In God’s Hands

As Mr. Armstrong brings out in his sermon on Aversion Therapy, what God wills for us is far, far better than anything we could dream up. But we need to get in line daily with His will, or else we'll be just a gritty lump of clay, arguing with his maker and thinking we know better! (Isaiah 45:9)

Right now, the world we see on our TVs, computers and newscasts is in horrendous turmoil. There seems to be no stability in any nation, with politicians going for the jugular – accusing and despising one another. Morality is virtually non-existent. History alone should tell us that such a society cannot continue much longer! How many years, we don't know, so we must make the most of the time left to us ... it could be very short indeed. Back in the days of Jeremiah and the Jews' return from Babylon God encourages them as to what He has in mind for them and why He allowed the 70 years of exile. It's not stretching a point to apply this scripture and God's thinking to Israel's second Exodus, and even more so to us today, and our loved ones. ... and the future promised is beyond our wildest dreams, as His will for us is for our eternal good.

At the Time of the End, there would be a ‘United States of Europe’ - the resurrection of the ‘Holy Roman Empire’.

1947 - Rise of Germany

While travelling in Europe, Mr Armstrong observed:

1955 - United States of Europe

Talking about the Holy Roman Empire, Mr Armstrong wrote…

1962 - Religion: The Power That Unifies The New 10 Nation Europe

2026 - “Europe’s Only Future Is To Become A Single EU State”

The push for a united Europe is gathering speed. The term “Holy Roman Empire” is appearing often in the mainstream media. We understand that ultimately a 10 nation Europe will emerge and become the world’s end time superpower.

Right Now - We See The Build-up To Chaos

First we will look at the key end time events, to try to understand what could happen.

Mr Armstrong warns:

The “Days of Daniel”!

Mr Armstrong explains:

The GREAT TRIBULATION will follow at the 1260 day mark, we shall then fully realize that this is the time of “Jacob’s Trouble,” spoken of in Jeremiah 30:7. And Jacob’s name was named on Joseph’s sons, Ephraim and Manasseh (Genesis 48:16). At that time a third of the people in our nations will die, or shall have died, by famine and disease epidemics; another third will die of the war - our cities being destroyed (Ezekiel 6:6), and the remaining third will be carried to the land of our enemies as slaves (Ezekiel 5:12).

The Beast will be revealed - the ‘Assyrian’ - the end time dictator.

The Beast is controlled by ‘the woman’ - the Roman Catholic Pope…

The 10 nations give their power to the Beast. (Revelation 17:17)

This is a formidable military force… “Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?” (Revelation 13:4)

Ephraim’s sickness (grief) and Judah’s wound … It seems that this will happen around the time when the Beast takes power.

Around this time, it seems that the Jews will start the morning and evening sacrifices. They go to the ‘Assyrian’ for help.

The King of the South, probably an Arab confederation of some sort, ‘pushes’ at the King of the North… with attacks? …Or simply cuts off the oil? …Are we witnessing the start of this end time situation right now?

The King of the North strikes - and takes over much of the Middle East, surrounding Jerusalem, stopping the daily sacrifices - at the 1290 day mark!

IT WOULD APPEAR THAT MOST OF THESE EVENTS OCCUR BETWEEN 1335 AND 1290 DAYS.
A PERIOD OF JUST 45 DAYS!

With the fighting over, and the area under the Beast’s control, the daily sacrifices stopped, it seems that there is relief for the West…

The Roman Catholic Church In Israel

In a Co-Worker Letter dated August 14, 1978 Mr Armstrong explains that the Roman Catholic Europe will eventually make its headquarters in Jerusalem.

In the Pastor General’s Report – November 20, 1979, Mr Armstrong wrote:

The Catholic Church Hasn’t Changed

This editorial appeared in The New York Times of February 8, 1887:

The EU - Founded By Devoted Catholics

1945: Behind The Scenes At The San Francisco Conference!

NOTHING HAS CHANGED!

THIS IS STILL THEIR GOAL…

ALREADY THE EURO LEADERS GO TO ROME FOR HELP…

Pope Francis To Share Wisdom With EU Leaders

THE POPE: MORAL AUTHORITY TO PROVIDE GUIDANCE

This is what the Pope is doing right now, to come across as the only “moral authority to provide guidance” in today’s troubled world. Here are a few recent examples … from the last few days …

Trump Attacks: Pope Leo Hits Back

The Pope’s Strong Message To Trump

The Law Can’t Answer AI’s Challenge To Humanity. Perhaps The Pope Can

The Pope Has Condemned The Remilitarization Of Europe

The Pope Takes On Silicon Valley

Pope Demands AI Weapons Be ‘Disarmed’

Pope Leo XIV Calls On African Youth To Improve Own Countries

Pope Leo Warns ‘Future Of Humanity Is At Stake’

The Woman Rides The Beast

The Time We Are In, Now

Personal from Herbert W Armstrong