Latest Audio - 2025-05-17
Water as a tool of conflict… cutting supply considered an act of war… when the water runs out… and the taps run dry…
Weaponised Water
India Revives Ancient War Tactic
“King Hezekiah of Judah would know exactly what India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, is up to. Some 2,700 years ago, Hezekiah’s people were at war with the Assyrians. So he issued an order. The fountains were to be stopped. The brooks were to be dammed. Nothing was to flow beyond the land they held. He asked: ‘Why should the kings of Assyria come and find much water?’ [II Chronicles 32:3-4]
Why indeed.
Humans have been fighting over water for as long as there have been humans. Now, with the suspension of the Indus River Treaty — the agreement that for 65 years, through wars and skirmishes, has ensured the sharing of the river that flows first in India then into Pakistan — they are fighting again.” (thetimes.com)
Water: Source Of Conflict In The 21st Century
“Feeding the world remains a real problem as the global population threatens fragile ecosystems.
Yet we hear a lot less about watering the world.
It is true that more than two-thirds of the world’s surface is covered by water, but most of it is too salty to drink.
Only 2.5 per cent of the water on Earth is fresh and two-thirds of that is locked up in ice-caps and glaciers.
When we subtract the water located in remote areas and the rain which falls at the wrong time and place, we reach the shocking conclusion that…
LESS THAN 0.1 PER CENT OF ALL THE EARTH’S WATER IS ACTUALLY AVAILABLE FOR HUMAN USE.
According to the United Nations, almost 800 million people – just over one in ten worldwide – lack access to safe drinking water.
Only half of the world’s population has safe sanitation.
Demand for water has tripled over the past 50 years. Every day more than 30,000 children die before their fifth birthday from hunger or through preventable disease, with drought a major aggravating factor.
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) says that by 2030 some 47 per cent of the world’s population will be living in areas of high water stress – and that means high human stress too. How many people are aware that only ten countries in the world control 60 per cent of our planet’s fresh water?
There is a real chance that water will replace – or at least join – oil as a primary source of conflict in the 21st Century.” (dailymail.co.uk)
India Starts Work On Hydro Projects After Suspending Treaty With Pakistan
“India has begun work to boost reservoir holding capacity at two hydroelectric projects in the Himalayan region of Kashmir, sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters, after fresh tension with Pakistan led it to suspend a water-sharing pact. The work represents the first tangible step by India to operate outside agreements covered by the Indus Waters Treaty, which both countries have honoured since 1960 despite three wars and several other conflicts between the nuclear-armed rivals.
Last month, however, New Delhi suspended the pact that ensures supply to 80% of Pakistani farms after it identified two of the three assailants in an attack that killed 26 people in Kashmir as Pakistani.
Islamabad denied any role in the attack and has threatened international legal action over the suspension warning: ‘Any attempt to stop or divert the flow of water belonging to Pakistan… WILL BE CONSIDERED AS AN ACT OF WAR.’” (finance.yahoo.com)
Are India And Pakistan On The Cusp Of War Over Water?
“On Friday the Indian minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said: ‘Not a single drop of water meant for India will be allowed to flow into Pakistan.’ His response suggested that Delhi might be serious about ‘WEAPONISING’ rivers that are lifelines for millions of people in neighbouring Pakistan.
‘It’s worrisome,’ said Peter Gleick, a global water policy expert, author of The Three Ages of Water and a member of the US Academy of Sciences. ‘This treaty has withstood all crises. For India to use it now as a lever against Pakistan is a disturbing sign of the growing use around the world of water as a tool of conflict.’” (thetimes.com)
India And Pakistan Are THIS Close To War… Again
“There are certainties in life: death, taxes, and the ever-present risk of India and Pakistan going to war — and the latest spark could prove to be Tuesday’s jihadi Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist attack that left at least 26 non-Muslims dead on the Indian side of the long-disputed Kashmir region.
Water rights are a very big deal. When people turn on the sink or farmers switch on the irrigation system and nothing comes out, things get serious with all due haste.” (pjmedia.com)
Sanity Prevails - For Now!
“India and Pakistan have agreed to cease hostilities, US President Donald Trump has said, adding that a deal was reached following a ‘long night of talks’ mediated by Washington. Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has confirmed that a deal was reached but did not mention US involvement. New Delhi has said the truce came into effect at 5 pm local time. ‘I am pleased to announce that India and Pakistan have agreed to a full and immediate ceasefire,’ Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social on Saturday. He also hailed both sides for demonstrating ‘common sense and great intelligence.’” (rt.com)
How Water Shortages Are Brewing Wars
“Unprecedented levels of dam building and water extraction by nations on great rivers are leaving countries further downstream increasingly thirsty, increasing the risk of conflicts.
Speaking to me via Zoom from his flat in Amsterdam, Ali al-Sadr pauses to take a sip from a clear glass of water. The irony dawning on him, he lets out a laugh. ‘Before I left Iraq, I struggled every day to find clean drinking water.’ Three years earlier, al-Sadr had joined protests in the streets of his native Basra, demanding the authorities address the city’s growing water crisis.
‘Before the war, Basra was a beautiful place,’ adds the 29-year-old. ‘They used to call us the Venice of the East.’ Bordered on one side by the Shatt al-Arab River, the city is skewered by a network of freshwater canals. Al-Sadr, a dockhand, once loved working alongside them. ‘But by the time I left, they were pumping raw sewage into the waterways. We couldn’t wash, the smell [of the river] gave me migraines and, when I finally fell sick, I spent four days in bed.’ In the summer of 2018, tainted water sent 120,000 Basrans to the city’s hospitals – and, when police opened fire on those who protested, al Sadr was lucky to escape with his life. ‘Within a month I packed my bags and left for Europe,’ he says.
In many parts of the world, humans have grown used to water being a cheap and plentiful resource rather than something to be treasured.
For those al-Sadr left in the city, the wider implications of their plight are hard to see when faced with daily problems getting clean water and the city was hit by further unrest in recent months. Until the situation gets better, al-Sadr fears the angry demonstrations will continue. ‘When I protested, I didn’t know what was behind it all,’ says al-Sadr. ‘I just wanted something to drink.’” (bbc.co.uk)
What Causes Water Conflict?
“Mexican farmers set fire to government buildings, ambushed soldiers, took politicians hostage, and seized control of La Boquilla dam to prevent water from being diverted from their drought-parched fields and funneled away to the United States. ‘This is a war to survive… to feed my family,’ affirmed a protest leader. National Guard troops opened fire, killing one. In western France, saboteurs uprooted underground water pipes and activists armed with improvised explosives repeatedly battled police.
Hundreds have been injured in massive demonstrations opposing irrigation projects said to favor industrial producers over small farmers. In Cameroon, clashes pitting Musgum fisher communities against ethnic Arab Choa herders over access to water points left dozens dead. Thousands of refugees have fled across the Chari River into neighboring Chad.
Water-related conflicts are increasing worldwide. Why are water tensions growing? What forms do emerging water conflicts take? And how can they be prevented?
Much of this rising tide of violence reflects the grim toll of twenty-first-century warfare. All too often, wars make water a deliberate tool or a collateral casualty of conflict. From the grinding civil strife in Iraq and Syria to Russia’s assault on Ukraine, combatants have purposely targeted water resources, seizing or destroying water systems as leverage against their adversaries.
Similarly, Israel’s prosecution of the war on Hamas and Russia’s brutal invasion have severely compromised water sources, degraded ecosystems, and decimated water infrastructure, imperilling public health and welfare in Gaza and Ukraine.
Yet many major river basins and groundwater aquifers have reached or surpassed the limits of their renewable resources. One recent global assessment found that 2–3 billion people live in regions where total net water withdrawals outstrip locally available renewable supplies for up to half the year. The increasing frequency and severity of floods, droughts, and water-related extreme weather events further aggravate societal vulnerabilities and water security risks.
Many observers fear such figures could portend potentially wrenching collisions between growing water needs and available water supplies.” (csis.org)
The Water Wars Of The Future Are Here Today
“Seven thirsty states, including California, are fighting over the dwindling waters of the Colorado River. USC experts look at how we got here — and why this was inevitable. Once hailed as the ‘American Nile,’ the Colorado River spans 1,450 miles and supplies nearly 40 million people across seven states plus northern Mexico with drinking water, irrigation for farmland and hydroelectric power. But after decades of drought and overuse, major reservoirs along the river are drying up.
The American Southwest now faces a crisis it knew was coming. The fate of the Colorado now depends on the states’ ability — and willingness — to agree on a plan to slash water consumption and equitably distribute what’s left.
The ‘American Nile’ is one of several battlegrounds in the global water wars. Halfway around the world lies a river in crisis. The true Nile River — the longest on the planet and the lifeblood of more than 300 million inhabitants in East Africa — is the site of a similar, long-running conflict over water rights. Like the American Southwest, the Nile River Basin is under great pressure due to decades of increased water consumption, droughts and upstream damming.” (usc.edu)
When Britain’s Water Runs Out…
“There have been workable plans to cope with droughts for decades, but our leaders ignore the looming crisis. We often forget that rainfall levels in London and the Home Counties are among the lowest in Europe. In some years, the annual total in Essex is even below that of Jerusalem. However, our rain normally falls throughout the year rather than in monsoon-like summer deluges, which means the reservoirs and aquifers are routinely replenished and the water retained.
Rain is needed, indeed expected, in winter and spring; yet the first four months of this year have been exceptionally arid. Some areas have had their driest start to the year in almost a century.
Water is our most precious commodity yet we are reckless with its use because we always imagine there will be no shortages. When there are – as during the drought of 1976 – and we have to use standpipes, everyone complains about the lack of resilience and then forgets about it once the heavens open again.
Government has promised to speed up planning for new water projects, even as it seeks to build 1.5 million new homes, mostly in areas with shortages. If ever there was a failure of joined-up thinking, here it is. It is madness to keep building houses, mainly to meet the demands caused by years of mass immigration, if the water is running out.
There is an answer. Indeed, it is an answer that has been staring us in the face for more than 80 years. A national water grid was proposed back in 1943 by the engineer J F Pownall. He produced plans for a canal running down the spine of England at the 310ft contour and connecting the most populated towns and cities. This Grand Contour Canal would have no locks, other than at the entry and exit points, and would serve as a grid able to distribute water around the country. Needless to say it never got built. It is hardly a new concept: the ancient Chinese built one nearly 2,000 years ago while aqueducts testify to Roman ingenuity in this field.
It is simply a matter of time before a drought puts water resources under stress and everyone starts to ask why successive governments and their agencies did nothing to prepare. Thames Water expects demand in drought years in the South East to exceed supply by some 60 million litres per day by 2035, so where will it come from?
While repairing leaks is important, it is not sufficient. It is one thing to face the prospect of power blackouts because of the net zero policy. Just wait until the water runs out.” (telegraph.co.uk)
Weaponised Water
From ancient times, water has been used as a weapon - a very effective weapon!
God Weaponised Water To Destroy The Pre-flood World
“And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die.” (Genesis 6:17)
God Weaponised Water To Destroy The Egyptian Army
“And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to his strength when the morning appeared; and the Egyptians fled against it; and the LORD overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea.” (Exodus 14:27)
God Will Weaponise Water Yet Again During End Time Events
“And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood;” (Revelation 8:8)
The Two Witnesses Given Power Over Water!
“These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.” (Revelation 11:6)
All Life In The Sea - Destroyed!
“And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea.
And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood.” (Revelation 16:3-4)
Sixth Plague - River Euphrates Dried Up…
“And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.” (Revelation16:12)
Then, as Christ takes over the rulership of all nations - water is used as a life-giving blessing!
Streams And Pools In The Desert
“Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert. And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water:” (Isaiah 35:6-7)
Rivers in the desert…
“Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.” (Isaiah 43:19)
Full of fish…
“And it shall come to pass, that every thing that liveth, which moveth, whithersoever the rivers shall come, shall live: and there shall be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters shall come thither: for they shall be healed; and every thing shall live whither the river cometh.” (Ezekiel 47:9)
The ‘Dead’ Sea - then full of fish!
“And it shall come to pass, that the fishers shall stand upon it from Engedi even unto Eneglaim; they shall be a place to spread forth nets; their fish shall be according to their kinds, as the fish of the great sea, exceeding many.” (Ezekiel 47:10)
Finally, A Promise From God
“When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst, I the LORD will hear them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them.
I WILL OPEN RIVERS IN HIGH PLACES, AND FOUNTAINS IN THE MIDST OF THE VALLEYS: I WILL MAKE THE WILDERNESS A POOL OF WATER, AND THE DRY LAND SPRINGS OF WATER.
I will plant in the wilderness the cedar, the shittah (acacia) tree, and the myrtle, and the oil tree; I will set in the desert the fir tree, and the pine, and the box tree together:
That they may see, and know, and consider, and understand together, that the hand of the LORD hath done this, and the Holy One of Israel hath created it.” (Isaiah 41:17-20)
"Blessed are YOUR Eyes"
"But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear." (Matthew 13:16)
The above quote from Matthew 13 comes after the parable of the sower and the seed (v3 - 8) and Christ's explanation to His disciples as to why He talked in parables to the multitudes:
- "He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given." (Matthew 13:11).
Yet to this day, worldly Christianity claim that the parables were given to help the masses understand the message Christ was trying to get across! They do NOT understand the very basic point He was making in this well known parable: God is not calling everyone now – some will be firstfruits, but the majority remain blinded for the time being. That seems straightforward to us – it's a condensed Plan of God – but we didn't come to that understanding through our own human intellect. As with the disciples at that time, the meaning had to be revealed verbally ... "Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower." (Matthew 13:18)
In about 3 weeks' time we will once again celebrate the Day of Pentecost (Sunday, June 1st) and the coming of the Holy Spirit to the New Testament Church, without which we'd be no better off in our understanding than people in the world. But as did the disciples, the apostles, and all of God's people through the ages, we've also needed someone to teach us. For centuries people didn't have the scriptures to refer to – hence Christ mentioning blessed are our ears also! As Paul explains to the church in Rome:
- How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?
- And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!
- But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?
- So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. (Romans 10:14-17)
In Acts 8, Philip was moved by God to meet up with the Ethiopian eunuch, who was struggling to understand a section of Isaiah:
- And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest?
- And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him. (Acts 8:30,31)
Once God's spirit had opened the eunuch's ears to understand what Philip taught him (v35), then, "the eyes of his understanding was enlightened; he then knew the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints," (Ephesians 1:18 paraphrased). It's been the same identical process with us, and in this Pastor's Report I'd like to examine a few areas in which we view things very differently to the world – and how we've come to do so.
Why No Peace in the World?
The world situation today is succinctly summed up in Isaiah 59:
- The way of peace they know not; and there is no judgment in their goings: they have made them crooked paths: whosoever goeth therein shall not know peace.
- Therefore is judgment far from us, neither doth justice overtake us: we wait for light, but behold obscurity; for brightness, but we walk in darkness.
- We grope for the wall like the blind, and we grope as if we had no eyes: we stumble at noonday as in the night; we are in desolate places as dead men. (Isaiah 59:8-10)
With the 'threat' of a ceasefire instigated by President Putin – who plans to hold a WW2 parade in Moscow on May 9th – this past week Ukraine launched a drone attack on Moscow and warned anyone who plans to attend the parade that Ukraine cannot guarantee their safety. In the troubled Middle East, Israel's security cabinet has approved a plan to expand its military offensive against Hamas which includes the 'capture' of Gaza and the holding of its territory. And once again India and Pakistan are at each other's throats over Kashmir.
Relationships between nations are deteriorating virtually daily. Wikipedia divides up the 'armed conflicts' into 4 groups ... Major wars, Minor wars, Conflicts, Skirmishes and clashes ... and this year alone they have been responsible for hundreds of thousands of deaths and life-changing injuries. But why? Why can't the nations work out their differences? The world doesn't understand that there are spiritual laws that govern all relationships, and the result of breaking these laws will be destruction of some kind.
Why do WE know this? Because Jesus Christ, via the apostle sent to us at this end time, explained how the world we see today came about: The time lapse between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2, and the reason; the rebellion – possibly millions of years ago – by the archangel Lucifer who became Satan the devil (Isaiah 14, Ezekiel 28); the subsequent 're-booting' 6,000 years ago of the creation in Genesis chapter 1 (Psalm 104:30); and the momentous and far-reaching 'get vs. give' decision recorded in Genesis 3 which has brought us close to the annihilation of life on this planet, and also has cut off the majority of mankind from a relationship with God (Genesis 3:22-24)
Now once again, there are the Two Trees. If I mention it, someone’s going to get up and walk out and say “There’s Mr. Armstrong getting back to those Two Trees.” You betcha! And I’m going to do it again, and again, and again – because you can’t understand salvation, you can’t understand what Christ is doing, you can’t understand the Church, you can’t understand the world or what’s wrong with it, you can’t understand ANYTHING unless you understand the lesson of those Two Trees and the incident of the forbidden fruit. (Sin, April 4, 1983)
The Meaning of Life
For the majority of brethren called in the latter half of the last century, it was the World Tomorrow radio or TV programme that was used to draw them ... it was very much a case of "blessed are your ears!". We certainly didn't come to the understanding of the two trees or any other doctrines by personal Bible study alone. Dozens of individuals have produced various Bible translations, handbooks and concordances but still have no idea of what life is all about and what God is doing with humanity.
Some time ago my wife and I tuned into a BBC Radio 4 programme, entitled: "Will Self asks some of Britain's key opinion makers to share, in simple terms (emphasis ours!), their conclusion about the nature – and meaning – of our existence." We were left open-mouthed at some of the pseudo-intellectual twaddle that followed and this section is sadly, typical:
"... For the non-philosophically literate, we could characterise phenomenology of these philosophers like Sartre, Lucelle, Ponty, as privileging again the fact of human experience, but still being interested in metaphysics. You know, perhaps what they didn't share with the analytical philosophers was what was called the linguistic term – the idea that simply by examining language we can somehow find answers. In Wittgenstein's case, there are no answers to the big questions. But somehow the phenomenologists do have this metaphysical penumbra to their thinking. They seem to touch against the ineffable, don't they?" (bbc.co.uk)
As the programme ended, we sat stunned, both thinking what an incredible blessing it is to know the truth, and have had it so clearly explained to us! None of the "literary excellence or flowery language of scholarship" that Mr Armstrong would criticize. Contrast the above with the following:
"Now listen: do you for one moment suppose that a God great enough to have planned, have designed, have created, imparted life to all that is living, all that we see; do you suppose that He is unaware of your personal existence? A God with the all-encompassing intelligence – the limitless power to have designed and created all of the millions of different forms of animal and plant life, the myriad stars and heavenly bodies and to have created force and energy and everything that moves, is a God of such infinite capacity that He is very much aware of you – you as a person, you as one individual and of your personal life.
Almighty God planned and designed this earth and all life upon it for a purpose. Yes, there is a purpose being worked out here below and your life and what you do with it during these few years that it is allowed to exist on this planet that we call earth – it's a vital part of God’s overall purpose. God Almighty did not permit you to be born for just no purpose at all; you were not an accident. Then don’t you think that it’s about time that you begin to stop right where you are and to know something about that purpose?" (WT– Why Were You Born? – Part 1)
Sometimes it takes an outside TV or radio programme like this to open our eyes – to shock us, in fact – to what we take for granted each and every day ... the reason for our very existence, and even the benefit of trials and difficulties, and that there is most definitely life beyond the grave.
The Plain Truth
Gender identity is how a person feels and who they know them self to be when it comes to their gender. There are more than two genders, even though in our society the genders that are most recognized are male and female (called the gender binary) and usually is based on someone’s anatomy (the genitals they were born with). This is gender assignment and it is based on an assumption that someone’s genitals match their gender. However, gender isn’t about someone’s anatomy, it is about who they know them self to be. There are many different gender identities, [some reckon 72!] including male, female, transgender, gender neutral, non-binary, agender, pangender, genderqueer, two-spirit, third gender, and all, none or a combination of these. (teentalk.ca)
Such chaos is engendered by blatantly rejecting what is clearly evident in the natural world, and society is more and more accepting the previously unacceptable. Just this past week there have been VE celebrations across the UK, remembering the day 80 years ago that victory in Europe was declared. But would those men and women who died for their country recognise what that country has now become? For a start, what kind of judgment will come from a transgender judge, (and yes, they exist) who doesn't know if he/it/they is male or female? These verses from Romans chapter 1 below could have been written yesterday, with just the addition of 'identity' issues!
- For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.
- For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.
- For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
- For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
- Claiming to be wise, they became fools,
- and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. (Romans 1:18-23 English Standard Version)
Not long after Mr. Armstrong's death nearly 40 years ago the apostasy got into full flow, and being hostile to the truth (Romans 8:7) they set about to do away with God's law, and especially the Sabbath and the Holy days. This involved totally reinventing what the Old and New covenants were all about. One of their articles "The New Covenant in a Nutshell" – takes multiple pages and 8 additional and lengthy commentaries to try to wriggle out of what the new covenant really is. Whereas, "our ears were blessed" by this clear and concise explanation by Mr. Armstrong:
Now, there was the Old Covenant; and Moses was the mediator of the Old Covenant. And that married the nation Israel to God, but Israel was not a faithful wife. You know the story. There’re so many prophecies about it–in Jeremiah, in Hosea, and many other places in the Bible–especially in the Old Testament, and in the New Testament too.
But there was something wrong with that Covenant. You’ll find it in Hebrews the 8th chapter. You also will find it back in Jeremiah 31. The fault was NOT the law, as so many people seem to think. The fault WAS that the people didn’t keep it. And what will be changed is that God will write His law of love in their hearts and in their minds. Now, that law is a spiritual law..
... Well, now notice here: Christ is coming as the Messenger of the New Covenant. The New Covenant also will be a marriage, but a marriage of THE CHURCH to Christ. And this time we will come to the place I just read to you, where we can’t sin, before that marriage takes place. He said HE WILL WRITE HIS LAW IN OUR MINDS AND OUR INWARD PARTS. He wasn’t talking about rituals, the works of the law. THE LAW–THE LAW THAT IS SPIRITUAL. The law that is holy, and just, and good. (Bricket Wood Message May 1974)
Holy Days = Plan of God
The main reason that worldly christianity doesn't understand the parable of the sower is because their eyes have not been opened to God's Holy days and the need to keep them, or – as happened in the apostasy – they are totally rejected! You might think that a book entitled "The Gospel in the Feasts of Israel" by Victor Buksbazen, and under the section on the Sabbath, we'd be on solid ground for keeping the seventh day ... but no. In the final chapter "Sabbath or the Lord's Day – Which?" Mr. Buksbazen takes ten pages to try to explain why we don't have to keep the Sabbath these days: "How pathetic and misguided are some Christians who would induce anyone, Jew or Gentile, who has known 'the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free' to take upon themselves again the burden of the Law".
Unlike Mr. Buksbazen, when Mr. and Mrs. Armstrong read in Leviticus 23 about the "feasts of the LORD", their eyes were opened to the need to keep them as well as the weekly Sabbath. They obeyed, and were eventually granted the incredible understanding that these days contain ... and which no other church on earth understands. And our apostle has passed on this astounding revelation to us, who have the ears to hear:
Now God put us here for a purpose, and God is working out His purpose here below. He’s doing it according to a definite plan. He has allotted so many years – a total of 7,000 years. And let me tell you something: that eighth day pictures the last part of the working out of the plan of God. The people (and the professing “Christian” church) have entirely lost the plan of God! They don’t understand even the plan of salvation! They don’t understand HOW God is working out His plan.
Let me tell you something: the reason is because God gave these annual holy days that cumulate in the Feast of Tabernacles for the very purpose of PICTURING that plan and reminding His people of it year after year. Because they have not kept those holy days that God make holy (and that are never called any feast days of Moses anywhere in your Bible, but are the days of God) and because the churches have LOST them, they have lost what they picture and portray and were intended to remind the Church of year after year – the plan of God. They have lost it.
The plan of God is very clearly portrayed in the Bible, if we would believe the Bible. But the Bible is profitable to correct us and reprove us, and people don’t like it. And so, when they let it correct them and reprove them, my friends, they try to read their meaning into it. They try to their interpretation on it. The Bible should never be interpreted. No wonder people don’t have it straight! No wonder they have twisted it, and turned it upside down, and maligned it, and polluted it; and now they believe just the opposite. (The World Tomorrow, July 24, 1979)
Hope for the Future
- For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. (I Corinthians 15;22) – "and it's the same all !"
The world in general has accepted the materialistic theory of evolution, which gives no hope whatsoever of a life of any kind after death. But even if you do believe in a god of some description, there's no agreement as to what happens on death. One individual on the internet is struggling with the concept:
I've recently been experiencing a lot of death anxiety even at a young age. For this reason, I've been doing a lot of research on whether anything happens after death. According to science, consciousness just ceases to exist and that's it. I have heard the idea floating around that you continue to live the same life over and over in parallel universes, without your memories or former self moving between that transition. Even if that is true, that would mean when I die I'm basically a different person in the parallel universe. So my consciousness would die in a certain way, even if I still lived. Unless there's an alternate idea. So if my consciousness is dead, it doesn't matter if there's a "life after death" or not. Part of that freaks me the hell out, but part of it is comforting to know that there will be an endpoint I can plan my life around, and it gives more meaning to my contributions here on this earth. In addition, living forever with the same consciousness would eventually turn into an absolute Groundhog Day hell. So my question is, is there any evidence for consciousness actually surviving death in some way, and if so, how would that manifest? Would it matter in the end?
Compare that sad reflection on life and death and beyond, to what we've been blessed to understand:
When Christ comes as KING OF KINGS and LORD of lords, He will reign for the next thousand years. EVERYBODY living from His coming will be called.
After that thousand years, shall occur the “Great White Throne Judgment” of Revelation 20:11-12. All who ever lived from Adam on, who were uncalled by God, shall be resurrected MORTAL in human flesh and blood as they were in their first life. Then they shall give account for the sins of their former life – but on real repentance and faith they shall be forgiven and receive God’s Holy Spirit, begetting them to ETERNAL LIFE.
GOD’S WONDERFUL MASTER PLAN WILL CALL EVERYONE WHO EVER LIVED TO RECEIVE ETERNAL SALVATION but, there is a time order in resurrections (I Corinthians 15:22-23). “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order; Christ the firstfruits, afterward …” (two other resurrections revealed in Revelation 20:11-13, are not covered in I Corinthians 15.) Those called in the Millennium, and those in the Great White Throne resurrection and judgment, shall NOT have Satan, then, to overcome.
How WONDERFUL are God’s ways – even though hidden now from most of humanity bringing so much suffering on themselves! As the apostle Paul exclaimed, “O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!” (Romans 11:33). (A Voice Cries out Amid Religious Confusion, part 5 – PT 1980)
The Future of the Family
Evolution would have it that the only reason for our existence is to pass on our genetic code and that is the only way we achieve "immortality" or benefit our descendents. On the other side of the argument, my wife came across a short Facebook reel from a worldly evangelical church which caught her attention, as it began with "Are you worried that you will die and go to heaven before your children are saved?" Not having yet the understanding of God's Plan for ALL mankind so many parents have deep concerns over their children's future, many thinking that they will never see them again – if they allow themselves to think deeply at all.
But God has allowed us to understand that He is in the process of building a FAMILY, and that our children are very much part of His plan:
- And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the LORD.
- As for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the LORD; My spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed’s seed, saith the LORD, from henceforth and for ever.
- Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee.
- For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.
- And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.
- Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: all they gather themselves together, they come to thee: thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side (Isaiah 59:20, 21 and 60:1-4)
- Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy [Spirit].
- For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. (Acts 2:38,39)
- Thy people also shall be all righteous: they shall inherit the land for ever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified.
- A little one shall become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation: I the LORD will hasten it in his time. (Isaiah 60:21,22)
A Priceless Gift
- Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.
- Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls:
- Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it. (Matthew 13:44-46)
Having the blessing of our eyes and ears opened to God's truth, we understand that within the Holy Days is not only the very meaning of life but an exquisite plan through which God intends to offer immortality to all mankind. Unlike mere philosophy, God's holy days are practical things – in other words, you have to keep these days in order to understand their meaning! And in this way, He is able to hide this transcendental truth from the wise and prudent of this world and reveal it unto babes (Luke 10:21), those He is working with.
With this in mind, consider for a moment just how priceless such understanding is. So often we can take this for granted when year after year on the Holy days, we hear the same basic "Why are we here?" messages. We need to be aware therefore of the danger of taking this revelation lightly – almost 'old hat'!
And yet via the Passover we are given the incalculable gift of direct access to the very throne of the universe and the spiritual power that then gives our lives true purpose. I wonder if we would take prayer so much for granted, and sometimes feel it is a burden, if we meditated on what it took to rent that veil from top to bottom, to allow us access to the Holy of Holies, 24/7? (Mark 15:38)
Feeding on the word of God, while coming out of sin, pictured by the Feast of Unleavened Bread, we change our 'spiritual DNA' to that of our Father, and then Pentecost shows us how we can become part of the firstfruits of God's harvest, by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit – the self-same power that was used to create this endless universe and all we see around us.
Then follows the day of Trumpets – 'our day' in many ways, when this ailing human flesh will be changed into glorious, eternal spirit bodies at the return of Christ, and which stands as the fulcrum between two entirely different worlds. Atonement (and the Jubilee) finally proclaim liberty throughout the entire earth at the removal of Satan the devil – and his violent and depraved broadcast – which will allow the age of God, pictured by Tabernacles and the Last Great Day, ushering in a Utopia to last for eternity and bring God's transcendental purpose to fruition. The most joyful of times when:
- "...God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away." (Revelation 21:4)
Yet we live in a world – this present evil age – (Galatians 1:4) – that is totally oblivious of such things, and the danger is that we too can fail to truly appreciate what we have been called to. We are so very close to the end of the 6,000 year period given over to man and under the rule of the devil, and it does appear that the satanic deception has reached such a fever pitch that man is now deliberately choosing blindness, darkness and ignorance.
At this pivotal time in the history of mankind, we had an apostle sent to us who God used to open our eyes and ears to the reason for our temporary, physio-chemical existence, and gave us a glimpse into eternity – something the self-styled philosophers of today ridicule as utter foolishness. (I Corinthians 1:18-29). And in this technological age, Jesus Christ's words – through that apostle – live on via the internet, printing press, DVDs, audio files etc. So as we continue in this Holy Day season, 2025, let us make sure we truly appreciate the 'out of this world' understanding we have, and determine to use this rare opportunity to the utmost, so that one day we can be used to open the eyes, ears and minds of the currently misguided to the incredible human potential for each and every human being that has ever lived.
“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!
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