Sermon given by Herbert W. Armstrong "Warning To The Church" - 1 July 1978
(NB Headings are not part of original, but are added for clarity)

Warning To The Church

By Herbert W. Armstrong

1 July 1978

(Sometimes Called: Day of Fasting and Prayer)

(PLAY FROM START)

Well, greetings everybody. I have called a special day of prayer and fasting today because God's church is IN FATAL DANGER! And I can’t say that loud enough to hammer it home to you. We don't realize, my brethren, the way we've been drifting. We have been doing just what you heard in the sermonette—doing our own thing. We have been getting lukewarm.

There was an announcement that we have discontinued the Bible Studies for the summer. I’M CHANGING THAT RIGHT NOW! I don’t know who decided that, but I wasn’t consulted. But I am going to tell you right now, I’m going to be here next Friday night; and I am going to talk to you. I’ll say, “God willing.” And I am pretty sure He is willing.

The Word of God says: forsake not the assembling of yourselves together, SO MUCH THE MORE as you see this day approaching. We see it approaching; and we are going to sleep, sound asleep. “Let’s just go off and do our own thing for the summer.” I don’t care if there are only two or three here. I don’t care if all the rest of you… Well, I do care too. But, with me, I would rather have two or three filled with the Spirit of the Living God than to have this Church packed full (and a thousand other Churches like it) of lukewarm people getting into the Laodicean condition, doing their own thing.

LEAVEN OF INTELLECTUALISM (PLAY FROM 1:51)

I have good news for you, and I have bad news for you. The bad news I will give you first. God was doing really a great Work—through me and through this Church—up to about 10 years ago (9 or 10, right around 1969). We were “one.” Nobody was in doubt about who was in charge. And then many, near the top, began every man to try to do his own thing. He wasn’t trying to do God’s thing. He was trying to do his own. And a spirit of competition began to come in. At the same time, what I call the leaven of intellectualism was coming in and gripping the college, and also gripping our congregation locally here, and more or less the whole church. I had noticed that thing of intellectualism ever since the college was started (in fact, before that; but especially then). I noticed it the first year of Ambassador College. I am going to tell you just a little about it, and digress from what I intended to say that far.

I had a brother-in-law who had been a schoolteacher all his life, and he had a master’s degree from the University of Oregon. I didn’t intend to go into the college business; but I knew that God needed a college to train personnel to back me and assist me—not only in the ministry, but in other more or less administrative jobs in getting the Work done—because, as the Work grew, we were having to come into organization. And I asked my brother-in-law if he would come down and help me.

My brother-in-law said, “Well, what you say appeals to me. I agree with you, that education has become decadent, that education has gone into materialism.” He said, “I agree with you that we need a different kind of education.” He said, “I really consider that you probably understand the Bible better than anybody. And while I haven’t followed it, and I haven’t studied about the Sabbath; but I know that you are probably right about it. But I have been unable to keep the Sabbath up here in Portland (in Oregon City, Oregon) because all my associates… Well, I have to think: What would they think if I would do that?” And, of course, he couldn’t do what they would disagree with; could he now? But he said, “If I go down to California, I’ll be among other people; and I’ll be able to do it.” So, he came down; and he started out to help me.

I made the mistake of giving him the title of “president.” I see that’s something that goes right to the head of everyone that gets the title of “president.” Somehow, we sort of extol the President of the United States. And that title seems to carry something that intoxicates the average person, who isn’t big enough to handle it yet. Anyway, he came down here. And we had as registrar and dean of the faculty at that time Dr. Holly Otis Taylor—who had a PhD first from Cornell University, had taught there; then later had been on the faculty of Harvard; and he had been on the faculty of M.I.T.

Now, Harvard probably ranks number one among the universities in this country. And M.I.T, even on the whole, is larger; and might even rank slightly ahead of Cal. Tech. And they are the two great technological institutions of the world, and he had been on both faculties. Then during the war, he was a member of the Bureau of Standards of the United States government, and assisting the government in the war. Then he had gone on to Wheaton College, where he was professor of physics; and, finally, he became chairman emeritus of the department of physics of Wheaton College. (Now, Wheaton is the College where Billy Graham went to school, and Billy Graham studied under him.)

Well now, Dr. Taylor was a gentleman. He was one of these unassuming, quiet, gentlemen; and still 100% inoculated with the leaven of intellectualism and of higher education. He had been through the mill of higher education. On the other hand, he believed in God. Now there are any number of people that believe in God. I had an argument not too long ago with a woman that said, “Why, all the scientists believe in God.” Well, I denied that. But I said, “You can have that opinion if you want.” I said, “Some of them believe in God. But,” I said, “I’ll guarantee you, you don’t know one—and you can’t find one—who BELIEVES GOD.” That’s something else again, isn’t it? In other words, they don’t believe what God says. They don’t obey what God says.

There were many who believed on Jesus Christ when Jesus was on Earth over 1900 years ago. To those Jews who believed on Him, He said, “You seek to kill Me and to put Me to death because you won’t believe My words. You don’t believe what I say.” They believed on Christ, but they didn’t believe Christ. Now there is too much of that in this world. In fact, there is quite a lot of it; and I think that, as I go along, you’ll understand why nearly everybody is not believing God at least.

GOD’S KIND OF COLLEGE (PLAY FROM 8:46)

Well, about 9 or 10 years ago, along about 1969, a spirit (of not only intellectualism) was getting into the College until it became no longer God’s college, I’m ashamed to say. And I am going to change that! This is going back… I struggled the first three or four years to see that this would be God’s kind of College. I had to struggle against professors with their PhD’s and their master’s degrees. They wanted to make it just like all other colleges. They wanted to get this intellectualism. There is a leaven of intellectualism that gets in and just puffs you all up.

Now then, I wanted to say more. Here was Dr. Taylor. My brother-in-law looked at Dr. Taylor with great awe. Well he was a quiet, gentlemanly man. He had all of this higher education. He had the dignity, and he had the language that they speak; and they speak a different language. It’s what my wife of fifty years would have called “put on.” They put it on. I’m going to root that out of Ambassador College! It doesn’t belong here. And anyway, my brother-in-law, now he found it much more difficult to keep the Sabbath than he had up in Oregon, because Dr. Taylor didn’t believe in the Sabbath; he was a Baptist. And he stood in awe. And then we had other PhD’s on that faculty of eight that started this College.

I had written what we’d call the advertising man’s part of the catalog, part of the comments up in front. But I left the main part of the catalog, which is the curriculum and so on, to the faculty. And I had to be out of town for a while. I came back, and college was starting; and they had finished at the last minute the catalog. And they had reduced the course in Theology and Bible to a minor. Instead of a three-hour course, they had cut it down to a little dinky two-hour course.

Well, I got even with them. I made it obligatory that all faculty members must attend the Bible classes, and I taught them. And I had the pleasure of seeing them sit there and squirm, because they couldn’t answer me back. I had the proof of God’s Word, and they knew it; and it embarrassed them. And for one whole year they sat there, very uncomfortable. For three years I had to fight to let this be God’s kind of College, instead of the intellectual leaven that has leavened this world and its education.

Now, there is something about that. Well, I am going to write on it in the Good News. But those underneath look up and stand in awe of it. It, uh, maybe I could say hypnotizes them. I don’t know that that’s just the right word, but they are… Oh, what is the word that Wilt Chamberlain used to do to all the other basketball players on the other team? I can’t just think of that word right now. It’ll come to me. Anyway… Intimidate! And it seems that others are intimidated by that polish—that intellectuality, that mannerism that has been put on—that they had.

Now someday that’s all going to burn up, when this whole Earth is going to burn up; and there won’t be any of that left. And some of our intellectuals are going to burn up with it, if they don’t wake up in time; and if they don’t realize that that intellectualism is of Satan the devil.

CARNAL SCHOLARSHIP (PLAY FROM 13:10)

Let me explain a minute about that before I go on with the main sermon: This type of intellectualism and scholarship. They all want to be scholars. They want high scholarship. It is 100% carnal. It is material and materialism. There is none of God, none of Christ, in it. It is an intellectualism that throws Christ right out the window, and that has been like leaven getting into the College. You know Baptists, of course, don’t have all of the truth. Fundamentalist Methodists, Congregationalists, or Presbyterians do not base their religion, did not get it out of the Bible. They try to read it into the Bible. Also, the Quakers. I was born and reared in the Quaker Church. I had to get rid of and sweep clean my mind of everything I had been taught from a child in Sunday school, before I was converted.

I don’t know any leader of a worldwide religious movement as this Church is (The Worldwide Church of God), who has ever started out with having his mind swept clean of everything he ever believed, and going right to the Bible (or to Christ when He was on Earth), and being taught like that—not in our day. Of course, the apostle Paul went through that. The original apostles did, over 1900 years ago. But you won’t find it now, and you won’t find any leader of religion. He’s just simply meditated in his own thoughts, and according to his own vanity, when he allocated…

I tell you: that kind of thing reminds me of a movie that came out right after World War II, quite a while ago. Jack Oakey and…oh, much better known than Jack Oakey. The original comedian, well, not just slapstick so much; he was of the silent movie days.

Anyway, he was Hitler; and Jack Oakey was Mussolini. One of them was visiting the other one, and he had his private barbershop (and it was just like our barbershop on this campus, a two-chair shop). So they each got in a chair, and the barber hadn’t come in yet. Well, Mussolini got a hold of this little lever; and he jacked it up a notch, and made himself maybe a couple of inches higher than Hitler. Hitler reached down for the lever, and jacked himself up an inch higher than Mussolini. Mussolini reached down, and jacked himself up another inch higher than Hitler; and it kept on going until they bumped the ceiling. Must have been special chairs that would go up that high.

Well, of course, that was funny. But why can’t I think of this other comedian. He died not too long ago. His body was carried away; and they recently discovered it, and they brought it back. [A voice in the audience says the name.] Charlie Chaplain! I don’t know why… “Chap Charlie” we used to call him, I don’t know why that name wouldn’t come to me.

INSPIRED PREACHING (PLAY FROM 16:46)

But anyway, that has been seizing us. Now, I am going to be here next Friday night; and I hope at least two or three of you will be here—because, I tell you, Jesus Christ says that where two or three are gathered together there He will be in our midst; and JESUS CHRIST WILL BE HERE next Friday night! Now maybe you don’t want to be in company with Jesus Christ. Stay away, if you don’t. But I am going to try to see that the Friday night services get set on fire.

Now there is another thing: Lately it has become stylish to say that Mr. Armstrong is very much out of date. There is a word “prophesy” in the Bible that does mean receive prophecies from God (like the ancient prophets) and foretell; but also, in more cases, it means to preach. And it means preach with inspiration—a fired-up kind of preaching. Today it seems like we've got to have a very mild modern intellectual classroom lecture. And it’s gotten to be out of style on this platform and in this Church for someone to really speak out. I was glad to hear a little speaking out in the sermonette this morning. I want to hear more of it. I want to hear more of that absolute conviction. Now the Holy Spirit of God in us is not emotion; but there certainly is an emotional content, and it certainly does work on our emotions. Now some people, they just have emotions on their shirtsleeves; and I don’t mean that at all.

Well, brethren, we are all humans; and Satan is infinitely more powerful than we. And he has been getting into this Church! And it had come to the place that no one seemed to know who was in charge around here. It came to the place where some of you've said, “I am of Paul;” and others of you were of Apollos, and others of Cephas. And I don’t know whether any were of Christ or not—maybe one or two.

There was an effort to overthrow the Church in a grand coup and take over, just like taking over a government, in 1974. But Jesus Christ is the Head of this Church, and He didn’t let it happen. Now, we lost some 30 or 35 ministers. We’ve probably lost a couple thousand members. In six months, we had more than made up for it and gotten others back to take their places; and I will tell you, so far as I know (and I haven’t heard, and I don’t know exactly for all of them. But, so far as I know), practically all of those ministers who went out in that rebellion—and that’s what it was—are working at physical labor with their hands at any kind of job they can get today. They are not in the ministry.

They were going to take members with them. They were going to build a big church themselves. They said, “Well, Herbert Armstrong did it. So can I.” Well, Herbert Armstrong did not do it! JESUS CHRIST BUILT THIS CHURCH, and I was only an instrument that He used. I gave myself to Him, and He has used me. I didn’t do it. And you have never… Not one of you have heard me take credit of it. (I know someone else that says he built this Church, and he did not. Jesus Christ did.)

GOING INTO THE LAODICEAN CONDITION (PLAY FROM 20:20)

Well, the bad news is that we have been going that way; and we are going into the Laodicean condition of sleeping and slumbering like you read in the 25th chapter of Matthew. And while the Bridegroom—Christ—tarried before He came, they all slumbered and slept; and that’s the condition we are getting into. We are getting very close now to the time of the Second Coming of Christ. But, because it didn’t happen in 1972, some people think, “Oh well, it’s not going to happen now.” And so Jesus Himself said, “At such an hour as you think not” He’ll come! The door will be shut, and it will be too late! And that’s what’s going to happen to a lot of you. I’m trying to wake you up today! And if I can’t wake you up, you can get angry and walk right out—right now! I invite you to, if that’s the way you feel, because I don’t want people here that don’t have the Spirit of God (pretending that they do). Now, visitors are welcome and all that; but that isn’t what I mean. But I don’t want people here—to pretend and profess membership—that don’t have anything but the spirit of Satan in them.

But, anyhow, the spirit of Satan began to grip us. Everyone started to do his own thing. There was a power struggle to get into the top. Mr. Armstrong was getting old and was going to die. Everyone wanted to be the one that could take over and be the head of the Church, and their wives wanted to be the first lady of the Church; and don’t you think that was not there. And so some of us were of one leader, and some of another; and no one seemed to know who really was in charge. I’ll tell you who was in charge: Jesus Christ. Only we were all going to sleep, and just letting the Church go its own way.

TIME TO WAKE UP! (PLAY FROM 22:16)

Now, the good news: JESUS CHRIST IS MOVING TO PUT THIS CHURCH BACK ON THE TRACK! We are going to stamp out all of that spirit of competition that got in—that spirit of vanity, self-exultation, lust and greed, envy and jealousy. That is the attitude of Satan the devil. And the good part of it is that God has reorganized His church, and I am going to do all I can to bring it back.

Now I completely stopped breathing. My heart stopped completely for at least 30 or 45 seconds. It wasn’t 30 or 45 minutes. But it completely stopped, until my face was blanched and white, back here last August. God brought me back. And it’s pretty important that God brought me back, brethren, because Jesus Christ knew which way YOU are going.

He brought me back for two reasons. One is to try to revive you, TO SHAKE YOU UP if I can. To get you to realize that YOU ARE IN DANGER! I’m not going to purr that out like a college professor. I’m going to shout it at you—in power! You can take the warning, and wake up, and maybe go on into God's Kingdom. Or you can go the other way, and burn up, and be ashes under the souls of my feet and some others that are going into the Kingdom of God. You take your choice! And if I’ve offended you and you’re angry, I feel sorry for you. I’m saying what needs to be said. That’s why I called this day as a day of fasting and prayer.

Well, we are all human. We need to remember that there is a devil, called Satan; that he is infinitely more powerful than we are. And Satan knows better than we that he has now but a short time. And he wants to destroy this Church! Let me read you the 12th chapter of Revelation and beginning with verse 7. We’re down to this time when…

Revelation 12:7 There was [or, is] war in heaven…

Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon; and the dragon fighting with his angels, and prevailed not. That is, the dragon prevailed not.

Revelation 12:8-9 Neither was their place [and his angels] found any more in heaven. (9) And the great dragon was cast out, [Who was he?] that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which DECEIVETH THE WHOLE WORLD…

And he is deceiving I say over half of you people in front of me right now! I don’t mean the person next to you. I MEAN YOU! God brought me back because someone has got to put a little life into this Church! That’s why I am back here. That’s why I didn’t stay dead. There’s a reason.

And I want to tell you that, back in those first days in August and September, I couldn’t do any work. I couldn’t do anything but just try to take it easy and recuperate. And I felt it’d be so much nicer if I could just sink back into that, because I didn’t know anything was happening. I was totally unconscious. The dead know not anything. I was dead, temporarily; and I didn’t know anything (just as the Bible says). [Ecclesiastes 9:5] Those that have been brought back and say they saw this and that are lying, or they had a hallucination. I know. I have been there. You haven’t, have you?

But I thought that for myself how much nicer it would be. I’ve worked hard all these years. For 50 years, I have had to strive; and the devil has been after me as after nobody else. He would rather destroy me than anybody on this Earth. You better believe that! Some of you don’t. He has wanted to destroy my son, Garner Ted Armstrong; and he wants to destroy all of you. Now, that’s where the real fault is; and that is the place where all the blame has to go. Well anyway, it says here that this was the devil; and he didn’t prevail.

ACCUSER OF THE BRETHREN (PLAY FROM 27:09)

Revelation 12:9-10 The great dragon…that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world; he was cast out into the earth, and his angels [who now became demons] were cast out with him. (10) And I heard a loud voice saying…Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom [Or “now is coming,” because it hasn’t come yet; but it is coming very soon.]…and the power of his Christ [The strength of our God and the power of His Christ.]: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

People are accusing now. People are accusing Mr. Stanley Radar. And, let me tell you right here, I don’t know how much that leaven has got into some of you. That is character assassination. You may feel that Stanley Radar is a wrong kind of man. He is my top assistant. That’s why they try to assassinate his character. Satan had been trying to get to me; and, if he can’t destroy me, he’ll destroy those that are working with me closely. You tell me. I challenge you to show me one evidence, one iota of proof, of anything wrong about Stan Radar. And yet there are ministers in this Church that I understand would walk right out, and leave the Church, if I try to uphold Stan Radar.

How did this Church come to that? I want to tell you, I'm heartsick today. I’m just grieved clear to the bottom of my heart, because you brethren have gone to sleep; and not just you [here]. When I say “you,” this is being recorded. It’s going to be played in all the Churches. So when I say “you, brethren” I mean all of the Church. It’s time we have to WAKE UP! But he [Satan] accused the brethren, the Church.

Revelation 12:11-12 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony [and the Word of God too]; and they loved not their lives unto death. (12) Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. WOE to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! For the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath.

SATAN IS ANGRY! He is stirred up. He’s not asleep, but he is trying to lull you to sleep. I’m trying to wake you up. About all I can wake up is myself. I’ll probably offend a lot of you. I’m doing this in love in the only way that I know to wake you up. If I come and say nice things and everything like that, I’m not going to wake anybody up. So I’m not going to pull my punches.

Revelation 12:12 Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! For the devil is come down unto you, having GREAT WRATH [It is the wrath of Satan. The Great Tribulation, almost upon us now, is not the wrath of God but the wrath of Satan.], because he [Satan] knows he has but a short time.

How does he know? Because in Matthew 24:14 it says, Jesus said, when you see this gospel of the Kingdom being preached around the world, then you know that the Kingdom of God is near at hand and that the time is here. Satan knows that, but a lot of you don’t believe it. Satan knows this Bible better than you do, and he knows he has but a short time. But some of us don’t know what a short time he has, do we? I say, “Wake up, brethren.” We’ve been asleep. This church has been drifting off into some kind of a spiritual dreamland.

PETRA? (PLAY FROM 31:16)

Revelation 12:13-14 And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child. [That is this Church.] (14) And to the woman [Now we are coming down just before this Great Tribulation. “And to the woman…”] were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly…

Now before this (back here in the sixth verse), beginning in 554 and even before that, for 1260 years the woman fled afoot. This time she is to fly. The woman is the Church. In other words, the Church…

Revelation 12:14 …were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place.

Now the place, where is it? There’s been great contention. I used to preach of the possibility it would be at Petra. Well, I don’t know it will be at Petra; and I never said that I knew it would be. But others say, “Well, that’s something we can get back at Herbert Armstrong. Let’s just say he was wrong about that.” And some very high in the Church were saying that’s a lot of rubbish and hogwash. I say to you now, I don't know whether it is Petra. I don't know where it is, or where it'll be. I know God knows. But I know this: there are many indications that it is Petra. And if it isn't Petra, then the Bible gives us absolutely no indication of where it will be. Now that much I know, and I’ll stand my ground on any of you that want to come and face me with it. I have been to Petra, and it is not a very pleasant place to be. Well anyway, we’re to be taken where we will be…

Revelation 12:14 …nourished for a time, and times, and half a time [That’s three and a half years.], from the face of the serpent.

We will be protected from the devil, but then now notice what the serpent does. Here comes the Laodicean Church that follows us.

Revelation 12:15 And the serpent cast out…

We are getting into the Laodicean condition, but we are not the Laodicean Church; and this shows it—because the Church of Philadelphia is to be taken into this place, and we have not been taken (nor any other church, as yet). But after that:

Revelation 12:15-17 The serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman [Now, that’s the last part of the Church, the Laodicean Era.], that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood. (16) And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened up her mouth, and swallowed up the flood, which the dragon cast out of his mouth. (17) And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed.

The remnant is the last one, or the Laodicean Era. But a lot of ministers now come out with some of the younger ministers and say, “Oh, that’s all hodge-podge and all. Mr. Armstrong is wrong.” We had here a doctrinal committee of intellectuals, and the whole idea was “Let’s try and study intellectually to find out how wrong Mr. Armstrong is, and where he's misled us.” That was THE REAL OBJECT. Well, there isn’t any such committee any longer; and there isn’t going to be. God doesn’t reveal His will to intellectual scholars, on the intellectual basis, that go into it in little tiny ways. (Oh well, I don’t know. I get disgusted with some of that.) Anyway, [Satan, the dragon] he…

Revelation 12:17 …went to make war with the remnant…that keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

Now the Laodicean Church will be keeping the commandments of God and the testimony of Jesus, or they wouldn’t be the Church of God. But they are lukewarm, and they are asleep; and we’re not Laodicea yet.

THE CHURCH’S DOMINANT CONDITION (PLAY FROM 35:13)

Now then, I want you to turn back to the third chapter of Revelation, and notice something about this Church; and we begin here with the seventh verse.

Revelation 3:7 And unto the angel of the church in Philadelphia…

Oh, let me tell you what I have always said for fifty years. Fifty years ago I was writing this. The message to the seven angels of the seven Churches in the second and third chapter of Revelation has a dual interpretation and meaning. Number one: it is telling of the seven successive eras, or stages of time in 1900 to 2000 years, of the Church. But number two: it was telling of the condition in the Church at all times. But it starts out with the Church at Ephesus; and that was the situation that was the dominant situation in the first and second century, and so on—back at the beginning, in the days (and right after the days) of the original apostles.

Laodicea is the DOMINANT condition in the FINAL Church—drowsy, and asleep, and lukewarm. And Christ is going to spew them (most of them) out of His mouth (or at least half of them). Matthew 25 would indicate half of them, and I sometimes wonder if there are half of us that… We’re just not very much on fire for God, brethren. I say that to your shame, every one of you. I say wake up! I’m not going to say, “You’re right, and everything is so wonderful, and everything is going fine.” and flatter you. I’m going to tell you the truth, and sometimes the truth hurts. And I hope it hurts. I hope it hurts enough that you wake up, and realize, and do something about it. And I hope that you go home from this service, and get down on your knees, and ask for the mercy and the forgiveness of God, and ask Him to come back into your life—because that’s what you need to do. And your eternity may depend on it!

Well, now then, I have said that the Laodicean condition will dominate at the tail end. But I have said that all of those conditions—all the way from Ephesus up to Laodicea, all seven—are present at all the time in the Church; but that now, in the Philadelphian Era, we have the Laodicean condition. That’s what I am talking about today. It’s here. But we are not Laodicea. We also have the condition of Ephesus. We have lost our first love, and it is time to get back to it. Every one of those conditions is in this Church, but the dominant one is what I want to read you now.

AN OPEN DOOR (PLAY FROM 38:23)

Revelation 3:7 To the church [of] Philadelphia [write], these things saith he that is holy, he that…

I wish I didn’t have a red letter Bible. It’s so hard to see the red print, for these are the words of Christ.

Revelation 3:7-8 These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that opens, and no man shuts; and shuts, and no man opens. (8) I know your works: Behold, I have set before you an open door.

Now, if you trace that open door, in Paul’s writings God set an open door before him. And you’ll see there that an open door merely means, and it’s a figure of speech that means, that God opens the way to get the message—and that’s to get the gospel message—out. And He’s opened a door (to go to the Gentiles and the nations of the Earth, and to the kings of those nations) to us.

Revelation 3:8 Behold, I have set before thee an open door.

That is, an open door to get the Gospel out. And the other Churches, before us, did not. The Gospel did not go to the world until this Church came to start taking it to the world. It absolutely was NOT preached at all. The Gospel is not just a man’s message about Jesus Christ. It is Christ’s message, which is the good news of the Kingdom of God; and that message has not been preached for eighteen and a half centuries. Now then, for half a century it has been going out—through this Church, and through me. And, as they say today, you’d better believe it!

A LITTLE STRENGTH (PLAY FROM 40:14)

Revelation 3:8 I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it. [They’ve certainly tried to shut it, but no one has been able to.] For thou hast a little strength…

Another translation is “you have only a little strength,” but a little strength. They don’t have much strength. And I’ve had very little, and you’ve had very little. But God has given us tremendous power to reach the world, and facilities that magnify that power—like radio, and television, and the printing press, and airplanes to fly us to all parts of the world, and telephones with instant communication to any and every part of the world. They didn’t have that back in the first apostles’ day.

Revelation 3:8 Thou hast but a little strength [here], and hast kept my word.

Brethren, often I have said this: that I have known scores of men with better minds than I have—not only more scholarly (because they have gone on with that), but more aptitude to be scholarly; with better personality; with more of everything that could be used. And God did not call a one of them. Now why did He call me? Well, I go right back to this. And, you know, some of them say that this “message to the angel of the Church” might mean to the one God placed as a leader, the human leader in the Church. And I would say that this does apply to me personally, and it should apply to the whole Church.

But there has been an effort to water down the truth. That’s another thing that has happened in the last 9 years. We’re trying to water down the truth of God with false doctrines that have been creeping in; and ministers are teaching them, around the world even. Ministers of this Church! Now, believe you me, I AM GOING TO GET AFTER THOSE THINGS, AND FAST! JESUS CHRIST IS IN POWER. Jesus Christ is THE POWER back of it, and He is going to set these things in order. And, if any of you want to fight Christ, you start fighting Him; and see where you get off. Or if you want to go with the devil, maybe you’ll suffer the devil’s fate. I am speaking very plainly today. I’m a little wrought up about it.

Revelation 3:8 I know… [He knows our works. So there are works; and they’re good works, and not rituals.] Behold, [He set this open door.] you have but a little strength, and hast kept my word.

I was going to say, if there is any one reason why God called me, it is because I was willing to believe what He said, and because I had kept His Word; and I have not compromised. Now there has been an effort on the part of some of our younger ministers to compromise in this last 9 years. They want to water down. They want to do away with tithing. Some of them wanted to do away with keeping the annual holy days and the annual festivals of God. They want to do away with God’s truth in every way they can. Let me tell you, IF YOU DON’T TITHE (and some of you don’t), YOU ARE STEALING. YOU ARE A THIEF, AND YOU ARE STEALING FROM GOD. I SAY THAT ON THE AUTHORITY OF JESUS CHRIST. Now, if you think I’ve insulted you, get up and walk out. I won’t care a bit.

Revelation 3:9 …which say they are Jews [You see, in the New Testament, he is a Jew who is one spiritually and not by birth. In other words, the Church; and they’re not of the true Church.], and are not, but do lie: Behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet[Not to worship us; but worship before our feet, worshiping God.], and to know that I have loved thee.

You know that this Church is the only one of the seven that God doesn’t find some fault with. He doesn’t mention any fault, and yet we’re full of faults. But God has told us this is one thing here—that He has used us to get this message around the world. And I have not… God has called me back for two reasons: One is to try to set this Church back in order, and to wake you people up. That’s why I am here. Now, I feel like the apostle Paul. He said that he would rather go, depart and be with Christ. In other words, go to the sleep of death and wake up in the resurrection and be in the Kingdom of God. But he said, “It is more necessary for you that I shall stay on.” And that’s why I am here, brethren.

My job is hard. It’s not easy. And I have to push myself. To do things now, I have to push myself about 10 times harder than I did twenty years ago. And still I am no older in mind and in power than I was twenty years ago. The rumors are going around that I am senile, that I don’t know what’s going on, my head is in a cloud. Do I sound like it? Did some other minister tell me to say these things that I’m saying? There are ministers sitting before me today that are going to disagree with what I have said. And no man gave me this, but Jesus Christ did. You better realize where it came from.

It didn’t come from Stan Radar. But Stan Rader is a helper. And Stan Rader is NOT running this Church IN ANY MANNER, SHAPE, OR FORM. He is of very great value to me; and that’s why they’re trying to hit back at him, because he is serving in the Work. And nobody has one iota of evidence of anything wrong about him. But people will slander. And you people have been swallowing and believing a lot of that rot. You’d better swallow the Word of God and believe that, instead.

Revelation 3:10-11 Because thou hast kept the word of my patience [been faithful to the Word of God], I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. [In other words, the Great Tribulation.] (11) Behold…

Now other translations say: “I will keep thee from the great tribulation.” Other translations have it that way, that we are not to have to go through the Great Tribulation; and that’s what I showed you in Revelation 12. We are to have the two wings of a great eagle to fly. Now, of course, that is symbolic language; and I don’t know whether that means literal airplanes or what.

I will tell you one thing: Satan gets some ministers, even, to try to criticize the fact that God has opened doors for me before kings, and presidents, and prime ministers, and emperors; and they try to say that’s all wrong. I was supposed to be on July 4th in Jerusalem for the inauguration of a big downtown city park. And, because we’ve had something to do with the children’s playground part of it, someone said (and a top minister at that), “Mr. Armstrong wants to go over there to be there for a little kiddy park.” Now that is the kind of sarcasm, that is the kind of reflecting and accusing, that is of Satan. And I want you to recognize it for what it is, when you see it.

Let’s quit this slander. Let’s quit this defamation of character. Let’s quit this trying to assassinate people’s character. Character assassination. It’s been going on. I’m of this, that, and the other leader. Let’s get back of Christ. I say, “Follow me (as you heard in the sermonette) as I follow Christ.” I’d never ask you to follow me any other way.

Well, anyway, we are to be protected. I wanted to read that, part of that to you. Now, I’d like you to understand. Let’s go back and bring ourselves up-to-date. There was a time when the government of God was on this Earth. It filled the entire Earth; but, at that time, the Earth was inhabited by angels. We read in II Peter the second chapter {1} of “the angels that sinned.” And you read in the 14th chapter of Isaiah and in the 28th of Ezekiel about the super archangel, Lucifer (that was on the throne over the angels, and that led them into that sin), who was perfect in all of his ways from the day that God created him until iniquity or lawlessness and rebellion was found in him. He became Satan—no longer the archangel, Lucifer. He is now Satan, and his angels that sinned are now demons. They are perverted and perverted in mind.

GOD’S GREAT PURPOSE (PLAY FROM 49:31)

God’s greatest feat was what He then started. God’s great purpose, and His greatest feat, (what He even intended for the angels) was to develop holy, righteous, perfect character. That’s the character of God. That is, well, it comes from a right and a righteous attitude. It’s the attitude of love, of giving, of serving, of helping. The other attitude is self-exaltation, of ignoring God and exalting yourself, of lust and greed, of coveting, of vanity, and of jealousy and envy, of competition and strife, and rebellion. And that is what has seized this world, and that is what has caused all the trouble in the world. To people in other nations (that don’t understand the English language quite so well) I put it: the two ways. One is the way of get. The other is the way of give. Love is giving, and all this other is the way of getting for self.

God’s greatest feat is to try to develop and create character, but God cannot Himself just automatically create it. Character is something that the one in whom the character comes has to make his own decision. And God has to leave us free to make that decision. He can’t cause us to make it His way. He has to let us make it our own way. And that’s what God did, and the angels chose the wrong way.

Now then, God then made man. But He made man out of matter, because the spirit beings (the angels) had failed. Now God says, “I am going to reproduce Myself.” God said, “I…” And that “I” meant God the Father and the One who later became Christ. In other words, the Word [John 1:1] who was with God and who was also God—two different Beings, but forming one God, because God is a Family and not a person. (Of course, there is a Father at the head of that Family that we think of as God.)

ADAM’S CHOICE (PLAY FROM 51:41)

Anyway, He now created man for the purpose of forming that character; that we can do what the angels could have done, and which was their potential, but which they never realized. Now God made us of flesh, of matter of the ground, so that IF we followed Satan (and He left that decision to Adam, because He didn’t know which way Adam would decide) that He had the plan of redemption through Christ—that we could then be forgiven, and brought back, and start all over again, and still develop that character.

Now man’s great potential is this: When God created the Earth and when He created all of the planets, it was a good deal like, uh... Have you ever visited one of these shops of unfinished furniture? Well, I have; and we have. I have some furniture in my home that was purchased there. You save a little money because it’s perfectly done, but it’s all raw wood. And the varnish, the polish, or the paint or whatever has not been put on; and you do your own finishing; and you same some money. Brethren, that explains how God created the planets all over the universe, including this Earth, including our moon,

God never created anything in a state of decay, like we find them now. That is NOT the way God created it. Decay is the result of something that has gone down, that was once much better. But God DID NOT FINISH the work. And He had put angels on this Earth to finish the work—to beautify it, to glorify it and make it more beautiful; but, instead of that, they destroyed the earth. They went into destruction. He put man here for the same reason. Let’s just notice next now, back in Genesis the first chapter.

Genesis 1: 1-2 In the beginning God [And the original Hebrew word is Elohim, which means more than one Person but only one God.] created the heavens and the earth. (2) And the earth was [It came to be, or became…] without form and void.

The Hebrew words “tohu” and “bohu” mean chaotic, in confusion, waste and empty, or decayed.

But notice now, in Genesis, God had given Adam his choice. First God talked to him, and explained all about His own government, about His law, about His way of life. He explained of the opposite way. He explained the way of love, the way of giving, and helping, and serving, and sharing. He also explained how wrong the other way is. And he didn’t allow Satan to come to the man and the woman, that He had created, until after God had taught them; and they had instruction directly from God.

Now, they believed in God. They knew He was their Creator and their Maker. But they did not believe Him. Then Satan came along, and they believed Satan. Adam said, in effect, “Look, Lord.” (I’ll just put this in modern language. This is not the language in the Bible.) “I want You to get Your nose out of my affairs. Now I will decide for myself what I think is right and what I think is wrong. I reject You as my God that I should worship. I reject You as my Ruler, and I will not obey You. I want You to keep out of my affairs. I’ll take care of myself.”

And so, then, God said in effect (and I am putting this in modern language) “Okay, Adam. It was your decision. You heard me. You heard Satan. You believed Satan. You did not believe what I told you. YOU HAVE MADE THE CHOICE. You have made THE DECISION. You have passed up the Tree of Life that would connect God’s Holy Spirit and would have given you immortal life. You have chosen to take for yourself the knowledge of what is right and what is wrong, the knowledge of good and evil. THEREFORE I SENTENCE YOU to just what you have asked for: For six thousand years, to be absolutely… You and your children after you (that form the whole world) to be cut off from Me for six thousand years. Now after that, I will come down and rule. (And the One who is talking was the One who is Christ and who is coming.) I will come and rule Myself for a thousand years.”

MAN CUT OFF FROM GOD (PLAY FROM 56:26)

So, notice here now in the third chapter of Genesis, verse 22:

Genesis 3:22-24 The [Eternal] God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever [Lest he gets God’s Holy Spirit.]: (23) Therefore the [Eternal] God sent him [That’s Adam.] forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. (24) So he drove out the man [But He placed a curse on that ground even, “thorns and thistles it shall bring forth.” So He drove out the man...]; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims [or angels, archangels], and a flaming sword which turned every way, to KEEP the way of the tree of life [LEST he go back and gain immortal life].

Man was shut off. Now, that is God's responsibility. If God shut mankind off and if God has sentenced man to be cut off from Him, God is not condemning them; and they’re not going (as most churches believe) to hell. They are not saved, but they are not lost. Understand that. The world has been going its own way. And God knew that Satan would be here; and, in all probability, man would follow Satan. But remember that He had a way that we could come to our senses; and we could see how wrong that way was after having tasted of it, vomit it up, and get rid of it. And through Christ, we could be redeemed; and we could yet get eternal life, and have that Tree of Life—or the Spirit of God.

SOME SELECTED BY GOD (PLAY FROM 58:07)

God also reserved to Himself the right to choose—for His own special service, or use, for whatever He would want to be done—certain ones. Now then, God called Noah. Here was the world, and there was not a one of them that knew anything about God. There was not a one that was righteous. Of all the millions and billions of people that were on Earth in the time of Noah, there was only the one, Noah, who would listen to God and believe God and do what God said. So God saved Noah and his family, because of Noah, to start humanity all over again; and the rest were drowned in the Flood.

Later, God called Abraham. And, lo and behold, there was a man that, when God called him, he didn’t say, “Well, but Lord, I can’t do it.” Or, “Can’t I wait?” Or, “Do I have to?” Or, “There is some reason why I think I couldn’t do it.” It just says that, when God called Abraham to get out of the bright lights and the gaiety of Babylon (where he was in his father’s country) and go to a land that God would show him—it just says Abraham (or Abram, as he was called then) went. He departed. He did what God would say. That is a rare thing.

But later, God then called Moses (430 years later) to lead the descendants of Abraham, that now were at least 3 million people, out of the slavery they had gotten into in Egypt. Now Moses didn’t say okay right away. Moses said, “Oh, but Lord, I can’t do it.” (At that burning bush, where God spoke to him.) Moses was not seeking God. GOD WAS CALLING MOSES. But Moses said, “Lord, I can’t do it. You see I’ve got an impediment of speech. I stutter, and I couldn’t. The people wouldn’t understand me.”

Well, God said, “Look, I know all about that; and I’ve taken care of that. I’ve provided your brother, Aaron, to be your spokesman. But you will do what I said.” And Moses did. Now Moses was 80 years old when he started. And 40 years later Moses—his strength of mind and force—had not abated one iota. But his job was finished, and God let him die. God buried him; and no man knows where, and has ever found out, from that day to this.

Under Moses: after the children of Israel arrived over into Mount Sinai, God propositioned them that they could become His nation, and have His government over them, and gave them great promises. Now in Exodus the 19th chapter, beginning in verse 4:

Exodus 19:4-5 You have seen [God said] what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself. (5) Now therefore, IF YOU WILL OBEY my voice [That is, come under His government, let Him be their ruler.], and keep my covenant [which is a marriage agreement, and an agreement that set them up as a nation], then you shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine.

He did not promise them salvation. He did not promise them the Holy Spirit. He did give His Holy Spirit to Noah. He did give His Holy Spirit to Moses, but not to these people. He only promised that they would be the leading nation on Earth. They would become more wealthy than any other nation, and they would be the leading nation.

That nation, that God then called through Moses, was a type of the Church; and Moses was a type of Christ. That Church was a flesh-born Church with only fleshly promises. They had no promise of eternal life or salvation. They were a type of the Church today, and Christ is the Head of this Church. We have the promise of immortal life.

Now, notice the difference and how the one is the type of the other. Israel was carnal. The Church today is supposed to be spiritual, but most of us have gotten ourselves carnal. Now, how did the Israelites perform? If you will notice next now, in Jeremiah the third chapter, God said here to them:

Jeremiah 3:2 Lift up your eyes unto the high places, and see where thou hast not been lien with.

He said they were harlots and had committed more harlotry than any whore, any human whore, that had ever lived. He said a human harlot charges for her services, but you have paid. You’re the woman who has paid others. (In other words, your allies that you have made an arrangement with.) And today we have our allies. We are doing the same thing, the United States. That’s why I tell you the United States is doomed and is not going to exist a certain number of years from now, and that’s in our time.

GOD CAN HOLD SOMETHING UP (PLAY FROM 1:03:58)

I want to tell you, brethren, while I think of it: There was a picture that I happened to see on television in this past week, called “The Earthquake.” I don’t know whether some of you happened to see it or not. I don’t know whether it was shown here. I saw it down in Tucson.

And, incidentally, I have not moved away from Pasadena, or away from headquarters, at all. I am still at headquarters; and I still have my home here, the same as I always did. But I have a home on the campus in Big Sandy. And I still have a home on the campus in England—although I’ve taken a great deal of things out of it, and lots of furnishings and things; and I never go there anymore, but it was there. That doesn’t mean that I’d ever move away from here. That’s another lie that they’re trying to get over to you: that I have moved away from headquarters. I have done nothing of the kind! I am right here at headquarters. I had a very hard day, all day yesterday, in my office; and expect to have more tomorrow morning.

Anyhow, here all of a sudden, this earthquake hit people just like that (when they least expected it, and all of a sudden); and it was a frightful picture. It showed the havoc. It showed big buildings just crashing and coming down, the epicenter of the earthquake right under, and I think it was supposed to be Los Angeles. Of course, they didn’t say just what city and so on. It was showing what an earthquake can be like, and it was showing what might happen; and it could happen right here.

Here is the thing, brethren, that you don’t know: We go along day-to-day careless, each doing his own thing. And we don't realize, in the meantime, Satan is very busy; and Christ is also on the job. And suddenly, like a mouse getting caught in a trap… He doesn’t know it. He doesn’t see it. The first thing he knows, he’s caught and can’t get out.

I used to catch a lot of rats in a trap when I was eight years old, and nine years old. I remember I had had my ninth birthday. I was in Union, Iowa. We had moved up there for a little time. I tell you, those rats would get in that trap. They didn’t know until they were in it, and it would snap shut on them; and they couldn’t get out. That is going to happen to many of you! I am warning you now. Some of you—matter of fact, maybe most of you—will ignore it; and you will just go on taking it easy. All of a sudden, it is going to strike; and Christ warned us that, “in such an hour as you think not,” it is going to happen. We are very close to the end time.

I was asked by a minister just the other day: did I think that our Work would come to an end and be finished within a year? No, frankly, I don’t; but I don’t know. I do know this. I know that apparently God has been holding off things, and delaying our coming to the end, for at least 6, 8, years now, or more. Maybe it is because this Church was getting drowsy; and He wanted time for me to come to realize it, and maybe for you to realize it and wake up.

You find, in the seventh chapter of Revelation, how God sent an angel to say, “Wait, hold up (what was going to happen, the plagues that were coming) until I have done something that I want done.” That was the sealing in their forehead of the 144,000 and another innumerable multitude of all nations. Now, God can hold something up; and there’s an example of where He did. On the other hand, Jesus said that, when the time comes, He would cut everything short; and make a speedy, quick, work of it. These things can happen so quick you wouldn’t know it. So you can’t afford to take chances. All I can do is warn you. You can sit there, and ignore it, and be caught like a rat in a trap. That’s up to you.

ACKNOWLEDGE SIN AND REPENT (PLAY FROM 1:08:20)

Let’s see. I wanted to begin a little more here in verse 12. Well, I didn’t read all of this here. They were in harlotry. In other words, going after other gods instead of the true God. They were considered as God’s wife, and He was their Husband. Now the Church is the affianced Bride to marry Christ in the resurrection. So we’re engaged to Christ; but they had already formed a union. They were physical; and we are spiritual, if we have God’s Holy Spirit.

Jeremiah 3:2-3 In the ways hast thou sat for them [like a whore], as the Arabian in the wilderness; and thou hast polluted the land with thy whoredoms and with thy wickedness. (3) Therefore the showers have been withholden [God sends the rain on the just and unjust alike, but sometimes He withholds the rain; and God has the power to do that.], and there hath been no latter rain; and thou hadst a whore’s forehead, thou refusedst to be ashamed.

What about some of you, brethren? Do you refuse to be ashamed? Do you refuse to acknowledge that we've been lackadaisical—in going along and taking it easy, and beginning to forget God? Will you acknowledge that you have been lax in your prayer life, and in the study of the Bible; and you’ve grown disinterested in the Bible Studies? And maybe… I don’t know what you have been getting in the Bible Studies, but maybe you have been getting something that was not inspiring. Well, I am going to continue on the same line I am talking now. And, if you don’t like it, don’t come next Friday night—because I am going to be here, and the Bible Studies are going to continue. I didn’t ask anybody. I didn’t get a vote of a group, or a committee, or any thing of the kind. I just simply tell you that because I know what Christ wants. Christ has told me to tell you that, and I have told you. (Now, beginning with verse 12.)

Jeremiah 3:12-13 Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, RETURN, thou backsliding Israel, saith the [Eternal]; and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you. [That is what He is saying to us now. Now, that Church is a type of us. And the things written about them were written for our learning and admonition, on whom the ends of the world are coming, in the New Testament. “And I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you.”] For I am merciful, saith the [Eternal], and I will not keep anger forever. (13) Only acknowledge thine iniquity [And I say to you—and I am speaking by the authority of Jesus Christ, and Jesus Christ says to you through me now—only acknowledge your lethargy; only acknowledge you’re sleeping, and drowsiness, and that you have been getting away from God.], that thou hast transgressed against the [Eternal] thy God, and hast scattered thy ways to the strangers under every green tree, and ye have not obeyed my voice, saith the [Eternal].

Notice that Israel, how they went until finally they were driven out into slavery. The first Church lost its first love. Solomon started out like a whirlwind; and he just wanted wisdom so he could rule the people better, to serve God. But he ended up with a thousand women and serving their gods. Many of the kings of ancient Judah were like that. They started out all right, but they wound up wrong at the end.

I have seen that. And now, as I am, well, like Moses was in older years, that God is using me. That does not mean that I am going to die tomorrow or next week. I think God is going to keep me here until this Work is finished. I said that I had been brought back to try to wake you up. But there is another reason. That is to finish the Work around the world. God is going to give me the strength to do it. He says:

Jeremiah 3:14 Turn O backsliding children, saith the [Eternal] [And He says the same thing to you today.]; for I am married unto you. [Now, for us today, He is not married to us; but He is engaged to us. But it is virtually the same thing, where the marriage won’t take place until we are made immortal.] And I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion.

Now, that was what He said to ancient Israel; but that is a warning of what He is saying to us today.

DEPARTING FROM THE LIVING GOD (PLAY FROM 1:13:29)

Now then, I want you to go a little further. Notice in Hebrews, in the New Testament now if you will, the third chapter. The third chapter of Hebrews, beginning with verse seven. I don’t want to read the other verses. You read it all at home. I don’t want to read it all now.

Hebrews 3:7-9, 12 Wherefore as the Holy Spirit saith, Today if ye will hear his voice, (8) Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation [In other words, like those Israelites did that I just read to you about. Now He says… This is New Testament. This is to us, brethren. And some of us have let our hearts get a little bit hardened.], in the day of temptation in the wilderness: (9) When your fathers tempted me [provoked Me]… (12) Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.

If ever this Church needed that, it’s right now today. Now God just says to take heed, and I am telling you. AND GOD IS USING MY VOICE TO DO IT! AND YOU BETTER LISTEN, BECAUSE IT COMES FROM THE CREATOR GOD. Do you TREMBLE BEFORE THE WORD OF GOD? I'M GIVING IT TO YOU. YOU BETTER TREMBLE BEFORE THESE THINGS. I AM FRIGHTENED, BRETHREN. THIS CHURCH IS IN MORTAL DANGER!

Hebrews 3:12 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.

That’s exactly what we’ve been doing! And, always, it seemed that people started all right; and then they want to ease off, as time goes on.

Hebrews 3:14 For we are made partakers of Christ [Have you forgotten that, brethren? We are made partakers of Christ.], IF we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end.

But we are not holding it steadfast to the end. We are slipping, and we're getting on very dangerous ground; and Satan is winning that battle. But Christ is on the Father’s throne! And if we are willing, He will restore everything to this Church; and that is the good news. Jesus Christ has shown me, and He has awakened me to the condition of things. Now maybe I was slumbering a little bit. All right. I've repented, if I did. So, I’m awake. And I'm going to have guts (if that's what it takes) and the courage TO TELL YOU WHAT NEEDS TO BE SAID. If you agree, you will save your own eternity. And if not, it will be a witness against you.

A BETTER COVENANT (PLAY FROM 1:16:13)

Now the eighth chapter of Hebrews, verse one.

Hebrews 8:1, 6 Now of the things which we have spoken, this is the sum: We have such an high priest [They only had Moses back there. But we today have such an high priest, Christ…], who is set on the right hand of the throne [of God] of the Majesty in the heavens… [Let’s see. I want to read now the sixth verse.] (6) But now hath he [Christ] obtained a more excellent ministry [That is, more excellent than Moses had.], by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant.

That covenant made them a nation, but with no spiritual promises—no salvation, or eternal life. We have the promise of eternal life. We have the promise of going throughout all of the universe and finishing (like you finish unfinished furniture)…and finishing God’s creation. But now it is in a state of decay; and God is going to use us, if we’ll develop this character, to go into all of the Universe some day. That’s after the thousand years on Earth though. A better covenant—the new covenant—will make us the Kingdom of God, God’s nation to rule the whole world.

Hebrews 8:6 …a better covenant, which was established upon better promises.

Their promise was only to be a great nation in this world—physical, material wealth and leadership. We have the promise of immortal life and the tremendous… (Why can’t I think of that word now that I want? Sometimes a name will escape me, and sometimes a word.) But the potential, that’s what I was trying to think. The tremendous potential that is ours! Now go back to the fourth chapter of Hebrews for a moment. Hebrews 4, and beginning with the 14th verse on to the 16th.

Hebrews 4:14-15 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. (15) For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities.

Look. I know this: I have been weak. I have not been perfect. But I know that I can go to that throne of grace; and Christ is there on His Father’s throne listening, and the Father is listening. And Christ has gone through all of this, just like I have. Now the difference is Christ was tempted in all points like we are, but He didn’t sin. But He had been tempted, and He knows what it is. It is not only the temptation described in the fourth chapter of Matthew, when He had fasted 40 days and 40 nights; and the devil came at him. But listen. The devil gets at us through the human spirit that is in us. And Jesus Christ was hearing that temptation, and Satan was trying to pour it into His mind every day—and every hour of every day—that He lived. The difference is this: that He was so close to God, and He knew the will of God. When Satan was pouring opposite things, He just rejected it right there. He never got into it, and never let it conceive and take root in Him, and to sin. That’s the difference between Christ and us. We have done it.

But we have Someone that can understand that we are human. He knows we are human. He knows our weaknesses. He is a forgiving God. And if we’ll only turn back to Him, He will just open up His arms and receive us and love us. And you don’t know how the love of God can come into your minds and your hearts, and how much He can love you. God loves this Church. I have been sort of shouting out at you today, because I think we have to have it. But God is love; and I love you all, and I want you to love me. But sometimes it takes some plain speaking. Sometimes a parent has to speak that way to children. And, directly or indirectly, you are all my children in the Lord; and I have to speak to you as a father would.

Hebrews 4:14-16 Seeing then that we have A GREAT HIGH PRIEST [Christ], that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. [Some of us are letting it slip. We are not holding it very fast.] (15) For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feelings of our infirmities [He understands, and He knows; and He will forgive our weaknesses that we have had.], but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. (16) Let us therefore come BOLDLY unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Now that’s what Christ wants; and He is just waiting with open arms to receive all of us, if we will come back to Him.

Now there is Satan, who is the prince of the power of the air; and he is broadcasting. And he is getting just through into our minds—not in words, not in pictures (like radio or television). But he is putting impulses; and he is putting into our minds attitudes of vanity, of trying to do our own thing, of self-exultation, of competition. And there has been competition among the ministers, and we’ve got to have cooperation together. I want to tell you that the ministers at the helm today are as one unit, cooperating; and we’re going to have that cooperation. And anyone that will not cooperate will be talked to. And then, if he isn’t willing to cooperate, he just won’t be part of the team any longer. That’s all.

A CALL TO REPENTANCE (PLAY FROM 1:22:29)

Satan is the prince of the power of the air. Now, in II Corinthians 11, the apostle Paul said to the Church at Corinth [paraphrasing verse 3], “I fear lest, as Eve was tempted by Satan, so you will be misled and deceived by that same Satan.” And that’s to us today, in the New Testament. II Timothy 3 and on, where he says how it will be in the last days: that men would love themselves, and how they would come to be sleepy, and asleep at the switch. And that is the way we are. I Peter 5{2}, how Satan is going about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. God is calling us to a repentance. And this Church needs to repent, and it needs to go to its knees.

Now, brethren, all I can do is tell you. I know I am going to fight to try to see, through the great mercy of Christ, that He will be forgiving to me; and let me into His kingdom. I want all of you to be there with me. That is why I poured out my heart to you today, and I hope that we are going to begin to take this a little seriously. This Church has needed a shaking up.

I hope that there will be at least two or three of you here next Friday night, and I will be here to see you at that time. And then on the Sabbath, next Sabbath, I probably will do another television…in fact, it will be two programs. I already have eight television programs that will start a week from tomorrow on many stations; and as fast as we can get the stations, it will be coast to coast. People have said that without the radio this Church is going to go down. Well, the radio and television are going right on—more powerfully than ever, brethren.

You’ll find that, once our hearts are right, God will build this Church up. If this Church has not been growing, it is not. The membership is even going down, not gaining. Brethren, THAT OUGHT TO WARN YOU! That ought to WAKE US UP! All we have to do is get ourselves right with God, each one of us. I can only get myself right, and I can plead with you; and that is all I can do. But, once we do it (and if you will join me in trying to get back to God, as I am for myself), I want to tell you that this Church will leap forward bigger than it did for the first 35 years when it grew faster, and more steadily, than any organization I have ever heard of.

But God has withdrawn His blessings on His Church. The Work has not been growing. The Church has been even going down, and losing; and there are not as many members today as there were a year ago. There were not as many members then as the year before. Now the time has come for us to get a revival within our own hearts. It ought to strike home to us and condemn us, to think of that. IT’S OUR FAULT. And I’m not only talking to you that I see here today. I am talking to the other Churches that will hear this on tape recording all over the world.

Unitedly, brethren, let’s get back. Let’s get on our knees, and let’s get back to Christ.

---