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AN
OPEN LETTER
To
the true and faithful members of God’s Church
--
Worldwide --
Dear
Brethren in Christ Jesus,
“They
Didn’t Believe What He said!”
This
was the title of a Personal … from Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong.
In this letter he wrote of the sickening conditions that he
observed while traveling around the world.
He
became convinced that the real root cause of humanity’s troubles and
evils could be summed up in six words: “They didn’t believe what
He said!” He then added, “And they still don’t believe what He
says today!”
The
Jewish people did not believe what Jesus Christ said during His
ministry here on earth; and tragically the same is true with many of
the Church members today.
Most
of the few thousand members who yet remain within the overall
framework of the teachings of Christ do not seem to care that their
ministers have watered down some of the teachings; while others have
walked away from some of them completely!
One
elder asked me at the close of a very large conference of ministers,
about five years ago, what I thought about that organization.
I replied that I found several doctrinal errors (and named
them) – important teachings that had been revealed to Mr. Armstrong.
He paused, and then said, “I’m satisfied.”
This
is where most are today, satisfied; even though there are and continue
to be serious problems within the teachings! Very few bother to
seriously look into the teachings of the organization they attend.
Many
care more about being able to fellowship with others than they do
about the Faith Once Delivered
to the Saints!
Too
many just do not believe ‘ALL’
that Christ tells us in Scripture about our very own troublesome,
trying, and deceptive times! To them ALL of the teachings of Christ do
not seem to matter all that much!
Yet,
all of us, are being JUDGED by God today within the standards of ALL
of the Scriptural teachings of our God just as He led Peter to write
to all of God’s people:
“For
the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God: … and
if the righteous one is scarcely saved, …” (I Peter 4:17-18).
And
this judgment that is upon us NOW
will determine whether the door to the place of safety and salvation
will be OPEN to you and me (Matthew 25:10; Luke
Numerous
times throughout the Scriptures Jesus Christ warned His Church of the
danger of false ministers and their subtle deceptive practices, and in
particular at this time of the end! Those
times began coming upon us in a very rapid and abrupt manner after
Mr.
Armstrong himself warned us time after time in almost every letter
about Satan and his devious practices as did the apostle Paul (Acts
20:28-31; Ephesians 6:10-12, plus).
But,
the majority of the various Church members do NOT fully believe what
Christ or His apostles wrote about Satan and his counterfeit ministers
who would come on the scene in our time deceiving ministers and
members alike! Often
their reasoning is the tendency to think this WARNING
applies to
others, and not themselves!
I
read these Scriptures back in the 1950s, and I asked myself: “Could
these false leaders to come from among us be this one, or that one?”
Then I would answer the question, saying, “No, it couldn’t
be!”
It
was just too much for me to believe these ministers, named by me in my
thinking, could possibly be used by Satan in this manner!
But sadly and tragically it has happened with many!
Some from that time, and many later!
Many were my teachers and all my friends.
While
listening to a taped Bible study recently of Mr. Armstrong he made a
comment that he had decided to take the Bible study that night rather
unexpectedly.
As
a result he was disappointed to find only one minister who was in
attendance. With a note
of sadness in his voice, he said, “I would rather have two or three
faithful ministers than 500 ministers of Baal!”
Though
God blinded him to what would actually take place after his death, he
did have grave misgivings. He said as much in his last sermon, “…
they are like vultures waiting for me to die!”
Prophecy had to be fulfilled, and it was, and is yet before us
today to be further fulfilled!
After
the death of Mr. Armstrong, all that we believed and held dear was
thrown out on the very first day of our ministerial conference in
That
night left me sleepless and literally crying.
Knowing the changes that had already been made from 1986 until
the time of that conference should have prepared me for what this man
would do, but it did not. It
hurt me severely.
These
men did not really believe that God used Mr. Armstrong to restore His
doctrinal teachings within His Church. To further their own goals and
achieve their purposes, they pretended to believe Mr. Armstrong was
chosen and flattered him (Mr. Armstrong) in his presence.
Do
you know most of the ministers today do NOT believe ALL of those
doctrinal teachings either! They say they do, but many speak
disrespectfully of Mr. Armstrong, and at the same time have made
changes in many of those restored doctrinal teachings.
Since
they could not accept ALL of the erroneous changes, as made known by
that leader from 1986 to 1994, they were not content to stay within
that organization, but carried over the erroneous doctrines they did
accept into the newly forming Churches.
The
members have been deceived by these men mainly because of who they are
rather than by what they believe and teach!
One
member said to me, “I am sleeping!” He still is, for he has
remained within the false Church he is in.
It is NOT God’s Church!
Consider
the following erroneous teachings I personally know of that are within
at least two of the larger organizations: A dual gospel, the one that
Christ brought and the other ABOUT Jesus Christ. Another is THEIR
version of Born Again, not what was restored and taught by Mr.
Armstrong.
They
also do not believe there is any such thing as Physical Sin, thus
watering down the belief in Divine Healing, and in so doing this also
affects the symbols of the Passover service making them one and the
same, with no distinction, or recognition between spiritual and
physical sin!
These
are just a sampling of the carryovers from the erroneous changes made
in the doctrinal teachings restored by Mr. Armstrong that came into
existence after his death! Then there is the problem of Government!
And
virtually all of them will NOT even consider re-instituting the ruling
on Makeup! THEY DON’T DARE -- for
they would lose much of their membership and finances -- as did we by
so doing! Even so, it is
our desire to obey God in ALL of the teachings regardless of the cost.
One
could ask: “Are they like King Saul who FEARED
the people rather than God? (I Samuel 15:24)
Many
of you are going to the various Feast of Tabernacles sites, where God
has NOT placed His name! I
caution you: God’s presence will NOT be there! It would be well for
each one to reconsider and determine where God’s presence will be.
With
all of these things in mind, we need to think of what Jesus said to
those who followed Him, yet would not believe Him: “Why do you call
Me, Lord, Lord, and do NOT the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46)
To His disciples, He further said, “… there are some of you
who do NOT believe” (John
Mr.
Armstrong ends his writing about the world with the following words:
“… men, except for the very few, don’t believe what God says!”
Do we?
Brethren,
THE FINAL TIME OF OUR JUDGMENT IS ALMOST HERE!!!
Will
you and I be judged worthy by Christ to escape ALL of the horrors that
shall come to pass? More importantly, will we be judged to be found
acceptable to stand before the Son of Man (Luke
Brethren,
God is using me in these Open Letters to WARN
you before the final closing of the door!
Will
YOU believe FULLY what Christ said Himself -- as well as what He led
His apostles to write, and speak?
Remember, each one of us is being judged as to whether we are
truly BELIEVING and LIVING by EVERY word of God (Matthew 4:4; Luke
4:4).
Let
all of us with love and great concern pray for one another.
I, along with others, pray earnestly for all of you.
Don
Billingsley
P. O. Box 8819, Modesto, CA 95357 (209) 772-0737. www.cog-ff.com