PASTOR’S COMMENTS 8-27-04

Dear Brethren,

To this letter I had planned to attach and paste the current "Open Letter", that will appear in the coming 'JOURNAL'. along with this writing, but since it has become rather lengthy, I will plan on sending it this next week.

While reading it, and others that God leads me to write, I ask that you meditate on what is written and think about many of the ELECT who are yet in the wrong places. Sadly, many of them will be attending a Feast of Tabernacles where God has NOT placed His name. With over 300 corporate Churches of God, there will be many Feast sites, here and there, with ministers who are making merchandise of God' people, by appearing to them as being true and faithful ministers of God (II Peter 2:3 KJV).

Because of their continued observance of the Feast Days, members can be deceived into believing these ministers are of God and fully approved by Him, without realizing they have actually moved away from Him, due to the doctrinal teachings they have changed.

An Appeal for Prayers for God's People --     

Please, pray fervently that God will OPEN their eyes to see the wrong teachings in those groups and give them the courage and strength to depart from them before it becomes too late!

Scripture speaks of the very soon coming Great Tribulation, that will have a large yawning mouth of death to receive all who will not be counted worthy to escape the coming horrors during the Great Tribulation (Luke 21:36). This terrible time of tortuous deaths, is described in Scripture as the 5th seal – the martyrdom of saints (Revelation 6:9-10).

There are other Scriptures that make known who will die in that terrible time, and the reasons why they will have to win their salvation by being faithful unto death, or give in and renounce their faith! If they do, this Scripture tells us they then will perish forever in the second death (Revelation 20:14-15).

The Real Beginning of the Deception —

For our edification, so as not to be caught again in the deceptive trap of Satan, let us review once again this terrible time of deception that came upon God's Church, and the real falling away that has and is taking place, because of it. Tragically, because many have not learned the lesson all of us should have learned from our past history, it is now being repeated and many are being affected adversely by it, and as a result they are now sleeping.

On the other hand, there are many who did learn the lesson too well and have gone to the extreme of not associating with any Church of God, for fear of being hurt all over again. Based on a Scripture found in Ezekiel (34:8), there are those who feel there are no true shepherds anymore. That Scripture, when put into context with other Scriptures, makes known there is NO longer a chief shepherd, NO apostle, to keep all the flock together. The last part of Matthew 24 (verses 45-51) reveals there will be the true, faithful, and caring shepherds at the end-time, along with the wrong kind. One just has to prove very carefully who is true and who is not true!

The deception began in a most subtle manner, immediately after the death of Mr. Armstrong in 1986. Based on prophecy, and what he himself could see taking place among some of the leadership, he was able to see some of what would in all likelihood take place, but was blinded as to HOW, WHEN, and WHO it would be who would begin bringing about the purifying of the Church.

As you may recall, Mr. Armstrong said in a sermon before his death, there were ravenous wolves just waiting for him to die! And they were! Had he not been blinded, this would not have taken place. He would have stood strongly in the way of it by appointing someone else to lead the Church; for it was his determination to protect the Church (II Thessalonians 2:6-8). He did see, however, some of those who were encamped around this man as not being right. For this reason, he asked him not to take his staff upon the floor where he had his office after his death.

The primary reason Mr. Armstrong appointed this man as his successor, was because he had led the fight against the takeover of the Church by the State of California.  With this in mind, he was convinced this man would strongly protect the TRUTH of the doctrinal teachings God had restored through him, complete and intact.  

However God blinded Mr. Armstrong as to what was really in the heart of this man, for it was His purpose to permit Satan to use this man to attempt to destroy the TRUTH and the Church! Prophecy had to be fulfilled (Daniel 12:7-10; II Thessalonians 2:1-3). Though many thousands would forsake the truth, and confusion and bewilderment would take place among the more faithful members, God used Daniel to write in the face of this terrible and trying time, "The WISE will understand" (Daniel 12:10).  The wise would come to understand and work their way out of the wrong places.

Disrespect and Disobedience —

It was reported, by one who was in a position to know, that the very next day after his death (Mr. Armstrong), this man took his staff upon the very floor where he had been told by Mr. Armstrong not to take them.

Satan had prepared for this many years in advance, for he knows the end-time prophecies that have to do with the Church, as well as what will yet begin taking place with all the hardships that are to soon come upon the house of Israel.

The Devil knew what was really in the heart and mind, of not only this man, but also his administration. Satan used certain situations and those in different positions of leadership over time, to maneuver these people into place, to set his strategies in motion, to try and destroy all of us through these human instruments. Notice this in Scripture:

Jude 4 “For certain men have CREPT IN UNNOTICED, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who TURN the grace of our God INTO licentiousness (license to do evil) and DENY the only Lord God and our Savior Jesus Christ.”

(With this in mind, please also read:  II Corinthians 11:3-4, 13-15; and II Timothy 3:13. See also your marginal references to read other Scriptures that also fit into this context.)

The departure from every one of the restored teachings, God used His late apostle to restore within His Church, fully took place in December, 1994. They were very gleeful to have accomplished this feat, but it did not fulfill all their expectations!

It is interesting to note, that after Satan was through with Judas he threw him away. As the result, Judas could not live with what he had done and he hung himself. In a similar manner, after Satan was through using this man, he died a most terrible and painful death, exactly nine years and nine months after the death of Mr. Armstrong!  It has been stated that just before he died, he said, "I have been a fool."

If you have not already done so, you may find the number nine a number of interest. The Companion Bible makes this meaning known as a finality of judgment. Like Belshazzar, he and his Babylonian kingdom had been weighed in the balances and found wanting (Daniel 5). 

I once heard Mr. Armstrong say in a sermon, that all of his enemies, in the early years of this work, died with cancer. It took place once again. This man and his administration were enemies of God, His truth, and His way of life. God will deal with them all as well, sooner or later, unless they repent. It is my hope and prayer they will repent of manipulating, changing and trampling all over the truth of God.

A Recent Condemnation of the Truth —

Though most of you have already read the following that appeared on the internet this week, it seems appropriate to reprint this very negative message regarding their contempt for the TRUTH of God:

Subject: impossible to enforce the multiple copyright violations by Armstrong spin-off groups

Church Sells Armstrong's Works

Nineteen books by founder sold to Worldwide Church of God splinter group.

By Marshall Allen | posted 06/17/2003

Reversing course, the financially struggling Worldwide Church of God has agreed to sell the rights to 19 books by church founder Herbert W. Armstrong to a splinter group. Announced March 12, the $3 million settlement ends a costly round of litigation. It also allows the Philadelphia Church of God (PCG) to reproduce Armstrong's teachings.

The WCG, which owned the copyrights to Armstrong's works, initially filed suit in 1997 against the PCG for publishing Armstrong's magnum opus, Mystery of the Ages, without permission. The WCG won the initial lawsuit, but the Philadelphia Church filed a countersuit for the right to reproduce 18 other Armstrong works. At one point, the WCG said it was fighting the countersuit because it didn't want to see the heretical works republished.

Phil Arnn of Watchman Fellowship, a Christian research and apologetics ministry, said the deal raises an ethical question about the WCG.

"These are heretical doctrines that are destructive to the eternal life of anyone who comes under their influence," Arnn said. "To have profited from the release of the copyrights is a matter that I would think [would be] very troubling to the conscience."

Some former WCG members criticized the church's leaders. "They're willing, in effect, to support what they condemn—to permit the perpetuation and promotion of heresy for the sake of money," said Reginald Killingley, a former Worldwide Church pastor.

Bernard Schnippert, the WCG's chief financial officer, said it would be impossible to enforce the multiple copyright violations by Armstong spin-off groups. Selling the copyrights was a matter of stewardship, he said.

"The church has found a buyer who's willing to pay for material which [they] think is valuable," Schnippert said. "We'd be imprudent not to participate in that kind of transaction."

Truth Has Fallen in the Streets ---

“Justice is turned back, and righteousness stands AFAR OFF; FOR TRUTH HAS FALLEN IN THE STREET, and equity cannot enter” (Isaiah 59:14-15).

Erroneous Doctrinal Teachings —

Though Satan was successful in scattering the Church, he well knew there would be those who would reform under individual corporate Church of God names. Now, he knew this would happen, so he set another strategy in motion to destroy the faithful members. In actuality he is using the same ploy, but using different ministers who are making a show of remaining faithful to the truth; the truth is many of them do not believe all of it. This cunning strategy continues to work for him. 

Satan knows we are trusting people as a whole, just like sheep.  We do not always recognize the wolves, for they appear to be in sheeps clothing, pretending they are sheep when in actuality they are ravening wolves! There are the WARNINGS from Jesus Christ Himself, as well as through His apostles, of deceptive leaders being among God's people. However, we have a tendency to not think about these warnings, let alone acting on the Scriptures that would enable us to know who is and who isn't! 

What made it so difficult for us in 1986, was that Mr. Armstrong left us the admonition that we had better obey and remain faithful to his successor. We had to learn! The lesson has not remained with everyone, for the members are facing an even greater difficulty,  due to the fact that most of the ministry are well-known and on the surface appear to be faithful men.

To our sorrow, and possible destruction, we are too trusting!

Satan was well prepared to continue with his efforts of destroying the faithful membership.  He well knew the ministers who had accepted some of the erroneous doctrinal teachings, but he also knew they would not accept all of them. With this in mind, it was easy for him to maneuver these ministers, into the leadership of the Churches, under the guise of being true and faithful to the true teachings.

All of the pastors, who were in a mass meeting of ministers and elders in 1995, were urged to sign up and be with this largest Corporate Church. We were to be placed on salary, by the leadership, without even being questioned as to what we believed. At least I wasn't, and I assume no one else was either. In fact, I did not sign on for some little time and displeasure was shown to me for not instantly doing it.

Some of them did remain faithful for awhile…but not for long. Subtle changes in the teachings began to take place, but not too much all at once and not so often, so as not to disturb the membership. This is the exact same strategy the successor who replaced Mr. Armstrong used. 

To our detriment, we forget so quickly! Mainly, because we have TRUST in numbers, and known ministers, but sadly most of them are in the camp of Satan! They would strongly protest what I am writing here! But, the fact is they are, because of what they are doing to the Church by teaching.

And this is where we are today. Over 300 corporate Churches with variations from the original teachings in each one of them.

We MUST remember the vital importance of clinging to ALL of the truth God has revealed to us in Scripture, and made very clear and plain to all of us by His late apostle, Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong. Please note the life-saving importance of it as made known by the Psalmist:

"Withhold NOT Your tender mercies from me, O LORD: let Your loving kindness AND YOUR TRUTH continually preserve me" (Psalm 40:11).

Compassion for our Brethren —

God has had mercy on a few of us and we should have deep feelings of compassion for each one who is still among them. We should have a real fervent desire to see them flee from these false churches, before it becomes too late for them.

This is why I appeal to all of you, to truly pray with real feeling in your prayers for these members, asking God to work with them and bring them out just as He did with us! I can write as God uses me to do, but your part is not only to pray that God would use me to write and warn these people, but also to pray that God will lead them to read these letters and act on what is written, that they would WAKE UP from their slumber and ask Jesus Christ to come into their hearts and minds and dine with them (Revelation 3:20)!

Time is running out!

The Feast of Tabernacles —

For those of you who are unable to attend the Feast of Tabernacles with us this year and would like to receive taped sermons, to play each day during this most meaningful Festival, we will make available, upon request, a selected group of taped sermons: five by me, and three by Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong.  Please write to our mailing address: P. O. Box 8819. Modesto, CA 95357, or send me a note by e-mail (thechurch@cog-ff.com).

I had intended to send the text of my article, that will appear in the next issue of the Journal, with this letter, but since it has become so lengthy I will plan on doing it this next week.

Let us pray for each other – and God’s people – whoever and wherever they are.

Our love and prayers.

Don Billingsley