Immediately after the seven day Feast of Tabernacles is the Last Great Day, the final festival and holy day of God. It pictures the final stage in God's plan for the salvation of mankind.
The Last Great Day pictures the general resurrection of mankind, an event after the millennium when the vast majority of the billions of people who lived and died before the second coming of Jesus Christ are raised from the dead back to physical life.
This festival is both a continuation of the Feast of Tabernacles and a separate festival. It immediately follows the seven day Feast of Tabernacles, and it is called the "eighth day" of the Feast (Leviticus 23:36, 39). It is also called the "last day" and the "great day" of the Feast (John 7:37). We in the Church of God, following the example of Mr. Armstrong, call it the "Last Great Day".
And it is indeed a great day in what it represents.
We in the Church of God, because we observe the annual holy days and festivals of God as well as the weekly Sabbath, understand God's plan for the salvation of mankind.
Satan rules this world through deception (Luke 4:5-7, 2 Corinthians 4:3-4, Revelation 12:9). He deceived Eve, and through Eve he tempted Adam into sin, and he has been leading mankind in his evil way of sin ever since.
God is more powerful than Satan, and Satan can only do what God allows (Job 1:6-19, 2:1-8). Nevertheless, God has allowed Satan to rule and influence this world for nearly six thousand years for a special purpose.
Mr. Armstrong understood that God is teaching mankind a lesson written in human history that Satan's way of life only brings suffering, heartache, violence, destruction, and death. But after six thousand years of Satan's rule, he will be banished, removed from his throne, and Christ and the saints will rule the earth God's way for a thousand years. Mankind will be able to contrast the happiness of the millennium with six thousand years of Satan's rule and see that God's way is best.
Mankind in the millennium will be able to know the truth of God. They will hear the true gospel. Their minds will be opened, and they will be able to hear, understand, believe, repent, be converted, and be saved.
But what about the billions of human beings who have lived and died during the six thousand years of Satan's deception without ever having the chance for salvation? Many have not heard any gospel, and almost none have heard the true gospel, and many of those who heard were never able to understand and believe the gospel because Satan has deceived them and God has not specially called and drawn them to Christ.
The vast majority of mankind has not been able to hear the true gospel, understand it, believe it, repent, and be converted and saved. God is only calling a few to salvation in this age. Only those the Father draws to Christ can come to Him. "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day" (John 6:44).
Without that special calling and drawing by God, no one in this age can be converted. It is impossible for the majority to be converted in this age.
So what happens to them?
Most of this world's traditional, mainstream Protestant churches have taught that the majority are lost forever. They understand, correctly, that salvation is only through Jesus Christ. But then they conclude, since the majority of the world's population throughout history has not accepted Christ, even nominally, that they are lost forever.
Yet, this is an insult to God. It slanders God by painting Him as weak or uncaring.
But the truth, as represented by the Last Great Day, honors, magnifies, and glorifies God's name and reputation for righteousness. The truth shows God's greatness, wisdom, power, and love. For God has a plan to save all of mankind, except those who knowingly reject God. God will give everyone a chance for salvation.
Yet, traditional, mainstream churches and their members do not understand this because they do not keep the Last Great Day and all of God's holy days and festivals.
The 37th chapter of Ezekiel shows how God will save the billions who have died without a chance for salvation up to their death.
"Therefore prophesy and say to them, 'Thus says the Lord God: "Behold, O My people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up from your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. Then you shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up from your graves. I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken it and performed it," says the Lord.' " (Ezekiel 37:12-14). See also verses 1 to 11 to get the full context and to see that God is talking about resurrection to physical life, life that requires the breath of air, not immortal spirit life.
This passage speaks about Israel, as an example, but the same event will occur for all mankind, as indicated in Revelation and other places (Revelation 20:11-15, Matthew 12:41-42).
All who have lived and died without a chance for salvation will be raised back to physical life in a general resurrection of the dead, the great white throne judgment (Revelation 20:11-12).
They will come alive again into an environment free of Satan's influence, and they will be offered their first real chance for salvation.
They will all hear the true gospel at that time. Jesus Christ and the saints will be ruling the earth. They will learn of the whole history of the seven thousand years - the six thousand years of Satan's rule, which they lived in, and the one thousand year rule of Jesus Christ and the saints. Moreover, they will be resurrected into that happy environment of Christ's rule, and they will be able to contrast the happiness they can come to know then with the state of this world today which they lived in. They will be able to see and experience that God's way is best.
They will be able to understand, believe, repent, obey, receive God's Holy Spirit and be converted, and be saved. They will be able to live forever in God's kingdom. And that will be a much happier result than the traditional view of this world's churches that they will suffer forever in hellfire because of circumstances of birth over which they had no control.
Here is a link to more information about the Last Great Day. This link is to last year's post in this blog about the Last Great Day, and you can follow the links at the end of that post to more posts on this subject and to a section in my book, Preaching the Gospel, about the Last Great Day and what it represents.
"The Last Great Day, and How Righteousness Will Fill the Earth", dated October 4, 2015, link:
http://ptgbook.blogspot.com/2015/10/the-last-great-day-and-how.html
Saturday, October 22, 2016
Saturday, October 15, 2016
The Feast of Tabernacles and Teachers in the Millennium
Shortly, we will be keeping the Feast of Tabernacles, a seven-day festival that pictures the coming Kingdom of God ruling the earth during the 1,000 year period known as the millennium. The Feast is also intended to picture, not just the happiness that will exist on the earth for the millennium, but also the joy and happiness we will enjoy for eternity in the Kingdom of God.
So that the Feast can picture the joy we will have in the Kingdom of God and the joy the human race will enjoy in the millennium, God instructs us to save a tenth (second tithe) of our income for a year to spend at the Feast of Tabernacles on the food and things we enjoy. It is a time of spiritual renewal, because we will be listening to sermons every day and we can get away from our daily routine. But it is also a time of celebration and rejoicing.
This festival is commanded by God for Israel and for the Church of God. The basic instructions are in Leviticus 23:33-44. The booths or tabernacles God commanded Israel to make out of leafy trees and branches were temporary dwellings. They were intended to remind Israel of their journey in the wilderness after leaving Egypt (verses 42-43). The journey out of Egypt for Israel can represent our time in this temporary physical life, and the promised land that Israel was to enter can represent for us the Kingdom of God, our promised reward.
For temporary dwellings, we use hotels and motels to stay at a Feast location, and this reminds us that our journey in this physical life is temporary, but we look to an eternal reward in the Kingdom of God.
Each of the annual feasts and holy days of God teaches a spiritual lesson about the plan of God to those who believe and obey God by observing these days as God commanded.
Many people who have come into the Church of God from other religions or no religion have been amazed when they hear God's plan, as illustrated by the holy days, explained to them, perhaps at the Feast itself. Some have said that they were "blown away" when they first heard God's plan because it was so logical and clear and made so much sense, and they never heard that before from other churches.
Passover is an annual feast of God that teaches us about the sacrifice of Christ to pay the penalty of our sins so we can be forgiven.
The Days of Unleavened Bread teach us about our responsibility to strive to put sin out of our lives and the righteousness of Jesus Christ into our lives.
Pentecost teaches us about the gift of God's Holy Spirit to help us understand spiritual knowledge and to help us overcome our sins. It also teaches us about the founding of the Church of God and the responsibility of the Church of God to preach the gospel to the world (Acts 2:1-47).
The Day of Trumpets teaches us about the second coming of Jesus Christ, the resurrection of the saints, and the setting up of the Kingdom of God on earth.
The Day of Atonement reminds us of the sacrifice of Christ so we can be reconciled with God, but it also teaches us about the putting away of Satan after Christ returns.
The Feast of Tabernacles teaches us about the happiness and joy that will exist on the earth for one thousand years under the rule of Jesus Christ and the happiness in the Kingdom of God for eternity.
The Last Great Day, which immediately follows the Feast of Tabernacles, also called the "eighth day" of the Feast, is a separate festival that teaches us about the general resurrection of the billions who lived and died without an opportunity to hear the true gospel and be saved. This general resurrection is called the "white throne judgment", and will be a time when everyone who has lived and died without a chance for salvation will have their first real opportunity to hear the true gospel, believe God, repent, and be saved.
In these holy days and festivals of God is the instruction about God's plan for the salvation of the whole human race, everyone except those who knowingly reject God's salvation.
The world of traditional churches does not understand this plan, and they will not understand this plan as long as they do not keep God's holy days. Some members of these churches think they can understand the meaning of the holy days by studying the holy days in the Bible, but without keeping them. But they do not understand that to understand God's truth we need God's help, and God helps those who are willing to believe and obey Him.
Thus, the holy days are a test to see who will believe God and obey Him and who will not. This is especially true for those who have not grown up in the Church of God and who come from other churches or no religion at all, for they must sacrifice to begin to observe these days.
We know about these days and about the plan of God because Mr. Armstrong believed God. He saw in the Bible that these days are commanded, He believed God and began to observe these days, and when God saw Mr. Armstrong's faith and obedience He helped Mr. Armstrong to understand the meaning of these days, what they represent, and the whole plan of God. Mr. Armstrong then taught this to the Church and on radio, and he said to his radio listeners, "Don't believe me, believe your Bible, believe God", and he taught his listeners and readers how to prove these truths in the Bible for themselves. Thousands who heard him did believe their Bibles, and the Church of God grew.
So it is through faith and obedience that we today understand the plan of God and are able to enjoy the Feast of Tabernacles.
During the Feast of Tabernacles, members of the Church of God will hear sermons that teach from the Bible what the millennium and the Kingdom of God will be like and how the millennium will be different from today's evil world.
One of the differences is that, during the millennium, the resurrected saints, made full Sons of God, will be teaching the world God's law and way of life. Today, ministers in the Church of God teach members the law of God and God's way of life.
But there are two differences. Today, God's true ministers teach only a tiny fraction of the human race, those few who are called into the Church of God. In the millennium, the whole world will be taught, and salvation will be open to all.
But also, today, God's true ministers are fallible human beings. They make mistakes. Not everything they teach is totally free from error. So those members who are wise will prove every important doctrine from the Bible, and when a minister teaches something they have not heard before, if it is important, those members will check up in the Bible so they can prove it for themselves. Their faith is in God, not the ministry. This is not a criticism of the ministry, for we are all human, and we should all be learning from our mistakes. The Bible shows that even faithful servants of God are not perfect.
But in the Kingdom of God, those resurrected in the first resurrection will no longer be subject to the pulls and limitations of the flesh. We will be full children of God, made immortal, glorified like Christ, full members of God's family. And we will have the personal presence of Jesus Christ, and He will directly supervise our teaching and judging of the people.
So our teaching will be right. Not mostly right, not almost right but with a few errors, but totally right. We will no longer know in part, but we will know the truth of God fully.
"For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away. When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known" (1 Corinthians 13:9-12).
There is a lesson, I think, in the example of Old Testament Israel in the wilderness. They were instructed that when they entered the promised land, they would look to God's government for direction.
In the wilderness, in instructing the people in how to live after they entered the promised land, God said, "You shall not at all do as we are doing here today - every man doing whatever is right in his own eyes - for as yet you have not come to the rest and the inheritance which the Lord your God is giving you. But when you cross over the Jordan and dwell in the land which the Lord your God is giving you to inherit, and He gives you rest from all your enemies round about, so that you dwell in safety, then there will be the place where the Lord your God chooses to make His name abide. There you shall bring all that I command you: your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, the heave offerings of your hand, and all your choice offerings which you vow to the Lord" (Deuteronomy 12:8-11).
These instructions are particular to keeping the Feast and all the holy days and feast days and to the sacrificial system. But there is a general application. Notice that God says that in the wilderness every man was doing what is right in his own eyes because they had not yet come to the rest and inheritance God was about to give them, but that once they enter that land they would look more to the place where God placed His name.
In this particular passage, it does not seem that God is strongly rebuking them for doing what is right in their eyes there in the wilderness, for this whole passage is not in the context of a rebuke or punishment for one of Israel's many acts of rebellion or unfaithfulness they committed from the time they left Egypt. Rather, it seems to be a simple acknowledgement that they are taking liberties, in a sense, to use their own judgment in a way they should not do when in the promised land. There should be greater control from headquarters in the promised land than existed in the wilderness.
Does this fit with the state of the Church of God today?
We are living in a time that is symbolized by the time Israel journeyed in the wilderness. For us, the promised land we hope to enter is the Kingdom of God.
And in this time, there is a tendency for us to do what is right in our own eyes. Some of that is bad, and we should not do it. We should always be striving to believe and obey God, to do what God says to do in the Bible, to believe what God says is right in His eyes, not to do what seems right in our own eyes. Yet, we are human, and as sincerely as we try to obey God, we make mistakes. And being human with human nature, we still sin. And so, though we try not to do what is right in our own eyes, we still sometimes do.
We have to make judgments. And sometimes we make mistakes. We need to learn from our mistakes and let God correct us from the Bible, but we still make mistakes. That is true for the whole Church of God in any era, but it is especially true during this Laodicean era when the Church of God is scattered.
Just to attend services and pay our tithes, we have to choose among many fellowships and Church of God organizations. Where do we attend? Where do we send our tithes and offerings? There are no names and addresses of today's Church of God organizations in the Bible. We have to make certain judgments based on the teaching of the Bible. And though we strive to make right judgments, we are human and can make mistakes. And we need to be corrected by the Bible and let God correct our errors, and sometimes that means leaving one organization to attend another. Sometimes, a member has to admit to himself, I made a mistake.
And even when we are attending the right fellowship, the fellowship God wants us to attend based on His teachings in the Bible, can anyone say, "Our ministers never make mistakes"? Do we not check important teachings in the Bible? Did not even Mr. Armstrong make mistakes?
We in the Church of God live in an environment, no matter where we attend, where we may know that the fellowship we attend is mostly teaching the truth, but we also know that the ministry can and does make mistakes from time to time, and we have to be alert and on our toes so to speak, and not let any man deceive us.
So in that sense, just like the Israelites in the wilderness, we do what is right in our own eyes, to a degree.
But not so in the Kingdom of God.
Christ will supervise us directly, in person. We will be Spirit-born immortal sons of God. We can follow Christ totally, without reservation or concern that Christ may be making a mistake. We won't have to check in the Bible to see if Christ is telling the truth. And if we have questions about what Christ means when He speaks to us, if we need more details to be clarified, we can always ask Him. He will be there for us, fully present in person, and we can ask Him questions directly and get immediate answers.
Moreover, the people and the nations can follow our teachings fully during the millennium. The Church of God will not be divided as it is now.
Each man will not be doing what is right in his own eyes, but every man can obey the teachings of Christ and the saints with full confidence that those teachings are totally true.
That is one of the many blessings that will exist in the Kingdom of God and the millennium.
In chapter two of my book (see link in the right side panel of this blog) I have information about the meaning of all the holy days and feasts of God.
Here is a link to a post in this blog with more information about the Feast of Tabernacles:
"The Feast of Tabernacles, the Last Great Day, and the Kingdom of God", dated September 25, 2015, link:
http://ptgbook.blogspot.com/2015/09/the-feast-of-tabernacles-last-great-day.html
So that the Feast can picture the joy we will have in the Kingdom of God and the joy the human race will enjoy in the millennium, God instructs us to save a tenth (second tithe) of our income for a year to spend at the Feast of Tabernacles on the food and things we enjoy. It is a time of spiritual renewal, because we will be listening to sermons every day and we can get away from our daily routine. But it is also a time of celebration and rejoicing.
This festival is commanded by God for Israel and for the Church of God. The basic instructions are in Leviticus 23:33-44. The booths or tabernacles God commanded Israel to make out of leafy trees and branches were temporary dwellings. They were intended to remind Israel of their journey in the wilderness after leaving Egypt (verses 42-43). The journey out of Egypt for Israel can represent our time in this temporary physical life, and the promised land that Israel was to enter can represent for us the Kingdom of God, our promised reward.
For temporary dwellings, we use hotels and motels to stay at a Feast location, and this reminds us that our journey in this physical life is temporary, but we look to an eternal reward in the Kingdom of God.
Each of the annual feasts and holy days of God teaches a spiritual lesson about the plan of God to those who believe and obey God by observing these days as God commanded.
Many people who have come into the Church of God from other religions or no religion have been amazed when they hear God's plan, as illustrated by the holy days, explained to them, perhaps at the Feast itself. Some have said that they were "blown away" when they first heard God's plan because it was so logical and clear and made so much sense, and they never heard that before from other churches.
Passover is an annual feast of God that teaches us about the sacrifice of Christ to pay the penalty of our sins so we can be forgiven.
The Days of Unleavened Bread teach us about our responsibility to strive to put sin out of our lives and the righteousness of Jesus Christ into our lives.
Pentecost teaches us about the gift of God's Holy Spirit to help us understand spiritual knowledge and to help us overcome our sins. It also teaches us about the founding of the Church of God and the responsibility of the Church of God to preach the gospel to the world (Acts 2:1-47).
The Day of Trumpets teaches us about the second coming of Jesus Christ, the resurrection of the saints, and the setting up of the Kingdom of God on earth.
The Day of Atonement reminds us of the sacrifice of Christ so we can be reconciled with God, but it also teaches us about the putting away of Satan after Christ returns.
The Feast of Tabernacles teaches us about the happiness and joy that will exist on the earth for one thousand years under the rule of Jesus Christ and the happiness in the Kingdom of God for eternity.
The Last Great Day, which immediately follows the Feast of Tabernacles, also called the "eighth day" of the Feast, is a separate festival that teaches us about the general resurrection of the billions who lived and died without an opportunity to hear the true gospel and be saved. This general resurrection is called the "white throne judgment", and will be a time when everyone who has lived and died without a chance for salvation will have their first real opportunity to hear the true gospel, believe God, repent, and be saved.
In these holy days and festivals of God is the instruction about God's plan for the salvation of the whole human race, everyone except those who knowingly reject God's salvation.
The world of traditional churches does not understand this plan, and they will not understand this plan as long as they do not keep God's holy days. Some members of these churches think they can understand the meaning of the holy days by studying the holy days in the Bible, but without keeping them. But they do not understand that to understand God's truth we need God's help, and God helps those who are willing to believe and obey Him.
Thus, the holy days are a test to see who will believe God and obey Him and who will not. This is especially true for those who have not grown up in the Church of God and who come from other churches or no religion at all, for they must sacrifice to begin to observe these days.
We know about these days and about the plan of God because Mr. Armstrong believed God. He saw in the Bible that these days are commanded, He believed God and began to observe these days, and when God saw Mr. Armstrong's faith and obedience He helped Mr. Armstrong to understand the meaning of these days, what they represent, and the whole plan of God. Mr. Armstrong then taught this to the Church and on radio, and he said to his radio listeners, "Don't believe me, believe your Bible, believe God", and he taught his listeners and readers how to prove these truths in the Bible for themselves. Thousands who heard him did believe their Bibles, and the Church of God grew.
So it is through faith and obedience that we today understand the plan of God and are able to enjoy the Feast of Tabernacles.
During the Feast of Tabernacles, members of the Church of God will hear sermons that teach from the Bible what the millennium and the Kingdom of God will be like and how the millennium will be different from today's evil world.
One of the differences is that, during the millennium, the resurrected saints, made full Sons of God, will be teaching the world God's law and way of life. Today, ministers in the Church of God teach members the law of God and God's way of life.
But there are two differences. Today, God's true ministers teach only a tiny fraction of the human race, those few who are called into the Church of God. In the millennium, the whole world will be taught, and salvation will be open to all.
But also, today, God's true ministers are fallible human beings. They make mistakes. Not everything they teach is totally free from error. So those members who are wise will prove every important doctrine from the Bible, and when a minister teaches something they have not heard before, if it is important, those members will check up in the Bible so they can prove it for themselves. Their faith is in God, not the ministry. This is not a criticism of the ministry, for we are all human, and we should all be learning from our mistakes. The Bible shows that even faithful servants of God are not perfect.
But in the Kingdom of God, those resurrected in the first resurrection will no longer be subject to the pulls and limitations of the flesh. We will be full children of God, made immortal, glorified like Christ, full members of God's family. And we will have the personal presence of Jesus Christ, and He will directly supervise our teaching and judging of the people.
So our teaching will be right. Not mostly right, not almost right but with a few errors, but totally right. We will no longer know in part, but we will know the truth of God fully.
"For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away. When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known" (1 Corinthians 13:9-12).
There is a lesson, I think, in the example of Old Testament Israel in the wilderness. They were instructed that when they entered the promised land, they would look to God's government for direction.
In the wilderness, in instructing the people in how to live after they entered the promised land, God said, "You shall not at all do as we are doing here today - every man doing whatever is right in his own eyes - for as yet you have not come to the rest and the inheritance which the Lord your God is giving you. But when you cross over the Jordan and dwell in the land which the Lord your God is giving you to inherit, and He gives you rest from all your enemies round about, so that you dwell in safety, then there will be the place where the Lord your God chooses to make His name abide. There you shall bring all that I command you: your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, the heave offerings of your hand, and all your choice offerings which you vow to the Lord" (Deuteronomy 12:8-11).
These instructions are particular to keeping the Feast and all the holy days and feast days and to the sacrificial system. But there is a general application. Notice that God says that in the wilderness every man was doing what is right in his own eyes because they had not yet come to the rest and inheritance God was about to give them, but that once they enter that land they would look more to the place where God placed His name.
In this particular passage, it does not seem that God is strongly rebuking them for doing what is right in their eyes there in the wilderness, for this whole passage is not in the context of a rebuke or punishment for one of Israel's many acts of rebellion or unfaithfulness they committed from the time they left Egypt. Rather, it seems to be a simple acknowledgement that they are taking liberties, in a sense, to use their own judgment in a way they should not do when in the promised land. There should be greater control from headquarters in the promised land than existed in the wilderness.
Does this fit with the state of the Church of God today?
We are living in a time that is symbolized by the time Israel journeyed in the wilderness. For us, the promised land we hope to enter is the Kingdom of God.
And in this time, there is a tendency for us to do what is right in our own eyes. Some of that is bad, and we should not do it. We should always be striving to believe and obey God, to do what God says to do in the Bible, to believe what God says is right in His eyes, not to do what seems right in our own eyes. Yet, we are human, and as sincerely as we try to obey God, we make mistakes. And being human with human nature, we still sin. And so, though we try not to do what is right in our own eyes, we still sometimes do.
We have to make judgments. And sometimes we make mistakes. We need to learn from our mistakes and let God correct us from the Bible, but we still make mistakes. That is true for the whole Church of God in any era, but it is especially true during this Laodicean era when the Church of God is scattered.
Just to attend services and pay our tithes, we have to choose among many fellowships and Church of God organizations. Where do we attend? Where do we send our tithes and offerings? There are no names and addresses of today's Church of God organizations in the Bible. We have to make certain judgments based on the teaching of the Bible. And though we strive to make right judgments, we are human and can make mistakes. And we need to be corrected by the Bible and let God correct our errors, and sometimes that means leaving one organization to attend another. Sometimes, a member has to admit to himself, I made a mistake.
And even when we are attending the right fellowship, the fellowship God wants us to attend based on His teachings in the Bible, can anyone say, "Our ministers never make mistakes"? Do we not check important teachings in the Bible? Did not even Mr. Armstrong make mistakes?
We in the Church of God live in an environment, no matter where we attend, where we may know that the fellowship we attend is mostly teaching the truth, but we also know that the ministry can and does make mistakes from time to time, and we have to be alert and on our toes so to speak, and not let any man deceive us.
So in that sense, just like the Israelites in the wilderness, we do what is right in our own eyes, to a degree.
But not so in the Kingdom of God.
Christ will supervise us directly, in person. We will be Spirit-born immortal sons of God. We can follow Christ totally, without reservation or concern that Christ may be making a mistake. We won't have to check in the Bible to see if Christ is telling the truth. And if we have questions about what Christ means when He speaks to us, if we need more details to be clarified, we can always ask Him. He will be there for us, fully present in person, and we can ask Him questions directly and get immediate answers.
Moreover, the people and the nations can follow our teachings fully during the millennium. The Church of God will not be divided as it is now.
Each man will not be doing what is right in his own eyes, but every man can obey the teachings of Christ and the saints with full confidence that those teachings are totally true.
That is one of the many blessings that will exist in the Kingdom of God and the millennium.
In chapter two of my book (see link in the right side panel of this blog) I have information about the meaning of all the holy days and feasts of God.
Here is a link to a post in this blog with more information about the Feast of Tabernacles:
"The Feast of Tabernacles, the Last Great Day, and the Kingdom of God", dated September 25, 2015, link:
http://ptgbook.blogspot.com/2015/09/the-feast-of-tabernacles-last-great-day.html
Monday, October 10, 2016
The Day of Atonement - Why Fasting Helps Us Draw Closer to God
The Day of Atonement is one of God's annual holy days that God commands His people to keep. We observe this day as a day of rest, assembly, and fasting. We fast on this day, refraining from all food and drink from sunset to sunset.
Like all of God's holy days and feast days, Atonement teaches us lessons about God's plan for the salvation of the human race. Most of us are familiar with the account of the two goats in Leviticus 16:5-26.
Atonement teaches us how our guilt for sin is removed and how we are reconciled with God.
The goat that is slain and sacrificed represents Jesus Christ. He pays the penalty for our sins in our place so we can be forgiven and not have to die for our sins. He takes on Himself our share of the guilt for our sins.
The live goat that is released in the wilderness represents Satan. The share of guilt for our sins that belongs to him for tempting and deceiving mankind is placed on him and he bears his own guilt and his punishment for his share in our sins. Releasing the goat in the wilderness represents a great event that occurs after Christ's return - the binding and putting away of Satan so he can deceive the nations no more for a thousand years (Revelation 20:1-3).
We in the Church of God understand the meaning of the holy days because we obey God by observing them. Because we believe and obey God, He opens our understanding. But the world is blinded because they do not believe and obey. Thus, some in the world think that both goats represent Christ.
We fast on this day to draw closer to God.
There is a connection between fasting and overcoming Satan and drawing closer to God to receive God's help. Before Jesus faced His trial of being tempted by Satan in the wilderness, He fasted for forty days (Matthew 4:1-4). On another occasion, when His disciples were unable to cast out a demon, Jesus said that this kind of demon is not cast out except by prayer and fasting (Matthew 17:14-21). Besides showing that fasting is important for overcoming Satan, this shows a connection between fasting and prayer. To draw close to God, we need to pray during the time we are fasting.
By fasting and praying on the Day of Atonement, we draw closer to God. This fits with the purpose of the day, which is to represent our reconciliation with God.
The Day of Atonement is useful because we are commanded to fast on this day, and since we do fast, we are reminded once a year that we are capable of fasting. We can also be reminded of how fasting can help us draw close to God when done properly, with prayer and in a right attitude and spirit. And with these things in mind, we can voluntarily choose to fast from time to time during the year to draw close to God.
Fasting humbles us. It is a kind of voluntary trial. We suffer physically when we fast, and we are reminded of our limitations and our need for God. This is the exact opposite of Satan's attitude of vanity, pride, and conceit.
"For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted" (Luke 14:11). See also Luke 18:9-14.
Speaking of Satan, the Bible say, "How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations! For you have said in your heart: 'I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.' Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, To the lowest depths of the Pit" (Isaiah 14:12-15).
Again, speaking of Satan, the Bible says, "Son of man, take up a lamentation for the king of Tyre, and say to him, 'Thus says the Lord God: "You were the seal of perfection, Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; Every precious stone was your covering: The sardius, topaz, and diamond, Beryl, onyx, and jasper, Sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold. The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes Was prepared for you on the day you were created. You were the anointed cherub who covers; I established you; You were on the holy mountain of God; You walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones. You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, Till iniquity was found in you. By the abundance of your trading You became filled with violence within, And you sinned; Therefore I cast you as a profane thing Out of the mountain of God; And I destroyed you, O covering cherub, From the midst of the fiery stones. Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor; I cast you to the ground, I laid you before kings, That they might gaze at you. You defiled your sanctuaries By the multitude of your iniquities, By the iniquity of your trading; Therefore I brought fire from your midst; It devoured you, And I turned you to ashes upon the earth In the sight of all who saw you. All who knew you among the peoples are astonished at you; You have become a horror, And shall be no more forever" ' " (Ezekiel 28:12-19).
Noticed, Satan's heart was lifted up and he corrupted his wisdom for the sake of his splendor. In other words, his wisdom and his mind became twisted and perverted because he chose the way of pride and vanity, to exalt himself and lift up his heart. If God warned him of the consequences of vanity, and I am sure God did warn him before he sinned because the Bible is clear that it is God's way to warn, Satan probably did not believe God's warning and wanted to try the way of vanity and pride himself to see the result. It may have started out as an experiment on Lucifer's part, wanting to see what pride and vanity felt like, perhaps hoping, contrary to God's teachings, that he would be happier that way.
Whatever the reasons, Lucifer chose pride and vanity, and when he did that his mind became corrupted. Now he can never straighten out his own mind. How can he? He has become evil to the core, a murderer from the beginning and the father of lies (John 8:44). In order to straighten out his own mind, he would have to think clearly to see that he is wrong, but he cannot do that. He has made his choice long ago, and that choice set the course of his destiny. That is the sad result of sin. He has no one to blame but himself.
Likewise, pride and vanity can twist our thinking. But God knows that Satan is partially responsible for our sinful nature, and God has provided the atoning sacrifice of Christ so that we can be saved. We can be spiritually healed of our prideful, sinful nature, provided we are willing to choose God's way of belief in God's word, trust in God, obedience towards God, and humility - the same humility Jesus Christ exemplified. "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross" (Philippians 2:5-8).
What a contrast between Satan, who said, "I will exalt my throne above the stars of God", and Christ, who came in the form of man and humbled himself and obeyed God to the point of death. In these two examples are illustrated the two ways of life Herbert W. Armstrong talked about.
By believing God's instructions to keep the holy days, by trusting God's word the Bible, by obeying God by fasting on Atonement, we are showing God that we are choosing the way of humility, trust, and obedience, the way that Jesus Christ followed, rather than Satan's way of disbelief towards God, distrust, pride, vanity, and disobedience.
And as we live our lives in that choice, as we believe and obey God, God forgives our sins through the power of Christ's sacrifice and heals our character through power of the Holy Spirit.
Our job is to live lives of overcoming, striving to believe, trust, and obey God in everything, and enduring unto the end. Then God will do His part to save us completely and bring us into His Kingdom to live with the Father and with Christ in happiness forever.
Here is a link to posts in this blog related to this subject:
"Atonement and the World", dated September 22, 2015, link:
http://ptgbook.blogspot.com/2015/09/atonement-and-world.html
Like all of God's holy days and feast days, Atonement teaches us lessons about God's plan for the salvation of the human race. Most of us are familiar with the account of the two goats in Leviticus 16:5-26.
Atonement teaches us how our guilt for sin is removed and how we are reconciled with God.
The goat that is slain and sacrificed represents Jesus Christ. He pays the penalty for our sins in our place so we can be forgiven and not have to die for our sins. He takes on Himself our share of the guilt for our sins.
The live goat that is released in the wilderness represents Satan. The share of guilt for our sins that belongs to him for tempting and deceiving mankind is placed on him and he bears his own guilt and his punishment for his share in our sins. Releasing the goat in the wilderness represents a great event that occurs after Christ's return - the binding and putting away of Satan so he can deceive the nations no more for a thousand years (Revelation 20:1-3).
We in the Church of God understand the meaning of the holy days because we obey God by observing them. Because we believe and obey God, He opens our understanding. But the world is blinded because they do not believe and obey. Thus, some in the world think that both goats represent Christ.
We fast on this day to draw closer to God.
There is a connection between fasting and overcoming Satan and drawing closer to God to receive God's help. Before Jesus faced His trial of being tempted by Satan in the wilderness, He fasted for forty days (Matthew 4:1-4). On another occasion, when His disciples were unable to cast out a demon, Jesus said that this kind of demon is not cast out except by prayer and fasting (Matthew 17:14-21). Besides showing that fasting is important for overcoming Satan, this shows a connection between fasting and prayer. To draw close to God, we need to pray during the time we are fasting.
By fasting and praying on the Day of Atonement, we draw closer to God. This fits with the purpose of the day, which is to represent our reconciliation with God.
The Day of Atonement is useful because we are commanded to fast on this day, and since we do fast, we are reminded once a year that we are capable of fasting. We can also be reminded of how fasting can help us draw close to God when done properly, with prayer and in a right attitude and spirit. And with these things in mind, we can voluntarily choose to fast from time to time during the year to draw close to God.
Fasting humbles us. It is a kind of voluntary trial. We suffer physically when we fast, and we are reminded of our limitations and our need for God. This is the exact opposite of Satan's attitude of vanity, pride, and conceit.
"For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted" (Luke 14:11). See also Luke 18:9-14.
Speaking of Satan, the Bible say, "How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations! For you have said in your heart: 'I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.' Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, To the lowest depths of the Pit" (Isaiah 14:12-15).
Again, speaking of Satan, the Bible says, "Son of man, take up a lamentation for the king of Tyre, and say to him, 'Thus says the Lord God: "You were the seal of perfection, Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; Every precious stone was your covering: The sardius, topaz, and diamond, Beryl, onyx, and jasper, Sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold. The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes Was prepared for you on the day you were created. You were the anointed cherub who covers; I established you; You were on the holy mountain of God; You walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones. You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, Till iniquity was found in you. By the abundance of your trading You became filled with violence within, And you sinned; Therefore I cast you as a profane thing Out of the mountain of God; And I destroyed you, O covering cherub, From the midst of the fiery stones. Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor; I cast you to the ground, I laid you before kings, That they might gaze at you. You defiled your sanctuaries By the multitude of your iniquities, By the iniquity of your trading; Therefore I brought fire from your midst; It devoured you, And I turned you to ashes upon the earth In the sight of all who saw you. All who knew you among the peoples are astonished at you; You have become a horror, And shall be no more forever" ' " (Ezekiel 28:12-19).
Noticed, Satan's heart was lifted up and he corrupted his wisdom for the sake of his splendor. In other words, his wisdom and his mind became twisted and perverted because he chose the way of pride and vanity, to exalt himself and lift up his heart. If God warned him of the consequences of vanity, and I am sure God did warn him before he sinned because the Bible is clear that it is God's way to warn, Satan probably did not believe God's warning and wanted to try the way of vanity and pride himself to see the result. It may have started out as an experiment on Lucifer's part, wanting to see what pride and vanity felt like, perhaps hoping, contrary to God's teachings, that he would be happier that way.
Whatever the reasons, Lucifer chose pride and vanity, and when he did that his mind became corrupted. Now he can never straighten out his own mind. How can he? He has become evil to the core, a murderer from the beginning and the father of lies (John 8:44). In order to straighten out his own mind, he would have to think clearly to see that he is wrong, but he cannot do that. He has made his choice long ago, and that choice set the course of his destiny. That is the sad result of sin. He has no one to blame but himself.
Likewise, pride and vanity can twist our thinking. But God knows that Satan is partially responsible for our sinful nature, and God has provided the atoning sacrifice of Christ so that we can be saved. We can be spiritually healed of our prideful, sinful nature, provided we are willing to choose God's way of belief in God's word, trust in God, obedience towards God, and humility - the same humility Jesus Christ exemplified. "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross" (Philippians 2:5-8).
What a contrast between Satan, who said, "I will exalt my throne above the stars of God", and Christ, who came in the form of man and humbled himself and obeyed God to the point of death. In these two examples are illustrated the two ways of life Herbert W. Armstrong talked about.
By believing God's instructions to keep the holy days, by trusting God's word the Bible, by obeying God by fasting on Atonement, we are showing God that we are choosing the way of humility, trust, and obedience, the way that Jesus Christ followed, rather than Satan's way of disbelief towards God, distrust, pride, vanity, and disobedience.
And as we live our lives in that choice, as we believe and obey God, God forgives our sins through the power of Christ's sacrifice and heals our character through power of the Holy Spirit.
Our job is to live lives of overcoming, striving to believe, trust, and obey God in everything, and enduring unto the end. Then God will do His part to save us completely and bring us into His Kingdom to live with the Father and with Christ in happiness forever.
Here is a link to posts in this blog related to this subject:
"Atonement and the World", dated September 22, 2015, link:
http://ptgbook.blogspot.com/2015/09/atonement-and-world.html
Saturday, October 8, 2016
Marriage Supper Location - How Often Has Christ Come to the Earth?
Some time ago, Living Church of God taught that when Christ returns He will gather the saints and we take a trip and have the marriage supper in heaven with the Father, then we will come back to rule the earth. Those are my words, LCG might phrase it differently, but the idea is the same. The marriage supper will take place in heaven.
I have not researched this doctrine in detail, nor do I plan to because I consider it a minor doctrine (it doesn't affect how we live today, and when Christ returns we will follow Him wherever He goes). I heard an LCG minister, Mr. Ames I think, give a sermon on the subject, and I tend to agree with LCG's position, based on the Bible evidence given in the sermon, though I have not studied it enough to prove it.
Some people I think are upset over this doctrine. Some might be concerned because it is a change from what the Church taught in the days of Mr. Armstrong. But Mr. Armstrong himself changed his own doctrines and taught us by example to be willing to be corrected by the Bible and to learn new knowledge. Mr. Armstrong was never infallible, and he admitted he made mistakes. One of the last mistakes he made before he died was to teach the Church that we should follow the next pastor general (Mr. Tkach) if we want to be in the Kingdom of God. He never corrected that mistake before he died, and it was obviously a mistake because Mr. Tkach reversed all or almost all of Mr. Armstrong's important teachings which Mr. Armstrong got from the Bible.
Some may be concerned about scriptures that refer to Christ's first coming and second coming, such as this: "so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation" (Hebrews 9:28). They feel that that word, "second", means that there are only two times that Christ ever comes to the earth.
I have not looked up all the places in the Bible where it talks about Christ coming the "first" time, the "second" time, etc. I know of this one verse because it was recently pointed out to me. There may be many such verses - I don't know. But you have to look at the context and compare with other events in the Bible to understand how those words "first" and "second" are being used and what they mean in the context they are used.
I will tell you what I think they mean, and then I will explain why I think this based on other events in the Bible, events most of us are familiar with.
Christ's first and second coming refer to major changes of abode, not short-term visits. Before Christ's first coming, His regular abode was in heaven with God the Father. Then He came to earth as a man, the man Jesus, and lived on the earth as a human being for about 33 years. During that time, His abode was the earth - He lived on the earth. He ascended into heaven in the sight of the disciples as recorded in Acts 1:9. He now lives in heaven - that is His regular abode. When He comes again at the end of this age, at the sounding of the seventh trumpet, in what is called His "second coming", He is coming to once again live on the earth as His regular abode.
But that does not mean that He never makes short-term trips to carry out a purpose.
I will illustrate with an example.
Mr. Gerald Weston lives in the Charlotte, NC area. He is stationed and works at Living Church of God headquarters. That is his regular abode. A few months ago, he was stationed someplace else, the U.K. I believe, and before that it was Canada.
But does that mean he must stay in Charlotte 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 52 weeks a year? No. When he was stationed and living in Canada, he made trips, sometimes to Charlotte. Likewise when he was stationed in other places. Any week he might be found visiting a local congregation someplace in the United States or the world. Just because he is headquartered someplace does not mean he does not travel to other places to carry out his duties.
This is what I think the Bible means when it refers to Christ's "first" coming and "second" coming. It is referring to long-term changes in where He is stationed, but He can still take additional short term trips to other places for special purposes.
I said I would state what I think and then where I see evidence of this in the Bible. So now let's review some events in the Bible that demonstrate that His "first" and "second" coming do not refer to all the trips between heaven and earth that He makes.
How many times has Christ come to the earth?
Here are a few. There are probably many more.
He spoke with Adam, apparently face to face. He breathed into Adam's nostrils (Genesis 2:7). I believe the Church and Mr. Armstrong have taught that this was Christ and not the Father, and I won't take the time here to prove that. Adam heard the sound of Christ walking in the garden and heard His voice (Genesis 3:8-10). That seems to indicate Christ was on the earth in those moments. So He must have come from heaven to work personally with Adam and Eve.
Christ appeared to Abraham as Melchizedek (Mr. Armstrong and the Church have correctly taught for years that Melchizedek was Christ), and Christ brought out bread and wine, and Abraham paid a tithe to Christ (Genesis 14:20). How could Christ have done this without making a trip from heaven to earth?
Christ appeared to Abraham, ate the food Abraham served him, and had a personal conversation with him (Genesis chapter 18). He must have made a trip from heaven to the earth to do this.
Christ appeared to seventy elders in ancient Israel. They ate and drank and "saw the God of Israel" (Exodus 24:9-11).
Christ appeared to Joshua as commander of God's armies (Joshua 5:13-15). This could not have been an angel, for He allowed Joshua to worship Him. Christ must have made the trip from heaven to earth to appear to Joshua.
Christ was apparently, as one like the "Son of God", in the fiery furnace with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego (Daniel 3:24-25).
These events all happened before the "first" coming of Jesus Christ as a human being born of Mary.
Is the Bible wrong, or are we wrong, to refer to Christ's birth as the human Jesus born of Mary as His first coming? No. Even though Christ made many trips back and forth between heaven and earth to work with mankind to work out the Father's purpose, His coming in human flesh was not a short-term trip but a major change in location from which He would do His work in the next 33 years. It is like an executive evangelist like Mr. Weston being transferred from Canada to the United Kingdom or from the United Kingdom to Charlotte.
Christ's regular abode was transferred from heaven to earth for about 33 years. It was in that sense of a major, long-term transfer of residency or location from where He will work that it is called His "first" coming.
But that is not all.
After He was resurrected, He made at least one trip to heaven and then back to earth, and maybe He made several. The Bible makes it clear He went to His Father in heaven after His resurrection, and then returned. After Mary Magdalene saw Christ, He said to her, "Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, 'I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God' " (John 20:17). That is the NKJV. The KJV version has, "Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father". Yet later, He appeared to His disciples and said to Thomas, "Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing" (John 20:27). Notice this was before His ascension into heaven in as recorded in Acts 1:9-11.
Then He ascended into heaven and His disciples saw Him ascend (Acts 1:9-11).
Then, was that it? Was that the last time Christ was on earth till the seventh trumpet?
No. He also apparently appeared to Paul in Arabia. I say apparently, because the Bible does not say this directly, but there is circumstantial evidence, enough to convince Mr. Armstrong, that Christ was with Paul in Arabia. "Am I not an apostle? Am I not free? Have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord?" (1 Corinthians 9:1). Then, "But I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ....But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; but I went to Arabia, and returned again to Damascus" (Galatians 1:11-17).
While these verses may not be absolute proof that Christ was personally with Paul on the earth, Mr. Armstrong was convinced, and he is the one that those who disagree on the marriage supper being in heaven like to refer to.
I believe I have heard the suggestion in the past, I even think while Mr. Armstrong was alive, by some in the Church that Christ will teach the Church personally in the place of safety for three-and-a-half years. I do not remember who said this or taught it, or if it was speculation or doctrine. But I mention it because the idea that Christ might come to the earth for a special purpose and job before His return to set up the Kingdom is not some strange idea to the Church.
Christ has made the trip between heaven and earth many times, and these are not all counted as His major first coming as a human born of Mary or His major second coming to rule the earth as King of Kings.
Now, if Christ can make the trip from heaven to earth, not part of His first or second coming, but for special purposes, and then to return to heaven, why can He not make a special trip, after His second coming, to heaven for the marriage supper and return?
In any case, when Christ returns, He will confirm where the marriage supper will be and will take us there. We won't miss the marriage supper because we have the wrong address. Christ has the right address, and He will take us there personally. Like a man who drives his car to take a woman on a date, He will do the driving. We can relax and enjoy the ride wherever He takes us.
What can cause us to miss the marriage supper is being so concerned over a minor issue, perhaps in a carnal desire to find fault with the ministry, that we neglect supporting those who are preaching the gospel and the Ezekiel warning effectively on TV, in print, on the Internet, and in public Bible lectures. Because, if we do not warn the world as effectively as we can, hopefully motivated by love for our neighbors, but perhaps motivated by fear of God (both are good motivations), then the blood of the people will be on our heads. God may count us as murderers, and THAT can cause us to miss the marriage supper.
Imagine two men. One knows where the marriage supper will be, but he fails to show mercy to his neighbors by supporting the gospel message, and he is locked out of the marriage supper for his lack of mercy. The second man does not know where the marriage supper will be - he thinks it is in one place but he is wrong, it is in the other place - but he shows mercy to his neighbors by supporting the gospel and the warning. Christ will take him to the marriage supper because he showed mercy.
It is mercy that counts. Honest mistakes in Bible knowledge can be corrected.
I have not researched this doctrine in detail, nor do I plan to because I consider it a minor doctrine (it doesn't affect how we live today, and when Christ returns we will follow Him wherever He goes). I heard an LCG minister, Mr. Ames I think, give a sermon on the subject, and I tend to agree with LCG's position, based on the Bible evidence given in the sermon, though I have not studied it enough to prove it.
Some people I think are upset over this doctrine. Some might be concerned because it is a change from what the Church taught in the days of Mr. Armstrong. But Mr. Armstrong himself changed his own doctrines and taught us by example to be willing to be corrected by the Bible and to learn new knowledge. Mr. Armstrong was never infallible, and he admitted he made mistakes. One of the last mistakes he made before he died was to teach the Church that we should follow the next pastor general (Mr. Tkach) if we want to be in the Kingdom of God. He never corrected that mistake before he died, and it was obviously a mistake because Mr. Tkach reversed all or almost all of Mr. Armstrong's important teachings which Mr. Armstrong got from the Bible.
Some may be concerned about scriptures that refer to Christ's first coming and second coming, such as this: "so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation" (Hebrews 9:28). They feel that that word, "second", means that there are only two times that Christ ever comes to the earth.
I have not looked up all the places in the Bible where it talks about Christ coming the "first" time, the "second" time, etc. I know of this one verse because it was recently pointed out to me. There may be many such verses - I don't know. But you have to look at the context and compare with other events in the Bible to understand how those words "first" and "second" are being used and what they mean in the context they are used.
I will tell you what I think they mean, and then I will explain why I think this based on other events in the Bible, events most of us are familiar with.
Christ's first and second coming refer to major changes of abode, not short-term visits. Before Christ's first coming, His regular abode was in heaven with God the Father. Then He came to earth as a man, the man Jesus, and lived on the earth as a human being for about 33 years. During that time, His abode was the earth - He lived on the earth. He ascended into heaven in the sight of the disciples as recorded in Acts 1:9. He now lives in heaven - that is His regular abode. When He comes again at the end of this age, at the sounding of the seventh trumpet, in what is called His "second coming", He is coming to once again live on the earth as His regular abode.
But that does not mean that He never makes short-term trips to carry out a purpose.
I will illustrate with an example.
Mr. Gerald Weston lives in the Charlotte, NC area. He is stationed and works at Living Church of God headquarters. That is his regular abode. A few months ago, he was stationed someplace else, the U.K. I believe, and before that it was Canada.
But does that mean he must stay in Charlotte 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 52 weeks a year? No. When he was stationed and living in Canada, he made trips, sometimes to Charlotte. Likewise when he was stationed in other places. Any week he might be found visiting a local congregation someplace in the United States or the world. Just because he is headquartered someplace does not mean he does not travel to other places to carry out his duties.
This is what I think the Bible means when it refers to Christ's "first" coming and "second" coming. It is referring to long-term changes in where He is stationed, but He can still take additional short term trips to other places for special purposes.
I said I would state what I think and then where I see evidence of this in the Bible. So now let's review some events in the Bible that demonstrate that His "first" and "second" coming do not refer to all the trips between heaven and earth that He makes.
How many times has Christ come to the earth?
Here are a few. There are probably many more.
He spoke with Adam, apparently face to face. He breathed into Adam's nostrils (Genesis 2:7). I believe the Church and Mr. Armstrong have taught that this was Christ and not the Father, and I won't take the time here to prove that. Adam heard the sound of Christ walking in the garden and heard His voice (Genesis 3:8-10). That seems to indicate Christ was on the earth in those moments. So He must have come from heaven to work personally with Adam and Eve.
Christ appeared to Abraham as Melchizedek (Mr. Armstrong and the Church have correctly taught for years that Melchizedek was Christ), and Christ brought out bread and wine, and Abraham paid a tithe to Christ (Genesis 14:20). How could Christ have done this without making a trip from heaven to earth?
Christ appeared to Abraham, ate the food Abraham served him, and had a personal conversation with him (Genesis chapter 18). He must have made a trip from heaven to the earth to do this.
Christ appeared to seventy elders in ancient Israel. They ate and drank and "saw the God of Israel" (Exodus 24:9-11).
Christ appeared to Joshua as commander of God's armies (Joshua 5:13-15). This could not have been an angel, for He allowed Joshua to worship Him. Christ must have made the trip from heaven to earth to appear to Joshua.
Christ was apparently, as one like the "Son of God", in the fiery furnace with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego (Daniel 3:24-25).
These events all happened before the "first" coming of Jesus Christ as a human being born of Mary.
Is the Bible wrong, or are we wrong, to refer to Christ's birth as the human Jesus born of Mary as His first coming? No. Even though Christ made many trips back and forth between heaven and earth to work with mankind to work out the Father's purpose, His coming in human flesh was not a short-term trip but a major change in location from which He would do His work in the next 33 years. It is like an executive evangelist like Mr. Weston being transferred from Canada to the United Kingdom or from the United Kingdom to Charlotte.
Christ's regular abode was transferred from heaven to earth for about 33 years. It was in that sense of a major, long-term transfer of residency or location from where He will work that it is called His "first" coming.
But that is not all.
After He was resurrected, He made at least one trip to heaven and then back to earth, and maybe He made several. The Bible makes it clear He went to His Father in heaven after His resurrection, and then returned. After Mary Magdalene saw Christ, He said to her, "Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, 'I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God' " (John 20:17). That is the NKJV. The KJV version has, "Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father". Yet later, He appeared to His disciples and said to Thomas, "Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing" (John 20:27). Notice this was before His ascension into heaven in as recorded in Acts 1:9-11.
Then He ascended into heaven and His disciples saw Him ascend (Acts 1:9-11).
Then, was that it? Was that the last time Christ was on earth till the seventh trumpet?
No. He also apparently appeared to Paul in Arabia. I say apparently, because the Bible does not say this directly, but there is circumstantial evidence, enough to convince Mr. Armstrong, that Christ was with Paul in Arabia. "Am I not an apostle? Am I not free? Have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord?" (1 Corinthians 9:1). Then, "But I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ....But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; but I went to Arabia, and returned again to Damascus" (Galatians 1:11-17).
While these verses may not be absolute proof that Christ was personally with Paul on the earth, Mr. Armstrong was convinced, and he is the one that those who disagree on the marriage supper being in heaven like to refer to.
I believe I have heard the suggestion in the past, I even think while Mr. Armstrong was alive, by some in the Church that Christ will teach the Church personally in the place of safety for three-and-a-half years. I do not remember who said this or taught it, or if it was speculation or doctrine. But I mention it because the idea that Christ might come to the earth for a special purpose and job before His return to set up the Kingdom is not some strange idea to the Church.
Christ has made the trip between heaven and earth many times, and these are not all counted as His major first coming as a human born of Mary or His major second coming to rule the earth as King of Kings.
Now, if Christ can make the trip from heaven to earth, not part of His first or second coming, but for special purposes, and then to return to heaven, why can He not make a special trip, after His second coming, to heaven for the marriage supper and return?
In any case, when Christ returns, He will confirm where the marriage supper will be and will take us there. We won't miss the marriage supper because we have the wrong address. Christ has the right address, and He will take us there personally. Like a man who drives his car to take a woman on a date, He will do the driving. We can relax and enjoy the ride wherever He takes us.
What can cause us to miss the marriage supper is being so concerned over a minor issue, perhaps in a carnal desire to find fault with the ministry, that we neglect supporting those who are preaching the gospel and the Ezekiel warning effectively on TV, in print, on the Internet, and in public Bible lectures. Because, if we do not warn the world as effectively as we can, hopefully motivated by love for our neighbors, but perhaps motivated by fear of God (both are good motivations), then the blood of the people will be on our heads. God may count us as murderers, and THAT can cause us to miss the marriage supper.
Imagine two men. One knows where the marriage supper will be, but he fails to show mercy to his neighbors by supporting the gospel message, and he is locked out of the marriage supper for his lack of mercy. The second man does not know where the marriage supper will be - he thinks it is in one place but he is wrong, it is in the other place - but he shows mercy to his neighbors by supporting the gospel and the warning. Christ will take him to the marriage supper because he showed mercy.
It is mercy that counts. Honest mistakes in Bible knowledge can be corrected.
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