Are You Being Judged Now?
83-02
Telecast Date: January 21, 1983
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   Did you ever wonder what has happened to your relatives and friends who have died? Do you know what Jesus Christ said about that? Most people don't know what these things are. But in John 5, verses 28 and 29 (John 5:28-29), Jesus said, "The hour is coming in which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, Christ's voice, and shall come forth. They that have done good under the resurrection of life, and they that have done evil unto the resurrection of judgment." Jesus taught a resurrection from the dead. Why do not religious programs tell you what Christ taught in regard to life after death?

   The World Tomorrow. The Worldwide Church of God presents The World Tomorrow with Herbert W. Armstrong. Ladies and gentlemen, Herbert W. Armstrong.

   Do you know that in most church services today, in most religious broadcasts, you hear only about this life? But in I Corinthians, we read in the 15th chapter, verse 19 (I Corinthians 15:19), "If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable." The gospel has to do altogether almost with life after this life.

   But we read also now in verse 22, chapter 15 of I Corinthians (I Corinthians 15:22), "For as in Adam all die, all your relatives and friends who have died, they died in Adam. So, in Christ shall all, that same all, be made alive." The Bible teaches a resurrection from the dead. Then why do people preach that when you die, you go immediately to heaven or if you have not lived the right kind of life, that you go immediately to hell and there you burn and burn and burn forever and ever and ever?

   Now, the Bible says, and I saw this back in the year of 1926, and I was shocked when I saw it, that the wages of sin is death. And I didn't believe that then. I believe the wages of sin was everlasting life. The wages is what you get paid for what you do. And if sin is what you did and the way you lived in this life, it means everlasting life. But in hell, fire, that's what I believed then, that is not true. That is not true. Why don't they teach the truth?

   My friends, you live in a world of awesome progress and accomplishment, awesome progress and accomplishment, especially in this 20th century. But also, we are living in a world of appalling evils and suffering, heartache, every kind of evil and trouble, and human beings are not content, and they are not happy, and we are full of confrontation and strife and violence and unhappiness and discontent. Evils are increasing much faster, very much faster than accomplishment or progress. They really are.

   This world started off wrong, it started off in the wrong way. So, at the foundation of this world, because it was started wrong by the first man Adam, the eternal God, the creator, decreed, as you read in Hebrews 9:27, "It is appointed to all men once to die, and after that, the judgment." All who die in Adam shall be resurrected in Christ and brought back to life.

   The world started with this man, Adam. He rejected the Holy Spirit, eternal life, and eternal life comes through the Holy Spirit. He rejected the Tree of Life. He rejected the spirit of God. And on that decision from Adam, God simply closed up the Tree of Life, and it has been closed until Christ the second Adam should come. And even then, it was only open to those whom God would call. Because even Jesus said, and not very many know this. You don't hear this preached, but it's in John 6, verse 44 in your Bible (John 6:44), "No man can come to me," said Jesus, "except the Father who sent me draws him." Now, there's no way to come back to God. There's no way to get to God who has eternal life to give except through Jesus Christ. And yet Jesus himself said, no one could come to Him. The majority still can't. No one could come except the Father which sent him chooses them, draws them. So many are called, but few are chosen. And you read that in the Bible also.

   Now, the Tree of Life, the Holy Spirit, then remained closed, and it's still closed to most of humanity. And the world doesn't realize that the good thing is the real judgment is not on the world as yet. The Apostle Peter wrote in his letter in the New Testament that judgment has begun in the Church of God, the Church of God, those that God the Father has called are being judged now. The rest of the world hasn't come to his judgment yet.

   But as in Adam, all die, so in Christ all be made alive, and it's appointed, all men want to die. And after this, the judgment, that's when judgment will come on others. Judgment is now on the church, but not on the world. And judgment has not yet been on most of your relatives and your friends who have died, and most of you never knew that. I'm going to give you some comforting words, and you need to know these things.

   Now, Adam chose really the way of Satan. Adam rejected God at the very foundation of this world. The foundation of the world was at the time Adam made that decision, and humanity started with him, and he became Satan's property. Many people don't realize that, but Satan really influenced him and has influenced all humanity ever since. You were reading the Book of Revelation, the 12th chapter, that the devil, Satan, the devil has deceived all nations. This entire world is deceived, now people that are deceived don't know they're deceived. If they knew that, they wouldn't even be deceived. So, they don't know it, they don't know anything about it.

   But at that time, you read in Revelation 13:8, that the Lamb of God was slain from the foundation of the world. In other words, at the time of the foundation of the world, when Adam made that decision and took of the wrong fruit, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and rejected the tree of life, the Holy Spirit of God, at that very time, it was decreed that Jesus Christ would come as the Lamb of God, as he's called in the Bible, that he would be our sin-bearer, that he would die for the sins and pay the penalty of sin in your stead and mine on condition that we repent and believe.

   Now also, at that same time, as I just quoted you from Hebrews 9:27, it was appointed from that time at the foundation of the world that it was appointed to men to die. But after that, the judgment. Now in I Corinthians 15 and in verse 22 (I Corinthians 15:22), I read it just a minute ago, "For as in Adam, all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive." As in Adam, all die, this world then became Satan's world and in to this world came Jesus Christ. It was a world that was really Satan's world. And Jesus said, "I will build my church." And he said that the gates of the grave would never prevail against it. The church would exist all along. But he also showed that his church would be a little flock. He also showed that there would be a false church, great and mighty but divided against itself, even, allied with the governments of this world, with Satan's world. And it really would be Satan's church masquerading as Christ and calling itself falsely Christianity.

   But in II Corinthians 4 and verses 3 and 4 (II Corinthians 4:3-4), we read, "But if our gospel be hid," that is the gospel that Jesus preached, "it is hid to them that are lost, in whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, the gospel of Christ, not a gospel of man about the person of Christ, but the gospel of Christ, the message Christ brought who is the image of God, lest that gospel should shine unto them."

   So, it shows there that Satan is the god of this world, and most people who talk about God, they don't understand. Satan appears as an angel of light, as a god of light. He has tried to make himself God. He is a great spirit being a great spirit, power, and the whole world has been deceived.

   Jesus brought a gospel of the Kingdom of God, and that is the government of God, and nothing has been so twisted, misunderstood, and maligned as this thing about the government or of the Kingdom of God. One great church calls itself the Kingdom of God. And they, they claim that the Kingdom of God has already been established, that Christ came in the person of the head of that church, and he's called the Vicar of Christ. And the word Vicar means in place of, in place of Christ. And they say that the second coming of Christ has already occurred, and that this is the time of the millennium and the Kingdom of God.

   Now, most Protestants in the world believe that the Kingdom of God is just some ethereal nothing, a sentimental ethereal nothing set up in men's hearts. The Kingdom of God, just a wishful ethereal nothing. A kingdom is a nation, a kingdom is a literal government. And that's what Christ came to proclaim. Christ did set up a kingdom on this earth, and it was Christ who set it up. It was the God of the Old Testament who was born of the Virgin Mary and became Jesus the Christ. Many, many people don't believe that. They don't know that. They think the God of the Old Testament was God the Father. That is not true. They never knew anything about God the Father. You will find many things quoted in the New Testament of the Old Testament. But it says this is said about Christ, and when you turn back to the Old Testament, you see, he was talking about the God of the Old Testament. And many people don't understand that.

   Jesus came preaching the gospel of the government of God. It was a prophecy. It's a kingdom, a nation that will be a one-world nation, a nation that will engulf the entire world. Christ is coming to rule over all nations at his second coming. When he was on earth, he said that he was going to heaven, and he said if he went, he would come again. And when he comes again, he's coming as the supreme ruler over all nations, a literal kingdom, a literal government ruling all the nations on the earth.

   Jesus Christ was the firstborn of many brethren. Today, we hear a lot of people who think the government and the kingdom of God is set up in their hearts and who don't understand, and saying that they're already born again. We can be begotten in this life, but only Christ has been born again so far. Jesus is the firstborn of many brethren. Others will be born when he comes, but we can be begotten now, we are not already, as you read in I John, the third chapter (I John 3:2), "Behold, now are we the sons of God, if the spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwells in you. He will raise you up in a resurrection to immortal life by the spirit that raised up Christ from the dead." He was the firstborn of many brethren. And if the spirit of God, if we're being led by the spirit of God, then we are the sons of God, but only begotten sons. A begotten child in his mother's womb is still the child of that mother and father, the father who sired it and the mother who is bearing it.

   Now, Jesus came and preached the government of God, the kingdom of God that will rule the entire earth. At his second coming, Jesus Christ was born to be a King. The prophecies in the Old Testament say that he was coming to be a king and rule over all nations. But you don't hear much of that being preached. Christianity has gotten so far off the track and is so muddled up and in such a Babylon today that people just don't understand it.

   Now, in II Corinthians, the 11th chapter and in verses 13 and 14 (II Corinthians 11:13-14), speaking of the false apostles that would come misrepresenting the Christian religion, it says here, "For such are false apostles, deceitful workers transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ, coming in his name." Jesus said many would come in his name saying that Jesus is the Christ, yes, proclaiming Christ to the nations and yet deceiving the many, and the world is deceived and doesn't know it. "For such are false apostles, deceitful workers transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself is transformed as an angel of light". He doesn't appear to be Satan, the devil, an evil spirit being. He claims to be God. He is the god of this world. "Therefore, it is no great thing if his ministers", that is Satan's ministers, "also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness". But they're not, they're deceived. They may be ever so sincere. Maybe they really believe it, maybe they're sincere. I'm not accusing them of wrong intentions or motives, "whose end shall be according to their works" (II Corinthians 11:15). But they don't think that works have anything to do with it anymore. But of course, they will find out that the Bible really says otherwise and has always said otherwise.

   Now, there was a false Christianity that rose up in the world and has deceived the whole world. Satan has deceived the world by counterfeiting Christianity. And we read now in the 17th chapter of Revelation and in verse five of this apostate church calling itself Christian (Revelation 17:5), "upon her forehead was a name written". This is the name God labels on her: "Mystery, Babylon the Great". In other words, the Babylonian mystery religion having become great and ruling over even many different nations speaking different languages. Babylon the Great, but she's called "the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth", and her daughters came out of her in protest.

   There are so many things like that that people just don't understand because the whole world has been deceived, because we don't really understand the Bible. We don't read the Bible to understand it. We just take a verse here, a verse there, and apply our own meaning to it. But we don't get each verse in its setting for what it means and put it together with other verses in their setting and get the whole thing together.

   Today, among the false teachings is that of the immortality of the soul. Twice in the Bible, it says the soul that sineth, it shall die. It is not immortal. The soul that sineth, it shall die. Jesus said to the first soul that if he took of the wrong tree, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, the forbidden fruit, he would surely die. And that's what Adam did do, and that's what his children have been doing ever since. So, it is appointed, all men want to die, but they have been deceived.

   Now, God Almighty knows the world is deceived. God Almighty knows that the real blame for all of this is on Satan, the devil, but God is allowing it. God is allowing humanity to go the wrong way, to live the wrong way, and whatever we sow, we shall reap, and we are reaping what we've sown. We are reaping unhappiness. We are reaping war, violence, starvation, everything evil, everything wrong. The evils are increasing much faster in this world today than are the great accomplishments of the world. We send men to the moon and back. The marvelous machines that have been invented like the computer and the automobile, the airplanes and many things that we have today. But the evils exceed all of these accomplishments and blessings by far.

   Now, that church that is called Babylon the Great in the Bible, in the 18th chapter and verse four (Revelation 18:4), speaking of her, God says this, 'Come out of her, my people.' And His people are our country - the United States, the British, the Canadians - "come out of her, my people, that you be not be partakers of her sins and that you receive not of her plagues". That is the church, but it's a false church. It's a deceived church, maybe a very sincere church, maybe they're very honest. They've been brought up from childhood to believe what they believe, and they believe it's true. Listen, why do you believe what you believe? Did you ever, did you ever look into it retrospectively to see why you believe what you believe? You know that most of us believe what we've come to believe from the time we were little children. What has been taught us, what those around us believe? Why in some countries in the world is almost everyone in that country of that particular type of religion? Over in Thailand, practically everybody's a Buddhist. In the Arab countries, they're all Muslim. Why? They're brought up that way. They believe it. They've always heard it, their peers, those around them all believe the same thing. And most people just assume these things and take it for granted, and yet they would fight for what they believe.

   And you're reading the Book of Revelation, the 12th chapter, that the devil, Satan, the devil has deceived all nations. This entire world is deceived. You may be sincere. You may have been deceived, and the chances are far better than 99 to 1 that you have been deceived. I found that I had been deceived. God called me and God opened my eyes to see that I was deceived, but I had to come to be willing to admit I was wrong. You know, that's the hardest thing for anyone to do on this earth - to admit you were wrong. There's a saying in alcoholic cures today that the hardest thing to do is to admit that you are an alcoholic and to go to a certain alcoholic hospital and get dried out about it and get cured. Well, in anything that is wrong, the hardest thing in the world is to admit you were wrong. Have you ever admitted you were wrong? Because you are, every one of you looking at me and listening to me right now, I have been wrong. I may be in some respect yet. But as fast as I find out, I'm going to change. I'm going to admit it. You see, Jesus Christ talked about repentance. Repentance is toward God, and faith is toward Jesus Christ. Repentance is admitting that you were wrong and turning away from it and turning to the way of Jesus Christ. That's what I'm trying to proclaim to you, is the right way - the way of Christ. And Christ brought it as a message, and that message was His gospel. And for 1900 years, it was not proclaimed. They proclaimed a message about Jesus Christ, about the person. But Jesus Christ was a messenger sent from God, bearing a message from God. And that message was His gospel. It was news. It was good news, but it's news of the future - of becoming government to engulf the whole earth, and the whole earth is going to be happy, and that we're going to have peace. But we have to live the way that will produce that happiness. The world is not happy now because it is living the way that is producing unhappiness and suffering and sorrow and heartache and violence and everything wrong and death.

   But as in Adam, all die, so in Christ shall all be made alive. And in that judgment, only Christ will be ruling in the Kingdom of God. And then everybody's going to learn the truth, and Satan will not be around to deceive people anymore. Satan is the one to blame for everything. But God is allowing it to teach us the lesson that the way of Satan, the way we've been living, the way the whole world has lived, is not right. And this world is on its last legs now. Everything is wrong in the world, and it's going to be so wrong that the whole world would be blown up if God did not interfere. And then He will intervene and send Jesus Christ to intervene and to come as the King of kings, the Lord of lords, and set up the Kingdom of God - a real literal government that will rule every nation on the face of the earth.

   Now, I'm about out of time, and I want to tell you about a booklet that I've mentioned once before: "Life After Death." What about life after death? Is there a life after this death? You need to know more than I've had time to give you on this broadcast, write for this booklet is free, and there's no request for money. It's absolutely free. And I also want to send you a year's subscription to the most marvelous magazine in this world. It's one of the world's largest and one of the world's great mass-circulation magazines: "The Plain Truth." It is a magazine of understanding. It is a magazine of world news which analyzes today's news in the light of Bible prophecy, that gives you the meaning behind the events that are happening in the world and how they're going to turn out. It also analyzes the problems of life - the problems that we all face and that we need to understand. And it gives you an understanding of life, of the world news, of world events, and also of the Bible.

   There is no magazine like it and there's no subscription price, no request for money and no follow up, all you do for this booklet, "Life After Death" and The Plain Truth magazine, a year's subscription, is send your request to me Herbert W Armstrong Pasadena California 91123. That's Herbert W Armstrong Pasadena California 91123. Or just go to a telephone right now. Call 800-423-4444. That is 800-423-4444. However, if you live in California, Alaska or Hawaii, you call collect, we will pay for the call. Area code 213-304-6111. Now, that's area code 213-304-6111. And if the lines are busy, try again please. So, until next time, this is Herbert W Armstrong, goodbye friends.

   For the free literature offered on this program, write Herbert W Armstrong Pasadena, California 91123 in Canada Box 44, Vancouver BC or in the Continental United States, you may call this toll-free number 800-423-4444 in California, Alaska and Hawaii call, collect 213-304-6111. If the lines are busy, please try again. The preceding program and all literature were produced and sponsored by the Worldwide Church of God.

Please Note: The FREE literature offered on this program are no longer available through the Address and Phone Number given, please visit www.hwalibrary.com for all FREE literature offered on this program.

Telecast Date: January 21, 1983
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