WEBVTT Kind: captions Language: en 00:00:09.600 --> 00:00:18.800 The World Tomorrow, the Worldwide Church of God presents the World Tomorrow with Herbert W Armstrong 00:00:45.500 --> 00:00:48.700 Ladies and gentlemen Herbert W Armstrong. 00:00:50.400 --> 00:00:58.989 Well, greetings everybody! Why should there be such a thing as the church? Why did Jesus 00:00:58.989 --> 00:01:06.360 say, "I will build my church, and the gates of the grave will never prevail against it?" 00:01:06.360 --> 00:01:14.280 God doesn't do things without a purpose, without a meaning, without a reason. But he did found 00:01:14.280 --> 00:01:23.680 the church. Why? What is its function? What is its meaning? I think there's been probably 00:01:23.680 --> 00:01:33.080 nothing more misunderstood than that. Very few people understand why Christ built 00:01:33.080 --> 00:01:43.560 the church, what its function is, and what it is not, as well. Now one cannot comprehend 00:01:43.560 --> 00:01:52.780 the real purpose and meaning of the church, unless we first know something of the Old 00:01:52.780 --> 00:02:00.170 Testament church, which is called in one place in the book of Acts, the "church in the wilderness," 00:02:00.170 --> 00:02:06.299 or the congregation of Israel. But I think we must start even farther back 00:02:06.299 --> 00:02:14.249 than that, as I have done time and then again on this series of programs, even earlier, 00:02:14.249 --> 00:02:24.169 because I mentioned to you.... Time and again, I will be mentioning it again, that you enter 00:02:24.169 --> 00:02:31.549 a motion picture house, or tune in to a motion picture on the television screen, a little 00:02:31.549 --> 00:02:35.889 more than halfway through the picture, and you're bewildered. 00:02:35.889 --> 00:02:41.139 You don't know what happened before, you don't know what led up to it, and the result is 00:02:41.139 --> 00:02:47.209 what you're seeing now is a little bit confusing. It just doesn't make sense. And it's the same 00:02:47.209 --> 00:02:53.680 way about so many things in the Bible. If we tried to understand the Bible, the church 00:02:53.680 --> 00:03:00.209 (for example) today, or any of the things in the Bible pertaining to our time today, 00:03:00.209 --> 00:03:07.620 unless we have begun clear back at the beginning, and have traced events all the way through, 00:03:07.620 --> 00:03:15.079 we just don't understand. We're bewildered and we get a wrong concept altogether. 00:03:15.079 --> 00:03:21.629 Now God called Moses. Moses didn't want to, he didn't look for God. God had seen to it 00:03:21.629 --> 00:03:27.829 that Moses was trained for the job before God called him. He had been reared as a prince 00:03:27.829 --> 00:03:35.589 in Pharaoh's palace, but he didn't want the job, and so when God called him and told him 00:03:35.589 --> 00:03:40.930 what he wanted him to do, Moses said, "Oh no, God, I can't do it. You see, I have an 00:03:40.930 --> 00:03:45.859 impediment of speech. I stutter. And I, I don't talk well, so I couldn't go. Just count 00:03:45.859 --> 00:03:50.949 me out, God." Well, God said, "I, naturally I knew all about 00:03:50.949 --> 00:03:55.689 that, Moses, and I have appointed your brother Aaron to be your spokesman for you, so you 00:03:55.689 --> 00:04:04.099 will do what I tell you to do." and then Moses did. But Moses was human like all the rest 00:04:04.099 --> 00:04:11.059 of us. You know, Moses lost his temper one time when the people, when he was gone, made 00:04:11.059 --> 00:04:14.900 a molten calf to worship it, and he was up with God on Mount Sinai. 00:04:14.900 --> 00:04:21.879 Well, anyway, at Mount Sinai as they were being delivered out of Egypt and Egyptian 00:04:21.879 --> 00:04:29.069 bondage by miracles from God, God then made a proposition to them that they would enter 00:04:29.069 --> 00:04:34.699 into what became known as the Old Covenant with him. God did not promise the Holy Spirit 00:04:34.699 --> 00:04:44.020 to Israel, but he did give them his law. Now they were also the congregation of Israel, 00:04:44.020 --> 00:04:50.139 as the church, not the church of God, but the congregation of Israel, and called in 00:04:50.139 --> 00:04:53.949 the 7th chapter of Acts (Acts 7:38), the "church in the wilderness." 00:04:53.949 --> 00:04:59.879 They were the kingdom of Israel, one of the governments of this Earth, one of the nations. 00:04:59.879 --> 00:05:04.939 Without the Holy Spirit, which God did not give them, they did not obey. They had carnal 00:05:04.939 --> 00:05:10.840 minds that were not subject to God, not subject to the law of God, were hostile to God, and 00:05:10.840 --> 00:05:18.900 they never did obey him. There was a purpose god was going to show, that without his Holy 00:05:18.900 --> 00:05:25.389 Spirit, it is absolutely impossible for a carnal mind, hostile to God, to accept the 00:05:25.389 --> 00:05:31.360 way of God. Well, anyway, I would like to read you just 00:05:31.360 --> 00:05:38.830 a little bit here in Jeremiah, in the 3rd chapter of Jeremiah, about ancient Israel. 00:05:38.830 --> 00:05:45.099 This is the Old Testament church, or the Old Covenant church, we might say. God says, "Go 00:05:45.099 --> 00:05:50.849 and proclaim these words," he said to the prophet Jeremiah, "proclaim these words toward 00:05:50.849 --> 00:05:57.349 the north, and say, Return thou backsliding Israel, saith the Eternal, and I will not 00:05:57.349 --> 00:06:04.819 cause my anger to fall upon you, for I am merciful, saith the Eternal, and I will not 00:06:04.819 --> 00:06:11.150 keep anger forever. Only acknowledge thine iniquity that thou hast transgressed against 00:06:11.150 --> 00:06:16.659 the Eternal thy God, and has scattered thy ways to the strangers under every green tree, 00:06:16.659 --> 00:06:23.719 and ye have not obeyed my voice, says the Eternal. Turn, O backsliding children, saith 00:06:23.719 --> 00:06:30.780 the Eternal, for I am married unto you, and I will take you one of a city, and two of 00:06:30.780 --> 00:06:33.810 a family, and I will bring you unto Zion." (Jer. 3:12-14) 00:06:33.810 --> 00:06:39.240 Now that is a prophecy there of what is not yet happened, which will happen later in our 00:06:39.240 --> 00:06:45.439 generation, only a few years from now. And God will do that, even yet, but it has never 00:06:45.439 --> 00:06:56.539 been accomplished yet. Now Old Covenant Israel were in the days of the first Adam, carnal, 00:06:56.539 --> 00:07:05.729 but it required the second Adam before people could have the kind of mind that could be 00:07:05.729 --> 00:07:11.529 subject to the ways of God, and that could understand the ways and knowledge of God, 00:07:11.529 --> 00:07:16.069 and the spiritual things. So let me get you some scriptures. One in 00:07:16.069 --> 00:07:22.110 Isaiah 7, verse 14 (Isaiah 7:14): "Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, 00:07:22.110 --> 00:07:29.909 a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel," which is, translated 00:07:29.909 --> 00:07:38.620 into English, means "God with us, God in person with us, with the human family." Now, that 00:07:38.620 --> 00:07:44.749 was a prophecy of how Christ was to come as a savior, to save the people from their sins. 00:07:44.749 --> 00:07:49.249 I'll show you that in just a moment. But then in the 9th chapter of Isaiah was 00:07:49.249 --> 00:07:54.009 the prophecy beginning in verse 6 (Isaiah 9:6): "For unto us a child is born..." Now 00:07:54.009 --> 00:08:00.569 notice, he was to be born as a baby, as a child. "Unto us a son is given, and the government 00:08:00.569 --> 00:08:09.059 shall be upon his shoulder." Born to be a king! Born to qualify now, to succeed this 00:08:09.059 --> 00:08:15.039 former Lucifer, this Satan, and to restore the kingdom and the government of God on this 00:08:15.039 --> 00:08:19.020 Earth. "And his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, 00:08:19.020 --> 00:08:25.949 the mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government 00:08:25.949 --> 00:08:32.490 and peace, there shall be no end, and upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, 00:08:32.490 --> 00:08:38.599 to order it, and to establish it with judgement and with justice from henceforth even forever. 00:08:38.599 --> 00:08:43.099 The zeal of the Eternal of Hosts will perform it." 00:08:43.099 --> 00:08:49.410 Now I would like to have you turn to Matthew the 1st chapter, and beginning with verse 00:08:49.410 --> 00:08:55.720 20 (Matthew 1:20): "Behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, 00:08:55.720 --> 00:09:02.160 Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is 00:09:02.160 --> 00:09:07.990 conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt 00:09:07.990 --> 00:09:16.310 call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins." And so was born Jesus, 00:09:16.310 --> 00:09:22.870 the second Adam, and he was coming to restore the government of God. He was coming to save 00:09:22.870 --> 00:09:27.240 the people. Jesus had said, as you read now in Matthew 00:09:27.240 --> 00:09:35.680 16, and verse 18 (Matthew 16:18): "I will build my church. I will build my church, and 00:09:35.680 --> 00:09:42.860 the gates of the grave shall not prevail against it." It will exist throughout all generations, 00:09:42.860 --> 00:09:49.260 and it has. But you won't find any record in profane history about it, from the first 00:09:49.260 --> 00:09:58.279 century on. You'll find a record of a church - well, there was in what I call "the lost 00:09:58.279 --> 00:10:06.370 century" after around 70 A.D., every record of what was happening to the church that Christ 00:10:06.370 --> 00:10:11.240 had started, was destroyed, systematically destroyed. 00:10:11.240 --> 00:10:17.540 And 100 years later, it seemed like the curtain is lifted on the thing, and you see a church, 00:10:17.540 --> 00:10:22.370 and it's called the Christian church, but it wasn't that of Christ. It was as different 00:10:22.370 --> 00:10:28.509 as day is from night, and night is from day. And it was a different church; it was a counterfeit 00:10:28.509 --> 00:10:32.600 church. Herbert W Armstrong will return right after 00:10:32.600 --> 00:10:40.639 this message. You're invited to learn more about these important 00:10:40.639 --> 00:10:46.529 issues through the pages of Plain Truth, this International journal of understanding 00:10:46.529 --> 00:10:51.949 comes along every month with a penetrating analysis of World News in the light of Bible 00:10:51.949 --> 00:11:02.070 Prophecy. Plain Truth, this full color monthly publication 00:11:02.070 --> 00:11:12.550 underscores the importance of Biblical understanding in modern 20th century living. 00:11:12.550 --> 00:11:16.600 Your subscription is free of charge, there is no cost or obligation, 00:11:16.600 --> 00:11:22.740 call this toll free number (800) 423-4444 that's (800) 423-4444. 00:11:22.740 --> 00:11:38.180 The Plain Truth, a magazine of understanding. Jesus spent three and one-half years preaching 00:11:38.180 --> 00:11:45.649 the gospel of the kingdom of God, and he now called disciples. A disciple is a learner, 00:11:45.649 --> 00:11:52.529 one being taught, and one learning, and he was teaching them for 3 1/2 years to become 00:11:52.529 --> 00:12:00.589 his apostles. Now an apostle is one sent forth. The word "apostle" means "one sent forth." 00:12:00.589 --> 00:12:06.519 Now Jesus called Peter and Andrew. Now they didn't call for Jesus, they weren't trying 00:12:06.519 --> 00:12:12.490 to find him. They weren't seeking him to give their hearts to him. What they wanted to do 00:12:12.490 --> 00:12:18.889 was to be fishermen. And Jesus called them, so they dropped what they were doing, and 00:12:18.889 --> 00:12:21.110 they forsook everything else and followed him. 00:12:21.110 --> 00:12:26.620 Then he called two other brothers, and they were fishermen. They didn't want to follow 00:12:26.620 --> 00:12:29.970 Christ, they didn't want to be apostles, they wanted to be fishermen. He said, "No, you 00:12:29.970 --> 00:12:36.329 come follow me," and they did. And he called Matthew. Matthew wanted to be a tax collector, 00:12:36.329 --> 00:12:42.399 but he gave that up, and so it was. Jesus called his disciples. Actually, he called 00:12:42.399 --> 00:12:49.259 14, but only 12 were official. John 15, verse 16 (John 15:16): "You have 00:12:49.259 --> 00:12:57.069 not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that you should go," an apostle 00:12:57.069 --> 00:13:04.389 is one sent, to go into all the world, "that you should go and bring forth fruit, and that 00:13:04.389 --> 00:13:11.589 your fruit should remain," and so on. He chose them to be his apostles. Jesus spent 3 1/2 00:13:11.589 --> 00:13:19.779 years teaching and training his disciples to become his apostles, and he was preaching 00:13:19.779 --> 00:13:25.110 the kingdom of God to thousands of people. And of all those thousands that heard him 00:13:25.110 --> 00:13:30.519 speak, how many do you think really believed him? And really followed him to the end, and 00:13:30.519 --> 00:13:36.110 were still with him after 3 1/2 years? Only 120, you'll read that in the first chapter 00:13:36.110 --> 00:13:43.250 of the book of Acts. Only 120. In the 15th verse of the 1st chapter (Acts 1:15), it says 00:13:43.250 --> 00:13:48.290 the number of those together, that all that were still there together after Christ's 3 1/2 00:13:48.290 --> 00:13:56.269 years preaching, was 120, only 120. Now in Acts the 2nd chapter, in verse 1 (Acts 00:13:56.269 --> 00:14:01.310 2:1). You read: "And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they," and that's speaking 00:14:01.310 --> 00:14:09.709 of the 120. Now all this 120 were there together, "with one accord, and suddenly now" a great 00:14:09.709 --> 00:14:16.870 display happened that had never occurred before, "suddenly there came a sound of a rushing 00:14:16.870 --> 00:14:22.639 mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting." Now they heard this. This 00:14:22.639 --> 00:14:27.470 was something they could hear with their ears. "And there appeared unto them..." Now they 00:14:27.470 --> 00:14:33.949 could see with their eyes. Now get this - this had never happened before or since. "There 00:14:33.949 --> 00:14:40.920 appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire and sat upon each of them." They could 00:14:40.920 --> 00:14:47.509 see it. They heard the sound. "And they," that's the 120, "were all filled with the 00:14:47.509 --> 00:14:53.230 Holy Spirit, and they began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them utterance." 00:14:53.230 --> 00:14:57.060 Now what kind of tongue-speaking was that? They were dwelling at Jerusalem, and then 00:14:57.060 --> 00:15:01.790 Jews out of all the nations of the Earth, and they were a crowd, and they were gathered 00:15:01.790 --> 00:15:07.019 there to see what had happened. "And they were all amazed," verse 7 (Acts 2:7), "and 00:15:07.019 --> 00:15:13.449 they marveled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these that speak Galileans?" (the 00:15:13.449 --> 00:15:21.550 120), "and how hear we every man in our own tongue wherein we were born?" Now it goes 00:15:21.550 --> 00:15:26.660 on to mention there were Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and different ones that it mentions 00:15:26.660 --> 00:15:29.160 from the different countries where they had come from. 00:15:29.160 --> 00:15:35.579 "We do hear them," in verse 11 (Acts 2:11), "speak in our tongues, our language, the wonderful 00:15:35.579 --> 00:15:44.850 works of God." In other words, the crowd there, thousands of them, heard the 120 all speaking 00:15:44.850 --> 00:15:56.199 in their own language. It wasn't a, sort-of a crazy put-on thing that a little child could 00:15:56.199 --> 00:16:02.209 do. They were speaking something that made sense, they were speaking in that language, 00:16:02.209 --> 00:16:08.250 and the people there heard. The miracle's in the hearing, not in the speaking. Nothing 00:16:08.250 --> 00:16:15.230 like that has ever happened since. Just don't be deceived. 00:16:15.230 --> 00:16:20.189 Now then, Peter preached to them that day, and this was the first real inspired sermon. 00:16:20.189 --> 00:16:26.819 The Holy Spirit entered into Peter, and 3,000 were baptized that day. And the last verse 00:16:26.819 --> 00:16:33.639 in the 2nd chapter of Acts (Acts 2:47): "And the Lord added to the church daily such as 00:16:33.639 --> 00:16:38.750 might be saved." Now I want you to get that. The apostles didn't go out and talk them into 00:16:38.750 --> 00:16:46.730 it. There was not a soul-saving crusade. They preached the kingdom of God, the government 00:16:46.730 --> 00:16:52.959 of God, the family of God, but God added to the church. 00:16:52.959 --> 00:17:03.529 Herbert W Armstrong will return right after this message. 00:17:03.529 --> 00:17:19.300 Men shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: 00:17:19.300 --> 00:17:25.690 nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. 00:17:25.690 --> 00:17:32.630 When, when will the dreams of man become reality? The whole message of Jesus Christ is about 00:17:32.630 --> 00:17:37.040 a soon coming world government that will bring peace to our troubled world. 00:17:37.040 --> 00:17:41.390 For a full understanding of this message of hope about the Kingdom of God, request; 00:17:41.390 --> 00:17:50.570 "Just what do you mean... Kingdom of God, call this toll free number (800) 423-4444 00:17:50.570 --> 00:18:01.080 that's (800) 423-4444. God, Christ had called the apostles. He had 00:18:01.080 --> 00:18:07.230 trained them to go out with the message about the kingdom of God. Now he added a church, 00:18:07.230 --> 00:18:12.840 and he added that to the apostles. But they weren't trained in carrying that gospel message 00:18:12.840 --> 00:18:21.740 out. So why were they, and I'm coming to that, why the church? What is their function? Lay 00:18:21.740 --> 00:18:28.150 members did not go forth with the gospel. Show it to me here in the Bible. You can't 00:18:28.150 --> 00:18:31.790 do it, because it isn't there. Now I want you to notice a little further, 00:18:31.790 --> 00:18:38.400 a very savage persecution set into the church after two years. You'll read in Acts the 8th 00:18:38.400 --> 00:18:43.920 chapter, and the 1st verse (Acts 8:1): "And there was a great persecution against the 00:18:43.920 --> 00:18:48.990 church which was at Jerusalem, and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions 00:18:48.990 --> 00:18:54.840 of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles." Now we come to Acts the 12th chapter (Acts 00:18:54.840 --> 00:18:59.890 12:1), and I want to read a little of it to you. "Now about that time Herod the king stretched 00:18:59.890 --> 00:19:06.890 forth his hands to vex certain of the church. And he killed James the brother of John with 00:19:06.890 --> 00:19:13.610 the sword. And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also. 00:19:13.610 --> 00:19:19.160 (Then were the days of unleavened bread.) And when he had apprehended him," Peter, "he 00:19:19.160 --> 00:19:26.110 put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending 00:19:26.110 --> 00:19:32.570 after," (and here is a mistranslation: "Easter") and in the original as it is written in there 00:19:32.570 --> 00:19:39.420 by Luke, who probably wrote the book of Acts, it was "Passover," or "Pascha." And it was 00:19:39.420 --> 00:19:45.070 not "Easter" at all, that is a misprint. "...to bring him forth to the people. 00:19:45.070 --> 00:19:50.960 Peter therefore was kept in prison: but," now notice, notice the function of the church, 00:19:50.960 --> 00:19:56.020 to back up the apostles. The apostles are the ones that were sent forth with proclaiming 00:19:56.020 --> 00:20:03.770 the message. "But prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him," for 00:20:03.770 --> 00:20:10.230 Peter. And the result is that God sent an angel, and just simply broke the chains, the 00:20:10.230 --> 00:20:17.640 big steel or iron chains that held him hands and feet, and opened the doors and released 00:20:17.640 --> 00:20:27.260 him, and got Peter out of there. Now I skipped one very important part, that 00:20:27.260 --> 00:20:33.090 I would like to go back to and mention. That's back here in the 4th chapter of Acts. Peter 00:20:33.090 --> 00:20:39.720 and John had healed this well-known cripple, and preached a sermon, and really there were 00:20:39.720 --> 00:20:45.250 about 2,000 that were converted as a result of it that God added to the church. But then 00:20:45.250 --> 00:20:51.470 Peter and John were threatened. They put them in prison overnight, and then they threatened 00:20:51.470 --> 00:20:57.900 them the next morning. And these were the top men. It was the high priest, and the top 00:20:57.900 --> 00:21:04.290 rulers, and people there, and naturally these apostles were human. They now had the Holy 00:21:04.290 --> 00:21:11.530 Spirit, but sometimes they were tried. Notice now in Acts 4:23. "And being let go" 00:21:11.530 --> 00:21:17.940 from prison, "they went to their own company," the company of newly converted Christians 00:21:17.940 --> 00:21:22.950 now, "and they reported all that the chief priests and the elders had said to them, and 00:21:22.950 --> 00:21:28.070 when they heard this, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and they said, 00:21:28.070 --> 00:21:33.870 Lord, thou art God which hast made heaven and earth and the sea," and they asked them 00:21:33.870 --> 00:21:39.230 to give these apostles the power, and the courage, and to make it possible for them 00:21:39.230 --> 00:21:45.290 to go ahead with the mission, and to carry on this great commission of getting the announcement 00:21:45.290 --> 00:21:51.510 of the kingdom of God on out. Now, I would like to show you that the great 00:21:51.510 --> 00:21:57.370 commission was given not to the church, but to the apostles. It isn't a message to the 00:21:57.370 --> 00:22:01.420 church, that the church is given the great commission to go into all the world and preach 00:22:01.420 --> 00:22:08.400 the gospel. If you will turn with me first to Matthew 28, beginning with verse 16 (Matthew 00:22:08.400 --> 00:22:13.570 28:16): "Then the eleven disciples..." Now Judas had left them, you see, and they had 00:22:13.570 --> 00:22:21.380 not yet chosen Matthias to take his place. "Then the eleven disciples," who became now 00:22:21.380 --> 00:22:28.020 apostles, "went away into Galilee into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them, and when they 00:22:28.020 --> 00:22:35.120 saw him, they worshipped him, but some doubted, and Jesus came and spake unto them." That 00:22:35.120 --> 00:22:42.210 is the eleven, not the whole church, only the eleven. "And said, all power is given 00:22:42.210 --> 00:22:48.730 unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the 00:22:48.730 --> 00:22:51.280 name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit." 00:22:51.280 --> 00:22:56.870 Now, some construe that to mean that you're to go and convert everybody, and baptize everybody. 00:22:56.870 --> 00:23:03.070 You know that wouldn't make sense anyway, if you stop to think. Actually, in the Revised 00:23:03.070 --> 00:23:10.880 Standard translation, that is "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations" - "Make 00:23:10.880 --> 00:23:16.490 disciples within all nations, and baptizing them." 00:23:16.490 --> 00:23:25.850 Now Jesus Christ had said here in John the 6th chapter and 44th verse (John 6:44), Jesus 00:23:25.850 --> 00:23:36.180 had said, "No man can come to me, except the Father which sent me draw him." No man can. 00:23:36.180 --> 00:23:46.060 I told you a while ago, that God pronounced sentence, that humanity was cut off from him, 00:23:46.060 --> 00:23:53.350 except such as he would call. Now unless God calls, people are shut off. So finally, let's 00:23:53.350 --> 00:23:58.380 get our bearings, and let me show you what is the real purpose of the church. 00:23:58.380 --> 00:24:08.510 Number one - to back up the apostles as the church's part in getting the gospel to the 00:24:08.510 --> 00:24:13.660 world, to back up the apostles with their encouragement, with their prayers, with their 00:24:13.660 --> 00:24:19.390 tithes and offerings to make it possible for the apostles to go into all the world with 00:24:19.390 --> 00:24:26.060 this message. Second - the church overcoming Satan, developing this character through the 00:24:26.060 --> 00:24:30.490 Holy Spirit, to qualify them to sit on Christ's throne. 00:24:30.490 --> 00:24:36.430 You'll notice that in II Peter 1 and verse 4 (II Peter 1:4), that once we have the Holy 00:24:36.430 --> 00:24:42.720 Spirit, we have received the very nature of God. God has put his divine nature within 00:24:42.720 --> 00:24:48.270 us. Now Jesus said in Revelation 3, verse 21 (Revelation 3:21): "He that overcometh 00:24:48.270 --> 00:24:55.180 will I grant to sit with me on my throne, even as I also overcame." Now Christ had to 00:24:55.180 --> 00:25:00.870 overcome Satan before he could qualify to sit on that throne. If we're going to sit 00:25:00.870 --> 00:25:03.910 with him on that throne, we have to overcome Satan. 00:25:03.910 --> 00:25:10.040 Listen, only a few have been called up to now. Everybody living will be called after 00:25:10.040 --> 00:25:17.460 the second coming of Christ, and his annual Holy Days that he's given, and annual festivals, 00:25:17.460 --> 00:25:26.050 teach all of this. The church mostly has lost those things, and consequently do not understand. 00:25:26.050 --> 00:25:31.760 But in the 2nd chapter of Revelation, verses 26 and 27 (Revelation 2:26-27): "He that overcometh 00:25:31.760 --> 00:25:35.800 will I give power over the nations, and he shall rule them with a rod of iron." 00:25:35.800 --> 00:25:42.550 Now we have to overcome Satan, but when Christ comes, everyone that is on Earth that is then 00:25:42.550 --> 00:25:52.170 living will be called. And they will not have Satan to overcome at all. They won't have 00:25:52.170 --> 00:25:58.900 this carnal nature that has been put within us by Satan. Satan begins instilling that 00:25:58.900 --> 00:26:05.010 within human beings. A child is not born with it, but Satan begins instilling it in little 00:26:05.010 --> 00:26:12.540 children as soon as their minds begin to accumulate knowledge and to think and to reason. And 00:26:12.540 --> 00:26:15.440 then the self-centeredness begins to come in. 00:26:15.440 --> 00:26:23.570 But those who do qualify now, and to, most of the church are called to back up the apostles 00:26:23.570 --> 00:26:31.360 as their part in getting the gospel out. Now it does take organization in this modern day, 00:26:31.360 --> 00:26:37.960 and there is considerable organization and machinery for getting this gospel out. But 00:26:37.960 --> 00:26:44.580 the church's job is to back that up, and that is their part in doing it, and to develop 00:26:44.580 --> 00:26:51.970 this character within themselves, that they may qualify to rule with Christ when he comes. 00:26:51.970 --> 00:26:58.820 And then at the second coming of Christ, that 6,000 years will be over in which humanity 00:26:58.820 --> 00:27:04.480 has been cut off from God, and everyone will then be called. Then after that thousand years, 00:27:04.480 --> 00:27:09.270 will come the Great White Throne Judgment when everybody clear back to Adam who ever 00:27:09.270 --> 00:27:16.530 lived, is going to be called and given a chance, and there will be no Satan around at that 00:27:16.530 --> 00:27:21.070 time at all. Now there's one thing I want to say in closing. 00:27:21.070 --> 00:27:25.290 There are two booklets that I would like to ask you to write in for, and they're absolutely 00:27:25.290 --> 00:27:32.070 free. There is no price whatsoever. Just What Do You Mean... The Kingdom of God? I said 00:27:32.070 --> 00:27:37.290 Christ came announcing the kingdom of God, but what is the kingdom of God? Is it the 00:27:37.290 --> 00:27:44.750 church? Is it something set up in men's hearts? What is the kingdom of God? Write in for it, 00:27:44.750 --> 00:27:50.550 it's free. Another one is What Do you Mean... Born Again? 00:27:50.550 --> 00:27:56.570 What is the meaning? What do you mean, born again? You know, almost everybody misunderstands 00:27:56.570 --> 00:28:02.580 that. And if you want to get it cleared up and understand it, as it is in the Bible, 00:28:02.580 --> 00:28:06.880 just write it in for it. There is no charge whatsoever, I'll be glad to mail it to you 00:28:06.880 --> 00:28:13.890 right away. So, until next time, this is Herbert W. Armstrong. Goodbye, friends. 00:28:13.890 --> 00:28:20.410 For the free literature offered on this program visit Herbert W Armstrong Library (www.hwalibrary.com). 00:28:20.410 --> 00:28:49.870 The Address and Phone Number for the Worldwide Church of God are no longer valid, please visit www.hwalibrary.com for 00:28:49.870 --> 00:28:53.520 all literature offered and produced by the Worldwide Church of God.