A Message for Today?

In the latest installment of his Wall Watchers program, Bill Watson stated that the first chapter of Isaiah applies to the United States in our day! According to him, the United States is the modern representative of ancient Israel, and Isaiah's message is a warning for our people. Pastor Watson believes that these Old Testament prophecies have dual applications - one for ancient times and one for modern times. And, as the name he has chosen for his new program indicates, Watson believes that he is a watcher on the wall in the tradition of the prophet Ezekiel (Ezekiel 33:1-9). Is Bill right?

In the first chapter of Isaiah, we read: "The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah." (Verse 1, ESV) Notice that this is Isaiah's vision, NOT Bill's - NOT mine - NOT yours. Notice too, that his vision concerned JUDAH and JERUSALEM during the reigns of four of the ancient kings of Judah. In other words, the first verse clearly laid out whose vision was being recorded and for whom it was intended! Note too, that even if Bill was right about the United States and Israel, that this prophecy was NOT for Israel, Samaria, or Israel's leaders.

Moreover, if we bother to read ALL of the rest of this chapter of Isaiah, it becomes very clear that this was intended for a people living under the terms of God's covenant with the Israelites (Old Covenant - Torah). Later in this chapter, we read: "What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices?' says the Lord; 'I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of well-fed beasts; I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of goats. When you come to appear before me, who has required of you this trampling of my courts? Bring no more vain offerings; incense is an abomination to me. New moon and Sabbath and the calling of convocations— I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly. Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hates; they have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them." (Isaiah 1:11-14, ESV) Just to be clear, the people of the United States have NEVER followed these tenets of God's covenant with Israel - NOT AT ANYTIME IN THEIR ENTIRE HISTORY AS A NATION!

Finally, for those who actually suffered through Bill's presentation, you may be wondering why the pastor spent so much time talking about immigration, Islam's influence, and homosexuality. Bill reads: "Your country lies desolate; your cities are burned with fire; in your very presence foreigners devour your land; it is desolate, as overthrown by foreigners" (verse 7) and thinks immigration. It apparently never occurred to him that Isaiah might be talking about Assyria's invasion of Israel and Judah which happened during King Hezekiah's reign! Likewise, Bill reads: "If the Lord of hosts had not left us a few survivors, we should have been like Sodom, and become like Gomorrah. Hear the word of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom! Give ear to the teaching of our God, you people of Gomorrah!" and thinks homosexuality! Once again, it appears that Bill doesn't see the obviously intended comparison between the rulers and people of Judah and the rulers of the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. And, just for the record, the story of Sodom and Gomorrah was about a whole lot more than the attempted homosexual gang rape of two angels (see Ezekiel 16:49-50). Now, as Mohammed hadn't even been born yet, I leave my readers to speculate about how Bill came up with a connection to Islam.

NO, Bill! The first chapter of Isaiah is NOT a message for our day! In fact, it has NOTHING to do with the United States, the Christian era, or the Twenty-first Century! That's a big swing and a miss - commonly known as "STRIKE ONE!" 

Unity

Psalm 133

A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem. A psalm of David.

1 How wonderful and pleasant it is

    when brothers live together in harmony!

2 For harmony is as precious as the anointing oil

    that was poured over Aaron’s head,

    that ran down his beard

    and onto the border of his robe.

3 Harmony is as refreshing as the dew from Mount Hermon

    that falls on the mountains of Zion.

And there the Lord has pronounced his blessing,

    even life everlasting.

New Living Translation

The Human Failure to Remain United

Jesus said that he and the Father are one (John 10:30). Later, he said: "My prayer is not for the world, but for those you have given me, because they belong to you. All who are mine belong to you, and you have given them to me, so they bring me glory. Now I am departing from the world; they are staying in this world, but I am coming to you. Holy Father, you have given me your name; now protect them by the power of your name so that they will be united just as we are." (John 17:9-11, NLT) He continued: “I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me. Father, I want these whom you have given me to be with me where I am. Then they can see all the glory you gave me because you loved me even before the world began!" (John 17:22-24, NLT) Hence, we can see that Christ clearly intended for his disciples to remain united.

Moreover, Scripture makes very clear that this is exactly where the Church began. Indeed, when the disciples came together after Christ's resurrection, we read: "When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place." (Acts 2:1, ESV) And, after Peter delivered his sermon, we read: "And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved." (Acts 2:42-47, ESV)

Unfortunately, people being people, things fell apart rather quickly. In the fifteenth chapter of Acts, we are informed that a dispute arose among the believers about whether or not Gentile Christians were obligated to observe the commandments of Torah. Moreover, although all of the apostles came to an agreement that Gentiles were NOT going to be required to observe the tenets of the Old Covenant, the other writings of the New Testament make clear that the issue continued to be a source of contention and division among the saints (see Romans and Galatians).

In Paul's first epistle to the saints of Corinth, we also see that cults of personality began to develop within that congregation. In other words, the saints began to identify more with a particular leader in the early Church and began to form groups within the congregation based on their allegiance to a particular leader. Paul wrote: "I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. For it has been reported to me by Chloe's people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. What I mean is that each one of you says, 'I follow Paul,' or 'I follow Apollos,' or 'I follow Cephas,' or 'I follow Christ.' Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?" (I Corinthians 1:10-13, ESV) For Paul, this divisiveness at Corinth was plainly NOT a positive development. On the contrary, he implored them to eradicate this behavior from their midst!

Paul went on to compare the ekklesia to a human body. He wrote: "The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit. Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part. If the foot says, 'I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,' that does not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear says, 'I am not part of the body because I am not an eye,' would that make it any less a part of the body? If the whole body were an eye, how would you hear? Or if your whole body were an ear, how would you smell anything? But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it. How strange a body would be if it had only one part! Yes, there are many parts, but only one body. The eye can never say to the hand, 'I don’t need you.' The head can’t say to the feet, 'I don’t need you.' In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary. And the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care. So we carefully protect those parts that should not be seen, while the more honorable parts do not require this special care. So God has put the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity. This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other. If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad. All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it." (I Corinthians 12:12-27, NLT) Clearly, for Paul, the body needed ALL of its parts working together for the common good!

Indeed, this was a common theme throughout the writings we have from the Apostle Paul. He wrote to the Christians at Ephesus to "“Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” (Ephesians 4:3) Does that mean that unity requires effort? Paul went on to tell them that perfect unity was a goal that everyone should strive to achieve (Ephesians 4:13). Likewise, he wrote to the saints at Rome to "Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position.” (Romans 12:16) He also wrote to the Christians at Philippi that they should "make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind.” (Philippians 2:2) Paul told the Jewish and Gentile saints of Galatia that they had been made into one people in Christ (Galatians 3:28). Finally, in his second epistle to the Christians of Corinth, the apostle urged them to "Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace.” (II Corinthians 13:11)

We should also note that this notion of unity is completely consistent with Christ's expectations of his disciples. In the Gospel of John, we read that Jesus told his disciples: “I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow! This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me. You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name. This is my command: Love each other." (John 15:9-17, NLT) In fact, just prior to this discourse, Jesus had told his disciples that their love for each other would identify them to the world as his disciples! (John 13:35)

This is the sentiment that ALL of Christ's apostles echoed in their teachings. Peter wrote: "Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble.” (I Peter 3:8) John wrote: "If we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.” (I John 4:12) The anonymous author of the epistle to the Hebrews wrote: “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together.” (Hebrews 10:24-25) Likewise, James wrote to his readers that pure religion was to be found in taking care of those among them who were in need (James 1:27). He continued: “If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself,’ you are doing right.” (James 2:8) He also went on to say: “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” (James 5:16) In other words, God expected his saints to love each other and to live in unity and peace with each other.

Nevertheless, as we have already seen, the saints didn't waste any time in turning their backs on the unity and love which Christ and his apostles had demanded of them. Differences of opinion became grounds to exclude and shun each other. Once again, James laid his finger on the problem. He wrote: "What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you? You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it. And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure. You adulterers! Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God. Do you think the Scriptures have no meaning? They say that God is passionate that the spirit he has placed within us should be faithful to him. And he gives grace generously. As the Scriptures say, 'God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.' So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world." (James 4:1-8, NLT) Clearly, for James, the source of the division was human nature, NOT God!

This history of bickering and division has continued up to the present day - encompassing the entire two-thousand-year existence of the Christian Church. Over those centuries, there have been a number of heresies, opposing centers of power, church councils, and wars fought in the name of Christ and his Church. Like the Roman Empire itself, the Christian Church developed into a Western and Eastern tradition. The Western tradition centered on Rome, its bishop, and Latin. Likewise, the Eastern tradition centered on Constantinople, its patriarch, and Greek. (Now, while these designations are useful to us, it should be noted that they constitute an oversimplification of a more complex picture of East and West.) At any rate, these two halves of the Church coexisted for many centuries, and both regarded each other as constituting part of the Body of Christ. In 1054, however, theological and political differences resulted in both sides excommunicating each other, and the "Universal" Church was engulfed in the Great Schism - a division which has never been healed.

Later, in 1517, Martin Luther nailed his famous/infamous Ninety-five Theses to a church door in Germany, and the Protestant Reformation began. Then, over the next five hundred years, the Protestant Church divided into hundreds of different churches/sects/denominations. Among them, a group of Sabbath-keeping Christians emerged and were eventually known as Seventh-Day Baptists. A little later, one of the Millerite groups adopted sabbath-keeping and promptly divided into Seventh-Day Adventists, and the Church of God Seventh Day (which itself divided into two groups). Then, in the Twentieth-Century, a man named Herbert Armstrong broke away from one of the Church of God Seventh Day organizations and founded his own "Radio Church of God." Later, he changed the name to the "Worldwide Church of God" and ruled that organization until his death in 1986. After his death, the Worldwide Church disintegrated into a number of splinter groups, which have continued to splinter into smaller and smaller grouping ever since. One of these groups, the "Church of God International" has itself divided a number of times over the years. The most recent schism being Pastor Bill Watson of Medina, Ohio's declaration of independence from that group's Tyler, Texas headquarters.

What is the point of all of these Scriptural passages and history? That division is NOT of God! It is born of humans who have refused to follow Christ's commandments and teachings! In other words, division is ALWAYS born of SIN! Division is NOT consistent with Love. It is born of impatience, jealousy, anger, ego/pride, rudeness, unkindness, irritability, giving up, faithlessness, hopelessness, and a distinct lack of forgiveness (see I Corinthians 13:4-7). Schism within the body of Christ is also indicative of individuals who are NOT living according to the beatitudes outlined in Christ's Sermon on the Mount (see Matthew 5:3-10).  In schism, we don't usually find much evidence of humility, hungering for righteousness, mercy, pure hearts, or workers for peace! Hence, we are forced to conclude that ALL schism is born of sin and is INCONSISTENT with Christ's commandment to love each other, and to help each other survive the pitfalls and suffering of this present world! In short, schism CANNOT be justified. None of the excuses offered by those who engage in the practice are ever sufficient to justify it! What do you think?

Are You Following Christ's Example?

Christ told his disciples to follow his example of humility and suffering. Instead, too many of the folks who profess to be disciples of Jesus try to imitate the way that he kept the commandments of Torah (which is IMPOSSIBLE to do)!

In this connection, notice the following passages of Scripture:

Matthew 10:38 “And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.”

Luke 9:23 “Then He said to them all, ‘If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.'”

Luke 14:27 “And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.”

Matthew 16:24 “Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.'”

Mark 8:34 “When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, ‘Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.'”

John 13:12-17 "So after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, 'Know ye what I have done to you? Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him. If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.'"

Matthew 19:21 “Jesus said to him, ‘If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.'”

1 Peter 2:21 “For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps.”

Hebrews 12:2 “Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Matthew 7:21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.”

John 6:38-40 "For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day."

John 6:28-29 "Then said they unto him, 'What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, 'This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.'"

Galatians 2:21 "I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain."

What about you? Are you following Christ's example? OR Are you trying to fulfill the Law which he has already fulfilled?

The Assembly of People Drawn to God Through Jesus Christ

This is what the "ekklesia" really is. It is Not a denomination or other manmade organization. It is NOT a building or meeting place. It is composed of all of those individuals who have accepted Jesus as their Savior and have received God's Holy Spirit. All of its members stand before God pure, clean, and Holy!

An Open Letter to Bill Watson

Dear Bill:

 

I heard the announcement you made in Medina this past Sabbath (11/1/2025) regarding your decision to depart ways with the Church of God International and starting a new organization. In your announcement, you made some comments on some of the reasons for the decision. Since your statements were public, I’m making this an open response. It has already come to our attention that some of the church members appear to be quite concerned after hearing you say that the CGI Board of Directors issued three “ultimatums” to you and the Medina church. I want to take a few moments to address this.

 

The letter wherein the three options were mentioned was written by me and sent to other members of the Board of Directors the same day I sent it to you (August 6, 2025). So they did not read what I wrote regarding the three options before you did. And since I wrote it, I can tell you for certain that it never occurred to me that the three options I mentioned might have even remotely resembled “ultimatums.”

 

Bill, I was merely bringing up the options you already had. Those were options available to you whether I mentioned them or not. I was certainly not issuing ultimatums or mandates or demands of any kind; I was merely stating what was! I even began my statement with “It seems to me….” That’s just not the way one issues an ultimatum!

 

Ultimatum is defined as “a final demand or statement of terms, the rejection of which will result in retaliation or a breakdown in relations.”

 

With that definition in mind, let’s look at what I said. Here’s the paragraph mentioning the three options:

 

It seems to me that if our policies mean anything at all, you have three paths you could take: 1) You could do what any CGI elder “in good standing” is expected to do—abide by the policies for elders and chartered churches. 2) You could request of the MC to reclassify you and the Medina congregation as an “independent affiliate.” 3) You could simply declare your independence and go your way. [Emphasis added.]

 

I was referring to the fact that you are presently operating outside the parameters of the policies set forth for chartered churches in our Manual for Field Churches. Since you are not in compliance with these policies, you automatically (not by “decree” from me or the Board) have the option of bringing yourself into compliance—i.e., correcting the situation. But you can, if you so choose, declare your independence from the Church of God International. That’s another option you already had before I mentioned it. And finally, should your choice be independence from the Church of God International, you have the option of requesting that the Ministerial Council give you the “independent affiliate” classification. Again, all those options were already there before I made mention of them. They were not ultimatums!

 

You will note that I said, “It seems to me….” I put it like that because there may be other options, but as best I can tell (i.e., “It seems to me”) the only viable ones are the three mentioned here. Again, neither I, as Chairman of the Board, nor the Board of Directors collectively were giving you or establishing options; I was merely stating that these are options you have.

 

You will recall that in the email I sent to you on July 8, 2025, I asked you to clarify for me your intentions. This is what the options are about. I was asking you for clarity on what you wanted to do. We exchanged emails and letters, but you never answered the question. Finally you sent an email stating you would give me an answer after the Feast. About two weeks after the Feast, you gave me only a partial answer. You said that the Medina Board agreed to change the name. I then told you that this presumably means that option #1 was ruled out. I then asked you if the Board expressed a preference for one of the other two options, and you never answered…until you announced it last Sabbath.

 

You also stated in your announcement that “the Medina Board had been led to believe…that our name, Church of God International, Medina, could be used in perpetuity. That is, without expiration nor any stipulations. However, the Texas Board made it clear to us the last few months…that this was not true, despite their written statement of affirmation awarding Medina to use their name.”

 

This is another misunderstanding. Here is the written statement of affirmation I sent to you on July 1, 2024:

 

This is to affirm that the Board of Directors of the Church of God International has, for the sole purpose of the purchase of a building, approved the use of the name “Church of God International, Medina” by the Medina, Ohio congregation of the Church of God International. [Emphasis added.]

 

You can see that the affirmation I sent to you was not unconditional. As I explained to you in an email (around August 20, 2025), the part in bold allows us to withdraw approval should the Medina church go independent. Of course it goes without saying that as long as you’re officially a Church of God International congregation, we not only approve your use of the name, we prefer and encourage it. The name-change requirement applies only if you decide you want to operate independently of the Church of God International. That seems like a reasonable requirement to me. It also seems to me that any group parting ways with an organization would want a different name so as to avoid confusion. However, I must add that if the Medina Board had not agreed to the name change, we would have just left it alone. It’s not something worth arguing over.

 

You also stated that there had been “years of…growing tensions between the boards of Texas and Medina.” I was completely unaware of any kind of “growing tensions” between these two boards; this is news to me. The tensions I am aware of have been between you and the Board and/or home office and have concerned primarily organizational and procedural matters. In more recent times, the tensions have revolved around your non-compliance with the policies established by the organization that issued your credentials and paid your salary and expenses, though you once endorsed and upheld these policies. I’ve gone over the specifics with you, and will not repeat them here. In the end, we were unable to come to agreement on the matters I brought up to you, and your recollection of history as it pertains to these matters is quite different from my recollection or that of the Board of Directors or home-office personnel.

 

Nevertheless, I would like to apologize to you on one point—something I mentioned in my letter to you but would later realize was inaccurate. You briefly mentioned it in your announcement but did not elaborate. I had stated in my letter to you that your policy violations included soliciting donations from outside your area by posting a “donation tab” on your previous website. I had my “facts” wrong. It was not a donation tab (like the one on your new website); it was this:

 

Our address for written correspondence and donations:

 

Church of God Intl, Medina

PO Box 1162

Medina, Ohio 44258

 

Please specify on check where you would like the donation to go.

Example: Helping Hands, Tithe, Etc.

 

I would call the above (which was posted on the front page of your old website) a policy violation, but I was in error when I referred to it as a “donation tab.” So I apologize for that.

 

My initial email to you was for the purpose of getting clarity on where you stood with us and what your intentions were going forward. Follow up communications were for the same purpose and to openly and honestly set before you the issues and concerns that have contributed to the tensions between us and led us to the present situation. I initially believed the best option for you would have been the first one of the three, but because of our inability to come to terms on the issues and the history surrounding them, I have to say, sadly, that your decision to part ways was probably best for all parties concerned.

 

I wish you and the Medina brethren the best.

 

Sincerely,

Vance A. Stinson

 

The Most Egregious Sins of the United States

Throughout our history, too many Americans have had much too high an opinion of themselves and their own righteousness as a nation. Unfortunately, the history of the United States is one of many national sins. In considering this question from the perspective of our entire history (I am a historian), it occurred to me that both the Ten Commandments and the Seven Deadly Sins of Christianity would provide an excellent framework for such a discussion. Please consider the following:

1. Idolatry or making the nation into an object of worship and devotion - which manifests as extreme nationalism/patriotism, elevating service to and participation in the national arena a kind of civic religion. We see this in things like the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag, the playing of the National Anthem, Hail to the Chief, and the promotion of patriotic mythologies.

2. Pridefulness - which manifests as pride or boasting about the nation's political system, wealth, military strength, history, education, natural resources, power and influence on the world stage, etc. Americans actively believe and promote the notion that they constitute the greatest nation on the face of the earth, and the corollary view that all other nations are inferior to them.

3. Greediness - which manifests as the relentless exploitation of both natural and human resources. Slavery, child labor, disregard for workers' safety and hygiene, human trafficking, and inadequate compensation and housing for workers are all examples of the exploitation of human resources. Mining, logging, polluting, intensive farming of marginal lands, wanton destruction, waste, and ignoring all problems relating to sustainability are all examples of the exploitation our natural resources.

4. Violence and vengefulness - which has manifested itself in the nation instigating many unjust military actions both within its own borders (think raids against and massacres of Native Americans) and around the world (think Mexican-American War and Spanish-American War). The United States killed large numbers of its own citizens and damaged vast stretches of countryside as a consequence of the American Civil War. The United States also has a reputation for having one of the highest incidences of violent crime of any industrialized nation in the world, and its populace is armed better than most of the nations of the earth!

5. Covetousness - which has manifested itself in the forced acquisition of Native American lands, the internal imposition of the principle of eminent domain on its own populace, the misappropriation of public resources (think lands and forests), and imperialistic policies toward the other nations of the earth.

6. Lustfulness - which has manifested itself in the promotion of prostitution, pornography, advertising, movie making, television programing, misogyny in the workplace and home, abuse of power, pedophilia, the flourishing of serial rapists and murderers, divorce, promiscuity, teen pregnancy, gambling, lotteries, etc.

7. Overindulgence - which has manifested itself in the fact that as high as forty percent of the population suffers from obesity, and large numbers of people have suffered the ill effects of diabetes, smoking, and the consumption of food and drinks with high sodium, sugar, and fat contents. Likewise, this phenomenon has manifested itself in large numbers of folks who regularly abuse alcohol and other mind-altering substances (drugs).

8. Laziness - which has manifest itself in extreme apathy about voting (it has been estimated that more than a third of the eligible voting population didn't vote in the last presidential election), the reluctance of many citizens to fill jobs in certain labor-intensive sectors like agriculture and service. The reluctance of large numbers of people to train for available jobs in the medical or high-tech sectors of the economy. The overall decline in the work ethic of the folks who do participate in the work force (something which is hard to quantify but is readily discernable to employers).

9. Unrighteousness of leadership - which has manifested itself in numerous dirty tricks against political opponents, intentionally lying to the public and each other, the ruthless pursuit and persecution of enemies, marital unfaithfulness, widespread graft and corruption on a grand scale, back-stabbing, and an overall failure to put the country before one's own narrow personal interests or aggrandizement.

10. Hatefulness - which has manifested itself in numerous failures to love America's neighbors. Instead, America has often pursued its own interests at the expense of her neighbors' interests and well-being (think oil and strategic interests related to it). In particular, Americans have often failed to show love to their African brethren - exploiting them for free labor in times past and often ignoring their interests and concerns altogether more recently. Likewise, Americans have often failed to welcome immigrants and political refugees from other nations into their midst (think Chinese, Japanese, Irish, and Latin Americans more recently).

What do you think? 

Bill Watson of Medina, the Latest ACOG Schismatic!

This blogger has watched and commented on Bill Watson's journey into the fringe of the ACOG movement for years. Over those years, Bill has absorbed and embraced extreme right-wing politics in the United States and many of the conspiracy theories endemic to that group. Simultaneously, Bill has resisted any modifications/changes to the core Armstrongist theology of the old Worldwide Church of God. In other words, he has stubbornly refused to let go of teachings (like Anglo-Israelism, headline theology, ministerial authority, etc.) from which others have tried to distance themselves or repudiate altogether.

We have also reported on Bill's efforts to quietly disentangle himself from the Church of God International - the very group which credentialed him as a minister. Bill quietly diverted tithes and offerings away from CGI headquarters in Tyler and began accumulating funds in Ohio in anticipation of forming his own independent ministry. During this period, he also began organizing his own independent feast site for the observance of the Feast of Tabernacles by his followers. He also quietly repaid Tyler the funds used to purchase the building where the Medina congregation meets. More recently, he also abandoned the internet platform provided for him by CGI and created his own website. Moreover, seeing the writing on the wall, Tyler has itself pulled back from Bill and quietly distanced themselves from some of his more extreme teachings.

Now, as is the pattern amongst ALL of the Armstrong Churches of God, Bill has finally pulled the trigger and taken the last official step toward complete independence - He has formally formed his own ministry. Bill's church is now known as Church of God Independent Ministries. Likewise, Tyler has removed Medina, Ohio as one of its United States congregations (Columbus is still listed on their website). More schism, more rancor and bitterness - this is the legacy of the ACOGs. The death spiral continues, and it isn't pretty to watch!

The Human and Divine Perspectives on Righteousness, Suffering, and Blessings Contrasted: The Book of Job

As we have mentioned on this blog in previous posts, the book of Job is widely recognized in scholarly circles as the oldest document in the Hebrew Bible. Moreover, its perspective on the topics of righteousness, suffering, and blessings is unique among the Hebrew canon. The standard formula of blessings for following God's Law and suffering for failure to do so is conspicuously absent from this book. The book is NOT set in the land of Israel, the main characters are Gentile, Torah and the covenant with Israel are not mentioned, and the author(s) of the book is/are completely disinterested in a historical context for the story. And, finally, the book underscores the differences between the Divine perspective on these matters with human ones. In other words, the book of Job is a metaphor for the way in which the entire Bible (Old and New Testaments) was written - providing us with a mixture of both perspectives (Divine and human)!

Among his remarks about Job in his textbook on The Bible, Bart Ehrman wrote: The "problem of suffering" is a perennial problem, especially for those who believe that there is a good and powerful God who is in control of this world. If he is, why is it that the righteous suffer? One can understand why sinners suffer: God must be punishing them. But if God is in control, and he is able to accomplish whatever he desires, and he desires only what is good for his people-why do his people suffer, especially when they do what he has asked them to do? This is a problem that has numerous solutions to it-some of which are probably occurring to you right now, as you think the answer is all too obvious. But to deep thinkers, the answer has never been obvious, and the obvious answers are probably not the right answers. In some ways, that is the overarching message of Job. This observation by Ehrman is reinforced by God's challenge to Job.

In the thirty-eighth chapter of the book, we read: Then the Lord answered Job from the whirlwind: “Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorant words? Brace yourself like a man, because I have some questions for you, and you must answer them. “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell me, if you know so much. Who determined its dimensions and stretched out the surveying line? What supports its foundations, and who laid its cornerstone as the morning stars sang together, and all the angels shouted for joy? (Verses 1-7, NLT) In other words, God's perspective is so expansive and ours is so limited that it is inevitable that our speculation(s) about the problem of suffering will fall miserably short in trying to explain the phenomenon. After all, God has been there from the beginning and has seen EVERYTHING that has happened and has the ability to see ALL of the outcomes of the choices which all of us make continuously!

Now, Jews have traditionally divided the Hebrew Bible into three categories of literature: Law, Prophets, and Writings. Job, of course, belongs to the "Writings" category and is considered part of the "wisdom" genre of biblical literature. In this connection, it is also interesting to note that Job is one of the most uniquely organized books of Scripture. To be clear, the organization of the book is both sophisticated and complex. Consider the following brief outline of the book:

Prologue: Job's Dilemma

I. The Perspectives of Job and his friends (or The Debates, Part 1)

    A. Eliphaz

        1) God blesses the righteous

        2) Job's response

    B. Bildad

        1) Job must have sinned

        2) Job's response

    C. Zophar

        1) Job should accept responsibility for what happened to him

        2) Job's response

 II. The Perspectives of Job and his friends (or The Debates, Part 2)

    A. Eliphaz

        1) Why aren't you afraid to question God?

        2) Job's response

    B. Bildad

        1) The wicked are punished for their sins

        2) Job's response

    C. Zophar

        1) The wicked only prosper temporarily

        2) Job's response

III. The Perspectives of Job and his friends (or The Debates, Part 3)

    A. Eliphaz

        1) People and their righteousness are of no use to God

        2) Job's response

    B. Bildad

        1) Humans are incapable of righteousness

        2) Job's response

IV. Job presents his defense of his integrity and his longing for God's favor

V. The Discourses of Elihu

VI. The Discourses of God and Job's replies to them

Epilogue: God's restoration of Job

Hence, we see that the book of Job is an invitation to have faith in God's judgment - to trust in his perspective! We also see in this book a righteousness that is NOT dependent on the commandments of Torah and is available to Gentiles! The book also portrays Satan as the "accuser" of the brethren (Revelation 12:10), the promoter of death and suffering, and anticipates humanity's need for an Advocate and Savior. Moreover, the message about faith in God's judgment foreshadows the work and message of the Messiah and the New Testament - trusting in God for the ultimate outcome!

Sources:

Bible Hub Outline of Job

Bible Project video presentation on Job

Bible Project Poster on Job

The Bible: A Historical and Literary Introduction by Bart D. Ehrman, Oxford University Press, 2018

Paul to Peter

In his letter to the Christians of Galatia, Paul said that he told Peter: “You and I are Jews by birth, not ‘sinners’ like the Gentiles. Yet we know that a person is made right with God by faith in Jesus Christ, not by obeying the law. And we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we might be made right with God because of our faith in Christ, not because we have obeyed the law. For no one will ever be made right with God by obeying the law. But suppose we seek to be made right with God through faith in Christ and then we are found guilty because we have abandoned the law. Would that mean Christ has led us into sin? Absolutely not! Rather, I am a sinner if I rebuild the old system of law I already tore down. For when I tried to keep the law, it condemned me. So I died to the law—I stopped trying to meet all its requirements—so that I might live for God. My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die." -Galatians 2:15-21, NLT

THE BIBLE Disproves Anglo-Israelism's Teachings About the British Monarchy!

Scout (a regular commentator on Banned by HWA) has written several excellent articles on the DNA evidence which refute Anglo-Israelism. Today, I want to zero in on one of the key teachings of A-I that can be definitively shown to be a gross misinterpretation of Scripture and history.

Like J.H. Allen before him, Herbert Armstrong's version of Anglo-Israelism insisted that God's promise to David of an eternal dynasty could NOT have been fulfilled by Christ alone. He taught that David's throne must continue to exist somewhere on earth until Christ returned to claim it! For Armstrong, that throne continued to exist in Great Britain, and he firmly believed that God had directed Jeremiah to transplant it there.

In The United States and Britain in Prophecy. Herbert Armstrong wrote:

The Eternal first spoke to Jeremiah when he was but a young lad about, some evidence indicates, seventeen years of age. By the time his mission was completed he was an aged, white-haired patriarch. 

This vital yet little-known call and commission is described in the opening verses of the first chapter of the book of Jeremiah. "Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you," the Eternal said to him, "and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations" (Jer. 1:5, RSV). 

But Jeremiah was frightened-afraid! "Ah, Eternal God!" he replied. "Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth." 

But the Eternal answered, "Do not say, 'I am only a youth'; for to all to whom I send you you shall go, and whatever I command you you shall speak. Be not afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you" (verses 6-8). 

Then the Eternal put forth His hand and touched Jeremiah's mouth. "See," said God, "I have set you this day over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to break down, to destroy and to overthrow, TO BUILD AND TO PLANT" (verses 9-10). Or, as this tremendous commission is worded in the Authorized Version: "to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to BUILD, AND TO PLANT."

Armstrong continued to weave the tale. He wrote:

Now consider a much misunderstood passage of prophecy. If you will begin reading at the 18th verse of the 21st chapter of Ezekiel, you will see plainly that the Eternal is here speaking of the captivity of Judah by the king of Babylon. And, beginning in the 25th verse, He says: "And thou, profane wicked prince of Israel [Zedekiah], whose day is come, when iniquity shall have an end, thus saith the Lord God; remove the diadem, and take off the crown [as did happen, through the first half of Jeremiah's commission]: this [the crown] shall not be the same: exalt him that is low, and abase him that is high. I will overturn, overturn, overturn, it: and it shall be no more, until he come whose right it is; and I will give it him."

Let us understand that clearly. "Remove the diadem, and take off the crown." King Zedekiah, of David's dynasty, had the crown. This says it is to be removed. It was removed. He died in Babylon; his sons and all the nobles of Judah were killed.

"This shall not be the same." The diadem is not to cease, but a change is to take place-the throne is to be overturned-another is to wear the crown. God's promise to David is not to go by default! 

Later, in the same book, Armstrong wrote: 

The strange truth of the PLANTING and the REBUILDING of David's throne is revealed in "a riddle and a parable" couched in symbolic language never understood until this latter day. Yet it stands today so clearly explained a little child could understand! 

It fills the 17th chapter of Ezekiel's prophecy. The whole chapter should be carefully read. Notice, first, this prophetic message is addressed, NOT to Judah, the Jews, but to the house of Israel. It is a message to give light to the lost ten-tribed house Of ISRAEL in these latter days! 

First, Ezekiel is told to speak a riddle, and then a parable. The riddle is found in verses 3 to 10. Then, beginning in verse 11, the Eternal explains its meaning. "Say now to the rebellious house [God says, the "rebellious house," being ten-tribed ISRAEL (Ezek. 12:9), to whom Ezekiel is sent a prophet (Ezek. 2:3; 3:1, etc.)]. Know ye not what these things mean? tell them ... " and then the riddle is clearly explained. 

A great eagle came to Lebanon and took the highest branch of the cedar. This is explained to represent King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon who came to Jerusalem and took captive the king of Judah. The cropping off of the cedar's young twigs and carrying them to a land of traffic is explained to picture the captivity of the king's sons. "He took also of the seed of the land" means Nebuchadnezzar took also of the people, and the mighty of the land of Judah. He "set it as a willow tree. And it grew, and became a spreading vine of low stature" means the Jews were given a covenant whereby, although they were ruled over by the Chaldeans, they might live in peace and grow. The other "great eagle" is explained to represent Pharaoh of Egypt. 

Thus the riddle covers the first half of Jeremiah's commission. Now notice what is revealed concerning the second part-the PLANTING of David's throne! It comes in the parable, verses 22-24: "Thus saith the Lord God; I will also take of the highest branch of the high cedar." From God's own explanation we have learned that the cedar tree represents the nation of Judah; its highest branch is Judah's king. The riddle told us Nebuchadnezzar took the highest branch-the king. The parable now tells us God-not Nebuchadnezzar, but God-will take of the highest branch. Not the branch, but OF the branch-of Zedekiah's children. But Nebuchadnezzar took, and killed, all his SONS.

Now, we will demonstrate just how wrong-headed Mr. Armstrong's interpretations of these Scriptures and subsequent history turned out to be! Like Herbie, we will begin in the first chapter of the book of Jeremiah, but we will look at the entire context - not lifting out a few verses to serve as prooftexts!

First, we notice the context of Jeremiah's ministry. We read: The words of Jeremiah, the son of Hilkiah, one of the priests who were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, to whom the word of the Lord came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign. It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, and until the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah, the son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the captivity of Jerusalem in the fifth month. -Jeremiah 1:1-3, ESV Notice, that Jeremiah's work as a prophet began in the reign of King Josiah and spanned the reigns of Jehoiakim and Zedekiah and into the Babylonian Captivity! In other words, Jeremiah's work covered a very important period in the biblical history of the Kingdom of Judah. This is also crucial to understanding the remarks which Armstrong referenced in his book.

Herbie zeroed in on this verse: "See, I have set you this day over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to break down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant." The question then becomes: What does that mean? What exactly did God intend for Jeremiah to do? For the answers to those questions, we need to take a closer look at some of the other content in this important book and compare it to some of the biblical historical books (I & II Kings and I & II Chronicles) related to the kingdom period of Israel's history.

Now, in terms of the passage which Mr. Armstrong focused on, we have this context:  The word of the Lord came to me a second time, saying, “What do you see?” And I said, “I see a boiling pot, facing away from the north.” Then the Lord said to me, “Out of the north disaster shall be let loose upon all the inhabitants of the land. For behold, I am calling all the tribes of the kingdoms of the north, declares the Lord, and they shall come, and every one shall set his throne at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem, against all its walls all around and against all the cities of Judah. And I will declare my judgments against them, for all their evil in forsaking me. They have made offerings to other gods and worshiped the works of their own hands. But you, dress yourself for work; arise, and say to them everything that I command you. Do not be dismayed by them, lest I dismay you before them. And I, behold, I make you this day a fortified city, an iron pillar, and bronze walls, against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests, and the people of the land. They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you, for I am with you, declares the Lord, to deliver you.” -Jeremiah 1:13-19, ESV

Clearly, this context reflects the reality that God was very displeased with the sinfulness of the Kingdom of Judah in terms of both its people and leadership, religious and political. Moreover, through Jeremiah, God warned the people that he was about to allow the Babylonians to destroy the kingdom and uproot the people from their homeland as a punishment for their failure to abide by the terms of his covenant with them. He also warned Jeremiah that everyone would be against him and his message but also assured him that God would not allow them to triumph over him.

In the prophecies which follow this first chapter, the work of Jeremiah unfolded. Jeremiah delivered a series of messages in which he discussed Judah's sins, that Judah had ignored what had happened to Israel, that Judah was continuously backsliding, and that Judah's punishment would come from the great empire to the North. He went on to predict that Jerusalem would be destroyed, and the people would be punished for their blatant hypocrisy and superficial religion. Jeremiah went on to talk about Judah's idolatry, and their violation of God's covenant with them. Jeremiah also continuously called for Judah to repent and lamented the failures of the political and religious leadership of the kingdom. Jeremiah also personally addressed each one of the kings of Judah who had reigned during his tenure as a prophet (Jehoiachin, Jehoiakim, Shallum, and Zedekiah). He went on to also give an account of the fulfillment of his prophecies against the kingdom, Jerusalem, the people, and their leaders. In addition to this focus on Judah, Jeremiah also delivered prophecies against Egypt, Philistia, Moab, Ammon, Edom, Damascus, and Babylon. Thus, in this account of Jeremiah's work, we see how God had set him "over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to break down, to destroy and to overthrow."

Even so, as Herbie pointed out, God had also commissioned Jeremiah "to build and to plant." How did Jeremiah do that? In addition to all of that destruction and upheaval, Jeremiah also wrote: “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’" -Jeremiah 23:5-6, ESV Jeremiah went on to predict that God would one day restore his people to their homeland and bless them again (see Jeremiah 33:1-13).

He continued: “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David, and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In those days Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will dwell securely. And this is the name by which it will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’ “For thus says the Lord: David shall never lack a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel...Thus says the Lord: If you can break my covenant with the day and my covenant with the night, so that day and night will not come at their appointed time, then also my covenant with David my servant may be broken, so that he shall not have a son to reign on his throne, and my covenant with the Levitical priests my ministers. As the host of heaven cannot be numbered and the sands of the sea cannot be measured, so I will multiply the offspring of David my servant, and the Levitical priests who minister to me.” The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: “Have you not observed that these people are saying, ‘The Lord has rejected the two clans that he chose’? Thus they have despised my people so that they are no longer a nation in their sight. Thus says the Lord: If I have not established my covenant with day and night and the fixed order of heaven and earth,  then I will reject the offspring of Jacob and David my servant and will not choose one of his offspring to rule over the offspring of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. For I will restore their fortunes and will have mercy on them.” -Jeremiah 33:14-26, ESV

Did you catch that? Jeremiah predicted that God would one day plant "a righteous Branch" and have it "spring up for David." This is clearly a reference to Jesus Christ, and the future restoration of Judah and Israel! This is what Mr. Armstrong used to refer to as allowing the Bible to interpret itself! Moreover, you will note that this biblical interpretation does NOT require a secret trip to Ireland with a Jewish princess in tow! Now, this interpretation may not be as exciting as Herbie's imaginative narrative about Tea Tephi and King Heremon, and it requires a little more reading and study; but we can see that it is much more consistent with the context and entire content of the book of Jeremiah.

Unfortunately, Mr. Armstrong continuously devalued the role of Jesus Christ in Scripture. He simply could not accept that the Law, Prophets, and Writings of the Hebrew Scriptures pointed to Jesus of Nazareth, and that he FULFILLED them. For Herbie, the physical was more important than the spiritual. For him, Christ had to inherit a physical throne which was still occupied by a physical descendant of David's dynasty! Mr. Armstrong simply could not believe that Jesus alone could fulfill God's promises to Abraham and David - there had to be physical elements to their fulfillment! Hence, it was essential that he create a viable explanation about how God had PHYSICALLY fulfilled his promises to them!

Armstrong simply could NOT accept that David's dynasty failed with the invasion of the Babylonians and their execution of King Zedekiah and his sons (see II Kings 25:1-21 and II Chronicles 36:1-21). Notice too, what the Prophet Amos wrote about David's dynasty in relation to the future restoration of Israel: “In that day I will raise up the booth of David that is fallen and repair its breaches, and raise up its ruins and rebuild it as in the days of old..." Question: If David's tabernacle/house/dynasty didn't really fall, then why did God have to raise it up, repair its breaches, and rebuild its ruins?

Now, having dispensed with Herbie's Jeremiah delusion, we will address his Ezekiel delusions next. Once again, Mr. Armstrong made much of this passage from the twenty-first chapter of that book: “‘You profane and wicked prince of Israel, whose day has come, whose time of punishment has reached its climax, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Take off the turban, remove the crown. It will not be as it was: The lowly will be exalted and the exalted will be brought low. A ruin! A ruin! I will make it a ruin! The crown will not be restored until he to whom it rightfully belongs shall come; to him I will give it.’" -Ezekiel 21:25-27, NIV Once again, it is clear from the context that this passage is referring to Jesus of Nazareth someday taking over the crown, and it makes very plain that it would NOT be restored until Christ inherited it!

Now, we should note that Herbie was very fond of the language of the King James Version when it came to this particular text. In that version, we read: Thus saith the Lord God; Remove the diadem, and take off the crown: this shall not be the same: exalt him that is low, and abase him that is high. I will overturn, overturn, overturn, it: and it shall be no more, until he come whose right it is; and I will give it him." Mr. Armstrong speculated that the overturning of this crown referred to God taking it away from Zedekiah, and transferring it to Ireland (one overturn), transferring it from Ireland to Scotland (second overturn), and then transferring it from Scotland to England (third and final overturn). He went on to twist the meaning of the passage to suggest that it was really saying that the crown wouldn't be overturned anymore until Christ took it over at his second coming!

Laying aside Mr. Armstrong's clear distortion of the final portion of this passage, for the sake of argument, let's admit the possibility that he is right about the "overturn" portion of his interpretation. We have to ask ourselves: Is his speculation about Great Britain the only plausible explanation of this passage? We will shortly demonstrate that the answer to that question is a resounding "NO!"

Earlier in this post, we referenced the Scriptural historical accounts of the overthrow of the Kingdom of Judah. Once again, in the thirty-sixth chapter of the book of Chronicles, we learn that the King of Egypt invaded Judah and remove the crown from Josiah's son and gave it to his brother (after changing his name to Jehoiakim). Do you think that this could explain the first part of Mr. Armstrong's prooftext (Remove the diadem, and take off the crown: this shall not be the same: exalt him that is low, and abase him that is high)? Next, in that same account in the book of Chronicles, we are informed that the King of Babylon invaded Judah and took the throne away from Jehoiakim and gave it to Jehoiachin (one overturn). Then, he removed Jehoiachin and replaced him with Zedekiah (second overturn). Moreover, when Zedekiah rebelled against his overlord (the King of Babylon), the Babylonians returned to Judah and removed Zedekiah and killed all of his sons (third overturn). Now, isn't that more consistent with the facts on the ground and exceedingly more credible/plausible than Mr. Armstrong's fairytale?

Nevertheless, Mr. Armstrong was not yet done with his perversion of Ezekiel's text. He casually referred his readers to another text from that prophet and proceeded to employ it in the capacity of yet another prooftext to support his imaginative fairytale! In the seventeenth chapter of Ezekiel, we read about a highly symbolic prophecy which portrayed the King of Babylon as a great eagle, and the nation of Judah was represented by a tall cedar tree. In the account, the eagle takes sprigs from the top of the tree and brings them to Babylon (symbolic of the imprisonment of the princes of Judah). Then, we come, at long last, to the text which so excited Herbie's imagination: Thus says the Lord God: “I myself will take a sprig from the lofty top of the cedar and will set it out. I will break off from the topmost of its young twigs a tender one, and I myself will plant it on a high and lofty mountain. On the mountain height of Israel will I plant it, that it may bear branches and produce fruit and become a noble cedar. And under it will dwell every kind of bird; in the shade of its branches birds of every sort will nest. And all the trees of the field shall know that I am the Lord; I bring low the high tree, and make high the low tree, dry up the green tree, and make the dry tree flourish. I am the Lord; I have spoken, and I will do it.” -Ezekiel 17:22-24, ESV

Once again, Mr. Armstrong proposed that this text referred to one of Zedekiah's daughters, and Jeremiah taking her to Ireland to marry into the royal family who reigned there. Even so, I feel compelled to point out that the language of this passage fits the person of Jesus Christ so much better! Notice this Messianic prophecy from the book of Isaiah in this connection: There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear, but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist, and faithfulness the belt of his loins. - Isaiah 11:1-5, ESV Likewise, consider this passage from later in the same book: Who has believed our message? To whom has the Lord revealed his powerful arm? My servant grew up in the Lord’s presence like a tender green shoot, like a root in dry ground. There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance, nothing to attract us to him. He was despised and rejected— a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care. Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down...Yet when his life is made an offering for sin, he will have many descendants. He will enjoy a long life, and the Lord’s good plan will prosper in his hands. When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish, he will be satisfied. And because of his experience, my righteous servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for he will bear all their sins. I will give him the honors of a victorious soldier, because he exposed himself to death. He was counted among the rebels. He bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels. - Isaiah 53:1-12, NLT

Of course, as Mr. Armstrong used to say, "One convinced against his will is of the same opinion still!" We are all free to believe whatever we want to believe. I choose to believe Scripture and Jesus Christ. I believe that God had Jesus Christ in mind when he made those promises to Abraham and David, and I believe that Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel were referring to Jesus Christ in the passages cited herein. As I said before, you are free to believe in Herbie's fanciful fairytales if you want to - It's entirely up to you!

  

The ONLY Exertion God Expects from Us: Believe in Jesus of Nazareth!

In the Gospel of John, we are informed that Jesus said: "This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent." (John 6:29, NLT) Thus, it is only by believing that Jesus was/is the Messiah promised in the Hebrew Scriptures and that it is HIS EXERTION/WORK on our behalf which makes us whole and able to stand before Almighty God! Later, in the same Gospel, we read that Christ also said: "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me." (John 14:6, NLT) Unfortunately, too many Christians do NOT understand that Jesus of Nazareth is the ONLY thing that enables us to stand before God whole and clean - NO exertion or work of ours can accomplish that for us!

Now, from the evidence of his epistles, it is very probable that Paul understood this earlier and more completely than any of the original apostles. However, the other writings which make up the New Testament canon also make clear that Peter and James also understood this concept. Hence, we are forced to conclude that all of the confusion and arguments associated with grace versus works must have arisen as a consequence of those Jewish Christians who believed that ALL Christians were obligated to continue to observe the tenets of Torah.

For Paul, this was at the heart of the Gospel message. He wrote to the Christians at Rome: "For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile. This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, 'It is through faith that a righteous person has life.'" (Romans 1:16-17, NLT) A little later, in the same epistle, he wrote: "Obviously, the law applies to those to whom it was given, for its purpose is to keep people from having excuses, and to show that the entire world is guilty before God. For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are.  But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are." (Romans 3:19-22, NLT)

Continuing in Paul's letter to the saints at Rome, we read: "For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he makes sinners right in his sight when they believe in Jesus. Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on obeying the law. It is based on faith. So, we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law." (Romans 3:25-28, NLT) Notice how Paul reiterates this formula (that we are made right with God by our faith in Christ's work) over and over again.

Later, in the same letter, he turned his attention to his own people, the Jews. He wrote: "Dear brothers and sisters, the longing of my heart and my prayer to God is for the people of Israel to be saved. I know what enthusiasm they have for God, but it is misdirected zeal. For they don’t understand God’s way of making people right with himself. Refusing to accept God’s way, they cling to their own way of getting right with God by trying to keep the law. For Christ has already accomplished the purpose for which the law was given. As a result, all who believe in him are made right with God. For Moses writes that the law’s way of making a person right with God requires obedience to all of its commands...If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved." (Romans 10:1-10, NLT)

Nevertheless, there was an element within the community of Jewish Christians who continued to insist that Christians were obligated to observe the tenets of God's covenant with Israel (Acts 15:1-5). In other words, for these folks, the formula was Jesus + the works of the Law (obedience to Torah) = salvation! Indeed, their persistence in pushing this formula caused Paul to almost come unglued in his letter to the saints of Galatia. He wrote: "Jesus gave his life for our sins, just as God our Father planned, in order to rescue us from this evil world in which we live. All glory to God forever and ever! Amen. I am shocked that you are turning away so soon from God, who called you to himself through the loving mercy of Christ. You are following a different way that pretends to be the Good News but is not the Good News at all. You are being fooled by those who deliberately twist the truth concerning Christ." (Galatians 1:4-7, NLT)

He went on to relate how he had to confront the Apostle Peter when he had visited the saints at Antioch because of his efforts to stay on the good side of those Jewish Christians who insisted on Torah observance. He wrote that he had told him: "You and I are Jews by birth, not ‘sinners’ like the Gentiles. Yet we know that a person is made right with God by faith in Jesus Christ, not by obeying the law. And we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we might be made right with God because of our faith in Christ, not because we have obeyed the law. For no one will ever be made right with God by obeying the law." (Galatians 2:15-16, NLT) He went on to say: "I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die!" (Galatians 2:21, NLT)

A little later, in the same epistle, Paul directly addressed the heresy which had invaded Galatia. He wrote: "Oh, foolish Galatians! Who has cast an evil spell on you? For the meaning of Jesus Christ’s death was made as clear to you as if you had seen a picture of his death on the cross. Let me ask you this one question: Did you receive the Holy Spirit by obeying the law of Moses? Of course not! You received the Spirit because you believed the message you heard about Christ. How foolish can you be? After starting your new lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort?" (Galatians 3:1-3, NLT) He went on to reiterate his Gospel message to them: "But those who depend on the law to make them right with God are under his curse, for the Scriptures say, 'Cursed is everyone who does not observe and obey all the commands that are written in God’s Book of the Law.' So it is clear that no one can be made right with God by trying to keep the law. For the Scriptures say, 'It is through faith that a righteous person has life.' This way of faith is very different from the way of law, which says, “It is through obeying the law that a person has life." (Galatians 3:10-12, NLT)

"What about James?" some of my Legalistic friends will demand. I would answer that James preached the same Gospel that Christ and Paul preached. After all, James was clearly a part of the Jerusalem Council, and its decision NOT to impose Torah observance on Gentile Christians (see Acts 15:13-21, ESV). Moreover, just as Paul had noted in his epistle to the Galatians, in his own letter to the twelve tribes scattered abroad, James wrote: "For the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as a person who has broken all of God’s laws. For the same God who said, 'You must not commit adultery,' also said, 'You must not murder.' So, if you murder someone but do not commit adultery, you have still broken the law." (James 2:10-11, NLT)

"Don't stop there, Lonnie!" my Legalistic friends will insist. So, let's continue. James wrote: "What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, and you say, 'Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well'—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? So, you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless. Now someone may argue, 'Some people have faith; others have good deeds.' But I say, 'How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.'" (James 2:14-18, NLT) So, James is saying that a person who truly has the kind of faith which God commands will give evidence of it in the way that they behave?

Doesn't Paul say exactly the same thing in his letter to the Galatians? He wrote: "So, I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses. When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!" (Galatians 5:16-23, NLT)

In other words, these behaviors are evidence of the kind of faith which God demands! They are NOT the consequence of Christians observing the commandments of Torah! Stated yet another way, grace is NOT a license to sin - to engage in bad behaviors! Nevertheless, this is NOT work or exertion - it is a consequence of our FAITH in Christ! Even so, what seems clear to me will appear differently to others - the debate between grace and works will continue!

 

The Apostle Paul: A Necessary Correction

In two previous posts on this blog (Why an Apostle Paul? (Part 1) and (Why an Apostle Paul? (Part 2), I discussed the essential role that Paul played in correcting both the direction and theology of the Christian Church. The Church began as a wholly Jewish institution - composed of Torah observant Jews who believed that Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah promised by the Hebrew Scriptures. Even so, following Christ's death and resurrection, his original disciples/apostles had largely failed to carry out his instructions regarding the Great Commission - to carry his message to the whole world (Gentiles included - see Matthew 28:16-20). Moreover, they had failed to fully comprehend that Christ had fulfilled Torah and the prophets and had freed them from any responsibility to pursue their own righteousness through Torah observance. Paul corrected both of these deficiencies!

Indeed, we are informed in the writings of the New Testament that Christ raised up Paul for this very reason! Paul had been a highly educated and Torah observant Jew who had enthusiastically persecuted Christ's followers. Then, suddenly, Paul experienced Divine intervention in a big way. Christ dramatically tapped him to correct the malaise and misunderstanding which had engulfed his followers since his ascension to heaven. In the book of Acts, we learn that Paul was suddenly struck blind on his way to Damascus to persecute Christians (9:1-9). Then, we read: "Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, 'Ananias.' And he said, 'Here I am, Lord.' And the Lord said to him, “Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.' But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem. And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.' But the Lord said to him, 'Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel.'" (9:10-15, ESV) Notice, that Jesus intended this man (Saul/Paul) to "carry my name before the Gentiles and kings" AND "the children of Israel."

Was Christ being forced to go to "Plan B"? Not at all - Christ was demonstrating that his and the Father's will would not be thwarted by human failures (to act or understand)! His disciples had failed to act on the Great Commission and had failed to understand just how completely he had fulfilled Torah and the Prophets. Notice that Christ's next act was to give Peter a special vision to make him understand that the way to him MUST be opened to the Gentiles (Acts 10-11). Christ used one of his original disciples/apostles to open the door for Paul to carry his message to the Gentiles. Then Paul and Barnabas began carrying the Good News (Gospel) about Christ to peoples outside of Judaea (Acts 13-14). This influx of Gentile Christians into the ekklesia set the stage for the Church to finally confront its continued attachment to Torah observance. Some Jewish Christians insisted that these new Gentile Christians be forced to become Torah observant Jews. This fundamental misunderstanding of the nature of what Christ had done for them, and what responsibilities the New Covenant required of them, led to the decision of the Council at Jerusalem that Gentiles would NOT be required to observe Torah (Acts 15).

Unfortunately, some of those Jewish Christians were not persuaded by the Jerusalem Council's decision and continued to insist that Gentile Christians observe the provisions of Torah (God's covenant with Israel). This is the situation that Paul was addressing in his epistle to the saints of Galatia. Unfortunately, some of the Gentile believers in Christ had been persuaded by this group of Jewish Christians to backslide and try to observe Torah. Paul wrote: "I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ." (Galatians 1:6-7, ESV) After recounting some of his own personal history within the new faith, he went on to say: "We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified. But if, in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we too were found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not! For if I rebuild what I tore down, I prove myself to be a transgressor. For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose." (Galatians 2:15-21, ESV)

He continued: "O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?" (Galatians 3:1-3, ESV) Paul then proceeded to remind the Galatians that Abraham was justified by his faith in God's promise to him. Paul continued: "For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, 'Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.' Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for 'The righteous shall live by faith.' But the law is not of faith, rather 'The one who does them shall live by them.'" (Galatians 3:10-12, ESV) In other words, Paul made very clear to the Galatians that their salvation was accomplished through Jesus Christ and his righteousness, NOT by their own attempts to observe Torah! Thus, through Paul, Christ had moved to put his Church on the track which he had intended from the very beginning.