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. 

The Rest Was Made for Mankind, NOT Mankind for the Rest!

By failing to understand that Christ fulfilled the Law, Sabbatarian Christians unwittingly turn the rest into work! The root of the Hebrew for the Sabbath means to rest, "desist from exertion," stop working. In a way that most English translations fail to do, Young's Literal Translation of Scripture makes this very clear. In that translation, we read: "And the heavens and the earth are completed, and all their host; and God completeth by the seventh day His work which He hath made, and ceaseth by the seventh day from all His work which He hath made. And God blesseth the seventh day, and sanctifieth it, for in it He hath ceased from all His work which God had prepared for making." (Genesis 2:1-3, YLT) Likewise, in the Amplified Bible, we read: "So the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their hosts (inhabitants). And by the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested (ceased) on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. So God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it [as His own, that is, set it apart as holy from other days], because in it He rested from all His work which He had created and done." (Genesis 2:1-3, AMP)

Christ understood that he came to this earth to FULFILL the Law, and this commandment more particularly. In short, Jesus did what the children of Israel could NEVER do, and NEVER did do! The one who created the Sabbath was the one who embodied it!

Many Sabbatarian Christians point to the fact that Jesus kept the Sabbath and taught his disciples and the Jewish religious leaders how to keep it and ask, "Why would he bother to do this if he was about to do away with it?" Unfortunately, by asking this question, they demonstrate that they do NOT understand that Jesus wasn't "doing away with" anything - He was FULFILLING it! Moreover, this isn't just a matter of semantics. There is a real difference between fulfilling something and "doing away with it."

In the Gospel of Matthew, we read: "At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, 'Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.' He said to them, 'Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, and those who were with him: how he entered the house of God and ate the bread of the Presence, which it was not lawful for him to eat nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests? Or have you not read in the Law how on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath and are guiltless? I tell you, something greater than the temple is here. And if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless. For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath. He went on from there and entered their synagogue. And a man was there with a withered hand. And they asked him, 'Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?'—so that they might accuse him. He said to them, 'Which one of you who has a sheep, if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out? Of how much more value is a man than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.' Then he said to the man, 'Stretch out your hand.' And the man stretched it out, and it was restored, healthy like the other. But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him." (Matthew 12:1-14, ESV)

Likewise, the Gospel of Mark adds this to our understanding of Christ's teaching on the Sabbath: "One Sabbath day as Jesus was walking through some grainfields, his disciples began breaking off heads of grain to eat. But the Pharisees said to Jesus, 'Look, why are they breaking the law by harvesting grain on the Sabbath?' Jesus said to them, 'Haven’t you ever read in the Scriptures what David did when he and his companions were hungry? He went into the house of God (during the days when Abiathar was high priest) and broke the law by eating the sacred loaves of bread that only the priests are allowed to eat. He also gave some to his companions.' Then Jesus said to them, 'The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord, even over the Sabbath!'" (Mark 2:23-28, NLT) Christ knew that he had created the rest after he had created everything else (including humankind - see Genesis 1). He wasn't tired or weary. He ceased/finished his work and rested for OUR BENEFIT, NOT HIS!

Interestingly, just before this incident with the Sabbath, we read that Christ had said: "At that time Jesus declared, 'I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.'" (Matthew 11:25-30, ESV)

Now, this is NOT a Lonnie revelation or understanding of Scripture. This is a long-standing understanding of Christ's Church (ekklesia) - the real one, NOT the many manmade organizations which exist and have appropriated its name! Notice some of the excellent quotations from other sources which follow my remarks.

In the Got Questions article "How is Jesus our Sabbath Rest?," we read: "God used the example of His resting on the seventh day of Creation to establish the principle of the Sabbath day rest for His people. In Exodus 20:8-11 and Deuteronomy 5:12-15, God gave the Israelites the fourth of His Ten Commandments. They were to "remember" the Sabbath day and "keep it holy." One day out of every seven, they were to rest from their labors and give the same day of rest to their servants and animals. This was not just a physical rest, but a cessation of laboring. Whatever work they were engaged in was to stop for a full day each week. The Sabbath day was established so the people would rest from their labors, only to begin again after a one-day rest."

Continuing, in the same article, we read: "The various elements of the Sabbath symbolized the coming of the Messiah, who would provide a permanent rest for His people. Once again the example of resting from our labors comes into play. With the establishment of the Old Testament Law, the Jews were constantly "laboring" to make themselves acceptable to God. Their labors included trying to obey a myriad of do’s and don’ts of the ceremonial law, the Temple law, the civil law, etc. Of course they couldn’t possibly keep all those laws, so God provided an array of sin offerings and sacrifices so they could come to Him for forgiveness and restore fellowship with Him, but only temporarily. Just as they began their physical labors after a one-day rest, so, too, did they have to continue to offer sacrifices. Hebrews 10:1 tells us that the law "can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship." But these sacrifices were offered in anticipation of the ultimate sacrifice of Christ on the cross, who "after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right of God" (Hebrews 10:12). Just as He rested after performing the ultimate sacrifice, He sat down and rested—ceased from His labor of atonement because there was nothing more to be done, ever. Because of what He did, we no longer have to "labor" in law-keeping in order to be justified in the sight of God. Jesus was sent so that we might rest in God and in what He has provided."

The article continues: "Another element of the Sabbath day rest which God instituted as a foreshadowing of our complete rest in Christ is that He blessed it, sanctified it, and made it holy. Here again we see the symbol of Christ as our Sabbath rest—the holy, perfect Son of God who sanctifies and makes holy all who believe in Him. God sanctified Christ, just as He sanctified the Sabbath day, and sent Him into the world (John 10:36) to be our sacrifice for sin. In Him we find complete rest from the labors of our self-effort, because He alone is holy and righteous. "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God" (2 Corinthians 5:21). We can now cease from our spiritual labors and rest in Him, not just one day a week, but always." The article concludes with this warning: "There is no other Sabbath rest besides Jesus. He alone satisfies the requirements of the Law, and He alone provides the sacrifice that atones for sin. He is God’s plan for us to cease from the labor of our own works. We dare not reject this one-and-only Way of salvation (John 14:6)."

Likewise, in the Bible Hub Topical Encyclopedia article "Christ as Our Sabbath Rest," we read: "The concept of Christ as our Sabbath rest is deeply rooted in the theological understanding of the Sabbath and its fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus Christ. The Sabbath, instituted by God in the creation narrative, is a day of rest and worship, symbolizing God's rest after the creation of the world (Genesis 2:2-3). In the Old Testament, the Sabbath was a sign of the covenant between God and Israel, a day set apart for rest and spiritual reflection (Exodus 31:16-17)."

The article continues: "In the New Testament, the understanding of the Sabbath is expanded and fulfilled in Jesus Christ. The author of Hebrews provides a profound insight into this fulfillment, stating, "There remains, then, a Sabbath rest for the people of God. For whoever enters God’s rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from His" (Hebrews 4:9-10). This passage indicates that the true Sabbath rest is not merely a cessation of physical labor but a spiritual rest found in Christ."

The article concludes: "For believers, living in the Sabbath rest of Christ means embracing the peace and assurance that comes from faith in His finished work. It involves a continual reliance on His grace and a cessation from the self-reliant efforts to achieve righteousness. This rest is both a present reality and a future hope, as Christians anticipate the ultimate rest in the eternal presence of God. The understanding of Christ as our Sabbath rest encourages believers to live in the freedom and joy of the gospel, resting in the assurance of salvation and the sufficiency of Christ's atoning work. It calls for a life of faith, characterized by trust in God's promises and a commitment to spiritual renewal and worship." 

I highly encourage my readers to read both articles in their entirety. Once again, the notion of Christ as the fulfillment of the Sabbath/rest is NOT a new one. It is one that is deeply rooted in the theology of the Judeo-Christian Scriptures. In Christ alone, we find true rest - rest from ALL of our works for ALL times, not just one day out of seven!

For Your Consideration: Some Questions About Your Observance of the Feast of Tabernacles

What does the Feast of Tabernacles mean to you?

Has your understanding of the festival changed since the first time you observed it? How?

Do you think that your observance of the festival is consistent with Torah's instructions to construct a temporary dwelling and live in it for seven days? Explain.

Do you think your observance of the festival satisfies the commandment to appear before the Lord three times each year at the place which He chooses? Explain.

If Jesus Christ really fulfilled God's Law, how does this festival point to him? If it doesn't point to him, please explain.

What new insights into the Kingdom of God has this year's observance of the FOT imparted to you?

What part do meals and the consumption of alcoholic beverages play in your observance of this festival?

What kind of entertainment activities do you engage in during your festival observance? How do they fit into the overall symbolism of the festival?

How much money have you contributed to the Church and or charities during the festival?

Were the sermons, music, and Bible studies good and relevant? If so, what did you learn from them?

Did you skip any sermons or Church sponsored activities during the festival? If so, why?

If you have a family, did your spouse and/or children enjoy the feast? Did they learn anything new? Would they celebrate the festival if you weren't around?

When will the symbolism of this festival find its fulfillment? If/When that happens, will the festival become a memorial of that/those event(s)?

The Feast of Temporary Dwellings or Ingathering

For the next week, the Armstrong Churches of God will "celebrate" the Feast of Tabernacles at sites all over the United States and the world beyond. There will be lots of sermons about the Millenium and the Wonderful World Tomorrow/Kingdom of God. There will also be a lot of fine dining, consumption of alcoholic beverages, and various entertainments. Unfortunately, NONE of these elements has anything to do with the biblical festival or what it pictures!

According to Chabad.org, in their article What Is Sukkot?, we read: "Of all the Jewish holidays, Sukkot is the only one whose date does not seem to commemorate a historic event. The Torah refers to it by two names: Chag HaAsif ('the Festival of Ingathering,' or 'Harvest Festival') and Chag HaSukkot ('Festival of Booths'), each expressing a reason for the holiday...The name Chag HaSukkot commemorates the temporary dwellings G‑d made to shelter our ancestors on their way out of Egypt (some say this refers to the miraculous clouds of glory that shielded us from the desert sun, while others say it refers to the tents in which they dwelled for their 40-year trek through the Sinai desert)." In the following section of the same article, we also read: "For seven days and nights, we eat all our meals in the sukkah and otherwise regard it as our home. Located under the open sky, the sukkah is made up of at least three walls and a roof of unprocessed natural vegetation—typically bamboo, pine boughs or palm branches."

So, according to the people to whom this festival was originally given, this festival celebrates the dwelling of their people in booths (temporary dwellings) and the fall harvest. Moreover, this is consistent with what we read of those original instructions in the Hebrew Torah. In the twenty-third chapter of Leviticus, we read: "And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 'Speak to the people of Israel, saying, On the fifteenth day of this seventh month and for seven days is the Feast of Booths to the Lord. On the first day shall be a holy convocation; you shall not do any ordinary work. For seven days you shall present food offerings to the Lord. On the eighth day you shall hold a holy convocation and present a food offering to the Lord. It is a solemn assembly; you shall not do any ordinary work.'" (Verses 33-36, ESV) Continuing, we read: "And you shall take on the first day the fruit of splendid trees, branches of palm trees and boughs of leafy trees and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God seven days. You shall celebrate it as a feast to the Lord for seven days in the year. It is a statute forever throughout your generations; you shall celebrate it in the seventh month. You shall dwell in booths for seven days. All native Israelites shall dwell in booths, that your generations may know that I made the people of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God." (Verses 40-43, ESV)

Likewise, in the book of Deuteronomy, we read: "You shall keep the Feast of Booths seven days, when you have gathered in the produce from your threshing floor and your winepress." (16:13, ESV) Notice, here, we see this festival associated with celebrating the fall harvest. Then, a few verses later, we read: "Three times a year all your males shall appear before the Lord your God at the place that he will choose: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, at the Feast of Weeks, and at the Feast of Booths. They shall not appear before the Lord empty-handed." (16:16, ESV) Now, in the ACOGs, the Feast of Booths/Tabernacles has traditionally required the membership to travel to a central site for their celebrations. However, we see here that there were clearly three pilgrimage festivals designated by God for the ancient Israelites, and they were required to attend at the central sanctuary (later designated by God as Jerusalem). Moreover, these THREE festivals are also associated with each other in the book of Exodus, and the Feast of Booths is referred to there as the "feast of ingathering." (Exodus 23:16 and 34:22) Hence, we can see that the scriptural accounts clearly emphasize dwelling in booths and the fall harvest - just as was suggested in the Chabad.org article referenced earlier in this post.

Now, in terms of the meaning of these festivals from a Christian perspective, we know that Jesus of Nazareth claimed that he fulfilled ALL of the Torah and Prophets - that those writings pointed to HIM and his work! Thus, in terms of the meaning of the Feast of Booths, the only relevant questions for Christ's followers are: How did this festival point to HIM? and How did HE fulfill it? For that we need much more than speculation, we need to return to Scripture for the answers!

In the Gospel of John, we read: "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth." (John 1:14, KJV) According to Blue Letter Bible, the Greek word translated here into English as "dwelt" literally means "to fix one's tabernacle, have one's tabernacle, abide (or live) in a tabernacle (or tent), tabernacle"! Notice how this same passage appears in some of the other English translations of the Bible: "So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son." (NLT) "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." (NIV) "And the Word became flesh, and did tabernacle among us, and we beheld his glory, glory as of an only begotten of a father, full of grace and truth." (YLT, Young's Literal Translation) So, like the Jews of old, this Jew from Nazareth temporarily pitched his tent/booth among his people!

Likewise, in the epistle to the Hebrews, we read that Jesus was "for a little while" made lower than the angels (Hebrews 2:9, ESV). Continuing, in that same passage, we read: "Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. Therefore, he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted." (Hebrews 2:14-18, ESV) Just like us, Jesus Christ tabernacled in the same flesh and blood, temporary dwelling, that each of us as humans currently inhabit!

Interestingly, the temporary nature of our current dwellings is a recurring theme in Scripture. Paul wrote to the saints at Corinth about the salvation that they had through Jesus Christ though it was currently contained in "jars of clay" (II Corinthians 4:7, ESV). A little later, in the same letter, he wrote: "For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands." (II Corinthians 5:1, NIV) In similar fashion, Peter wrote this about salvation through Jesus Christ: "Wherefore, I will not be careless always to remind you concerning these things, though, having known them, and having been established in the present truth, and I think right, so long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up in reminding [you], having known that soon is the laying aside of my tabernacle, even as also our Lord Jesus Christ did shew to me, and I will be diligent that also at every time ye have, after my outgoing, power to make to yourselves the remembrance of these things." (II Peter 1:12-15, YLT) Even so, these references to the temporary nature of human life are not confined to the writings of Paul and Peter.

Notice, that there are many passages which support this theme:

"What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes." (James 4:14, NIV)

"Behold, You have made my days a few handbreadths, and my lifetime is as nothing before You. Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath! " (Psalm 39:5, ESV)

"The length of our days is seventy years— or eighty, if we have the strength; yet their span is but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away." (Psalm 90:10, NIV)

"Mortals, born of woman, are of few days and full of trouble. They spring up like flowers and wither away; like fleeting shadows, they do not endure." (Job 14:1-2, NIV)

Alright, we've addressed the symbolism of the temporary dwelling, but what about the harvest aspect of this festival? Jesus equated his work in some of his parables to the harvest (see the Parable of the Sower and the Parable of the Weeds). In the Gospel of Matthew, we read: "And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, 'The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore, pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.'" (Matthew 9:35-38, ESV)

In the Gospel of John, we read that Christ told his disciples: "Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, then comes the harvest’? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest. Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. For here the saying holds true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor." (4:35-38, ESV)

Interestingly, a little later in this same gospel account, we find Christ observing the Feast of Booths (John 7) at Jerusalem, and he gave this message on the last day of the festival: "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified." (John 7:37-39, ESV) A little earlier in this same gospel account, Christ had told Nicodemus: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him." (John 3:16-17, ESV) Clearly, Christ envisioned his work as resulting in a great harvest of souls, and it is clearly significant that he invited everyone to come to him on that last day of the festival.

Thus, for Christians, we have demonstrated that the Feast of Booths points to Jesus Christ and his work on our behalf. The festival pictures him tabernacling in the flesh, so that we can one day also shed these tabernacles of flesh which we currently inhabit! Also, the festival pictures the great harvest of souls in the fall of humankind's history on this planet. A harvest made possible by Jesus of Nazareth! This is the meaning of the Feast of Booths/Tabernacles! 

What You and I Believe About Heaven, Hell, Torment, Punishment, Universalism, and Annihilationism

We all must continuously confront the impulse/need to nail everything down - to have everything explained. Instead of focusing on our own salvation through Jesus Christ, we worry about what will happen if we (or other folks) fail. Indeed, Christian preachers have used fear as a motivator for their evangelistic efforts for most of the last two thousand years. I'm talking about the hellfire and brimstone preachers - the "sinners in the hands of an angry God" folks. Hopefully, we can all acknowledge that this is an unfortunate feature of the history of our faith, and that it is inconsistent with the concepts of love, faith, and hope.

Moreover, I'm hopeful that we can all acknowledge that many extra-biblical notions have arisen down through the centuries in connection with these topics, and that they have also generated a number of attempts to counteract/negate some of those notions. Now, to be clear, whatever you and I believe about these various notions/theological concepts, we should all be willing to acknowledge that we are subject to God's reality - even if that is significantly different from what we believe. For example, our notions of a Devil with horns and pitchfork roasting folks over the fires of hell is an extra-biblical fantasy pure and simple. I challenge anyone to find such a depiction anywhere in Scripture! Likewise, the notion that anything that God created has self-sustaining immortality is NOT supported by Scripture. In other words, EVERYTHING exists at God's pleasure and is sustained by "Him" - only God has true immortality.

Now, having said all of that, whatever we believe about our fate must also be consistent with the fact that God is the personification of LOVE! The kind of love that NEVER fails, is always merciful, compassionate, kind, forgiving, and concerned about the welfare of others. Hence, any notions that we harbor about vindictiveness, anger, wrath, or uncompromising harshness are obviously inconsistent with a being who is the personification of that kind of LOVE! What's more, I know that prooftexts are not necessary to support the points just made - anyone who has an even passing familiarity with Scripture can think of multiple passages which supports these assertions.

Finally, the Bible is literally full of God's plan to redeem mankind from their sins and reconcile them to "Himself." Moreover, it would be hard to find a Christian anywhere who is not familiar with this passage from the Gospel of John: "For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him." (John 3:16-17, NLT) Now, that being God's will and plan and knowing that God has the ability to accomplish his will, a number of questions come to mind: Can a plan which doesn't redeem the majority of humankind be judged a success? After all, if God is willing to go to such links to ensure "HIS" plan's success (the sacrifice of "his" beloved Son), is it plausible/reasonable to believe that "he" would tolerate failure on such a scale? And, how could the continued existence of anyone in a state of torment or suffering be consistent with the New Heavens and Earth promised in Scripture?

We must, of course, all come to our own conclusions about these matters. This post was not meant to convert anyone to one of the theologies suggested in the title. Personally, I'm familiar with all of these concepts and am not completely comfortable with any of them. My purpose, as always, was to challenge folks to think about what they believe and why. What about you? Are your own views consistent with the broad Scriptural principles outlined in this post?

Bob Thiel: Failing to Fast on the DOA Means You Have NO Atonement!

In his Fasting Tips for the Day of Atonement, CCG Pastor Bob Thiel referenced several prooftexts (Leviticus 23:32, Isaiah 58:5 and quoted Isaiah 22:12-14) and then observed: "Notice that not avoiding food when told to is equated to having no atonement." For Bob, the Day of Atonement is a day for FASTING - a day to refrain from eating and drinking. Bob then proceeded to devote several paragraphs to some old instructions about the observance of THE FAST from donut and coffee DOA, Herbert W Armstrong. Now, to be fair, Bob does talk about Jesus Christ being our Atonement in the very last paragraph of his article!

In other words, typical DOA Armstrong Church of God dribble! Unfortunately, these folks are all about scrupulous observance of physical acts/rituals. For the most part, the actual meaning of what they are doing is completely lost on them. Sure, there will be the usual sermons about Satan getting his due, but there won't be much discussion about Jesus Christ atoning for our sins - the very things that have separated all of us from our God. Unfortunately, the reality is that there won't be much discussion about Jesus Christ carrying the burden of our sins and reconciling us to our Father in Heaven! Likewise, the focus in most congregations will be on their own suffering, and NOT on the suffering of Jesus of Nazareth. Ever heard of straining at a gnat and swallowing a camel? That whooshing sound that your hearing is what the DOA represents sailing right over the heads of most of the folks occupying seats in ACOG congregations around the world!

The Atonement: Being Made at One with God

The Problem: It’s your sins that have cut you off from God. Because of your sins, he has turned away and will not listen anymore. - Isaiah 59:2, NLT

The Solution Foreshadowed: Aaron must take from the community of Israel two male goats for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. Aaron will present his own bull as a sin offering to purify himself and his family, making them right with the Lord. Then he must take the two male goats and present them to the Lord at the entrance of the Tabernacle. He is to cast sacred lots to determine which goat will be reserved as an offering to the Lord and which will carry the sins of the people to the wilderness of Azazel. Aaron will then present as a sin offering the goat chosen by lot for the Lord. The other goat, the scapegoat chosen by lot to be sent away, will be kept alive, standing before the Lord. When it is sent away to Azazel in the wilderness, the people will be purified and made right with the Lord...Then Aaron must slaughter the first goat as a sin offering for the people and carry its blood behind the inner curtain. There he will sprinkle the goat’s blood over the atonement cover and in front of it, just as he did with the bull’s blood. Through this process, he will purify the Most Holy Place, and he will do the same for the entire Tabernacle, because of the defiling sin and rebellion of the Israelites. No one else is allowed inside the Tabernacle when Aaron enters it for the purification ceremony in the Most Holy Place. No one may enter until he comes out again after purifying himself, his family, and all the congregation of Israel, making them right with the Lord. Then Aaron will come out to purify the altar that stands before the Lord. He will do this by taking some of the blood from the bull and the goat and putting it on each of the horns of the altar. Then he must sprinkle the blood with his finger seven times over the altar. In this way, he will cleanse it from Israel’s defilement and make it holy. When Aaron has finished purifying the Most Holy Place and the Tabernacle and the altar, he must present the live goat. He will lay both of his hands on the goat’s head and confess over it all the wickedness, rebellion, and sins of the people of Israel. In this way, he will transfer the people’s sins to the head of the goat. Then a man specially chosen for the task will drive the goat into the wilderness. As the goat goes into the wilderness, it will carry all the people’s sins upon itself into a desolate land. - Leviticus 16:5-10 and 15-22, NLT

The Symbolism Explained: That first covenant between God and Israel had regulations for worship and a place of worship here on earth. There were two rooms in that Tabernacle. In the first room were a lampstand, a table, and sacred loaves of bread on the table. This room was called the Holy Place. Then there was a curtain, and behind the curtain was the second room called the Most Holy Place. In that room were a gold incense altar and a wooden chest called the Ark of the Covenant, which was covered with gold on all sides. Inside the Ark were a gold jar containing manna, Aaron’s staff that sprouted leaves, and the stone tablets of the covenant. Above the Ark were the cherubim of divine glory, whose wings stretched out over the Ark’s cover, the place of atonement. But we cannot explain these things in detail now.

When these things were all in place, the priests regularly entered the first room as they performed their religious duties. But only the high priest ever entered the Most Holy Place, and only once a year. And he always offered blood for his own sins and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance. By these regulations the Holy Spirit revealed that the entrance to the Most Holy Place was not freely open as long as the Tabernacle and the system it represented were still in use.

This is an illustration pointing to the present time. For the gifts and sacrifices that the priests offer are not able to cleanse the consciences of the people who bring them. For that old system deals only with food and drink and various cleansing ceremonies—physical regulations that were in effect only until a better system could be established. So Christ has now become the High Priest over all the good things that have come. He has entered that greater, more perfect Tabernacle in heaven, which was not made by human hands and is not part of this created world. With his own blood—not the blood of goats and calves—he entered the Most Holy Place once for all time and secured our redemption forever.

Under the old system, the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer could cleanse people’s bodies from ceremonial impurity. Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins. That is why he is the one who mediates a new covenant between God and people, so that all who are called can receive the eternal inheritance God has promised them. For Christ died to set them free from the penalty of the sins they had committed under that first covenant.

That is why even the first covenant was put into effect with the blood of an animal. For after Moses had read each of God’s commandments to all the people, he took the blood of calves and goats, along with water, and sprinkled both the book of God’s law and all the people, using hyssop branches and scarlet wool. Then he said, “This blood confirms the covenant God has made with you.” And in the same way, he sprinkled blood on the Tabernacle and on everything used for worship. In fact, according to the law of Moses, nearly everything was purified with blood. For without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness.

That is why the Tabernacle and everything in it, which were copies of things in heaven, had to be purified by the blood of animals. But the real things in heaven had to be purified with far better sacrifices than the blood of animals.

For Christ did not enter into a holy place made with human hands, which was only a copy of the true one in heaven. He entered into heaven itself to appear now before God on our behalf. And he did not enter heaven to offer himself again and again, like the high priest here on earth who enters the Most Holy Place year after year with the blood of an animal. If that had been necessary, Christ would have had to die again and again, ever since the world began. But now, once for all time, he has appeared at the end of the age to remove sin by his own death as a sacrifice.

And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment, so also Christ was offered once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for him. - Hebrews 9:1-28, NLT

The old system under the law of Moses was only a shadow, a dim preview of the good things to come not the good things themselves. The sacrifices under that system were repeated again and again, year after year, but they were never able to provide perfect cleansing for those who came to worship. If they could have provided perfect cleansing, the sacrifices would have stopped, for the worshipers would have been purified once for all time, and their feelings of guilt would have disappeared.

But instead, those sacrifices actually reminded them of their sins year after year. For it is not possible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. That is why, when Christ came into the world, he said to God, “You did not want animal sacrifices or sin offerings. But you have given me a body to offer. You were not pleased with burnt offerings or other offerings for sin. Then I said, ‘Look, I have come to do your will, O God— as is written about me in the Scriptures.’

First, Christ said, “You did not want animal sacrifices or sin offerings or burnt offerings or other offerings for sin, nor were you pleased with them” (though they are required by the law of Moses). Then he said, “Look, I have come to do your will.” He cancels the first covenant in order to put the second into effect. For God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time.

Under the old covenant, the priest stands and ministers before the altar day after day, offering the same sacrifices again and again, which can never take away sins. But our High Priest offered himself to God as a single sacrifice for sins, good for all time. Then he sat down in the place of honor at God’s right hand. There he waits until his enemies are humbled and made a footstool under his feet. For by that one offering he forever made perfect those who are being made holy.

And the Holy Spirit also testifies that this is so. For he says, “This is the new covenant I will make with my people on that day, says the Lord: I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds.” Then he says, “I will never again remember their sins and lawless deeds.” And when sins have been forgiven, there is no need to offer any more sacrifices. - Hebrews 10:1-18, NLT

The Solution Predicted: 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. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins! But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all. He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth. Unjustly condemned, he was led away. No one cared that he died without descendants, that his life was cut short in midstream. But he was struck down for the rebellion of my people. He had done no wrong and had never deceived anyone. But he was buried like a criminal; he was put in a rich man’s grave. But it was the Lord’s good plan to crush him and cause him grief. 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

He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west. - Psalm 103:12, NLT

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, 'Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!' - John 1:29, NLT

The Solution Carried Out: When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God. - Romans 5:6-11, NLT

And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ. - II Corinthians 5:18-21, NLT

For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross. This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions. Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault. - Colossians 1:19-22, NLT

Herbert Armstrong's Fanciful History of the Angelic Realm

Herbert Armstrong, founder of the now defunct Worldwide Church of God and Plain Truth magazine, wrote about the angelic realm:

Mystery of the Ages: The Perfect Creation

In Job 38:4, 7, God is speaking specifically of the creation of this earth. He said all the angels (created “sons of God”) shouted for joy at the creation of the earth. This reveals that angels were created before the creation of the earth-and probably before the material universe. The suns, planets and astral bodies are material substance. Angels are individually created spirit beings, composed solely of spirit. It will come as a surprise to many to learn that angels inhabited this earth BEFORE the creation of man. This passage from Job implies it.  

Mystery of the Ages: Angels on Earth Sinned

It is revealed in Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28, that God placed the archangel Lucifer, a cherub, on a throne on the earth. He was placed there as a ruler over the entire earth. God intended him to rule the earth by administering the government of God over the earth. And the government of God was administered on earth until the rebellion of the sinning angels. 

How long these angels inhabited the earth before the creation of man is not revealed. It might have been millions-or even billions-of years. More on that later. But these angels sinned. Sin is the transgression of God’s law (I John 3:4). And God’s law is the basis of God’s government. So we know these angels, apparently a third of all the angels (Rev. 12:4), sinned-rebelled against the government of God. And sin carries penalties. The penalty for the sin of the angels is not death, as it is for man. Angels are immortal spirit beings and cannot die. These spirit beings had been given dominion over the PHYSICAL EARTH as a possession and an abode. 

The universal, worldwide sin of the angels resulted in the physical destruction of the face of the earth. 

Mystery of the Ages: A Surprising Truth

Now another surprise for most readers. Here is another bit of the missing dimension in knowledge, actually revealed in the Bible, but unrecognized by religion, by science and by higher education. 

From verse 2 of Genesis 1 on, the remainder of this first chapter of the Bible is not describing the original creation of the earth. But it is describing a renewing of the face of the earth, after it had become waste and empty as a result of the sin of the angels. 

What is described from verse 2 on, in the supposed creation chapter of the Bible, did occur, according to the Bible, approximately 6,000 years ago. But that could have been millions or trillions of years after the actual creation of the earth described in verse 1! 

I will comment later on the length of time it might have taken before all earth’s angels turned to rebellion. 

The earth had become waste and empty. God did not create it waste and empty, or in a state of decay. God is not the author of confusion (I Cor. 14:33). This same Hebrew word-tohu-meaning waste and empty, was inspired in Isaiah 4518, where it is translated “in vain.” Using the original Hebrew word, as originally inspired, it reads: “For thus saith the Lord that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain [tohu], he formed it to be inhabited.” 

Continue now with the remainder of verse 2 of Genesis 1 (the earth had become chaotic, waste and empty): “And darkness was upon the face of the deep [the ocean or fluid surface of the earth]. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness” (verses 2-4). 

Satan is the author of darkness. The rebellion of the angels had caused the darkness. God is the author of light and truth. Light displays and enhances beauty, and also exposes evil. Darkness hides both. 

The verses that follow in this first chapter of the Bible describe the renewing of the face of the earth, yielding beautiful lawns, trees, shrubs, flowers, vegetation-then the creation of fish and fowl, animal life, and finally man.

Mystery of the Ages: God's Purpose for Angels

So the angel potential was to take over the entire universe-to improve and finish the billions of physical planets surrounding the uncountable stars, many of which are SUNS. The sun in our solar system is merely an average-size sun. Some that we see as stars are actually many, many times larger than our sun. Our solar system, vast beyond the imagination of most minds, is only a part of our galaxy, and there are many galaxies! In other words, the physical UNIVERSE that the mighty God created is vast beyond imagination! How GREAT is the GREAT GOD! 

He intended angels to have a vital part in the final creation of the endless universe! 

(But God may not have then fully revealed this awesome potential to the angels, for one third of them set out to take it from him by force, without first qualifying.) 

For this far-reaching purpose, God established his GOVERNMENT on earth over them. The administration of the GOVERNMENT OF GOD over this globe was delegated to the super archangel-the great cherub Lucifer. 

Bear in mind that even the holy angels and archangels-including this super cherub Lucifer-of necessity were endowed with ability to think, to reason, to form attitudes, and to make choices and decisions.

The Incredible Human Potential: What Caused the Angels' Sin?

He had created a beautiful, perfect creation in the earth. He populated it with holy angels - probably millions of them. He put over them, as king, on an earthly throne, the archangel - the cherub Lucifer. Lucifer was the supreme masterpiece of God's creative power as a single separately created Spirit being. He was the most perfect in beauty, power, mind, knowledge, intellect, wisdom, within the almighty power of God to create. God can create nothing higher or more perfect, by instantaneous fiat. 

Yet this great being, knowledgeable, trained and experienced at God's own throne in heaven over the universe and the administration of the government of God, had rejected that government, corrupted his way, rebelled against administering or even obeying it. He had led all his angels astray and into the sin of rebellion and disloyalty. 

Now consider further. Apparently, the entire universe had been created also at the time of the earth's creation. There is no evidence either in God's revealed Word, nor in science, that any of the planets in endless outer space had been inhabited with any form of life. But God does nothing in vain. He always has a purpose.

 

Apparently, all such planets in the entire universe NOW are waste and empty - decayed (tohu and bohu) - Like the earth was, as described in Genesis I :2. But God did not create them in such conditions of decay - like our moon. Decay is not an original created condition - it is a condition resulting from a process of deterioration. Evidently if the now fallen angels had maintained the earth in its original beautiful condition, improved it, carried out God's instructions, and obeyed His government, they would have been offered the awesome potential of populating and carrying out a tremendous creative program throughout the entire universe. When they turned traitor on earth, their sin must have also brought simultaneously physical destruction to the other planets throughout the universe, which were potentially and conditionally put in subjection to them.

 

As God surveyed this cataclysmic tragedy, He must have realized that since the highest, most perfect being within His almighty power to create, had turned to rebellion, it left God Himself as the only being who would not and cannot sin...

 

God saw that no being less than God, in the God Family, could be certainly relied on never to sin - to be like God - who cannot sin. To fulfill His purpose for the entire vast universe, God saw that nothing less than Himself (as the God Family) could be absolutely relied upon to carry out that supreme purpose in the entire universe.

 

God then purposed to reproduce Himself, through humans, made in His image and likeness, but made first from material flesh and blood, subject to death if there is sin unrepented of - yet with the possibility of being born into the Divine Family begotten by God the Father. 

Unfortunately, Mr. Armstrong's logic and writing style were so flawed that it makes it more difficult to get a handle on precisely what he was teaching. As a consequence, I will follow the order of his presentation of this material and summarize the major points he made in this regard (hopefully, making it easier for the reader to follow along and make sure that I have accurately characterized his teachings.

My summary:

1. Mr. Armstrong taught that the book of Job suggested that angels were created prior to the physical universe, and that they inhabited the earth before humankind was created.

2. He also taught that passages in Isaiah and Ezekiel reveal that Lucifer was placed on the throne of earth over the angelic host. Armstrong went on to teach that these angels sinned, and that the penalty for their sins was not death (because they were immortal beings).

3. Instead, according to Mr. Armstrong, the angels' sin caused the destruction of the earth's surface - forcing God to recreate/renew the face of the earth. He then concluded that God had intended for the angels "to improve and finish" the other solar systems of the universe!

4. Mr. Armstrong taught that Lucifer represented the pinnacle of God's creative power, and that he had been trained at God's throne in heaven. Moreover, Armstrong taught that Lucifer had rejected God's governance and had led a great angelic rebellion against Him!

5. As a consequence of Lucifer's failure, Mr. Armstrong taught that God had decided that only a God-being could be relied upon. Hence, according to Herbert, God then decided to reproduce Himself, and that he would accomplish that through the creation of humankind. In other words, humankind represented PLAN B!

Now that we have summarized Armstrong's teachings about the history of the angelic host, we can begin to take a look at his scriptural prooftexts and critically dissect the flawed reasoning that led to his erroneous conclusions and teachings.

First, this is the actual text from the passage in Job which Mr. Armstrong referenced in his book:

"Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said: 'Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Dress for action like a man; I will question you, and you make it known to me. Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements—surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone, when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?'" (Job 38:1-7, ESV)

So, we see that the actual context of this passage was God's confrontation of Job's self-righteousness. He was telling Job to put on his big boy pants and answer His questions. "Where were you when I created the earth?" He demanded. In the course of this conversation, we can clearly see that God used flowery and symbolic prose to describe His creation of the earth. As part of this discourse, God revealed to Job that the "morning stars" (angels) sang together, and "all the sons of God" (spirit beings/angels) "shouted for joy."

Now, while it is reasonable to deduce from this passage that angels and spirit beings were created prior to the physical earth and were witnesses to its actual creation, there is NO explicit or implied statement that it was created for them! It is very clearly a stretch to suggest otherwise! Moreover, I defy anyone to point to any place in this passage where it is even remotely suggested that angels lived on this earth before humans! Anyone up for that challenge? If so, please respond in the comments section.

Moreover, before we leave the book of Job, we should note that this is the first mention in the Hebrew Bible of an entity known as "Satan." And, at the beginning of the book, it is made very clear that this Satan still had access to God's throne in heaven at the time that this story took place - ostensibly, many years after the appearance of humans on this planet! (See Job 1:6 and 2:1)

This is especially interesting in terms of this passage from the book of Revelation: 

And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth. And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems. His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child he might devour it. She gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne, and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, in which she is to be nourished for 1,260 days. Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, 'Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death. Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!'" (Revelation 12:1-12, ESV)

In this passage from the New Testament, it is clearly suggested that this great angelic war happened sometime after the appearance of the Messiah and the institution of his Church, and that this event finally resulted in the Dragon/Satan and his angels being cast out of heaven and losing their right of access to that place! Moreover, this passage clearly suggests that prior to this event that they had a place in heaven!

This, of course, is more consistent with a host of other scriptural passages than Armstrong's teachings on the subject. In the Gospels, angels are always associated with heaven (Matthew 18:10, 22:30, 24:31, 36, Mark 12:25, 13:32, Luke 2:15, John 1:51). Likewise, in the book of Jude, we read about: "the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority but left their proper dwelling..." (Jude 6) And, finally, there is Christ's own statement that he saw Satan "fall like lightning from heaven." (Luke 10:18). We should also note that all of these passages suggest that the angelic host also had/have access to the earth, acting in their capacity as God's servants/messengers!

For instance, we find the Serpent present in the Garden of Eden! Moreover, when we read through the narrative in the second and third chapters of the book of Genesis, it appears that the Serpent did not have any negative connotation associated with him prior to the events with the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. After all, God didn't curse him until after he had deceived Eve and caused her to disobey God! It was only then that God declared: "Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel." (Genesis 3:14-15, ESV) Wait a minute! Did that passage suggest that the days of Satan's life were limited?

Let's take a look at those passages from Isaiah and Ezekiel that Mr. Armstrong referenced in his remarks above. In the fourteenth chapter of the book of Isaiah, we read this passage about the "King of Babylon:"

How the oppressor has ceased, the insolent fury ceased! The Lord has broken the staff of the wicked, the scepter of rulers, that struck the peoples in wrath with unceasing blows, that ruled the nations in anger with unrelenting persecution. The whole earth is at rest and quiet; they break forth into singing. The cypresses rejoice at you, the cedars of Lebanon, saying, ‘Since you were laid low, no woodcutter comes up against us. Sheol beneath is stirred up to meet you when you come; it rouses the shades to greet you, all who were leaders of the earth; it raises from their thrones all who were kings of the nations. All of them will answer and say to you: ‘You too have become as weak as we! You have become like us!’ Your pomp is brought down to Sheol, the sound of your harps; maggots are laid as a bed beneath you, and worms are your covers. 'How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low! You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’ But you are brought down to Sheol, to the far reaches of the pit. Those who see you will stare at you and ponder over you: ‘Is this the man who made the earth tremble, who shook kingdoms, who made the world like a desert and overthrew its cities, who did not let his prisoners go home?' All the kings of the nations lie in glory, each in his own tomb; but you are cast out, away from your grave, like a loathed branch, clothed with the slain, those pierced by the sword, who go down to the stones of the pit, like a dead body trampled underfoot. You will not be joined with them in burial, because you have destroyed your land, you have slain your people. May the offspring of evildoers nevermore be named! (Isaiah 14:4-20, ESV)

Now, to be clear, there are those who see this passage as comparing the actual human king of Babylon to Lucifer/Satan, and there are those who see this passage as comparing Lucifer/Satan to the human king. Although an important distinction, for our purposes, I believe this argument is academic. However, one chooses to interpret this passage, the termination of the subject's life and power is delineated in the starkest terms imaginable. In other words, there isn't any possible interpretation which ends in the immortality of the individual in question!

Likewise, when we take a closer look at the twenty-eighth chapter of the book of Ezekiel, we are forced to reach a similar conclusion about the subject of the text. The chapter begins with a passage reprimanding the prince of Tyre, which clearly pointed to the human ruler of the city. This is followed by a passage addressed to the king of Tyre - a personage who is clearly extraordinary (not human). We read there:

"You were the signet of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering, sardius, topaz, and diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper, sapphire, emerald, and carbuncle; and crafted in gold were your settings and your engravings. On the day that you were created they were prepared. You were an anointed guardian cherub. I placed you; you were on the holy mountain of God; in the midst of the stones of fire you walked. You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created, till unrighteousness was found in you. In the abundance of your trade you were filled with violence in your midst, and you sinned; so I cast you as a profane thing from the mountain of God, and I destroyed you, O guardian cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. Your heart was proud because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor. I cast you to the ground; I exposed you before kings, to feast their eyes on you. By the multitude of your iniquities, in the unrighteousness of your trade you profaned your sanctuaries; so I brought fire out from your midst; it consumed you, and I turned you to ashes on the earth in the sight of all who saw you. All who know you among the peoples are appalled at you; you have come to a dreadful end and shall be no more forever." (Ezekiel 28:12-19, ESV)

Are these passages suggesting that Satan and his angels are NOT immortal? Yes, that's exactly what they are saying! Apparently, taking into account the totality of Scripture, angels have the ability to exist indefinitely. They are, however, still CREATED beings! As such, they continue to exist at the pleasure of Almighty God! Notice that, in his first letter to Timothy, Paul wrote that Jesus is "King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion." (I Timothy 6:16, ESV) Apparently, immortality is a God quality/characteristic!

In this connection, we should look again at the book of Revelation and see what John had to say about the ultimate fate of Satan. In the twentieth chapter of that book, we read: "an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while." (Verses 1-3, ESV)

First, notice that this passage is referencing a TEMPORARY imprisonment of Satan - it says absolutely NOTHING about his ultimate fate! Indeed, we find the subject of his ultimate fate addressed later on in the same chapter - after the millennial reign of Christ and his saints. In verse ten, we read that Satan will be thrown into the Lake of Fire, where the Beast and the False Prophet had already been tossed. After this we read of the "Great White Throne Judgment," and that, finally, "Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire." (Revelation 20:14, ESV) In other words, this means permanent/eternal death! There is no resurrection from this one! Everyone thrown into this "fire" ceases to exist forever! This is consistent with Paul's statement to the Romans that the "wages of sin is DEATH," and that eternal life is God's GIFT! Moreover, it is also consistent with John's statement that there wouldn't be any more sorrow, tears, or pain in the New Heavens and the New Earth (Revelation 21:1-4). In other words, the continued existence of ANYONE (including Satan) in a state of torment would contradict this statement!

One more thing before we finish. What was God's purpose for the angels? In the book of Hebrews, we read: "Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs. For to which of the angels did God ever say, 'You are my Son, today I have begotten you?' Or again, 'I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son?' And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says, 'Let all God's angels worship him.' Of the angels he says, 'He makes his angels winds, and his ministers a flame of fire.'" (Hebrews 1:1-7, ESV) Clearly, Christ is/was superior to angels, and they NEVER had the potential to become Sons of God!

Likewise, a little later in the same chapter, we read: "And to which of the angels has he ever said, 'Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet?' Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation? (Hebrews 1:13-14, ESV) Once again, this passage makes very clear that angels NEVER had any part in humankind's potential or purpose! Moreover, in the very next chapter, we read: "Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. Therefore, he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people." (Hebrews 2:14-16, ESV) In other words, in the words of one of my past posts, God is NOT working on "Plan B!"

Hence, we can see that Herbert Armstrong's cherry-picking of Scripture and faulty reasoning led him to construct a fanciful history of the angelic realm - one that is certainly NOT rooted in Scripture! The Plain Truth is that angels were created to serve God and humankind, and that those of their number who rebelled against this purpose (including Satan) will eventually face complete annihilation!