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Introduction
Some say that the “Work” is over—that all we need to do is to prepare for the Return of Jesus Christ. They grossly misunderstand what God’s Work is. The Bible uses the concept of “God’s Work” or the “Work of God” in many different ways. But as we will see, they all harmonize or complement each other; there is no contradiction. We will show how great God is and how His master plan is being worked out here below.
In order to follow God and His Way of Life, we need to have a vision for the future. We need to know what our potential is, and why we are called in this day and age. We also need to know that God has commissioned His Church to carry out a very important and salvational purpose.
Proverbs 29:18 tells us (Authorized Version): “Where there is no vision, the people perish…” They lose sight of their potential, and they drift away.
This must not happen to anyone of us, and this booklet will help you to stay on guard and not to give up.
Chapter 1 The Rise of the Roman Empire and God’s End-Time Work
In this first chapter, we will begin to address God’s Work in the context of the prophetic revival of the ancient Roman Empire in Europe and, in connection therewith, the preaching of the gospel in the world as a witness, because both concepts are necessary to lead to the soon-coming Return of Jesus Christ to establish God’s Kingdom here on earth.
Four Kingdoms
In our free booklet, “Evil Empires and Evil People—Wild Beasts of the Bible,” we state the following:
“In Daniel 7, four great world-ruling empires (called ‘kingdoms’ in Daniel 2 and 7) are described, which are seen by Daniel in a vision as four wild beasts… When Daniel saw the vision, only the first empire was in existence—the Babylonian Empire, which was symbolized as a lion (verse 4). It was to be followed by the Medo-Persian Empire, which was symbolized as a bear (verse 5). It, in turn, was to be replaced by the Greco-Macedonian Empire, which was symbolized by a leopard with four heads and four wings (verse 6). In his vision, Daniel also saw a fourth vicious beast with ten horns (verse 7). Although the exact identity of that beast is not revealed, nor is it identified by name, it is unanimously accepted by biblical scholars and historians that the fourth empire, which subdued the third beast, represents the Roman Empire. It was to exist, through numerous revivals, until the return of Jesus Christ and the establishment of the Kingdom of God here on earth (verses 19–27).
“After its fall, the Roman Empire would be revived ten times. Revelation 13 describes the Roman Empire as a beast with seven heads and ten horns. Quoting from our free booklet, ‘The Mysteries of the Book of Revelation’: ‘The beast with the seven heads and ten horns was like a leopard, with feet of a bear and a mouth of a lion (Revelation 13:2)… Comparing [the] four beasts in the book of Daniel [chapter 7] with the one beast in Revelation 13, we can see that the beast in Revelation is a conglomeration of those four beasts in Daniel. It has seven heads, because it combines the head of the lion, the head of the bear, the four heads of the leopard, and the head of the fourth beast with ten horns.’
The Fourth Kingdom and It’s Revivals
“As mentioned, virtually all Bible scholars confirm the historical fact that the fourth beast in Daniel 7 was the Roman Empire. The beast in Revelation 13 describes the continuation of the Roman Empire, through its ten revivals. Continuing with quoting from our booklet [‘The Mysteries of the Book of Revelation’]: ‘According to Daniel 7:24, ten kings were to arise out of the Roman Empire… the beast or the Roman Empire would have ten successive [European] resurrections or revivals… The first three resurrections or revivals of the Roman Empire after its fall occurred under Geiseric of the Vandals; Odoacer of the Heruli; and Theodoric of the Ostrogoths… The actual ‘healing’ of the deadly wound [compare Revelation 13:3] signifies the fourth resurrection of the ancient Roman Empire, which occurred in 554 A.D., when Justinian, who was heavily influenced by his Roman Catholic wife, defeated the Ostrogoths and marched into Rome. He united the Eastern and Western parts of the ancient Roman Empire and restored the entire Empire…
“‘The fifth resurrection occurred under Charlemagne in 800 A.D.; the sixth under Otto the Great in 962 A.D.; the seventh under Charles V of Hapsburg in 1530 A.D.; and the eighth under Napoleon (which lasted from 1804 A.D. until 1814 A.D., when Napoleon abdicated at the battle of Leipzig). Following Napoleon, two more resurrections were to occur, as the fourth beast in Daniel 7 and the beast in Revelation 13 had TEN horns.
“‘The ninth resurrection happened under Mussolini and Hitler. We are observing right now the beginning of the tenth and final resurrection of the ancient Roman Empire in continental Europe…’
“The last seven revivals of the ancient Roman Empire would be a unification between church and state (compare Revelation 17). The last revival, under the beast and the false prophet, will only last for a very short time, and it and its leaders will be destroyed by the returning Jesus Christ ‘and given to the burning flame’ (Daniel 7:11)… When Christ returns, the final revival of the Roman Empire (the fourth beast of Daniel 7) which is also called ‘Babylon,’ will be burned with fire (Revelation 17:16; 18:8–9)—as will be the human leaders (Revelation 19:20).”
With this background, let us now address the question of what this has to do with the Work of God. We know from Revelation 13:2 that it is Satan, the dragon, who gives his power and authority to the beast—the revived Roman Empire and the final leader of that Empire, and we also read in Revelation 9:11 that the final revival will have over it, as their king, “the angel of the bottomless pit,” whose name is, in English, Destruction and Destroyer. This describes Satan as well. Still, Satan can only do what God allows, and even though many times God does not presently intervene in human affairs, He will do so when He must make sure that His masterplan will be fulfilled. And the final rise of the ancient Roman Empire and its conduct in the end time IS part of His prophesied masterplan—His “Work.”
Ancient Chaldeans
Continuing with quoting from our free booklet, “Evil Empires and Evil People—Wild Beasts of the Bible”:
“An interesting reference to the beast—especially the final revival of the ancient Roman Empire—can be found in the book of Habakkuk which deals with the modern Chaldeans or Assyrians.
“Isaiah 23:13 tells us that the ancient Assyrians founded the land of the Chaldeans. And so, it will be the modern Assyrians—mainly the German-speaking peoples—who will lead the final resurrection of the ‘Holy Roman Empire’ (For instance, as we have seen, the German Otto the Great and the Austrian Charles V. were previous emperors of the ‘Holy Roman Empire’ or ‘the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation.’Arguably this is also true for Charlemagne or Charles the Great, who was crowned as Emperor in the German city of Aachen and who is viewed by the Germans as a German, by the French as a Frenchman, and by the Belgians as a Belgian. In addition, the collaboration of the Austrian Adolf Hitler and the Italian Benito Mussolini with several popes constituted the sixth revival of the ‘Holy Roman Empire’).
“In ancient times, the Chaldeans were Babylon’s religious leaders, astrologers and magicians. Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible says about the ancient Chaldeans: ‘A people still of late mean and low, famous only for their soothsaying, divination, and judicial astrology; but now become a powerful and warlike people, rising up under the permission of Providence to universal monarchy, and who would quickly add Judea to the rest of their dominions…’
“Even though a partial fulfillment of Habakkuk’s entire prophecy can be seen in ancient Judah’s captivity through the Babylonians…, Habakkuk’s prophecy of Babylonian warfare is clearly awaiting an end-time fulfillment…
“Habakkuk 1:5–10 reads as follows: ‘Look among the nations and watch–Be utterly astonished! For I will work a work in your days Which you would not believe, though it were told you. For indeed I am raising up the Chaldeans, A bitter and hasty nation Which marches through the breadth of the earth, To possess dwelling places that are not theirs. They are terrible and dreadful… They all come for violence… They gather captives like sand. They scoff at kings…’”
This statement is critically important to understand. God says that HE will WORK A WORK in our time—the WORK of raising up the modern Chaldeans for the purpose of attacking and destroying the modern descendants of the Houses of Israel and Judah.
In our free booklet, “The Rise and Fall of Germany and Europe,” we say:
“In Habakkuk’s days, God used the ancient Chaldeans to punish Israel. In our time, God will use the modern Chaldeans to punish the Houses of Israel and Judah [modern descendants which can be found today in the USA, the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and the state of Israel; compare our free booklet, “The Fall and Rise of Britain and America”]. The Chaldeans were the backbone of the Neo-Babylonian Empire (Ezra 5:12; 2 Kings 25:1, 5; 2 Chronicles 36:17). In Daniel 2, the word is also applied to the Babylonian priestly class, who also engaged in divination, astrology, and magic or sorcery. In Babylon’s sphere of influence, the Chaldeans also had a religious function—mainly because the planetary orbits were interpreted as the expression of the will of deities that had to be fathomed.
“In late antiquity, the name Chaldeans was used almost exclusively for the Babylonians and became primarily a designation for astrologers, since Babylon was considered a leader in the field of astrology. The ‘Chaldean Oracles’ of the 2nd century were considered a popular book of divination. They also believed very strongly in the power of demons…
Modern Babylon
“In our time, the Chaldeans describe modern Babylon—a religious, political, economic and military power. It is the final and last resurrection of the ancient Roman Empire—a collaboration between church and state—under the leadership of a charismatic leader—the beast or the king of the North or King Jareb of (modern) Assyria who will work together with the ‘false prophet’—a powerful religious leader. Under the beast’s leadership and the influence of the false prophet, the modern Chaldeans will invade ‘dwelling places that are not theirs’ (Habakkuk 1:6). This occupying force under the modern Assyrian leader is also described in Isaiah 10:13–14 and in Daniel 11:41–44. In a way, the final resurrection of the Roman Empire occurs because of Israel’s wickedness (compare also Isaiah 10:6).”
In the next chapter, we will discuss in more detail how God will use the coming King of Assyria to punish the Houses of Israel and Judah—as being part of God’s end-time Work. To be clear, unless these prophesied events were to occur, Jesus Christ could NOT RETURN.
For now, let us mention one other aspect of God’s end-time Work, which we alluded to before, and which must likewise be fulfilled in order to make Christ’s Return possible.
In our free booklet “Evil Empires and Evil People—Wild Beast of the Bible,” we point out that Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, later quoted the passage in Habakkuk 1:5–10, referring to God’s raising up modern Chaldeans to punish the Houses of Israel and Judah, but he gives it an additional all-important meaning and application. We state:
“Paul later quoted these words and applied them as a warning to the people in his time and age who would reject the gospel message. We read in Acts 13:32–41: ‘And we declare to you glad tidings—that promise which was made to the fathers. God has fulfilled this for us their children, in that He raised up Jesus… David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell asleep, was buried with his fathers, and saw corruption; but He whom God raised up saw no corruption. Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through this Man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins; and by Him everyone who believes is justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses. BEWARE therefore, lest what has been spoken in the prophets COME UPON YOU: ‘Behold, you despisers, Marvel and perish! For I work a work in your days, A work which you will by no means believe, Though one were to declare it to you.’”
The End-Time Preaching of the Gospel
Note that Paul applies Habakkuk’s prophecy of doing an “unbelievable” Work in our days, to the preaching of the gospel, including the all-important role of Jesus Christ as the Savior of mankind, and also including a warning of not rejecting that message and of impending national disaster in these last days. Continuing:
“God said through Habakkuk that His Work—the end-time preaching of the gospel—would be powerful, but short. Romans 9:28 confirms this, saying: ‘For He will finish the work and cut it short in righteousness, Because the LORD will make a SHORT WORK upon the earth.’
“The Bible prophesies that at the time when the powerful preaching of the gospel message is being revived, modern Chaldea or Babylon will rise once again in Europe as the seventh and very SHORT-lived resurrection of the ancient ‘Holy Roman Empire’—a combination of church and state—when the (religious) fallen woman will be once more riding the (political and military) beast (compare Revelation 17, especially verses 10 and 12). God will use modern Babylon in a literal SWIFT blitzkrieg to punish the modern houses of Israel and Judah for their transgressions (compare also Isaiah 29:13–14). But God will then punish modern Babylon (Habakkuk 2:8)—a system less righteous than modern Israel and Judah (compare Habakkuk 1:12–13).”
When we see the rise of the final revival of the ancient Roman Empire in Europe under a charismatic political and military leader of German or Austrian descent, God’s Church will be busy, with renewed strength, to preach the gospel of the Kingdom of God in all the world as a witness, and then the end of this present evil civilization will come (Matthew 24:14). As God’s WORK of reviving the final resurrection of the Roman Empire will be short-lived, and as modern Babylon will act swiftly, so God’s WORK of preaching the gospel, through His Church, will also be short-lived, and God will even cut it short and finish it in righteousness. It is therefore extremely important to understand what God expects of all of us in His Church today—in these end times—just prior to Christ’s return.
Chapter 2 The Coming King of Assyria and the Punishment of Israel and Judah
In the first chapter, we began to address God’s Work in the context of the prophetic revival of the ancient Roman Empire in Europe and, in connection therewith, the preaching of the gospel in the world as a witness, which includes a warning message of impending disaster. We showed that God will raise the ancient Chaldeans—“modern Babylon”—under the leadership of an end-time Assyrian “Führer”—the “beast” in the Book of Revelation—to punish and destroy the modern Houses of Israel and Judah (compare our free booklet, “Germany in Prophecy”).
In this chapter, we will discuss in more detail how God will use the end-time “beast”—the coming king of Assyria—to punish the Houses of Israel and Judah—as being part of God’s end-time Work.
The King of Assyria
We read in the Bible that God will raise up the “king of Assyria” to conquer Israel and Judah. Isaiah 10:3–6 reads:
“What will you do in the day of punishment, And in the desolation which will come from afar? To whom will you flee for help? And where will you leave your glory? Without Me they shall bow down among the prisoners, And they shall fall among the slain. For all this His anger is not turned away, But His hand is stretched out still. Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger And the staff in whose hand is My indignation. I will send him against an ungodly nation, And against the people of My wrath I will give him charge, To seize the spoil, to take the prey, And to tread them down like the mire of the streets.”
The Bible refers to Assyria at the time of the Millennium as the “work” of God’s hands (Isaiah 19:25).
We should note that God does His Work by sending the king of Assyria against an “ungodly nation” and the “people of My wrath.” Why is God angry with the modern Houses of Israel and Judah, and why are they—the USA, the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and the state of Israel—being described this way?
The Modern Houses of Israel and Judah
To God, the leaders and the peoples of both modern Houses are like Sodom and Gomorrah.
Isaiah 1:10 tells us:
“Hear the word of the LORD, You rulers of Sodom; Give ear to the law of our God, You people of Gomorrah…”
Isaiah 3:9 adds:
“The look on their countenance witnesses against them, And they declare their sin as Sodom; They do not hide it. Woe to their soul! For they have brought evil upon themselves.”
Jeremiah 23:13–14 records God’s Words for us today, as follows:
“And I have seen folly in the prophets [the ministers and religious preachers] of Samaria [the ancient capital of the House of Israel]: They prophesied by Baal [the sun god] And caused My people Israel to err. Also I have seen a horrible thing in the prophets of Jerusalem: They commit adultery and walk in lies; They also strengthen the hands of evildoers, So that no one turns back from his wickedness. All of them are like Sodom to Me, And her inhabitants like Gomorrah.”
One reason why God compares them with Sodom and Gomorrah is their wrong lifestyle, including, of course, committing the sexual sins Sodom and Gomorrah were famous for.
Revelation 11:8 gives us further information. Addressing the horrible murder of the two witnesses, we read about the city of Jerusalem:
“And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.”
The Living Bible renders Lamentations 4:6 in this way: “For the sin of my people is greater than that of Sodom, where utter disaster struck in a moment without the hand of man.”
And so, what was Sodom’s sin, in addition to their horrible sexual transgressions?
In Ezekiel 16:48–50, God addresses modern Israel and Judah, stating:
‘‘As I live,’ says the LORD God, ‘neither your sister Sodom nor her daughters have done as you and your daughters have done. Look, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her daughter had pride, fullness of food, and abundance of idleness; neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. And they were haughty and committed abomination before Me; therefore I took them away as I saw fit.’”
As ancient Sodom, so modern “Sodom” lives in pride (think of our disgusting “pride parades” of homosexuals, transgender persons, transvestites, drag queens, etc.) and self-centeredness, without caring for and helping others, including the poor and the needy, while committing proudly all these abominations of engaging in and approving of homosexual and other aberrant and abhorrent sexual conduct.
Sinful Nations
Returning to Isaiah 1, verses 12–15 give us more information as to why God compares the modern Houses of Israel and Judah with Sodom and Gomorrah:
“‘When you come to appear before Me, Who has required this from your hand, To trample My courts? Bring no more futile sacrifices; Incense is an abomination to Me. The New Moons, the Sabbaths, and the calling of assemblies—I cannot endure iniquity and the sacred meeting. Your New Moons and your appointed feasts My soul hates; They are a trouble to Me, I am weary of bearing them. When you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you; Even though you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood.”
Pagan Worship
God is addressing here futile and idol worship. He is not addressing His Sabbaths and appointed feasts, but “Sabbath” worship on Sunday (which many “Christians refer to as the “Sabbath”) and the feasts of Christmas and Easter, which were appointed by men, not by Him. Even though one may give donations and contributions, God does not accept them, when they are made in combination with pagan religious services, and while horrible conduct is being committed. God singles out the shedding of blood. This includes our useless wars which will never bring peace, but only more and more misery and pain. It also includes another form of violence and bloodshed which we will address below.
God is angry with them because of their terrible sins, including idolatry and violating His weekly and annual Sabbaths. But there is more.
Unclean Food
The next two passages describe conduct which might not be that serious in the minds of many people, but as we will see, God looks at it as abominable and deeply disturbing and consequential, as it shows, among other things, an attitude of indifference, or worse, towards the Word of God:
Isaiah 65:2–5 addresses especially, but not exclusively, the people of the Houses of Israel and Judah:
“I have stretched out My hands all day long to a rebellious people, Who walk in a way that is not good, According to their own thoughts; A people who provoke Me to anger continually to My face… Who eat swine’s flesh, And the broth of abominable things is in their vessels; Who say, ‘Keep to yourself, Do not come near me, For I am holier than you!’ These are smoke in My nostrils, A fire that burns all the day.”
Isaiah 66:15–17 adds the same thought but applies it to all people of the world.
“For behold, the LORD will come with fire And with His chariots, like a whirlwind, To render His anger with fury, And His rebuke with flames of fire. For by fire and by His sword The LORD will judge all flesh; And the slain of the LORD shall be many. ‘Those who sanctify themselves and purify themselves, To go to the gardens After an idol in the midst, Eating swine’s flesh and the abomination and the mouse, Shall be consumed together,’ says the LORD.”
It should be obvious that God is angry with those who eat unclean meat and don’t listen to God’s Word condemning such practice.
But more horrible conduct is described to show WHY God calls the modern nations of Israel and Judah ungodly.
Mass Murders
In addressing the MODERN Houses of Israel AND Judah, God says in Jeremiah 7:31:
“And they have built the high places of Tophet, which is in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire, which I did not command, nor did it come into My heart.”
“Tophet in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom” was later referred to by Christ as the famous Valley of Gehenna, applying it to the lake of fire. In ancient times, the Israelites sacrificed their own children to their horrible self-made gods. But this is a prophecy for today. We might not literally kill our children in sacrifice to pagan deities, but we are killing our children by the millions by having them fight our stupid wars, and aborting them, in sacrifice to some humanly devised purpose or in the name of freedom and “humanity.” Women sacrifice their unborn children for convenience’s sake, or as a method of “birth control,” and politicians support such evil conduct in the name of women’s rights. God says that such conduct is so evil that it never entered His heart to do such a horrible thing.
Jeremiah 19:4–5 repeats God’s curse for such behavior and adds a few more thoughts:
“… they have forsaken Me and made this an alien place, because they have burned incense in it to other gods whom neither they, their fathers, nor the kings of Judah have known, and have filled this place with the blood of the innocents (they have also built the high places of Baal, to burn their sons with fire for burnt offerings to Baal, which I did not command or speak, nor did it come into My mind)…”
Many times, those who support the evil conduct of aborting unborn children or sending our sons to war are “religious” people. They may go to mass on Sunday, but they do not worship the true God, but a self-made trinitarian “entity”—a god who demands war and abortion in the name of “self-preservation.” This false worship as a main reason for God’s anger and His use of the king of Assyria to punish Israel and Judah is also described in Jeremiah 11:17:
“For the LORD of hosts, who planted you, has pronounced doom against you for the evil of the house of Israel and of the house of Judah, which they have done against themselves to provoke Me to anger in offering incense to Baal.”
Pagan worship in the name of Christianity runs rampant in the USA, the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. But the Jews do not worship the true God either in the way they should. They do not really keep the Sabbath and the annual Holy Days; they do not rely on Him to fight their battles, are guilty of removing a landmark (Hosea 5:10); and they have included many pagan elements in their religious worship of the God of the Old Testament—not accepting the fact that Jesus Christ was the God of the Old Testament, and that He has always lived together with God the Father—the Highest in the Godhead. Jesus said once to the Jews, in John 5:39–40:
“You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.”
Indifference and Scorn
God says that the Israelites and the Jews do NOT consider the Work of His hands—they are spiritually blind and do not consider that He is raising up the king of Assyria to punish them for their sins.
Isaiah 5:11–12 states:
“Woe to those who rise early in the morning, That they may follow intoxicating drink; Who continue until night, till wine inflames them! The harp and the strings, The tambourine and flute, And wine are in their feasts; But they do not regard the work of the LORD, Nor consider the operation of His hands.”
In fact, when they hear about the Work of God, they scoff at it.
Isaiah 5:18–19 states:
“Woe to those who draw iniquity with cords of vanity, And sin as if with a cart rope; That say, ‘Let Him make speed and hasten His work, That we may see it; And let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw near and come, That we may know it.’”
But God says that He will carry out His Work of punishing modern Israel and Judah, as well as the entire earth, in His due time.
We read in Isaiah 28:1–4, 7, 21:
“Woe to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim [especially referring here to the UK, Ephraim being a son of Joseph, a son of Israel], Whose glorious beauty is a fading flower Which is at the head of the verdant valleys, To those who are overcome with wine! Behold, the LORD has a mighty and strong one, Like a tempest of hail and a destroying storm, Like a flood of mighty waters overflowing, Who will bring them down to the earth with His hand. The crown of pride, the drunkards of Ephraim, Will be trampled underfoot; And the glorious beauty is a fading flower Which is at the head of the verdant valley, Like the first fruit before the summer, Which an observer sees; He eats it up while it is still in his hand… But they also have erred through wine, And through intoxicating drink are out of the way; The priest and the prophet have erred through intoxicating drink, They are swallowed up by wine, They are out of the way through intoxicating drink; They err in vision, they stumble in judgment… For the LORD will rise up as at Mount Perazim, He will be angry as in the Valley of Gibeon—That He may do His work, His awesome work, And bring to pass His act, His unusual act.”
His awesome Work may be viewed as “unusual” or surprising by many uninformed observers.
No More Delays
Especially warning the modern House of Israel, God says in Ezekiel 12:22–28:
“Son of man, what is this proverb that you people have about the land of Israel, which says, ‘The days are prolonged, and every vision fails’?… say to them, ‘The days are at hand, and the fulfillment of every vision. For no more shall there be any false vision or flattering divination within the house of Israel. For I am the LORD. I speak, and the word which I speak will come to pass; it will no more be postponed; for in your days, O rebellious house, I will say the word and perform it… the house of Israel is saying, ‘The vision that he sees is for many days from now, and he prophesies of times far off.’… Thus says the LORD God: ‘None of My words will be postponed any more, but the word which I speak will be done.’”
Punishment of Assyria
However, even though God will use the king of Assyria, as part of the Babylonian system, to punish Israel and Judah, God will also perform His Work of punishment towards him, because he and Babylon need to be “dealt with” too.
We read in Isaiah 10:7, 12 about the modern king of Assyria or the beast:
“Yet he does not mean so, Nor does his heart think so; But it is in his heart to destroy, And cut off not a few nations… Therefore it shall come to pass, when the LORD has performed all His work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, that He will say, ‘I will punish the fruit of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his haughty looks.’”
In Isaiah 52:4, we read God’s Word that “the Assyrian oppressed them without cause.” Of course, there was ample cause for God to decide to punish Israel and Judah, but the Assyrian did not see this as a cause for his actions (see Lamentations 3:52). Satan did not see the cause for God’s dealing with Job either (compare Job 2:3).
And so, God will punish the king of Assyria. We read in Isaiah 14:24–25:
“The LORD of hosts has sworn, saying, ‘Surely, as I have thought, so it shall come to pass, And as I have purposed, so it shall stand: That I will break the Assyrian in My land, And on My mountains tread him underfoot. Then his yoke shall be removed from them, And his burden removed from their shoulders.”
Isaiah 30:33 states:
“For Tophet was established of old, Yes, for the king it is prepared. He has made it deep and large; Its pyre is fire with much wood; The breath of the LORD, like a stream of brimstone, Kindles it.”
Isaiah 31:8–9 adds:
“Then Assyria shall fall by a sword not of man, And a sword not of mankind shall devour him… Says the LORD, Whose fire is in Zion And whose furnace is in Jerusalem.”
Modern Medes
We read that Jesus Christ, when He returns. will throw the beast into a lake of fire. The beast will not die by a sword of a man. But the nation of Assyria will be punished by God through the modern Medes, who can be found among the Russian and Ukrainian peoples who will be instrumental in leading the Far Eastern nations to destroy Europe (compare our free booklets, “Biblical Prophecy—From Now Until Forever” and “The Rise and Fall of Germany and Europe”).
Isaiah 13:17–19 tells us:
“Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them, Who will not regard silver; And as for gold, they will not delight in it. Also their bows will dash the young men to pieces, And they will have no pity on the fruit of the womb; Their eye will not spare children. And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, The beauty of the Chaldeans’ pride, Will be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.”
Notice that God’s use of the modern Medes is described as God’s Work.
We read in Jeremiah 50:25–26; 51:11, 28:
“The LORD has opened His armory, And has brought out the weapons of His indignation; For this is the work of the LORD God of hosts In the land of the Chaldeans. Come against her from the farthest border; Open her storehouses; Cast her up as heaps of ruins, And destroy her utterly; Let nothing of her be left… Prepare against her the nations, With the kings of the Medes, Its governors and all its rulers, All the land of his dominion… The LORD has raised up the spirit of the kings of the Medes. For His plan is against Babylon to destroy it, Because it is the vengeance of the LORD, The vengeance for His temple…”
Religious Babylon and the False Prophet
God’s Temple which will still be built in Jerusalem prior to Christ’s return will be invaded by the beast and polluted by the false prophet—the man of sin, who is described in 2 Thessalonians 2.
God will deal—as part of His Work—with the king of Assyria and the Assyrian people, but He will also deal with the religious power and the false prophet who are collaborating with the beast. That power is likewise unaware of God’s Work, but pours out its Satanic wrath on Israel and Judah.
Notice God’s Words in Isaiah 47:6–7:
“I was angry with My people; I have profaned My inheritance, And given them into your hand. You showed them no mercy; On the elderly you laid your yoke very heavily. And you said, ‘I shall be a lady forever,’ So that you did not take these things to heart, Nor remember the latter end of them…”
God adds in verses 12 and 13 that this big Church organization cannot save itself with their sorceries and deceptions:
“Stand now with your enchantments And the multitude of your sorceries, In which you have labored from your youth—Perhaps you will be able to profit, Perhaps you will prevail. You are wearied in the multitude of your counsels; Let now the astrologers, the stargazers, And the monthly prognosticators Stand up and save you From what shall come upon you…”
In this context, God says in Jeremiah 48:10:
“Cursed is he who does the work of the LORD deceitfully, And cursed is he who keeps back his sword from blood.”
Man, of course, does not know about God’s plan and His Work. God is addressing here the prevailing attitude of most who are indifferent and without zeal when they are called upon to do a certain task… or they do it deceitfully.
And so, God’s Church MUST preach the gospel, including this warning message, to the world, even if it is unpleasant to do. The prophet Jeremiah felt this way at times, but he also understood that he really had no choice. Later, Paul would make similar statements. We will address this in detail in the next chapter.
Chapter 3 Preaching the Gospel
In the first two chapters, we have pointed out that at the time of the final revival of the ancient Roman Empire in Europe, God’s Church will be busy, with renewed strength, to fulfill its end-time commission to preach the gospel of the Kingdom of God in all the world as a witness, prior to Christ’s return. As the European power will only survive for a short time, so the preaching of the gospel will likewise be short-lived. Both the last revival of the Roman Empire [through the raising up of the ancient Chaldeans, and their subsequent defeat] and the preaching of the gospel are described as the Work of God.
In this chapter, we will concentrate on God’s Work, as it relates to the preaching of the gospel.
God’s Work
We read previously in Acts 13:41 that the preaching of the gospel is defined as God working a work in our days. We also read in Romans 9:28 that God will finish this work and cut it short in righteousness, as He will make a short work upon the earth. The immediate context is the salvation of a remnant of Israel and the warning not to despise God’s Word (compare Romans 9:25–27; Acts 13:45–52; also note Isaiah 10:22–23). Salvation is, of course, an important part of the gospel message. We are told that we must endure to the end to be saved. And Jesus said to His disciples in Mark 16:15–16:
“… Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.”
That preaching the gospel is indeed the Work of God is confirmed in many passages in the Bible. While God is using men to do the preaching, it is not the work of man that this is being accomplished, but it is God doing His Work through human instruments.
Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:57–58:
“But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable,always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”
The ultimate outcome is victory over death (compare verse 54). The gospel message reveals that we can inherit eternal life in the Kingdom of God if we endure until the end. When we do the Work of God by preaching the gospel message, we do not do it in vain. It will produce fruit, even though it may not be obvious right away. Notice Isaiah 55:10–11:
“For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, And do not return there, But water the earth, And make it bring forth and bud, That it may give seed to the sower And bread to the eater, So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.”
What the gospel message contains will be accomplished, in God’s due time. This is also confirmed in Jeremiah 1:12, where God says: “You have seen well, for I am ready to perform My word.”
In the last chapter, we already referred to Ezekiel 12:22–28, showing that at the very end, God’s Word will come true swiftly and without postponement or delay.
Paul and Barnabas
Paul or Saul and Barnabas were set aside by God to accomplish God’s Work of preaching the gospel. We read in Acts 13:2–5:
“As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’ Then, having fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them away. So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. And when they arrived in Salamis, they preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. They also had John as their assistant.”
However, contentions arose between Paul and Barnabas, pertaining to their assistant John. We read in Acts 15:36–38:
“Then after some days Paul said to Barnabas, ‘Let us now go back and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord, and see how they are doing.’ Now Barnabas was determined to take with them John called Mark (He was also called John; compare Acts 12:12). But Paul insisted that they should not take with them the one who had departed from them in Pamphylia, and had not gone with them to the work. Then the contention became so sharp that they parted from one another. And so Barnabas took Mark and sailed to Cyprus…”
John had departed from them, returning to Jerusalem, as described in Acts 13:13. We read later that John Mark worked with Paul as one of his “fellow workers for the kingdom of God” (Colossians 4:10–11), but we do not read that Paul and Barnabas ever worked together again.
Open Doors
We also read in 1 Corinthians 16:9–10, that doing the Work of God is associated with God’s opening a door or an opportunity to preach the gospel:
“For a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries. Now if Timothy comes, see that he may be with you without fear; for he does the work of the Lord, as I also do.”
The clause “he is doing the work of the Lord” is better translated as “… it is the Lord’s work that he is engaged on” (Revised English Bible), emphasizing the fact that it is not the work of man. Or, as the New International Version has it, “he is carrying on the work of the Lord,”emphasizing his continuing effort in this regard. The Luther Bible says, “he is driving the work of the Lord” (“er treibt das Werk des Herrn”).
We also read in 2 Corinthians 2:12:
“Furthermore, when I came to Troas to preach Christ’s gospel, and a door was opened to me by the Lord.”
In Acts 14:26–27, an important aspect of successfully carrying out the Work of preaching the gospel is mentioned, when it says:
“From there they sailed to Antioch, where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work which they had completed. Now when they had come and gathered the church together, they reported all that God had done with them, and that He had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.”
It is through repentance, faith or belief in God and in Christ’s Sacrifice and in the gospel of the Kingdom of God (compare Mark 1:14–15), that we can come to the point of baptism, opening for us the way to eternal life. In order to be successful in our commission to do the Work of God, we need to pray to God that He opens doors or ways for us to accomplish the task He has set before us—and that we have the faith and strength to go through those doors and proclaim God’s Word with power. We read in Colossians 4:2–4:
“Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving; meanwhile praying also for us, that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains, that I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak.’
In Philippians 2:25–30, we read:
“Yet I considered it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker, and fellow soldier, but your messenger and the one who ministered to my need; since he was longing for you all, and was distressed because you had heard that he was sick. For indeed he was sick almost unto death; but God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow. Therefore I sent him the more eagerly, that when you see him again you may rejoice, and I may be less sorrowful. Receive him therefore in the Lord with all gladness, and hold such men in esteem; because for the work of Christ he came close to death, not regarding his life, to supply what was lacking in your service toward me.”
Here the work of Christ is not only associated with the preaching of the gospel, but also with taking care of the needs of the brethren—in this case, Paul.
Doers of the Work
In James 1:22–27, a similar association is made:
“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does… Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.”
A Warning Message
At the time of Paul and the early New Testament Church, we read that the Church was busy and energetic in doing God’s Work of preaching the gospel in all the world as a witness. Paul knew, of course, Christ’s command to preach the gospel to every creature, or, as other translations have it, “to the whole creation” (Mark 16:15), and so he even declared in Colossians 1:21–28:
“And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight– if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister. I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church, of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God which was given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God, the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we preach, warning every manand teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.”
The German Schlachter Bible translates verse 23: “… which was preached in the entire creation, which is under heaven…” Likewise the“Revised English Bible”: “This is the gospel which has been proclaimed in the whole creation under heaven.”
We see here that the gospel—the good news of the Kingdom of God—includes a warning message to encourage repentance and striving for perfection. He went even further, stating in Ephesians 3:8–10:
“To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ; to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places…”
Preaching Stopped
But after the death of Paul and the other early apostles, the preaching of the gospel to the world would gradually stop, and so, as we have said many times, for over 1900 years, the gospel was NOT preached to the world, until God began to motivate His Church and give it the strength and opportunity to begin so again. This way, that worldwide proclamation would become the sign of the end—of the return of Jesus Christ. This proclamation would continue during the Great Tribulation as well—including through the preaching of the Two Witnesses. As God’s prophets (Revelation 11:3, 6, 10), they will, of course, warn the nations and proclaim what will happen—including what has been written down in the Bible, as we discussed in the last chapter, as all of this is also part of the Work of God. And God’s end-time Church has been given the commission to warn the nations, as will be discussed in more detail in the next chapter.
We will also discuss the marvelous Truth as to why we have said that the more we are involved in God’s Work of preaching the gospel, the more we will overcome our sins and our human nature, which is necessary to be able to enter the Kingdom and Family of God.
Not Easy
For now, we want to conclude this chapter by pointing out that at times preaching the gospel of God’s coming rule over rebellious mankind is not always an easy task, and without God’s help, strength and encouragement, it could not be done.
Jeremiah 20:8–9 expressed this challenge in the following way:
“For when I spoke, I cried out; I shouted, ‘Violence and plunder!’ Because the word of the LORD was made to me A reproach and a derision daily. Then I said, ‘I will not make mention of Him, Nor speak anymore in His name.’ But His word was in my heart like a burning fire. Shut up in my bones; I was weary of holding it back, And I could not.”
In 1 Corinthians 9:16–17, Paul likewise pointed out that he had really no choice but to preach the gospel, saying:
“For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for necessity is laid upon me; yes, woe is me if I do not preach the gospel! For if I do this willingly, I have a reward; but if against my will, I have been entrusted with a stewardship.”
In Revelation 10:8–11, John, as representative of the end-time Church, receives a little book. He is asked to eat it and to use it for a message of prophecy:
“Then the voice which I heard from heaven spoke to me again and said, ‘Go, take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel who stands on the sea and on the earth.’ So I went to the angel and said to him, ‘Give me the little book.’ And he said to me, ‘Take and eat it; and it will make your stomach bitter, but it will be as sweet as honey in your mouth.’ Then I took the little book out of the angel’s hand and ate it, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth. But when I had eaten it, my stomach became bitter. And he said to me, ‘You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings.’”
The book tasted good at first, but it became bitter, due to the events which were to happen to many peoples, nations, tongues and kings. It would not be pleasant to proclaim these events, but they have to be announced—otherwise, Christ could not return to this earth.
Chapter 4 Warning the Nations
In the previous chapters, we have pointed out that at the time of the final revival of the ancient Roman Empire in Europe, God’s Church will be busy, with renewed strength, to fulfill its end-time commission to preach the gospel of the Kingdom of God in all the world as a witness, prior to Christ’s return. As the European power will only survive for a short time, so the preaching of the gospel will likewise be short-lived.
We showed that both the last revival of the Roman Empire [through the raising up of the ancient Chaldeans, and their subsequent defeat] and the preaching of the gospel are described as the Work of God. We then concentrated on God’s Work, as it relates to the preaching of the gospel.
The Church’s Commission
In this chapter, we will discuss that God’s end-time Church has been given the Work of warning the nations, which is actually part of the proclamation of the gospel message.
We read in Amos 3:4–9, 13–14:
“Will a lion roar in the forest, when he has no prey? Will a young lion cry out of his den, if he has caught nothing? Will a bird fall into a snare on the earth, where there is no trap for it? Will a snare spring up from the earth, if it has caught nothing at all? If a trumpet is blown in a city, will not the people be afraid? If there is calamity in a city, will not the LORD have done it? Surely the LORD God does nothing, Unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets. A lion has roared! Who will not fear? The LORD God has spoken! Who can but prophesy? Proclaim in the palaces at Ashdod, And in the palaces in the land of Egypt, and say: ‘Assemble on the mountains of Samaria; See great tumults in her midst, And the oppressed within her… Hear and testify against the house of Jacob,’ Says the LORD God, the God of hosts, ‘That in the day I punish Israel for their transgressions, I will also visit destruction on the altars of Bethel; And the horns of the altar shall be cut off And fall to the ground….’”
Notice carefully! God is telling us that He will reveal to His servants what is going to happen, and they must prophesy or proclaim what they hear. This does not mean that God must tell them directly, face to face, what they must speak; rather, He HAS already told us, in the pages of the Bible, what will happen. The above-cited Scripture speaks, in context, of calamity which God will bring on the House of Jacob or Israel. It will be His Work! As this is an end-time prophecy, God’s Church is to proclaim and warn the nations of Israel, in hopes that some will repent and change their ways, so that they could be spared.
Declare the Works of God
We read a timeless prophecy in Psalm 64:9:
“All men shall fear, And shall declare the work of God; For they shall wisely consider His doing.”
Ultimately, all will declare the Work of God, but today, it is basically only those in the Body of Christ who understand and wisely consider His doing and, with the fear of God, proclaim and warn about what He will soon accomplish.
Psalm 73:28 is even more encompassing, stating:
“But it is good for me to draw near to God; I have put my trust in the LORD God, That I may declare all Your works.”
ALL of God’s works include, of course, the warning message to the nations that God’s wrath will be upon them soon, but also, that Christ will return soon to end the madness of man’s incompetent rule.
We find another Scripture in the Bible about God’s commission to His end-time Church to proclaim and prophesy about God’s Work of punishing all nations—in this case, modern Babylon.
Babylon’s Punishment
Jeremiah 51:1–11 tells us this:
“Thus says the LORD: ‘Behold, I will raise up against Babylon, Against those who dwell in Leb Kamai, A destroying wind. And I will send winnowers to Babylon, Who shall winnow her and empty her land. For in the day of doom They shall be against her all around. Against her let the archer bend his bow, And lift himself up against her in his armor. Do not spare her young men; Utterly destroy all her army. Thus the slain shall fall in the land of the Chaldeans, And those thrust through in her streets. For Israel is not forsaken, nor Judah, By his God, the LORD of hosts, Though their land was filled with sin against the Holy One of Israel.’
“Flee from the midst of Babylon, And every one save his life! Do not be cut off in her iniquity, For this is the time of the LORD’S vengeance; He shall recompense her. Babylon was a golden cup in the LORD’S hand, That made all the earth drunk. The nations drank her wine; Therefore the nations are deranged. Babylon has suddenly fallen and been destroyed. Wail for her! Take balm for her pain; Perhaps she may be healed. We would have healed Babylon, But she is not healed. Forsake her, and let us go everyone to his own country; For her judgment reaches to heaven and is lifted up to the skies. The LORD has revealed our righteousness. Come and let us declare in Zion the work of the LORD our God. Make the arrows bright! Gather the shields! The LORD has raised up the spirit of the kings of the Medes. For His plan is against Babylon to destroy it, Because it is the vengeance of the LORD, The vengeance for His temple.”
This passage describes the Work of God—His punishment of modern Babylon through the modern Medes—which must be proclaimed by His Church “in Zion”—that means, it must also be proclaimed IN the Church of God. It includes the warning message to come out of or flee from Babylon (compare Revelation 18:4)—not having anything to do with its evil conduct, culture and philosophies, in order to save our physical and—even more importantly—our spiritual lives.
We have read in earlier references that God will do His Work by reviving the modern Chaldeans—Babylon—to punish Israel.
In the Midst of the Years
In Habakkuk 3:2–9, God is asked to revive and make known His Work in the midst of the years:
“O LORD, I have heard your speech and was afraid; O LORD, revive Your work in the midst of the years! In the midst of the years make it known; In wrath remember mercy. God came from Teman, The Holy One from Mount Paran. Selah. His glory covered the heavens, And the earth was full of His praise. His brightness was like the light; He had rays flashing from His hand, And there His power was hidden. Before Him went pestilence, And fever followed at His feet. He stood and measured the earth; He looked and startled the nations. And the everlasting mountains were scattered, The perpetual hills bowed. His ways are everlasting.”
We see here that the context is His return and the last plagues poured out on mankind. Just prior to that, He is asked to revive His Work of raising the Chaldeans and of having His Church preach the gospel and warn the nations. In the midst of the years could refer to the 3 ½ years of the Great Tribulation which will precede the Day of the Lord and the Coming of Christ. Then the proclamation will become really powerful, but it must occur earlier, BEFORE the Houses of Israel and Judah will be destroyed at the very beginning of the Great Tribulation—in fact, their destruction sets in motion the Great Tribulation.
Blow the Trumpet
We saw earlier, in Amos 3, that proclaiming the warning message has been associated with blowing a trumpet—the trumpet of war. The following Scriptures tell us more about the duty and commission of God’s Church to blow the trumpet of warning.
We read in Jeremiah 4:5–8, 11–16 about the coming destruction of the modern Houses of Israel and Judah through the modern King of Assyria—the beast; and we read about the commission to “blow the trumpet” of warning:
“‘Declare in Judah and proclaim in Jerusalem, and say: “Blow the trumpet in the land”; Cry, “Gather together,” And say, “Assemble yourselves, And let us go into the fortified cities.” Set up the standard toward Zion. Take refuge! Do not delay! For I will bring disaster from the north, And great destruction.’ The lion has come up from his thicket, And the destroyer of nations is on his way. He has gone forth from his place To make your land desolate. Your cities will be laid waste, Without inhabitant. For this, clothe yourself with sackcloth, Lament and wail. For the fierce anger of the LORD Has not turned back from us…
“At that time it will be said To this people and to Jerusalem, ‘A dry wind of the desolate heights blows in the wilderness Toward the daughter of My people– Not to fan or to cleanse–A wind too strong for these will come for Me; Now I will also speak judgment against them.’ Behold, he shall come up like clouds, And his chariots like a whirlwind. His horses are swifter than eagles. Woe to us, for we are plundered!’ O Jerusalem, wash your heart from wickedness, That you may be saved. How long shall your evil thoughts lodge within you? For a voice declares from Dan And proclaims affliction from Mount Ephraim: ‘Make mention to the nations, Yes, proclaim against Jerusalem, That watchers come from a far country And raise their voice against the cities of Judah.’”
We will address those watchers later.
Now notice Isaiah 58:1:
“Cry aloud, spare not; Lift up your voice like a trumpet; Tell My people their transgression, And the house of Jacob their sins.”
Hosea 8:1 adds: “Set the trumpet to your mouth! He shall come like an eagle against the house of the LORD, Because they have transgressed My covenant And rebelled against My law.”
In Zion
Joel 2:1–3, 10–15 points out:
“Blow the trumpet in Zion, And sound an alarm in My holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; For the day of the LORD is coming, For it is at hand: A day of darkness and gloominess, A day of clouds and thick darkness, Like the morning clouds spread over the mountains. A people come, great and strong, The like of whom has never been; Nor will there ever be any such after them, Even for many successive generations. A fire devours before them, And behind them a flame burns; The land is like the Garden of Eden before them, And behind them a desolate wilderness; Surely nothing shall escape them…
“The earth quakes before them, The heavens tremble; The sun and moon grow dark, And the stars diminish their brightness. The LORD gives voice before His army, For His camp is very great; For strong is the One who executes His word. For the day of the LORD is great and very terrible; Who can endure it? ‘Now, therefore,’ says the LORD, ‘Turn to Me with all your heart, With fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.’ So rend your heart, and not your garments; Return to the LORD your God, For He is gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, and of great kindness; And He relents from doing harm. Who knows if He will turn and relent, And leave a blessing behind Him– A grain offering and a drink offering For the LORD your God… Blow the trumpet in Zion, Consecrate a fast, Call a sacred assembly…”
God’s Church needs to blow the trumpet in Zion which includes the Church itself. Jesus has warned His Church in Revelation 2 and 3, along with many other references. Those of the Church of God who understand and believe Jesus must also take His end-time warnings to heart and preach them to the Church of God. When we read that the LORD says to return to Him, He speaks through His Church.
But the warning message is not only directed towards the Houses of Israel and Judah. The trumpet must also be blown to warn modern Babylon, as God has decreed to carry out His Work against them.
Among the Nations
Jeremiah 51:27–29 says:
“Set up a banner in the land, Blow the trumpet among the nations! Prepare the nations against her, Call the kingdoms together against her: Ararat, Minni, and Ashkenaz. Appoint a general against her; Cause the horses to come up like the bristling locusts. Prepare against her the nations, With the kings of the Medes, Its governors and all its rulers, All the land of his dominion. And the land will tremble and sorrow; For every purpose of the LORD shall be performed against Babylon, To make the land of Babylon a desolation without inhabitant.”
We read in Joel 2 that God executes His Word, and we read above that God’s purpose against Babylon shall be fulfilled. This is another way of saying that His Work will be accomplished and that we must proclaim it by blowing the trumpet. We are also reminded of the fact that the warning message must be clear—the blowing of the trumpet must be accurate, bold and convincing. We read in 1 Corinthians 14:8: “For if the trumpet makes an uncertain sound, who will prepare himself for battle?”
Jeremiah 6:1, 9, 17 adds another important aspect when describing the duty of His Church to warn the nations:
“O you children of Benjamin, Gather yourselves to flee from the midst of Jerusalem! Blow the trumpet in Tekoa, And set up a signal-fire in Beth Haccerem; For disaster appears out of the north, And great destruction… To whom shall I speak and give warning, That they may hear? Indeed their ear is uncircumcised, And they cannot give heed. Behold, the word of the LORD is a reproach to them; They have no delight in it… Also, I set watchmen over you, saying, ‘Listen to the sound of the trumpet!’ But they said, ‘We will not listen.’”
Watchers and Watchmen
We read earlier, in Jeremiah 4, that watchers from a far country will come and raise their voice against the cities of Judah. Here we are introduced again to God’s watchmen who blow the trumpet and encourage the people to listen to it.
Even though most will not listen and heed the warning of the watchmen, God’s Church must still fulfill its commission to warn them—as a witness or testimony against them. Those who are entrusted with proclaiming the warning message are called “watchmen.” They are to carefully watch world events and proclaim the impending dangers which can clearly be seen by those who take note with understanding and comprehension of the signs of the times.
Ezekiel 33:7–12 elaborates on this.
“So you, son of man: I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore you shall hear a word from My mouth and warn them for Me. When I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked man, you shall surely die!’ and you do not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand. Nevertheless if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul. Therefore you, O son of man, say to the house of Israel: ‘Thus you say, “If our transgressions and our sins lie upon us, and we pine away in them, how can we then live?”’ Say to them: “As I live,” says the LORD God, “I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?”’
“Therefore you, O son of man, say to the children of your people: ‘The righteousness of the righteous man shall not deliver him in the day of his transgression; as for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall because of it in the day that he turns from his wickedness; nor shall the righteous be able to live because of his righteousness in the day that he sins.’”
We can clearly see that it is the solemn duty of the “watchmen”—God’s Church in these last days—to warn the people, including the House of Israel, of their sinful ways and implore them to change so that they won’t die. Once the warning message has been proclaimed, the responsibility is with the hearers to heed.
The role of the watchman is not limited to just warning the Houses of Israel and Judah. We read in Isaiah 21:6, 8–10:
“For thus has the LORD said to me: ‘Go, set a watchman, Let him declare what he sees.’ Then he cried, ‘A lion, my Lord! I stand continually on the watchtower [Living Bible: “I have been here at my post”] in the daytime; I have sat at my post every night. And look, here comes a chariot of men with a pair of horsemen!’ Then he answered and said, ‘Babylon is fallen, is fallen! And all the carved images of her gods He has broken to the ground.’ Oh, my threshing and the grain of my floor! That which I have heard from the LORD of hosts, The God of Israel, I have declared to you.”
Standing Watch
The watchman declares what he sees and comprehends. Habakkuk 2:1–3 adds:
“I will stand my watch And set myself on the rampart, And watch to see what He will say to me, And what I will answer when I am corrected [or: “and what He will answer concerning my complaint”]. Then the LORD answered me and said: ‘Write the vision And make it plain on tablets, That he may run who reads it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time; But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; Because it will surely come, It will not tarry.”
The watchman is even to plead with God to bring back His Son very soon who will then rule from Jerusalem, and in the process, to prepare the people for Christ’s Second Coming. We read in Isaiah 62:6–7, 10:
“I have set watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; They shall never hold their peace day or night. You who make mention of the LORD, do not keep silent, And give Him no rest till He establishes And till He makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth. Go through, Go through the gates! Prepare the way for the people; Build up, Build up the highway! Take out the stones, Lift up a banner for the peoples!”
This reminds us of Christ telling us to pray daily to the Father: “Your Kingdom Come!”
Chapter 5 Warning the Leaders of the World
In the previous chapter, we saw that it is our duty to warn the nations. In this chapter, we will emphasize that this duty includes warning the leaders of the nations.
Paul says that the rulers of this world did not understand the Truth about Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 2:6–8). That is still true today, as this world is still cut off from God and godly understanding. Satan, the god and ruler of this world, has deceived the whole world, so that good is believed to be evil and light is vilified as darkness (Isaiah 5:20).
Christ says that the Gentile rulers of this world exercise lordship over the people, even being (falsely) called “benefactors,” but that this is wrong and should not be done (Luke 22:25–26). But as we will see, that does not only apply to Gentile kings and nations. Christ even calls our political and religious leaders “blind guides” (Matthew 23:16).
God calls the leaders of the USA, the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and other English-speaking nations leaders of Sodom. Note Isaiah 1:10: “Hear the word of the LORD, You rulers of Sodom; Give ear to the law of our God, You people of Gomorrah…” God is charging the leaders and the people with the same types of sins Sodom and Gomorrah were famous for, leading to their utter destruction. They are supposed to hear and to heed, but they don’t.
Isaiah 3:12 says about our political leaders: “As for My people, children are their oppressors, And women rule over them. O My people! Those who lead you cause you to err, And destroy the way of your paths.”
Political and Religious Leaders
Isaiah 9:13–16 adds to this, blaming both the political and religious leaders and the people following them:
“For the people do not turn to Him who strikes them, Nor do they seek the LORD of hosts. Therefore the LORD will cut off head and tail from Israel, Palm branch and bulrush in one day. The elder and honorable, he is the head; The prophet who teaches lies, he is the tail. For the leaders of this people cause them to err, And those who are led by them are destroyed.”
Here is one reason why God is so angry with the political leaders of our nations. Compare Isaiah 10:1–2: “Woe to those who decree unrighteous decrees, Who write misfortune, Which they have prescribed To rob the needy of justice, And to take what is right from the poor of My people, That widows may be their prey, And that they may rob the fatherless.”
God condemns the leaders who design unrighteous laws to withhold and even take away justice, financial support and sustenance from the poor and the needy, so that they can fill their own bellies. These warnings and condemnations are not limited to the ancient and modern Houses of Israel and Judah, but they apply to all nations at all times, since God does not play favorites and He does not show partiality and He is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34; Authorized Version), and since all are guilty of the same misconduct.
As we said before, God also condemns the religious leaders, together with the political leaders, and the people who follow their bad example. We read in Ezekiel 22:6–8, 26–27:
“Look, the princes of Israel: each one has used his power to shed blood in you. In you they have made light of father and mother; in your midst they have oppressed the stranger; in you they have mistreated the fatherless and the widow. You have despised My holy things and profaned My Sabbaths… Her priests have violated My law and profaned My holy things; they have not distinguished between the holy and unholy, nor have they made known the difference between the unclean and the clean; and they have hidden their eyes from My Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them. Her princes in her midst are like wolves tearing the prey, to shed blood, to destroy people, and to get dishonest gain.”
None of the political and religious leaders keep God’s Law. They do not cease from mistreating strangers; they do not stand up for peace and they do not forbid shedding blood by, for instance, fighting in war under any and all circumstances; they do not forbid abortion in any form since inception; and they do not keep the weekly and annual Sabbaths, nor do they tell their people that they must observe these days, while refraining from keeping pagan holy days, such as Christmas or Easter. Even the House of Judah does not keep God’s Holy Days in the way prescribed by God.
In what other way are the leaders of our nations described in the Bible, and what warnings are being given which our leaders should adhere to, but don’t?
Broken Promises
Isaiah 28:14–18 states:
“Therefore hear the word of the LORD, you scornful men, Who rule this people who are in Jerusalem, Because you have said, ‘We have made a covenant with death, And with Sheol we are in agreement. When the overflowing scourge passes through, It will not come to us, For we have made lies our refuge, And under falsehood we have hidden ourselves.’ Therefore thus says the LORD God: ‘… Your covenant with death will be annulled, And your agreement with Sheol will not stand; When the overflowing scourge passes through, Then you will be trampled down by it.’”
As pointed out before, these comments are not limited to the city of Jerusalem or the House of Judah, as all leaders and nations are guilty of the same transgressions, including constantly lying to the people and breaking promises they made during election campaigns.
Note Proverbs 29:12: “If a ruler pays attention to lies, All his servants become wicked.” What leader is not guilty of lying and of listening to lying advisers? Otherwise, a politician would not have become a leader in this world ruled by Satan, the father of lies (John 8:44).
Proverbs 28:2 says: “Because of the transgression of a land, many are its princes.” The Good News Translation says: “When a nation sins, it will have one ruler after another.” There is really no stability in this world. In some countries, a leader may rule longer than in other countries, but then such a country may have other major problems, not to mention being ruled by an autocratic dictatorship. And those in opposition, when they eventually come to power, usually find that what they said they would do, and might have even intended to do, is just not possible through many different constraints, and so the pattern continues as there are no real, permanent answers.
Raising Taxes
Proverbs 29:4 adds: “The king establishes the land by justice, But he who receives bribes overthrows it.” The New American Bible says: “By justice a king builds up the land; but one who raises taxes tears it down.” The Revised Luther Bible 2017 writes: “… who demands high taxes destroys the land.” Overtaxing the people is such a common problem in this evil world. But make no mistake: God will hold those responsible who engage in such ungodly conduct.
God wants the rulers to stand up to plead the cause of the needy.
Proverbs 31:8 states: “Open your mouth for the speechless, In the cause of all who are appointed to die. Open your mouth, judge righteously, And plead the cause of the poor and needy.”
Helping the Needy
Proverbs 24:10–12 adds: “If you faint in the day of adversity, Your strength is small. Deliver those who are drawn toward death, And hold back those stumbling to the slaughter. If you say, ‘Surely we did not know this,’ Does not He who weighs the hearts consider it? He who keeps your soul, does He not know it? And will He not render to each man according to his deeds?”
But none of the leaders will really look after and protect the needy, even though God’s commands in this regard and warnings are very clear. His words are to be and will be proclaimed. We will see later who is especially charged by God to fulfill that commission.
False Religion
Notice the following admonitions to the religious leaders to warn the people, and God’s reaction to their failure to do so.
Ezekiel 13:4–6, 10 says:
“O Israel, your prophets are like foxes in the deserts. You have not gone up into the gaps to build a wall for the house of Israel to stand in battle on the day of the LORD. They have envisioned futility and false divination, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD!’ But the LORD has not sent them; yet they hope that the word may be confirmed… they have seduced My people, saying, ‘Peace!’ when there is no peace…”
After charging the princes, the prophets and the priests with wrong (compare again Ezekiel 22:6–8, 26–27, quoted previously), God continues in Ezekiel 22:28–30:
“Her prophets plastered them with untempered mortar, seeing false visions, and divining lies for them, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord God,’ when the LORD had not spoken. The people of the land have used oppressions, committed robbery, and mistreated the poor and needy; and they wrongfully oppress the stranger. So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one.”
Nobody among the political and religious leaders of the nations could and can be found to take a stand for the poor and to protect, rather than oppress the stranger (whether they are in the country legally or illegally), nor was and is there a leader who stands up for the true God and tells the people to do likewise and do away their idols and false religious services, and to prevent the coming disaster to occur.
Stand in the Gap
The same sad Truth that the land is full of evil, and that no leader is willing to do something about it, is pronounced in Isaiah 59:2–18:
“… your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear. For your hands are defiled with blood, And your fingers with iniquity; Your lips have spoken lies, Your tongue has muttered perversity. No one calls for justice, Nor does any plead for truth. They trust in empty words and speak lies; They conceive evil and bring forth iniquity… Their works are works of iniquity, And the act of violence is in their hands. Their feet run to evil, And they make haste to shed innocent blood; Their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; Wasting and destruction are in their paths. The way of peace they have not known, And there is no justice in their ways; They have made themselves crooked paths; Whoever takes that way shall not know peace. Therefore justice is far from us, Nor does righteousness overtake us… We look for justice, but there is none… Speaking oppression and revolt, Conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood. Justice is turned back, And righteousness stands afar off; For truth is fallen in the street, And equity cannot enter. So truth fails, And he who departs from evil makes himself a prey. Then the LORD saw it, and it displeased Him That there was no justice. He saw that there was no man, And wondered that there was no intercessor; Therefore His own arm brought salvation for Him; And His own righteousness, it sustained Him. For He put on righteousness as a breastplate, And a helmet of salvation on His head; He put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, And was clad with zeal as a cloak. According to their deeds, accordingly He will repay, Fury to His adversaries, Recompense to His enemies; The coastlands He will fully repay.”
Inasmuch as none of the political and religious leaders of our nations will repent of their sins and stand in the gap to tell the people to repent of their sins and turn to the true God, calamity will follow. What a contrast to the king of Nineveh who, responding to Jonah’s warning, repented of his evil deeds and told the people to do likewise.
Notice God’s pronouncement in Isaiah 63:4–5:
“For the day of vengeance is in My heart, And the year of My redeemed has come. I looked, but there was no one to help, And I wondered That there was no one to uphold; Therefore My own arm brought salvation for Me; And My own fury, it sustained Me.”
Duty of God’s Church
God’s Church must be different. A warning must be given, and God requires and expects of His Church to do so. And so, God demands of His Church to plead the cause of the needy and to show the leaders of our nations and the people following our leaders their sins with the hope that they will repent and turn. Isaiah 58:1 says:
“Cry aloud, spare not; Lift up your voice like a trumpet; Tell My people their transgression, And the house of Jacob their sins.”
He continues to list some of those sins—brutal and violent conduct; disregard of the poor and needy; as well as Sabbath-breaking. This warning message of impending disaster, because of the sins of the leaders and the people, is to be proclaimed by God’s Church, like the blowing of a loud and mighty trumpet.
We read in Ezekiel 33:2–7:
“Son of man, speak to the children of your people, and say to them: ‘When I bring the sword upon a land, and the people of the land take a man from their territory and make him their watchman, when he sees the sword coming upon the land, if he blows the trumpet and warns the people, then whoever hears the sound of the trumpet and does not take warning, if the sword comes and takes him away, his blood shall be on his own head. He heard the sound of the trumpet, but did not take warning; his blood shall be upon himself. But he who takes warning will save his life. But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, and the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at the watchman’s hand.’ So you, son of man: I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore you shall hear a word from My mouth and warn them for Me.”
God’s Church—God’s Watchmen
Today, the task of the watchman has been given to God’s Church, and we had better fulfill God’s command to warn the leaders and the people of coming disaster, unless they repent. This warning is being proclaimed today for everyone who is willing to see, hear and read. Again, God’s commission to His Church is stated in Ezekiel 3:17–19:
“Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore hear a word from My mouth, and give them warning from Me: When I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life, that same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand. Yet, if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul.”
Jeremiah repeats this commission to God’s Church, but also points out that most will not listen. We read in Jeremiah 6:17–19:
“Also, I set watchmen over you, saying, ‘Listen to the sound of the trumpet!’ But they said, ‘We will not listen.’ Therefore hear, you nations, And know, O congregation, what is among them. Hear, O earth! Behold, I will certainly bring calamity on this people– The fruit of their thoughts, Because they have not heeded My words, Nor My law, but rejected it.”
Also notice Isaiah 48:6, charging His Church with declaring what God reveals to it: “You have heard; See all this. And will you not declare it? I have made you hear new things from this time, Even hidden things, and you did not know them.” Also note verse 20: “Go forth from Babylon! Flee from the Chaldeans! With a voice of singing, Declare, proclaim this, Utter it to the end of the earth…”
Do Not Be Discouraged
Yes, God’s people are commissioned to leave the evil systems of this world, and to admonish others to do likewise. God’s people are not supposed to be part of the world. But they are in this world, shining as lights among an evil and adulterous generation.
When God told Jeremiah that He had ordained him a prophet to the nations, He commanded: “Therefore prepare yourself and arise, And speak to them all that I command you. Do not be dismayed before their faces, Lest I dismay you before them. For behold, I have made you this day A fortified city and an iron pillar, And bronze walls against the whole land– Against the kings of Judah, Against its princes, Against its priests, And against the people of the land. They will fight against you, But they shall not prevail against you. For I am with you,’ says the LORD, ‘to deliver you’” (Jeremiah 1:17–19).
Jeremiah spoke first to the people, but they did not listen. So he concluded: “Therefore I said, ‘Surely these are poor. They are foolish; For they do not know the way of the LORD, The judgment of their God. I will go to the great men and speak to them, For they have known the way of the LORD, The judgment of their God.’ But these have altogether broken the yoke And burst the bonds” (Jeremiah 5:4–5).
Nations and Their Leaders in Rebellion
A devastating example of the rebellion of the leaders and the people of our nations can be found in the end-time prophecy in Psalm 2:1–12. We read:
“Why do the nations rage, And the people plot a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, And the rulers take counsel together, Against the LORD [God the Father] and against His Anointed [Jesus Christ; in Hebrew: Messiah], saying, ‘Let us break Their bonds in pieces And cast away Their cords from us.’ He who sits in the heavens [the Father] shall laugh; The LORD shall hold them in derision. Then He shall speak to them in His wrath, And distress them in His deep displeasure: ‘Yet I have set My King [Jesus Christ] On My holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree: The LORD [the Father] has said to Me [Jesus Christ], ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. Ask of Me, and I will give You The nations for Your inheritance, And the ends of the earth for Your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.’ Now therefore, be wise, O kings; Be instructed, you judges of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, And rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son [Jesus Christ], lest He be angry, And you perish in the way, When His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.”
We see how the leaders and nations of this world are in total defiance of God—the Father and the Son—and none of that will change until Christ returns to this earth to establish the Kingdom and government of God, thereby replacing all human kings and rulers. They had received the warning and admonition from God, but as it is prophesied, they chose to ignore them.
Still, God told Jeremiah—and He tells us today—to continue warning the rulers and the people of terrible disaster which would strike them (Jeremiah 5:20–21: “Declare this in the house of Jacob And proclaim it in Judah, saying, ‘Hear this now, O foolish people, Without understanding, Who have eyes and see not, And who have ears and hear not…’”).
The rejection from the leaders and the people did not stop Jeremiah or the other prophets from continually proclaiming God’s warning.
The prophets of old were charged to tell the leaders, with whatever means available to them, that they were doing wrong. John the Baptist did the same later when he told Herod that he was living in adultery. In Revelation 10:11, John is given a little book with the admonition, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings.” This verse can also be understood that he had to proclaim a warning message before, concerning and against many peoples, nations, tongues and kings. Inasmuch as this is an end-time prophecy, this commission is given to God’s end-time Church.
Preaching Against War
The Church’s commission includes preaching against fighting in war. We read in Isaiah 28:6 that God gives “strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate.” Also note Isaiah 54:15: “… they shall surely assemble, but not because of Me. Whoever assembles against you shall fall for your sake.” The Good News Translation says: “Whoever attacks you, does it without my consent; whoever fights against you will fall.” This is why Christ says that we will perish by the sword if we take the sword to fight (Matthew 26:52; also note Revelation 13:10).
It also includes not voting in elections for our leaders. This should be self-evident when considering how God views them, and we are admonished to abstain from every form of evil (1 Thessalonians 5:22). Note also Hosea 8:4: “They set up kings, but not by Me; They made princes, but I did not acknowledge them…”
Most Won’t Listen
This end-time commission to warn the leaders and the people has been given to God’s Church today. But of course, it is prophesied that most will not listen, as they refused to listen to the prophets of old in ancient times. In fact, we read in Micah 2:11: “If a man should walk in a false spirit And speak a lie, saying, ‘I will prophesy to you of wine and drink,’ Even he would be the prattler of this people.” In other words, he would be the kind of prophet whom the people would like to have and listen to.
Also note God’s words in Ezekiel 33:30–33:
“As for you, son of man, the children of your people are talking about you beside the walls and in the doors of the houses; and they speak to one another, everyone saying to his brother, ‘Please come and hear what the word is that comes from the LORD.’ So they come to you as people do, they sit before you as My people, and they hear your words, but they do not do them; for with their mouth they show much love, but their hearts pursue their own gain. Indeed you are to them as a very lovely song of one who has a pleasant voice and can play well on an instrument; for they hear your words, but they do not do them. And when this comes to pass—surely it will come—then they will know that a prophet has been among them.”
Still, this must not discourage or prevent us from proclaiming what we are called to do, thereby following God’s direct commission to the Church—realizing that this is part of the Work of God which God has given us to carry out.
Chapter 6 How Can It Be Done?
We have pointed out in this booklet that God has given His end-time Church—the Body of Christ, consisting of all Christians in whom God’s Spirit dwells—the commission to preach the gospel of the Kingdom of God as a witness unto all nations, which includes the proclamation of a warning message of impending disaster and the possibility of worldwide destruction in a prophesied nuclear war.
Before answering HOW the Church can fulfill that commission, let us quote some excerpts to show THAT it will be accomplished.
The Task Will Be Accomplished
We say the following in Chapter 3:
“But after the death of Paul and the other early apostles, the preaching of the gospel to the world would gradually stop, and so, as we have said many times, for over 1900 years, the gospel was NOT preached to the world, until God began to motivate His church and giving it the strength and opportunities to begin so again. This way, that worldwide proclamation would become the sign of the end—of the return of Jesus Christ. This proclamation would continue during the Great Tribulation as well—including through the preaching of the Two Witnesses. As God’s prophets (Revelation 11:3, 6, 10), they will of course warn the nations and proclaim what will happen—including, what has been written down in the Bible…”
We also say in that chapter that the proclamation will produce fruit, in God’s due time:
“When we do the Work of God by preaching the gospel message, we do not do it in vain. It will produce fruit, even though it may not be obvious right away. Notice Isaiah 55:10–11: ‘For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, And do not return there, But water the earth, And make it bring forth and bud, That it may give seed to the sower And bread to the eater, So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.’ What the gospel message contains will be accomplished, in God’s due time. This is also confirmed in Jeremiah 1:12, where God says: ‘You have seen well, for I am ready to perform My word.’…”
In addition, we state this in Chapter 5:
“A warning must be given, and God expects and requires of His Church to do so… Today, the task of the watchman has been given to God’s Church, and we had better fulfill God’s command to warn the leaders and the people of coming disaster, unless they repent. This warning is being proclaimed today for everyone who is willing to see, hear and read… This end-time commission to warn the leaders and the people has been given to God’s Church today. But of course, it is prophesied that most will not listen, as they refused to listen to the prophets of old in ancient times.”
Hated By All Nations
That the Church WILL indeed fulfill God’s commission to preach the gospel, which includes an emphasis on keeping His Law, and to proclaim a warning message of disaster to the rulers and nations because of their sinful conduct, can be seen by the fact that the Church will be hated by all the people in the entire world.
Christ told us in Matthew 10:22–23:
“And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved. When they persecute you in this city, flee to another. For assuredly, I say to you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes.”
Christ repeats this end-time prophecy in Matthew 24:8–13:
“All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved.”
When we are hated by all nations for Christ’s name’s sake, this implies that the Church has become known to all nations in order for it to be hated by all of them.
At the time of Paul, certain Jews claimed that the Church, through its teaching, had “turned the world upside down” (Acts 17:6), and that “concerning this sect, we know that it is spoken against everywhere” (Acts 28:22). Paul says in Romans 10:18: “Their sound has gone out to all the earth, And their words to the ends of the world.” He says in Colossians 1:23 that the gospel “was preached to every creature under heaven.” It was even said by Christ’s enemies about Him that “the world has gone after Him!” (John 12:19). Also compare Romans 10:18.
At that time, this had not literally occurred, but these are also prophetic sayings, which would be fulfilled in the future, and especially in our time.
We also read that the Apostle John, while being imprisoned on the isle of Patmos, was given a little book in a vision with the command to prophesy again about or to many peoples, tongues, nations and kings. There was no practical way for John to actually go to all those nations to proclaim to them God’s Word. Similar commands had been given to the prophets of old. While Ezekiel dwelt with the other Jews as captives in Babylon, God told him in a vision to go to the House of Israel to proclaim to them God’s Word.
By that time, the House of Israel had been taken captive by the Assyrians many years before; Ezekiel would have been unable to travel to Assyria to bring God’s message to the House of Israel. Similar commands were given to ancient Jeremiah and ancient Isaiah. It would have been extremely difficult, if not impossible, to physically deliver God’s message to all those nations.
Prophets of Old
We understand, of course, that the commission was primarily intended for the end time, and that God’s servants in our time were commissioned to proclaim the messages given to the ancient prophets. Still, John, Ezekiel, Jeremiah and Isaiah did receive orders from God, and they would not have dared not to carry them out. So what did they do, and how did they fulfill their responsibilities?
They WROTE DOWN what God told them, and God preserved their writings so that they could be read by everyone throughout the ages. The Old and New Testament prophets became worldwide “celebrities”—almost everyone has heard of their name, but many did not and do not like what they proclaimed.
As we will see, the same applies, to an extent, to the Church of God in our time.
We are told that Isaiah worked as a prophet and a minister for at least 40 years and perhaps as long as 64 years. Jeremiah is assumed to have worked for 40 years, but most do not take into account that he travelled with the daughters of the last Jewish King Zedekiah to Ireland, where he ministered; he worked therefore longer than only 40 years. We are told that Ezekiel worked for 22 years. During all that time, they did what God had instructed them to do, and their commission did not last only for a few months or years. And as we said above, their writings are still available today.
Herbert W. Armstrong
Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong, the former human leader of the now defunct Worldwide Church of God, worked as a minister for over 50 years, from about 1933 or 1934 until his death in 1986. He wrote many booklets and books, produced many recorded sermons and radio and television programs, and he visited many leaders and dignitaries. Even though dead, what he did lives on in our memories, and most of it can be found, in one way or another, on the internet.
The Church of the Eternal God came into being in 2001, with the declared goal to uphold and teach that “The major doctrines of the Church are those, which were taught by Herbert W. Armstrong, derived from the Biblical teachings as followed by God’s faithful servants, and originally established by Jesus Christ through the founding of His Church in the time of His chosen early apostles. Since we are to increase in the knowledge of Jesus Christ, we are committed to review and alter any of our teachings, if and when proven to be wrong by the Bible.”
God’s Church Today
We are committed to this goal and have tried to faithfully carry it out. And so, all our literature is posted on the Web; and so are all our audio and video messages. We have been in operation a little bit longer than Ezekiel, but much shorter than Isaiah and Jeremiah, or Mr. Armstrong. The point being, God has given His Church an allotted time to do the Work. And that Work will produce fruit. It always will, if it is of God.
As we stated before, when talking about the Church, we speak about the Body of Christ, consisting of all Christians in whom God’s Spirit dwells. We recognize that, in addition to the Church of the Eternal God and its international affiliates, there are others who also claim that they have continued to uphold the true faith as revealed to Mr. Armstrong. As Jesus said, each will be known by their behavior and works:
“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them” (Matthew 7:15–20).
This test applies to all who claim to be doing God’s Will.
People will remember what they might have heard, or they will be led to the Church’s literature and recorded messages at the appropriate time. Word will spread, and many won’t like what they will hear and read. Then it will become true that God’s Church will be hated by all nations in all the world. This does not mean that each and every individual member will be known by everybody, but they will be hated by association when it becomes known that they are part of this “crazy” and unpopular “unchristian” “Jewish” Church—and that especially, since anti-Semitism will reach unparalleled heights.
The Two Witnesses
We also read that in the end time, Two Witnesses will proclaim God’s Truth. They will obviously be part of the Body of Christ, and their teaching will be in line with the teachings of the Church which had been proclaimed before for many years. People will recognize this, and they will connect the dots. Most will hate the Two Witnesses, and as they see the connection between them and the Church, they will hate the Church even more than they had already done before.
The Two Witnesses will begin their public proclamations at the beginning of the Great Tribulation which will last for 3 ½ years. There will be those who recognize their teaching as being in line with what the Church had been teaching before, and they will become converted. They will be protected by God from the great and terrible Day of the Lord—a one-year time period which will begin 2 ½ years after the beginning of the Great Tribulation. But realize the impact which the Two Witnesses and the Church will have: 144,000 Israelites will become converted along with a great multitude from all nations “which no one can number” (Revelation 7:9).
Inasmuch as no one can become converted unless God draws them, God is obviously blessing the Church’s labor of the proclamation of the gospel in all the world, and a mass calling will occur before Christ’s return. God has been involved with the Church’s efforts all along. Even just prior to Christ’s return, we see God’s continued involvement, as mentioned in Revelation 14:6–7:
“Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth–to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people–saying with a loud voice, ‘Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.’”
Even then, God and His angels support the Work of the proclamation of the gospel message through His Church and the Two Witnesses. The Scriptures are clear that all of that will occur. God will reveal, in due time, how exactly He will bring it about.
Chapter 7 The Work and You!
In previous chapters, we showed that both the last revival of the Roman Empire [through the raising up of the ancient Chaldeans, and their subsequent defeat] and the preaching of the gospel are described as the Work of God. We then concentrated on God’s Work in these end times, as it relates to the preaching of the gospel and to the warning of the nations and their leaders. In this chapter, we will talk about the connection between aspects of the Work of God and our salvation, as well as the marvelous Truth that the more we are involved in God’s Work of preaching the gospel, the more we will overcome our sins and our human nature… which is necessary to be able to enter the Kingdom and Family of God.
God’s Work in the Past
First, we need to understand that some aspects and tasks might have been referred to as the Work in the past, even though that may not necessarily have relevance for us today. But whenever God used people to do His Work, they had to do it with their whole heart, and in complete obedience to God’s instructions.
The Tabernacle
One of these aspects was the building of the tabernacle in the wilderness. When everything was done, we read in Exodus 40:16, 19, 21–27, 29, 32–34:
“Thus Moses did; according to all that the LORD had commanded him, so he did… And he spread out the tent over the tabernacle and put the covering of the tent on top of it, as the LORD had commanded Moses… And he brought the ark into the tabernacle, hung up the veil of the covering, and partitioned off the ark of the Testimony, as the LORD had commanded Moses… He put the table in the tabernacle of meeting, on the north side of the tabernacle, outside the veil; and he set the bread in order upon it before the LORD, as the LORD had commanded Moses. He put the lampstand in the tabernacle of meeting, across from the table, on the south side of the tabernacle; and he lit the lamps before the LORD, as the LORD had commanded Moses. He put the gold altar in the tabernacle of meeting in front of the veil; and he burned sweet incense on it, as the LORD had commanded Moses… And he put the altar of burnt offering before the door of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting, and offered upon it the burnt offering and the grain offering, as the LORD had commanded Moses… Whenever they went into the tabernacle of meeting, and when they came near the altar, they washed, as the LORD had commanded Moses. And he raised up the court all around the tabernacle and the altar, and hung up the screen of the court gate. So Moses finished the work. Then the cloud covered the tabernacle of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.”
When the people had completed the building of the tabernacle, under Moses’ direction, that aspect of the Work of God was finished.
The Temple
When God had inspired David to prepare the building of the first temple, which would be accomplished through his son Solomon, we read David’s admonition in 1 Chronicles 29:1: “Furthermore King David said to all the assembly: ‘My son Solomon, whom alone God has chosen, is young and inexperienced; and the work is great, because the temple is not for man but for the LORD God…’”
The Israelites were willing to participate in the Work of building the temple. When David asked in verse 5, “Who then is willing to consecrate himself this day to the LORD?”, we read in verses 6–10:
“Then the leaders of the fathers’ houses, leaders of the tribes of Israel, the captains of thousands and of hundreds, with the officers over the king’s work, offered willingly. They gave for the work of the house of God five thousand talents and ten thousand darics of gold, ten thousand talents of silver, eighteen thousand talents of bronze, and one hundred thousand talents of iron. And whoever had precious stones gave them to the treasury of the house of the LORD, into the hand of Jehiel the Gershonite. Then the people rejoiced, for they had offered willingly, because with a loyal heart they had offered willingly to the LORD; and King David also rejoiced greatly. Therefore David blessed the LORD before all the assembly; and David said: ‘Blessed are You, LORD God of Israel, our Father, forever and ever…’”
When the building of the temple was completed, THAT aspect of the Work of God was finished.
Christ’s Purposes
Jesus, the Son of God, became a Man to fulfill the great purpose of becoming the Savior of Mankind. But that was not the only reason for His coming. We explain in our free booklet, “Do You Know the Jesus of the Bible?”, chapter 18, “The Purpose of Jesus’ Coming,” pages 87–92, the many aspects of the Work of God and the many purposes which He had to fulfill.
He said early on in His ministry, in John 4:34: “‘… My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.’”
He also said in John 5:36: “But I have a greater witness than John’s; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish—the very works that I do—bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me.”
In His prayer to the Father in the Garden of Gethsemane, He said, in John 17:4: “I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the workwhich You have given Me to do.”
When He died at the cross, He said at that moment: “It is finished” (John 19:30). He finished that part of the Work which the Father had given Him to do as a human being.
And so, His disciples who were alive at that time were entrusted with the task of finishing that part of God’s Work that had been given to them.
Watch!
We read what Christ said in a parable, in Mark 13:34–37:
“It is like a man going to a far country, who left his house and gave authority to his servants, and to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch. Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming—in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning—lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping. And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!”
The admonition to watch their spiritual condition applies to all Christians at all times, as nobody knows the time of their death and they need to be ready at all times, to meet their Maker in the resurrection, but Christ clearly referred foremost to the actual time of His Second Coming.
Not Given to Ancient Church
And so, God has given His end-time Church the WORK of preaching the gospel of the Kingdom of God as a witness, which includes warning the nations and their leaders of impending disaster.
That aspect of the Work had NOT been given to the Church in prior times, after the early apostles had died. Of course, God’s Church did warn people or nations at certain times (compare Christ’s and the disciples’ warning to the Jews that Jerusalem would be destroyed under Titus), and the Church did preach the gospel (compare 2 Corinthians 5:18–20) and warn that everyone will have to give account on the Day of Judgment (2 Corinthians 5:10), but the Work of preaching the gospel to the world as a witness and the warning message to the end-time nations was decisively given to God’s end-time Church, because it was to be THE sign of Christ’s speedy return, once that aspect of the Work was fulfilled (Matthew 24:14). Today, this preaching has been made possible through the invention of the internet and many other means of electronic communication.
The Law
The gospel message is also a message of repentance (Luke 24:47), which includes the realization of what sin is—the transgression of the Law of the Ten Commandments (1 John 3:4). God had originally written the Ten Commandments on tablets of stone; today He is writing them in and on our hearts. Both are aspects of the Work of God. We read in Exodus 32:15–16:
“And Moses turned and went down from the mountain, and the two tablets of the Testimony were in his hand. The tablets were written on both sides; on the one side and on the other they were written. Now the tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God engraved on the tablets.”
Today, the law must be written in our hearts. In Isaiah 51:7, we read: “Listen to Me, you who know righteousness, You people in whose heart is My law: Do not fear the reproach of men, Nor be afraid of their insults.” Compare also Psalm 37:30–31; 40:8.
Jeremiah 31:33 says: “But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.”
This, God has already done to those spiritual Israelites whom He has called and converted in this age to become born-again members in His Family. In 2 Corinthians 3:2–3, Paul says to the Church members at Corinth: “You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men; clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart.”
Becoming Righteous
When the early apostles began to do God’s Work of preaching the gospel in Jerusalem, they encountered opposition from the religious establishment. But let’s notice what one of the wise men in the Sanhedrin advised his colleagues in Acts 5:38–39—an advice which is relevant for our times as well:
“And now I say to you, keep away from these men and let them alone; for if this plan or this work is of men, it will come to nothing; but if it isof God, you cannot overthrow it—lest you even be found to fight against God.”
We are called co-workers with Christ. We read that God the Father works, and Jesus Christ works (John 5:17), and we must be working with them. Regarding our labor, God says in Isaiah 61:8: “I will direct their work in truth.”
But those whom God has called to fulfill the end-time commission of His Work are also to become more and more holy, as God is holy. Isaiah 52:11 says about our challenge to leave the philosophies and customs of this world behind and become different: “Depart! Depart! Go out from there, Touch no unclean thing; Go out from the midst of her, Be clean, You who bear the vessels of the LORD.”
We also read in Deuteronomy 6:24–25 what God, through Moses, told the Israelites of old; and what He tells us today:
“And the LORD commanded us to observe all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God, for our good always, that He might preserve us alive, as it is this day. Then it will be righteousness for us, if we are careful to observe all these commandments before the LORD our God, as He has commanded us.”
In doing the Work wholeheartedly, and being involved in the Work, be it through prayer and financial support, or be it in actively helping the Work, wherever we can and whenever an opportunity presents itself, the more we will be growing in Christ’s grace or favor and His knowledge (2 Peter 3:18), and the more we will be able to overcome sin and to become more and more righteous.
This connection becomes clear when considering John 6:26–29:
“Jesus answered them and said, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.’ Then they said to Him, ‘What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?’ Jesus answered and said to them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.’”
We will discuss this last verse in more detail in the next chapter. For the purpose of this chapter, we want to point out the following:
The Work of God is to believe in Christ. That’s the starting point. But it does not stop there. Our belief in Christ will motivate us to DO something. Christ also said above: “Labor… for the food which endures to everlasting life.” Believing in Christ is just the beginning. We must then also believe Christ (believe what He tells us), repent, accept His Sacrifice for us, become properly baptized and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, being led by the faith of Christ—Christ’s faith living in us—and in the end, after constantly overcoming, we will receive eternal life in God’s Kingdom and Family.
Our faith is shown by our works, as we read in the letter of James. As quoted before in Chapter 3 of this booklet, he admonishes us in James 1:22–25:
“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.”
What Work are James and Christ talking about? Why is believing in Christ, as the starting point, the Work of God? Again, what IS the Work of God Christ makes reference to?
God Began a Good Work
We read in Philippians 1:3–6:
“I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ…”
Here, Paul is saying that God has begun a good work IN us. And so, we read in Ephesians 2:10: “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” The New Jerusalem Bible states: “We are God’s work of art…”
We can see that Christ’s statement that this is the Work of God that we believe in Him describes our road to salvation. We are God’s Work which He wants to bring to completion.
A Marvelous Work
We read God’s assessment of the people of this age in Isaiah 29:13–16:
“Therefore the LORD said: ‘Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths And honor Me with their lips, But have removed their hearts far from Me, And their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men, Therefore, behold, I will again do a marvelous work Among this people, A marvelous work and a wonder; For the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, And the understanding of their prudent men shall be hidden.’ Woe to those who seek deep to hide their counsel far from the LORD, And their works are in the dark; They say, ‘Who sees us?’ and, ‘Who knows us?’ Surely you have things turned around! Shall the potter be esteemed as the clay; For shall the thing made say of him who made it, ‘He did not make me’? (The Authorized Version says: “… shall the work say to him that made it, He made me not?”). Or shall the thing formed say of him who formed it, ‘He has no understanding’?”
The marvelous Work which God is doing is two-fold: Whatever wisdom and understanding the wise of this age—including their religious and political leaders—might have had will completely vanish. But God adds another remarkable prophecy, in verse 23:
The Work of God’s Hands
“But when he sees his children, The work of My hands, in his midst, They will hallow My name, And hallow the Holy One of Jacob, And fear the God of Israel.”
Job knew that he was God’s Work, and that God was working in and with him. We read in Job 14:14–15: “If a man dies, shall he live again? All the days of my hard service I will wait, Till my change comes. You shall call, and I will answer You; You shall desire the work of Your hands.”
Even though all of mankind are the Work of God’s hands (Job 34:19; Isaiah 19:25), many do not recognize this fact at this time and the responsibility which that entails, but some do. Many will come to that understanding later.
Isaiah 60:20–22 says: “Your sun shall no longer go down, Nor shall your moon withdraw itself; For the LORD will be your everlasting light, And the days of your mourning shall be ended. Also your people shall all be righteous; They shall inherit the land [better: the earth] forever, The branch of My planting, The work of My hands, That I may be glorified. A little one shall become a thousand, And a small one a strong nation. I, the LORD, will hasten it in its time.”
Isaiah 64:7–8 adds: “And there is no one who calls on Your name, Who stirs himself up to take hold of You; For You have hidden Your face from us, And have consumed us because of our iniquities. But now, O LORD, You are our Father; We are the clay, and You our potter; And all we are the work of Your hand.”
Isaiah 62:11 confirms that especially those who turn to God ARE the Work of God: “Indeed the LORD has proclaimed To the end of the world: ‘Say to the daughter of Zion, “Surely your salvation is coming; Behold, His reward is with Him, And His work before Him.”’”
God grants us salvation as a gift; we are not saved through our works; we cannot earn it through our works. But God expects of us to labor, to work—even working out our own salvation with fear and trembling—thereby showing that we are serious about God’s calling and our potential, but it is still God who does His Work in us, as Philippians 2:12–13 tells us:
“… work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.”
Isaiah 26:12 confirms this: “LORD, You will establish peace for us, For You have also done all our works in us.”
We read in Romans 14:17, 20: “… for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All things indeed are pure, but it is evil for the man who eats with offense.”
The Work of God is equated here with the Kingdom of God. We are warned not to do anything which causes a stumbling block for others which will prevent them from entering the Kingdom, as they, too, are part of the Work of God.
In 2 Thessalonians 1:11–12, we read: “Therefore we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power, that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.” Paul tells the Church members that God counts them worthy and fulfills in them the Work of faith with power so that the name of Jesus is glorified in them.
The Work of God will be short in these end times, and God says that He will finish the Work and cut it short in righteousness (compare Romans 9:28). This is also a reference to us—God’s Work—as we have only been given a short time, comparatively speaking, to qualify for God’s Kingdom.
God’s Work, which we must be concerned about, deals with the creation of man and man’s ultimate potential. God wants that every man be saved (1 Timothy 2:3–4). Some will reject salvation, but that is not God’s desire. God’s Work is to enlarge His Family, and then, to rule with His enlarged Family for all eternity.
And so, we must do whatever God has given to us to do within His marvelous end-time Work to support and assist in this process. And we need to watch ourselves, to be counted worthy to stand before the Son of Man when He returns (Luke 21:36; 1 Timothy 4:7–8; but compare also 1 John 2:28).
We Are God’s Work
Christ said that this is the Work of God that we believe in Him; in other words, that we are God’s Work, and the first step to reach our destiny is to believe in Jesus. And that we must keep laboring for the food which leads to eternal life, while remembering that believing in Christ is the Work of God because He gives us that belief. That is how the Work of God begins in us. It is God who accomplishes all of this. God leads us and gives us the strength to persevere, but we have to follow His lead and accept what He offers us. All glory belongs to God, for without Him, we can’t do anything (John 15:5).
Today, we are just the firstfruits of God’s Work—the forerunners or pioneers. God will give the opportunity to all of mankind to be a part of His Work—to enter His Kingdom and Family as born-again God beings.
In conclusion, God’s Church—God’s Work—is commissioned today to proclaim the warning message of the final rise of the European Empire and what it will set in motion, and to preach the gospel of the Kingdom of God to the world as a witness, and then Christ will return. As John the Baptist prepared the people for Christ’s First Coming, so God’s Church is to prepare the world for Christ’s Second Coming. As we are involved in faithfully and zealously fulfilling our commission, we are growing and maturing in our Christian Way of Life and qualifying abundantly for entrance into the Kingdom of God (2 Peter 1:10–11).
Malachi 3:2 asks the pertinent question: “… who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears?”
Psalm 24:3–5 tells us:
“Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? Or who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, Nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive blessing from the LORD, And righteousness from the God of his salvation.”
And Psalm 15:1–5 adds:
“A Psalm of David. LORD, who may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your holy hill? He who walks uprightly, And works righteousness, And speaks the truth in his heart; He who does not backbite with his tongue, Nor does evil to his neighbor, Nor does he take up a reproach against his friend; In whose eyes a vile person is despised, But he honors those who fear the LORD; He who swears to his own hurt and does not change; He who does not put out his money at usury, Nor does he take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things shall never be moved.”
Let’s do this, and we will live (compare Luke 10:25–28)—as the Work of God.
Chapter 8 The Work of God—Just Believing in Christ?
Some claim that John 6:29 shows that simply believing in Jesus Christ fulfills doing the Work of God.
We covered this verse in the last chapter, but we would like to elaborate on this in this chapter.
To truly comprehend what Jesus taught about the Work of God, we must consider not only the verse in John, but, additionally, we need to compare other references in God’s Word. First, here is the text in question:
“Jesus answered and said to them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent’” (John 6:29).
Consider the specific context of this statement by Jesus. Multiple thousands of people who followed Jesus had recently been miraculously fed (compare John 6:1–14). Some continued to seek Jesus—even to the point of getting into boats and crossing to where Jesus had gone, as recorded in verses 22–25 of John 6.
It is quite revealing to read how Jesus responded:
“‘…Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him’” (John 6:26–27).
For the Wrong Reasons
Here is a quite obvious case of people following Jesus for the wrong reasons. They believed they would receive physical food to satisfy themselves. In fact, Jesus warned that some would claim that they used His name for preaching, for withstanding Satanic forces and even for doing miraculous works (compare Matthew 7:21–22). However, carefully note what He also said about people of this mindset:
“‘And then I will declare to them, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!”’” (Matthew 7:23).
They all knew about Jesus, but they utterly failed to live within the laws of God!
Jesus asks this poignant question of anyone who would claim to be His follower:
“‘But why do you call Me “Lord, Lord,” and not do the things which I say? Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like: He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock. But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was great’” (Luke 6:46–49).
What Jesus said for us to do, He also did Himself! One example of this is the establishment of how Christians are to observe the Passover:
“‘For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them’” (John 13:15–17).
Far too many—indeed, the majority of Bible students—read over passages such as this and ignore the plainly expressed teaching of Jesus Christ!
To be a Christian mandates that we do what Jesus Christ has commanded His servants to do!
Support God’s Church
One important activity for Christians is to be supportive of the Church of God, and that is expressed time and time again in bringing forward the preaching of the Gospel. This is also something that Jesus Christ dedicated Himself to as He began and then finished His ministry. In Mark’s account we find that “…Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel’” (Mark 1:14–15). At the very end of His ministry, Christ was able to give account of Himself to the Father, and He said, “‘…I have finished the work which You have given Me to do’” (John 17:4).
The fact that Jesus accomplished things is proven by the bitter resentment that the Jewish religious leaders held for Him. Jesus even healed people on the Sabbath. Jesus’ answer to those who questioned Him was “‘…My Father has been working until now, and I have been working’” (John 5:17).
Remember, Jesus is the pattern, and the apostle Peter taught this as a foundational principle of Christianity when he wrote of the need to patiently endure suffering: “For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps” (1 Peter 2:21).
One must conclude that just believing that God sent Jesus is not the end of our responsibility!
The apostle Paul came to believe that Jesus Christ was the Son of God—even that Jesus was resurrected from the dead and was alive, living in Heaven alongside the Father. But coming to that knowledge was only the beginning!
In 2 Corinthians 11, verses 22 through 33, Paul relates what happened to him following his conversion to Christianity. In verse 28, Paul speaks of the work that fell to him—“besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches.”
Finishing the Race
Toward the end of his ministry, Paul was able to give account for the work God had given to him to accomplish: “For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing” (2 Timothy 4:6–8).
Romans 16 summarizes the work of brethren in the Church of God. Note how Paul refers to a man and wife of that time: “Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus…” (verse 3). This chapter memorializes those who actively contributed their part to the building up of the body of Christ (compare Ephesians 4:12; Jude 20).
Those who believe and teach that only invoking the name of Jesus Christ completes their responsibilities to God and fulfills their calling to Christianity have greatly compromised the Truth of the Word of God! Many of Christ’s parables concern bearing fruit on His behalf—one such teaching is found in Matthew 25:31–46. Fundamentally, the warning is to those who have been called into a knowledge of the Truth of God, and the consequences for those who ignore and become lax in following Christ’s teachings are inescapably frightening!
God’s Work Is Not Over!
Evidently, this deceptive argument about faith and works became entrenched in the Church of God at the outset. James addressed the issue squarely, and this is the way he concludes, “… faith without works is dead…” (James 2:26).
In our generation some say that the Work of God is over, as Christ’s disciples felt after His death and resurrection (compare John 21:1–3); some have crafted their own personal beliefs to excuse their rebellion (compare 2 Timothy 4:3–4); others seek personal power over the “sheep” of God (compare Paul’s warning in Acts 20:28–31); still others have lost the power of discernment that is God’s gift through His Holy Spirit (compare 1 Thessalonians 5:4; 2 Timothy 1:6–7)!
When Jesus Christ prepared to leave this earth, He told His disciples to “‘…Go into all the world and preach the gospel (Mark 16:15; compare, also, Acts 1:8). That task and duty remain and are still the assigned Work of the Church of God. The absolute and incontrovertible proof of this is found in the prophecy spoken by Jesus Christ about things that would be taking place leading to His return to this earth:
“‘And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come’” (Matthew 24:14).
Concerning the issue of faith during these end times, Jesus asked this searching question, “‘…when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?’” (Luke 18:8).
We Must Believe in Christ
To return to Christ’s saying in John 6:29, we cannot do the Work of God unless we believe in Jesus Christ—the Head of the church—who directs and leads and guides us. But we must follow His lead—we must DO whatever He requests of us. When we believe in Jesus, we WILL DO the Work. Remember, faith without works is dead. Consider also James’ remarks in James 1:25: “But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a DOER of the WORK, this one will be blessed in what HE DOES.”
One vitally important key for us to ensure that we stand in the faith of Jesus Christ is to, like Him, “work the works of God.” Jesus Christ had a sense of deliberate urgency for completing the Work His Father had given to Him, and He said, “‘I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work’” (John 9:4).
For those who believe in Him, Jesus makes this undeniable promise:
“‘Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it’” (John 14:12–14).
Your salvation and your eternal life must not be taken lightly! We all have this powerful admonition:
“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad” (2 Corinthians 5:10).
In the final chapter of the Book of Revelation, Jesus states this: “‘And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work’” (Revelation 22:12).
Something to consider, and, absolutely, something we had better believe!
Chapter 9 Praying for the Work of God
Most understand the importance of prayer for the Work of God and His ministers, deacons, members and coworkers who are actively involved in the Work of God of preaching the gospel. However, in this chapter, we want to show the strong emphasis which the Bible places on the duty and responsibility of non-ordained and ordained Church members to pray for God’s Work and the human instruments whom God chooses to carry out His Work of preaching the gospel, as well as praying for each other, as we all are part of the Work of God.
First of all, we must understand that it is God who appoints His ministers and deacons and who places His disciples in the Body of Christ where He pleases (1 Corinthians 12:18). Members cannot just decide to “join” the Church of God. Rather, it is the Father who must draw them to Christ and His Body (John 6:44, 65). Likewise, ministers and deacons are not appointed by men.
It is true that God inspires and uses ordained ministers to ordain converted faithful and proven members to the position of minister and deacon, with accompanying prayer and the laying on of hands (Acts 14:23; 13:1–3; Titus 1:5). But it is God who sets aside certain qualified men and women to the office of deacon and deaconess, and He sets aside qualified men to the office of minister and to a particular rank within the ministry (Ephesians 4:11–14; Acts 20:28; 1 Corinthians 12:28; Galatians 1:1; Colossians 1:25; 4:17; 1 Timothy 2:7; 2 Timothy 1:11; Hebrews 5:4; Romans 12:7; 1 Timothy 1:12). In doing so, He entrusts His ministers with great responsibility for which they will have to give account (Hebrews 13:17).
Laborers in God’s Harvest
We should be familiar with Christ’s command to pray to the Father to send forth laborers into God’s harvest, since the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few (Matthew 9:37–38). We should also know that the Word of God must be proclaimed and that it must be believed, but that it cannot be believed unless God sends His ministers to proclaim it (Romans 10:14–17). We are told that the Gospel of the Kingdom of God will be preached in all the world as a witness, and then the end will come (Matthew 24:14; 28:19), but it could be some of us, individually, to either hinder or delay (2 Peter 3:9), as well as hasten (2 Peter 3:12) the day of Christ’s return.
Paul asked the brethren many times to pray for him and the other ministers and helpers. In quite general and all-encompassing terms, he requests of the brethren to pray for him and the other ministers (1 Thessalonians 5:25). A similar request can be found in Hebrews 13:18.
In using a more specific example, Paul asks Philemon to pray that he would be able to visit him, as this visit was important in Paul’s eyes (Philemon 22).
Praying For the Ministry
In the overwhelming majority of cases, when Paul asks for prayers for him and the ministry, it is for the purpose of the furtherance of the Gospel.
In Ephesians 6:18–19, Paul is telling the brethren that they ought to pray for one another, and for all the saints, and also for him that he would obtain the wisdom and strength to preach the Word boldly and to make known the mystery of the gospel. He reiterates this request in Colossians 4:2–3, admonishing the brethren to continue in prayer for him and the other ministers and coworkers, so that God would open unto them a door of utterance or proclaiming the mystery of Christ.
Again, in 2 Thessalonians 3:1–2, Paul asks the brethren to pray for him and his companions so that the Word of God may have free course and be glorified, and that they will be protected and delivered from unreasonable and wicked men who would love to prevent them from preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. Finally, in Romans 15:30–31, Paul appeals with great emotion to the brethren at Rome, when he pleads with them and beseeches them, for the Lord Jesus’ sake, to strive with him together in their prayers to God, so that he would be delivered from those who do not believe, and also, that his service to the brethren would be accepted.
Did Paul really believe that the prayers of the brethren for him would make a difference in his life, and that they would help in the accomplishment of the Work of God? He obviously did—otherwise, he would not have pleaded with the brethren to pray for him.
In Acts 12, we find a striking example of successful prayer from brethren for one of God’s ministers. We read that Peter was thrown into prison, and that the brethren in Jerusalem prayed in Mark’s house. They obviously asked God to protect and release Peter. In fact, an angel set Peter free. The irony is that when Peter went to the brethren and stood outside the house, requesting entrance, they at first refused to believe that it was really he, insisting that he was still in prison and that it therefore had to be his angel.
And so, as the following is true for every successful prayer, so it is also true for prayers on behalf of the Work of God and His ministers: We must believe that we will receive what we are asking. And we must not forget to pray to God even in matters which may seem small or unimportant, as well as for those matters which appear to be too big or difficult to be received.
We read in Philippians 4:6–7 that we should make our requests known to God in regard to everything (compare 1 John 3:22; 5:14–15). We are to pray repeatedly, without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17), and we must pray boldly and with confidence and conviction, and without doubt (Hebrews 4:16). We are to cast all our care on Him (1 Peter 5:7)—including His care for His Church and the financial means and opportunities for the ministry to preach the gospel and feed the flock.
Satan May Hinder Us
Sometimes, Satan may hinder us to accomplish a certain task (1 Thessalonians 2:18)—but even then, we must remember that Satan and his human instruments (1 Corinthians 16:9) can only do what God allows them to do, and that God will crush Satan under our feet shortly (Romans 16:20; 1 John 3:8). We are assured that God’s Holy Spirit which is in us is greater and much more powerful than Satan’s spirit (1 John 4:4), which permeates and deceives the whole world (Revelation 12:9).
God wants us to pray for His Work and His human instruments who are actively involved in carrying out His Work—and for all the members (the Work of God’s hands) who are in need of our prayers. The sincerity and consistency of our prayers for the Work of God show Him how much our hearts are in the things which are important to God. We should never assume that any prayer is too insignificant for God. At the same time, we should think big and ask God to open mighty doors for us, enabling us to proclaim the gospel with much more strength and effect. Some of those doors which we might envision in our minds might at this point appear to be beyond our human grasp or reasonable expectation, but we must know that God has promised us powerful accomplishments (John 14:12), since with God, nothing is impossible (Luke 1:37).
Chapter 10 God’s Warning to His Church
As we point out in our free booklet, “The Mysteries of the Bible,” Christ’s message in chapters 2 and 3 of the Book of Revelation “pertained to the Church of God for all times, including seven historic Church eras… [and] also… seven local Church congregations at the time of John” (p. 23). In this chapter, we will strictly address Christ’s timeless message to individual Christians.
Christ’s message INCLUDES a warning and admonition to all Christians throughout the existence of the Church. This can be seen by Christ’s repeated admonition to ALL seven churches, to “hear what the Spirit says to the churches” (compare Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 29; 3:6, 13 and 22).
We should, first of all, take note of the fact that Christ addresses true Christians in the Church of God who have received God’s Holy Spirit! He is not talking to people who are not a part of the Church! Still, we find that Christ is warning ALL OF US not to lose God’s Spirit. He is admonishing ALL OF US to make every effort to succeed—to “make it into the Kingdom of God.” His warning is real and stern. He utters His warning to awaken Christians out of sleep and lethargy, and to encourage them to continue–and to NEVER give up!
All Do Works
We may note, however, that Christ’s message to the seven churches shows that most Christians are involved with doing “works” (Revelation 2:2, 9, 13, 19; 3:1, 8, 15). While many of the works find Christ’s approval, some do not. For instance, He says in Revelation 3:1: “I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead.” He adds in verse 2 that He did not find the works of those individuals “perfect before God.” Likewise, Christ says in Revelation 3:15–16: “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.”
We can clearly see from the foregoing that Christ encourages a Christian to perform “perfect” works. The mere fact that persons may belong to an organization which does “works” will not help them. Neither will an attitude of self-righteousness and self-contentment—which Christ describes as spiritual blindness. Although they may do works (Revelation 3:15), Christ warns them: “Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked—I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire… Therefore be zealous and repent” (Revelation 3:17–19). Even though they work, they act in a self-confident, half-hearted fashion, thinking that they have already made it. They do not really understand the need to grow in God’s knowledge and His Way of Life. Christ tells them that they must become “zealous” about what they are doing—to seek God and His righteousness first, while overcoming their own spiritual indifference (Revelation 3:21).
Improvement Needed
But even Christians who are doing “works” which are seemingly pleasing to God are in need of improvement. Some have resisted false teachers (Revelation 2:2, 6) and have been very diligent to do God’s works (Revelation 2:3)—but they have lost their “first love” (Revelation 2:4). They might have begun to labor in God’s Work for wrong reasons—perhaps for the purpose of getting or keeping a job with a nice salary and the security of a future pension, or so that they could obtain recognition and praise from man. Christ tells them to repent of their wrong motives and conduct, and to do “the first works” (Revelation 2:5)—when they did them out of a genuine desire to please God, not themselves or other men.
Christ also addresses those Christians who actually increase in the works of God. He says to them that “the last are more than the first” (Revelation 2:19). Still, they may have become indifferent to wrong teachings, allowing false doctrines to seduce them (Revelation 2:20). Christ tells such to overcome these problems (verse 26), while continuing to do His works until the end (same verse). Others, who are performing “works” and who are holding fast to God’s Truth (Revelation 2:13), have surrounded themselves with wrong teachers and are listening to wrong doctrines (Revelation 2:14–15). They may think, perhaps, that they are strong enough to resist false teaching, but Christ tells them to REPENT of such self-deception, and to cleanse themselves from those wrong teachers and teachings (Revelation 2:16).
Then there are those who ARE doing the Works of God in the right way (Revelation 3:8), being motivated by a true love for God and the people of this world. But even they still need encouragement and an admonition to endure until the very end. Christians who are doing good works, who keep Christ’s Word and who don’t deny His name (Revelation 3:8), are encouraged to persevere and to hold fast (Revelation 3:10–11)—showing that even they COULD fall away, by losing patience and giving up their struggle for the crown of life. Christ tells all of us that only those who endure until the end shall be saved (Matthew 24:13).
Christ commands all Christians at all times to overcome and to be victorious over Satan, their own selves and society (Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 26; 3:5, 12, 21). This shows that not one living Christian is already perfect—ALL need to continue to press on toward the goal of the Kingdom of God. In fact, some of those who think that they have already made it because their organization may do the Work might find themselves described by God as “lukewarm”—as their own personal lifestyle may not at all reflect the high prize of God’s calling.
Christ’s warning to His disciples rings loud and clear: We all must be diligent and zealous in doing the “Works of God”–including His Work of preaching the gospel in all the world as a witness (Matthew 24:14; 28:19–20), and of warning the nations and their leaders. And we must allow God to complete His Work in us. We must strive to act and be used because of genuine love for God and man (1 Corinthians 13:1–13). If we do “the Work” with improper motives, it will profit us nothing.
Conclusion
When you consider the different aspects of God’s Work at different times, you will see that God’s Work is never over. The Father and Jesus Christ work… and so must we, fulfilling those tasks within the Work of God which God has given to His end-time Church—to God’s watchmen.
These aspects include recognizing and proclaiming what God will be doing in regard to nations, rulers and individuals. God’s Church has a duty and responsibility to warn modern nations and leaders of impending punishment, and it has been given the awesome commission to proclaim the gospel or good news of the coming Kingdom of God as a witness to all nations.
In doing this zealously and without compromise, members of God’s Church understand that they themselves are works in God’s hands—God’s Work—with the incredible potential to become born-again members in the Family of God and to inherit salvation and eternal life. Having and pursuing this vision, they will not perish, but qualify for God’s Kingdom, with the hope that others will follow their good example.