Come - Church of God

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JAN–FEB 2016 | volumE 28 issuE 1 “Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet.” isaiah 58:1

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ComeREASONTogether

AND LET US

Let Us ReasonTogetherPAGE 5

ProtestantIndulgences

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Thy PeopleShall Be Willing

EDITORIAL

INDEXLet Us Reason Together 5

The Seven Seals and Seven Trumpetsof Revelation: A Series 7

Protestant Indulgences 11

Thy People Shall Be Willing 12

Armageddon News 13

2 THE GOSPEL TRUMPET

Your soul is precious; worthy of more consideration and care than any other matter touching your life. Allow me to ask, as did Catherine Booth of someone many years ago, “Have you a soul? Is your soul saved?” I have always appreciated her can-did approach. What faithfulness to a never-dying being! After all, did not the apostle Peter once declare that one should “Be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear”?

We face multitudes today that have expectations of going to heaven when they die. However, the disconcerting fact is that so few of them are indeed ready, according to the scriptural requirements. To these religious professors (and multitudes otherwise) may we ask, “On what do you base your hope of making it? Your church-going? Your position in said church? Your intellectual assent to “truth”? Your own morality and good deeds? And further, would you be offended if one should ask?”

Answer not quickly, with a glib tongue. The matter is weighty, for it involves your precious soul and its eternal des-tiny. Consider and be sure, hence, answer “with meekness and fear.” Meekness and fear is such a good combination. It implies humility along with an honest respect for the gravity of the matter, knowing both the inestimable value of the soul and the holiness of an Almighty and all-knowing God.

Many invest more of their valuable time and deeper thought to temporal business and earthly concerns than to serious review as to their spiritual condition. How few give earnest search to the scriptures to measure their lives to its tenets in order to en-sure that they are accepted with God. Be forewarned: “Church-es” today are accepting and approving what God does not.

We live in an age of extreme religious deception and cor-ruption. The atmosphere imbibed by the multitudes is light and chaffy. The slain are many, and as men drunk, they revolt at a loving voice of warning, at a plea of proffered help.

Come and let us reason together. What saith the scriptures? How does your life measure to Holy Writ? Have you been made holy, free from sin? Are you free from the world with its corrupt lusts, or do you fit in? Are you its friend? In this age of “love and tolerance” are you approving what God condemns? Do you claim to love God, while you disobey His commandments? Oh, dear soul, be not deceived! The scriptures are clear. You will err if you do not know them.

The narrow way has not broadened since the days of Paul and Peter, nor have the scriptures changed. Our holiness must equal theirs. Is it truly well with your soul–in the eyes of God? Remember, “without holiness [living free from sin] no man shall see the Lord.” sm

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THE GOSPEL TRUMPET 3

TEsTImONIEs& LETTERs

God Hears and Answers PrayerPraise the Lord, saints,

I want to share the experience I had recently. I injured my thumb at work and was having pain. I had a chiropractor see it, who said it was broken. He put it in place as best he could and left it for some time to see if it would get better, but the pain wouldn’t stop, and I could not use my thumb.

I went to have an x-ray taken of it and the physician said it was damaged to where I would have to have surgery done, as due to the nature of the damage, it could not heal properly without it. They gave me certain appointments to come in and get it checked into. All that time I was praying and asking the Lord to heal me.

When the time came, I went in to see the doctor. The doctor checked my thumb, but wasn’t able to find anything wrong with it. He went to get another doctor.

I had a hard time believing it was true what the doctor said, because of the previous checks and all the pain. Until then, I had been able to move it out of place. I would even sometimes show some brothers. I tried to get it out of place again, but it wouldn’t do it. When the other doctor came, he checked it and said the same thing, that he couldn’t find anything wrong any more. They both sat down and one doctor asked the other, “What would you do now?” The other one just said that the only thing he could say was to take the splint off that helped keep the thumb in place and start using the thumb. They dismissed me and said I should come back in three months for a checkup. I went home.

The next day I went to work and used the thumb quite well all day and it did not bother me once. I have been using it just like normal ever since without it giving

me any trouble at all. Thank the Lord! God hears and answers prayer. He takes good care of His children and is always on time Bro. James Enns

Durango, Mexico

Praying for the Spread of the Gospel I am so thankful that I can be a part of

the glorious church that God has built. I am so glad that I don’t have to be in the world where they say that you have to sin every day. It is a miracle that the Lord has kept me this far.

I am praying that the Lord would spread the gospel to all the corners of this world and gather all His people from Babylon and bring them to the church of God. I am glad to be a part of you. I love you all! Please pray for me to go all the way to heaven.

Bro. Galen Simser (Age 11) Manitoba, Canada

Healed after Years of AfflictionTo the glory of God, I would like to

testify about what the Lord has done for me. First, I want to praise Him for saving me and bringing me to His fold.

On the seventh of November, 1995, I suddenly experienced sharp pain in my back. This continued until the ninth of December of that year, when suddenly like lightning, I fell down suffering from a pinched nerve. I was anointed and prayed for, and things slowly improved for a time. With great carefulness, I was able to return to my household duties. This continued for many years without the improvement I was longing for.

During this time, I read in the old

Gospel Trumpets the testimonies of healings of different saints. I was especially touched by one testimony of a healing in back problems. This encouraged me to pray for my own complete healing.

The years passed, and the older I got, the worse it seemed to get. I wondered if a wheelchair would be in my future. Many had advised me of remedies to try, and although I tried some of them, nothing helped.

Then in August of 2015, I suffered another severe attack from a pinched nerve. I was anointed and prayed for, and pled with the Lord to heal me. It steadily grew worse, so much so, that I was bedridden for one week. But slowly, things started to improve. With much prayer and carefulness, I started to go about my household duties. I especially experienced the Lord’s presence during this time. Times when I needed so much, He provided the strength.

I started to read the book Divine Healing for Body and Soul and was greatly encouraged in my faith and trust in the Lord. I began to feel to lay aside the ointment I was using. I felt rebuked about my little faith in God’s ability.

On September 7, 2015, I awoke in the morning with God witnessing to my heart that He had healed me. “What?” I thought, “Then I should be able to kneel again for prayer.” I hadn’t been able to do that for many years. I fell on my knees and prayed for a good long while, thinking this would just be a sign that the healing was done. I arose from prayer, and everything was just fine. I could almost not believe it! I had not been able to sweep and wash the floor for years without great difficulty. I started cleaning my own house, and then on the weekend the house of my father–still no

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Godly Sorrow and Repentance Acts 3:19; 17:30, 2 Cor. 7:10The New Birth–a Radical Conversion John 3:3-7Freedom from Sin/A Holy Life 1 Jn. 5:18, Lk. 1:73-75, Tit. 2:11-12Entire Sanctification–a Second Cleansing 1 Thess. 5:23, Act 15:8-9 Unity of God’s People/One Church John 17:21, Matt. 16:18Divine Healing James 5:14-15, Isa. 53:5Ordinances Mt. 28:19-20, Jn. 13:14-15, 1 Cor. 11:23-26Plain, Modest Dress Dt. 22:5, 1 Tim. 2:9-10, 1 Cor. 11:14-15Sanctity of Marriage Mt. 19:5-6, Mk. 10:11-12, Lk. 16:18, Rom. 7:2-3Non-Violence Luke 3:14; 6:27-29; 18:20Restoration (Sounding 7th Trumpet) Rev. 10:7; 11:15Eternal Punishment or Reward Matt. 25:46

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signs of any pain! Everything was just fine! Not only was my back problem healed, but also many different afflictions–years of constant headaches, sleeplessness, and depression.

I cannot thank the Lord enough for having mercy on my afflictions and healing me!

Oh, dear ones, God is able to do anything! When He heals, all suffering is gone. To Him belongs all the honour. He saw fit to heal me of nearly twenty years of suffering. I am fully enjoying my good health!

I felt that maybe the above could encourage someone in their situation. He is still the same today!

My desire and prayer is to use my health for Him so that He will receive the glory. Sis. Elizabeth Giesbrecht

Chihuahua, Mexico

I Am So Glad that I Can Live Sin FreeDear saints,

I am so thankful to be saved and in the church of God. I am so glad that I don’t have to be out in the world and sin every day, but that I can live sin free. Please pray for me to make it all the way to heaven. Sis. Edna Mary Simser (Age 12) Manitoba, Canada

Please Invade the PhilippinesDear Servants of the Most High God:

I have been listening to the sermons, one is “True Salvation” delivered by Elizabeth Oppel and the other “The Sixth Seal” delivered by Robert Bourn. I thank God for the internet that the Fire that is coming from these people has ignited a spark where I am listening in at, which has almost consumed me. I understand that you have invaded Tarlac province, but the Philippines is not a small country.

I beg you dear saints, servants of the Most High God, that if there is a word from God to also invade Boot, Tanauan, Batangas province here in the Philippines. Please do it! I see that you have very few people that are busy for God in my country, because were it not for the internet, we would not even know that you guys exist. Please do not be angry with me, I am just telling the truth.

I came from a Christian denomination that believes in the second birth (born-again), but I see that we are still in Babylon as there is no difference with those who are outside the kingdom of God.

After getting just the two preachings from the internet, I have immediately sent the link to my aunt. We are set to have a home meeting tomorrow and will listen to the sermons. I have already mentioned to her about the church of God that I found on the internet. As of now, only two people are meeting every Sunday as we have gotten out of attending dead church services, but by faith I know that our place will soon be invaded by God’s army.

In our meeting tomorrow, using my computer, we will play the hymns that your congregation sings and we will sing along in praise and worship to the One True God! We will also listen to the messages.

I hope to see anyone from your church and hope that many who are desiring to get out of Babylon like us will find you.

Rio Carandang Philippines


Throughout the gospel day, there have been many false doctrines and perversions put out into the spiritual atmosphere by the devil for

the purpose of hindering the pure and holy light of the gospel from shining. But approaching the conclusion of this gospel dispensation, God is in the business of clearing up the cloudy air, of piercing the darkness and allowing His truths to shine in all their splendor and glory as foretold by the prophet Zechariah: “At evening time it shall be light.”

Oh, that all who profess righteousness would hail and embrace this glorious light! But, sadly, many love darkness rather than light and, drawing back from the light, they bind themselves in chains of darkness.

To believe that a Christian can sin from time to time and still maintain his Christian experience is one of these chains, and the most awful of all those darkening clouds that have been obscuring the true light from shining. And all those who hold to this belief are either in stubborn rebellion against light and in love with darkness, or they are, in the sincerity of their heart, ignorant of the truth due to the perversion and dark cloud that the devil has had preached these many years. It is to the latter class we would write.

My dear friend, if you are honest and you love God, would you sit down with your Bible and reason with us? “Awake to righteousness, and SIN NOT; for some have not the knowledge of God. I speak this

Let UsREASON Together

Bro. David Kauffman

to your shame.” 1 Cor. 15:34. Dear reader, lest you should feel a sting of reproof and judgment in these words, do remember they are directly quoted from the Word of God. If you must be offended, remember it is Paul you must be offended with, and God for inspiring these words to be written in the holy scripture. If we must be told to awaken to righteousness and sin not, it is to our shame, but let us endure the shame and embrace the light. Oh, the glorious news!

In John 8:11, Jesus gives the gracious pardon to the woman taken in adultery, “Neither do I condemn thee,” and then He gives the condition to be able to keep His pardon. “Go, and sin no more.” Can you see, my friend, that He didn’t say to go and pray for forgiveness each time that you sin? No! He further requires “to sin no more.” Would Jesus ask of us more than He would enable us to do? 1 Corinthians 10:13 answers the question. “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be

helps us to understand that to commit a sin makes us a slave to sin. We must remember that it took only one sin for Adam and Eve to become servants of sin and be condemned from the presence of God. But thank God we need not remain servants of sin. Verse 36 continues, “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” Dear reader, this is not an offensive gospel to those that love the light, but it is a glorious gospel of liberty! Free, don’t you want to be free indeed?

Can I propose to you some simple questions? Can we be a servant to something and “free indeed” from it at the same time? Does not even the law of nature help us to understand this? But if we cannot naturally comprehend this, God has given us specific teaching about this in Romans 6:18: “Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.” Look at this, friend. We must be free from sin before we can be servants of righteousness. And then in verse 20: “For when ye were servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness.” So according to John 8:34, if we commit a sin, we are the servant of sin, and according to Romans 6:20, if we are the servant of sin we are free from righteousness. And to be free from righteousness is to be lost, for “without holiness no man shall see the Lord.” Heb. 12:10.

The purpose of the coming of a Saviour and the sacrifice of Calvary was not only to deliver us from the condemnation of hell, but to deliver us from the sins that separate us from God and caused the condemnation.

able to bear it.” Oh, blessed, all-sufficient, empowering grace!

And listen to John 8:34: “Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.” This

My dear friend, if you are honest and you love God, would you sit down with your Bible and reason with us?

“For He shall save his people from their sins.” Matt. 1:21. “Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world.” John 1:29. “And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins, and in him is no sin.” 1 John 3:5. “For this purpose was the Son of God manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.” 1 John 3:8.

Notice that all of these scriptures show clearly that Calvary was to take away sin and to save and liberate from sin. These verses show us that if the works of the devil–sin–have not been destroyed out of your life and you still commit sin, then you have not yet received the experience for which Christ died for you to have, and to call yourself a Christian is a reproach to Calvary. “Let everyone that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.” 1 Tim. 2:19.

To many who have long been deceived, it may seem exceedingly self righteous and heretical for a fallible human to say that he is righteous and does not sin. They would view it as pride or an insult to God. And truly this would be the case if a man in his own strength were to make this declaration apart from the grace of God. 1 John 1:8 refers to such an one who believes himself to be a “good person,” hence denying a need of God’s salvation, for, trusting in his own self-righteousness, he sees no need of forgiveness of sin. “If we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves.”

But Paul tells us that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. All men have sinned and need salvation and deliverance from their sins. But what is a salvation that leaves you in your sins? For then you are not saved from them nor their consequences. But thank God, Jesus died for the remission of sins that are past that we might become “new creatures” and walk in newness of life, taking up our cross and following in His steps, living holy as He which has called us is holy (1 Pet. 1:15).

We can then testify that by the power of God we are able to live without sin as He was without sin. Not of our own strength, but by His precious blood. Anything less than this is a mockery to Calvary. To claim that the blood of Christ has not the power to deliver and keep one from

sin is to bring His blood down to the level of the blood of bulls and goats, thus making His coming of no purpose and mocking the power in the blood. “But now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.” Heb. 9:26. Why? “For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats should take away sins.” Heb. 10:4.

Jesus said in Matt. 7:23 that there would be many professing Christians that would be turned away at the Judgment. “And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you, depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” The reason they were turned away was that they were workers of iniquity. There was still sin in their lives. Truly there are multitudes of souls in this condition. Professing to be saved and yet they are still living in their sins.

Any understanding reader will see that the Bible abundantly proves that to be a Christian one must be cleansed from his sins and live victorious over all sin. Now let us briefly look at the subject through the eyes of reason. So, I say that any sin unrepented of and not forsaken will forfeit heaven, and you say that we will always be sinners. Which of us can afford to be wrong? If you are right, I will still make it to heaven, even though you deem that I am living to a higher standard than the Word calls for. But if you are wrong, oh, what a cost, a price you cannot afford to pay! Eternity is at stake!

Does it make any sense that the one sin that would keep you from heaven is to believe that a Christian can have the power through the blood of Jesus to live above sin? So many religious professors would condemn us for our stand for sin-free living. I ask you then, how much sinning must I do to make it to heaven, for since I most surely don’t want to sin anymore I want to get by with as little as I have to.

Dear reader, would you not desire to live holy if you knew you could? Do you not long for liberation? Does not the sound of liberty bring a ray of hope to your soul? Or do you still love your sins? Does this doctrine threaten what you love? Do you love your servitude and slavery? Do the wages of sin appeal to you? Do you still love darkness rather than light? &


Search the scriptures, for if the Son “shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.”

Remove Revelation pages if you desire to keep as a study reference.

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With the opening of the third seal, full-blown apostasy from the light of the morn-ing time, as well as a much-progressed development of the mystery of iniquity is revealed by the church. The apostle John’s spiritual eyes saw a black horse whose ap-pearance was the opposite of the victorious white steed of the first seal.

The black-horse rider was equipped with a pair of balances, denoting unlaw-ful spiritual commerce and restrictions. A measure of wheat was considered to be one person’s dietary demands for grain per day. A penny equalled one day’s wages. In very simple terms, the living creature is portray-ing what amounted to a system that doled out spiritual starvation rations. This mea-gerness of this fare was only exacerbated by the wholesale prohibition placed on the oil and wine (symbols of the Holy Ghost)(Exodus 30:25; Jeremiah 31:12), as not to “hurt” the oil and wine, meant not to use them.

These symbols speak of an era that covered the time from the 6th to the 16th century, when access to the Word of God

The Third Seal:

“And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of bal-ances in his hand.

And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.” Revelation 6:5-6.

(symbolized by wheat) was severely re-stricted. Accessible in much greater mea-sure were the inferior opinions of man (symbolized by barley). In general, the la-ity was illiterate, and not permitted to read the scriptures. Stained-glass windows ful-filled very poorly their purported mission to supply the want of hearing a God-sent preacher in the people’s own tongue. The Bible was a closed book. Even the clergy had limited access to the written Word. What interaction there was with Holy Writ took place in monasteries, out of which men would eventually arise to shake the universal church system.

The Holy Spirit was disallowed. By this point churchmen had for a number of centuries practiced the sinful art of sub-stitutionary religion, in which they them-selves served as the miserable surrogates. This meant that what limited amount of the letter was available, would in its state of divorce from the Spirit serve to hurt and kill souls (2 Cor. 3:6). This separation of the letter from the Spirit is a characteristic trait of an apostate spirit.

It was this condition of famine and starvation that produced the woeful apostasy. It was a self-induced famine, because the spirit of apostasy they imbibed rejects the Truth by nature, and refuses to in-gest the Bread of Life. For this reason, God allowed men to proceed in their folly and “sent leanness into their souls” (See Amos 8:11). Bishops and priests perpet-uated a grandiose form of religion, while their illegit-

imate babies populated the murky bottoms of moats. Men loved their flesh (in various forms) more than the Truth, and God sent strong delusion (2 Thessalonians 2:10-11).

At the same time, God honoured the hunger of those who desired the Word (Matthew 5:6). Although available under-standing was limited even for honest souls, there were individuals who stood against the overwhelming flood of godless men and blew the gospel trumpet of their time. These were men such as Girolamo Savon-arola, John Wycliffe, and others, some of which no doubt are excluded from the historical record because their persecutors quickly smothered their voices.

In short, the symbolic language of the third seal shows conditions under which divinity was ousted by human carnality. Popery is heavily implicated in the account of this time period, but the spirit of human supremacy extended beyond Rome. The same spirit ruled in the various Orthodox d e n o m i n a t i o n s

3Seal k Trumpet

of the era, and continues to work in vari-ous forms today. In dealing with these and other scriptures, some have made the mis-take of focusing exclusively on the Roman Catholic Church and its pope, whereas the burden of these scriptures is the spirit of popery, rather than just one individual ec-clesiastical entity.

It is striking to note the prevalence of present-day spiritual starvation in societies

with high rates of literacy, and full physi-cal access to the Bible. Thousands of gaunt skeleton-like professors of religion press into steeple houses across this continent, only to worship they know not what.

Thanks to the spirit of the black-horse rider, the Holy Ghost has been “politely” outlawed and replaced by vain man’s “best” in terms of rule, organization, direc-tion, programming, and entertainment.

The Third Trumpet:

The scriptures concerning the third trumpet deal with the same time period covered by the third seal. The star fallen from an exalted position and luminous state in the spiritual realm signifies a ministry, once illuminating men’s souls but then the prey of apostate spirits. Its former status as a true ministry lent a credibility that was to be awfully abused, and without which it would have been impossible to cause the same extent of destruction.

This ministry embodied the “falling away” mentioned by the apostle Paul in

“And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burn-ing as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters;

And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.” Revelation 8:10-11.

his second letter to the Thessalonians, and represents those who would “not spare the flock” and seek “to draw away disciples af-ter them” (Acts 20:29-30).

A star is never supposed to fall, but without exception, fallen stars become bitter, and will always have detrimental effects on the people. Here we see a min-istry’s deliberate impact on the rivers and fountains of waters, which symbolize expe-riences of salvation according to John 4:14 and John 7:38.

This action is not surprising, consid-ering that apostates always desire to take others into apostasy with them. Thus it was that Wormwood performed a calculated de-scent with a very specific intended point of impact.

While it would behove a fallen min-istry to cease from preaching, this would be counterproductive to the above-stated goals. Solomon personifies false religion in terms of a strange woman whose “mouth is smoother than oil,” but whose “end is bitter

as wormwood” (Proverbs 5:3-4). She has always been a talker, and the more scrip-ture she quotes, the more susceptible men become. Wormwood and his false doctrine blend into one destructive entity.

Thus it was by means of false doc-trine that a significant portion (symbolized by “one third”) of experiences that once yielded sweet water was made exceedingly bitter. Sad to say, the people became du-plicates of their Wormwood ministry (see Deut. 29:18), and “many [were] defiled” (Hebrews 12:15). The influence of these bitter waters was fatal to yet others who drank of them, and so it was that “many men died of the waters.”

Oh, the inestimable devastation of compromise! Death is its inevitable result, and after many centuries, its effects are still strikingly visible and keenly felt. Surely an awful responsibility lies on those who wil-fully fell from heaven, forsook their first estate, and failed to watchfully execute judgment.

Dates are approximate.

The system of religion represented by the black horse and his rider is also portrayed as the beast which rose up out of the sea (Revelation 13:1). The Bible speaks of the reign of this beast in terms of one thousand two hundred sixty days. Using the common Jewish practice of counting a day for a year, this number represents that many years (Revelation 11:3; 12:6).

Because apostasy is a gradual process, it is not possible to set exact dates for its onset. In fact, the apostle Paul stated that the mystery of iniquity was al-ready at work in his time (2 Thessalonians 2:7). How-ever, the supremacy of this system is bordered by the approximate years of A.D. 270 and A.D. 1530. The selfsame period is also re-ferred to as lasting forty-two months (Revelation 13:5), which are composed of one thousand two hundred sixty days.

What gross darkness once again covered the earth! Its effects touched all facets of human life and de-velopment. Superstition and ignorance had the better of men’s minds and souls. Not only did this beast plunge many into spiritual destruc-tion, but also keenly thirsted for the blood of those who dissented from its decrees. Revelation foretells the beast making war with the saints (Revelation 13:7). It was a spiri-tual warfare, no doubt, but spilled over in the physical realm. Literally tens of millions were killed, many being subjected

to excruciating torture, using instruments such as the rack and thumbscrews. Blameless people were slowly roasted over open fires.

These practices bear striking similarity to those of pagan Rome. This is no wonder because the scriptures tell us that the dragon (paganism) gave its power, seat, and authority to

the beast. As the dragon was bound through the preaching of the apostles (Revelation 20:1-2), it was necessary to carry out this transfer. The correspondence between paganism and popery is also evident in that the papists adopted and “Christianized” practices that were hereto-fore entirely pagan.

Examples of this in-clude the celebration of pa-gan holidays (eg. the tran-sition from Saturnalia to Christmas) and the use of images in worship. Instead of vestal virgins, nuns ap-peared. Instead of a female goddess such as Semiramis or Diana, Mary was adored. The Roman Pantheon was converted from a heathen temple to a “Christian” one, but without undergoing tru-ly fundamental changes. In these ways, the power and influence of the dragon were very effectively propagated

among those who professed to have cast them off. The de-ception was immense and very successful. History and the still-extant structures of catholicism and its eastern sisters prove this point. Bro. Benjamin Tovstiga

The Dark Ages

Did you know?

AD 1252: Pope Innocent IV authorized the torture of “heretics.” This was not rescinded until 1917.

AD 800: Charlemagne was crowned emperor of the Holy Roman Empire and aligned the empire with the Roman Church. He was one of the

greatest influences in bringing the papacy to a position of world power.


The Holy Ghost, the blessed Reprover of the world, works to unsettle the religious

sinner in his sin. Under this convicting pressure, carnal man has twisted and writhed long enough to have found a way to quench the Spirit: A license for sin.

Just as Roman Catholic monks traversed sixteenth-century Europe to hawk their indulgences, so modern-day ministers have wreaked world-wide havoc through their own corrupt commerce of Protestant indulgences. Surely, the Protestant beast “exerciseth all the power” of the Catholic beast before him (Rev. 13:11). Robes and tonsures are replaced with suits and ties, with filthy mammon the driving force both then and now.

Today’s church houses have become nothing more than license bureaus where sinning permits are bountifully issued. Their selling price is a liberal tithing once a week, from which comes the salary of these Protestant priests.

This is wickedness: A church-goer feels convicted of his sin. A quick trip to the golf course to find his pastor, a few consoling phrases such as, “We’re all human,” “It’ll happen once in a while,” and “I’ve got the same problem,” and the layman returns to his work, the pastor to his idol, and a Holy Spirit-aggravated situation is eased. Another Protestant indulgence was distributed.

How astonishing to see “Christians” contend for their sin with obstinate vigour! Is it possible that one who claims the name of Him who was born, who died, and who rose again to “save his people from their sins” could valiantly strive to prove that sin is a normal part of a Christian’s life? I ask you, Christ-professing sinner, why do you struggle to defend the curse of mankind? What is the sin you love so dearly, that the mere mention of the possibility of a deliverance

from it drives you to storm and rage in its defence?How ready men are to confess their sin, yet how they

loathe to forsake it! Had Paul’s testimony in Romans, chapter 7 been a confession of his post-conversion state, it would still far surpass that of most of his professed followers, since he not only realized his wretchedness but lamented, “Who shall deliver me?” Many, claiming what they erroneously deem to have been Paul’s experience, seek not to be freed from the “body of this death” as he so desperately did. A snap reform, a painless repentance, a quick kneeling at the bedside after a defeated day, and the Protestant confessional has once again absolved a seeker. We have finished tickling ears: Do you call yourself a Christian? If so, we simply demand of you–on the authority of His Word–a holy, sin-free life. & Bro. Thomas Tovstiga

ProtestantIndulgences

Let not a drop satisfy you (of God, His presence, and spiritual gifts). Desire an ocean, or at least a fountain springing up to your comfort in your own souls, and flowing towards all around you in streams of love and delightful instructions, to the consolation of those with whom you converse–especially your brethren and those of your own households. Let everyone with whom you converse be the better for your conversation.

Be burning and shining lights

wherever you are. Set the fire of divine love to the hellish stubble of sin. Be valiant for the truth. Be champions for love. Be sons of thunder against sin, and sons of consolation towards humbled sinners.

Be faithful to your God, your king and your masters. Let your heavenly-mindedness and your brotherly kindness be known to all men, so that all who see you may wonder, and say, “See how these people love one another.” John Fletcher


Upland, CaliforniaThe Gospel Restoration Academy

Vevay, IndianaEvening Light Christian School

Warsaw, IndianaThe Church of God Restoration Academy

Benton, OhioSeventh Trumpet Academy

Greenville, OhioThe Church of God Academy

Honey Grove, TexasThe Church of God Restoration School

Cecil, WisconsinLittle Pilgrim Academy

Sheboygan, WisconsinThe Church of God Academy

Steinbach, ManitobaChurch of God Sunrise Academy

Aylmer, OntarioChurch of God Christian School

AustriaChr. Hausunterricht der Gemeinde Gottes

BoliviaAcademia de la Restauracion

Baja California, MexicoAcademia El Redil del Pastor

Chihuahua, MexicoAcademia Luz de la Tarde

Durango, MexicoChurch of God Evening Light School

Paniqui, Tarlac, PhilippinesThe Church of God Restoration Academy

Church of God SchoolsKindergarten – 12 shall be

Thy PeopleWilling

“Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power.” Psalm 110:3.

This is a distinguishing mark of the people of God. Whatever else they are, they are a willing people, especially in the day of His power. All through the scriptural narrative we see this characteristic displayed by God’s true children.

In her famous song, Deborah extols such a people. “Praise ye the Lord for the avenging of Israel, when the people willingly offered themselves…My heart is toward the governors of Israel, that offered themselves willingly among the people. Bless ye the Lord.” Judges 5:2, 9.

When the Lord commanded that the tabernacle be built for His worship, it was a willing people that offered their goods, services and skills for the work. So great was their liberality, that the overseers said, “The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work, which the Lord commanded to make” (Exodus 36:5).

“So built we the wall; and all the wall was joined together unto the half thereof: for the people had a mind to work.” Nehemiah 4:6.

This is an age of lassitude. Even the so-called churches know this. They cannot attract people without a rock-style praise band, a multitude of youth activities that have nothing to do with spirituality, car shows, parties, and pot-lucks. Far be it from those who are zealously in love with the God of heaven to seek after such nonsensicalities. For those in whom the fire of the Holy Spirit burns, such things are distracting

vapors. The willing, His people, are not drawn to such powerlessness.

What, then, of this apathy of professed Christians today? God is doing a glorious, unifying work in this time. He is manifestly showing by this restoration work that this is the day of His power. To what cause shall we ascribe the unwillingness of people who have had ample opportunity to come and see, to try the spirits, to join with it? The answer is simple: They are not, after all, His people.

There is no doubt that this sentence is hard for some of our readers, but it is a biblical judgment. The Holy Ghost inspired the Psalmist, and He meant just what He said through him. “Thy people shall be willing.” It reasonably follows, then, that the unwilling are not His people.

We are not speaking of those who are walking in the light that they have, or those who have had no opportunity to see the moving of the Lord among His people today. Nor are we referring to those who are honestly inquiring and searching the scriptures whether these things are so. Certainly, God is longsuffering and patient with His children and leads them line upon line and precept upon precept into all truth. We are writing, rather, of that class of people who profess His name but have not a willing spirit to seek after or obey Him.

Just because a person professes to follow God, does not mean he or she belongs to Him. Quoting Isaiah, Jesus says, “This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me

Bro. Daniel Eichelberger


We have come to the end of all ages. The soldiers on the Lord’s side are valiant, pressing the battle to the gates of the enemy’s strongholds. They are many, and they are formidable. Even a casual knowledge of current events reveals the truth of this.

Kidnapped by the StateModern democratic liberalism is the

new communism. Marius and Ruth Bodnariu, a R o m a n i a n -N o r w e g i a n family living in Naustdal, Norway,

are learning this the hard way. This past November, the Barnevernet (Norway’s child protective services agency) removed all five of their children from their home, including their three-month-old baby that was still breastfeeding.

The reason for the forcible removal of these children was charges of “Christian radicalism and indoctrination.” The Barnevernet had received a tip from a public school teacher that the Bodnarius taught their children that God punishes sin.

Now, the agency has gone a step further and is placing the children up for adoption, despite the fact that a court has not ruled on the case or ordered such a move.

All true Christian families everywhere ought to be concerned.

Paganism on the RiseA new temple is going up outside of

Iceland’s capital, Reykjavik. The BBC reports that it will be “the first heathen temple or ‘hof’ to be built in a Nordic country in almost 1,000 years.”

Builders of the said temple are adherents of the Asatru, a neo-pagan religion that embraces the ancient myths and the pantheon of Nordic gods like Thor,

with their lips; but their heart is far from me” (Matt. 15:8). So, there is a people that professes love for God without having any. Paul says of these, “They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate” (Titus 1:16). Proof of one’s Christianity is not in the profession. It is in the willingness, the actual performance of the things God reveals.

When God has manifestly withdrawn Himself from the various denominations, despite their pleas for revival, it behooves honest souls to see where He has gone, and to follow Him regardless of the cost.

Among which people is He moving in truth and holiness? Among which people is His Word exalted, preached, and obeyed? Which people are proving that this is the

very day of His power? We declare it boldly to you. God has raised up this present restoration work and is showing Himself strong through it, and through no other.

We say these things, not because we are something. All are nothing without

God. But we do no one any favours by hiding behind false humility and worrying about what others will think of us for boldly declaring that God is moving among us as among no other people. No. If God has blessed us, we are duty-bound to the children of God scattered abroad to declare the good news of restoration. God has brought us to it. It is nothing we could have conjured up on our own, for it is beyond our most sanguine expectations.

Dear reader, of which people are you? If you are truly willing to walk in the light of God, then we have good news for you. This is the day of His power! Come and see what the Lord is doing among us. &

Reported by Bro. Daniel Eichelberger

Which people are proving that this is the very day of

His power?

Odin, and Freyja (though followers are not really required to believe in their existence). Those of other religions are free to join in at the Asatru feasts and ceremonies.

The BBC reported that the President of the Universal Society of Hinduism, R a j a n Zed, has w e l c o m e d the planned construction, calling it a step “in a positive direction for Iceland and Europe, signaling inclusivity and freedom of religion.” He hoped that the Reykjavík City Council would also donate some land for the Hindu temple when local Hindus were ready to build their temple.

The Asatru is now one of the fastest growing religions in Iceland, a so-called

Continued on Page 15

ICELAND

meeting reportsGo ye into all the world.


Texas, USA: “And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven.” Rev. 10:1.

We thank the Lord for another Rev-elation meeting here in Texas, Nov. 18-22. Truly in this end time as the vials are being poured out, every unclean thing has lost its place to hide! We rejoiced with the people of God in clear and anointed messages. The messages showed clearly that the book of Revelation is a revelation of Jesus Christ, to the sealing of the servants and loosing of the angels in Revelation 7.

Revelation 20 was put in perfect per-spective as it deals with the morning time in binding up the dragon by the everlast-ing gospel, and showing it in its true place “having no foundation.”

We rejoice with what the Lord is doing in this end time. May many find their way out of every cage of deception and come home to the one fold, His church.

Bro. John Friesen

Oklahoma City Doctrinal Meeting:“And I saw another angel ascending

from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea.” Rev. 7:2.

Emphatically, we declare that the time of the holding back of the winds is past. We behold in amazement as God beckons forth His angel ministry and bids them unleash the fires of holy judgment on the earth.

Once again the holy remnant gathered together in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, from November 23-29. Our hearts burned within us as the Lord, through His anointed ones, expounded to us in the scriptures the deep things of God. Truly we can say that

the Holy Ghost had His way as message after message and song after song sounded forth in good order.

Time would fail us to tell again of Rev-elation 7, the r e s u r r e c t i o n , the promise to Abraham, refutation of Calvinism, the consummation of time, Ezekiel, the fallacy of the imputed sin of Christ, the gift of the apostleship, original sin, fasting, Revelation 17, the physicality of salva-tion, the church of God, and others worthy of mention. The saints were enriched with the anointed songs of Zion and rejoiced together in the glory of God. Several visi-tors came and enjoyed the liberty of the services.

Surely the winds have been loosed as the prophets foretold. May God hasten His work along and hasten our feet to keep up. May this next year yield forth more of the precious fruit of our labors.

Bro. Addison Everett

Kenya, Africa: A gospel company of ten from the USA and Mexico traveled to Ke-nya, Africa, December 3-13.

Bro. Isaac Thiessen held four days of meetings in Kathageri, Kenya. In the morn-ings we had ministers’ meetings in which

Bro. Isaac instructed nearly 30 ministers which had gathered there from Kenya and Uganda.

We had morning and afternoon servic-es in which Bro. Isaac focused on how real Christianity produces victorious, holy liv-ing and how God will not accept anything less.

One afternoon, we gathered at a small local stream for a baptismal service. The candidates were mostly young people.

After we concluded these meetings, we spent several days traveling around to different homes and meeting houses of the saints. Bro. Isaac would exhort and pray with each family we visited. They were very hospitable, and we enjoyed good times of fellowship together.

Please pray for the work in Kenya. We are excited about sending some resident missionaries within the next year to live, work, and interact daily with the saints in Kenya. Bro. Jere Thilmony

United States of America Alaska (Anchorage): Bro. & Sis. Sims (907) 376-7133

California (Upland): Bro. Rick Wiebe (909) 238-4359

Illinois (Chicago): Bro. Patrick O’Shea Sr. (262) 652-7517

IndianaVevay: Bro. Lonnie Bontrager (812) 571-3341Warsaw: Bro. Steve Hargrave (260) 433-7637

OhioGreenville: Bro. Ray Tinsman (937) 548-7373 Benton (Millersburg): Bro. John Strizu (937) 830-9427

OklahomaOklahoma City: Bro. Addison Everett (918) 315-0494

Texas (Honey Grove): Bro. John Friesen (903) 378-3097

WisconsinCecil: Bro. Allen Bontrager (715) 509-0000Sheboygan: Bro. Jeff Moser (920) 627-2683

CanadaManitoba (Steinbach): Bro. Jacob Braun (204) 326-5338 Ontario (Aylmer): Bro. Henry Hildebrandt (519) 765-2331

Austria (Wald am Arlberg) (0650) 760-2990

Germany Meinersen Kr. Gifhorn: Bro. Alexander Kähm (05372) 67 66Neuenstadt, Kr. Heilbronn: Meeting House (06264) 92 62 20

Kenya Bro. Simon Mutinda 254 072521 4861

MexicoBaja California: Mission Home (646) 117-3042Chihuahua: Bro. Ben Dyck (625) 584-1250Durango: Bro. Isaac Thiessen (677) 879-4572Zacatecas: Bro. Jacob Zacharias (671) 101-7479

Nepal Bro. Binod Mandal Kathmandu

PhilippinesMarinduque: Bro. Bernard Lustado Santa CruzMindanao: Sis. Cherry Pacauncis Kalilangan, BukidnonLuzon: Bro. Josefino Faustino Quezon City, Manila Bro. Eduardo Rodil Marikina City Sis. Myrna Luzong Paniqui, Tarlac Sis. Myrna Nuguid Apalang

Christian nation since AD 1000. Not even one-eyed Odin would have seen this coming.

Saved without Faith in Christ

The Roman Catholic Church, under the leadership of Pope Francis, continues to surprise many. The Vatican has had a long, harrowing relationship with Judaism. Many pogroms

and persecutions through the ages were fomented by the church’s ecclesiastical dogma and hatred of Jewish “Christ killers.”

Of recent decades, there has

been rapprochement between the two faiths. Now, it appears, a theological truce has actually been declared in the recent Vatican document, The Gifts and Calling of God are Irrevocable. We quote from this newsworthy item:

“From the Christian confession that there can be only one path to salvation, however, it does not in any way follow that the Jews are excluded from God’s salvation because they do not believe in Jesus Christ as the Messiah of Israel and the Son of God.”

How Jews can be saved without acknowledging Jesus as Saviour admittedly remains a mystery to the pontiff and his cronies, as the document goes on to explain. But they look forward to working together with them to better the world in the future.

Get it Right or Get Fined

New York business owners and landlords that are confused as to how to address their transgendered employees or tenants, beware! Under new city guidelines, you had better get it “right.” If you use the improper pronoun, you could face a fine of up to $250,000. You read that correctly. If a female demands to be identified as a male, and you call her a “she” instead of “he,” the newly coined “ze,” or any other such nonsensical words, you could literally be bankrupted. The city requires you to honor the individual’s personal pronoun preference.

This isn’t a joke; it’s for real. The Daily Caller News Foundation reports that, “New York officials claim the new policy makes it the most aggressive city in the country in terms of protecting the rights of the transgendered.”

Make no mistake, reader. We are up against a monstrous

evil. When will the madness end? Not until Jesus Christ splits the clouds of heaven and calls this world into The Judgment. Until then, we fight. &

Continued from Page 13

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