Two Churches of Revelation 12

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=100 BGCOLOR="#CCCCFF" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="04000640egdysm.jpg"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#000066" FACE="Arial" ><B>Church of God, In Truth</B></FONT><FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#000099" FACE="Arial" ><B> </B></FONT><B>    |     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Church of God, In Truth"><B>home</B></A></div> <div> back to<B>  </B><A HREF="id18.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Edification Articles"><B>Edification Articles</B></A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=200 BGCOLOR="#0000BF" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <div> <A HREF="faith_and_patience.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Faith and Patience">Faith and Patience</A></div> <div> <A HREF="the_gifts_of_the_maji_and_ou.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Gifts of the Maji and our Destiny">The Gifts of the Maji and our Destiny</A></div> <div> <A 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<div> <A HREF="id329.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Government in Gods Church">Government in God's Church</A></div> <div> <A HREF="id330.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="HWA Radio Transcript 1979">HWA Radio Transcript 1979</A></div> <div> <A HREF="id333.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Is God speaking to us?">Is God speaking to us?</A></div> <div> <A HREF="id334.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Do you believe God?">Do you believe God?</A></div> <div> <A HREF="id335.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Warnings and Exhortation">Warnings and Exhortation</A></div> <div> <A HREF="id336.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Righteous Judgment">Righteous Judgment</A></div> <div> <A HREF="id337.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The physical and spiritual blessings of ">The physical and spiritual blessings of submission</A></div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=380 width="100%" BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>TWO CHURCHES OF</B><B> REVELATION 12</B></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>- ONE GOES TO A PLACE OF PROTECTION (Rev 12:14).</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>- THE OTHER CALLED THE REMNANT, GOES THROUGH  THE TRIBULATION (Rev 12:17)</B></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^</div> <bR> <div>      Let's begin by asking ourselves - do we periodically examine our practices and beliefs? Has the Church of God, In Truth challenged your physical and spiritual habits of thinking, without thinking negative thoughts?</div> <div>      Here is an important question - have I, we, or you, discarded error to follow truth? Do we find 2 Pet 3:18, in the Apostle Peter's letter encouraging when he tells us to; "Grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and forever."  When we refer to knowledge as it pertains to the Scriptures, we are referring to God's unveiled truth -  information that has been spiritually revealed. Having this knowledge of truth, like the postponements, we must be constantly on guard against the perils of error. It is this peril of error - like syncretism, which is the mixing of religion, that separates us on God's Sabbaths and Holy Days from many we have fellow-shipped with in the past.</div> <div>      We have found in the Church of God, In Truth,  that one can not be afraid to stand alone, nor be fearful of what others think!! </div> <div>    My wife and I have often been asked, "Why don't we visit other Churches of God?" Knowing there are hundreds to choose from, our answer is: Because we believe knowledge and new understanding of God's truth did not stop when Mr. H. W. Armstrong died in 1986. We believe most of God's churches are just teaching from rote. Most churches of God feel "If Ambassador College did not teach it, it should not be taught." </div> <div>         Many of these other Churches of God encourage “uniting” and  want to get back to  their “Jewish </div> <div> roots!”  [See our reprint articles "Judaism is Not the Religion of Moses"].</div> <div>         We feel God is responsible for scattering the Churches, as Daniel, a major prophet said. ".....it shall</div> <div>  be for a time, times, and an half; and when He [God] shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the Holy people, all these things shall be finished" (Dan 12:7). We have to ask who is in charge - God or man? The Church of God, In Truth, believes God is in total charge! </div> <div>      I would now like to share with you some of our practices and beliefs that differ from other Churches of God. It's these beliefs that separate us!!</div> <div>      We believe that only three commanded holy day offerings a year are to be taken up - as taught in God's Word. 1). Days of Unleavened Bread; 2). Pentecost; 3). And the Feast of Tabernacles. All of these are harvest dates. These are the three commanded offerings we take up according to the often quoted verse of Deut 16:16, "Three times in a year shall all your males appear before the Lord your God in the place which He shall choose; in the feast of Unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of Tabernacles: and they shall not appear before the Lord empty." </div> <div>         We believe we are commanded to tithe and give free will offerings throughout the year. God tells us </div> <div> in Matthew 6:21 and Luke 12:34, "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." A person that truly is considered a first fruit of God will show that their real interests lie where his or her treasure is banked! </div> <div>      We believe you should NOT be buying or selling on God's annual Sabbaths or God's weekly Sabbaths. Doing business, going out to restaurants, and so forth are breaking God's 4th Commandment, "Remember the Sabbath to keep it Holy." </div> <bR> <div>      We believe that the beginning of the dark moon phase is the day on which a new month begins - NOT the astronomical moon  nor the crescent moon  nor the illuminated full moon are to be used to begin a new month!! We believe Genesis 1:1-5 clearly reveals what phase the moon was in on the first day. Write for our special calendar issue if you are not sure about when to start a new month, or a new year. </div> <div>      We do NOT believe Wednesday, the 4th day of God's recreation week found in Gen 1: 14, is the starting point for a calendar, as the Hebrew calendar teaches. </div> <div>      We do NOT believe in postponing ANY of God's annual Holy Days as those who keep the Hebrew calendar do!</div> <div>         We do NOT believe Mr. H. W. Armstrong was the “Elijah to come” or feel he restored all things. We </div> <div> believe more understanding of truth is yet to be restored and learned. </div> <div>      We do NOT believe in voting, or keeping birthdays! </div> <div>      We do NOT believe man has the authority to bind and loose what God has bound and loosed in Heaven.</div> <div>         We do NOT believe oil represents God's Holy Spirit! The Apostle Peter told us plainly that the Holy </div> <div> Spirit can not be purchased with money!! "But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money" (Acts 8:20).</div> <div>      We do NOT practice a weekly Bible study - that is your daily responsibility.  And speaking of Bible study, there are some things we need to recognize: We need to search out all the forensic evidence on any subject we are studying, just as we hear detectives and lawyers do in any serious trial. They look for finger prints, D.N.A., foot prints, check cell phone calls and they search out the time the place the crime occurred. They back track the person's activities - use computers, friends and so forth - all this is to link the suspected person with the crime committed. </div> <div>         Our Bible study should be handled in the same manner. God informs us to search the scriptures! This </div> <div> implies diligently, regularly and in detail. "For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little. But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken" (Isa 28:10,13).  God shows us we must look for the evidence in order to prove a subject. All the pieces of a puzzle must fit together! That is what God expects the Church of God, In Truth is to do and all called of God are to do also!! That was how we originally discovered and proved the error of "postponing" God's Holy Days - a practice that the Jewish/ Hebrew Calendar still follows!  It takes time and patience looking, searching and proving all things to get to the truth!  Our studies have taken us in a variety of directions - an example being the study of the two baked loaves of leavened bread for the wave offering at Pentecost!!  We feel that one of the wave loaves represents the Bride of Christ and the other loaf is considered a “guest” at the marriage supper, yet both are called "The first fruits unto the Lord."</div> <div>      We find those who are the Bride are written of in Rev 14: 4-5: "These are they which were not defiled with women; For they are virgins. [meaning these 144,000 refuse to submit to the mixing of religions or listen to false doctrine ] these are they which follow the Lamb whither so ever He goes. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb. And in their mouth was found no guile: [deceitfulness] for they are without fault before the throne of God." These virgins that are to become the Bride will not have to go through a three and one half year tribulation as the other 144,000 and mixed multitude of Revelation 7 will have to, in order to “make their robes white with the blood of the Lamb.” </div> <div>      In Revelation 19, we read of these two groups meeting together. One is to be the Bride at the marriage and the other is invited to the marriage supper. "Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to Him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints"( Rev. 19:7-8). Now in verse 9, we are introduced to the <B>guest</B> at the wedding: "And He said unto me, write, blessed are they which are <U>called </U>unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he said unto me, these are the true sayings of God. And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, see you do it not: I am your fellow-servant, and of your brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the Testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy" (Rev. 19:9-10). This study and teaching of this subject is not set in granite, but God's word is!</div> <div>      Another study we have looked at, took us to where the place of safety might be - in our house, maybe death, in the wilderness, or in heaven at a marriage! </div> <div>       A new study we have been looking into lately has to do with the first fruits of Christ being taken at </div> <div> Pentecost to marry the Bridegroom. This speculation again revolves around the 144,000 that are mentioned in Revelation 14 that was mentioned earlier.</div> <div>      The Worldwide Church of God has always taught that Revelation 7 and Revelation chapter 14, are the same identical group of 144,000 people. Most scattered churches of God today feel the same way. Some of you feel that way also! The Church of God, In Truth's study so far, is not convinced of that being true. WHY?</div> <div>      Our study has shown Revelation chapter 12, introduces us to two distinctly different, spiritually thinking churches: One could be thought of as a “Philadelphia” group that is protected and kept from going through the tribulation as recorded in Rev. 3:10 and the other, a “Laodicean” group that is tried in the fire - Rev.3:18. The [Laodicean] group observes the postponement of God's Holy Day dates as prescribed in the Jewish/Hebrew calendar. The other Philadelphia group, keeps their Holy Day appointed dates from God's Word - no postponements - and they are protected by the redeeming blood of the Lamb [by keeping Passover at its appointed time] each year. </div> <div>      Revelation 12 verse 14 reveals the Philadelphia church group “fly” to the wilderness for protection and possibly to become the Bride of Christ on the day of Pentecost, a day that represents God's first fruits. We read of this protected church or Bride of Christ. "And to the woman [ church] were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent" (Rev 12:14). This Church or Bride of Christ group is sent away and protected from Satan for three and a half years before the fifth seal Revelation 6:9-11 begins.</div> <div>      The question is, is this the church group that is going to hear God's voice like Daniel and the apostle Paul did, when He came to work with them? 1Thessalonians 5:2, brings our attention to Christ's coming as a “thief in the night,” meaning: unexpected and un-noticed, not knowing what hour He might appear. "But of the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. [unexpected, un-noticed]. For when they shall say, `peace and safety;' then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. You are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober" (1 Thess 5: 1-6). </div> <div>      This warning is for us to be ready for Christ's quiet and secret coming [un-noticed, un-expected] ! "But of that day and hour knoweth   no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but My Father only. Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left" (Matt 24:36, 40-41). This could be at any time and if we heed His words we need not be taken unaware. Its going to be only those that are ready, as the five wise virgins were that are going to be with the Bridegroom. </div> <div>      The parable of the 10 virgins reminds us of that! "And while they [foolish virgins] went to buy, the Bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with Him to the marriage: and the door was shut" (Matt 25:10). That door remained shut until Christ returned from the wedding. "And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their Lord, when He will return from the wedding; that when He comes and knocks, they may open unto Him immediately. Blessed are those servants, whom the Lord when He comes shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that He shall gird Himself, and make them to sit down to meat (wedding banquet), and will come forth and serve them. And if He shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants" (Luke 12:36-38).</div> <div>      Now lets go back and continue reading in 1 Thess 4, where we read of a resurrection that we were told to not be ignorant about. This is followed by what we just read in chapter 5, that said, "For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief [un-expected, un-noticed ] in the night" (1 Thess 5:2).</div> <div>      "But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that you sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent (precede) them which are asleep" (1 Thess. 4:13-15). Those in history that are destined to be the bride of Christ, just as we are, will be resurrected with the present church that are protected for three and half years. Verse16, "For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first" This is not just any angel, this archangel is a chief of the angels! With the trump of God!! This archangel is the angel that we read of in Jude 9,that disputed with Satan over Moses' body. Vs. 17-18, "Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: And so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words."</div> <div>      Christ's appearance with power and great glory will be preceded some years earlier by His coming <B>quietly</B>, <B>secretly</B> and <B>unexpected </B>through the air of this planet to catch away His Bride, the firstfruits that hears His voice like that of a <U>archangel </U>and<U> with the trump of God </U>- while the rest of earth's population live on through a period marked by a tribulation under the rule of the antichrist.</div> <div>      The remnant church group - who Satan is “wroth” with - in verse 17 of Revelation 12, keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. "And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ." This remnant group that Satan was angry at and went to make war with for keeping the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ, show up with the two witness in Revelation 11, along with Satan, who overcomes them and kills them. </div> <div>      God's protection for the two witnesses and the remnant church ends after their going through the tribulation and delivering three and a half years of testimony of Jesus Christ. How do we know it was three and a half years time? When reading verse 3 and 4 in Revelation 11, it informs us of that: "And I will give power unto My two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks [Laodicean churches] standing before the God of the earth. In verse 7 it says, "And when they [speaking of a third party] shall have finished their testimony, [what testimony? The one we just read of in Revelation 12:17 - the testimony of Jesus Christ. The beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, [we are told also of that war event in Rev. 12:17] and shall overcome them, and kill them." Revelation 11 verses 11 to 14, tell us what happened next. "And after three days and ahalf the spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them. And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, `come up hither.' And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them. And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant [rest] were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven. The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly" (Rev 11:11-14).</div> <div>      The third woe is when the 7th angel [not the archangel] - but the instructed 7th angel's trumpet is blown.  The two witnesses and remnant church will be resurrected just prior to the 7th and last trumpet plague, introduced as the third woe. </div> <div>      We are reminded in 1 Cor. 15:23 that there is an order to the resurrections of the first fruits. "But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruit; afterward they that are Christ's at His coming." The Apostle Paul now reveals a mystery by telling us of the resurrection of the second group of Revelation 12:17. These are the remnant group or what we would call the Laodiceans who had to go through the three and one half year tribulation to make their robes white. "Behold, I show you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: For the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible [meaning: unreliable by errors or alterations] must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality" (I Cor. 15:51-53).</div> <div>      This group is resurrected when the 7th angel [not an archangel] sounds the 7th trumpet. All these scriptures support the actions, place, and time of the remnant group. </div> <div>      Now another question to ask is, "How many of them were involved with the two witnesses?" And, were they able to help others in their prophesying to learn of God's laws and ways? We find those answers and we get a better picture of them in Revelation 7. Revelation 7, enlightens us of the 144,000 Israelites that apparently are keeping the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ, who's commission it was to be a light to the world during the tribulation - to bring many to the knowledge of God's truth. What evidence do we find that identifies these people with the time of Satan's wrath, called the tribulation period? We read in Revelation 7 they were “sealed” just prior to the time of God's first angels trumpet plague and after going through the six seals that the Lamb opened. </div> <div>      Read what that first angel's trumpet event was to do. "The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt Up" (Rev.8:7). Now read Rev 7, and see if this same event took place while the 144000 and mixed multitude were going through a period of tribulation. “And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. 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, saying, `hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, <B>till we have sealed the servants of our God in their Foreheads</B>.' And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of [from, out of] all the tribes of the children of Israel" (Rev 7:1-4). This sealing took place at the time of the <B>first trumpet plague </B>of the Lord, and after the 5th, 6th, and 7th seal had been opened. Continuing, we read that the 144,000 and mixed multitude all came through the tribulation and made their robes white. How? “With the blood of the Lamb.” “And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, `what are these which are arrayed in white robes?' And whence came they? And I said unto him, `sir, you know.' And he said to me, `these are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb'” (Rev 7:13-14).</div> <div>      This is the same redeeming blood protection given those who went to a place of safety prior to the remnant group. These verses show us evidence that the two witnesses and remnant church groups accomplished the task God assigned them to do during the tribulation! They finally come to understand the importance of coming under the redeemed blood of the Lamb [Rev.12:11] and they stopped postponing Gods memorial Passover, and quit postponing all of God's annual Holy Day Sabbaths that are His appointed times of worship. If the Israelites had not put the lamb's blood on their door posts in Egypt at the right appointed time, many of us might not be here today!</div> <div>       In a letter to Timothy, Paul encourages him and us, "to study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth" (2 Tim 2:15). There is a vast difference when dividing the word of truth from error. This separates winners from losers and front runners from runners up!  </div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> James Russell</div> <div>   </div> <div>    </div> <div>  </div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>