THE TRUE CALLING OF GOD

The traditional churches believe that their main mission is to convert everyone to Christianity in this church age. They go to great length to 'preach the Gospel' to every tribes and nations even at the cost of the lives of the missionaries and their loved ones. But if that is the will of God to save every soul under heaven in this age, then Satan must have the upper hand, since the large majority of mankind on planet earth had never heard the Gospel message, let alone understand and believe the truth!  If those who had never heard the Gospel and accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour are going to eternal hellfire, then God is a respecter of persons when He chose the Jews to be the bearer of the truth.

Two millennia ago, Jesus Christ came to earth to qualify Himself as the King of the coming kingdom of God - the world government of Almighty God that will rule over all the earth. He did this by overcoming the temptations of Satan and all who are called into the one true church of God will have to overcome the temptations of this world - as Satan is the god of this world (2 Cor 4:4; Gal 1:4) - in order to become kings in the kingdom of God. Empowered with the Spirit of Christ, all of Christ's true disciples who are called and obeyed His commandments will do the Works of God. There are basically two great commissions for the church of God to do in this age - to preach the Gospel of the kingdom of God and to equip the saints with God's truth so that they can develop the character of Christ and qualify to become members of God's Family when born again as spirit beings at the first resurrection.

In this age, God is calling only a small group of people to form the firstfruits, with Christ as the firstborn among many brethren (meaning the first to resurrect among the firstfruits who are the called of this age) - Rom 8:29. 'For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called' - 1 Cor 1:26. Christ made this clear when He said, 'No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him, and I will raise him up at the last day - John 6:44.  The Lord was referring to the end of the church age when those who are called and chosen will be in the first resurrection at the last trumpet call. That is why Christ spoke to His called and chosen disciples in parables so that those who are not called in this time will not understand His teaching - ' Because it is given unto you (the called) to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven (God), but to them (those not called) it is not given.' -Matt 13:11. The calling is something given unto those who are being called. The church is the firstfruits (James 1:18), and there will be subsequent fruits from subsequent harvests yet of the future.

Many people wrongly assumed that if they are given a wonderful opportunity too good to be true or are having some kind of unexplained emotional feeling, then God has 'called' them into some kind of ministry or some missionary work in a foreign land. But this is not what the Bible is talking about. Simply put, a calling is when a person begins to understand the truth of God  like never before when he reads, sees or hears them. Things begin to make sense and not be deceived by false doctrine and sway by all kinds of man-made teachings and practices. The question is - do you begin to understand the Bible like never before and all its teachings like the Gospel of the kingdom of God, God's Plan for mankind, Bible prophecy and the one true church begin to make sense to you? If it does, God is calling you. Those who are not called will find it almost imposible to understand and make sense of what the Bible is teaching despite reading it umpteen times!

Does it mean that those who are not called in this age are being discriminated upon? The answer is NO. The vast majority of mankind who has ever lived  are neither saved nor lost as they are not being called now but their time for salvation is yet future when the whole truth will be made known to them at God's timing. Those who are called in this age will be given the task to teach and minister to the countless billions who will be resurrected in the second resurrection to come towards the end of the Millennial Age. They will be given the whole truth and opportunity to receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour and hence eternal life (Acts 4:12). The true church of God is like the advance party called to be trained to help reap the great harvest yet to come during the Millennial Age.

The Apostle Paul stated this clearly in Romans 8:29-30, 'For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he (Christ) might be the firstborn among many brethren. Morever whom he did predestinate, them he also called, and whom he called, them he also justified, and whom he justified, them he also glorified.'  The meaning of these two verses are impregnated with the truth of God's Plan for those whom He called at this time - before the Second Coming of Christ. God knows the motivation and make-up of each of those whom He intends to call before they were even born - from the time they were in their mother's womb - foreknow. Next, God helps them to chart the course of their life to know and understand the truth of God so that they might be set apart from Satan's worldview and value system - predestinate. They would then be sealed and empowered with the Holy Spirit to be overcomers and conform to the image of Christ to have the Christ-like character essential for membership into the Royal Family of God when borm again into immortality - justified. Lastly, those called with be in the first resurrection on the last trumpet call (1 Cor 15:52) at the Second Coming of Christ - glorified!

However, many churches are still part of the Babylon's system of this world and God's will for them is to come out of her (Rev 18:4)  so that they will not be partakers of her sins. Are you being called, and if so, will you obey the call of God and be counted worthy to be in the first resurrection - a better resurrection (Hebrews 11:35). The choice is yours to make.


 

PLACE OF SAFETY

For years, I have been sold to the doctrine of pre-tribulation rapture where all who trusted Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour will be raptured away to heaven just before the seven-year Great Tribulation is prophesied to occur towards the end of this church age. How wrong I was! What the Scripture really teaches is not any rapture but a place of safety on earth for the true church of Jesus Christ during the period of the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord - a total of three-and-a-half years or 1,260 days. The rapture doctrine was birthed as a result of the Council of Trent in 1545 based on the theory of futurism conceived by a Jesuit priest named Francisco Ribera to counter Catholic doctrines and traditions. An Anglican preacher named John Nelson Darby later refined it and the doctrines of dispensationalism and rapturism were conceived. It was never taught by Christ or any of His appointed Apostles and certainly not mentioned anywhere in the Bible! It is purely a product of human ideas and invention.

Since God is not the Author of confusion (1 Cor 14:33), the rapture doctrine cannot hold any ground as it leads to mass confusion and hayhem with innocent lives lost when Christians would be raptured away from planet earth with classrooms, airplanes in flight, moving vehicles and many others left unattended and in jeopardy! What the Bible teaches is that there is a designated place of safety on earth (not in heaven) for all true believers for a period of three-and-a half years (Rev 12:14; Psalms 91) - shielded from all the cataclysmic events unleashed upon planet earth. That is why Christ warned His elect to watch and pray always so as to be counted worthy to escape all these things (Luke 21:36) - there is a personal responsibility involved right up to the very end. Sadly, few would take His word seriously!

Christ says that no one has ascended to heaven except Himself who came down from heaven (John 3:13) and He also told His audience that 'Where I go (heaven) you cannot come' - John 8:21, 13:33. The rewards of all true saints are the kingdom of God which will come on planet earth ( Daniel 7:27; Matt 5:5; Rev 2:26; Rev 11:15). Many preachers have misunderstood the words of Christ in John 14:1-3 to mean the saved will have 'mansions in heaven' awaiting them upon physical death. The correct translation for this should be 'rooms' to indicate different positions of authority of temple priests. In like manner, Christ will dispense to the true saints different positions of authority as rewards, depending on their faith and obedience, when He returns to earth. Christ's teachings on the parable of the pounds found in Luke 19: 11-27 is a clear reference to this truth about rewards in the kingdom of God.

The Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:50-54 put it succintly, 'That flesh and bood cannot inherit the kingdom of God... We shall not all sleep (physical death), but we shall all be changed...At the last trumpet...the dead will be raised incorruptible...and this mortal has put on immortality...Death is swallow up in victory.' If all the dead in Christ have gone to heaven, all these verses make no sense! Besides, there is no indication of a rapture in any variation whatsoever. This proves that the dead in Christ are 'sleeping in the grave' awaiting the sounding of the last trumpet (Rev 11:15) to be resurrected to immortality - to be born again as a spirit being (1 John 3:9) as compared to our physical birth as a human being. The dead in Christ will meet Him in the air (clouds) and return to earth when Christ will then descend on the Mount of Olives (Zech 14:4-5) to begin His rule on the kingdom of God with the headquarters in Jerusalem.

The Bible clearly states that Christ will come back to earth and every eye will see Him (Rev 1:7) - not the saints going to heaven to be with Him! Christ will then begin His rule on earth (kingdom of God) together with His saints for the next one thousand years (Millennial Age) - Rev 20:4. That is an undisputable fact despite what theologians and preachers may teach and preach. Those who hold contrarian views are sincerely wrong and deceived! For those who are called and obey His word, they will be counted worthy to escape all these global calamities just before Christ Return which God has promised to protect them (Luke 21:36) that are prophesied to come upon the whole earth like a snare (Luke 21:34-35).

To the era of the Church in Philadelphia, Christ promised all His true disciples (those who believe and obey His word) that He will keep them from the hour of temptation - meaning the Tribulation (Rev 3:10). He also promised to come to reward those who are faithful and exercise good stewardship on all that were entrusted them (3:11). To the true New Testament church ('woman'), God will provide a physical place of safety for three-and-a-half year, or 1,260 days (Rev 12:6) to shelter them from the global calamities. Daniel 12:11-12 indicates a period of 1,290 and 1,335 days, a countdown to the Return of Christ. From 1,335 days to 1,290 days, a period of 45 days is for the true church to finish its work of warning the nations and make preparation to flee to Judea, and the period of 30 days from 1,290 to 1,260 days (period of God's protection) is for the journey from the gathering place to the place of safety.

Simple faith by 'just believing in Jesus alone' may fall short of God's standard and expectations from those who will be protected during the coming Great Tribulation. They have been misled to believe that Christ will take care of everything once they believe in Him, and disregard personal responsibility. The truth is that one has to have the right belief coupled with obedience to be counted 'worthy to escape all these things'. Those who have ears let them hear!







 

THE DAY OF THE LORD

The seventh seal is the seven trumpets and the first trumpet heralds The Day of the Lord, which is a one year period (based on a day for a year principle found in Numbers 14:34 and Ezekiel 4:6) of God's wrath to punish the gentile nations that have rebelled against God's law. This comes after the Great Tribulation which is actually Satan's wrath unleashed upon the lukewarm church of the last days. In between these two events is the sixth seal of the Heavenly signs when thousands of meteors will fall from the heavens and a great earthquake will come upon planet earth. The book of Joel, Zephaniah and Matthew prophesied these events that are yet to be fulfilled. The way to understand all these prophecies is to let the Bible interprets the Bible. But those who remain faithful and obedient to the truth of His word will be found worthy to escape all these things (Luke 21:36).

The Day of the Lord will culminate in the Return of Jesus Christ to rule and reign over all the nations of the earth. But before the good news (Gospel of the kingdom of God) is to materialise, the people of the world will have to undergo untold sufferings such as the world had never seen or experienced before. But for the elect's sake, these sufferings will be shortened (Matt 24:22). Over thirty prophecies - mainly from the Old Testament - foretold of such terrible events, for God will ' punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity' (Isaiah 26:21), ' for they have sinned against the Lord' (Zephaniah 1:17). The book of Zephaniah records it succinctly - 'The great day of the Lord is near; It is near and hastens quickly. The noise of the day of the Lord is bitter; There the mighty men shall cry out. That day is a day of wrath, A day of trouble and distress, A day of devastation and desolation, A day of darkness and gloominess, A day of clouds and thick darkness' (Zeph 1:14-15). The prophet Joel penned the cosmic blackout just before the Second Coming of Christ thus, ' The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord' (Joel 2:31) - which is the sixth seal recorded by the Apostle John in Revelation 6:12-17.

There are four trumpets (Rev 8) and three woes (Rev 9:1-21 records the first two woes) that make up the seventh seal and the third woe (Rev 16:2-21) is made up of the seven last plagues. The first angel sounded the first trumpet and a third of the trees and all the green grass were burned up (8:6-7). The second angel sounded the second trumpet and a third of the sea became blood, a third of the living creatures in the sea died and a third of the ships were destroyed (8:8-9). The third angel sounded the third trumpet and a great star (Wormword) fell from heaven that contaminates the rivers and drinking water turns bitter (8:10-11). When the fourth angel sounded the trumpet, a third of the sun, a third of the moon and a third of the stars became darkened and so will the days and nights on earth (8:12).

Following from the four trumpets judgment are the three woes (woe, woe, woe - Rev 8:13). Revelation 9 describes the fifth and sixth trumpets as the first and second woe respectively. The power that be from the 'bottomless pit' (9:2) refers to the seventh and last revival of the Roman Empire to be led by the beast power. The last (sixth) revival of the Roman Empire was led by Italy's Mussolini together with Adolf Hitler of Germany. The seventh and last revival of the beast power before the return of Jesus Christ will set to attack the 'king of the south' and the Holy Land - that is the first woe. They will overwhelm the 'king of the south' and set to control the Holy Land. Next the 'king of the east' will do a counter-attack with some two hundred million military force against the 'king of the north' - the beast power. Revelation 9:16 records the gathering of this mighty army set to wage war with the beast power that will emerge in due course according to God's timeline.

The third woe is all the seven last plagues that will inflict untold sufferings on planet earth that collectively, the three woes will kill a third of all mankind at that time (Rev 9:18). This reflect God's judgment upon the Babylonian system that had plagued all mankind in one form or another for millennia. The first plague will strike all those who had the mark of the beast and worship his image (16:2). The second plague is similar to the one performed in Egypt during the time of Moses when the sea turn to blood and all living sea creatures died (16:3). The third plague turns rivers and spring waters to blood (16:4) and the fourth plague turns on the sun's heat and scorch men with fire and men began to blasphem the name of God (16:8-9). The seat of the beast's government and power were attacked by the fifth plague and his kingdom became full of darkness and pain (16:10-11). On the sixth plague, the Euphrates River will be dried up for the armies from the kings of the east to cross over to the Holy Land to gather at Armageddon (16:12, 16) - which is north of Jerusalem. The seventh plague rounded up with a great earthquake and hailstorm (16:17-21).

The beast is end-time civil ruler influenced by Satan and the false prophet is the end-time religious leader associated with the end-time civil ruler. Together this unholy triad will form Babylon the great that God called them as the abominations of the earth (Rev 17:5). In these last days, they will perform signs to the kings of the earth and the whole world to deceive the multitudes that will untimately wage war with the Lord Jesus Christ at the battle of that great day of God Almighty (Rev 16:14) upon His return. Unwilling to submit to the Lordship of Christ and the government of God, they will form an alliance to wage war with Christ and all will be destroyed (17:14). Revelation 18 goes on to describe the destruction of the Babylonian system that had deceived all mankind since the time of ancient civilisation.

But the good news is that the kingdom of God will appear soon after all these cataclysmic events ended. It will be a wonderful world of peace, happiness and prosperity operating on God's law of the give way of life.






 

THE GREAT TRIBULATION

Many Christians presumed that the Lord's Day mentioned in Revelation 1:10 as the day of worship, for most of them it is Sunday. They are wrong on two counts. One, the day of worship is the seventh day of the week, which is Saturday and not Sunday - the latter is the day of pagan worship of the sun! Second, the Lord's Day mentions in Revelation 1:10 refers to the great and terrible day of the Lord prophesied in Joel 2:1-3 and Zephaniah 1:7-10; 14-17. It is a time of the Lord's wrath (Zeph 1:18). But before the one-year period of God's judgment (Lord's Day) is prophesied to happen on planet earth, it will be preceded by a two-and -a half year period of the Great Tribulation of Satan's wrath unleashed on mankind just before he yielded his throne to the coming Lord Jesus Christ. There cannot be any case of mistaken identity as over thirty prophecies in the Old Testament refer to this period as the great and terrible day of the Lord!

According to Christ, The Great Tribulation will be the worst time in world history that mankind will have to face, ever (Matt 24:21). This period corresponds to the opening of the fifth seal mentioned in Revelation 6:9-11. This period of worldwide suffering is prophesied to happen for all mankind living then except for the small group of called and chosen ones who will be taken to a place of safety (Rev 12:14). Christ categorically warned that all true disciples of His must 'Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things (The Great Tribulation) that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.' - Luke 21:36.

Those who were martyred will have to wait till the numbers of all those who were predestined to enter the kingdom of God will have died for their faith are complete. It is not a reference to those martyrs who had died in the Middle Ages and are now in heaven crying out to the Lord, it is just symbolic of what must follow for martyrs of the latter period to complete the plan of God. If the martyrs who died centuries before are now in heaven, they would not have to clamour for revenge! The martyrs of the last days are lukewarm Christians who have fallen away or are being deceived into deception by false teachings and the value system of this world! Even then, only half of them are expected to be saved (Matt 25:1-12). The 'souls under the altar' (Rev 6:9) is a reference to future martyrs of the Laodicean era (the last era of the Church age - the present time) who will suffer the same fate as martyrs in the Middle Ages.

Only those who believe and obey the word of Christ and His teachings including the gospel message of the kingdom of God will be found ' worthy to escape to all these things (the Great Tribulation) and to stand before the Son of Man (as resurrected immortal spirit beings born of God).' All the rest of mankind who escape physical death during the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord will enter the Millennial Age as flesh and blood humans to be ruled by resurrected spirit beings. The rest of mankind who have ever lived will be resurrected as reconstituted flesh and blood humans towards the end of the Millennial Age and be given the whole truth at judgment day (Matt 11:21-24; Luke 11:31-32). Their decision for repentance and acceptance of salvation or  rejection with wilful rebellion will determine their eternal destiny!

After the cataclysmic events comes the good news (gospel) of the kingdom of God - the rule of Christ as King over the whole earth to end all wars, strife, sicknesses, diseases, calamities and even death! It will be the wonderful world to come not just for the Millennial Age, but for all of eternity. It is God's will for man to spread the laws and government of God and beautify all of His creation, stretching into the far corners of the universe. That is what you and I were created and placed on planet earth for!

THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST

Incredible as it may seem, the Gospel of Jesus Christ was 'lost' for over nineteen centuries not only to the world but to the entire Christendom as a whole. In its place, the churches of the world preach a Gospel about the Person of Christ. In essence, the Gospel of Christ is the message that Christ was sent by God the Father to preach to the world - the message of the kingdom of God. Some twenty to thirty year after the founding of the New Testament church in AD 31, controversy began to emerge as to what is the true Gospel. After a period of almost one century - known as the lost century of the Christian church - the Gospel centred around the Person of Christ began to gain momentum, in place of the Gospel about the kingdom of God.

Christ first came as a Prophet was prophesied by Moses, 'The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear' - Deut 18:15. Malachi affirmed that Christ will come as a Messenger of the (new) covenant to bring good news from God the Father about the coming kingdom that will dethrone Satan who is presently the god of this world (2 Cor 4:4) who deceived the whole world (Rev 12:9). Jesus Christ came preaching the Gospel of the kingdom of God.The Gospel of the kingdom is to be preached in conjunction with Christ's role in it, and not preaching about Christ apart from the Gospel. Yet all who claimed to be Christ's disciples are totally ignorant of the very work they are commissioned to do! The world's churches of different persuasion preached a different gospel of grace, salvation, social issues and prosperity which the Apostle Paul warned with a 'double curse' - for perverting the Gospel of Christ (Gal 1:7-9).

Many preachers proclaim that 'the kingdom of God is within you' - presumably in you heart, mind and soul - quoting Luke 17:21. But little did they realise that this is mistranslation - when it should mean 'in the midst of you' - meaning that Christ as the King of the future kingdom of God, was in their midst. As the context was Christ speaking to the Pharisees, obviously Christ was not referring to them having inherited the kingdom of God! Because man has rejected the true Gospel, they have supplanted something else - another gospel ( 2 Cor 11:4) - to replace it. That is why the world - like the Titanic - is heading towards the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord but yet totally oblivious to the cataclysmic events prophesied to unfold!

The writer of Mark 1:1 states, 'The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God' - and following down in verse 14-15, he states, 'Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God'  and saying, 'The time is fulfilled and the kingom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.'  IT IS NECESSARY TO BELIEVE THE GOSPEL MESSAGE OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD TO BE SAVED! But how can one believe unless he/she understands what the gospel of the kingdom of God is. That is the very Gospel message that God the Father sent Christ to proclaim  (Luke 4:43) and we are commanded to hear Him. For over nineteen centuries, the world was ignorant of the true Gospel as they only understand a gospel about Christ and not the Gospel of Christ. While on earth, Christ sent His twelve disciples to preach the Gospel of the kingdom of God (Matt 10: 5-7; Luke 9:1-2). After His resurrection but before His ascension to heaven, Christ taught His disciples about the kingdom of God (Acts 1:3).

The purpose of the church is to prepare those whom God has called to teach and rule in the kingdom of God. The purpose of king Nebuchadnezzar's dream (Daniel 2:28) was to reveal God's government (2:44) - the quintessence of the kingdom of God. It is referring to a literal kingdom on earth that bear rule on real people over the whole world, as Christ taught in the Sermon on the Mount  - Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth (Matt 5:5). Christ was born to be King, and when He returns all the governments of the world will be dissolved (Rev 11:15). In its place will be the kingdom of God ruled by Christ assisted by born again immortal spirit beings who will form the Family of God. The divine Family of God will rule over all mortal humans of the world but they will not be in the kingdom of God, though they will be ruled by it. Then Christ will be King over all the earth (John 18:37) in the world to come (Heb 2:5).

Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ stated this categorically in John 8:30-32 thus, 'As He spoke these words, many believed in Him (people believed that Christ was sent from the  Heavenly Father to proclaim the Gospel message of hope for mankind). Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in my word (the Gospel message of the kingdom of God), you are my disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and truth shall make you free." Christ was telling the Jews that it was not enough just believing in Him that He is the Son of God sent from heaven above (the demons beleive so and tremble), but that they must also believe His word - the message of the kingdom of God - so that they can be set free from sin and death through resurrection (when Christ return) and be born again into immortal life as a spirit being. Sadly, because of unbelief, only a small minority during the church age will get to inherit the kingdom of God ('little flock' - Luke 12:32) as it remains a mystery even to the large majority of church goers the world over. For many are called but few are chosen (Matt 20:16; 22:14) - to become the sons of God in the divine Family who will rule and reign with Christ in the coming kingdom. Make no mistake, only those who are born again as immortals into the Family of God will rule as masters of the universe!

But one of the conditions to earn the reward from Christ is to - 'Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him' (1 John 2:15).This present evil age (Gal 1:4) is Satan's world and the large majority of the people are being deceived to follow the Babylonian system of idolatry rooted in false doctrines and practices. True Christians who are called are warned to 'Come out of her' or else they become partakers in her sins. (Rev 18:4). Those who fail to heed the warning of Christ may not receive a full reward (2 John 8).

PURPOSE OF THE CHURCH

Many evangelical Protestant churches believe that the church is to function as a saving lighthouse for 'lost souls'. But if that is the case, then how about all human beings who lived before the birth of the New Testament Church in  31 A.D. They would all be doomed without hope of salvation and that would make God a respecter of persons, which is contrary to His nature and Scripture! In New Testament Greek, the Church is called ekklesia which means the called-out ones - the congregation of people that forms the Church. The name should be called "Church of God" which is used twelve times in the New Testament.

According to Herbert W. Armstrong whom God called to restore many biblical truth lost since the first century, the word church first appears in Matthew 16:18 when Jesus said, 'I will build My church, and the gates of hades shall not prevail against it.' In plain language, it simply means - according to Herbert W Armstrong - "I will call out of Satan's world disciples, to grow into the altogether new and different world, which will be God's kingdom". Jesus Christ is the Founder and the living Head of the Church (Eph 5:23). Notice that Christ came to establish His Church and not churches. So there is only one true Church of God with one set of doctrinal teachings based solely on the Bible and not teaching as doctrines the commandments of men! (Mark7:7).

Jesus Christ did not come to earth in His first advent to save Satan's world while Satan still rules the world (2 Cor4:4). He will save the world in His Second Coming when Satan shall be restrained. Christ came some 2,000 years ago to qualify as the second Adam to replace Satan as King on the throne of the earth, ruling with the Government of God. He also came to proclaim the Gospel of the kingdom of God (Luke 4: 43) as a Messenger sent from God the Father (Deut 18:15; Malachi 3:1c). Christ also died for the sin of all humanity and He established the Church to train all true believers whom the Father had called and chosen (John 6:44; 15:16,19) to be the Bride of Christ and be members of the Family of God.

Water baptism is an initiatory rite to be born of the Spirit of God. The kingdom of God will not be composed of mortal human beings for flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God (1 Cor 15:50). The first Adam became a living being. The last Adam became a life-giving spirit (1 Cor 15:45). God is reproducing Himself in His saints whom He has called and obeyed Him! For God to restore His Government on planet earth (and the whole universe in the age of eternity), He would require a group of trained and qualified God Beings who have rejected Satan's way of life and obeyed the righteous laws of God.. The Church will eventually be His instrument to bring salvation to all of humanity who have ever lived when they are all resurrected toward the end of the millennium age. The Church is the firstfruits (Heb 12:23; James 1:18), a chosen generation and a royal priesthood (1 Pet 2:9) who will teach the multiple billions of resurrected flesh and blood human beings since Adam the whole truth. All true Christians are drafted (predestined) and there is no volunteer!

That is why Christ spoke in parables often so that only His true disciples will understand and not the masses who were not called (Matt 13:10-11; Mark 4:10-11). God's plan of salvation for mankind is working one step at a time, and the time is not yet to reveal the whole truth to the world. This plan of salvation is contained in Leviticus 23 where the seven annual festivals is to be observed forever for all spiritual descendants of Abraham, including the Church. The Passover pictures the sacrificial death of Christ on the cross as payment for the sin of mankind. The seven days of Unleavened Bread pictures the Church coming out of sin just as the ancient Israelites came out of Egypt. The Day of Pentcost - originally called the Feast of Firstfruits - pictures the Church as the first begotten and born as children of God. The Feast of Trumpets pictures the Second Coming of Christ to rule over all nations and governments of the world. The Day of Atonement pictures the putting away of Satan at the beginning of the millennium. The Feast of Tabernacles pictures the thousand-year reign of Christ with the spirit born-again saints. The Final Great Day pictures the final judgement of all humans who have ever lived.

When God closed the tree of life after Adam sinned, the Holy Spirit and salvation was cut off from humanity except for a chosen few whom God had called for a specific purpose.  The Church was called not just for salvation and eternal life, but to develop the spiritual character of Christ and be trained to help Christ administer God's Government and redemption for the whole world when Christ returns (Rev 2: 26-27; 3:21). Those who are called are not saved by the blood of Christ but by His life (Rom 5:10)  - by the resurrection - which will happen when Christ returns to rule as King of kings and Lord of lords. Since Christ overcame Satan in the wilderness (Matt 4: 3-11) the Church must now overcome in the church age in order to rule with Him (1 Pet 4:17). The Church is required to overcome Satan, the lust of the flesh and the temptations of the world to qualify as kings and priests in the wonderful world to come. However, the rest of humanity will not be required to so overcome to obtain salvation when Satan has been restrained.

When a person is called of God and obeyed, he/she becomes a spiritual embryo and the church is to provide the spiritual food as nourishment for growth to maturity (Eph 4:11-13). The Church is the  Jerusalem above, the mother of us all (Gal 4:26). The Church has the dual responsibility to proclaim the Gospel of the kingdom of God, and Christ is to be preached in conjunction with the Gospel. In addition, it has to shepherd the flock of God (1 Pet 5:2). It behooves, therefore, that God's true ministers should protect and guard the spiritually begotten but yet unborn saints from false doctrine and deception!

IS GOD A TRINITY?

The doctrine of the trinity has never been in the Bible. It is a concoction of men gathered at Nicaea in 325 AD to frame the doctrine for Christianity that will unite dissenting groups of followers of the Christian faith. The group that hinges on heresy and supported by the then popular Roman Emperor Constantine won against those who opposed the doctrine of trinity as it was never taught in Scriptures and certainly not by Jesus Christ and His first Apostles. So where did the doctrine come from? Right even before the time of Christ, the triad deity was already long in existence. The idea was probably first practised by the Babylonians. Semiramis, the mother-wife of Nimrod, believed that Horus was reincarnated from Nimrod and intended to immortalised the three of them to be worshipped. In Egypt, the family was worshipped as Osiris (Nimrod), Isis (Semiramis) and son Horus some three centuries after the great Flood of Noah's time.

In Babylon, the triad deity was known as Ninas, Ishtar and Tammuz. In Rome, it was Jupiter, Fortuna and Mercury. Most ancient pagan religions had their own triad deity, albeit using different names, but basically rooted in philosophy and metaphysics copied from the migrants that came out of the Tower of Babel - another root of idolatry from Mystery Babylon! The Hindu god comes in the form of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva and so do many Eastern religions. The famous Greek philosopher Plato and early theologians like Philo, Clement of Alexandria and Origen greatly influenced early Christianity that follows Gnosticism and Greek philosophy that deviate from the true teachings of Christ and His chosen Apostles.

Reliable sources of church history tell us that right into the second century AD, heresy had already entered the church just as Christ and His Apostles had warned. The Gnostics had use allegory to explain away the truth and in its place came Greek philosophy and man's concoction of heretical ideas to explain Scriptures instead of letting the Bible interprets the Bible. Most believe that there is one God in personage when Christ clearly states that He and the Father are one in unity and purpose (John 17:11). Hence, the doctrine of the trinity is a mystery that nobody understands. Lest it be misunderstood, Christ and God the Father are two God Beings and the Holy Spirit is the power that exudes out from these two Supreme Beings of the Godhead. Christ said that 'I and My Father are one' - John 10:30, and there is no mention of any other person. The Apostle Paul reinforces this teaching when he wrote, ' yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him, and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live' - 1 Cor 8:6. Similarly, for all of Paul's epistles, there is no greetings of the Holy Spirit, but only God the Father and Jesus Christ the Son. Even in the Lord's prayer, we are taught to pray to God the Father in the name of the Son Jesus Christ, period. If the Holy Spirit is the third person of the trinity, then why is there no mention of his presence?

The prophet Jeremiah had rightly quoted the Lord of hosts thus, ' I have made the earth, the man and the beast that are on the ground, by My great power (referring to the Holy Spirit ) and by My outstretched arm, and have given it to whom it seemed proper to Me' - Jeremiah 27:5. This verse is rightly collaborated with Acts 5:32 where it states that God will only gives His Holy Spirit to those who obey Him. Besides, if the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Godhead, then Jesus Christ should be called ' the Son of the Holy Spirit'  since He was conceived of the Holy Spirit! In the long prayer between the Father and the Son (John 17) there was no mention of the Holy Spirit and neither in the Lord's prayer are Christians commanded to pray to the Holy Spirit. Yet misguided preachers are doing so to showcase their ignorance, or their disobedience!

Note that in Daniel 7:13-14, the prophet Daniel recorded the vision of the inauguration of the Son of Man (Jesus Christ) by the Ancient of Days (God the Father) when the throne of Satan is finally ceded to Christ. There is no record of the presence of the Holy Spirit in such an important event in the whole universe! Similarly, the dialogue between the Father and Son recorded in Hebrew chapter 1 clearly shows two Persons of the Godhead talking over their Master Plan to offer man membership in the Divine Family, to the exclusion of angels - and this makes Satan furious with envy (1:5, 13). Those who overcome will be offered membership in God's Divine Family to rule the world with Christ and even to judge angels (1 Cor 6: 2-3).

The Persons of God the Father and God the Son each has different unique names, but the term 'Holy Spirit' is not a name of a person - let alone a God Being. Many references were made of the Holy Spirit in symbolic terms like water, wind, olive oil and dove. These are not normally use to refer to a human being, what more a God Being! Most trinitarians forget that God is a Person and not some nebulous blob of spirit floating around like 'Gasper the Ghost' - popularised through Hollywood movies. God rule from His throne in Heaven, and Christ is now seated on His right hand interceding for His saints. The Holy Spirit is given as a 'deposit' to seal those whom God has called and choose to obey Him (Acts 5:32) for the day of redemption (Eph 1:13-14).

The prophet Joel prophesied that God will pour out His Spirit upon all flesh (Joel 2:36), and this prophesy is yet of the future - to happen when Christ has returned to establish His kingdom on earth. Since no one can 'pour' one person onto another, the Holy Spirit cannot be a person for this to happen. Some suggests that the pronoun 'He' is used to suggest that the Holy Spirit is a person, but that was not in the original text as it was added by bible translators. The King James Version in Romans 8:16 uses the pronoun 'it' to describe the Holy Spirit - the Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit. Remember, only the original Bible manuscripts are inspired - the rest are but translations  carried out by men. Still not convinced? Just consider the prophetic book of Revelation - the first two verses reveal that the book originated from God the Father who gave it to Jesus Christ. Christ then sent it to an angel who hand it to John to narrate it as Scriptures. There is no mention of any third person of the trinity involved.

Then there are others who argue that since the Scriptures mention that one must not blaspheme the Holy Spirit, it has to be a person of some sort. But first know that if the Holy Spirit is a Supreme God Being living inside of us, every time we sin, we will die. Since the Holy Spirit is a source of power that exudes out of God (Act 8:19), any denial of its presence and leading is tatamount to rejecting God - just like rejecting an emissary sent from a King or an Emperor is considered blasphemous and could attract capital punishment in ancient times!

Satan is out to deceive the masses - if more people believe that the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Godhead, then they will never get to understand their incredible potential. The trinity is a closed concept devised by Satan to deny humans from being a member of God's Divine Family. God's plan is to expand His Family and government throughout the universe in eternity (Isaiah 9:7) Only those who understand and accept the truth will be granted membership in God's eternal Family - for the truth will make you free (John 8:32) - free from sin and death. Make no mistake, only membership into God's Royal Family  - those called at this time to be a Bride of Christ - will be entitled to enter the kingdom of God (Matt 22:11-13) with rewards to rule and reign with Christ for all of eternity. This is the greatest deal and highest calling ever - but the window of opportunity is fast closing in as Christ's return becomes imminent!