Chapter One – What Does the Bible Teach?
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Get clearly in your mind that many now sincerely believe the Work of God has been finished for this age—and that it concluded in 1986. Is this true? Or is there still an “open door” before the remainder of Philadelphia? What about the “famine of the word”? Who is permitted to continue the Work? Has the role of the individual laymember changed? Should Philadelphians now focus solely on “preparing for the Wedding Supper”? Does the Bible reference in any special way a reconstitution of God’s Work in the twenty-first century—in the period that would follow the apostasy?
The approach to any doctrine begins with God’s Word. What then does the Bible teach on these and a host of other matters and questions connected to the Work of God? The nineteen chapters that follow take a comprehensive look at all of them, and how they interrelate to what Mr. Armstrong taught.
In an astonishing reversal of understanding and conviction, a significant and growing number of brethren no longer believe that any obligation remains to carry out the Great Commission. But worse, some have even adopted the view that to continue or even attempt to continue taking the gospel to the world or to warn Israel of the coming Tribulation is actually rebellion against Mr. Armstrong’s final instructions to his successor and to the Church. Naturally, a variety of reasons have been floated to justify this thinking: Mr. Armstrong was Zerubbabel and he finished the Work—God’s people are too scattered, and organizations are too divided for a meaningful Work to be done—there are not enough people left to do a great Work—the Laodicean age supplants Philadelphia’s commission—only an apostle may preach the gospel to the whole world or warn nations, among others. Further, most brethren who think the Work is over believe Mr. Armstrong declared just before his death that the Church’s focus from that point forward should be exclusively on individuals preparing for the Wedding Supper with Jesus Christ.
The Bible has much more to say about doing the Work of God—and exactly what this is—than most EVER realized. You will soon believe this, as well as why Mr. Armstrong spoke about it almost unceasingly. Yet, how many pick up their Bibles and look for what is there? This constant Bible theme is why Chapter One will look at virtually every Old Testament figure used to record God’s Word. In part for dramatic effect, I have chosen to devote extra time to this foundation for all the understanding that follows. This includes some unusually long scriptural text to retain both depth and strength of context.
Keynote Statement!
The following defining statement from Mr. Armstrong forms the backdrop for reviewing what the Bible states about who can and who cannot preach the kingdom of God and warn Israel—and who and how many can spearhead the Work of God in any age. He opens by referencing the Work of the Church during his time. Beginning with this paragraph, ask yourself if you still believe what Mr. Armstrong taught. (All emphasis is his):
“And a century of time cycles after the first birth of the Church was a TIME that God DID USE as a time to start aREBIRTH of His Church, when once again just before the close of the 6,000-year duration of the ‘day of man,’ and the ushering in of the day of the LORD, His Gospel of the Kingdom would be proclaimed worldwide (Matt. 24:14).
“We need to understand a PRINCIPLE by which God always has worked through humans. He has always worked through ONE MAN at a time. He worked through Abraham. He worked through Moses, through Joshua, through one “judge” at a time, through Samuel, through David, through Solomon. He worked through Peter and when Peter had left the Middle East, through Paul. These men had, in greater or lesser number, staff assistants under them, but God’s WORK was through the ONE MAN AT A TIME!”
“Just What Is ‘The Work’?”, GN, April 1981
What do you think of this statement? Do you feel Mr. Armstrong exaggerated—or worse, was plain wrong? Let’s ask a related question: Is it correct to state that God spread the gospel in past ages through chosen men who were not apostles? Were you under the impression that this message has only been spoken of since the beginning of Christ’s ministry and the New Testament Church, and then only by apostles? Of course, it is understood that apostles take the lead and are the primary office God uses.
What does the Bible reveal?
Acts 3:19-24 makes a comprehensive statement. In this eye-opening passage, Peter refers to Christ’s Coming (Acts 3:19)—“the presence of the Lord”—and that He (God) “shall send Jesus Christ” (Acts 3:20). 21 describes the establishing of God’s kingdom under Christ as the “restitution of all things,” corroborating Mr. Armstrong’s statement! Next, Peter states that this “restitution” (again, Jesus Christ establishing God’s kingdom) is something “God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.”
This is a stunning passage! Consider it—with all its implications.
Could God have actually used prophets, not just apostles, to announce His kingdom—as well as men, we will see, who held neither office? Unless both God and Mr. Armstrong exaggerate—of course, I am being facetious—then this statement is true. But let’s examine a number of specific biblical figures.
Let’s examine whether and how each of these men, in one manner or another, preached the coming kingdom of God. And let’s see if God’s Word is plain on this matter.
The Old Testament “Preachers of Righteousness”
Enoch was Noah’s great-grandfather. Jude 14-15 declares plainly, “Enoch…the seventh from Adam prophesied…saying, Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, to execute judgment upon all…” This man was a pre-Flood preacher whose “sermon notes” have been preserved in Jude for us to see. He obviously refers in this message to the same things that constitute the gospel.
For clarification, Noah in II Peter 2:4-5 is called “the eighth…preacher of righteousness.” Notice how Jude recorded Enoch was the “seventh from Adam.” This is why Noah is referred to as “the eighth.” These pre-Flood servants were apparently known as “preachers of righteousness” and, beginning with “righteous Abel,” there were five other men before Enoch who fulfilled this role. The service of these eight men (apparently only these three named were converted) spanned the entire period between Adam and the Flood, with Noah transitioning to the post-Flood world.
Further review of Enoch’s message reveals that these men taught about sin and righteousness in the very strongest terms. This means they issued a stern and powerful warning to a sinning, lawless world, which culminated in the greatest punishment to date—the Flood! A careful study of the Bible demonstrates that God always warns before punishment—captivity, destruction of Nineveh, Sodom and Gomorrah, the Flood, individual kings, etc.
While much more could be said about this sixteen-and-a-half-century period before the Flood, suffice to say that every one of these early “preachers” brought the same message. Remember, Peter stated, “since the world began.”
What I have mentioned here is not my invention. The Church and Mr. Armstrong have long understood the role of these pre-Flood “preachers,” and their commission and work was taught in exactly this way in the late 60s, when I attended Ambassador College. I still remember spending hours in my freshman year meticulously transferring all the details of this information to a blank page in my Bible. Also, the old Ambassador College Bible Correspondence Course taught it the same way!
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