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Seventh Scroll: “WHO MOVED?”

Copyright © Jules Dervaes

January 3, 1988

WHERE GOD IS:

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WHERE ARE YOU?

As a member of God’s one and only true Church, it’s easy to find oneself with little to worry about. So very, very nice would it be to sit tight and wait out the end of this age. (After all won’t the Church get “the inside scoop” on end-time prophecies?) For one thing is 100 percent certain: God would never leave His Church. Since it’s not possible for the faithful and true Shepherd to abandon His flock, He will not “move.” But, can His Church MOVE? Has it EVER moved? Does it have A HISTORY of moving?

Go now to the place in Shiloh where I FIRST made a dwelling for my Name, and see what I did to it because of the wickedness of my people Israel. … Therefore, what I did to Shiloh I will NOW do to the house that bears my Name, the temple you trust in, the place I gave to you and your fathers. (Jer. 7:12-14)

Shiloh–Israel—Jerusalem, all were TRUE “Ekklesia” and ALL left God. As warnings for us today (1 Cor. 10:11,12), the Bible documents how THEY left.

And so, God has NOT left His people in the dark. The Bible—HIS VOICE—is replete with warnings He has addressed to us. But, what if this Church chooses TO IGNORE HIS CALL??? What if today’s Church is “busy” applying these critical messages to Gentile Churches of the world? Then it is that, once again, THE CHURCH is intent on leaving God! The physical organization has become emboldened to trust in ITSELF just as God’s physical nation, the Jews, trusted in their TEMPLE.

Do not trust in deceptive words and say ‘”This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord!” (Jer. 7:1)

One can keep repeating over and over “this Worldwide Church of God IS the church of God…” Absolutely, YES! But, THE question remains: ARE YOU [becoming] A CHILD OF GOD? Certainly, there is no other PLACE to go. BUT, just as certainly, there is ANOTHER POSITION to take!!!

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God and His VISIBLE Church will not be ONE until the Kingdom comes. And, contrary to what may be a popular assumption, “our” Millennium is not here yet! It is plainly erroneous and extremely dangerous to believe that the BODY OF CHRIST and His physical Church are NOW (or were ever!) one and the same. One’s position in this organization should not be used to gauge one’s position in relation to God. It’s a popular-but-poor barometer. For, God allows both THE WEEDS AND THE WHEAT to grow together (Matt. 13:28).

Obviously, one could be a member IN the Worldwide Church of God and yet not be UNDER God. In such a situation there is the need to engage in much “merrymaking” (Matt 24:38) in order to quell the emptiness inside, in lots of SHOW BUSINESS to conceal the lack of substance. To soothe any nervous passengers on a slowly sinking Titanic, isn’t it necessary to employ the most energetic and lively cruise directors?

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One’s reward will not be determined by his relationship to the minister in charge but by his personal relationship with God, and with Him alone. Thus, it is imperative for everyone to make his election with God sure, letting no man take his crown. And, “no MAN” means just that—not even the Pastor General of God’s OWN Church. Because today’s Church—from the top, as a whole—HAS MOVED, members may have GONE ALONG without even realizing what has really happened. Possibly, one could be trying to remain UNDER God and IN the Church whose leadership is no longer under God.

It’s not a question of IF—but only of WHEN—God will test THAT POSITION. In the end not even Worldwide Church of God members will be allowed to serve TWO MASTERS!!! Beware of deadly compromise! Beware of lethal inaction! Neutrality will not save you—it will surely destroy you!!!

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Always, there is a price exacted for taking the NEUTRAL POSITION. Staying silent is nothing other than CONSENT by default. Doing nothing is actually a DECISION—A CHOOSING to be uninvolved. Can one really be free of guilt by looking the other way? The view that one’s “Christian” duty is to “shut up and do what you’re told” is SATANIC!

Even humanity indicts the good citizenry who kept quiet as Jews were carted off to death camps, and it convicts the loyal soldiers who followed orders in operating the gas chambers. Even humanity would pronounce “GUILTY” on these—the silent, the obedient. But so perverted have we become that we in the Church think that God would instead reward us for our cowardly stance.

The previous Holocaust of Judah in which millions lost their physical lives WILL PALE INTO INSIGNIFICANCE compared to the SPIRITUAL HOLOCAUST being perpetrated on God’s people NOW. CAN YOU STAND BY and WATCH AS SPIRITUAL LIVES ARE BEING LOST FOREVER? The ultimatum is clear: SPEAK OUT or LOSE YOUR OWN ETERNAL LIFE!!

This awesome accountability which is recorded in Ezekiel pertains to each and everyone without exception. Church laymen are not exempt from this duty; no one escapes this warning from God:

When I say to a wicked man, “You will surely die,” and you do not WARN him or speak out to dissuade him from his evil ways in order to save his life, that wicked man will die for his sin and I WILL HOLD YOU ACCOUNTABLE FOR HIS BLOOD. … Again, when a righteous man turns from his righteousness and does evil, and I put a stumbling block before him, he will die, Since you did not WARN him, he will die for his sin. The righteous things he did will not be remembered, and I WILL HOLD YOU ACCOUNTABLE FOR HIS BLOOD. (Ezek. 3:18-20)

And it is through THAT WARNING that others’ lives COULD be saved and that your life WOULD be saved.

Yet, there exists in the Church a perverse attitude which is exemplified by the phrase “LET GOD handle it.” This simply is the elevated, Christian version of the apathetic “Let George do it” mentality of the world. “George” OR “God”—it makes no difference; the mind manifests the SAME attitude of INDIFFERENCE. Apathy is apathy, even when it’s cloaked in “Christian” terms. Using God merely forges a more grand and “honorable” excuse. But such apathy is an abomination!

God just will not do for us what WE can—AND SHOULD—be doing for ourselves. God has made clear our responsibility; He is (and has been) waiting on US. Tragically, we have been waiting on HIM all this time—all in vain! We have tried so hard to make God a partner in our self-serving effort, but He will not “BUY IT.”

Stop and think about what nonsense we have fostered. If God WERE really to handle all SIN found in the Church, then what would He need US for??? Doesn’t the Bible prove once-and-for-all that it is His plan to use HUMAN instruments?

And, since man’s incredible HUMAN POTENTIAL is to become God, then shouldn’t we trainees be handling these matters, PER HIS INSTRUCTIONS, just as He would? Otherwise, it is foolish to believe that we could “one day, soon” BE Him without ever taking those steps which are necessary to BE-COME Him.

Ignoring such prerequisite opportunities which He has designed to develop the GODLY character IS THWARTING the very plan of God! To run from critical character building situations would mean to run ourselves right out of God’s kingdom. SATAN COULD NOT HAVE DONE IT ANY BETTER!!!

Indeed, the master of deception has been hard at work, within the Church of God, so twisting and perverting positions that what is good appears bad—what is death appears life—what is true appears false—what is un-godly appears godly!!! He has so cleverly disguised his government of MAN that it now poses as the government of GOD.

This subtle transformation became evident when the fear of God was replaced by the fear of men and when purity before God was sacrificed for unity with men. “UNITY” battled the conscience. “UNITY” vanquished love. Finally, “UNITY” was reigning supreme OVER TRUTH. And, we bowed down to this new god.

What happened? Wasn’t it unity that God wanted in His Church? Yes, but He intended for His people to grow to reach AT-ONE-MENT WITH HIM. And His Church organization was to ASSIST HIM in that process. Instead, it has sought to REPLACE HIM by engaging in COMPETITION with Him.

What the Church is offering as a substitute for the REAL UNITY-WITH-CHRIST is a MAN-MADE, artificial, counterfeit CONFORMITY-WITH-CHURCH. What this corporation is promoting is a BOGUS product, a cheap imitation. And, because it hawks such inferior “goods,” the Church relies on intense promotion, on emotional pitches, and, if that fails, on heavy-handed tactics.

Their defective merchandise is being widely acclaimed and marketed on a grand scale in order to downgrade the ALTERNATIVE that Christ is offering. So fierce and ruthless has the Church become in its rivalry on a “head-to-head” basis, that it now dictates this obscene and abhorrent “back room” ultimatum: “BUY FROM ME——–OR ELSE.”

OR ELSE…??? Yes, the Church’s human leadership has degenerated to this despicable state. The price one must pay TO GAIN CHRIST is TO LOSE “the Church.” To seek UNITY with the true HEAD of the Spiritual BODY of Christ (Eph. 4:13,15*) means to forfeit membership (“unity”) in the physical corporation (“body”) of the Worldwide Church of God led by Mr. Tkach (“head”).

IMPOSSIBLE? HERETICAL?? INSANE??? If you think so, then prove me wrong and prove it QUICKLY! Or, will you GAMBLE, wagering your eternal life—staking it on the “sure bet” that this Church did not MOVE?

Other New Testament CHURCHES/LEADERS MOVED, as YOU can plainly see in Gal. 2:11 and in Revelation 2:5; 2:14-16; 2:20-22; & 3:2-3. AND so, too, has THIS Church MOVED away from God. Christ will return to FIGHT FOR what was HIS. WILL YOU BE FIGHTING AGAINST HIM?

Give a brother the chance to LIVE, pass this warning on. Your own life depends on it.

WARNING:

YOU ARE ACCOUNTABLE

FOR BLOOD!!!

IF YOU BELIEVE that I am wrong, and if I were wrong, and you had said nothing to dissuade me, then you would be accountable for MY blood!

IF YOU BELIEVE that I am wrong, and if I am right, but you had done nothing to repent of your wrong, you would be accountable for YOUR blood!

IF YOU BELIEVE that I am right, and if a brother were wrong, and you had said nothing to warn him, then you would be accountable for HIS blood!

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