Part02_Why

These are comments I have heard from who believe that it is wrong to have stayed in the Worldwide Church of God in this time. Their remarks reflect the intuitive conclusions that thousands of former WCG members have reached in recent years. It is just plain common sense to respond this way to the danger and ugliness we have all witnessed in the WCG.

Events in the Church have taken us by surprise in recent years. At the most basic level, we have been at a loss to explain even how these things could have happened. Why is heresy being taught to God's People in the Church where we used to be fed good spiritual meat? How did apostates gain the upper hand? Will it ever end? The answers have been very difficult. Still, God gives us reference points--precedents in the Bible--by which to determine the right choices.

One of the most striking passages is in Ezekiel 8-11, which is a prophetic sequence that outlines a graphic depiction of wickedness in God's sanctuary, and what He does about it. It is a good starting point for our look at Scripture on this subject.

This passage begins with God taking Ezekiel on a "guided tour" of the holy city, focusing on the temple. The epoch in which this episode takes place is not mentioned explicitly.

Ë a "side door" into the temple entrance nowhere mentioned in official accounts of temple construction (perhaps a human-contrived passage that symbolizes the fallacious idea of personal evangelism, or "bringing people to Christ")

The remarkable point is that all these abominations being shown to Ezekiel DO NOT DEFILE THE TEMPLE! Read ch. 8, v. 4--the glory of God remained right there in the midst of these abominations. Some have said that God has obviously left the WCG because of the kind of abominable things taught and done by leaders and members within the Church. Well, in the passage in Ezekiel, though God vehemently condemns these acts, His presence remained in that House. This is reaffirmed by Zephaniah, in Zeph. 3.4-5. Though there are great sins, though the sanctuary is "polluted", and the priests and rulers are utterly wicked. God says that He is in the midst of it all--in His Temple. And, in verses 5 and 8 of Zephaniah 3, God gives two important pieces of admonition: "He never fails" and "Therefore wait for me".

We see His absolute, pitiless judgment described graphically beginning in Ezekiel 8.18. Chapter 9 continues this thread, chronicling His order to violently end the sins by executing all the sinners. It is important to note, however, that the carnage is preceded by an act of great providence:

"Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and cry over all the abominations that are done within it" (9.4)

This is why God says in Zephaniah, "Wait for me" -- He preserves those who wait, as He instructed, in "the midst of the city" during the apostasy, and cry out to Him for deliverance.

Then, God does something unexpected--He commands the Temple to be defiled. How? By executing the sinners in the midst of the Temple (9.5-7). This order marks the first mention of the Temple being defiled, incredibly enough--until this moment, it had not been defiled. God alone makes the determination when something is defiled, and it may not be when we humans think it to be so. [FN2 One may wonder, in this light, if the Jewish revolt in the time of the Maccabees was well-intentioned folly. The militant Jews in that time objected to Antiochus Epiphanes' offerings of swine on the altar in the Temple. They felt that such a defilement justified their declaration of a holy war against the Greeks. Ezekiel's account indicates that they should have waited for God to supernaturally intervene.]

This reminds me of the passage in Mark 4 where the disciples and Jesus were in the Sea of Galilee on a boat during a storm. The disciples panicked when they saw their boat filling with water, but Jesus was sound asleep. There was nothing to be worried about, but the disciples thought their lives were about to end. They even perceived Jesus' inaction to be a lack of love: "Do You not care that we are perishing?" (4.38). There is sometimes a stark contrast between what we humanly perceive versus what is really happening. We see that principle in many Scriptures, some of which will be relevant to this study.

But, getting back to Ezekiel's vision--God's glory had remained in this utterly violated place, amid idols, vile offerings, pagan practices, etc. (8.4). But, as we follow the story, and God sends angels in to destroy the evildoers, the Glory begins to move out-- 9.3; 10.18-until it has actually departed the Temple: 11.23.

But, what is God's modus operandi? And what is the sequence of the events--does He first lead His people out, and get them away from the inf1uence of the heretics and wicked leaders? Does He leave the act ambiguous when He intervenes?

The sequence is important here, because we see it repeated in other passages that I'll mention later. The obvious precedent is that God leaves His people among the evildoers far beyond their comfort zone.

Further, he does not work by raising up multiple, competing leaders who vie for the loyalty of God's oppressed people, inciting them to bolt in numerous directions. Instead, He destroys the foe directly, and delivers His people en masse. [last 2 words in italics]

A larger lesson in this passage is that God calls the shots, and just because we see abominations and filth does not mean God has moved His Glory--for, when He finally does act in chapters 9 and 10, it is impossible to miss! Until then, it may have been puzzling, even faith-testing, to see God not acting to put down the apostasy. But, when He does act, there is no doubt where He acted and what He did. We cannot fail to recognize the Head of the Church when He charges out of the Temple in a chariot of fire! [FN3 -

God's interventions are characterized by dramatic, supernatural events, from the launch of the New Testament Church to Jesus Christ's return. Jesus warned us about being deceived by men who say that Jesus moved in a scarcely perceptible way (Matthew 24.25-28).]

I mentioned at the beginning of this section that the passage doesn't explicitly name the time frame of these events. So, based on what we know about Ezekiel and his messages, what is the time frame of this prophecy?

Well, Ezekiel wrote in the times of Judah's captivity in Babylon. This was after 586 BC, and there was no physical temple anymore--it had been pillaged and burned to the ground. There are no indications of these events being fulfilled in the second temple period (Zerubbabel's time). For instance, any creeping things in the sanctuary would have incited the kind of violent, zealous response that Antiochus Epiphanes caused with his polluted sacrifices in the temple in the second century BC. Nor does the Herodian-era temple ever appear to have fallen into such desecration before its destruction in 70.

This must be speaking of events not fulfilled in any physical temple to date. The fact that we see in this account descriptions relevant to the spiritual circumstances of God's spiritual temple today should not be taken lightly, because it may have been written primarily for our times.

Lamentations is an interesting account by Jeremiah of his grief over the state of Jerusalem and her inhabitants as they are about to be overrun by the armies of Babylon. Reading the book has ironically brought me a great deal of encouragement in these troubling times, because of the parallels to the state of spiritual Jerusalem today.



	Why Stay, Part 2 "GOD WOULDN'T REQUIRE US TO SIT THERE EVERY WEEK AND HEAR HERESY." "I'M GOING WHERE GOD IS WORKING--HE CERTAINLY IS NOT IN WORLDWIDE ANYMORE. "THE LEADERS IN WORLDWIDE ARE NOT FOLLOWING GOD, SO HE HAS REMOVED THEIR CANDLESTICK." "I JUST WASN'T BEING FED ANYMORE." "MY CHILDREN NEED SOUND SPIRITUAL DIRECTION, AND SITTING IN WORLDWIDE SERVICES WOULD PREVENT THEM FROM LEARNING THE TRUTH." "I'M NOT GOING TO PAY MY TITHES TO FINANCE DECEPTION AND SINS BY MEN IN PASADENA." "YOU CAN 'T GROW IN WORLDWIDE." "YOU CAN 'T SIT THERE EVERY WEEK AND TELL ME IT DOESN'T AFFECT YOU." These are comments I have heard from who believe that it is wrong to have stayed in the Worldwide Church of God in this time. Their remarks reflect the intuitive conclusions that thousands of former WCG members have reached in recent years. It is just plain common sense to respond this way to the danger and ugliness we have all witnessed in the WCG. The question I seek to answer in this paper is: how do these responses hold up against Scripture--are they supported or refuted by the Bible? I. APOSTASY IN GOD'S CHURCH Events in the Church have taken us by surprise in recent years. At the most basic level, we have been at a loss to explain even how these things could have happened. Why is heresy being taught to God's People in the Church where we used to be fed good spiritual meat? How did apostates gain the upper hand? Will it ever end? The answers have been very difficult. Still, God gives us reference points--precedents in the Bible--by which to determine the right choices. One of the most striking passages is in Ezekiel 8-11, which is a prophetic sequence that outlines a graphic depiction of wickedness in God's sanctuary, and what He does about it. It is a good starting point for our look at Scripture on this subject. Abominations in God's Temple This passage begins with God taking Ezekiel on a "guided tour" of the holy city, focusing on the temple. The epoch in which this episode takes place is not mentioned explicitly. Chapter 8 lists a litany of sins, which God shows Ezekiel in progressing order of how abominable they are to God: [h.i. foll] Ë an idol erected in the temple courtyard which stirs God to jealousy Ë a "side door" into the temple entrance nowhere mentioned in official accounts of temple construction (perhaps a human-contrived passage that symbolizes the fallacious idea of personal evangelism, or "bringing people to Christ") Ë images depicting creeping things, unclean animals, and carved idols on the inside walls of the temple Ë idol worship Ë Lenten and/or Good Friday observance, and finally, Ë Sun worship by the leading elders. The remarkable point is that all these abominations being shown to Ezekiel DO NOT DEFILE THE TEMPLE! Read ch. 8, v. 4--the glory of God remained right there in the midst of these abominations. Some have said that God has obviously left the WCG because of the kind of abominable things taught and done by leaders and members within the Church. Well, in the passage in Ezekiel, though God vehemently condemns these acts, His presence remained in that House. This is reaffirmed by Zephaniah, in Zeph. 3.4-5. Though there are great sins, though the sanctuary is "polluted", and the priests and rulers are utterly wicked. God says that He is in the midst of it all--in His Temple. And, in verses 5 and 8 of Zephaniah 3, God gives two important pieces of admonition: "He never fails" and "Therefore wait for me". What is there to await? Well, let's go back to Ezekiel--picking up the account where God finally intervenes. We see His absolute, pitiless judgment described graphically beginning in Ezekiel 8.18. Chapter 9 continues this thread, chronicling His order to violently end the sins by executing all the sinners. It is important to note, however, that the carnage is preceded by an act of great providence: "Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and cry over all the abominations that are done within it" (9.4) This is why God says in Zephaniah, "Wait for me" -- He preserves those who wait, as He instructed, in "the midst of the city" during the apostasy, and cry out to Him for deliverance. Then, God does something unexpected--He commands the Temple to be defiled. How? By executing the sinners in the midst of the Temple (9.5-7). This order marks the first mention of the Temple being defiled, incredibly enough--until this moment, it had not been defiled. God alone makes the determination when something is defiled, and it may not be when we humans think it to be so. [FN2 One may wonder, in this light, if the Jewish revolt in the time of the Maccabees was well-intentioned folly. The militant Jews in that time objected to Antiochus Epiphanes' offerings of swine on the altar in the Temple. They felt that such a defilement justified their declaration of a holy war against the Greeks. Ezekiel's account indicates that they should have waited for God to supernaturally intervene.] This reminds me of the passage in Mark 4 where the disciples and Jesus were in the Sea of Galilee on a boat during a storm. The disciples panicked when they saw their boat filling with water, but Jesus was sound asleep. There was nothing to be worried about, but the disciples thought their lives were about to end. They even perceived Jesus' inaction to be a lack of love: "Do You not care that we are perishing?" (4.38). There is sometimes a stark contrast between what we humanly perceive versus what is really happening. We see that principle in many Scriptures, some of which will be relevant to this study. But, getting back to Ezekiel's vision--God's glory had remained in this utterly violated place, amid idols, vile offerings, pagan practices, etc. (8.4). But, as we follow the story, and God sends angels in to destroy the evildoers, the Glory begins to move out-- 9.3; 10.18-until it has actually departed the Temple: 11.23. But, what is God's modus operandi? And what is the sequence of the events--does He first lead His people out, and get them away from the inf1uence of the heretics and wicked leaders? Does He leave the act ambiguous when He intervenes? God's resolution of the abomination proceeds in the following sequence: [hanging indent in following] 1. A period of suffering but growth for God's people, while they witness abominations done within God's House 2. God distinguishes those who are His (this is also spoken of in I Corinthians 11.19) 3. God supernaturally destroys the evildoers in one dramatic intervention 4. God leads His people forward from the scene of the carnage to the Mount of Olives. The sequence is important here, because we see it repeated in other passages that I'll mention later. The obvious precedent is that God leaves His people among the evildoers far beyond their comfort zone. Further, he does not work by raising up multiple, competing leaders who vie for the loyalty of God's oppressed people, inciting them to bolt in numerous directions. Instead, He destroys the foe directly, and delivers His people en masse. [last 2 words in italics] A larger lesson in this passage is that God calls the shots, and just because we see abominations and filth does not mean God has moved His Glory--for, when He finally does act in chapters 9 and 10, it is impossible to miss! Until then, it may have been puzzling, even faith-testing, to see God not acting to put down the apostasy. But, when He does act, there is no doubt where He acted and what He did. We cannot fail to recognize the Head of the Church when He charges out of the Temple in a chariot of fire! [FN3 - God's interventions are characterized by dramatic, supernatural events, from the launch of the New Testament Church to Jesus Christ's return. Jesus warned us about being deceived by men who say that Jesus moved in a scarcely perceptible way (Matthew 24.25-28).] I mentioned at the beginning of this section that the passage doesn't explicitly name the time frame of these events. So, based on what we know about Ezekiel and his messages, what is the time frame of this prophecy? Well, Ezekiel wrote in the times of Judah's captivity in Babylon. This was after 586 BC, and there was no physical temple anymore--it had been pillaged and burned to the ground. There are no indications of these events being fulfilled in the second temple period (Zerubbabel's time). For instance, any creeping things in the sanctuary would have incited the kind of violent, zealous response that Antiochus Epiphanes caused with his polluted sacrifices in the temple in the second century BC. Nor does the Herodian-era temple ever appear to have fallen into such desecration before its destruction in 70. This must be speaking of events not fulfilled in any physical temple to date. The fact that we see in this account descriptions relevant to the spiritual circumstances of God's spiritual temple today should not be taken lightly, because it may have been written primarily for our times. Pre-Captivity Desolation in the Temple Lamentations is an interesting account by Jeremiah of his grief over the state of Jerusalem and her inhabitants as they are about to be overrun by the armies of Babylon. Reading the book has ironically brought me a great deal of encouragement in these troubling times, because of the parallels to the state of spiritual Jerusalem today. <end part 2> Click Here to Continue to Part 3