Part03_Why

The first verse of the book begins: "How lonely sits the city that was full of people!" Yes, how lonely. Have you been to a Sabbath service or a Feast in WCG recently? The numbers of people have been decimated. Throughout chapter one are familiar phrases: "... no one comes to the appointed feasts ... Her priests sigh ... Her adversaries have become the master ... all her splendor has departed ... All her people sigh, they seek bread ..." No wonder the book is titled as it is--it is an account of sighing, crying, and affliction. It is the story of the Church in our time, too.

Chapter two continues: "The Law is no more ... my heart is troubled ... because of the destruction of the daughter of my people ... All your enemies have opened their mouth against you ... they say, 'We have swallowed her up! Surely this is the day we have waited for ...' "

But, as we read the passages, we see interesting and unexpected messages. "The Lord delivered me into the hands of those whom I am not able to withstand" (1.14). God did this? What does that mean? Does God do things like this?

[INDENT QUOTE] "He has done violence to His tabernacle ... He has destroyed His place of assembly; The LORD has caused the appointed feasts and Sabbaths to be forgotten in Zion ... The LORD has done what He purposed; He has fulfilled His word ... Who is he who speaks and it comes to pass, when the Lord has not commanded it?" (2.6,17; 3.37)

We see in this passage some counter-intuitive comments about God's Will, and they will be repeated as we examine other Scriptures in this study. These comments indicate that this desolation in the Church is not the work of men in Pasadena; it is of God. We must come to terms with the fact that Jesus, as Head of the Church, allowed this heresy to take hold. He caused it, if we believe these Scriptures.

Many of my friends and acquaintances have in recent years become bitter to the point of rejecting all organized forms of religion because of what they perceive to be the lies and legerdemain of men in Pasadena and in the field ministry. Stories run rampant of how Mr. Tkach, Sr. connived to "get himself" in the position of Pastor General, of Mr. Armstrong's indecisiveness about his successor, and of some clandestine activities by power-hungry men at that time. Nonsense. The book of Lamentations shows us that it is God who determines the events surrounding His people. We don't need to know how; we need to find out why, so that we can respond wisely!

The disconcerting events in God's sanctuary are not a cue for us to go off an build our own "paneled houses," and leave God's House in ruins (Haggai 1:4). Because, as David writes in Psalm 75:2, "Through all the long delay, I am still ruling in my justice" (Moffatt translation).

[INDENT QUOTE] "The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him. It is good that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD. It Is good for a man to bear the yoke in his youth. Let him sit alone and keep silent, because God has laid it on him; Let him put his mouth in the dust-there may yet he hope. Let him give his cheek to the one who strikes him, and be full of reproach. For the Lord will not cast off forever."

In Jeremiah 24 and 42, God tells Jeremiah by parable how He wants Judah to respond to the invading Babylonians. The lesson of the two baskets of figs was that submitting to the imminent captivity was right in God's eyes, while seeking to escape was cursed.

Why is it okay for the Israelites to submit to their would-be captors? Jeremiah 24.6 says: "... for I will set My eyes on them for good, and I will bring them back to this land." 42.11 says: "Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon, of whom you are afraid ... for I am with you to save you and deliver you from his hand." In other words, "have faith that this captivity isn't the end of the story, and that you will be blessed in the end for your faithfulness."

What was wrong with fleeing in the face of captivity? Jeremiah 42.13 says that the main problem with that choice is that it violates God's command. Beyond that, v. 17 says that every single one who runs from the captivity' will die under other circumstances. Jeremiah 24.9-10 says: "I will deliver them into trouble into all the kingdoms of the earth, for their harm ... until they are consumed from the land that I gave to them and their fathers." So, what seems initially to be an escape from dreaded abuses they would suffer as captives results in a much greater misery visited upon them as they scatter throughout the world.

Of course, it's no wonder that Jeremiah's advice was not heeded he was saying was the last thing any of the remaining Jews wished to hear (43.2). They wanted him to say that there was a way out of the trial without any oppression, which is precisely what many joining themselves to splinter groups recently have sought. The Israelites in that time tried to escape captivity by banding together and heading to Egypt. [FN4 - Those who have studied the story of the preservation of the line of David in rulership over Israel will recognize that King Zedekiah's daughters and the prophet Jeremiah all ended up in Egypt (against God's Will) and eventually Ireland. I wonder how God had intended to preserve the line of David on the throne of Israel. We'll never know, because of the actions of self-willed men.]

In Zechariah 11.16, God prophesies that He will raise up a foolish shepherd, one who cares not for the sheep. This foolish leader is placed by God. We need to learn His purpose, not find a way out from under God's instrument of foolishness.

If I respond to this problem by removing myself from under that foolish shepherd and joining myself to a shepherd who is not foolish, I am rejecting God's will--as counter-intuitive as that Will may be to my mind!

In Matthew 13 and 22, Jesus gives a series of parables about the Kingdom. There are three parables in particular that bear highlighting: the parable of the wheat and the tares, the parable of the dragnet, and the parable of the wedding feast. These parables, in Matthew 13.24-30; 13.36-43 and 22.1-14, give us some indication of God's perspective on wickedness among His people.

In the first parable, He begins by prophesying that Satan would sow tares amidst the wheat that God had sown--"sons of the wicked" mixed in with God's servants. First of all, think about that statement. God knew even before the founding of the modern Church that Satan was going to do this. Isn't it unusual that God would allow a diluting and polluting of His holy Church? God knows best, but it seems strange. There must be something good and right that will come of this co-mingling. So, let's consider a few things:

If God knew about the tares being sown and didn't stop it from happening at the outset, why would He now uproot the wheat and seek another field for it? Note that the tares are sown in God's field-He owns the field (13.27), and He allowed Satan to sow tares in it. Further, the tares do not become manifest until well after planting season has concluded (13.26). And, God leaves them among the wheat crop for a while after they are seen for what they are (13.30). These events have their parallels in the Church today.

They also have an analogue in the first trial given to human beings. When God placed Adam and Eve in the garden He had planted, He commanded them to choose to eat of the Tree of Life and forbid them to eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. God planted the garden; it was His. The forbidden Tree was not a careless oversight by God--He intended for it to be there. The purpose is clear: If the forbidden Tree were not an option for Adam and Eve, their "character" would have remained untested. It would never have been made manifest that they were "not approved" (again, I Corinthians 11.19). So, the test was essential. The correct answer was not to run away from the garden, but to choose life!

So, although the appearance of tares has startled us, it's no surprise to God (Jude 4). He sees the spiritual, while we often stake our decisions on physical manifestations. That's why we need to learn faith--so that we see reality, instead of this physical mask for reality (II Corinthians 4.16-5.8). In reality, nothing has changed. In our physical world, everything seems to have been thrown upside down, but the fact that the tares have been there all along means that God has always had a plan for dealing with them. We're in good hands.

The tares are removed only at harvest time, which Jesus translates as "the end of the age" (13.39). So, the co-dwelling of holy with evil does come to an end at some point, but when God sees fit, and then only through supernatural intervention, not through the action of the wheat nor the initiative of the workers.

Notice the sequence for God dealing with the menace: God first removes the tares, and bundles them up to be burned (Matthew 13.28-30, 38-39). He does not uproot the wheat from His field and find some other field in which they can grow to maturity. He deals with the tares first.



	Why Stay - Part 3 The first verse of the book begins: "How lonely sits the city that was full of people!" Yes, how lonely. Have you been to a Sabbath service or a Feast in WCG recently? The numbers of people have been decimated. Throughout chapter one are familiar phrases: "... no one comes to the appointed feasts ... Her priests sigh ... Her adversaries have become the master ... all her splendor has departed ... All her people sigh, they seek bread ..." No wonder the book is titled as it is--it is an account of sighing, crying, and affliction. It is the story of the Church in our time, too. Chapter two continues: "The Law is no more ... my heart is troubled ... because of the destruction of the daughter of my people ... All your enemies have opened their mouth against you ... they say, 'We have swallowed her up! Surely this is the day we have waited for ...' " But, as we read the passages, we see interesting and unexpected messages. "The Lord delivered me into the hands of those whom I am not able to withstand" (1.14). God did this? What does that mean? Does God do things like this? [INDENT QUOTE] "He has done violence to His tabernacle ... He has destroyed His place of assembly; The LORD has caused the appointed feasts and Sabbaths to be forgotten in Zion ... The LORD has done what He purposed; He has fulfilled His word ... Who is he who speaks and it comes to pass, when the Lord has not commanded it?" (2.6,17; 3.37) We see in this passage some counter-intuitive comments about God's Will, and they will be repeated as we examine other Scriptures in this study. These comments indicate that this desolation in the Church is not the work of men in Pasadena; it is of God. We must come to terms with the fact that Jesus, as Head of the Church, allowed this heresy to take hold. He caused it, if we believe these Scriptures. Many of my friends and acquaintances have in recent years become bitter to the point of rejecting all organized forms of religion because of what they perceive to be the lies and legerdemain of men in Pasadena and in the field ministry. Stories run rampant of how Mr. Tkach, Sr. connived to "get himself" in the position of Pastor General, of Mr. Armstrong's indecisiveness about his successor, and of some clandestine activities by power-hungry men at that time. Nonsense. The book of Lamentations shows us that it is God who determines the events surrounding His people. We don't need to know how; we need to find out why, so that we can respond wisely! The disconcerting events in God's sanctuary are not a cue for us to go off an build our own "paneled houses," and leave God's House in ruins (Haggai 1:4). Because, as David writes in Psalm 75:2, "Through all the long delay, I am still ruling in my justice" (Moffatt translation). The best advice in this situation is given in Lamentations 3.25-31: [INDENT QUOTE] "The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him. It is good that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD. It Is good for a man to bear the yoke in his youth. Let him sit alone and keep silent, because God has laid it on him; Let him put his mouth in the dust-there may yet he hope. Let him give his cheek to the one who strikes him, and be full of reproach. For the Lord will not cast off forever." Taken Captive by the Beast In Jeremiah 24 and 42, God tells Jeremiah by parable how He wants Judah to respond to the invading Babylonians. The lesson of the two baskets of figs was that submitting to the imminent captivity was right in God's eyes, while seeking to escape was cursed. Why is it okay for the Israelites to submit to their would-be captors? Jeremiah 24.6 says: "... for I will set My eyes on them for good, and I will bring them back to this land." 42.11 says: "Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon, of whom you are afraid ... for I am with you to save you and deliver you from his hand." In other words, "have faith that this captivity isn't the end of the story, and that you will be blessed in the end for your faithfulness." What was wrong with fleeing in the face of captivity? Jeremiah 42.13 says that the main problem with that choice is that it violates God's command. Beyond that, v. 17 says that every single one who runs from the captivity' will die under other circumstances. Jeremiah 24.9-10 says: "I will deliver them into trouble into all the kingdoms of the earth, for their harm ... until they are consumed from the land that I gave to them and their fathers." So, what seems initially to be an escape from dreaded abuses they would suffer as captives results in a much greater misery visited upon them as they scatter throughout the world. Of course, it's no wonder that Jeremiah's advice was not heeded he was saying was the last thing any of the remaining Jews wished to hear (43.2). They wanted him to say that there was a way out of the trial without any oppression, which is precisely what many joining themselves to splinter groups recently have sought. The Israelites in that time tried to escape captivity by banding together and heading to Egypt. [FN4 - Those who have studied the story of the preservation of the line of David in rulership over Israel will recognize that King Zedekiah's daughters and the prophet Jeremiah all ended up in Egypt (against God's Will) and eventually Ireland. I wonder how God had intended to preserve the line of David on the throne of Israel. We'll never know, because of the actions of self-willed men.] God's Will was for the Jews to learn through the crucible of captivity. We have a lot to gain from the same circumstances today. Post-Captivity Prophecy In Zechariah 11.16, God prophesies that He will raise up a foolish shepherd, one who cares not for the sheep. This foolish leader is placed by God. We need to learn His purpose, not find a way out from under God's instrument of foolishness. If I respond to this problem by removing myself from under that foolish shepherd and joining myself to a shepherd who is not foolish, I am rejecting God's will--as counter-intuitive as that Will may be to my mind! What is the time setting of Zechariah's prophecies? The time of the end. Jesus' Parables In Matthew 13 and 22, Jesus gives a series of parables about the Kingdom. There are three parables in particular that bear highlighting: the parable of the wheat and the tares, the parable of the dragnet, and the parable of the wedding feast. These parables, in Matthew 13.24-30; 13.36-43 and 22.1-14, give us some indication of God's perspective on wickedness among His people. In the first parable, He begins by prophesying that Satan would sow tares amidst the wheat that God had sown--"sons of the wicked" mixed in with God's servants. First of all, think about that statement. God knew even before the founding of the modern Church that Satan was going to do this. Isn't it unusual that God would allow a diluting and polluting of His holy Church? God knows best, but it seems strange. There must be something good and right that will come of this co-mingling. So, let's consider a few things: [HANGING INDENT ON FOLLOWING * - place bullets instead of ] Why did God allow tares to be sown in the midst of His Church? * What did He want the wheat to do in response to the tares? * When did He want the tares separated from the wheat? * How does He effect that separation? The answers to those questions are at the heart of this paper, so I hope you see the answers through the Scriptures we are reviewing. If God knew about the tares being sown and didn't stop it from happening at the outset, why would He now uproot the wheat and seek another field for it? Note that the tares are sown in God's field-He owns the field (13.27), and He allowed Satan to sow tares in it. Further, the tares do not become manifest until well after planting season has concluded (13.26). And, God leaves them among the wheat crop for a while after they are seen for what they are (13.30). These events have their parallels in the Church today. They also have an analogue in the first trial given to human beings. When God placed Adam and Eve in the garden He had planted, He commanded them to choose to eat of the Tree of Life and forbid them to eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. God planted the garden; it was His. The forbidden Tree was not a careless oversight by God--He intended for it to be there. The purpose is clear: If the forbidden Tree were not an option for Adam and Eve, their "character" would have remained untested. It would never have been made manifest that they were "not approved" (again, I Corinthians 11.19). So, the test was essential. The correct answer was not to run away from the garden, but to choose life! So, although the appearance of tares has startled us, it's no surprise to God (Jude 4). He sees the spiritual, while we often stake our decisions on physical manifestations. That's why we need to learn faith--so that we see reality, instead of this physical mask for reality (II Corinthians 4.16-5.8). In reality, nothing has changed. In our physical world, everything seems to have been thrown upside down, but the fact that the tares have been there all along means that God has always had a plan for dealing with them. We're in good hands. The tares are removed only at harvest time, which Jesus translates as "the end of the age" (13.39). So, the co-dwelling of holy with evil does come to an end at some point, but when God sees fit, and then only through supernatural intervention, not through the action of the wheat nor the initiative of the workers. Notice the sequence for God dealing with the menace: God first removes the tares, and bundles them up to be burned (Matthew 13.28-30, 38-39). He does not uproot the wheat from His field and find some other field in which they can grow to maturity. He deals with the tares first. <end part 3> Click Here to Continue to Part 4