Part08_Why

Saul was initially a man led by God, and a humble ruler (I Samuel 10.9, 14-1 6, 27). In time, of course, he became vain, selfish, and rebellious against God (13.13; 15.23). King Saul was rejected by God very early in his reign. At that juncture, God inspired Samuel to anoint David to succeed Saul as King (16.13). From that point in time, David and several others (including Saul, eventually) knew that David was to succeed Saul on the throne of Israel. What an uncomfortable situation for everyone!

As Saul rejected God and grew mentally unstable, he directed his violence and insecurity at David. He hunted for David with the intent of killing him. As we know, during these periods of paranoid rage, David was allowed to get close enough to Saul to take token personal articles of Saul's (24.4; 26.11). David used them in attempts to reassure Saul that he did not intend to overthrow Saul's government. Of course, Saul remained paranoid and continued to seek David's life. This is the story of many saints: though they return good for evil, their lives remain fraught with peril. "Beloved, do not think it strange ..."

Through all of his humiliation and persecution, David always referred to Saul as the LORD'S anointed (24.6; 26.11; II Samuel 1.14). He forbade any of his party to do harm to Saul, and had the man executed who claimed to have killed Saul. David believed that King Saul -- this rebellious, violent, ungodly man -- was worthy of respect simply because of his title and office.

There were times of weakness for David in these decades of persecution. During his years on the lam from Saul, David actually left Israel -- and thereby, the sovereign control of God's theocratic government -- a couple of times. Both times, he fled to a Philistine town called Gath. The stories are told in I Samuel 21-22 and I Samuel 27 to II Samuel 2. His reason for fleeing is obvious: if he is outside of Israel, Mr. Tkach can do him no harm ... er, King Saul (27.1).

But in the first instance, he "had to" lie to be spared his life (21.12-15). At the end of this misadventure, God inspired the prophet Gad to tell him to go back into Israel (22.5). So David went back into harm's way. The second time he fled from Israel, he stayed out longer, and lived a lie in order to remain in the Philistines' territory (27.8-1 2). While it is speculative to say this, it seems from David's lies and deceptive behavior during this time that he did not have confidence that living outside of Israel was God's Will. God certainly gave him no command to flee Israel, and when we see David running from Saul's government, the decision to flee is recorded as human reasoning based on fear (27.1). Read the whole passage and determine for yourself. At any rate, the second time, David did not return to Israel until after Saul had died (II Samuel 2:1).

In Matthew 16.11-12, Jesus warned the disciples to beware the doctrine of the Pharisees. There's one very straightforward way to follow His advice: don't get anywhere near the Pharisees -- treat them as lepers. But, just as Jesus didn't keep clear of lepers, so He told the disciples that they were stuck with the Pharisees. He says in Matthew 23.3 that the disciples were to submit to their governing authority. What a dilemma! He has openly said that the Pharisees' doctrine is like leaven, which has a nasty contagious quality, but then He tells the disciples to remain subject to their teachings ("... whatever they tell you to observe ...")

Then, throughout the remainder Matthew 23, Jesus follows that admonition with wide-ranging, sharp criticism of the scribes and Pharisees. In his whole ministry, He is never recorded as making such strong statements about anyone else. So, He knew how unrighteous the Pharisees' methods and attitudes were, but He insisted that His disciples learn character in submitting to them. The disciples had to take it in faith that God would deliver them from these false leaders eventually [FN12 -- : That is precisely the encouragement given to Philadelphia in Revelation 3.9 regarding another corrupt, ruling body -- the synagogue of Satan.]

Speaking of the Devil, we know that Satan retains the throne of the earth, and that he commands the honor due that office (Jude 9). There is no more wicked ruler than he, and yet, the authority and honor are his to keep until God removes him. Are we to flee from his reach? No. James 4.7 says that we are to resist him, and he will flee from us. Are we supposed to remove ourselves from under his authority?

If we have to submit to Satan's rule, why should it strike us as odd if we are confronted with his minions in rulership in God's Church? It was prophesied in II Thessalonians 2, as we already saw, and that passage gives us no instruction to flee the Church.

No, we are not to flee the Church any more than we should try to flee the planet that God has put under Satan's authority for the current epoch. In fact, the firstfruits are the only members of God's Family who are required to live holy lives and grow in character under the evil rule of Satan -- he will be bound in the Millennium, and again, during the Great White Throne Judgment period, when the rest of humanity has opportunity to be born into His Family. So, there is something valuable in this "once-in-a-lifetime" trial of living in captivity under the most froward master imaginable.

God did not send Jesus Christ to ransom humans from their sins in the first 1000, 2000, 3000 years of their agony. Nearly 4000 years passed while humans sinned and suffered the wrecked lives that we know result from those choices. The fact that God did not atone for our sins for such a long stretch of time, and that God has still not ended the misery for good, tells us that God has purpose in this pain. He must let us reap what we sow and come to realize that we do not have the answers on our own. That requires 6000 years of trial and error, all under the influence of Satan, choosing the awful mixture of "the knowledge of good and evil" (Genesis 2.17).

At the end of the 7000-year plan of God, there is a test that is very similar to that which has come upon God's Church at the end of the seven eras. In Revelation 20.7, as the Millennium Sabbath ends, Satan is released on a peaceful world. He deceives millions of people at that time and stirs them up to reject God's way of life, and go to war with the saints! The Millennial horror of Gog and Magog used to trouble me -- what purpose could God have in unleashing such a menace on a beautiful world? How could people who have lived in the favor of God be duped by Satan? How can they doubt the God who has given them so much over the course of the Millennium?

I could hardly believe it could happen, except that an antitypical fulfillment of that has taken place in God's Church recently. If people who will have lived in Millennial peace for 1000 years could be stirred up by Satan to attack God's people, it is not too far-fetched to believe that people who have lived in a foretaste of the Millennium for 10, 20, or 30 years could be stirred up to reject the Truth. In both situations, we see God's purpose: to purify the gold by burning out the dross. As Paul said, "there must be heresies, that they who are justified may be seen for what they are." God is in the business of building character, and, as Peter showed us, character is nothing if it does not withstand tests.

An interesting element of the Millennial passage is that no word is said of God removing His people from the reach of these crazed minions of Satan's. No, Gog and Magog are allowed to lay siege on the saints and the beloved city of God! When God does intervene, it is to destroy the foe, not snatch His people away from the clutches of certain death. This is the sequence that we saw in Ezekiel 8-1l:

The tares are removed, not the wheat. It is this counter-intuitive concept that we need to see in Scripture. There is a perceptible pattern in the ways in which God intervenes in trials. We also see a clear purpose, and what's more, the fruit of that trial in those whom God has called.

Submission to humans has always required discernment and wisdom. It has always necessitated enduring ignominies and injustices. Just as certainly, though it has also borne the greatest fruit possible- birth into God's Family.

[INDENT] "Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy." -- I Peter 4.12-13

Jude 23 and Zechariah 3.14 are parallel passages of Scripture. They show us that God gives opportunity for at least some of the "false grace" heretics to repent. In fact, the indication is that one of the two witnesses 'will be a man formerly soiled with the filthiness of false grace.

God does not speak of them that way, and He indicates that we should have compassion on these deceived brothers and sisters, and look for them to be plucked out of the Heresy and cleaned up.



	Why Stay, Part Eight The Seat of Government in Israel Many brethren have found encouragement in the example of David, who respected the office of God's anointed under repeated threat of death. Saul was initially a man led by God, and a humble ruler (I Samuel 10.9, 14-1 6, 27). In time, of course, he became vain, selfish, and rebellious against God (13.13; 15.23). King Saul was rejected by God very early in his reign. At that juncture, God inspired Samuel to anoint David to succeed Saul as King (16.13). From that point in time, David and several others (including Saul, eventually) knew that David was to succeed Saul on the throne of Israel. What an uncomfortable situation for everyone! As Saul rejected God and grew mentally unstable, he directed his violence and insecurity at David. He hunted for David with the intent of killing him. As we know, during these periods of paranoid rage, David was allowed to get close enough to Saul to take token personal articles of Saul's (24.4; 26.11). David used them in attempts to reassure Saul that he did not intend to overthrow Saul's government. Of course, Saul remained paranoid and continued to seek David's life. This is the story of many saints: though they return good for evil, their lives remain fraught with peril. "Beloved, do not think it strange ..." Through all of his humiliation and persecution, David always referred to Saul as the LORD'S anointed (24.6; 26.11; II Samuel 1.14). He forbade any of his party to do harm to Saul, and had the man executed who claimed to have killed Saul. David believed that King Saul -- this rebellious, violent, ungodly man -- was worthy of respect simply because of his title and office. There were times of weakness for David in these decades of persecution. During his years on the lam from Saul, David actually left Israel -- and thereby, the sovereign control of God's theocratic government -- a couple of times. Both times, he fled to a Philistine town called Gath. The stories are told in I Samuel 21-22 and I Samuel 27 to II Samuel 2. His reason for fleeing is obvious: if he is outside of Israel, Mr. Tkach can do him no harm ... er, King Saul (27.1). But in the first instance, he "had to" lie to be spared his life (21.12-15). At the end of this misadventure, God inspired the prophet Gad to tell him to go back into Israel (22.5). So David went back into harm's way. The second time he fled from Israel, he stayed out longer, and lived a lie in order to remain in the Philistines' territory (27.8-1 2). While it is speculative to say this, it seems from David's lies and deceptive behavior during this time that he did not have confidence that living outside of Israel was God's Will. God certainly gave him no command to flee Israel, and when we see David running from Saul's government, the decision to flee is recorded as human reasoning based on fear (27.1). Read the whole passage and determine for yourself. At any rate, the second time, David did not return to Israel until after Saul had died (II Samuel 2:1). Evil Men in Religious Authority In Matthew 16.11-12, Jesus warned the disciples to beware the doctrine of the Pharisees. There's one very straightforward way to follow His advice: don't get anywhere near the Pharisees -- treat them as lepers. But, just as Jesus didn't keep clear of lepers, so He told the disciples that they were stuck with the Pharisees. He says in Matthew 23.3 that the disciples were to submit to their governing authority. What a dilemma! He has openly said that the Pharisees' doctrine is like leaven, which has a nasty contagious quality, but then He tells the disciples to remain subject to their teachings ("... whatever they tell you to observe ...") Then, throughout the remainder Matthew 23, Jesus follows that admonition with wide-ranging, sharp criticism of the scribes and Pharisees. In his whole ministry, He is never recorded as making such strong statements about anyone else. So, He knew how unrighteous the Pharisees' methods and attitudes were, but He insisted that His disciples learn character in submitting to them. The disciples had to take it in faith that God would deliver them from these false leaders eventually [FN12 -- : That is precisely the encouragement given to Philadelphia in Revelation 3.9 regarding another corrupt, ruling body -- the synagogue of Satan.] The Most Evil Master Speaking of the Devil, we know that Satan retains the throne of the earth, and that he commands the honor due that office (Jude 9). There is no more wicked ruler than he, and yet, the authority and honor are his to keep until God removes him. Are we to flee from his reach? No. James 4.7 says that we are to resist him, and he will flee from us. Are we supposed to remove ourselves from under his authority? If we have to submit to Satan's rule, why should it strike us as odd if we are confronted with his minions in rulership in God's Church? It was prophesied in II Thessalonians 2, as we already saw, and that passage gives us no instruction to flee the Church. No, we are not to flee the Church any more than we should try to flee the planet that God has put under Satan's authority for the current epoch. In fact, the firstfruits are the only members of God's Family who are required to live holy lives and grow in character under the evil rule of Satan -- he will be bound in the Millennium, and again, during the Great White Throne Judgment period, when the rest of humanity has opportunity to be born into His Family. So, there is something valuable in this "once-in-a-lifetime" trial of living in captivity under the most froward master imaginable. God did not send Jesus Christ to ransom humans from their sins in the first 1000, 2000, 3000 years of their agony. Nearly 4000 years passed while humans sinned and suffered the wrecked lives that we know result from those choices. The fact that God did not atone for our sins for such a long stretch of time, and that God has still not ended the misery for good, tells us that God has purpose in this pain. He must let us reap what we sow and come to realize that we do not have the answers on our own. That requires 6000 years of trial and error, all under the influence of Satan, choosing the awful mixture of "the knowledge of good and evil" (Genesis 2.17). At the end of the 7000-year plan of God, there is a test that is very similar to that which has come upon God's Church at the end of the seven eras. In Revelation 20.7, as the Millennium Sabbath ends, Satan is released on a peaceful world. He deceives millions of people at that time and stirs them up to reject God's way of life, and go to war with the saints! The Millennial horror of Gog and Magog used to trouble me -- what purpose could God have in unleashing such a menace on a beautiful world? How could people who have lived in the favor of God be duped by Satan? How can they doubt the God who has given them so much over the course of the Millennium? I could hardly believe it could happen, except that an antitypical fulfillment of that has taken place in God's Church recently. If people who will have lived in Millennial peace for 1000 years could be stirred up by Satan to attack God's people, it is not too far-fetched to believe that people who have lived in a foretaste of the Millennium for 10, 20, or 30 years could be stirred up to reject the Truth. In both situations, we see God's purpose: to purify the gold by burning out the dross. As Paul said, "there must be heresies, that they who are justified may be seen for what they are." God is in the business of building character, and, as Peter showed us, character is nothing if it does not withstand tests. An interesting element of the Millennial passage is that no word is said of God removing His people from the reach of these crazed minions of Satan's. No, Gog and Magog are allowed to lay siege on the saints and the beloved city of God! When God does intervene, it is to destroy the foe, not snatch His people away from the clutches of certain death. This is the sequence that we saw in Ezekiel 8-1l: 1. An indefinite period of growth for God's people, during which they are grieved by the presence of Satan's minions 2. God distinguishes those who are His from those who are Satan's 3. God destroys the evildoers 4. He delivers/glorifies/marries His people. The tares are removed, not the wheat. It is this counter-intuitive concept that we need to see in Scripture. There is a perceptible pattern in the ways in which God intervenes in trials. We also see a clear purpose, and what's more, the fruit of that trial in those whom God has called. Submission to humans has always required discernment and wisdom. It has always necessitated enduring ignominies and injustices. Just as certainly, though it has also borne the greatest fruit possible- birth into God's Family. [INDENT] "Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy." -- I Peter 4.12-13 IV. "BUT THIS IS A DIFFERENT KIND OF TRIAL, ISN'T IT?" Many of the statements I quoted at the beginning of this paper have been addressed in the intervening pages, but let's look at those which haven't. [Bold&Italic] "The leaders in Worldwide are not following God, so He has removed their candlestick." Jude 23 and Zechariah 3.14 are parallel passages of Scripture. They show us that God gives opportunity for at least some of the "false grace" heretics to repent. In fact, the indication is that one of the two witnesses 'will be a man formerly soiled with the filthiness of false grace. A sentiment many in splinter groups express is that Mr. Tkach Jr. and everyone else in the WCG are "done for", and that the cup has passed from them. "They are Babylon, and there is no redeeming them." God does not speak of them that way, and He indicates that we should have compassion on these deceived brothers and sisters, and look for them to be plucked out of the Heresy and cleaned up. <end part 8> Click Here to Continue to Part 9