by Herbert W. Armstrong
On the front cover of this past week’s Newsweek magazine was a picture of the TV evangelist who comes on just ahead of me on our Tucson Channel 11 Sunday mornings. His name is Jerry Falwell, and if I may be forgiven for a harmless pun, he does fall well when it comes to UNDERSTANDING the Word of God!
The big-type red-ink headline atop his picture on Newsweek’s front cover is “Born-Again Politics.” It reminds me of the poem of sixty years ago: “The barefoot boy with shoes on stood sitting in the grass, and it rained all day that night” – a parody of opposites.
Mr. Falwell is NOT “born again” and has no understanding of what the term MEANS. And if he were, he would never be in politics. When one is born again he would no more be in politics than a barefoot boy would have shoes on his feet – than a boy sitting in the grass would be standing, or than day would be night.
Do I then criticize Mr. Falwell or condemn him? Not at all. Not at all. God is not judging him – yet, and neither do I. But this is an apt illustration, blared before the whole nation on Newsweek’s cover, of what did happen to the first man, Adam – and what is consequently the state of ALL in the world today, EXCEPT the very few God has specially called. Humanity has lost sight of all this. The religionists of “traditional Christianity” think they believe the Bible as the Word of God, yet they don’t – any more than the barefoot boy has on shoes.
The first man Adam was the father – the progenitor – of the human race. He was required to make a CHOICE between receiving God’s Holy Spirit to open his mind to revealed knowledge from God, or taking to himself knowledge of what is good and what is evil. ADAM MADE THE CHOICE FOR MANKIND as a whole – his progeny who would be born from him. He CUT MANKIND OFF FROM GOD, from the Holy Spirit, and thus from revealed KNOWLEDGE from God understandable only through the Spirit of God. All, that is, EXCEPT the minute FEW God would specially call and choose.
God made Adam’s decision BINDING on all EXCEPT the very few God would call. That made God RESPONSIBLE, knowing well He was leaving Satan on the throne to DECEIVE mankind. So God BLINDED humanity – left humanity CUT OFF from Him and His KNOWLEDGE UNTIL the second Adam, Jesus Christ, should overcome Satan, qualify to restore God’s GOVERNMENT, and Himself be inducted on the throne over the earth.
That means the world is CUT OFF and cannot UNDERSTAND God’s knowledge UNTIL the second coming of Christ and the removal of Satan. Meanwhile, the world is NOT BEING JUDGED. Those in the world uncalled are NOT “lost,” neither are they “saved.” Just not judged – YET! But this they do not understand.
The leaders of “traditional Christianity” do not seem to know Jesus was born to be a KING. Jesus came to QUALIFY to replace Satan on the THRONE over the earth. If we are called, and chosen by Him, we shall sit with Him in His THRONE over the entire earth. We shall be given divine spiritual POWER to RULE the world with and under Christ, “with a rod of iron.”
WHY are we called, now, into God’s CHURCH? For a PURPOSE! That purpose is that we, too, through Christ and the Holy Spirit overcome Satan, have our minds opened by God’s Spirit to GOD’S KNOWLEDGE (Truth), grow in grace and knowledge, and develop spiritual CHARACTER to qualify us to RULE in the Kingdom of God with the restored GOVERNMENT OF GOD over all the earth.
BUT WE ARE NOT called to become part of the GOVERNMENTS of THIS WORLD – manipulated by Satan. This is Satan’s world. Those not begotten (not yet BORN) are NOT children of God, THEY ARE CHILDREN OF SATAN (Jesus said so – John 8:44). But when we are called to repentance, faith, and receiving the Holy Spirit, God’s Spirit witnesses with our spirit that we are the begotten children of GOD (Rom. 8:16), but until then we are NONE OF CHRIST’S (Rom. 8:9).
IF we are begotten children, not yet BORN, we are like father Abraham, a stranger and pilgrim in this world. Yet not OF this world or its politics. Our real citizenship is reserved in heaven (Phil. 3:20). We are like foreigners and strangers in this world.
ONE BEGOTTEN OF GOD TAKES NO PART IN THIS WORLD’S POLITICS!
