Pentecost
Pentecost 2018 Message
"When the day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. . . . And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit . . ." (Acts 2:1-4).
"Paul . . . was hurrying to be at Jerusalem . . . on the Day of Pentecost" (Acts 20:16).
Pentecost 2017 notes by Andrew Disher
Bible Study Notes
Pentecost, June 4, 2017
Pentecost – Only a VERY FEW Called In This Age!
[Indented sections are from the Ambassador Bible Correspondence Course #27, Copyright 1986, with bolded sections that are particularly relevant or important.]
On the Last Great Day we ask the question, "What will happen to the vast majority of people whom God never called during this age -- those who will not be in the first resurrection at the Second Coming of Christ?" On the day of Pentecost, however, we focus on those who have been and are now being called by God during this age.
I Peter 4:17
"For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?"
We are being judged now and prepared for salvation ahead of the rest of the world. The second part of the verse is the question we answer on the Last Great Day. The first part pertains to the day of Pentecost.
Pentecost pictures what God is doing right now in this age to prepare a FEW for salvation! The Bible Correspondence Course Lesson’s title is “Pentecost – ONLY the Firstfruits Now Called!” From the lesson:
Pentecost, June 4, 2017
Pentecost – Only a VERY FEW Called In This Age!
[Indented sections are from the Ambassador Bible Correspondence Course #27, Copyright 1986, with bolded sections that are particularly relevant or important.]
On the Last Great Day we ask the question, "What will happen to the vast majority of people whom God never called during this age -- those who will not be in the first resurrection at the Second Coming of Christ?" On the day of Pentecost, however, we focus on those who have been and are now being called by God during this age.
I Peter 4:17
"For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?"
We are being judged now and prepared for salvation ahead of the rest of the world. The second part of the verse is the question we answer on the Last Great Day. The first part pertains to the day of Pentecost.
Pentecost pictures what God is doing right now in this age to prepare a FEW for salvation! The Bible Correspondence Course Lesson’s title is “Pentecost – ONLY the Firstfruits Now Called!” From the lesson:
NEARLY 5,000,000,000 [today – 2017 – over 7,000,000,000] human beings are alive today. Of this incredibly large number, God has called and put into His Church in the last 50 years little more than 100,000 [today – 2017 – only a VERY few remain – God knows how many!]. For every person God has put into His Church, there are 50,000 people He has not!
Why?
There is an astounding reason!
This vast majority, your Bible reveals, will be called later-most not until after Christ's return. These thousands of millions cannot come to Christ and become part of God's Church now- even if they try! Jesus said so, plainly, "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him" (John 6:44). Comparatively speaking, God has been drawing only a few in this age, but for a great purpose.
Why has God called the few He has? For what purpose has God drawn and put into His Church His firstfruits? Has God drawn these few and put them into His Church, as some think, just so they can get salvation and enjoy the fellowship and social life of the local congregations? . . . [page 1]
In order to qualify for their future jobs, those whom God has called into His Church have been freely given God's Spirit and the opportunity for salvation. The rulers and teachers of God's Kingdom are, by necessity, given opportunity for salvation before their future students can be. The Church is a necessary instrumentality preparatory to bringing salvation to all humanity!
The only reason any person is called to salvation in this age is to qualify to help in ruling and teaching in the world tomorrow-to help call and save those alive then. . . . [page 10]
The number of Christians continued to grow and may have increased to about 100,000. But then persecution began, just as Jesus had prophesied (John 15:20). Persecution first came from the Jews, then later the Romans and false brethren (Acts 20:29-30; III John 9-10). It was some decades later that these false brethren outnumbered the true.
Most congregations were eventually taken over by men who attempted to combine Christ's teachings with traditional customs, compromising the truth by attaching Christian-sounding names to pagan ideas. Satan, the god of this world, was deceiving many with a counterfeit, falsely labeled Christianity.
True Christians remained a small minority probably never more than about 100,000-fleeing to new areas when persecution became too intense. Why does God have this small flock? What is its purpose? [pages 6-7]
Read 2 Peter 2, 2 John, 3 John, Jude, Rev. 2-3, Rev. 12 and other sections of Scripture. Satan never stops trying to pull the Church off track! There’s so much recorded in the Bible about this – warning after warning! It’s not like we shouldn’t expect it. The critical part is to stay on the right track yourself and not compromise with God’s truth!
We must QUALIFY for what we are to inherit. Christianity has no knowledge of what this day means, pictures, symbolizes or is for. Most people have no clue what God’s plan of salvation really is because they don’t keep God’s holy days. The world tomorrow will be what the world would have been like if Adam and Eve had taken the tree of life and received God’s Holy Spirit. More from the lesson:
Adam had mortal life. The tree of life represented eternal life, which can come only from God's Spirit. If Adam had eaten of that tree, he would have received God's Spirit, been begotten as a son of God. Adam, conditionally, would have received the earnest or down payment of eternal life. God's Spirit would have enabled Adam and Eve to overcome temptation, grow in righteous character and become perfect, eventually ready to be given spirit-composed eternal life unconditionally. Even Jesus had to grow, learn, overcome and become perfect (Luke 2:40; Heb. 5:8; Rev. 3:21; Heb. 2:10).
After Adam disobeyed, God cut off all humanity from access to His Spirit and thus cut them off from salvation! Until a son of Adam-the Son of Man-could qualify where Adam failed, could conquer Satan, pay the penalty of human sin and ransom the world from its kidnapper, no one could restore God's government on earth, and no one could be given salvation.
The Messiah, and He alone, could do all this. Of necessity, then, God's plan required that mankind in general be not yet judged. God has therefore not permitted them to have access to His Spirit, nor access to salvation. They will have their opportunity for salvation in a special resurrection to judgment, which will be after God's government has been restored over the entire earth.
The one great purpose now uppermost in God's mind is the restoration of His government on earth. God set apart a period of 7,000 years in which to accomplish His purpose. The first 6,000 years He sentenced mankind to be cut off from salvation.
For His supreme purpose, God has called a few. Hebrews 11 mentions Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham and others. Apparently each was called for a special mission preparatory to the salvation of humanity. In order for them to perform their mission, it was necessary that an exception be made and they be empowered by God's Spirit.
The work done by the patriarchs and prophets became the foundation on which the Church was built (Eph. 2:20), and the Church, in turn, is the instrument God is using to eventually bring about His Kingdom and the restoration of His government over the entire earth.
Even ancient Israel, as a whole, was never offered God's Spirit. They were given God's laws, but, as a nation, they were purposely denied access to God's Spirit. God gave proof, through Israel, that without His Spirit, humanity is helpless. The ancient nation of Israel knew about God and could appeal to Him, but without His Spirit in them, the Israelites could not have the love of God in them and they consequently could not be spiritually righteous.
Nevertheless, after the nation of Israel became two people, the separate nations of Israel and Judah were used by God to further His plan. God caused the nation of Judah to preserve the knowledge of His law and His Word even though they did not have a spiritual understanding of it. Into this nation Jesus Christ was born.
When Jesus Christ came to earth nearly 2,000 years ago, it was not to set up His Kingdom (John 18:36). Christ did not, at that time, come to restrain Satan from deceiving the world. Let's understand why. [pages 5-6]
Out of the last 6000 years, not many have been called. Only a handful from the Old Testament period (approximately 4000 years) are among the heroes listed in Hebrews 11.
In this age before Christ begins to rule over the whole earth, each person is specially chosen. Like the prophets before them, these firstfruits are called for a special mission-a purpose preparatory to the establishment of God's Kingdom on earth and the salvation of the majority! Otherwise, no exceptions can be made-the world as a whole must remain cut off from access to salvation until Christ returns.
That is why God's Church does not try to convert anyone. Only God can do that. God's ministers do not beg or plead with anyone to repent or be baptized or support God's Church. But they do make God's way easy to understand for those whom God is calling.
If God wanted everyone to understand, everyone would. Instead, hardly anyone does. God's "hands off' policy that began in the Garden of Eden will continue until just before Christ's return. [page 6]
Mark 4:11-12
"And He said to them, 'To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables, so that
"Seeing they may see and not perceive,
And hearing they may hear and not understand;
Lest they should turn,
And their sins be forgiven them."'"
Jesus spoke in parables so people WOULDN'T UNDERSTAND! God does not intend for everyone to understand His truth right now (Dan. 12:9-10; I Cor. 2:9-16). Pentecost pictures the fact that God has called SOME in spite of the fact that Satan has deceived the vast majority of humanity (Rev. 12:9). Christ preached the Father’s gospel to the world as a witness – most people heard it but did not comprehend it.
John 6:44, 65
"No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him. . . . no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father."
Only those specially chosen can understand, receive God’s Holy Spirit and be prepared to inherit eternal life now in this age. Read Romans 8:28-30 – it’s very clear on this matter. The true Church gets it, being specially called, but the rest are “none of Christ’s” (verse 9). Read also Romans 9 -- God called Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, but not Ishmael and Esau. Calling some in this age, but not others, is God's prerogative. God's holy days teach us that He will have mercy on everyone in the end (Romans 11:32). All will have opportunity for salvation (I Cor. 15:22).
Since the time Mr. Armstrong died, many who used to be part of the Worldwide Church of God seem simply to have fallen away and never to have really understood -- even many ministers. Perhaps out of the 100,000-150,000 who were ostensibly in the WCG, maybe only a tiny fraction were really called and given "good ground" in the first place (Luke 8:11-15). Many seem never to have gotten it! If they truly were called, then 2 Peter 2:21-22 would compare them to dogs who have returned to their vomit, having abandoned the holy instruction given to them. God knows. Hopefully they have not rejected God’s calling and salvation finally and completely.
In what way is God's Church now preparing for the end of Satan's world and the ushering in of God's Kingdom? Matt. 24:3, 14; Mark 13:10.
COMMENT: From these verses, it is clear that the true Gospel was not preached to the world for some 1,900 years, for the end is not yet here. The true Gospel was suppressed, and, according to this prophecy of Jesus Christ, the "gospel" preached to the world was another gospel, a counterfeit!
God's Church, by preaching Christ's Gospel of the Kingdom of God to the world as a witness, is preparing millions for Christ's return. Although most people pay little attention to the message now, they will remember it when Christ and the saints begin to rule and Satan the deceiver has been restrained. Many who do not believe the message now will nevertheless have been prepared to believe when taught by Christ and His assistants.
God's Church is also preparing for God's Kingdom in another way. Those who believe Christ's Gospel now are being prepared for a special role as part of God's soon-coming Kingdom. Malachi 3:1 says the Lord will come to His Temple.
God's Church, composed of those who have God's Spirit within them, is the spiritual Temple to which Christ will come. Paul told the Ephesians that the Church must be "fitly framed together," growing, "builded together." This united growth can be achieved only through God's government.
The members of God's Church do not establish their own doctrines. If they did, confusion would result, for each member is at a different level of growth in knowledge and character. God's Church is organized, speaking the same thing, unified through the authority God has placed in His ministers. The doctrines of God's Church come from God through Jesus Christ through His Word and His inspiration in the men He has chosen to direct His Church. The Pastor General and his staff teach the local pastors, and they, in unity, teach the members of God's Church around the world.
Let it be emphasized that the Church's purpose is not merely to give salvation to Church members- the purpose is to teach and train them to become the instruments God will use to save the vast majority. [page 7]
The above paragraph is something almost nobody understands today! The ministers and members DON’T come up with their own doctrines. Doctrines are put into the Church by Christ only through His chosen apostles, never by a vote of ministers. “Any man who steps out of line of Mr. Armstrong’s authority no longer carries God’s authority!” – Gerald Waterhouse, 1976. The ministers DO carry authority, and God backs up their authority, ONLY WHEN they are in alignment with the authority over them.
How does God's Church receive its doctrines, beliefs and teachings? Direct from God, through the channels of Jesus Christ as HEAD of the Church, and from Him through the apostles! NEVER by any others! NEVER by a group of ministers appointing themselves as a Doctrinal Committee! So it was in the first century.
How did the Worldwide Church of God receive its doctrines, beliefs and teachings? EXCLUSIVELY THROUGH CHRIST'S APOSTLE! True, I have practiced the biblical principle that "in multitude of counsel there is safety." On many occasions some top-level ministers have contributed certain input that has helped me in setting doctrine. BUT EVERY DOCTRINE, BELIEF AND TEACHING IN THE WORLDWIDE CHURCH OF GOD HAS COME FROM CHRIST THROUGH HIS CHOSEN APOSTLE!
-- Herbert W. Armstrong, What is a Liberal?
Rev. 3:21
"To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne."
We have to overcome the sorry state of things that surrounds us today at the end of this age, and rise above the low state of the Church of God community today.
Those called now have to overcome Satan and his society. That requires effort, self-denial and willpower, a price most humans are not willing to pay.
Before Jesus could qualify to rule, He had to overcome Satan while Satan was ruling. Since the Church will rule with and under Christ, Church members must also qualify by resisting and overcoming Satan while he is still ruling (Rev. 3:21).
That will not be required of the overwhelming majority. God will call them to salvation when the world is ruled by Christ and the saints-when it will undoubtedly be easier to live God's way. It will be easier because of the advance work now being done by God's firstfruits.
In order to qualify for their future jobs, those whom God has called into His Church have been freely given God's Spirit and the opportunity for salvation. The rulers and teachers of God's Kingdom are, by necessity, given opportunity for salvation before their future students can be. The Church is a necessary instrumentality preparatory to bringing salvation to all humanity!
The only reason any person is called to salvation in this age is to qualify to help in ruling and teaching in the world tomorrow-to help call and save those alive then. [page 10]
Below is the section called “God’s Spirit Empowers Church” – it is WELL worth reading:
God has given His people a job to do, and He gives them the power to be able to do it. God's Church could not preach the Gospel to the world as it is being done today without God's Spirit! Nor can God's people prepare for their future leadership roles without this divine power.
1. Could Jesus do any spiritual works, including obedience to God, with just His human strength? John 5:30; 8:28. Where did He get the necessary power? John 14:10, last part.
COMMENT: The Father "dwelt" in Jesus through the Holy Spirit!
2. Did Christ promise the same spiritual help to His disciples? John 14:16. What is the "Comforter"? Verse 26. Does Christ, through the Holy Spirit, live in His followers today? Rom. 8:9-10; Col. 1:27; I John 3:24.
COMMENT: Jesus Christ went to the Father's throne in heaven to send God's Spirit to His disciples (John 16:7). Through God's Spirit, Christ lived in them-not in person, but in spirit. True Christians' hope of lory-our hope of becoming part of God's glorious Family-is in Christ, our Savior, living in us through the Holy Spirit.
3. Is it necessary to obey God to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit? Acts 5:32. Did Jesus obey God, and does He expect Christians to obey Him today? John 15:10. Are Christ's commandments exactly the same as His Father's? John 14:24.
4. Must Christians not only have God's Spirit, but also be yielded to it, letting it transform them so they become more like Christ and the Father? Rom. 6:13; 8:14; Phil. 2:5; II Cor. 10:5.
COMMENT: God's Holy Spirit gives His Spirit begotten children supernatural power to help them live the way today that Jesus Christ lived more than 1,900 years ago. Through that Spirit, Christ is enabling them to obey God, overcome sin and endure to the end of this age. God's Spirit is the power by which God's firstfruits are now being prepared for their jobs in God's Kingdom.
God's Spirit is also the power by which God's Church accomplishes its commission to preach Christ's Gospel to the world.
5. By what power was the work of God done during the days of God's servant Zerubbabel, who built the physical Temple (later refurbished) to which Jesus came? Zech. 4:6. What power was given to Jesus' disciples to enable them to perform their commission? Acts 1:8. Was this also the power by which Paul was able to preach Christ's Gospel? Rom. 15:19.
COMMENT: The work of God's Church is ultimately done by the power of the Spirit of God! The Kingdom of God is being preached and published in all the world today by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. The "fruits" God is producing through His human instruments today are the same fruits His Spirit produced through the human Jesus and the collective "Body of Christ" in apostolic days!
6. Did Christ say His servants would do even greater works than He had done while on earth? John 14:12. What work would the Church do in preparation for the end of this age and the return of Christ? Matt. 24:14; Mark 13:10.
COMMENT: Right now, the divine commission to publicize the Gospel of the Kingdom of God as a witness to all nations is being fulfilled in a dramatic way. God's Church today is reaching far more people than Jesus was ever able to reach on foot.
With today's modern technology, God's Church can reach millions of people via television, radio, satellites, the printing press and other means of mass communication!
These facilities enable the Church to do a tremendously greater work than the first-century apostles could. These facilities, however, also cost more money. Without the tithes and offerings of the members, the Church's commission could not be fulfilled!
God could send angels to preach His Gospel. Instead, He is using humans because by supporting the work, they are being trained! And they cannot be trained without their participation and support!
It would be easy for God to supply money miraculously. Instead, He uses humans to provide that support. Tithes and offerings don't enrich God any. He has commanded His people to support His Church for their own good. They grow in spiritual character, they become better prepared to rule, partly through their support-whether financial contributions, labor, encouragement or prayer-of the work being done!
Every Christian who is growing spiritually has his heart completely in the work God has given His Church to accomplish. Our "works" include our part in supporting the work God is inspiring His Church to do-preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom of God to the whole world as a witness. God's Spirit-begotten children are His instruments in fulfilling His great commission to His Church in the end time!
The members' spiritual character growth and the work of the Church are inseparable. If any member stops supporting the work being done, that member will stop growing. But as the members support the Church, they will also grow spiritually! And as they please God, He will bless and magnify the effectiveness of the work being done! [pages 10-11]
The Holy Spirit is the defining quality of the true Church of God. Without it, it is nothing, even if it keeps the Sabbath and Holy Days (Matt. 5:20; 12:1-14; 23:23-24). There are many organizations keeping the Sabbath and Holy Days. Are they all branches of the same tree? Are they all members of the same body? Christ said “I will build My church” (Matt. 16:18) – NOT CHURCHES! There’s only ONE true Church of God (Eph. 4:4)! Not many, separate organizations that can’t agree. That’s confusion! God is NOT the author of confusion (I Cor. 14:33).
Mr. Armstrong said that doing God's Work is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration. For example, God may provide the ideas and inspiration for articles while using others to write them. We are to be tools in God's hands; He gives us our part to do. Think of the marriage analogy: a husband imparts the spark of life which allows his wife to bear a child; she finishes the process. Without the husband's part, there would be NO LIFE! It’s the same way in God’s Church. Without that “10% inspiration” – God’s injection of the Holy Spirit – the Church would have no life at all. This would seem to be the state of the many splinter organizations we see today. Each individual member, and the Church as a whole must have the Holy Spirit in order to remain alive (John 15:1-8; Revelation 3:1-6). If it’s dead, it's not God’s Church. The very meaning of this day of Pentecost is that the true Church is connected to God through the Holy Spirit! Undoubtedly that is why we are to count to Pentecost over a period of seven weeks -- to picture the Church's connection to God and Christ.
The Feast of Firstfruits pictures God's firstfruits - all who will be born into God's Family at the first resurrection-the first group of humans to be harvested by God and given glorious, powerful immortal life.
But one human has already been born of God more than 1,950 years before the first resurrection. He is the first of the firstfruits, and was pictured in Old Testament rituals by a symbolic ceremony during the Feast of Unleavened Bread, 50 days before the Feast of Firstfruits. The meaning of this ceremony is important, even though it is no longer performed since the Old Testament priesthood is no longer needed. [page 13]
The New Covenant will not be made with mortals who cannot keep their promises-it will be established only with immortal spirit beings who have proved, by their lives, their willingness to obey their future Husband, the "LORD" of the Hebrew Bible who became, through human birth, the Jesus of the Greek New Testament.
Although the New Covenant has been proposed, and Christians today overcome sin and live by the laws of that covenant through the power of the Holy Spirit, it will not be finalized until the first resurrection. Only then will God's children be given the fullness of God's Spirit to enable them to perfectly resist all sin.
God's Church will be the Bride of Christ. Christ, the Messenger of the Covenant (Mal. 3:1), will come to His spiritual Temple, and make the New Covenant-a marriage agreement. God's law will be written in their hearts so completely that they can be perfect, righteous and able to assist Christ in ruling, teaching and administering God's law perfectly.
The Spirit-born Church will become Christ's New Covenant wife, and that divine marriage will produce children. Christ and His Spirit-born Bride will be a ruling and teaching team. Through them God will open salvation to all, ultimately producing thousands of millions of additional Spirit-born children of God. More on that in future lessons.
Notice in Revelation 19:7 that the Church will have "made herself ready." Each member of God's Church must grow in righteous character and be prepared- ready-to help Christ rule and teach. Jesus' parable of the wise and foolish virgins (Matt. 25:1- 13) shows that some who think they are prepared for the New Covenant marriage will be shut out.
When the Church is ready both in numbers and in character, and the world has been sufficiently warned, Christ will return. Our next lesson reveals the exciting details of the events leading up to Christ's return! [page 15]
This is the thrilling truth about the day of Pentecost and its tremendous meaning.
Tradition says that God gave the Ten Commandments to mankind on the day of Pentecost (Exodus 19-20). God sent the Holy Spirit into His Church on the Day of Pentecost also (Acts 2). The Ten Commandments are the "river bed" down which the "living water" of the Holy Spirit flows. That is the narrow and difficult path which leads to eternal life, which few people find in this age (Matthew 7:13-14).
Pentecost 2016 Message 6/12/16