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Go To Meeting
(Church at Home)
Lyall Johnston—July 11, 2015
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Greetings, to you all! Welcome to Church at Home! Church at Home is sponsored by the Christian Biblical Church of God, and we are dedicated to restoring original Christianity for today.
We read in Matthew 24:3[transcriber's correction] where Jesus was talking to His disciples apart from or away from the crowd. They had asked Him: "…'Tell us, when shall these things be? And what shall be the sign of Your coming, and of the completion of the age?'"
Verse 4 is very important to all people, but particularly to those who call themselves Christians, who claim to be Christians and all those who are part of the Churches of God. The Biblical name, the only name we have in the Bible is not a sectarian name; it's not the name of some man or organization or some particular structure, but the only name given to us in the Bible is the Church of God. There are derivations of that particular name, such as in the book of Hebrews where it is called The Church of the Firstborn!
Verse 4 is very important, indeed! It is vital to our understanding that Jesus Christ began His discourse here; He began to answer the question of His closest people, His closest disciples who later became the apostles who took His Word to the rest of the world at that time. We have their word today and that's why we say we are dedicated to restoring original Christianity in our time.
Christianity was lost to the vast majority, beginning right back in the days of the Apostle Jude, where it is said that 'certain men would creep into the Church and they would cause destruction and havoc. And that's exactly what happened. That began within the Church we know from at least 60A.D. The Church that came into being after the end of that first century and began to become the great traditional church of today, it began to be built on the basis of the doctrines and the teachings of men. So, the Word of God, the Bible, was cast aside.
It's interesting that in our day, this warning that Jesus gave, there were Churches of God that had the Truth of God, they understood the Truth of God, much of it. Not entirely all the Truth, but a great deal of it. They understood the necessity that God had asked for us. In fact, God commanded us to keep His laws and commandments, to observe His Sabbath Day, to observe His annual Holy Days, which explain the whole plan that God has for mankind and for His creation.
They turned their backs on this. That's why Jesus warned us ahead of time. He said, v 4: "…'Be on guard so that no one deceives you.'"
This large Church of God in our present time ignored that statement of Jesus Christ and turned their backs on the Truth of God and they turned to the doctrines and teachings and commandments of men! No doctrines that you can find in the Word of God, the Bible, so that's why we say we are dedicated to restoring original Christianity as taught by Jesus and His eyewitnesses.
Rather than turn to those teachings, these men who once knew the Truth, but made a fatal error: they did not prove it for themselves! They did not go into their Bibles and they have confessed this with the words from their own mouths that they knew these doctrines, they just accepted them at face value, but they did not make them a part of their belief system.
When certain men crept into the Church unawares—planted there by none other than Satan the devil—who were dedicated to destroying the Church and bringing in subtly, little by little, falsehoods, errors. A little error here that did not seem to be important, and a little error over here that also… 'Well, it troubled us a little, but we just let it rest and accepted it.'
It came to the point where that large Church of God departed entirely from the Word of God. It's interesting that we can read in the book of Proverbs why Jesus said to be on guard so that no one deceives you. What happens when we're deceived? In this case, this large church organization, this large church corporation, did what even King Solomon warned against in his writings in the book of Proverbs. Rather than "…'Be on guard so that no one deceives you,'" this is what happened.
The book of Proverbs is a book of wisdom, that Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, who astounded all the leaders, kings and those people around him, a man who accumulated great wealth, who sought knowledge and wisdom. This is one of the precious statements that he made.
The book of Proverbs is a great book for young people to turn to learn wisdom. Wisdom that will preserve them from the many problems that we're facing in the world today; if they will just read. If you can encourage them as your children, or if you are a young person, then pick up the book of Proverbs in your Bible and you will find that you, by reading this and even asking God to give you wisdom—His wisdom from on high, not the wisdom of this world—then you will be walking down a straight and narrow path and you will avoid, and your children will avoid, many of the pitfalls.
Go online to cbcg.org and you can actually listen to the book of Proverbs being read, and you can actually read it along with that spoken voice. So, you've got two ways then of drinking in that very precious word that God has given us for today.
Here what Solomon recorded, and these are the words that God has given to us. We might say that is awful. Why is that in the Bible? Well, it's in the Bible to do exactly what Jesus said, when He said, "…'Be on guard so that no one deceives you.'"
Here we have basically at whole organization of the Church of God that ignored that statement of Jesus and this is what they did:
Proverbs 26:11: "As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool returns to his own folly."
It's interesting, because the Apostle Peter, the chief apostle of Jesus Christ, wrote from the book of Proverbs, and this shows us that Peter and the other apostles upheld the Old Testament as the Word of God, because he quoted this very Scripture in 2 Peter 2.
In The Holy Bible in Its Original Order, a Faithful Version that we have online (cbcg.org) you will find that it is not in the position that the Catholic Church changed it from. They took the General Epistles of James, Peter and John and moved them toward the end of the New Testament, when, in fact, the Apostle John—when he canonized and put the seal of God on the New Testament—placed the General Epistles of James, Peter and John immediately after the book of Acts.
So, again, what that shows us is that after having read the history of the Church—which is contained in the four Gospels and the book of Acts—then God is pointing us to His apostles, James, Peter and John, who in that sense, represented the city that God loves and the city where God is going to place His throne in again. The throne of David, and Jesus Christ is going to occupy that throne in Jerusalem.
What the Catholic Church did, to point people to Rome, away from the city of God, they put the book of Romans immediately after the book of Acts. What does that tell us? Do you think that God is pleased with the Catholic Church for having changed what He set in concrete? He set it in that position by His authority!
This fact is quite evident, everything pointing to Rome. But that's not where the Word is going to come from in the future, which brings to mind another Scripture. This is what is going to happen in the future. You might say:
- Aren't we talking about the British peoples?
- Aren't we talking about the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob?
- Aren't we talking here about the descendants of Ephraim who are the British peoples?
Yes, we are, because this is all a part of the story, all a part of the Gospel of the Kingdom of God that is coming and is going to rule the world in peace, happiness and prosperity!
Isaiah 9:2: "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light…" This is happening today. When the Gospel of the Kingdom of God is being preached, when the Truth of God is being preached, there are those people whom God is calling. Today God is calling new people.
Here we had this large Church of God where people just walked out. They changed their teaching, their doctrines and accepted a lie. Like a "…dog returning to its vomit…" they accepted lies in place of the Truth.
God now is reaching out and calling another group of people. It reminds us of the early church where particularly the Apostle Paul who went first to the Jews. In the main, the Jewish people rejected Jesus Christ, rejected the Gospel of the Kingdom of God, and Paul, according to the Scriptures, then went to the Gentiles. The Gentiles are simply those people who were not of the house of Israel. In other words, all the other nations; so, God was calling them.
Here we have all these people from the Church of God who changed their teachings, doctrines, accepted a lie, so the same principle applies. Today God is reaching out to the people of the British Isles and the Commonwealth of Nations, all of those who are the descendants of Ephraim. He's reaching out to us, calling us to repentance, to accept His way of life; to put aside our pride and our arrogance. And oh, are we not filled with pride and arrogance? Particularly those who are the 'privileged' of our nations:
- the wealthy
- those who are in power and authority
- those who can treat their servants as slaves
- those who can look down their long noses at other human beings and see them as second or third class
God has something in store for you if that describes you, if you are of the aristocracy that feels superior to other people. As the Proverb says, 'Pride goes before a fall.' God is going to bring you down! God is going to exalt the humble, the people that you have trodden all over. God is going to exalt them, because they look to God; they see that He is God and they have cried out to Him because of what they have suffered under your boots, under your feet. He is going to bless them, and you are going to replace them as the poor of this world.
- unless you repent
- unless you being to share the benefits and blessings that are God given
You didn't earn that by your own hand. You were given that by the hand of God, because of His covenant that He made with Abraham. So, we have to get off our high-horses and humble ourselves. If we don't, God will humble us.
Verse 2: "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light…" Yes, God is calling a people. If you are one of those walking in darkness right now, God is showing you through His Word—through His spoken Word and written Word, through the Bible sitting on your shelf gathering dust—the light is there. The words in your Bible are crying out to you. Read these words! Jesus said, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.'
"…they who dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them the light has shined" (v 2). Yes, the wisdom of God is there waiting. The salvation of God is waiting in the Word of God. It's waiting for us to turn and to repent of our sins, of our pride, arrogance, and all the sins that we commit against God. When we do that God's light will shine! God will bring us out of that darkness.
Here we're talking about Jesus Christ, v 6: "For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulders…"
Yes, the governments of this world are going to be taken away from men. Parliament in London is going to be removed, and that government is going to be replaced by a world-ruling government. Not a government ruled by men, but a government ruled by Jesus Christ and His saints and all His Holy angels with Him. That's going to take place from Jerusalem. "…the government shall be upon His shoulders…" That's talking about world governments. Not the world government that's forming right now—the government of men—which is going lead up to those end-time events that Jesus Christ talked about. But "…the government shall be upon His shoulders…" the shoulders of Christ Jesus, the Son of the living God, the One to Whom the Apostle Paul wrote to Colossian Christians 'the Son of His love.'
God is inducting people today into that very kingdom. It is not a kingdom of men, not a kingdom ruled by men, but a kingdom ruled by the righteous, Holy and perfect Son of God, King of all kings, and Lord of all lords.
"…and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and over His kingdom, to order it and to establish it with judgment and with righteousness from henceforth, even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this. The LORD sent a word against Jacob…" (vs 6-8).
Who is Jacob? Jacob was called Israel by God, and Jacob put the name Israel—modern Israel today—upon the two sons of Joseph, Ephraim and Manasseh. Today the descendants of Ephraim are the British peoples. This is addressing the British peoples and the American peoples.
Verse 8: "The LORD sent a word against Jacob and it has fallen upon Israel. And all the people shall know, Ephraim and the people of Samaria…" The capital of the northern tribes of Israel, but specifically referring to Ephraim, whom God said was the firstborn even though he was second, and He blessed Ephraim with a blessing along with his brother Manasseh with the birthright blessings. They became the breadbasket to feed the world and God blessed them.
But they forgot God just as today the British peoples, the descendants of Ephraim, have forgotten the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
"…saying in pride and arrogance of heart" (v 9). Yes, he pride of Ephraim, the pride of the British people. That pride came because we failed to recognize where our greatness and our wealth came from. We turned our back on God and refused to keep His commandments.
Verse 10: "'The bricks have fallen down, but we will build with cut stones…'" God is causing a reverse in our prosperity, in our wealth and in every other area of our lives. But what do we say? Do we turn to God in repentance? No!
We say, "'…we will build with cut stones the sycamores are cut down, but we will use cedars instead.' And the LORD shall set up the foes of Rezin against him, and spur on his enemies; the Syrians from the east and the Philistines from the west; and they shall devour Israel with an open mouth…." (vs 10-12).
- Who are these people?
- The Syrians?
- Isn't this so fitting in history as it is being written today?
We have this whole threat of terrorism from ISIS, threatening to wipe out the British peoples and the American peoples, reaching right down now to the descendants of Ephraim in Australia where they have just prevented—this time—terrorists taking somebody off the street and videotaping a beheading to show to the rest of the world, just like they have done now with three people of this stage, beheading them and striking terror into the heart of the descendants of Ephraim and Manasseh around the world.
As we have read from articles, the people in the United States are living in fear of acts of terror. The same is true in the British Isles. And now it's reaching right around the world. You see, terrorism today is not like conventional warfare where two armies stand face-to-face and shoot each other. Terrorism is within our midst. As the Scripture says, 'The stranger within our midst are going to rise up against us' because they hate us!
You see, one of the reasons that they hate us is because God has turned them against us, because we have refused to obey the laws of God. And because we have refused to obey the laws of God, God is sending these enemies against us to punish us, to threaten us in an attempt to cause us to turn from our sins and all our evil ways; repent and turn back to God!
- Will our nation do that?
- Will our nation turn in sackcloth and ashes in repentance to God and change our way of life, return back to His laws and commandments?
The question remains open, and now the challenge is to you and me!
- Will we turn back to the living God?
We will read how Peter quoted from the book of Proverbs. The setting here is talking about the Godly and the ungodly.
2-Peter 2:9: "The Lord knows how to rescue the Godly out of temptation, and to reserve the unrighteous to the day of judgment to be punished; but particularly those who walk after the flesh in corrupting lust… [Does that not describe our nations?] …and hold in utter contempt the lordship of God…." (vs 9-10). Yes, 39% of those living in the British Isles say that they do not even believe God exists! Well, God knows that they exist, and for their unbelief God is going to bring destruction upon our nations.
"…They are audacious and self-willed. They are not afraid to blaspheme the Divine powers" (v 10). One of those ways of blaspheming is using God's name in vain, using that quaint little phrase 'Oh, my God.' That is blaspheme unless you are crying out to God because you know and recognize you need His help and you say:
Oh, my God, I have sinned against You! In the sight of all heaven, Father, I ask for Your forgiveness! Please cover my sins with the blood of Your Son Jesus Christ. Make Your laws and commandments a path for my feet. Show the way before me through Your laws and commandments that I may not displease You.
Using that statement—Oh, my God—in that way is a righteous way to do it. Any other way God will not hold you or anyone faultless who takes His name in vain.
Verse 12: "But these—as irrational brute beasts…" Yes, this is the Apostle Peter talking here] …born to be caught and destroyed—blaspheme those things of which they are ignorant…"
'Oh, there is no God!' What ignorance! Where did you learn to say that? Where did your teachers, professors and ministers? They don't even know whether God exists! Even great church leaders are saying that they're not even sure that God exists. Tell me, why are they church leaders? Why are they leaders of churches in the various denominations.
They believe in the authority of man, and they like to have power over the people they preach to. Oh, yes, they appear as ministers of righteousness, but as Paul said they, in fact, they are the ministers of Satan.' That's why Jesus said to beware and be on guard. In talking specifically about these ministers:
Verse 17: "These false prophets are fountains without water, clouds driven by a storm, for whom is reserved the blackest of darkness forever. For they speak bombastic words of vanity, enticing others through the lusts of the flesh by granting indulgences to sin…" (vs 17-18).
Ministers in so many of our churches in this country and the nations of Ephraim do exactly this, where it's:
- okay to sin
- okay to have an abortion
- okay to get married to someone of the same sex
Endorsing what God forbids! What do you think the result of that is going to be?
"…and ensnaring those who had indeed escaped from those who live in deception. While promising them freedom…" (v 18). 'Yes, we're free to do whatever we like because we're saved with the blood of Christ only. We don't have to keep the commandments of God.'
That is a deception! That is a false conversion! In fact, it is no conversion at all! Conversion is a total change of a way of life. It is putting off what the Bible calls 'the old man.' A man that walks in the laws and commandments of God.
"…While promising them freedom they themselves are actually slaves of corruption…" Don't we see that in the prophets, ministers, elders and priest of the churches today?
"…slaves of corruption because by whatever anyone is overcome, he is also held in bondage. For if, after escaping the moral defilements… [many have done this in the Churches of God, and in one church in particular] …of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they again become entangled in them, and are overcome, the final end is worse than the beginning" (vs 18-20). This is the Apostle Peter, the apostle of Jesus Christ speaking the words that he learned from Christ Jesus.
Verse 21: "For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than, after knowing it, to turn back from the Holy commandment that was delivered to them."
Do you mean in the days of Peter that Israel had the commandments of God delivered to them? Yes, that's true!
Verse 22: "But the pronouncement found in the true proverb has happened to them… [here is where Peter quotes from Prov. 26:11]: "The dog has returned to eat his own vomit; and the sow that was washed has returned to her wallowing place in the filthy mire."
Isn't that a disgusting statement to be found in the Bible? Why? To show us how God considers those who have once know the Truth and turned back to the deceptions and lies and the doctrines and teachings of men! God calls a spade a spade. God gives us images, pictures that we can generate the illustration in our mind to show us how vile sin is.
So, the "…dog has returned to eat his own vomit…" That should be enough to turn us away from the lies and the deceptions.
"…and the sow that was washed has returned to her wallowing place in the filthy mire" (v 22). We all have smelt the stench of swine, pigs, in that wallowing.
Do go to our websites: cbcg.org and churchathome.org Download or request:
- The Holy Bible in Its Original Order, A Faithful Version
So you can have a valuable Bible, a trustworthy Bible that you can read.
Also our new books:
- Two Nations that Changed the World—America and Britain—Their Biblical Origin and Prophetic Destiny by Philip Neal
- Lord, What Should I Do? by Fred R. Coulter
There are so many people who are seeking to know the Truth, and that book is a valuable guide in your work toward that goal.
Thank you for inviting me into your homes. Until next time, this is Lyle Johnston saying so long everyone!
Scriptural References:
- Matthew 24:3-4
- Proverbs 26:11
- Isaiah 9:2, 6-12
- 2-Peter 2:9-10, 12, 17-22
LJ:bo
Transcribed: 9-2-15
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