Witness—the Word Nobody Understands

Nobody in this world knows what it means to be a witness for God. Most of God’s people don’t even know!

Being a witness for God is not easy, but with it comes a mind-splitting reward. So don’t stop reading until you see the inspiring outcome.

The end of John’s Gospel reads, “This is the disciple which testifieth of these things, and wrote these things: and we know that his testimony is true” (John 21:24). The Apostle John gave true testimony.

The word testimony is translated from the Greek marturia, which comes from martus, meaning martyr. Sometimes the Christian life really is about dying for a cause. It is always about giving your life—about being a living sacrifice—for this cause. But being martyred is merely the end of a physical life. What follows is eternal life.

The word testifieth also means to witness; it is similar to the word testimony. John was a good witness. He was willing to be subjected to any trial—even death—in his testimony for Christ. This is the kind of witness Christ wants from all of us.

The words testify and witness reveal the depth of our commitment and love for Christ. The word witness is much stronger than the way it is commonly used today! We must understand what Christ means when He says, “Follow me,” or when we say we’re 100 percent behind God’s Work.

Do we bear a righteous testimony in the way we live or die?

Bearing Witness

Notice again the beginning of John’s first epistle: “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;)” (1 John 1:1-2). This is about life—about living eternally!

Notice: In verse 2, John said that he was to “bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us.” He was bearing witness of the Word, who had lived eternally with the Father. He was bearing witness of the Father and the Son of God, or the God Family.

The one who “was manifested unto us” made the greatest sacrifice man could ever imagine. This was God—the Word—who came to “declare the Father.” John was going to be a witness of Him and also declare the Father.

It is hard to understand how John could say more in two verses. And some of these words have a much more profound meaning than the way they are used today, making it even more exciting. Let’s look more closely at the word witness.

No writer in the Bible even comes close to emphasizing the word witness as John does. He uses this word eight times in his epistles and 21 times in his Gospel; the other Gospels use it a combined total of 18 times. The Anchor Bible says, “The verb martyrein, ‘to bear witness, testify,’ and the noun martyria, ‘witness, testimony,’ occur a total of 64 times in [the Gospel of] John and the epistles (verb 43 times; noun 21). The 33 uses of the verb in [the Gospel of] John may be contrasted with a total of two uses in the three synoptic Gospels, a contrast that indicates the extent to which the legal and trial atmosphere dominates [John’s] thought” (emphasis mine throughout). John talked a lot about law and trials. Why? Because it is through keeping God’s law of love and rejoicing in our tests and trials that we become God! That is how we love God and witness to mankind.

The Apostle John emphasized witness and testify more than all the other apostles combined! Perhaps this was because Christ personally taught him more depth of love. John expresses that love in words like witness.

Westcott said, “The message that [the Apostle] John has to convey in his Gospel is the truth, and this is commended to men by various forms of witness. There is nothing in the synoptic Gospels to prepare for this remarkable development which he gives to this idea.”

Why does John put so much emphasis on witness? The Hebrew-Greek Key Word Study Bible says, “[M]artus is used as a designation of those who have suffered death in consequence of confessing Christ.” In Revelation 1:5, Christ is called the witness—the martyr! 1 Peter 2:21 says we are to follow His example.

Thayer’s Lexicon says that martus refers to examples who “proved the strength and genuineness of their faith in Christ by undergoing a violent death ….” In other words, martus means to bear witness of, or manifest, Christ—whether you’re living or dying!

This word witness gives us a deep insight into what it means to love God.

If you are not growing in this love, you are dying!

Most of God’s people today are dying spiritually. You can’t smell the stench of people dying this way, but God can see it vividly! For a Father, watching His sons die because they don’t love Him is the most terrible thing He could possibly see. That’s the worst stench of all to our Father!

The Father tries and tests us to see what kind of witness we will be—how much we love Him. It’s only natural that He tests how much love we have in our marriage engagement to His Son! A marriage without love is awful.

Can we—the Bride of Christ—prove our love to the very end—the way our Husband already has?

Notice this success story: “There was a man sent from God, whose name was John [the Baptist—not the apostle]. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe” (John 1:6-7). Did people love John the Baptist because he bore witness of Christ? No—actually he was thrown in prison, where his greatest work was done. To his last moment of life, he was being a witness for God. Then Herod had John’s head delivered on a platter. What a noble ending! Why was he a witness? That people “might believe”—both in John’s day and for those who have read and will read about him through the ages. What an example! He died as Christ did. That is a good example of what it means to “bear witness of the Light”! We read about it today, and it strengthens our faith.

Today, we step out in that same faith so others might believe. Our examples are the most powerful way to help others believe!

John “came for a witness, to bear witness.” The Companion Bible says that means “with a view to bearing witness; not merely to be a witness.” We must be a doer of what we have learned—give proof and evidence to support what we say. Our deeds must match our words. When the burden is heavy, we continue to bear it. It is our duty to give a good, honorable witness of the light.

Because of John the Baptist’s message and example, he was thrown in jail and later beheaded. He gave his all to God, and God responded by saying, “Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist …” (Matthew 11:11). John proved his love for God.

The Apostle John repeatedly stressed the word witness. He hammered hard on this word. He wanted us to understand that we are here to act like our Father’s sons—“Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). That is how we witness—we live like our Father and Christ. That is how we qualify to become members in God’s Family.

We are honorable witnesses when we love others as Christ loved us! God is love, and we must express God’s love as a way of life.

Our witness of love—giving and sacrificing for God’s Work—is how we come out of this world. This is a witness you see only in God’s very elect.

What a profound meaning the word witness has!

We have been called to make God’s message known to mankind through our examples and God’s Work—“that all men through him might believe.” God’s Work could not be done without people who set such examples. The only way men can believe is through this message, and we teach most of all by our example. Ultimately, we shall reach all humanity. What a noble and monumental cause!

Of course, this is not an easy message to deliver. Men of darkness always try to destroy the light.

But if you stand up for God, God will stand up for you! That is what you want—to be able to hear, at the end of it all, those sweet words: Well done, good and faithful servant (Matthew 25:21). Good witness!

Sacrificial Love

Even in this world, you sometimes see a child dying of cancer or something similar and a parent so full of love he or she would do anything to be able to die in place of that child.

That is merely phileo, or brotherly love! Yet it is certainly in the direction of the kind of love God is talking about—where you love God so much you would rather die than disappoint your Father! This is my Father and my Husband, you might think. They’ve given their lives for me, and I want to be as they are! I want to act like I belong to their Family! And so, you are very willing to die. That is the love of God. We must love our majestic Father and Jesus Christ.

That is how we follow Christ’s example. He bore witness of the truth to the end. John 18:37 shows Him standing before Pilate, about to be killed, bearing witness to the truth! Everyone around Him saw that. We read about it and know all about it. Christ loved His Father and mankind unto death.

Let me repeat: To bear witness to the truth means to live according to God’s truth, even if it gets you killed!

John 3:16 shows that our Father loved the world so much that He gave His only begotten Son. We are building that kind of love—risking it all physically because we love God’s Family. This is the kind of family love that will last forever! There is nothing so beautiful as that!

Jesus said, “If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true” (John 5:31). He didn’t bear witness of Himself! If we bear witness of ourselves, it is not true. That is what the Laodiceans are doing. We are here for one purpose, and that is to bear witness of God! Agape love, or God’s love, doesn’t flaunt itself—it bears witness of the Father and the Son.

God is love. When we say we are becoming God, it means we are becoming love—as we live and die for Him.

As 1 John 1:2 says, Christ’s eternal life was manifested as a human being. He humbled Himself in that way and allowed Himself to be beaten to the point that He didn’t even look like a man (Isaiah 52 and 53). That is how He witnessed for God! We are to “[l]et this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:5-8). God wants us to think as He thinks! That is what conversion is all about. We need to understand the extent of that sacrifice by the Father and Son, and get our minds off ourselves. We are all far too steeped in selfishness. This is a sacrificing love.

Christ said, “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another” (John 13:34). This is not letter-of-the-law obedience. Can you comprehend that incredible depth—loving others as Christ has loved you? And He wants us to love God the way He loved God. He called this a “new commandment” because it is only possible to obey it with the Holy Spirit—it is taking the Holy Spirit into ourselves and then expressing the very love of God! This is giving and sacrificing for God and for each other as Christ did.

Please read that verse and paragraph again and make certain that you understand it! You probably won’t find any subject more profound in all the Bible!

This is real, abundant living—even if we are dying physically! Over the years in my ministry, I have seen a few people physically rot right before my eyes and yet remain loyal to God every step of the way to the end! Though it must be one of the most grotesque sights to see, at the same time it is one of the most majestically noble examples ever on Earth, from God’s point of view! If someone is being loyal in circumstances like that, he or she is bearing witness of the Father! What a precious, extraordinary beauty that is! I know I will see those people again, and they will live forever and ever! When resurrected, they won’t remember that trial for very long. They will have eternal life!

Are you prepared to trust God to heal you, now or in the resurrection? Well done, good and faithful servant, He will say if we trust Him to the end.

Eternal Life

1 John 5:6 states, “[I]t is the Spirit that beareth witness ….” Bearing witness this way is not a physical endeavor. Apart from God, we can do nothing! Only God’s Spirit can accomplish something so mighty and wonderful!

As I have written, the Holy Spirit is the greatest gift in the universe. When Christ came up out of the baptismal waters, He “saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him” (Matthew 3:16). God wants us to realize that when we are baptized, we have eternal life in embryo! It is in you! What is that worth? We can do all things with the Spirit of Christ in us (Philippians 4:13). With that Spirit, like John the Baptist, we can bear witness of the Light. And at the end of it all, we too can hear those words, well done. What a future God is offering us.

I can see why sometimes this life has to be so dangerous. With something so wonderful and majestic awaiting us, there has to be a certain danger for us to get there—a risk! Even God the Father and Jesus Christ had to take the ultimate risk because this is so awesome—the greatest feat God can accomplish: to re-create Himself!

Into the Bosom of the Father

“That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ” (1 John 1:3). Our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son.

The Father is mentioned first because He is the Head of the Family. Here is some of the most deep-rooted truth in the Bible. As we grow, this understanding is deepened and our lives become far more enriched.

There are many evil influences in this world that destroy our physical families. Satan knows he can destroy nations by destroying families.

The physical family is only a type of God’s Family of love. Satan knows he can destroy spiritual Israel (God’s Church) by destroying God’s Family vision!

Satan destroyed God’s Work through the Laodiceans by getting them to dishonor their Father (Malachi 1:6). They no longer fellowship with the Father and Jesus Christ. First Satan destroyed their understanding of the Father. As a result, the Church became divided; 95 percent of God’s people stopped honoring the Father. That is how the Laodiceans broke their engagement with the Son. Now Christ is no longer able to lead them to do His Work. They don’t love God enough to do His Work.

What is the gospel? It is the good news of the coming Kingdom, or Family, of God. So if you don’t honor the Father, it means you have lost the gospel—you have lost the only understanding that really matters!

We must fellowship in the context of the God Family and our engagement to Christ. We can’t even begin to fathom such depth without God’s Holy Spirit. The world does not understand fellowship with God—it is cut off (Genesis 3:22-24). Unless our fellowship is with the Father and the Son, we are just another deceived church.

Herbert W. Armstrong was a father to God’s Church (as Paul was to the Corinthians; 1 Corinthians 4:15). All of us came to God through him, either directly or indirectly. Mr. Armstrong was used by God to lead us into a loving Family fellowship.

The Laodiceans rejected Mr. Armstrong’s office and most of God’s revelation through him. That was the single most significant way they stopped fellowshiping with the Father. Is it logically possible for someone to have family fellowship with God and still reject the man God used to restore all things?

The Father is mentioned 17 times and the Son 25 times in John’s epistles. John gives us a profound view of God’s Family. And today, the Philadelphia Church of God not only teaches this truth, it also fellowships with the Father and the Son.

We can have the most personal relationship with our Father. John related in his Gospel that Christ would lead us into the “bosom of the Father” (John 1:18). Nothing in this world comes near that level of intimacy.

Being in the bosom of the Father is the ultimate love for our Father. There is no closeness in the universe so intimate as this relationship! We can be in the bosom of the Father! How do we show that closeness? By declaring the God Family message to this world as John did. No other religion understands who and what God is. They don’t comprehend the Father’s message. They don’t even remotely understand what it means to be in the bosom of the Father.

Each one of us needs to grow richer in this fellowship with the Father and the Son. Only Jesus Christ can lead us into “the bosom of the Father.” This is the deepest kind of family fellowship.

What a powerful word—bosom! Christ is in the bosom of the Father and is leading us into that same rich, deep Family relationship. This word describes the depth of our love for the Father and the Son.

Could any word describe our God Family love better than bosom?

Full Joy

“And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full” (1 John 1:4). Don’t forget, this message is mainly for the last hour. God wanted His Church in this end time to be able to study these words. He wants us to deeply fathom fellowshiping with the Father and the Son—“that your joy may be full,” even in a fiery trial, as John was experiencing.

Is the pcg full of joy? It should be. Because we are about to help Christ fill this world with joy. That is why we write this message in a booklet, so we can study and penetrate to the depth of God’s love. Christ is about to return!

Satan has full misery, and he wants to destroy our fellowship with God and the full joy it brings.

Our ministers must set an example of joy for the members—to be helpers of their joy (2 Corinthians 1:24).

If you lack that joy, stay on your knees until you get it!

Little children who are trained properly are full of joy, and they inspire adults to have joy. Spiritual children should also have joy and inspire it in others. We will set this example, if we let our Father govern our lives. It will bring full joy! We must become as little children (Matthew 18:1-3). When we submissively love God, we are given His joy. Full joy comes from fellowshiping with the Father and the Son. This is an ironclad guarantee from God!

The Vision

The first five verses of 1 John are the foundational vision of John’s epistles. Let’s look at these verses as one unit and ponder them together. “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full. This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:1-5). Surely this is one of the most inspiring visions in the Bible. This is the transcendent vision that God’s Ephesus Church era lost. And that is why most of the members then and today rebelled!

Most people crave sunshine and light. We must learn to crave spiritual light. With the light, we see how to solve all our problems. God’s light must change our evil human nature. With Christ in us, we are the light in this dark and evil world. Soon we will help Christ fill this world with light.

The Laodiceans are blind because they are not in God’s light. They receive no new revelation from God to give them direction. Their work is only a small human endeavor.

In verse 1, John emphasized and exalted the Word. Why? The Father created all things through the Word (Ephesians 3:9). Then the Word, who is eternal, came to Earth, was born of flesh and died for humanity.

Word means Spokesman. He speaks for the God Family. What a message He has for mankind!

John is giving us the God perspective—so we can see this vision as God sees it! If we see it through God’s eyes, we will never give up.

John is the only New Testament writer to explain the Word, with a capital W. There is awesome depth in the original Greek word Logos. This must have been a big part of what Christ taught John when He was spending so much time with him. John describes the Logos in his Gospel, his epistles and in the book of Revelation. Logos clarifies the God Family in a spectacular way. Logos could be the most revealing word in the Bible! It is a single word that gives depth and meaning to God’s master plan. If you comprehend the meaning of this one word, you know that, after Lucifer rebelled, this God Being came to Earth and implemented a new plan for mankind. (Our inspiring book The Incredible Human Potential explains this awesome master plan.)

The apostles “handled … the Word of life.” They knew Him intimately by living with Him for 31/2 years. John didn’t want himself or any of God’s disciples in that era and throughout time to ever forget who the Word was.

This was the Logos who was with God before there was any creation—and then He came to Earth and died for us.

The Word became flesh—God became a man—so that we might become sons of God! This is extremely critical history. We must not allow Satan to take this from us.

This Logos became the “Son of the Highest.” Now there is a Father and a Son—Family. Now all mankind is to be invited to be a part of that Family and rule over the universe, a job for which the angels failed to qualify!

This history and vision of the Word kept John from losing his first love. Most in the Ephesus era (first-century Church) lost their first love because they rejected this vision.

1 John 1:5 tells us that we must declare this vision. This is the message of the Word, and it must be declared so people can fellowship with the Father and His Son! Our greatest passion must be to declare this God Family message.

Does this describe you and me?

No wonder John kept talking about declaring this vision. This is the most inspiring message there is or ever could be! He could hardly contain himself. He had to cry out to the Church and world about this super-incredible future for humanity. And he had a few followers who were willing to give their lives to help him no matter how hard the persecution. What God had revealed was going to be declared.

This is the inspiring part of being a witness for God.

Our Husband is the Word—the Spokesman. We are His Bride and must help Him deliver His mind-boggling, awe-inspiring vision. This is the only way Christ declares His message today—through His Bride! We show love for our Husband when we declare His message. This is how Christ’s wife has made herself ready (Revelation 19:7).

Let me repeat why John was so profound. Through his intimate relationship with Christ, he saw from the Creator’s perspective.

The other disciples were killed, but John continued to live and learn, dying as an old man. He kept searching out “the deep things of God.” And God used him to teach all of us.

Never again for all eternity will any saints have a greater opportunity for glory! Whatever God reveals, we either declare that revelation or become guilty of the world’s blood. Tragically, John was not getting nearly enough help from God’s people, even as we are not today. But still the message is proclaimed.

In these five foundational verses, John skips the angelic creation. That is because God now knows the angels are not qualified to rule the universe. Only God’s sons, with His character, can rule the cosmos. And God is now re-creating Himself in us for that magnificent responsibility.

We are now commanded to build the character of our Father (Matthew 5:48). The angels were never given such a transcendent goal. That is why we face intense trials and tests. The firstfruits are being prepared to rule over angels, the universe and other sons of God! We must be qualified for this most exalted calling God will ever give anyone. We are God’s Family—destined to be universe builders!

The German politician Franz Joseph Strauss said of beautiful Ambassador College under Mr. Armstrong: “You see what you can do for the world when you see Ambassador College.”

Today we have Herbert W. Armstrong College, patterned after Ambassador College. When you have seen the beauty of our three campuses, you see what we can do for the world and the universe!

Mr. Strauss said of his full-day visit to Ambassador College, “It was the greatest spiritual lift I ever had.” Just a taste of God’s master plan lifts our spirits. Understanding God’s Family will always lift our spirits! We begin to see far, far, far into a future filled with incredible potential and full joy! We see this evil, hopeless world coming to an abrupt and catastrophic end very soon.

The Goal of Our Work

A God from the northern heavens came to Earth and became flesh and blood, risking the loss of eternal life. Failure would have left the Father as the only remaining God forever.

Spend more time pondering what failure would have meant to our Father—the rest of eternity spent as the only God in the universe! Then you can better comprehend the kind of love He has for His creation.

Can we fathom this loving sacrifice by God? This universe-shaking truth challenges our imagination. We are the recipients of this unparalleled act of love.

An “eternal life,” which was God, the Word, came and died for us. This ought to excite mankind beyond anything we can imagine. It was the beginning of what will probably become billions of sons in God’s Family.

Because we teach this God-ordained message, we are almost glutted with new revelation! This should show us what this message means to the Father and the Son. Revelation comes because we honor our Father and Husband.

The deepest kind of unity comes from God. This is the unity God and the Logos have had for eternity. And it is the only future life there is. Everything else is about eternal death!

The 12 disciples saw, touched and handled this Word—God in the flesh. John says they were overwhelmed with joy. They understood how God and the Word became the Father and Son—and what that means for every human being.

The goal of our work is to bring all humanity into fellowship with the Father and Son! Please read that again.

The Ephesus Church members quit doing God’s Work because they lost their first love. The Laodiceans today stopped doing this Work because they became blind to this vision. Anybody who fails to see why we do this Work is blind!

We are the very elect of the firstfruits. Soon the whole world will be filled with second-fruits from the fall harvest. All mankind will have one mind, one faith, one love and one hope. Each person will be a witness for God!

This is not a limited human vision, but an unlimited God vision. This vision erases all racial hatred and national boundaries. We all become one Family of God.

What a stirring future! It doesn’t get any deeper than this. I hope you will prayerfully study these epistles of “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” Then you will see how Christ was loving all of us through John.

What a vision of love. What a vision of eternal majesty!

A Family of Joy

Fellowshiping with the Father and Son never leaves you discouraged or negative! Just the opposite. It brings you alive as never before.

Is God discouraged? Joyless? Negative? Never! We must receive and develop the God Family Spirit! This fellowship has worked for all eternity. So we know it will work now—or anytime.

Having this vision is how we rejoice in fiery trials. We know that our resurrection to eternal glory is extremely close. It’s so real that we can rejoice in our worst trials. This is how we have full joy.

Do people see you as this kind of person? Do you have full joy? (This doesn’t mean, however, that we don’t have pain and don’t fight against depression at times.)

The Apostle John was full of joy, even as most of the members were sad and falling away. He kept right on being a witness for the Father and Son, even when he was imprisoned.

In physical families, we can see a measure of joy. But it is tiny compared to our God Family—fellowshiping in full joy.

These first five verses of 1 John have unfathomable depth. This is the message John got from the Logos. He began to declare it, and so must we. What is revealed by our Father and His Son, we must proclaim. The message is jam-packed with hope.

Meditate on 1 John 1:1. It is first for emphasis. This beautiful verse must be studied, meditated on, and prayed about if we are to comprehend it.

Yearn to Declare!

Herbert W. Armstrong College exists to get this message to the world. This message is for the whole of mankind. It produces the opposite of the negative fruits you see in Satan’s world.

The Laodicean Church members broke down in this area. Satan destroyed their desire and strength to be witnesses. Then they no longer wanted to declare the Father’s message.

We are declaring John’s message as quickly as we can. The job of our ministers is to help get our people 100 percent behind God’s Work—so we can complete this Work as speedily as possible. We are in THE last hour! We must work while we can, before this world is plunged into the Great Tribulation.

I visited with Joe Tkach Sr. in 1988. He told me then that the wcg had changed its focus to be on Ambassador College. He no longer desired to spread the message Mr. Armstrong taught to the world. The new Church leadership no longer focused on God’s commission and Work. The college became an end rather than a means to an end.

Now Ambassador College is dead. And the Worldwide Church of God no longer proclaims an important message to the world, as Mr. Armstrong did for over 30 years. By comparison, it virtually has no work at all! And even that is only a polluted residue of God’s Work through Mr. Armstrong!

When we were first called, most of us were so excited and joyful about God’s message that we talked about it to anyone who would listen. Soon we discovered that God was not calling those people yet. Sometimes we brought persecution on ourselves.

However, the emotion was good. We should all be channeling that emotion into God’s Work, as John did. We must yearn and passionately desire to declare our message of joy so everyone has a chance to repent. We should be so full of joy and excitement for this message that we feel inspired to support it.

Keep that emotion and use it to support this message. We should be moved and stirred to share this magnificent vision!

If people don’t accept our message, Christ will still help many of them to repent when all the Bible prophecies come to pass in the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord.

We must see that this message is everything to a dying world! It must be declared now—in this “last hour.” It is a message from the Logos, who was with the Father.

God sent an Elijah to restore all things. It was an astounding message not heard around the world for almost two millenniums!

And from the early college days to the end, Mr. Armstrong had outstanding, God-inspired spokesman clubs. There were research and writing classes. The students were not there just to learn the message. They were also taught how to deliver it, both in this age and in the Millennium.

In Herbert W. Armstrong College, our students are taught how to write and speak like kings and priests. We have a message that must be communicated to all humanity!

Receiving God’s message is just half of the responsibility. The second part is communicating it. And what a communication job! This message must be delivered to every person ever born!

What good is the message if it is not declared and taught? What a failure if we don’t deliver our Father’s message! What a calamity. Now is the time to be a witness for God.

That is the purpose of this Work. We declare God’s message on television, in magazines, books and booklets and via the Internet—any means by which we can deliver it in a quality way.

Today, the media revolves around sports and entertainment—including vile music and pornography. It’s all about making money, regardless of any damage to our people. And it is inspired by the god of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4). Humanity is receiving the wrong message today.

The United States spreads its pornographic movies and obscene music around the Earth through the Internet. The world is becoming more and more addicted to evil until “the transgressors are come to the full” (Daniel 8:23). God will stop this global filth very soon.

America and Britain have the best technology in the world. We are better equipped than any nation has ever been to deliver a message. But our message to the world is dominated by the worst pornographic filth humanity has ever seen! It is America’s number one worldwide business! Depraved music is our number two export!

The world is full of violence and ready to explode into nuclear warfare. And America’s strongest messages to the world are the filthiest, Satan-inspired trash ever seen and heard!

At the same time, we ignore the Creator God who prophesies throughout His Word that He punishes for such despicable sins. Even the most violent terrorists can see and are offended by our unparalleled immorality. Surely we must believe that God would also be offended. But our people don’t care. We have descended into a kind of spiritual madness. Only the worst kind of punishment can ever awaken us. The Great Tribulation is going to be the worst suffering ever. The punishment fits the crime. Never was there a greater need to awaken!

The magnitude of the opportunity offered by our unparalleled technology makes our nations’ failure to take advantage of it incomparably disastrous. The whole world suffers mightily because of that failure. Never has there been a greater need for God’s message of hope.

We must give this world the only message that really matters. We will show them how to use the media.

Years ago, when the Soviet Union was strong, the Japanese were asked who they feared most. They answered that they feared Russia most militarily, but they feared America most culturally. (If only we could see ourselves as others see us.) And they had good cause for that fear. Today the Japanese are saturated with America’s vile culture. Our culture is destroying us and other nations morally and spiritually. We prate about how good we are and sing “God Bless America”—but God is cursing America, Britain and the Jews in the Middle East. He will continue to do so until we see our black sins and repent.

One of the main motivations for terrorists attacking the U.S. on September 11 was the impact of our sick culture on the Arab world. God can punish us through evil men. Remember, He raises up Assyria (modern-day Germany), the cruelest of nations, against a “hypocritical nation” (Isaiah 10:5-7). That nation is Israel—primarily Britain and America today. They are hypocritical—evil people who say they are good. We talk about how good we are, but spiritually we are the sickest nations on this planet—considering the physical blessings God has given us.

In the beginning of America’s history, its goal was to establish God’s rule on Earth. Would you like to compare that goal with what we have become today?

If only we would remember our history with God. When we refuse to learn from the past, we can’t see into the future. We lose the overview and become blind.

The pcg owns 170 acres and many buildings. What is it all for? We are getting ready to help Christ rule this world and the universe!

God has blessed us mightily. Now He wants to fire our imaginations to see what a marvelous, mind-staggering future this world has. We have the greatest, most complete message God has ever given to declare!

Like John, we must never lose this awesome vision of love! Then we must be a witness for God. This is what the world so desperately needs.

Continue Reading: Chapter 6: Our Advocate When We Sin