When he Returns, Will Christ Really Find Faith on the
Earth?
By Tim Moore
3/17/01 Draft
When he Returns, Will Christ Really Find
Faith on the Earth?
First I would
like to thank you for the opportunity to contribute to the study you have initiated
concerning New Moons, and whether or not they are for us in the Churches of God today. I would like to preface my comments with two
scriptures, which I believe are pertinent. About
one year ago Dr. Doug Winnail gave a message, which was sent as a video presentation to
all LCG congregations posing the question, “What will you do with the word of God?” It is my belief that this has always been and will
always be the root of all problems and questions surrounding doctrinal matters.
Luke 18:8
“………. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man returns, will he really find
faith on the earth?”
Heb. 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same
yesterday, today, and forever.
As I understand
the history of this question within the Church of God, Mr. Armstrong made the ruling that
he could not establish that the New Moon festival was a commanded assembly, therefore it
was not required to be observed, nor was it an object of doctrinal development. This decision was made about 1957 as near as I can
tell, even though earlier in his ministry he appears to have held a different opinion. It is my understanding that he actually held bible
studies on the eve of the New Moon when he was in Oregon.
At this time in
the emerging Worldwide Church of God, Mr. Armstrong was busy sorting out bible
translations and restoring the 18 truths we cherish so much. Somehow, an erroneous church doctrine of not
allowing brethren to meet without a pastor present was developed. Since there were not enough ordained elders to
cover all the fellowships possible it was decided that New Moon observance was not for the
Philadelphia Era of the church. This
erroneous doctrine concerning fellowship and Christ not being in the midst when an elder
was not present influenced church policy for a long time.
Nevertheless,
this question has always been a problem and source of recurring controversy. When we first came into the truth of God, I
received counsel concerning a problem I had with certain topics in the Bible not being
explicitly defined. Some of these topics in
the New Testament concerned the Sabbath, tithes, and Holy Days. Mr. Steve Buchanan advised me that many things in
the Bible are not explicitly defined and they require a lot of study and guidance by the
church to clarify. He pointed out that the
reason for this was so God could find out what we were really thinking.
One
standard argument is always presented to establish the validity of the
Aforementioned
cherished truths, namely the principles embodied in Deut. 4: 5-9. These scriptures admonish us to be CAREFUL anytime
we tamper with the word of God, interpreting, adding to, or taking away. They admonish us to have respect for the source of
our wisdom. Further, the point is made that
we are to be a peculiar people, noticed for the source of our wisdom.
I would guess
that if a question about the principles of tithing in the New Testament were put to any
leading minister, that he could easily handle these questions and show that tithing is a
binding law of God today. He would also be
able to qualify our beliefs on the Sabbath and annual festivals. These same ministers
could also field questions concerning divorce and remarriage. But, if you were to field a question about the New
Moons, the issue would be either hedged or declared not applicable today.
Without
exception, I have never seen any study or message, which is in favor of observing the New
Moons until now. Without exception, any study
I have ever read has always been negative but oddly I have found that if the ending were
changed, that this selfsame study would prove to be an equally, if not stronger case, for
the need to observe the New Moons than to avoid these festivals. We know that within the ministry there are
prominent people who observe the New Moons, but their formal position does not exist. The silence concerning this matter from those
supposedly favoring this observance in contrast to the noise created by those insisting
this festival is not applicable for the New Testament church age is deafening.
Proverbs
18:17 The first one to plead his cause seems right,
Until his neighbor comes and examines him.
We are
not particularly creative people in Wyoming. Despite
an element within the ministry which has always insisted we do not need to observe New
Moons, a significant number of us have persisted and tried to observe these New Moons
anyway, even without guidance from the church. We
have never been able to quite swallow the implication that when Christ returns he will
scrap the Roman religion and Roman political system but maybe keep the Roman calendar
since we are all used to it. Neither do we
feel comfortable taking the scissors to Col. 2: 16 and randomly chopping out the part
about New Moons and trying to place a separate understanding on this festival. As your study points out, Christ will not do this,
he will reinstitute the observance of the New Moon festivals.
This does not
surprise me, as I am one of those who believe that the Annual Sabbaths, those Eternal
Memorials in God’s Plan of Salvation are somehow intricately connected with the New
Moons. Taking the opportunity to further
remove oneself from the distractions of this world on the eve of the New Moon with a
special meal and/or bible study has always seemed appropriate.
This is where
the study paper you have posted on New Moons becomes like a cool breeze in the evening
after a long day in the field during harvest. If
one has never worked in the hay fields and suffered the effects of dust and the
restriction of breath, it is hard to describe what that cool breeze just after sundown,
during the twilight hours, really feels like. This
study is exceptionally well presented and documented with authoritarian sources. It clarifies many points which until now, that I
for one, only suspected. The links at the end
of your study which go to other study papers concerning the Covenant at Mount Sinai and New Covenant further
support and open understanding as to how the sacrifices in connection with New Moon
observance has been done away with during the absence of the Temple and a change of
priesthood.
I believe, this
is foundational to the problem. It seems
there has always been confusion about this point, namely what rituals were abolished. Yes, the validity of New Moons and their need to
be observed today goes hand-in-hand with the same arguments supporting the Sabbath and
annual festivals. They are all intricately
connected in God’s plan. We have all
heard it said not to throw the “Baby out with the bath water.”
Your study paper
suggests several things which will enhance the New Moon observance and should further our
relationship with Jesus Christ and our heavenly father.
This is especially helpful. This
is what it is all about, developing that special relationship, as we are constantly taught
and admonished, but the need to observe the New Moons, a vital truth and ingredient has
always been neglected. Without guidance and
suggestions from the church we have always come up a little short on technique.
To summarize, I
do not think the church has been CAREFUL, as
Deut. 4:5-6 admonishes us, in analyzing and developing a doctrinal stance concerning the
topic of New Moons. The leaders of the many
branches of God’s People would most certainly not consider that the Sabbath or holy
days are not valid just because sacrificial offerings have been eliminated. I think this problem involves a serious BREACH. I
have been studying a topic lately, which I believe pertains to this controversy over New
Moons.
Repairers of the Breach
A breach is a
broken section in a wall or fence or some other protective structure. All of us on farms and ranches know what breaches
are, as we continually have to repair fence. If
a breach occurs in your house a thief can enter. In
spiritual matters a breach in a defensive wall is very serious. Satan can enter and encourage God’s sheep to
go astray. God gives his people through his
word a protective armor, shield, or wall. These
things are accomplished by doctrinal understanding of the holy days, Sabbath, statutes and
judgements. Continual patching and repairs
are needed by the ministry to keep the protective instruments in place. It appears to me that a serious miscalculation
concerning the importance of the New Moons has created a breach in the protective walls
God tries to place around his people. This
breach has caused untold havoc and mass confusion. A
continual failure to address this problem by those who should know better only makes the
situation worse.
In 2 Kings 12:
1-5, we read of an order in the seventh year of King Jehoash for the priests to take money
and repair the breaches in the temple. But,
the priests were not really interested in repairing the Temple of God. All of the funds brought in were spent on their
private homes and own interests. Surprise,
God’s temple began to fall into serious disrepair.
Could not the extreme scattering of God’s people today be a result of
the same type of activity?
In the
twenty-third year of King Jehoash the situation was finally addressed. The priests were forced to cooperate in repairing
the temple. But notice that this deplorable
situation went on for sixteen (16) years and only a serious confrontation caused the
priests to do their duty. It took
conscientious and faithful workers to accomplish the task of repairing the breaches in the
temple. This same situation happened again
during Nehemiah’s time as recorded in Neh. 3: 5-32.
Poor Building Materials
Without quality
building materials it is impossible to do a good job.
In spiritual matters the essential building materials are God’s Truth,
God’s Law and God’s Word. Yes, if a
matter of doctrine is not according to the Law and the Testimony, there is no truth in it
(Isaiah 8: 20). Bogus builders and
contractors abound by the dozens in the building trades.
Many buildings have collapsed because of these bogus builders and for quite
awhile they actually looked quite good. But,
the end of these works was sure, bogus material and technique sealed the buildings’
doom.
The analogy is
the same in spiritual matters. Spiritual
swindlers passing themselves off as ministers use a pathetic array of human traditions,
human reasoning, vain ideas, pagan practices, and outright falsehood to create a spiritual
structure which will simply collapse. Ezekiel
13: 1-14 is a prophecy, which supports this analogy.
Some of the more
notable breaches Satan has successfully pulled off would be the Marriage Breach (witness
the divorce rate), Sabbath Breach, and yes, the Breach of the festival of the New Moons. Your study paper makes it clear, the New Moons are
an intricate part of a spiritual diet, which will enhance the believer’s relationship
with our Creator. These festivals were
observed in the time of Christ and still should be.
People Will Leave the Fellowship
Yes, this is
probably true. Most people in the Churches of
God have strong feelings concerning doctrine and tradition. They want to do what is right and this issue most
certainly has pros and cons. This argument
has several inherent flaws in reasoning. First
we need to realize that the audience before the ministry today is very well educated. They are well schooled and do not fit the casting
image of the Beverly Hillbillies. They want to see the Statement of Beliefs and
Mission Statements for organizations. They
want to see what an organization officially stands for.
They will just not swallow anything thrown their way.
A
better way to look at addressing what might happen if a doctrinal misunderstanding were
corrected might be to consider that many people on the sidelines might recognize the
sincerity of the effort to address the issues. The
argument that people would leave does not consider that the scattered flock might actually
hear and recognized the Good Shepherd’s voice (John 10: 7-18, Notice verse 16). This argument overlooks the fact that a scattered
flock might be listening for the truth and trying to locate where they are in a maze of
doctrinal confusion around them where all organizations look about the same.
The argument
that some people may leave a fellowship does not really take into consideration that
followers of Jesus Christ must grow in grace and knowledge.
This argument may sound good but it ignores certain parables in the New
Testament. This argument would ignore the
teachings of the parables (Matt.13: 5-8, Mark 4: 3-8, and Luke 8: 5-8) commonly known as
“The Sower and the Seeds.” This Sermon
on the Seashore is not held in the esteem of the Sermon
on the Mount but it does show there is a definite relationship between the preached
truth and the audience. Sometimes the
reaction is not what we would like to see. But,
there is another aspect to this. The parable
of the Two Sons (Matt. 21: 28-32) shows that
sometimes people appear to be reacting one way, when in fact a little time will show that
they retreat to a wide place, examine the facts, and choose to obey. Their ultimate objective is to be right with God.
The
argument that people will leave a fellowship when doctrine changes is based upon the
assumption that the People of God are not capable of examining the facts of an issue when
presented in a study paper, looking at alternate arguments, and then reaching a
conclusion. The reality of the situation is
that they must form opinions and show Christ what they are thinking.
Summary
Isaiah 58: 12: Those from among you shall
build the old waste place;
You
shall raise up the foundations of many generations;
And
you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach;
The
Restorer of Streets to Dwell in.
1. A
breach is a break in a wall. An enemy may
enter through it and through it an innocent believer may wonder off and become lost.
2. Repairing
spiritual breaches is the responsibility of all believers, especially the ministry. God will remove his blessings from believers or
any leadership, which persistently shirks their duty.
Politically correct maneuvers based upon human reasoning will not cut it.
3. No
matter what your profession, if you address a problem, you can become a Repairer of the
Breach. But one must expect opposition. Satan is never pleased when Breaches are being
Repaired or when Old Paths (such as the true understanding of the New Moons and their
rightful place today) are being restored.
4. It is
essential that the finest building materials be used: God’s Truth, God’s Law,
and God’s Word. Private opinions and
human reasoning will not do.
5. False
prophets may be compared to bogus builders. In
a time of trouble their flimsy spiritual structures will collapse and destroy God’s
elect trapped within these bogus, doctrinal structures.
6.
Many spiritual breaches exist among God’s
people today. The lack of a spirit of
reconciliation, unhappy married life, the knowledge of the true Sabbath Day, the knowledge
of the law of God, the real word of God, and of course a knowledge of the New Moons and
their place in the worship of the Creator. Believers
who conscientiously try to repair these breaches will become known as Repairers of the Breach.
7. The
Disciples of Christ will hear his voice and respond.
Conclusion
I believe your
study paper (Thoughts on the New Moon) has the potential to heal many breaches within the
Churches of God today. It addresses a missing
element in doctrinal understanding. The
question of proper doctrine over the New Moons is one piece of the puzzle which Mr.
Armstrong was not used in returning to the Church of God.
The burden has been placed upon his true ministers today, to face up to this
problem and address it. We have often heard
how Edward Gibbon is quoted as an authority concerning the customs of the Apostolic Church
at the end of the Roman Empire. It is clear
from his writings that Mr. Gibbon believed the historical record showed that the Apostolic
Church had combined the Law of Moses with the Teachings of Christ. One aspect of this new religion was the continued
observance of the New Moons as documented in the book of Colossians and demonstrated by a
logical analysis of the entire New Testament.
.
Any doctrinal
model of Apostolic Christianity ignoring the issues concerning New Moons lacks
credibility. The simple facts are that the
original apostles and Paul, all of whom Christ personally trained, kept the New Moon
festivals, undoubtedly in a New Spirit based upon the teachings of Christ. Without a doubt, the Apostolic Church must have
quit the sacrifice of animals at the temple, as they would have recognized the change of
authority in the priesthood. But as scripture
shows, by Paul’s example concerning his purification vow, it would not necessarily
have been wrong or a sin to present a sacrifice.
Over the years,
the church has taught the concept of a Place of
Safety. I fail to understand the
justification for the effort and speculation which has went into this topic when it is
obvious that the issues concerning the New Moon festivals, commanded feasts as your study
paper points out, has been consistently put on hold for about fifty years. Human opinion and reasoning just does not cut it
when we examine doctrinal issues. The weight
of the evidence favors a need for the observance of the New Moons in the Churches of God
today.
Keep up the good work.. I will be looking forward to the various articles
both pro and con as they develop on your forum page.
This is a study, which many people will enjoy and profit from. I personally feel that the issue of the New Moon
festivals will set aside, as different, those leaders who embrace and explain this
doctrine. Leaders not addressing this topic
and seeking to avoid controversy will actually take a position whether they wish too or
not. Some things just have no middle ground. This is why Deut. 4: 5-9 admonishes the Israelites
to be different, to be noticeable, and to be careful when tampering with divine
instruction. The issues concerning New Moons,
Sabbaths, and Annual festivals move far beyond whether or not they are commanded. These issues really involve seeking the real will
of God and understanding that the knowledge of these days and chance to observe them is
really a privilege.