Do we realize how SIGNIFICANT this statement is from Mr. Armstrong, that ONLY HALF of God's end time Church will endure
to the end? It should SHOCK us! It should jolt us or at least begin to WAKE US UP!
In Matthew 25 verses 1 through 4, Christ likens the Kingdom of God to ten virgins with lamps. The (ten) of course is
representing the "whole" of the Church. It goes on to say that five were foolish and five were wise. And it had to do with
OIL or what it represents, which is God's Holy Spirit.
But notice what it says in verse 5. It says: "But while the bridegroom was delayed, they ALL
slumbered and slept."
So at some point then, as JESUS CHRIST says, the WHOLE CHURCH fell ASLEEP! That means exactly what it says.
Every single one of us in this Laodicean or last era of God's Church FELL SOUND ASLEEP! This is Jesus Christ's own words,
not mine.
But also notice what it says in verse 6. It says: "And at midnight a CRY was HEARD: Behold, the bridegroom is coming;
go out to meet him!"
So here we are brethren, right at 21 years into the Laodicean era, and YES, there is a CRY or WARNING going out
to God's people that our time of final exams is almost over, and Christ will be returning soon. And as the scripture
says about this "cry" at midnight, it says: "GO OUT TO MEET HIM!"
So HOW then do we do this? Christ says to this final era: TO REPENT! In other words, turn back to something!
(Rev. 3:19)
It has been well covered within THIS website what that entails. Basically it means to go back to ALL of those
doctrines that God restored through Mr. Armstrong and HOLD FAST to all of them! That includes all of his teachings and directives
that Christ placed into the Church through him.
This message is going out now, and it will be "heard" as it says there in Matt. 25:6, ...
BUT WILL IT BE HEEDED?
Apparently not by many. Notice what it goes on to say about the five foolish virgins after the door is SHUT on them!
Christ says to this group that: "I DON'T KNOW YOU! " (verse 12)
This is talking about God's own Church! ONLY HALF will endure to the end! How sad! This should make us cringe to
even think about it. Because the half that doesn't endure, will more than likely lose their eternal lives. Remember judgement
is NOW upon the House of God, not later. The rest of the world comes later. But we are BEING judged NOW. This is our only
chance!
These scriptures (in Matt. 25) that coincide with Mr. Armstrong's statement above, are NOT talking about who makes
it, or does not make it, into the "place of safety" or place of final training. It IS talking about WHO makes it INTO GOD'S
KINGDOM! Remember, verse 1 of Matt. 25 sets the context.
As far as the "place of safety", only God knows who or how many will make it there. Apparently it's not very
many (Joel 2:32). But even that does not "guarantee" that one will continue to "endure" and make it into God's Kingdom.
The place of safety is not an end in and of itself.
We must HOLD FAST and endure ALL THE WAY TO THE END!
Christ has MUCH to say to this Laodicean era of His Church. As mentioned above, in Rev. 3:19 He admonishes us to REPENT.
Unfortunately many of God's people today do not see a NEED to repent or are not even aware of what to repent OF.
So as Christ warns us through His own Word about this Laodicean condition, we should ALL ask ourselves: "Which HALF will
we be in?".
But Christ also gives us GOOD news if we do repent. Yes there is actually good news for
Laodiceans, who wake up and repent. A few are repenting and waking up now, but many others hopefully will
wake up and repent during the coming great tribulation. Notice the final three verses following this, in Rev. 3:20-21 in
which Christ says:
"Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in
to him and dine with him, and he with Me. 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. He who has an ear. let him hear what
the Spirit says to the churches."
How can we tell we are in the Laodicean era?
Some today may argue that we are still in the Philadelphia era but that just "some" are Laodiceans. Others
say that yes we are in the Laodicean era, but that THEY are Philadelphians. Many don’t know (or care) one way or the
other.
But what was the ONE thing that God said Philadelphia would have that is not mentioned or given to
ANY OTHER era? It was the OPEN DOOR to preach the gospel to the world as a witness! (Rev. 3:8)
Today it should be obvious that there is NO open door! That door to effectively preach the gospel to the world
was closed at the END of the Philadelphia era, when Mr. Armstrong (The Philadelphia Messenger) died!
Furthermore, Mr. Armstrong made it clear in his writings that ONLY THE APOSTLE had the authority to go through
that open door and preach the gospel to the world. Today there is NO apostle! But clearly today there is NO open door! That
is why Christ says the Laodiceans are neither cold or hot, yet He does acknowledge that they have "works" (Rev. 3:15) but
they are self-righteous or lukewarm works and therefore DEAD!
This one aspect alone (about the Open Door), SHOULD be proof enough for any who haven’t closed their
eyes or their minds, that WE ARE INDEED IN THE LAODICEAN ERA of God's Church. We can now look back at
the history of the past 21 years and compare THAT to the over 50 years preceding that, and SEE that God indeed did
a mighty and powerful worldwide witnessing work under the leadership of Mr. Armstrong. And it was a testimony and witness
to ALL of us!
So today we see men or ministers trying to DUPLICATE what God ALREADY accomplished through His Philadelphia
Messenger and end time Elijah who was also the Ezekiel Watchman unto the nations of Israel as well as the end time Zerubbabel.
History PROVES that Mr. Armstrong was used by God to fulfill these offices or roles. But men today want to OVERLOOK (or ignore)
that and what God Himself did through Mr. Armstrong, so that they can continue "their own" work. This is futility, and hypocrisy
and a shame! These pitiful men DO NOT have an open door! What they have is their OWN works. They are not being blessed by
God because they are not doing God’s work, and God is NOT with them.
Many say that Mr. Armstrong was "wrong" about the Laodicean era or when it would come. They use a statement
that is mentioned in Mr. Armstrong’s writings where he said: "The Laodicean Church will rise up and out of the great
tribulation". I have seen this myself in his writings and heard him say it.
But NOTICE, he did NOT say anything about the ERA, he said the Laodicean CHURCH would rise up and out of the tribulation! And he was absolutely CORRECT!
The ERA of Laodicea would obviously be on the scene first, before the Church(s) could come together
during the tribulation. And indeed it (the ERA) HAS BEEN on the scene for almost 21 years! A time of final exams or testing.
Mr. Armstrong himself in the early to mid 1980’s warned us of the Laodicean condition that was trying
to come into God’s Church. It took the strong leadership, and UNCOMPROMISING character of Mr. Armstrong to keep it from
happening. See the related sound bite of Mr. Armstrong on the sound bite page of this website. But Mr. Armstrong died, and
almost IMMEDIATELY, the Laodicean condition began to raise its ugly self-righteous head within God’s Church.
But WHY then, does the Laodicean CHURCH have to rise up during the tribulation, as Mr. Armstrong said?
Think about it for a moment. And notice he said Church (singular), and not ChurchES (plural). Today there are Laodicean
ChurchES (plural) everywhere!
So at some point during the tribulation, those Laodicean churches (now on the scene) who are caught
IN the tribulation and IN the captivity, will have to (in order to obtain their salvation) COME TOGETHER and fully
acknowledge their self-righteousness and sin and WHO they are! They will be FULLY AWAKE then! They will THEN realize they
have to die as MARTYRS in order to gain their salvation or eternal lives in the first resurrection.
So as a result of this "waking up" that these Laodicean churches go through in the tribulation, they will
come together again as ONE Church that rises up and out of the tribulation! So as they "rise up" (through true repentance),
they will also "come out" of the tribulation, by or through martyrdom!
As has been mentioned before on this website, there indeed will be unity in God’s Church again, but
it’s going to take the great tribulation to bring it! As it stands right now today, there is no way that these "churches"
of Laodicea will unite as one again, as it was under Mr. Armstrong’s leadership. They just can’t and won’t
do it. So GOD HIMSELF will do it for them! And it will take the strong correction and punishment of the great tribulation
to shake and wake God’s people up!
SO YES INDEED, just as Mr. Armstrong said, the Laodicean CHURCH will rise up and out of the tribulation!
But the Laodicean ERA with all its churchES is here now and has been for some 21 years.
END
