The Lion Has Roared

7/28/2019 The Lion Has Roared

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The Lion Has

roaredProphecy for Today From the Book of amos


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e Lion Has

ROARED

by Gerald Flurry

The message of Amoswhich is prophesiedthat people will not be able to bear!


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This booklet is not to be sold.

It is a free educational service inthe public interest, published bythe Philadelphia Church of God.

1991, 1992, 2006, 2011 Philadelphia Church of GodAll Rights Reserved

Printed in the United States of AmericaScriptures in this publication are quoted from the

King James Version, unless otherwise noted.


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Christ is getting ready to return to Earth.

But how bad will events become before He

arrives? The most powerful part of biblical

Israel is compared to a sheep that has been

attackedand only two legs and a piece of anear remain! Only one tenth of these nations

inhabitants will survive. There is no stronger

prophetic message in the Bible. Of the one

who delivers it, Amos says, The land is not

able to bear all his words. This is a prophecy

for now. God must supernaturally protect His

very elect from what is coming. Thankfully,

all of these horrifying events lead to the

return of Jesus Christ to rule this world

forever!


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Contents

Chapter 1

The End Is Come ..........................................................1

Chapter 2AdonaiOur Head Who Blesses ..................................... 9

Chapter 3Christ Personally Appears! ............................................23

Chapter 4Famine of the Word .......................................................36

Chapter 5Amos: Wealthy Rancher, Poet, Historian and Prophet ..44


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Chapter 1

The End Is Come

T , news lasts forever!

Sinners who deny Gods prophecies will be plungedinto the Great Tribulation. People who heed Gods warnings

shall be protected in a place of safety. Even physically, thestakes are enormous.

Amos tells us that even many of Gods own people will failto heed His warning.

The message of this book revolves around a specificprophecy against two end-time nations and Gods Church.Hate the evil, and love the good, and establish judgment in

the gate: it may be that the L God of hosts will be graciousunto the remnant of Joseph. Woe unto you that desire theday of the L! to what end is it for you? the day of the Lis darkness, and not light (Amos 5:15, 18).

The remnant refers to the end-time descendants ofJosephparticularly those of his two sons Ephraim andManasseh (Genesis 48:13; 49:1, 22). Ephraim is comprisedof the British nations, like the UK, Canada, Australia, New

Zealand and South Africa, while Manasseh is the United States.These nations comprise the birthright nations of end-timeIsrael, about which the biblical prophecies speaknot themodern-day nation called Israel, which is comprised primarilyof the descendants of ancient Judah. Herbert W. Armstrongsbook The United States and Britain in Prophecy explains thesetruths in detail. (Request a free copy if you dont have one.)
http://media.pcog.org/en/Literature/USBP.pdfhttp://media.pcog.org/en/Literature/USBP.pdf


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THE LION HAS ROARED2

The Worldwide Church of God (), which Mr. Armstrongfounded, no longer believes in the truth contained in thatbook. In fact, that was one of several works the fought us

over in court to suppress when we wanted to print them! TheGods own Churchcompletely defected from the truthof God A!

Thus hath the Lord G shewed unto me: and behold abasket of summer fruit. And he said, Amos, what seest thou?And I said, A basket of summer fruit. Then said the L unto

me, T upon my people of Israel; I . And the songs of the temple shall behowlings in that day, saith the Lord G: there shall be manydead bodies in every place; they shall cast them forth withsilence. Hear this, O ye that swallow up the needy, even tomake the poor of the land to fail, Saying, When will the newmoon be gone, that we may sell corn? and the sabbath, that wemay set forth wheat, making the ephah small, and the shekel

great, and falsifying the balances by deceit? (Amos 8:1-5).Here is a prophecy about the nearness of the end. Its about

Gods Church at the very endand the nations of Israel. Amosdiscusses how the people were eager for the new moon and theSabbath to end. I G S,but with a wrong attitude. They are eager for the Sabbathto end. This doesnt apply to a worldly religion. Its about

Gods people who keep Saturday as their Sabbaththe trueSabbathbut they are going in the wrong direction. (For proofof this, request our free booklet Which Day Is the ChristianSabbath?, also by Mr. Armstrong.)

The new moon is not a lawits a . Wateringdown traditions can also be a dangerous . This is anend-time prophecy about Gods traditions and Gods laws beingwatered down. Its in the context of

! This is an alarming prophecy for Gods own people! Itisnt something we can take lightly.

This same chapter discusses a famine of Gods word duringthe Great Tribulation (verse 11). The , under Mr. Arm-strong, always applied this directly to Gods Church. T - G C! When you see the massive rebellion, God -
http://media.pcog.org/en/Literature/SABB.pdfhttp://media.pcog.org/en/Literature/SABB.pdfhttp://media.pcog.org/en/Literature/SABB.pdfhttp://media.pcog.org/en/Literature/SABB.pdf


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The End Is Come 3

to us that T I!(Amos 8:2; see also Ezekiel 7:2-3).

This describes a time when Gods Church has become -

in the same of a famine of Gods word in theGreat Tribulation. It is the same story as in Revelation 3:14-20,Gods description of the Laodicean era of His own Church.

Amos dates the end time more specifically. When GodsChurch (the , and groups that have left that church sinceMr. Armstrong died) is casting His truth to the ground (Daniel8:11-12)the end is . The Philadelphia era has

passed and the Laodicean era is present (Revelation 3:7-21). Itis a clear sign that the end is imminent.It is a very dark timeespecially for Britain and America.

Ye that put far away the evil day, and cause the seat of vio-lence to come near (Amos 6:3). It is an evil day, and someof Gods people refuse to face reality. The nations of Israel willonce again be thrust into captivity (Amos 9:14)unless theyrepent. Israel and Gods people must wake up!

T h e l i o n h a s r o a r e d

Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not beafraid? shall there be evil in a city, and the L hath not doneit? (Amos 3:6). T - ! The people inthe city ought to be afraid, especially if they know what is about

to happen to the cities of modern-day Israel! (More on thatlater.) If people hear the trumpet of God, they should be afraid.Surely the Lord G will do nothing, but he revealeth his

secret unto his servants the prophets. The lion hath roared,who will not fear? the Lord G hath spoken, who can butprophesy? (verses 7-8).

The lion is a type of Godand when God , peoplemust hear and respond, or pay a terrifying price! The Lion has

roaredHis loyal people must prophesy!Some Bible scholars today believe that the Assyrian colossus

was rising on the world scene in Amoss time. That is probablytrue, because it is precisely the foremost physical danger thatAmerica and Britain face today. The modern descendants of theAssyrians are the Germans. (Our free booklet Germany and theHoly Roman Empire proves that point and a great deal more.)


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The main subject here is about how God always revealssecrets to His prophets. The secret Amos 3:7 refers to doesinvolve Germany today, but that is only part of the prophecy.

The building of a German colossus is accelerating very quicklyin this last hour (1 John 2:18; Revised Standard Version).But that was not Amoss primary concern. He wrote, [T]L G , ? Gods revealed

prophecy in Amos is what should stir us most of all! We shouldbe stirred to get Gods revealed truth about the book of Amos tothe birthright nations. G ! And in this booklet you

are reading what He spoke for the end time.The Lion has roared! And we must respond, just as wewould to the roar of a wild lion we might face in Africa. Do youand I have the necessary to deliver Gods message?

God speaks through revelation. Then He uses His Churchto deliver the secret given to His prophet. [W] ? T G !

Amos had a profound understanding of world news. And so

must we today. Then we can vividly see these prophecies beingfulfilled. There is no time to waste!

When we see and hear what God says about Germany, andthen that is reinforced by reading world news, who can butprophesy?

Each one of us must have our heart in Gods Work, or wewont grow spiritually.

But there is much resistance. Even ministers and peoplewhom God raised up are saying prophesy not! And I raised upof your sons for prophets, and of your young men for Nazarites.Is it not even thus, O ye children of Israel? saith the L. But yegave the Nazarites wine to drink; and commanded the prophets,saying, Prophesy not (Amos 2:11-12). H G ! Some of Gods own people dont want to hear about the

end-time holocaust. However, G !

G has ! Let the people beware! That is Gods answerto prophesy not. T G , (verse 11). Most of them say prophesy not.

These verses show that these ministers once had a strongprophetic message! But here in the book of Amos, they have


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The End Is Come 5

gotten into a prophesy not posture. That is exactly whathappened after Mr. Armstrong died! Even casual observerscould see the dramatic change. Most of those ministers now say

prophesy not, but a small remnant blow the trumpet (Amos3:6). A GC ! Gods people are divided over whetheror not to deliver Gods prophetic message. The Laodiceans lackthe faith to proclaim such a strong message.

A ! Ifthe lion roared before that time, the prey would flee. T

G ! Its about two of Gods churches thatdont agree and cant walk together (verse 3). That is the -. Its discussing a C G!

These prophecies must be spoken. God has thatthere is serious trouble in His Church and in Israel (especiallythe United States and Britain).

Can a bird fall in a snare upon the earth, where no gin is forhim? shall one take up a snare from the earth, and have taken

nothing at all? (verse 5). A snare doesnt look like a trap. Onthe surface, everything looks enticing to the bird. Suddenly, itis helplessly trapped. And that is how it will be with Israel andGods Laodicean churches. The Tribulation will spring - upon those who wont listen to Godsword!

God says end-time Israel will be attacked by its lovers

unless it repents (Ezekiel 23:9, 22). Its the - G . Mr. Armstrong prophesiedthis catastrophe for over 50 years!

Through the book of Amos, God is trying to arouse theLaodicean churches and the nations of Israel! It is a time forself-examination and repentance.

Hear this word that the L hath spoken against you, Ochildren of Israel, against the whole family which I brought

up from the land of Egypt, saying, You only have I known ofall the families of the earth: therefore I will punish you for allyour iniquities (Amos 3:1-2). Biblical Israel is the only nationGod has ever really known. T G - C I. Along with that honor comes aweighty responsibility! We must respond to God and do HisWorkor pay a horrendous penalty.


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Some of G , who have had the unparalleledhonor to know God, H.

Will a lion roar in the forest, when he hath no prey? will

a young lion cry out of his den, if he have taken nothing?(verse 4). God never roars without reason.

H G ? As He always has H ! That means the Church would splitat the very end.One group does Gods Work and for Him! They pro-claim the terrifying prophecies just before Christ returns torule this Earth. The other group of Gods people say prophesy

not. They may not say those exact words. They talk of notbeing distracted by prophecy. Or they say, Get your mind offprophecy, or, Youre too preoccupied with prophecy.

Anyone can see that the made a move awayfrom its past views on prophecy.

T L G P C! A is beingsoundednot a . This trumpet is to sound the alarm of

war and ! Trumpet blowing often signaled war in theOld Testament.

This trumpet is the alarm of ! Its an alarm thatshould cause people to tremble.

T ! Israel and many of Godsown people are asleep! Those of us who are responding to Godmust do all we can to and warn people of

what is coming upon Israel .

T h e h o r n s o f T h e a l Ta r

That in the day that I shall visit the transgressions of Israelupon him I will also visit the altars of Bethel: and the horns ofthe altar shall be cut off, and fall to the ground (Amos 3:14).Bethel means house of God. The horns of the altar are going

to be cut off. Anciently, people could seek refuge in Gods tab-ernacle, or temple, by coming in and grabbing the horns. Oftenthey could receive Gods mercy and be saved from punishmentor death.

So what does the message about the horns mean today?G U.S. B ! (But Scripture shows that


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The End Is Come 7

God does deliver a remnant of His people from the comingnuclear holocaust by taking them to a place of safety.) Thosewho remain will find no place to hideno refuge from Satans

wrath. T ! (Everyindication is that this place of safety is outside the U.S. andBritain.)

And I will smite the winter house with the summer house;and the houses of ivory shall perish, and the great houses shallhave an end, saith the L (verse 15). Who has a summerhouse and a winter house? Or a great house? Those who are

financially successful. Those are the houses that normally sur-vive difficult crises. But not this time. G ! (Daniel 12:1;Matthew 24:21; Jeremiah 30:7).

T w o l e g s o r a P i e c e o f a n e a r

How bad are circumstances about to become? Therefore thus

saith the Lord G; An adversary there shall be even roundabout the land; and he shall bring down thy strength from thee,and thy palaces shall be spoiled. Thus saith the L; As theshepherd taketh out of the mouth of the lion two legs, or apiece of an ear; so shall the children of Israel be taken out thatdwell in Samaria in the corner of a bed, and in Damascus ina couch (Amos 3:11-12). The picture is of a lions attack on a

sheep. A .B G ! He is talking aboutA, and B and the J I! A I !

T B!

The Lion has already roared and is ready to pounce. Thevictims are going to be America, Britain and the Middle East

Jews (Hosea 5:5).Imagine only two legs or a piece of an ear left from this sheep!

This is what the shepherd took out of the mouth of the lion.How will you react? It appears that most people wont

respond until its too late physically. But how did Amosrespond? He let the most extreme crisis ever motivate him tosay, [W] ?


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This is how you and I should respond. God wants us to getbehind this message and support it any way we can, with allour might!

The Head of the very elect is the Lion of JudahChristHimself. He has as never before! We must share Hislove and emotions.

Amos tells us that if we understand world conditions andthink like Christ, then we must prophesy!

The lion roars just before he springs upon his prey. Thebook of Amos is one giant lions roar.

Who can do anything but prophesy? Who can but get thismessage out?The Laodicean churches of God say Prophesy not (Amos

2:11-12). Some 95 percent of Gods people have received thewine of false doctrine. They are spiritually drunk and blind towhat is happening in Bible prophecy. This is a hard message todeliver. Only those with the courage of God will do it. But theywill receive the most spectacular reward God has to give in this

last end.When we see tremendous decay in the nation and in Gods

Church, we can know that times are frighteningly .This is a time for the Lions roar and the trumpet of alarm.T ! They also must understand who issending these curses and why.


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AdonaiOur Head Who Blesses 9

Cha

pter 2AdonaiOur

Head Who BlessesA

, g Anchor BiBle.That is true, if you understand it. This is a difficult bookto read and understandbut even more difficult to

acceptbecause of the nightmarish prophecies that fill it.Nevertheless, it applies specifically to the people in Gods

Church more than most prophetic books.There is not a stronger book in the Bible than Amoscer-

tainly not of this size.The Prophet Amos had a monumental task to grapple with in

writing down the dark visions God gave him. He was a poet, andhe sought to describe what he saw in the most vivid, descriptivelanguage he could fashion. He wrote some very black poetry, the

way the world would view it, adding a lot of poetic detail. Hiscreative mind felt the full impact of what God revealed to him.As we deliver Gods trumpet warning to this sinful world

today, we should be able to identify somewhat with Amoss diffi-culties. These are serious times. Studying the book of Amos mademe realize that more deeply.

However, Amos was able to maintain his stability in a keywayone that we must learn from as we do Gods Work.

a d o n a i

Twenty-five times in his little book, Amos uses the nameAdonai when referring to Godmore than all the other minorprophets combined.

Why would Amos use that name so much?


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The primary definition forAdonai is headship; the head (seethe Companion Bible). Perhaps as Amos worked to convey all ofthose frightening prophecies, he wanted to ensure that he held the

Headthe God of the Old Testament who became Jesus Christ.His book contains so much bad news, perhaps he wanted to keepreminding himself that the great God was behind it all. This isGods idea, not mine, he may have thought. He does everything fora reason. I want to make sure I view that bad news as God does.

Most of Gods people in this end time lost their Head(Colossians 2:19). They allowed themselves to be beguiled by

men. As a result, they will lose their reward, and, for those whodont repent, even their eternal life!If Gods faithful remnant is to avoid making the same mistake,

we must have deep understanding and faith in these prophecies.We need to understand them well enough that no man who triesto pervert the truth can beguile us!

E in Gods Church is responsible for holding theHead.

Amos held the Head. He kept Gods headship present in histhoughts all the time.

A richer understanding of the nameAdonai includes the senseof God blessing. He is our Head who blessesnot only His veryelect, but also the whole world.

Prophecy contains so much bad news. Thinking about a risingbeast power and about the death of Israel can be depressing! It isessential that we hold the Head

especiallywhen looking at all

the bad news. If we dont, we can almost want to avoid watchingworld events altogether, because they are so negative! But is thatthe way our Head thinks about it? If you are holding the Head,you will think of those prophecies the way the Head does.

All of this destruction is directed by Adonai, our Head, in thecontext of blessings! God is trying to give eternal life to as manypeople as possible.

Christ does curse His people when they rebel. But even thosecurses are turned into blessings if the people repent.

This book does have a lot of bad news for the nations of Israeland Gods Laodicean Church in this end time. A - AdonAi - , , H . Adonais purpose is to bless you and all mankind.


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All of the evil is coming upon us because of rebelling againstGods law. The inhabitants could not bear Gods words, deliveredby Amos (Amos 7:10). They heard Gods prophecies and con-

tinued to sinjust as they do today.Because of these deadly prophecies, Amos wanted to keep

the Adonai who blesses in his mind always. That is even moreneedful today, since we prophesy about the worst time of suf-fering ever on Earth.

The Prophet Amos was able to find the good news in the badnews. That motivated him to do the Work of God! He didnt get

depressed or try to avoid bad news. Understanding the truthmotivated him, as it should us.Some 95 percent of Gods own people have refused to deliver

Gods message today. Was it because they lost sight of Adonaiwho blesses?

That had to be a big part of why they lost Adonai, their Head(Colossians 1:18-19).

If we dont keep our godly perspective, we wont see Gods

love in our trials, the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord.Amos repeatedly referred to the Adonai who blesses!If we hold the Head, that means we bring His thinking to bear

on all the bad news. We view it as Christ does (Philippians 2:5).Otherwise, we will become negative as the persecution intensifiesas a result of our increasingly strong warning.

Amos was more explicit than the other prophets in describingthe coming destruction. That is a big part of the reason why

theland would not bear his words.Will Gods loyal people be able to bear the persecution that

comes because of our message? I C G T.

There is some extremely bad news ahead in the short run. Wemust be able to face the worst news and still know that we servethe Adonai who blesses.

If we understand the purpose of the bad news, we can drawinspiration and hope from those very prophecies!

B e T h e l a n d g i l ga l

Bethel and Gilgal are end-time code words pointing back to the of Israel as a nation. They are the to correcting the


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problems of Gods lukewarm Church and the nation of Israel.Come to Bethel, and transgress; at Gilgal multiply transgres-

sion; and bring your sacrifices every morning, and your tithes

after three years (Amos 4:4). Bethel means house of God. Inthis prophecy, it has become corrupt. For Jacob, Bethel was the of his relationship with God (Genesis 28:16-22).

A church (house) of God has gone astray, and God is tryingto point it back to the when it was obedient toGod. Today, God is trying to point the Laodiceans back to theirbeginning to help them see how they went astray. My book

Malachis Message tells this story in more detail; request a freecopy if you do not have one.Bethel is mentioned seven times in the book of Amos (Amos

3:14; 4:4; 5:5 twice, 6; 7:10, 13). Seven is Gods number of com-pletion. So the structure of this prophecy is very precise andwell-planned by God, and it is all focused on this end time.

Gilgal is also transgressing. This was the first place Israelcamped after reaching the Promised Land. An altar of 12 stones

was built to honor God. Twelve is the number of new institu-tional beginnings. The Israelites were following God when theycame out of Egypt. So God is pointing not only the church butalso the modern-day nations of Israel back to their when they were obeying God.

And offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving with leaven, and pro-claim and publish the free offerings: for this liketh you, O ye

children of Israel, saith the Lord G (Amos 4:5). The churchis religious, but God is very critical of its religion. TheLaodiceans offer no . That means they are blindto their own sins (as in Revelation 3:14-20). Therefore, theywont receive correction. God plagues themand the nationsof Israelfive times (Amos 4:6-11). Still, they fail to repentuntil they are in the Great Tribulation. They are about to meettheir God (verses 12-13).

Bethel (a type of Gods Church) will come to nothing in theTribulation, and Gilgal (a type of modern-day Israel) is goinginto captivity (Amos 5:5). This is what it will take to turn 50percent of the Laodiceans to Godthe other 50 percent willlose their salvation (Matthew 25:1-13).

The job of the Philadelphia Church of God is to warn all ofthem.
http://media.pcog.org/en/Literature/MM.pdfhttp://media.pcog.org/en/Literature/MM.pdf


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s o d o m a n d g o m o r r a h

Thinking about a huge nuclear holocaust isnt exactly

inspiring, but that is exactly what we are facing in the worldtoday! It is worse than anything we have ever seen on Earth.Amos described it just as it will be. While these arent pleasantwords to hear, we must see the good news in the bad.

Amos was human as we are. He must have thought, Why doI have to deliver such a negative message? The inhabitants of theland cant bear to hear it! Its not easy for any man to deliver a

message like that!Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not beafraid? shall there be evil in a city, and the lord hath not doneit? (Amos 3:6). Notice that: G is responsible for all of this!Our Head who blesses has done it! Shouldnt that cause us tothink differently about it?

Notice the reason God sends this destruction:I have overthrown some of you, as God overthrew Sodom

and Gomorrah, and ye were as a firebrand plucked out of theburning: , L(Amos 4:11). This is also destruction by fire. The word someis in italics, which means the translators added it. God isgoing to destroy the U.S. and Britain as He did Sodom andGomorrah. God did this by calling fire down from heaven(Genesis 19:24). F is going to destroy our

nations unless they repent of their sodomy and upside-downfamily life! (Isaiah 3:12).Amos writes in a poetic style. But what black poetry. Why

all of this unparalleled bad news? Because after all of thesecurses, yet have you not returned unto me!

Why do America, Britain and the Middle East Jews seetrouble on every side? Will we have nothing left but two legs ora piece of an earbefore we finally accept Gods message?

Remember, you cant return to God if you never were withHim. These nations of Israel have a history with Godunlike theGentiles. So we get corrected first. God corrects until our peopleget the message. All of this bad news has a wonderful purpose.

Christs greatest passion was to finish the Work (John 4:34).Is this my greatest passion? Is it yours? We all have room toimprove. We all need severe self-examination.


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Is this too horrible to face? Amos didnt think so.The reference in Amos 4:11 to Sodom and Gomorrah is

clearly referring to the fire from heaven that destroyed those

cities. But it also refers to their abominable sinsparticularlysodomy! The modern nations of Israel love itand they hatethose who dare criticize it! But what does God say?

Think about what God did to Sodom and Gomorrah. Do youhate sodomy as God does? Would you as God didbecause of it?We must learn to think the way God does.

But our Head who did not destroy those cities indis-

criminately. T . Scriptureshows that the people of Sodom and Gomorrah have yet to bejudged (e.g. Matthew 10:15). There will yet come a day whenGod will resurrect them, remove the scales from their eyes andreveal His truth to them.

When our Head who blesses sends destruction, it is ulti-mately meant to G!

The same God who sent fire to correct Sodom and Gomorrah

is going to send fire in this end time in order to correct thenations!

Hear ye this word which I take up against you, even a lam-entation, O house of Israel. The virgin of Israel is fallen; sheshall no more rise: she is forsaken upon her land; there is noneto raise her up. For thus saith the Lord G; The city thatwent out by a thousand shall leave an hundred, and that [the

same city of 1,000] which went forth by an hundred shall leaveten, to the house of Israel (Amos 5:1-3). The is a target.N ! A 10 loss in a military campaign is disastrous. Here, 90 percent of thepeople in a city die immediately! Then, only 10 percent of thesurvivors remain alive. Only 10 out of 1,000 are leftor 10,000out of a million. T 99 ! Other biblical verses indi-

cate / of the total population survives (Isaiah 6:9-13).Do we deeply fathom what is about to happen to the nations

of Israel? Do we have the courage to face this stupendousdisaster?

Sodom and Gomorrah were left in ashes (2 Peter 2:6). Theysuffered the vengeance of eternal fire (Jude 7). The same fateawaits our major cities.


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That is what it takes for them to repent of their sodomy.That is how hardened they are in their sins.

Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they

drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; Butthe same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire andbrimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all (Luke 17:28-29). It rained fire and brimstone on Sodom. A similar disasteris prophesied for the U.S. and Britain. Even thus shall it be inthe day when the Son of man is revealed (verse 30). B- I LIIG S G

DIE S G! Please read that again.I S, S

! This same type of destruction is coming just beforeChrist returns! God has prophesied!

Why does the destruction have to be so severe? B ! God always sends a warning mes-sage, but it goes unheededpeople continue to revel in theirabominable sins.

Would Adonaiour Head who blessesreally destroy 99percent of the people in the cities? He certainly wouldjustlook at Sodom and Gomorrah!

Its not God who is hardit is ! The people arecaught up in spiritual Sodom and Gomorrah!

Our Head realizes that this is to get into the Family of God. The destruction of cities is a ter-

rible thing, but if you thought you could get even into the Family of God forever, wouldnt you say ? Y!God wants the . If you look at the

of all the bad news, you wont be discouraged! G , even though He sheds tears over the people ofIsrael and all their terrible suffering!

God took Lot and his family out of Sodom before it wasdestroyed. And in this end time, God will take a small, righ-

teous remnant out of biblical Israel and save their physical lives(Revelation 12:14).

T h e e x c e l l e n c y o f J a c oB

That drink wine in bowls, and anoint themselves with the chiefointments: but they are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph


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(Amos 6:6).Joseph is the United States and Britain. Problemsabound everywhere: violence, crime, family breakdown, drugs,an enormous pornography sewage, perverted music, terrible

problems in our financial structure, and social unraveling. Inspite of all of our problems, people drink wine in bowls. Theyare living the good life as our nations fall apart.

They are celebrating when they ought to be grieving. T !

Therefore now shall they go captive with the first that gocaptive, and the banquet of them that stretched themselves

shall be removed. The Lord G hath sworn by himself, saiththe L the God of hosts, I abhor the excellency of Jacob, andhate his palaces: therefore will I deliver up the city with all thatis therein (verses 7-8).

Note that statement! God says, I abhor the excellency ofJacob, and hate his palaces. What we esteem highly in our soci-eties, God ! That is a ! What Israel exalts,G HATES! Might this be an area where we need to examine

ourselves to see if we hate the same things God does? Ought notwe pray and ask our Adonai who blesses for His view?

Amos had Gods view. H . If we are going to be motivated to dispense Godsmessage, we are going to have to hate what God hates! Wemust hate what is happening in Israel and to Israel. We musthate how people are defaming Godour Head, and soon to be

theirHead.Consider the television and movies of this world, forexamplewhich people get so excited about. Do you thesin that is glorified in that entertainment? Does it make you

yearn for a new, godly civilization?Amos hated the evils of this world. Lots wife didnt. Her

family had to practically drag her out of Sodom, and she stilllooked back longingly at the evil city she loved!before God

transformed her into a pillar of salt.I abhor the excellency of Jacob, and hate his palaces. When

I read those words, I know I dont hate this world as God does.The world we live in does not represent the way God thinksand lives. He is going to revolutionize it top to bottom whenHe establishes His Kingdom. It is that world we need to set ouraffections on.


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n u c l e a r f a l l o u T

And it shall come to pass, if there remain ten men in one house,

that they shall die. And a mans uncle shall take him up, and hethat burneth him, to bring out the bones out of the house, andshall say unto him that is by the sides of the house, Is there yetany with thee? and he shall say, No. Then shall he say, Hold thytongue: for we may not make mention of the name of the L(Amos 6:9-10). This is talking about nuclear holocaust, as itdoes in other scriptures (e.g. Matthew 24:21; Daniel 12:1). This

!So it is here in Amos, an uncle comes in and burns thebodies and takes some bones out of the house. Undoubtedlybecause of the radiation, everybody is dead in the house. Thereis no indication of an army invading. Still, death fills the .

For, behold, the L commandeth, and he will smite thegreat house with breaches, and the little house with clefts(Amos 6:11). The word breaches is rare. The Anchor Bible

Commentary says there is no other occurrence of any wordwith the same root. The Gesenius Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicondefines this word as . If you carefully read the, there seems to be no doubt this is referring to !

The word clefts means . That is a break or split intissue usually at the junction of skin and mucous membrane,

according to Websters Dictionary. The root word means to tearin pieces.Drops of dew, or nuclear fallout, certainly will tear in

pieces human flesh. N ! M Biblescriptures tell us that! We cant hide from it.

But, behold, I will raise up against you a nation, O houseof Israel, saith the L the God of hosts; and they shall afflictyou from the entering in of Hamath unto the river of the wil-

derness (verse 14). The chronology is about serious problems(verse 6), (verses 8-10), after which armies comein to oppress. The Anchor Bible Commentary says: The lan-guage used in Amos 6:14 points to an incipient future, if not toevents already in train [or already occurring]. There is no inva-sion described, only a nuclear attack and then an army movingin to oppress.


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Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent to Jeroboam king ofIsrael, saying, Amos hath conspired against thee in the midst ofthe house of Israel: the land [or inhabitants] is not able to bear

all his words (Amos 7:10). This is a hard message to receive.T A!

However, . The are much more difficult to bear in this nuclearage than they were in the age of Amos. It will be very hard forthe people today to bear all his words.

Tradition indicates that Amos was killed for delivering Gods mes-

sage. The Philadelphia Church of God must also deliver Godsmessage. Our job is not an easy one. Thankfully, God rewards usby taking us to a place of safety during this nuclear nightmare.

Considering how grim this message is, can you see whyAmos had to continually focus on Adonai in order to remainpositive?

c h u r c h h a s l o s T i Ts u r g e n c y

Woe to them that are at ease in Zion, and trust in the moun-tain of Samaria, which are named chief of the nations, to whomthe house of Israel came! (Amos 6:1). Zion is Gods Church(Isaiah 40:9; Micah 4:2). God is wrathful toward those who are in Gods Church. Gods people must listen or pay atraumatic price.

One commentary says at ease means to rejoice in whatlacks substance and reality! This is speaking of a churchrejoicing in the physicalnot Gods truth. It rejoices in a reli-gion of false love, and it rejects the dire prophecies of God.These religionists are lost in the present because they have lostGods overview. They are .

As the nations face the , G L C

! They are because they dont see the mind-splitting reality. They are blind.

Ye that put far away the evil day, and cause the seat of vio-lence to come near (Amos 6:3). Only those in Gods Churchknow about the evil daythe end-time nuclear destruction.But they put it far into the futurewhen its actually very near!The closer the evil day is, the more they become.


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When 95 percent of Gods Church (Zion) is and , the evil day is imminent! This great falling awayof Gods people (2 Thessalonians 2:3) is a that the nuclear

destruction and Israels captivity are frighteningly close!Tragically, most of Gods people wont see it until it is too late(Ezekiel 33:31-33).

Joseph Tkach Sr. made the following statement in the May21, 1990, Worldwide ews,just four years after Mr. Armstrongdied: If anyone is still unclear about the need for us to changeour preoccupation with prophecy, whether in preaching,

teaching, in the publications or on the telecast, then let memake the truth very plain. He went on to condemn thes past preoccupation with prophecy (taught by Mr.Armstrong). That statement was prophecy being fulfilled!

And I raised up of your sons for prophets, and of your youngmen for Nazarites. Is it not even thus, O ye children of Israel?saith the L. But ye gave the Nazarites wine to drink; andcommanded the prophets, saying, Prophesy not (Amos 2:11-

12). These are ministers whom God raised upGods true min-isters. The truth is being compromised and watered down. Thenthese ministers say P . This is a prophecyof how the violently changed its views on prophecy! T G . That is why theleaders say Prophesy not. The leaders told the ministersnot to prophesy as they did in the past! The ministry is saying

P the death of Mr. Armstrong!This is an end-time prophecy for Gods Laodicean churches ! (That includes other groups that have left theexcept the , which continues to proclaim a strongmessage of prophecy.)

The , and other Laodicean offshoots, refuses to giveGods about an end-time nuclear holocaust. Itsa terrifying and very difficult message to deliverjust before

Christ returns to rule this world. G P C . If we dont warn Israel and the world, their bloodwill be on our heads (Ezekiel 3:17-19).

Mr. Tkach Sr. said, If anyone is about theneed for us to change then he went on to say, in the language of the Prophet Amos,Prophesy not!


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He said that the must get away from M. A of prophecybut it was G of prophecy.

Can two walk together, except they be agreed? (Amos 3:3).

The controversy over a watering down of Gods truth . The two churches could not agree. ThePhiladelphia Church refused to accept the changes.

I want to repeat this pivotal prophecy: Surely the LordGod will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his ser-vants the prophets. The lion hath roared, who will not fear?the Lord God hath spoken, who can but prophesy? (verses

7-8). God raises up a group that wont compromise, and Herevealeth his secret to them. That is why we see new rev-elations from God in Malachis Message and in the literatureof the Philadelphia Church of God. That too was prophesied.When this happens, it is a time of great crisis! The lion hathroared. The Great Tribulation is very close when the churchsplit occurs! We are not setting dates, but Christ is roaringfrom the Philadelphia Church! Its panic time, whether

people realize it or not. God says we must prophesy! RoarFrom ZionAt Ease in ZionAnd he said, The L will roar from Zion (Amos 1:2). Godis going ZHis Philadelphian Church! Thisis not the Laodicean Church. It says Prophesy not.

The Laodiceans (the majority of Zion) are at ease. Butthere is another Zion that for Godthe Philadelphia

Church. When the Lion roars, its time to become galvanizedand respond to Godor be caught in the Great Tribulation.A trumpet is being blown in Gods Church today (Amos

3:6). The people should be . In ancientIsrael, the trumpet was used to sound the alarm of invasion.Today we blow that trumpet spiritually to Gods LaodiceanChurch and modern-day Israelthey have been invaded bydemon armies and are dying spiritually. It is a

that should cause people to !At a time when the should be more than ever

before, it is . The Laodiceans have turned away fromChrist and what He taught through Mr. Armstrong.

The Lion of Judah is roaring. The Laodiceans dont hearwhat the Spirit says (Revelation 3:20, 22). Christ has removedtheir and they are to reality. Christ is still going to


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through the Philadelphia Church, which is separated fromthe Laodicean Church !

God says Woe to them (the Laodiceans). Why? They

are going to experience the holocaust themselves unless theyrepent. Because they knew about the evil day, and then had toexperience it, their suffering is far more painful and their sal-vation in doubt.

That lie upon beds of ivory, and stretch themselves upontheir couches, and eat the lambs out of the flock, and the calvesout of the midst of the stall; That chant to the sound of the viol,

and invent to themselves instruments of musick, like David(Amos 6:4-5). This is luxurious living by the Laodicean Churchand the nation. That church is rich, and increased with goods(Revelation 3:17). Its trust is in material thingsnot God.

Look again at Amos 6:6this time from a spiritual perspec-tive: That drink wine in bowls, and anoint themselves withthe chief ointments: but they are not grieved for the afflictionof Joseph. This verse is doubly condemning of the Laodiceans!

Like the rest of the people, they are glutted on luxuries as thenation falls apart. T grieving . Theyshould show their grieving through the warning message. TheLaodicean churches arent the nation and telling thepeople its all happeningeven though they have thepower to do so (Daniel 12:7). God is about to shatter that powerbecause they have ceased using it to serve His cause!

Its the same prophecy Christ talked about. But and if thatevil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming;And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat anddrink with the drunken; The lord of that servant shall comein a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour thathe is not aware of, And shall cut him asunder, and appointhim his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weepingand gnashing of teeth (Matthew 24:48-51). These are people

who know about Gods comingGods people. A little rem-nant is doing Gods Work, but most of Gods people are not.The majority are at ease in Zion and say My Lord delayethhis coming and Prophesy not. And then they go about theircarnal ways (verse 49)just as in Amos 6:1-3.

God is talking about a Church of God that has lost its lovefor Gods Workits .


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And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shallwax cold (Matthew 24:12). The Greek word translated loveis agapeor Gods love, not mans love. Only Gods people have

Gods love. Many of them are losing that love. G - H inthe end time (verse 13). This apostasy is also called the greatrevolt (2 Thessalonians 2:3; Williams translation).

The Laodiceans dont see that Christs return is imminentthat He has not delayed His coming! The Laodiceans dont havea strong warning message of prophecy. T

, ! Instead, they talk abouta syrupy type of love with very little practical meaning.

God says they are going to be shocked out of their at easeposture. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Theselukewarm Christians shall go captive with the first that gocaptive (Amos 6:7). The remainder of Amos 6 tells about thenuclear holocaust.

You cant afford to guess about which church is right! Youmust prove it from your Bible. You must know.

As Paul said, I seek not yours [tithes and offerings], butyou (2 Corinthians 12:14). We seek you so you may haveGods protection and membership in His Family. Soon, theholocaust will be here and God shall deliver His Philadelphiansaints to a place of physical safety. T will know

which church was doing Gods Work.


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Christ Personally Appears! 23

Cha

pter 3

Christ PersonallyAppears!

T

A L C lost its urgency at a time when America and Britain arefacing nuclear holocaust. The first chapter of Amos dis-

cusses a (nuclear holocaust) that afflicts the U.S. and Britainand even some other nations (verses 4, 7, 10). Then in Amos 1:14and 2:2, 5, the fire is called it.

Here is what the Anchor Bible Commentary says regardingthe it in Amos chapters 1 and 2: All eight oracles refer tothe same it, which will not be retracted or reversed. Therewas a covering them all. [It] is a composition

declaring judgment on the entire region . T , not just several invasions thatwould pick off these countries one by one (emphasis minethroughout). Amos likens it to that that destroyed Sodomand Gomorrah. It is called fire from heaven (Genesis 19:24).

TheAnchor Bible calls it one ! That is, amassive destruction from the heavensfrom the cosmos. Itsdiscussing a nuclear attack primarily on the U.S. and Britain.

a m y s T e r i o u s wo r d

Hear this word that the L hath spoken against you, Ochildren of Israel, against the whole family which I broughtup from the land of Egypt (Amos 3:1). God brought His out of Egypt. The Hebrew word for family is mispaha.


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TheAnchor Bible Commentary says, The mispaha is the largest , , and could be called aclan . This discussion of Israelite kinship terminology under-

scores the that Amos makes of theterm mispaha. [A] mispaha can be given the rank of a , asa major unit in a nation. But a mispaha is never viewed as anautonomous political unit. Amos 3:1 is I mispAhA.

So the word family could be a tribe or a clan or betweentribe and family. We can understand this word more clearly

if we look at the of Amos 2 and 3. Also, rememberthis is primarily an end-time book. God brought Israel out ofEgypt, but that is only a type of bringing spiritual Israel, or theChurch, out of this world.

Amos talks about ministers whom God raised up (Amos2:11-12). That means he is discussing Gods true Church. Onechurch prophesies (Amos 3:7-8) and one church refuses toprophesy (Amos 2:11-12). That means there is division between

these two churches and they cant walk together (Amos 3:3).The wordfamily (verse 1) is referring mainly to Gods spiri-

tual Familythe true Church of God.You only have I known of all the families of the earth:

therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities (verse 2).The root word of the word known is used in marital relations.The English equivalent is to make love. Christ is the spiritual

Husband of His Church. They are spiritual lovers. This is aunique, loving relationship that exists between God andHis true Church.

So we see that Amos 3:1 is primarily discussing Gods - F. And it is divided. Gods Family should be deeplyunited.

T A G C! Andit is being fulfilled this very moment. Its only for the world sec-

ondarily. Gods people must awaken and more acutely. W G- !

Gods Family has had a spiritually loving relationship withGod. They received a special calling from God the Father (John6:44). It is the highest possible honor. Y have I knownof all the families of the earth (Amos 3:2). Y ! Thisis a rare and glorious honor to know the great God spiritually.


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But many of Gods people now have a ho-hum attitude andhave grown lukewarm.

So what is Gods response? Because God has known

, He says, therefore I will for all your iniq-uities (verse 2). With this great honor of knowing God as noone else on this planet does, there comes a weighty responsi-bility. If Gods people fail in their responsibility to God and theworld, then God is going to them!

This is a thus saith the L God! We cant take ourcalling lightly. God never does! This punishment is about to be

inflicted on Gods people.The Philadelphia Church prophesies the truth. But theLaodiceans will ridicule prophecyuntil the Great Tribulationarrives. Then God will hammer and batter them with reality.

God is pleading with and warning His people. Only we havebeen given Gods H S. Only we have received His -. Now the Laodicean Church is moving away from thisunparalleled calling. Nothing is more tragic. N is more

scandalous than to know the great God and then become luke-warm or turn away. N!

T h e a l Ta r

I saw the L standing upon the altar: and he said, Smite thelintel of the door, that the posts may shake: and cut [wound is a

better translation] them in the head, all of them; and I will slaythe last of them with the sword: he that fleeth of them shall notflee away, and he that escapeth of them shall not be delivered(Amos 9:1). This is discussing the physical temple anciently andthe spiritual temple, or Gods true Church, today.

Amos calls it . Not just any altar.Remember Amos 3:14: That in the day that I shall visit the

transgressions of Israel upon him I will also visit the altars of

Bethel: and the horns ofthe altarshall be cut off, and fall to theground. Here Amos talks about and . The

Anchor Bible Commentary says the latter altar perhaps refersto the great and main altar of Bethel [Gods house] as a specialtarget.

Today, we know this is referring to Gods true Church thatbecame Laodicean. The Bible repeatedly mentions a great


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Church of God that went astray just before Christ returns.Moffatt translates Amos 9:1, Strike the pillars on the top,

said he [God], that the ceiling may be . If God

the posts, or the pillars, at the top, there is going to be muchdamage to the temple. Did God shake the temple with an earth-quake in the time of Amos? Since there is a great earthquakementioned in Amos 1:1, that would seem to be what happened.

The altar is a type of the ministry (Revelation 11:1). Theancient temple is a type of Gods Church today (Ephesians2:19-22). God is severely correcting the Laodicean ministry.

That is the theme ofMalachis Message.Here is what theAnchor Bible relates about Amos 9:1: Godspresence in the sanctuary, where normally the priest would bestanding or officiating, would indicate that something out ofthe ordinary, something ominous, was about to happen. Godis directing the smiting in a special and personal way.

We certainly witnessed this prophecy fulfilled, in large part,in our court battle with the over Mystery of the Ages. It

was God who gave us the court victory. It was a miraculous,Red Sea kind of victory. Without Gods special intervention, Hismessage could not have been delivered. Habakkuk speaks of itas being a double wonder(Habakkuk 1:5; meaning in Hebrew).

A Wall Street Journal reporter wrote an article about thesplit in the . He interviewed people in our church. He alsotalked to people in the Laodicean churches and said all of

them were glued to the court case.I said several times to our Church members, before wewon the court case, that a victory would wound all of theLaodiceans in the head. I pointed out several times that thiswas the primary spiritual meaning behind this verse.

The Eternal is standing by (correct translation) the altar.God is described as standing [same Hebrew word] in the con-gregation (Psalm 82:1-2) for administering (Hebrew-

Greek Key Word Study Bible). The could not get justice fromthe or the courts. So God intervened in a very personalway to give us truejustice! He dealt with the altar, or the ministry, in the court case. He demonstrated His authority to allthe Laodiceans.

Langes, the International Critical, the Interpreters Bible andJamieson, Fausset and Brown commentaries all state that Amos


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9:1 is the fifth vision of Amos. Number five is the biblicalnumber for judgment.

In Leviticus 26, God says He will punish Israel seven times

more for our sinsthis is first implied in verse 17, then statedfour more times (verses 18, 21, 24, 28)a total offive timesthe number of judgment. It means that God keeps intensifyingthe punishment until our people repent. That is what it takesto break Israels rebellious spirit.

In the other four visions, Amos stated that the Lord Gshewed unto me. But here, in the fifth vision, Amos stated that

I saw the L. This vision is stronger, more threatening andtroubling than the others. Amos saw God in this vision, whichis not the case in the other four visions (see Amos 7:1, 4, 7; 8:1).There is a big difference between the Lord G shewed untome and I saw the L.

Christ made some kind of a special effort in fulfilling thisprophecy today. Christ personally saw to it that we received

justice!

The Companion Bible states that in the original manu-scripts, the word Lord is combined with ethwhich meansGod Himself. So Christ, the Head of His Churchmakes a per-sonal appearance!

Here are quotes from three more commentaries:In the four previous visions, the Lord showed the prophet

only what He was about to do; in this one the prophet sees the

Lord actually engaged in executing his judgment (LangesCommentary).This vision has an entirely different introduction from those of

the preceding visions. Here Yahweh himself appears, the symbolbeing no longer used (International Critical Commentary).

I saw the L: not as in the case of the four other visions,The Lord G caused me to see (Interpreters Bible).

Most of the commentaries absolutely believe Christ was

prophesied to make a personal appearance. (Request our freebooklet on Habakkuk for even more detailed prophecies.)

The major part of this prophecy has been fulfilled. Theremainder of Amos 9 will make that clear. We were called toknock on the Laodicean door (Revelation 3:20). But winningour court case went beyond knocking, to smiting! That is theonly way we could get justice.
http://media.pcog.org/en/Literature/HAB_EN_2B_35K1205.pdfhttp://media.pcog.org/en/Literature/HAB_EN_2B_35K1205.pdf


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Gods Work could not have been done if the PhiladelphiaChurch of God hadnt received the rights to publish Mr.Armstrongs writings! That is how important this court case was.

The altarwas built only for worship in the tabernacle, ortemple. Again, the altar is a type of the ministry today. Christhad to smite them. That means the ministry must have goneastray. In fact, they were destroying Gods Work. Gods Workis far more important than anything else being done on Earth.J C H W -. He had to smite the ministers and people who were

fighting against Him. But He wounded all of the Laodiceanmembers in the head through our court victory.God has made it abundantly clear who is continuing the

work He did through Mr. Armstrong.Lets take a closer look at Psalm 82:1: God standeth in the

congregation of the mighty; he judgeth among the gods. Theword stands is the same Hebrew word as in Amos 9:1. God jud-geth among the gods. How long will ye judge unjustly, and

accept the persons of the wicked? Selah (Psalm 82:2). Thewords judges and judge are the same Hebrew word, and itmeans to judge, i.e. pronounce sentence (for or against); byimplication, to vindicate orpunish. In the court case, God vin-dicated the and punished the .

The wordjudge also means to (as in court) or tojudge (to givejustice).

The took us to the courts for justice from men. I said inmy sermon November 11, 2000, God is going to give them somereal justice. We now see that God has given them true justice.

God made the temple, or the Laodicean Church, shake.The word shake means to be agitated; to quake, to shake. Theprimary notion of this term is a loud crashing noise (Hebrew-Greek Key Word Study Bible). That means that God caused a spir-itual earthquake in the Laodicean Church. But how? D

L . They once believedwhat we believe now. But they do all they can to hide from thatreality. One way or another, God is going to make them facereality. When we won the court case, all of them were shaken.God gave them a strong dose of reality. He showed them, in apowerful way, who is continuing the work He did through Mr.Armstrongwho is the true successor to Mr. Armstrong.


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God is standing by the altar, but He commands Amos tosmite the temple. So there must be a modern-day type of Amoswhom God uses, with the help of his supporters, to smite the

Laodicean temple. As Langes Commentary states, The prophetis not to be merely a spectator, but takes part in the action. Godworks through His very elect.

Now back to Amos 9:1. I saw the L standing [by] thealtar: and he said, Smite the lintel of the door [this orna-ment, not of the door, but just on the candlestick, or thelamp or lampstand], that the posts may shake . It is going

to have far-reaching consequences. The posts, or the pillars,shake, which means its going to shake the whole roof and thefoundationeverythingspiritually.

Now let me show you what theAnchor Bible says about this:God Himself is standing not the altar but it: G H. I J C H , .

Our court victory was not the blow of a man. God struck and

wounded all of the Laodiceans in the head. This is what all theLaodiceans must see if they are to be in Gods Kingdom.

In that sermon November 11, 2000 (during the court case),I said: This means the and the Laodiceans are going toreceive a spiritual wound, when we win Mr. Armstrongs writ-ings so that we can publish them. Amos 9:1 is as simple as thecourt casethis I fully believe.

There should be no chapter break between chapters 8 and 9.Amos discusses the 50 percent of Gods people who lose theireternal lifethey shall fall, and never rise up again (Amos 8:14).

The next verse is Amos 9:1, which is about the court case.The people who fought against God in court are in danger offalling and never rising again. This is the greatest tragedy inthis end time!

They had the revealed truth of God, then rejected and tried

to destroy it. There is no future for anybody who fails to repentof such a horrendous sin.

P h y s i c a l e a r T h q ua k e T o o?

Could Amos 9:1 also refer to what used to be Gods physicalhouse in Pasadena, Californiain a secondary way? G


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, but I dont believe we can rule out that strong possi-bility. Amos says: cut [wound would be a better word] themin the head, of them (Amos 9:1).

A destruction of Gods house, at what was once the headquar-ters of the Laodicean Church, would wound the Laodiceansin the head, or impact their thinking in a powerful way.

It is common for Gods physical temple, or house, to bedestroyed when the people turn away from God.

The Pasadena campus and Gods house have now beensold. Did the leadership of the really talk affectionately

about G in Pasadena? Or was it looked upon as justanother building? They specifically told the members tocall the auditorium Gods house! Mr. Armstrong called itGods house most of the time.

T G! M. A C G H! This building was the most

important building on the Earth to Godand to some of Hispeople! God is deeply concerned about His Churchs attitudetoward that house. It reflects their thinking toward God! Mr.Armstrong, inspired by God, repeatedly asked the mem-bers to make G!

If the campus hadnt sold, the leaders would havedestroyed the auditorium to build a housing project. They are

rich, and increased with goods and have no need for God(Revelation 3:14-18).The words of Amos, who was among the herdmen of Tekoa,

which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king ofJudah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash king ofIsrael, two years before the earthquake (Amos 1:1). This earth-quake was so powerful it was labeled the earthquake. Therewas no need to say which earthquake in the time of Amos.

Everybody knew what was meant when the earthquake wasmentioned. It occurred two years after Amos prophesied andwas remembered centuries afterward (Zechariah 14:5).

An earthquake is very prominent in the book of Amos. Willthere be a modern-day counterpart of the earthquake thatstruck in the time of Amos? O G . But we mustremember that this book is mainly prophecy for today!


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And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for thevalley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shallflee, like as you fled from before the earthquake in the days

of Uzziah king of Judah: and the L my God shall come,and all the saints with thee (Zechariah 14:5). This is an earth-quake to occur at Christs return. Zechariah is also an -. How did the earthquake happen anciently in the daysof Uzziah king of Judah? Josephus says Uzziah went into thetemple to offer incense. This act was opposed by the priestswho were appointed to do this job. The earthquake struck at

this time, and a huge crack was made in the temple.God was very concerned about what happened in His phys-ical temple. W G H !

We also know that God is dealing with us spiritually today.God is not going to take lightly the occur-ring in the Laodicean churchesand in His physical house.

Am I saying that what used to be Gods physical house in

Pasadena is going to be destroyed? No, I am not. G .But can we rule out that possibility in view of Amos 9:1 and otherverses? I dont think so. A shaking of Gods former physical housecould also the spiritual temple, or Laodicean Church.

The city of Laodicea in the first century was repeatedlystruck by earthquakes. So Gods Laodicean saints had thatproblem to cope with then. And the first-century Laodicean

Church was only a type of the end-time Laodiceans. OnlyGod knows the details of what is to occur. But this much wedo know: T is coming upon the LaodiceanChurch! Gods Philadelphia Church warn the Laodiceansand pray that they will repent!

Lets not forget that Gods emphasis in the book of Amostoday is on the spiritual.

l a o d i c e a n s f a c e d e a T h

Notice the last part of Amos 9:1: and I will slay the last ofthem with the sword: he that fleeth of them shall not flee away,and he that escapeth of them shall not be delivered.

The Revised Standard Version says, not one of them shallescape. Prophecy shows that the Laodiceans must die in the


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Tribulation to prove themselves to God. Not one will escapealive. This doesnt refer to physical Israel. Some of them will besaved (verse 8).

TheAnchor Bible Commentary says Amos 9:1 includes notonly the demolition of the temple but also military defeat, exileand extermination of survivors.

And though they go into captivity before their enemies,thence will I command the sword, and it shall slay them: and Iwill set mine eyes upon them for evil, and not for good (verse 4).

Verses 2 and 3 also illustrate that none of the Laodiceans

survive. Notice the Revised Standard Version: Though theydig into Sheol, from there shall my hand take them; thoughthey climb up to heaven, from there I will bring them down.Though they hide themselves on the top of Carmel, from thereI will search out and take them; and though they hide from mysight at the bottom of the sea, there I will command the ser-pent, and it shall bite them.

The Laodiceans say Prophesy not (Amos 2:12). The

Philadelphia Church says, The lion hath roared who can butprophesy? (Amos 3:8). We see two, deeply divided churchesof God. W , the lion roared.

Were not setting dates, but God says it is dangerously closeto disaster for modern-day Israel. Gods Philadelphia saints aregoing to know the lion roared! God has revealed it! Aof Gods people be warned.

Economically and politically, Germany is already unitedand leading the European Union. Germany is Gods tool tocorrect the U.S. and Britain (Isaiah 10:5-6). And events aremoving so that even the people who are leading theseevents are shocked! Figuratively, its as if Amos already hearsthe marching of the jack-booted German soldiers.

The point is this G C, ! T L ! Even

if we are deaf to the roaring Lion, frightening and unparalleledtragedy is still about to strike!

T h e T a B e r n a c l e o f d av i d

W M. A J 16, 2003.O A. That vic-


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tory specifically dated the book of Amos. We can see clearlywhere we are in Bible prophecy. How dangerously close we areto the nuclear Great Tribulation!

Soon the inhabitants will not be able to bear his words.Can you believe God?I wrote Who Is That Prophet? in 2001, about two years

before that victory. Here is a quote from that booklet: SomeLaodiceans call us and say, We really hope you win this courtcase. I have to wonder, do they really? They are sitting outthere on the fence doing nothing. They dont have the courage

to join the fight for God. Doesnt God expect more? He wants. How can we be neutral in times like these?Remember Amos 9:11: In that day will I raise up the taber-

nacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof;and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the daysof old. If youre going to build this tabernacle as in the days ofold, you would have to have the books and booklets you oncehad. That they may possess the remnant of Edom (verse 12).

That include Mystery of the Agesand Mr. Armstrongs otherbooks and booklets. That is what I believe, and faith firmly dic-tates that I continue to believe that until God says otherwise.

Now that amazing prophecy has been fulfilled! We nowown the copyrights to Mr. Armstrongs major writings. The G gave us the victory. He fulfills His Bible prophe-ciesand it is time this world takes notice.

Now lets read those two verses in their entirety: In thatday will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, andclose up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, andI will build it as in the days of old: That they may possess theremnant of Edom, and of all the heathen, which are called bymy name, saith the L that doeth this (Amos 9:11-12). Inthat day always refers to the end time. The word Edom refersto 50 percent of Gods Laodicean Church. (If you dont under-

stand who Edom is, request free copies ofMalachis Messageand Obadiah.)

What is the tabernacle of David? The word tabernacle meansa temporary dwelling, like hut or booth. This raising of the ruinsdoes not refer to the millennial period when Christ rules.There is nothing temporary about His rule. These verses referto a time just before Christ returns.
http://media.pcog.org/en/Literature/TP.pdfhttp://media.pcog.org/en/Literature/MOA.pdfhttp://media.pcog.org/en/Literature/MOA.pdfhttp://media.pcog.org/en/Literature/OBA.pdfhttp://media.pcog.org/en/Literature/OBA.pdfhttp://media.pcog.org/en/Literature/MOA.pdfhttp://media.pcog.org/en/Literature/TP.pdf


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Here is what the Hebrew-Greek Key Word StudyBible statesabout the word tabernacle. It was defined as a temporaryabode and the most common use of the term had to do

with the yearly booth made in conjunction with the Feast ofTabernacles. Amos 9:11 stated that God would raise up thefallen booth of David .

So we see that a temporary dwelling has fallen, and Christis going to raise up that tabernacleanother temporarydwellingbefore He returns. The tabernacle refers to Godsend-time Church. This Church teaches about the inspiring

throne of David, which Christ will sit on when He returns.That inspiring truth is what The United States and Britain inProphecy is all about. The bigger version of that book is one ofthe major books we won in our court battle.

Mr. Armstrong mailed out over 5 million copies of thatbookmore than any other book or booklet he wrote. Gettingthis book was a pivotal part of how we had to raise up his ruins.

W , -

!

This prophecy is about the tabernacle of David for aninspiring reason. The firstfruitsthose called out of this worldbefore Christs returnare to share Davids throne with Christ.We will be royal kings and priests forever! (Revelation 1:6).

Fighting the court battle was another example of how we

build the character of Gods kings and priests.Today, God empowers us to close up the breaches. Here ishow the Gesenius Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon explains this expres-sion: [T]o surround with a fence, hedge, wall, hence to erect awall or to fortify with a wall, to wall around, i.e. to set anyonein safety, Ezekiel 13:5.

In raising up the ruins, God leads us to build a protectivewall around His truth. We must not allow anyone to cast

down the truth (Daniel 8:11-12), which was what recentlyhappened in Gods Church. (Our booklet DanielUnsealedat Last! explains this thoroughly. Its yours for the asking.)Somebody had to leave Gods Church in ruins. This is why wehave to raise up the ruins.

Lets look at Amos 9:12 again: That they may possess theremnant of Edom, and of all the heathen, which are called by


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my name, saith the L that doeth this. According to StrongsConcordance, the wordpossess in verse 12 means to occupy (bydriving out previous tenants, and possessing in their place); by

implication, to seize, to rob, to inherit; also to expel, to impov-erish, to ruin. In this prophecy, God was quite specific in howHe would direct us through the lawsuit. Being able to use thematerial was not enoughGod wanted us to control it. As tohow that would work out, at the time I wrote Who Is ThatProphet? we still werent quite sure.

Gesenius Lexicon defines it as to take possession of ones

goods. The goods, or writings, of Mr. Armstrong reallybelonged to us. But we still had to get them through the courts.The expression also means the following: It has the legal

sense of becoming an heir (Jeremiah 32:8) and the militarysense of invasion for the purpose of settling in the territory.Both meanings are dominant with regard to Gods covenantwith Israel (Hebrew-Greek Key Word Study Bible).

Both Edom and the heathen are called by my [Gods] name.

That signifies that these peoples had been conquered by God(Interpreters Bible Commentary). This refers to Gods ownpeople at the time they knew God and obeyed Him. After Mr.Armstrong died, they rebelled. Fifty percent sold their birth-right as Esau (or Edom) did. And 50 percent became hea-then. According to Bible scholars, this word has to be definedby the context. The word heathen means Gentile (see Strongs

Concordance). This group of Gods people have rebelled andbecome spiritual Gentiles.Edom and the heathen destroyed the tabernacle of David

when they rebelled against God. But Gods very elect were usedto change the devastated condition of Gods Church. This is allGods doing. He says, Iraise up the tabernacle and Iwill raiseup his ruins and Iwill build it as in the days of old. Now wecan see that God has done exactly what He said would be done!


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Cha

pter 4Famine of the Word

M

. A B coded book. Only God can reveal that code. Amos 7 isa coded chapter of great importance.

And the L said unto me, Amos, what seest thou? AndI said, A plumbline. Then said the Lord, Behold, I will set aplumbline in the midst of my people Israel: I will not againpass by them any more (Amos 7:8). This Philadelphia workis Gods to the Laodiceans and to the nations ofIsrael. God is about to destroy as if by rule and linehence theplumbline. I G!

h i g h P l a c e s o f i s a a c

And the high places of Isaac shall be desolate, and the sanc-tuaries of Israel shall be laid waste; and I will rise against thehouse of Jeroboam with the sword (verse 9). The Anchor Biblesays: The pairing of Isaac and Israel is . Elsewhere inthe Bible all of Isaacs connections are with the south and specif-

ically with Beersheba. That being the case, we should examinethis expression a little more closely.

This verse discusses the high places [or religious places] ofIsaac and the sanctuaries [or religious places] of Israel. Twotypes of religious places are discussed.

First, lets consider the high places of Isaac. One example,listed in the reference of most Bibles, is discussed in


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Famine of the Word 37

Genesis 26:23-25. Isaac built an altar there, and God appearedto him in person! The point is that those high places, or altars,of Isaac G ! Later, they

were corrupted when the people departed from God.High places of Isaac is a . Amos is refer-

ring to a religion that with Gods great power andthen turned away from God. Since this is primarily an end-timebook, we know it is discussing a church that began with Godand turned Laodicean (Revelation 3:14-17). It is a church that in this age with Mr. Armstrong, but has since departed

from what God established through him. O the PhiladelphiaChurch holds fast to what Mr. Armstrong taught.We must understand the book of Amos today. The

Bible story about I and I has a modern-day counter-part. Gods Church today is I. God also sent us anIsaac to establish His truth in the latter days. Ancient Israelreceived and later rejected Gods instruction to Isaac. The committed the by rejecting God and Mr. Armstrong!

Amos also discusses sanctuaries of Israel. These arechurches that didnt with Gods power. They have neverknown God as the religious places of Isaac have known Him(Amos 3:1-2). Two groups are discussed here: Gods ownChurch that has watered down the truth, and the totallydeceived churches of todays world that have never known God.

The religious places of Isaac are going to be . The

Gesenius Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon gives its first definition ofthis word as follows: to be astonished ( is thatof ), being put to .

One of the major sins of the Laodiceans is that they talkback to God (Revelation 3:17; Malachi 3:13-14). God is aboutto them! He will drive them into the Great Tribulationunless they repent and follow God as the is doing. TheBible indicates must give up their lives to

prove themselves to God! Finally, half of them will shut theirmouths and just obey Godeven die for Him.

l a n d n o T a B l e T o Be a r h i s w o r d s

Now notice one of the pivotal prophecies in Amoss book:Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent to Jeroboam king of


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Israel, saying, Amos hath conspired against thee in the midstof the house of Israel: the land is not able to bear all his words(Amos 7:10). This verse prophesies of a major attack against

Gods people in the end time. But notice the sinister nature ofwhat provokes it!

Bethel means G. So here is a priest of Godshouse. TheAnchor Bible says: The title is . It points toa head priest of . N I , not for any temple or city . This is the most importantpriest in a sinful Church of God. He is the priest of G .

There is a modern counterpart to this priest of Bethel.Will there be another direct confrontation between theLaodicean and Philadelphian churches in the near future?Here is why that . The leaders in the UnitedStates and Britain will know that the Philadelphia Church ofGod came out of the Worldwide Church of God. The leadersof the nations could enlist the in an attempt to stop thes message. Amos says

! T I L C! Surelynobody could seriously believe the will preach a mes-sage the land cannot bear! The message of Amos is going to bedelivered in this end time by the Philadelphia Church of God!A great work lies yet ahead of us. However, it is apt to be ofshort duration. A G C ,

!The land means the inhabitants of a region (GeseniusHebrew-Chaldee Lexicon). Those inhabitants are specifically theAmerican and British peoples.

Amos is directing his message to the remnant (or end-timeportion) of Joseph (Amos 5:15; 6:6). The story of Joseph andhis two sonsEphraim and Manasseh, or modern-day Britainand Americais recorded in Genesis 48:3-5, 10-20; 49:22-26.

Mr. Armstrong covered this very well in his book The UnitedStates and Britain in Prophecy.

Why cant the land bear all of our words? O ! The people try to close their minds to thecoming catastrophe. But Gods Word wont allow them to hidebehind deceptions.


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H W. A ! Ournations problems never became this bad while he was alive.

And I also have given you cleanness of teeth in all your

cities, and want of bread in all your places: yet have ye notreturned unto me, saith the L. And also I have withholdenthe rain from you, when there were yet three months to theharvest: and I caused it to rain upon one city, and caused it notto rain upon another city: one piece was rained upon, and thepiece whereupon it rained not withered. So two or three citieswandered unto one city, to drink water; but they were not satis-

fied: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the L (Amos4:6-8). Amos is prophesying of disastrous droughts and floods!And they have already started occurring in the U.S. and Britain.We are facing horrendous times. T L, A B !

When you understand the seriousness of the message in thebook of Amos, you can see why the land is going to have such adifficult time bearing it! For thus Amos saith, Jeroboam shall

die by the sword, and Israel shall surely be led away captiveout of their own land (Amos 7:11). That is a strong, specificprophecy from the great God!

Amos 7:10 indicates just how strong the message of thePhiladelphia Church of God is going to become! We musttrumpet Amoss propheciesblast them, roar them, hurl themout there to this world in as dramatic a fashion as we possibly

can! T .But we must realize: If the people cannot bear the message,what are they going to do to the messenger?

Prophecy shows that they are going to Godspeople!

Also Amaziah said unto Amos, O thou seer, go, flee theeaway into the land of Judah, and there eat bread, and prophesythere: But prophesy not again any more at Bethel: for it is the

kings chapel, and it is the kings court (verses 12-13). This isprobably how Gods people will go to the place of safety. Whata blessing that God will protect us from the worst of the tribu-lation and persecution.

In these verses again we see the prophesy not-prophesytension of Amos 2 and 3. It could be that one of the biggest con-frontations will erupt between two of Gods own churchesthe


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and the (and other Laodicean churches). The musttell the people of Israel that shall be led away captive outof their own land! The is trying, even now, to squelch

such a messageas it tried to do in the court case.These powerful men told Amos, SHUT UP! SHUT YOUR

MOUTH! But this mighty prophet remained loyal to God andrefused to do so.

Do we have the spiritual courage required to tell people,including the leaders of nations, exactly what is about tohappen? Gods prophecies will not go unfulfilledthey will

happen precisely as God has ordained!Look how strong Amos was! How easy would it be, if theland couldnt bear the message, to give up? Amos never did.

Then answered Amos, and said to Amaziah, I was noprophet, neither was I a prophets son; but I was an herdman,and a gatherer of sycomore fruit: And the L took me as Ifollowed the flock, and the L said unto me, Go, prophesyunto my people Israel (verses 14-15). Amos was a happy rancher

and poet (see Chapter 5 of this book). He didnt seek the jobof a prophethis background was far removed from anythingof the sort. But here is what this faithful prophet of God said:

Now therefore hear thou the word of the L: Thou sayest,Prophesy not against Israel, and drop not thy word against thehouse of Isaac. Therefore thus saith the L; Thy wife shall bean harlot in the city, and thy sons and thy daughters shall fall by

the sword, and thy land shall be divided by line; and thou shaltdie in a polluted land: and Israel shall surely go into captivityforth of his land (verses 16-17).

You must admit, A . H ! At the end of Amoss life, Godmust have said, Well done, Amos!

Will God say that of you and me? Well done in delivering thebook of Amos! The tougher they got, the tougher you got in deliv-

ering that message! Well done!

d r o P n o T T h y w o r d

Notice how these verses give more detail about a coming con-frontation for Gods Church, including with the Laodiceanleaders.


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In Amos 7:16, the is telling Amos not to prophesyagainst Israel and against the house of Isaac (the LaodiceanChurch today). This represents the Laodicean leaderspeople

who know us and who say the nastiest things about us. Theywill do all they can to destroy us!

[D]rop not thy word is another coded expression. Why isit so stated?

Give ear, O ye heavens, and I will speak; and hear, O earth,the words of my mouth. My doctrine shall drop as the rain,my speech shall distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the

tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass (Deuteronomy32:1-2). This is the same expression as the one in Amos. Godsword, or doctrine, drops as rain. How? When rain falls, it pro-duces a growth of vegetation or crops. The words of God fromthe are raining continually into the Laodicean churchesand causing people to come out of their lukewarm and rebel-lious ways. This produces spiritual growth in their lives.

We continue to Gods word into all of the Laodicean con-

gregationswhich is a major part of our commission from God(e.g. Revelation 3:20). Some Laodicean members are responding,and exhibiting spiritual growth. Its happening right now. Amosprophesied that the would become a much greater agitatorto the and all of the Laodiceans as we get closer to the endof this age. Gesenius Lexicon defines drop as to drop, fall indrops like rain. And these of Gods spiritual truth are

falling into the house of Isaacor the Laodicean churches!D Gods word like rain is contrasted with thefamine of Gods word in the next chapter.

fa m i n e o f T h e w o r d

Behold, the days come, saith the Lord [AdonaiAmos con-tinues to remind himself] G, that I will send a famine in

the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but ofhearing the words of the L (Amos 8:11).

The Laodicean Church is already experiencing the famine ofGods word! The Laodiceans do not receive Gods word today,and they never will until they repent! Instead of receiving newrevelation from the living God, they have nothing but spiritualstarvation.


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Meanwhile, God isflooding His very elect with precious newtruths! TheAdonai who blesses pours out revelation upon us,practically faster than we can keep up with it!

Do you thank God that youre not living in famine?This book of Amos is an example of God providing meat in

due season. It shows us the shortness of the times we live in,and explains what we must be doing. This is revelation fromGod that we must have! And God expects us to deliver it. Heis blessing His Work, and we are building and publishing andbroadcasting as quickly and effectively as we can. Our Head

is rushing along, pushing this Work very hard, because of theurgency of the times.Soon, people will not be able to find any of these booklets.

They wont be able to find any spiritual food! People will be cryingout for someone to drop Gods wordHis revealed prophecies.But then it will be physically. Gods very elect will be in aplace of safety. Those who paid attention are going to realize whatthey didnt do, and what they should have done. Gods word will

cease being preached (except by the two witnesses). All of Godspeople will then which church Christ was leading.

n e v e r T o r i s e ag a i n

The last verse in Amos 8 brings this book right up to date. Itputs these prophecies right into our time by introducing our

court case with the Worldwide Church of God, which we dis-cussed in chapter 3.They that swear by the sin of Samaria, and say, Thy god, O

Dan, liveth; and, The manner of Beer-sheba liveth; even theyshall fall, and never rise up again (Amos 8:14). Who are thesepeople who fall and never rise up again? That could only refer topeople who received Gods spiritual begettal and who then lost it!

Prophecy shows that halfof the Laodiceans will not repent,

and they are going to lose their eternal lives. As Herbert W.Armstrong often said, this is dangerous knowledge! Oncepeople understand it, they are under Gods judgment.Dangerous knowledge is almost an understatement.

I believe those people we battled in court, and those whovehemently supported them, are among those who have

fallenand will never rise again!


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How dangerous it is to walk away from God.If you have received Gods Spirit, you make sure you

are right with God. Many people have fallen away because they

have gotten bitter against a minister or another member. Reallythey have allowed themselves to become bitter against G!We cannot afford to be wrong about this! Before you decide toget bitter against God, remember these prophecies: There arepeople who have fallen and who will not rise again! The wayGod views it, they are shamefully left without an excuse!

The is laboring diligently to reach as many Laodiceans

as possible and encou

Documents

The Lion Has Roared