A world of mistrust… an increasingly hostile global order… a world of broken cooperation:
The World Today
As we approach the end of the age, watching the news can be quite upsetting. We live in a world of wars and rumours of wars, but note what the apostle Luke wrote:
“But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for these things MUST first come to pass;” (Luke 21:9)
It’s all part of God’s plan.
But how bad is the situation? We all can see the problem in the Ukraine, and its war with Russia. It seems that Russia has lost around 300,000 men while the figure for the Ukraine is around 70,000.
Meanwhile, the stop/start war with Iran continues. So far, there have been around 40 peace treaties made - and often broken on the same day. With the Strait of Hormuz closed trading supply routes are cut, with Iran holding much of the world hostage.
The new war continues in the Middle East. Preliminary figures are 3,468 people dead in Iran, 3,371 dead in Lebanon, and 28 killed in Gulf states.
These two wars are often in the news, but they are far from the only conflicts on the planet!
The Wars We Don’t Talk About
Forgotten Conflicts - Drawing attention to the wars we neglect
“As you read this, there are more than 40 conflicts unfolding in countries around the world.
Many of them don’t get the media or policy attention of the wars in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan or Ukraine, and they may not have the same geopolitical or economic importance. But the toll of decades-long conflicts – from Colombia to the Ogaden, from Kashmir to Western Sahara – is just as devastating for the people who live there.” (thenewhumanitarian.org)
Some Forgotten Wars
Blue Nile
“Blue Nile sits on the southern frontier of Sudan, where war has raged for more than 60 years. It’s the second front of the Sudanese rebel resistance movement. The first is to the west, in South Kordofan’s Nuba Mountains. The fight is a continuation of the struggle that birthed the world’s newest nation, an independent South Sudan, in 2011. Characterised by mass displacement and severe hunger, the humanitarian crisis has been compounded by the evacuation of all aid organisations. More than 10 peace deals have fizzled since the conflict re-ignited only a few months after South Sudan became independent.” (irinnews.org)
Mindanao, Philippines
“With a peace deal stalled on the southern Philippine island of Mindanao, more militant Islamist groups are emerging and aligning themselves with the so-called Islamic State. In other parts of Mindanao, indigenous communities are displaced by war between the government and communist insurgents, and peace talks have halted entirely. Can the next government get the peace processes back on track and stem the rising tide of militancy?
Mindanao is rich in resources as well as population diversity. It is also home to a violent patchwork of sometimes-overlapping armed groups. These include Islamist revolutionaries as well as extremist militants, communist rebels, paramilitaries, clan-based private armies, and networks of organised crime.
- 47 Years of conflict
- 4 million people displaced
- 11,000 fighters currently in the Moro Islamic Front
- 150,000+ people killed.”
Myanmar
(previously known as Burma)
“Myanmar has been at war since independence from Britain in 1948. For most of that time, the country was ruled by the military, but a quasi-civilian government took power in 2011, ushering in sweeping political and economic reforms.
For ethnic minorities, however, little has changed. The military is battling an array of ethnic armed groups on Myanmar’s frontiers, where lucrative trades in drugs and natural resources fuel fighting.
- 67 years of conflict
- Tens of thousands killed.
- 810,000 stateless.
- Over 1 million people in need of humanitarian need.”
Casamance
“Atrocities in nearby Liberia and Sierra Leone have stolen the regional headlines over the years, but the low-intensity separatist struggle in Casamance is West Africa’s longest-running civil conflict. Three decades of on-and-off separatist conflict in Senegal’s southern region of Casamance have killed thousands of people, displaced tens of thousands more, crippled the rural-based economy and turned large tracts of territory into no-go zones due to landmines.
- 33 years of conflict
- 3-5000 killed
- 748 landmine casualties
- 80% 0f farmland rendered unusable due to landmines.”
Southern Thailand
“Conflict in Thailand’s four southernmost provinces has claimed more than 6,300 lives since 2004 but rarely makes headlines outside the country. Tourism has boomed in Thailand over the past decade, but how many of the backpackers island-hopping around its palm-fringed shores are aware that a brutal conflict is raging in its deep south?
The civilian toll is staggering and yet news of the bombings, the beheadings, the pernicious pursuit of soft targets like teachers and monks, barely makes it out of the region. The government, currently led by junta leader Prayut Chan-o-cha, seems to have neither the ability nor the inclination to make serious efforts to stem an insurgency now fuelled as much by criminality and power as by religion, ethnicity or separatism.
- 11 years of conflict
- 6000 killed
- 21 Coups or attempted coups since 1932
- 89% of those killed are civilians”
The Bible warning:
“Wars, and rumours of wars…” (Matthew 24:6)
Over 40 Countries Currently At War In 2026
Some have serious terrorist situations. Some have drug wars, gang wars, or civil war - these are the conflicts which we hear very little about in the mainstream media. Here’s the latest list of nations at war:
- Iraq
- Nigeria
- Bangladesh
- DR Congo
- Iran
- Tanzania
- Thailand
- Uganda
- Algeria
- Angola
- Morocco
- Ivory Coast
- Cameroon
- Niger
- Mali
- Burkina Faso
- Chad
- Benin
- Rwanda
- Tunisia
- Togo
- Libya
- Russia
- Ukraine
- Israel
- Palestine
- South Sudan
- Mexico
- Afghanistan
- Haiti
- Colombia
- Ecuador
- Ethiopia
- Myanmar
- Sudan
- Yemen
- Mozambique
- Somalia
- Central African Republic
- Pakistan
We almost never read about most of these in the news, but they are real wars - people are dying. For example:
- Ukraine - 77,912
- Sudan - 19,655
- Palestine - 18,345
- Myanmar - 15,104
- Nigeria - 11,978
- Somalia - 9,506
We must not be terrified:
“…For these things must first come to pass;” (Luke 21:9)
We Must Stay Focused…
On Europe And The Middle East
“Since Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine in 2022, European security agencies have repeatedly warned that the Russian president’s revanchism stretches further into the continent. Governments have consistently brushed off these threats in the belief that Russia would not test their resolve because the world’s most powerful military stands by, ready to defend them.
However, Europe’s leaders are waking up to a world where the US is disengaging from conventional defence at an alarming rate and Donald Trump is openly boasting of blowing up NATO from the inside. For decades, Washington has provided the bulk of the alliance’s rapidly deployable forces, intelligence, surveillance, logistics – everything needed to fight a conventional war against Russia. But the US has warned European allies that they can expect to receive less American equipment in the event of a crisis.
As it stands, the Pentagon has removed an aircraft carrier, support ships, air-to-air refuelling planes and dozens of fighter jets from the pool of resources. Pete Hegseth, the US Secretary of Defence, used a meeting at NATO headquarters this week to warn the continent that it should expect further cuts.
Ultimately, Europe’s challenge is not simply producing enough weapons and hardware, but finding the political will required to truly take responsibility for its own defences.” (telegraph.co.uk)
‘Free-riding’ NATO Allies Must Pay For Own Defence
“The US secretary of war has criticised NATO allies for prioritising welfare over defence spending and suggested the United States could further reduce its forces in Europe. At a gathering of alliance defence ministers, Pete Hegseth lashed out at countries that ‘have yet to show a credible path’ to meeting their commitments for higher defence spending.
Dan Jarvis, Britain’s new defence secretary, said the meeting at NATO’s Brussels headquarters came at ‘a moment of challenge’. He arrived empty-handed, without a published defence investment plan (DIP) or a promise of extra funding to prepare the armed forces for the growing threat of Russia.” (thetimes.com)
GERMANY TAKES THE LEAD
Military Escalation In Germany
“German fighting-age males are getting an early taste of the military escalation on the old continent. We have been reporting here on TGP how the Euro-Globalist ‘leaders’ in Europe have been pushing their countries through a military buildup not seen since the end of the Cold War. But it did take us by surprise just how fast Germany escalated their military service rules into draconian demands. It has now been reported that German men ‘of fighting age’ must now ask the Bundeswehr for permission to leave the country for more than three months. ‘The purpose of the new rule in Germany is to restrict the movements of men of fighting age in the event of a national crisis such as a war, which may require emergency conscription.’” (thegatewaypundit.com)
Germany: Return Of Military Conscription?
“Germany is considering reintroducing military conscription for all men by 2027. The country has attempted to bolster its armed forces through volunteer schemes to counter the growing threat from Russia, but lawmakers fear this is insufficient. Friedrich Merz, the German chancellor, has pledged to build Europe’s strongest conventional army, expanding the Bundeswehr from around 185,000 career soldiers to 260,000 by 2035.” (telegraph.co.uk)
POWDER KEG EUROPE… Germany is Ready!
“As Europe is reeling with the rearmament efforts of its countries, every day brings another escalation that can throw Europe into a massive military conflict. Yesterday (15th), reports arose that the German air force chief said that his country is ready to fight Russia ‘tonight’, and will defend ‘every inch’ of NATO territory. The Telegraph reported: ‘In his first interview with a British newspaper, Lieutenant General Holger Neumann, the chief of the Luftwaffe, said his forces would launch devastating air strikes on Russia if it attacked the Western alliance. In a further warning to Moscow, he stressed there were “no different zones of security” in NATO, meaning an attack on Estonia would warrant the same response as an air raid on London.” The Luftwaffe chief’s comments are among the strongest from a German military leader in years, and reflect a fundamental shift in Berlin towards rearmament and a greater role in European security.’
GB News reported: ‘“Fight tonight” means if someone calls me now and says we have the following situation here, we have to be ready now and WE ARE READY,’ the 57-year-old general told The Telegraph from his headquarters near Berlin.” (thegatewaypundit.com)
Fortress Europe: Going It Alone On Defence
“NATO and European officials are weighing up a set of proposals for how Europe can defend itself against a Russian attack without American support. Until recently, the United States was considered so dominant and indispensable within the alliance that even discussing contingency plans for how to fight without it was taboo. Most European allies were profoundly reluctant to risk alienating President Trump, giving Washington a reason to withdraw troops and equipment, or undermining deterrence by signalling that they had doubts about NATO cohesion. A growing number of European governments are now contemplating how to cope with a scenario in which the US might effectively paralyse NATO in a crisis by refusing to activate its totemic Article 5 mutual defence clause.” (thetimes.com)
We Were Warned!
We were warned just what to watch for - over 40 years ago!
The news/events are now catching up with the warnings given by God’s end time apostle.
1979: A Growing FEAR Of Russia
“Also meanwhile, once war-torn Europe, now rebuilt and economically prosperous, was dependent upon United States military force to protect them from Communist encroachment – since the Communists were right on their borders! The nations of Europe, especially those in NATO, more and more were losing confidence in the ability of the United States to protect them from the growing might of the Soviet Union.
The United States took beatings in the wars in Korea and in South Vietnam. Communist propaganda in the United States turned the mood of America against sending soldiers to fight wars in faraway countries. The nations of Western Europe had formed the Common Market, solely an economic union.
But there was a growing FEAR of Russia; a growing DOUBT of US protection from Communist military might; a growing and desperate desire among European leaders to UNITE politically, to provide their own military force, which would make them a third gigantic world military power, perhaps stronger than either the US or the USSR [Russia].” (The Plain Truth, January 1979)
1982: The Russian Threat
“Now one of the great things that is urging Europe on, and perhaps the greatest thing that will cause them to hurry and get together on this, is their fear of what’s going on in the Kremlin and the Soviet Union [Russia]. And Andropov [now Putin] is frightening them, and that is going to rush them. They are losing confidence in the United States as having a military umbrella over them to protect them, and they want their own military force to protect themselves.
That’s the way they feel over there. Now that is a chief incentive to unite them and that is taking place …this whole United States of Europe, when it goes together, is going to trigger nuclear World War III.” (Sermon - United States of Europe is Coming)
Something Else To Watch Out For:
“Before World War II, a mutual accord had been made between Germany and Russia. History often repeats itself.” (The Plain Truth, October 1985)
40 years later, this could be about to happen.
Remember, Germany’s hard-earned prosperity IS under threat, the AfD are setting the agenda!
AfD Leader Wants To Restore Ties With Russia
“Germany urgently needs to lift the ban on Russian oil and gas imports to prop up its struggling economy, Alice Weidel, the co-chair of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, has said. She also vowed to restore economic ties between the two countries if her party comes to power. The German economy was dealt a major blow when the country took part in the Western sanctions on Russia in 2022. Before the escalation of the Ukraine conflict, Germany relied on Russia for 55% of its natural gas. Russian oil giant Rosneft’s operations also accounted for around 12% of Germany’s total oil-processing capacity. ‘Cheap energy from Russia was the secret of the success of “Made in Germany”. We need it back,’ Weidel said in an interview with Reuters published on Tuesday. ‘The loss of this energy has set us back years. Hundreds of thousands of jobs have been lost. It has made us dependent on the United States, which sells us energy at far higher prices.’” (rt.com)
Mr Armstrong Warned The Church To Watch Out For Certain Events
Germany to recover after WWll, and become the leading nation in Europe.
Fall of the Berlin Wall.
East and West Germany to be united.
The formation of the United States of Europe.
EU to start as a trade organisation… but then seek its own government, currency and military force.
Eastern European nations to join the EU
Europeans to lose faith in the USA as their protector.
Fear of Russia to drive Europe to unite militarily.
Britain to not be a part of the EU.
Germany’s hard won prosperity to come under threat.
This Is All Now HISTORY!
Ongoing Issues…
Germany to restore economic ties with Russia.
Trade wars between Europe and the USA.
A Nazi takeover of the German government.
What Happens Next!
This whole United States of Europe, when it goes together, is going to trigger nuclear World War III. A soon-coming economic meltdown willֺ…
“Trigger the formation of reunification in Europe; the resurrection of the Medieval Holy Roman Empire that we’ve been looking forward to that is prophesied to come.” (Sermon - July 7, 1984)
The resurrection of the Medieval Holy Roman Empire was explained in the first issue of the Plain Truth Magazine - at the beginning of 1934!
THAT MESSAGE STILL STANDS!
So as we watch end time events unfold, we need not be frightened – rather, watch as a witness – staying spiritually alert, AND KEEP IN MIND WHAT COMES NEXT…
THE WONDERFUL WORLD TOMORROW
“ You don’t have to believe it! It will happen, regardless. It is sure – the world’s only sure hope. This advance good news of tomorrow is as certain as the rising of tomorrow’s sun. ”
Read Tomorrows News Today: (Tomorrow… What It Will Be Like)
Utilising Wealth
"There is that maketh himself rich, yet hath nothing: there is that maketh himself poor, yet hath great riches." (Proverbs 13:7)
Elon Musk, SpaceX CEO, has made headlines recently for becoming the first individual to amass $1 trillion. A difficult concept for most of us to get to grips with ... so how much really is that? Well, if you were to spend $1 million every single day, it would take you 2,739 years to spend $1 trillion. According to the IMF, there are only 21 countries with GDPs more than $1 trillion, which leaves about 170 with GDPs smaller than the windfall gathered in by Musk.
It's not that Mr Musk has his trillions of dollars stashed under his mattress though -- the vast majority of his extraordinary wealth is in stocks and shares. From a video game sold for $500 as a teenager, to a business empire spanning rockets, electric vehicles, AI and brain implants, Elon Musk has spent decades building companies that have reshaped multiple industries, the most well known of his companies being SpaceX, Starlink, Tesla, xAI, X, SolarCity and PayPal.
When he founded SpaceX in 2002, he believed the company had less than a one-in-ten chance of success. At the time, the venture was little more than an attempt to break into an industry dominated by government agencies and established aerospace contractors, and he had warned friends and investors that failure was the most likely outcome. More than two decades later, the company has become one of the world's most valuable businesses. Its stock market debut this month was the largest initial public offering ever recorded, valuing the company at about $1.75tn. After just a few days of trading, its market capitalisation had comfortably surpassed $2tn, eventually reaching $2.43tn.
Musk's Goals
It's highly likely that Elon Musk unwittingly has tapped into the first six of the seven laws of success, the first of which is to set the right goal -- from a human perspective. Unlike many of the rich people in this world his focus has not been primarily on making money. As early as 2007, Musk stated a personal goal of eventually colonising Mars, to ensure the long-term survival of human beings by enabling mankind to become multiplanetary.
Naturally an infrastructure of some sort would have to be developed first of all -- i.e. being able to make use of local resources, and SpaceX's projected timeline is that once established, a colony on Mars could become self-sufficient in seven to nine years. His timeline involves a first crewed mission to Mars as early as 2029 and the development of a self-sustaining colony by 2050. The ultimate goal of the SpaceX programme is that one million people would eventually colonise that planet.
You can't help but admire his drive, goal-setting, perseverance and resourcefulness! Elon Musk's success has not been without its serious obstacles however. In fact Tesla -- his electric car company -- came within a month of bankruptcy, but he didn't give up, he worked his way around the problems, and Tesla has recently reported record profits, with its shares soaring more than 400% this year.
Not Trillions but Priceless
Interestingly enough, we have similar goals to Elon Musk, but not similar physical assets! It's doubtful whether any of us can boast of multiple thousands of dollars/pounds in our bank account, let alone trillions -- but what we DO have far surpasses SpaceX's resources, and our goal FAR surpasses that of merely colonising the Red Planet.
When I was working as the UK media manager for the Work in the early 1980's we hired an advertising agency to improve the appeal of our ads in the local and national newspapers. One of the most successful ads we ran was very simple indeed: "This magazine is FREE". It certainly brought in the numbers – which was their brief – but today I look back on it and have to ask myself if it was entirely accurate.
From a worldly perspective "this magazine is FREE" ticks all the advertising boxes but a truer statement would have been "This magazine is PRICELESS" – which is a much more profound assessment of WHY the magazine could have no price. After all, what price would somebody place on the meaning of life and access to eternity? And as Mr. Armstrong brings out in his sermon given June 1982:
We are begotten Gods! Children of God! Do you realize how great that is, brethren? Or isn't it of that much consequence to you? THAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING THAT COULD POSSIBLY HAPPEN! And we just take it as if "Well, everyone's supposed to go to church. I guess maybe we should have the Holy Spirit." But you don't know if you've got it or not. Is that the way you look at it? Is it just of no consequence? Or is it THE MOST IMPORTANT THING THAT EVER HAPPENED, OR EVER COULD HAPPEN, IN THE ALL THE UNIVERSE—TO ANYBODY! To be an actual CHILD OF GOD! Scripture says, "Beloved, NOW are we the children of God, and it does not appear [yet] what we shall be." That doesn't appear yet. It will appear, because then we'll be like Christ and this vile body will be changed into a spirit body like His when He comes. (The Church is a New Civilization/Why Only a Few Chosen Now? June 1982)
Priceless Protection
And being a very child of God brings SO many side benefits in this life now that we might take for granted -- and which no amount of money can buy, one of the most precious being protection in the unstable years ahead. Mr. Armstrong has mentioned many times the story of the American statistician and economist, Roger Babson, and how in 1919 he was able to accurately predict the greatest depression in US modern history. We too can have this "insider insight" - not only into the main reasons for the chaos and disastrous conditions in the world today, but also the inevitable outcome.
As Mr. Babson pointed out from his wealth of experience, economic prosperity depended largely on the moral integrity of the population. Tip the scales to where over 50% were dishonourable and immoral in their dealings with one another and economic depression is unavoidable. It would seem obvious that these days a great deal more than 51% are unrighteous in their dealings -- morality in every sphere of life is surely at an all-time low! Therefore it's clear that shortly this world will be thrust into financial chaos, leading to the time of Jacob's trouble, and a time in which no amount of physical wealth will be of any help, as many will even cast their gold, silver, even stocks and shares to the "moles and the bats" (Isaiah 2:20)
But we've been given great encouragement by God, who promises to see us through, and also deliver our children (Isaiah 61:9, Psalm 37:25)
- Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty:
- For he maketh sore, and bindeth up: he woundeth, and his hands make whole.
- He shall deliver thee in six troubles: yea, in seven there shall no evil touch thee.
- In famine he shall redeem thee from death: and in war from the power of the sword.
- Thou shalt be hid from the scourge of the tongue: neither shalt thou be afraid of destruction when it cometh.
- At destruction and famine thou shalt laugh: neither shalt thou be afraid of the beasts of the earth.
- For thou shalt be in league with the stones of the field: and the beasts of the field shall be at peace with thee. (Job 5:17-23)
- Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh.
- For the LORD shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken. (Proverbs 3:25,26)
Unsurpassed Understanding
God's church at this end-time has been blessed with a wealth of understanding that has not been available to even the Old Testament prophets, as the apostle Peter brings out...
- Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care,
- trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of the Messiah and the glories that would follow.
- It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things. (I Peter 1:10-12 NIV)
But the understanding of the very meaning of life and what the future holds doesn't come from hour upon hour of Bible study, even with a plethora of translations and concordances! This fundamental, life-changing "holy grail of philosophy" had to be revealed, and God did so through His end-time apostle Mr. Herbert Armstrong, who proved his obedience and faithfulness over his lifetime.
Think for a moment of the basic but incredibly rare understanding we have: that there is a gap of possibly billions of years between the first two verses of Genesis chapter one, and it explains SO much about the violence and evil in today's world. Also, it's obvious to us that world peace is not within any politician's or world leader's grasp, because we understand the lesson of the two trees of Genesis 3. And we don't mourn as others when we lose a loved one, because we know for a surely that death is a type of sleep, and we will be reunited.
Again, consider the depth of understanding we have been given by the very Holy Days themselves. So often we can take this for granted when on each Holy Day we hear the same basic "Why are we here?" message. A familiarity can creep in, which sadly can lead to indifference and apathy, if we are not very careful.
And yet via the Passover we are given the incalculable gift of direct access to the very throne of the universe and the spiritual power that then gives our lives true purpose. I wonder if we would take prayer so much for granted, and sometimes even feel it is a burden, if we thought deeply on what it took to rent that veil from top to bottom to allow us access to the Holy of Holies, any time day or night -- whereas in the nation of Israel in the wilderness only the High Priest had this access, and then it was only once a year on the Day of Atonement. (Leviticus 16:2)
Feeding on the word of God, while putting sin out of our lives, pictured by the Feast of Unleavened Bread, we change our "spiritual DNA" to that of our Father -- and then comes Pentecost, when we're given a down payment of the Holy Spirit – the self-same power that was used to create this endless universe and all we see around us. Simon Magus offered to buy this power, but it truly is without price. We have become the begotten children of the greatest Being in the universe ... with whom NOTHING is impossible.
And so we stand today just a few weeks before the third season of the year depicting the fulfilment of what has gone before. The day of Trumpets – which stands as the fulcrum between two entirely different worlds -- is "our day" in many ways, when our unsubstantial human body will be changed into glorious, eternal spirit bodies at the return of Christ. Then comes Atonement (and the Jubilee) finally proclaiming liberty throughout the entire earth at the removal of Satan the devil and his violent and depraved broadcast. This then will allow the age of God, pictured by Tabernacles and the Last Great Day, ushering in a Utopia to last for eternity and bring God's transcendental purpose to fruition.
- And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
- And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. (Revelation 21:3,4)
New Civilization
Elon Musk's "survival pods" on distant planets in order to preserve man's civilisation would come to destruction sooner or later, if the basic nature of mankind doesn't change! Instead...
Christ came to start A NEW WORLD! A NEW CIVILIZATION! People think this civilization is wonderful. Oh, it's Satan's civilization. Jesus came to start GOD'S CIVILIZATION. He started it with twelve. Then He started it with the Church. Now here are more than 1,000 with us right here today, and each of us is going to be able to teach several hundred (if not a thousand). A thousand of us need to learn to teach a thousand…a thousand, thousand, or a million. I guess so. How many does it take to teach the billions of the earth?...
...He's calling us NOW in order that, in the Millennium, we can teach the millions and even the billions... We have to learn the way of living of God—the way that is cooperation, that helps, that produces. And brethren, ultimately, after that thousand years and the Great White Throne Judgment, we're going to go to other planets; and we are going to raise up new people. We're going to start new worlds; and it's going to go on and on until there are BILLIONS TIMES BILLIONS of people; and God has started with a few of us. (The Church is a New Civilisation/Why Only a Few Chosen Now? June 1982)
Utilising that Wealth NOW
There has been another "world's richest man" and that was King Solomon. He certainly had his goals and dreams, as he explains in Ecclesiastes 1, verses 4 to 10, but what was his conclusion? "Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun."(Ecclesiastes 1:11). After discussing the brevity of this human life: "Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it" (Ecclesiastes 12:7) .... then comes Solomon's conclusion:
- After all this, there is only one thing to say: Have reverence for God, and obey his commands, because this is all that we were created for.
- God is going to judge everything we do, whether good or bad, even things done in secret. (Ecclesiastes 12:13,14 NLT)
That summing up sounds very much like Mr. Armstrong's PT article of August 1981..."Keep your Eyes on the Goal":
But consider: What are you, now? Just a mass of matter, put together like a machine. Your present existence has to be constantly SUSTAINED. You have to keep drawing a breath of air into your lungs about every four or five seconds. You have to eat food on the average of three times a day. You have to take care of eliminating the impurities from food, and of bathing and cleansing your body. You have to maintain and sustain your physical anatomy to keep on existing – and even then you are ageing and degenerating every day and every year – and the most certain thing in this existence we call “life” is that this machine process is going to run down – YOU ARE GOING TO DIE...
...Unless God’s own CHARACTER is being formed and developed in your mind and your life, replacing the human nature that is there now, you shall have missed your GOAL. God’s PURPOSE is to CREATE within human beings, during this experience we call physical life, a new and perfect CHARACTER, so that you and others may be given eternal life – self-containing, inherent life. (The Plain Truth, August 1981 - "Keep your Eyes on the Goal")
With such an incredible goal at the forefront of our minds, we shouldn't be despondent when we encounter obstacles, setbacks, even hard trial, whether they be ill health, job losses, bereavement, family worries etc, because there's nothing that with God's help we can't handle, and He's promised never to leave us or forsake us (Isaiah 46:4, Luke 12:7, I Corinthians 10:13).
Wealth -- God's Way
In many a successful business venture, it's been a matter of "not what you know but who you know" and that couldn't be more applicable to our daily lives as the begotten children of the most important and powerful individual in the universe! But just having an academic understanding of the meaning of life-- even God's Plan and promises -- is not enough. Like worldly riches, these kind of "spiritual riches" will also fail, as we are warned by Christ Himself in Revelation chapter 3:
- I know your doings, you are neither cold nor hot -- would you were either cold or not!
- So, because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I am going to spit you out of my mouth.
- You declare, 'I am rich, I am well off, I lack nothing!' -- not knowing you are a miserable creature, pitiful, poor, blind, naked.
- I advise you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich, white raiment to clothe you and prevent the shame of your nakedness from being seen, and salve to rub on your eyes, that you may see.
- I reprove and discipline those whom I love; so be earnest and repent. (Revelation 3:15-19 Moffatt)
This privileged and unparalleled understanding must not only become part of us but it must change us, and this comes through prayer and the study of God's word and the flow of God's Holy Spirit, as Paul explained to the church in Corinth: " But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory,... by the Spirit of the Lord" (II Corinthians 3:18)
Out-of-this-World Wealth
Elon Musk might well achieve a degree of success with his goal of colonising Mars -- or at least a base or two on the Moon, as in Deuteronomy God promises: " If any of thine be driven out unto the outmost parts of heaven, from thence will the LORD thy God gather thee, and from thence will he fetch thee:" (Deuteronomy 30:4). But the "civilization" that he will one day witness will FAR exceed anything SpaceX could achieve ... even if its trillion dollars were multiplied many times over.
God too wants to "ensure the long-term survival of human beings" but by a very different route..."And the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live." (Deuteronomy 30:6). (see also Ezekiel 11:19, 36:26) I believe the world God has promised mankind far surpasses anything a mere human being could mastermind, regardless of his wealth. God speed that day.
- Instead of bronze I will bring gold, and instead of iron I will bring silver, and instead of wood, bronze and instead of stone, iron, and I will make peace your administrators, and righteousness your overseers.
- Violence will not be heard again in your land, nor devastation or destruction within your borders; but you will call your walls Salvation and your gates Praise.
- No longer will you have the sun for light by day, nor will the moon give you light for brightness; but you will have the LORD as an everlasting light, and your God as your glory.
- Your sun will no longer set, nor will your moon wane, for you will have the LORD as an everlasting light, and the days of your mourning will be over.
- Then all your people will be righteous; they will possess the land forever, The branch of My planting, the work of My hands, that I may be glorified.
- The smallest one will become a thousand, and the least one a mighty nation. I the LORD will bring it about quickly in its time. (Isaiah 60:17-22 NASB)
Latest Audio - 2026-06-27
“Just what is an APOSTLE?”
Today we find the Church of God in a “wilderness of religious confusion!”
The confusion is not merely around the Church – within the religions of the world outside – but WITHIN the very heart of The True Church itself!
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