2026: Dire threat of a world-ending catastrophe…
The Doomsday Clock is set at…
85 Seconds To Midnight!
It’s now been 40 years since the death of Herbert W Armstrong, God’s end time apostle. He led the Worldwide Church of God right up until his death in 1986. He headed up the world’s largest religious broadcast at that time, ‘The World Tomorrow’.
His message was simple. He preached the gospel, the good news, of the return of Jesus Christ to the earth to set up the world ruling Government of God – administered in righteousness by His spirit-born sons. He taught that this world’s ‘christianity’ preached ABOUT Christ - while completely ignoring His message.
He delivered that message!
The apostle Mark makes it very clear: “Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God.” (Mark 1:14)
He preached that the Bible reveals that just prior to the return of Christ, this world will come dangerously close to destroying itself.
“And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved [alive].” (Matthew 24:22)
Mr Armstrong warned about upcoming world events that would lead up to WW3, explaining Bible prophecy. He warned about the resurrection of the German-led Holy Roman Empire that would destroy both the USA and Britain.
We were warned to watch world events.
We ask - 40 years on…
Did he get it right?
Let’s look at what he said.
Lets look at what happened.
Let’s look at today’s world!
Is there a choice?
First - Let’s Look At The Number 40
In his Pastors Report a few weeks ago, Mr Bowles had this to say about the significance of the number 40:
“…In this Pastor’s Report, I want to concentrate on the number 40, and show you how it so often is used as the classic time of testing and trial but also - please note - preparation before a new phase begins, ie a WATERSHED event. This is not just an arbitrary number, but I believe it may have a great significance to us at this end time.
Of the hundreds of splinter groups that have formed since the apostasy took hold, many of them do not acknowledge him as the end-time apostle and the Elijah-to-come, and some even deny an apostasy has taken place! And so a 40th anniversary of his death is unlikely to mean anything to them … possibly at their peril.
2026 - A Watershed Year?
2026 may or may not be a critical time prophetically, but it would seem foolhardy to ignore the possibility - like a pregnant woman past her due date, deciding she can’t be pregnant after all … and we’ve known that to happen! So could forty years since Mr Armstrong’s death have any significance for us? Well, ‘forty years’ can also signify bringing a time period to its conclusion.” (Pastor’s Report - 9 Jan 2026)
Mr Armstrong warned:
“All signs in world events imply strongly we are now on the very eve of these events TO SHAKE THE WORLD AS NEVER BEFORE, just prior to Christ’s return, and the coming of the HAPPY PEACEFUL WORLD TOMORROW!” (The Plain Truth – August 1980)
As the Pastors Report goes on to point out:
“It’s evident that 40 years in particular can be a time of trial and testing…”
“‘Forty years’ can also signify bringing a time period to its conclusion.”
“It can also picture preparation before a new phase begins…”
We Have Been Tried And Tested
Jesus Christ gave His church a key command in the book of Revelation:
“Behold, I come quickly: HOLD THAT FAST WHICH THOU HAST, that no man take thy crown.” (Revelation 3:11)
What do we have to hold on to? We are to hold on to what we were taught by God’s end time apostle.
How important is one that God sends - an “apostle”?
“He that heareth you heareth me; and he that despiseth you despiseth me; and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent [Greek: apostello] me.” (Luke 10:16)
Do we still follow the teaching of God’s end time apostle? It’s not easy in today’s world - or even within the Church. That’s why Jude was inspired to write that we would have to “…earnestly contend for the faith which was once [and for all] delivered unto the saints.” (Jude 1:3)
The question is, is a person still following the teaching of God’s end time apostle? The Church of God has been well tried on this point over the last 40 years, and in many cases, found wanting! Some doctrines have been altered, some forgotten, some watered down and some totally ignored because they are “not important”!
Many In The Church Still Do Not Understand ‘The Gospel’
Mr Armstrong made it very clear as to WHY God had called some now. He also made it very clear that many were not “getting it”!
“You’re called to learn! You’re called to become a student! YOU’RE CALLED SO YOU CAN BECOME A TEACHER AND TEACH OTHERS when the time comes. And I’m afraid most of you are not doing it because we have thought, just like the Protestants do, that God is trying to save us and you just want to GET salvation.
He didn’t call you just to GET salvation. He called you to GIVE the knowledge that you’re learning to others when the time comes. And now that’s the message I wanted to bring to you this afternoon.
And I still say that the people in the Worldwide Church of God have never gotten the message! You have never gotten the real gospel yet! That is the gospel and until you come to see that - you have not understood the gospel at all.” (Sermon - Called To Be Teachers - 16 June 1984)
A Point To Think About
As teachers, we must teach the whole curriculum as delivered. The curriculum, ‘the Way’, came from God the Father. He passed it on to Christ, who then taught His apostles. This is what we will teach! We will teach what we have been taught. We will leave nothing out, nothing watered down or forgotten, nothing changed.
Many who have altered doctrines, brought in new teachings or in any way corrupted what we have been taught would do well to read what God has to say about this frame of mind:.
“For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:
And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.” (Revelation 22:18-19)
We are to follow Christ’s example: “For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.” (John 6:38)
A Man Before His Time
From the beginning, the message was unchanged - because it was firmly based on Bible prophecy.
“The Bible foretells that third round [WW3] – and it spells DOOM for us, as God’s punishment, because we, as a nation, have forsaken Him and His ways! The third round is termed, in prophecy, an invasion by ‘BABYLON’ – a resurrected Roman Empire – a European Union. I have been proclaiming that since 1927. For a while I thought Hitler might organize it – especially when he tied up with the Roman Mussolini. It wasn’t done in this second World War. It will be done and provoke the third!” (The Autobiography - Chapter 49)
Over 70 years ago, he was teaching about the reunification of East and West Germany - even before the building of the Berlin wall! He also predicted that some of the eastern European nations, which were under Russian control, would be free to join the EU!
Back in 1952, nine years before the Berlin Wall was built, Mr Armstrong warned:-
“Russia may give East Germany back to the Germans and will be forced to relinquish her control over Hungary, Czechoslovakia and parts of Austria to complete the ten nation union.” (The Good News - April 1952)
Again, in 1985, Germany unity predicted:
“Do not discount the possibility that this resurrection of the medieval Holy Roman Empire may start by some arrangement to reunite East and West Germany first. Before World War II, a mutual accord had been made between Germany and Russia. History often repeats itself.” (The Plain Truth, October 1985)
Trade Wars And A Financial Collapse
In 1963, he warned:
“So long as present German prosperity continues… the Nazi takeover will not be possible! But — should any severe THREAT to that hard-won prosperity come — the picture will change — and change VIOLENTLY, in Germany!
Right now, that prosperity IS under threat…
…Your Bible predicts a great TRADE WAR between the burgeoning economic power in Europe and the United States.
That trade war is under way - right now!
It predicts terrible financial COLLAPSE for this country [USA]!
The $38 trillion debt is unsustainable - it simply cannot continue!
Terrible economic disasters would result!
And the result from such disasters? A NEW NAZI GERMANY!” (The Plain Truth, December 1963)
Today, the right wing AfD party is now the main opposition party in the German parliament - and support for their policies is increasing.
A Warning In 1955 - The Birth Of The EU
“The European Coal and Steel Community was formed on March 25, 1957.
On February 7, 1992, 40 years after the establishment of the European Coal and Steel Community, the Maastricht Treaty officially created the European Union.
Ten years later in January 2002, the Euro was finally introduced to the general public.
In 2004, ten countries joined the EU: Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia, followed by Romania and Bulgaria in 2007.” (lingoda.com)
Two years before all this began, in June, 1955, Mr Armstrong was inspired to issue this warning:
Talking about the Holy Roman Empire, he wrote…
“In its final phase, to appear in our day, will merely be a restoration of that ancient Roman Empire – a United States of Europe which we are beginning to foster within the confines of the ancient Roman Empire! We are building the Frankenstein Monster that is destined to destroy us!” (The Plain Truth, June 1955)
Religion To Power The New 10 Nation Europe
March 1962 - Mr Armstrong gave this warning:
“United within ancient boundaries of the Holy Roman Empire; united by the common spiritual bond of universal Catholicism; united in a burgeoning and booming industrial economy that dominates today’s world; united geographically in the most productive and industrial complex on earth — at least TEN NATIONS OF MODERN EUROPE will march onto the scene of world history as the greatest single human force ever seen by man!” (The Plain Truth, March 1962)
Headline 11th February 2026:
“Europe ‘Must Become Military Superpower’ To Survive Without US”
(telegraph.co.uk)
August 1968: The warnings continued…
“The 17th chapter of Revelation plainly describes a spiritual-political union of TEN KINGS, ten military/political leaders, and a great spiritual leader. For decades, we have been proclaiming the eventual creation of some form of united Europe – showing the many difficulties to be resolved, the ancient nationalistic antagonisms, the memories of Germany’s neighbors of World War II, and the various religious barriers.
This will be made possible by the ‘good offices’ of the Vatican, who alone can be the symbol of unity to which they can look.
We have proclaimed repeatedly that the ultimate unifying force would be religious. We have shown how the prophecies of your Bible proclaim a great universal religious fervour will finally break down all remaining barriers to a full economic-political-military-religious union in Europe!” (The Plain Truth, August 1968)
A Time Of World Trouble Predicted:
“God will use a Nazi-Fascist Europe to punish Britain-America. Then He will use the Communist hordes to wipe out the Roman Europe.
We are entering a time of world trouble – utter WORLD chaos! There is war, strife, violence in Asia, Africa, South America – as well as Europe and North America. The population explosion is a worldwide threat to human existence. Crime, violence, sickness, disease, inequality, poverty, filth, squalor, degeneration, suffering – these infest ALL nations! But, as salvation is given first to Israel, so is corrective punishment!” (The United States & Britain In Prophecy - Chapter 14)
“…And politics will enter into it and I can see where it is going to cause Europe to unite and turn against the United States. And if you want to know what will happen… read the last chapter in the book ‘ United States and Britain in Prophecy. ’ Now you may have read it, go home and read it again. Brush up on it and refresh your mind on it, because we’re coming to the time when it is going to happen.” (Sermon – Prophecy Part 1, 7 July 1984)
“Now I hope this shakes you up a little bit because, if I can shake you up now, that’s fine. But if I don’t, the conditions in the world are going to shake you up and very soon.” (Sermon - United States Of Europe Is Coming, 27 November 1982)
If this doesn’t shake people up…
For those who are still sceptical about Bible prophecy…
then…
Follow the Science!
Listen to what this world’s experts have to say!
Civilization Collapse Now ‘Inevitable’
“The collapse of human civilization is now ‘inevitable’, according to a scholar who’s combed through 5,000 years of history. Dr Luke Kemp of the University of Cambridge has exposed clear and alarming patterns of inequality, environmental damage, reckless leadership and fragile systems that lead to ancient collapse in the modern world. ‘We can’t put a date on Doomsday, but by looking at the 5,000 years of [civilization], we can understand the trajectories we face today, and self-termination is most likely,’ he told the Guardian.
In the past, power struggles were fought with swords or muskets. Today, world leaders have access to more than 10,000 nuclear weapons. Ancient populations could return to farming or hunting to survive. But modern societies rely heavily on fragile global supply chains, if they fail, we fall with them, he shared. And with history repeating itself, he said, collapse is no longer just a possibility, it is the most likely outcome”. (dailymail.co.uk)
Doomsday Clock Ticks Forward…
Who sets the Doomsday Clock?
“The Doomsday Clock is set once a year by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. For the first several decades, Manhattan Project scientist and Bulletin editor Eugene Rabinowitch decided when, and how much, to move the Clock. His first decision: October 1949, when Russia exploded its first atomic bomb and he changed the Clock from seven minutes to three minutes to midnight.
Since Rabinowitch’s death in 1973, the Clock has been set by members of the Bulletin’s Science and Security Board together with the Bulletin’s Board of Sponsors, which includes more than a dozen Nobel laureates and other international experts in key technologies.
The Bulletin’s group currently meets twice yearly to debate and discuss whether the actions of international leaders have made the world safer or more dangerous than it was in the previous year. The outcome: a decision of whether to move the Clock closer to, or further away from, midnight.” (thebulletin.org)
A Message From The Scientists
It’s now 85 seconds to midnight - the closest the Clock has ever been to midnight in its 79-year history!
“The Doomsday Clock, which has been ticking down to the end of the world for decades, is now officially closer to annihilation than ever before. On Tuesday, scientists with the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists moved the symbolic clock four seconds forward to 85 seconds to midnight. It’s also the closest the clock has ever been to midnight in its 79-year history, meaning experts believe humanity has never faced a more dire threat of a world-ending catastrophe than it does in 2026.
The group, which decides where the hands are set annually, cited multiple threats to global stability, including nuclear weapons, climate change, disruptive technologies like AI, and the creation of synthetic biological substances called ‘mirror life.’
Alexandra Bell, president and CEO of the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, said:
‘Every second counts and we are running out of time.
It is a hard truth that this is our reality.
This is the closest our world has ever been to midnight.’” (dailymail.co.uk)
Today’s World
“THIS SOCIETY – THIS CIVILIZATION CAN’T BE SAVED!
Man, himself, is bringing this world to destruction.
Man's prediction ends with the total destruction of mankind!
GOD’S PREDICTION ENDS UP WITH UTOPIA!
“UTOPIA? WHY NOT.
YOU DON’T HAVE TO BELIEVE IT!
IT WILL HAPPEN, REGARDLESS.
IT IS SURE – THE WORLD’S ONLY SURE HOPE.” (Tomorrow… What It Will Be Like - Chapter 1)
A Message From God: You Choose!
“I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing:
THEREFORE CHOOSE LIFE,
that both thou and thy seed may live.”
(Deuteronomy 30:19)
The Masks We Wear
"...every man at his best state is altogether vanity. Selah. Surely every man walketh in a vain shew:" (Psalm 39:5,6)
At the time of writing, the media here in the UK is awash with speculation, rumours and condemnation regarding the unmasking of a prominent British politician – previously a member of the House of Lords – and his close association with the convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Many are even questioning the involvement and integrity of the Prime Minister who appointed him to the post of British Ambassador to the US last year. This exposé has even involved a high-ranking member of the Royal Family, who has lost his royal title and many privileges. No doubt there are other individuals in such high circles who are wondering if they too will be 'unmasked' – and their private lives be put under investigation.
Reading of such hypocrisy – the two-facedness of those in high office – we might adopt a "holier than thou" attitude, but what we must keep in mind is what the apostle Paul mentioned to the church in Rome in this first verse and throughout chapter 2:
- Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things. (Romans 2:1)
Not one of us is immune from a certain amount of duplicity! As Psalm 39 in the Amplified version brings out ... "Surely every man at his best is a mere breath [a wisp of smoke, a vapor that vanishes]! Selah. Surely every man walks around like a shadow [in a charade]" (Psalm 39:5,6) And with a new holy day season starting at the end of next month with the Passover service, it would be wise for all of us to start thinking NOW of examining ourselves in this particular area of misrepresentation and deceit.
A Good Impression
- Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile. (Psalm 32:2)
When you consider the various 'masks' we as human beings wear, the most insidious of them are not those that are physical but rather spiritual in nature – trying to conceal our true selves behind an outward facade of some description. In the same way that physical masks distance us from others and can damage relationships – as they did during the Covid years – even more do the spiritual masks we wear!
The various spiritual masks we wear have at their root an almost universal purpose – the desire to make a good impression, to be thought of in a more favourable light. This appears to be particularly true for those that rely on a public profile ... such as politicians, actors, religious leaders etc. But we are warned by Jesus Christ;
- Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets. (Luke 6:26)
- But he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.
- For not he that commendeth himself is approved [Grk dokimos], but whom the Lord commendeth. (II Corinthians 10:17,18)
"Approved: Gk – dokimos Strongs 1384 – These were men of honour who put only genuine full weighted money into circulation. Such men were called "dokimos" or "approved".
We can see this problem vividly described in Jeremiah where the religious leaders at that time were more concerned with their popularity than warning the people of the consequences of their actions. Back then, the Jewish nation was taken into captivity by Babylon as punishment for their various sins, but the fact that this book has been preserved through the millennia shows it also carries a sobering message for us today.
- ... shall I not avenge Myself On a nation such as this?’
- An appalling and horrible thing has happened in the land:
- The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule on their own authority; and My people love it this way! But what will you do when the end comes? (Jeremiah 5:29-31 ASV)
Satan's Tool
As with so many things it is important that we recognise the true source of this desire to hide behind such spiritual masks. A quick glance through a thesaurus clearly shows the insidious scope of the word 'mask' and its companion, 'masquerade': "blind, camouflage, cloak, concealment, counterfeit, deception, cover-up, facade, guise, obscure, pretence, subterfuge, vail." (Chambers). As soon as God allowed Satan access to Adam and Eve, he set about doing just that ... practising deception, masking his true intent, and hasn't stopped since. In addition to being identified as "a liar and the father of it" (John 8:44), he cunningly disappears behind his own mask by depicting himself as an angel of light:
- For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.
- And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
- Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works. (II Corinthians 11:13-15)
In Jeremiah 17:9 it states that a heart so manipulated by the god of this world is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. We read daily of black being called white and vice versa, of what is right termed as being wrong:
- Woe unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the LORD, and their works are in the dark, and they say, Who seeth us? and who knoweth us?
- Surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potter’s clay: (Isaiah 29:15,16)
We're bombarded with the still unproven (and unprovable) theory of unguided evolution stated as categorical fact in just about every facet of life. This self-deception, this need to mask the truth when it is unpalatable, or not along the lines of what WE want is highlighted again in Isaiah:
- That this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of the LORD:
- Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits:
- Get you out of the way, turn aside out of the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us. (Isaiah 30:9-11)
Satan desires above all things to separate us from our Creator, and to replace God with himself as Number One in the universe and he has a myriad ways of attempting this takeover. The western nations in general refuse to believe he even exists, but in other countries where a spirit world is accepted as fact, the evil influence by Satan and his cohorts can be seen in a number of pagan rituals and dances, where in the vast majority of cases masks are worn to literally depict these demonic powers – the underlying motive being intimidation, control and the gaining of power over something or someone.
The World's Mask
As noted above, one of the synonyms for mask is "blind" ... and that is the state in which the vast majority of the world find themselves right now. It's a situation that God is allowing – for the time being – as stated in Romans 11, and II Corinthians 3:
- What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded
- (According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day (Romans 11:7,8)
- But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart.
- Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away. (II Corinthians 3:15,16)
As stated in Revelation 12:9, Satan has deceived the whole world and a deceived person doesn't realise he is deceived, generally speaking. But as is so clearly and unambiguously brought out in Romans chapter 1, that is not always the case. The entire world each day wakes up within a reality that shouts intelligent design from virtually every facet of creation, but not only do many of the so-called 'intellectuals' suppress this fact, but they actively prohibit and ban any who would dare to point to the supremely obvious – blatantly and dishonestly pursuing and rooting out any in the scientific community who would disagree with their unguided and godless evolutionary stance.
- The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness,
- since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.
- For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.
- For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. (Romans 1:18-21 NIV)
Lying Wonders
With what appears to be an increased activity of the spiritual broadcast at the end time we need to be particularly aware of the masking of the truth as we proceed into the immediate future. The chances are that the way ahead is going to be strewn with obstacles, muddying the waters to the actual truth of what is going on. Satan already has the rest of the world under his thumb, so his main target has to be those within the church, the soon-to-be-born sons of God, as indicated by Matthew 24:24 – when read as it was originally given.
- And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
- And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many ...
- Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.
-
For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if
it were[not in the original] possible, they shall deceive the very elect. (Matthew 24:10,11,23,24)
And again, the warning the apostle Peter gave to the church shortly before his death was seen fit to be preserved by Christ to specifically alert the church at the end time.
- But there were false prophets among the people, as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly put forward wrong teachings for your destruction, even turning away from the Lord who gave himself for them; whose destruction will come quickly, and they themselves will be the cause of it.
- And a great number will go with them in their evil ways, through whom the true way will have a bad name.
- And in their desire for profit they will come to you with words of deceit, like traders doing business in souls: whose punishment has been ready for a long time and their destruction is watching for them. (II Peter 2:1-3 BBE)
This masking of the truth becomes particularly important when we consider the role of the false prophet, who is prophesied to appear and be active right at the time of the end. Being labelled a prophet carries with it the role of teaching – but what is destined to be taught will be very much a masking, twisting or obscuring of the truth. Empowered by Satan this individual will be producing 'lying wonders' and we need to be prepared and on our guard within God's church as the entire world will apparently be taken in by this personage. To this end, we are encouraged to remain well grounded in and have a love for the truth – the honest and unambiguous truth of Almighty God.
- Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
- And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
- And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
- That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. (II Thessalonians 2:9-12)
Pharisaical Hypocrisy
As a human being, Christ was well aware of the blindedness of the majority of the people He came into contact with, as His explanations of the parables show ... "Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand" (Matthew 13:13) But not so with the Pharisees of His time, who He clearly labelled as hypocrites. Not only does Chamber's Thesaurus amplify this word with; charlatan, deceiver, fraud, imposter." ... but also "Pharisee" and "whitened sepulchre"! The Greek from which we get the word hypocrisy (Strongs 5273) brings with it the concept of an actor, stage player, pretender.
And we don't have to sink to the depths of old-time Pharisees to find ourselves being two-faced in our own lives, deceiving ourselves as to our true motives and abilities. As Paul brings out "For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself." (Galatians 6:3)
- I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
- And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
- For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. (Romans 12:1-3)
We might think we're doing OK, paying our tithes, giving offerings, keeping God's holy days, but could the following warning apply to us on occasion? It's much easier to present a 'masked' view of ourselves to others ... maybe concentrating solely on what can be seen physically, while our minds and hearts are going in a very different direction:
- Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.
- Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel. (Matthew 23:23-24)
King David understood this common human weakness and asked God many times to help him be open and upright in his relationship with Him:
- Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults.
- Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.
- Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer. (Psalm 19:12-14)
Nothing Hidden
This need to be transparent – and therefore 'unmasked' – is particularly important when we consider the true reality of both our present and future lives. All of us are destined to eventually appear before the judgement seat of Christ (Romans 14:10) and when we do so, it's guaranteed there will be no mask involved! As indeed "all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of Him with whom we have to do". (Hebrews 4:13)
- And he said unto them, Is a candle brought to be put under a bushel, or under a bed? and not to be set on a candlestick?
- For there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested; neither was any thing kept secret, but that it should come abroad.
- If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.
- And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given.
- For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath (Mark 4:21-25)
- For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
- Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do. (Hebrews 4:12,13)
Even though such a thought can be disconcerting when we consider the various masks all of us sometimes wear. Yet at the same time it can be quite comforting to know that not only will WE appear before that judgment seat, but so too will the rest of humanity. At that time it won't be a case of buying the best lawyers available and/or hiding behind some kind of mask for protection, as their lives too will be "open and naked" before God. We find this position superbly expressed within the book of Psalms:
- LORD, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked triumph?
- How long shall they utter and speak hard things? and all the workers of iniquity boast themselves?
- They break in pieces thy people, O LORD, and afflict thine heritage.
- They slay the widow and the stranger, and murder the fatherless.
- Let they say, The LORD shall not see, neither shall the God of Jacob regard it.
- Understand, ye brutish among the people: and ye fools, when will ye be wise?
- He that planted the ear, shall he not hear? he that formed the eye, shall he not see?
- He that chastiseth the heathen, shall not he correct? he that teacheth man knowledge, shall not he know?
- The LORD knoweth the thoughts of man, that they are vanity. (Psalm 94:3-11)
Seeking Light
Really coming to grips with the fact "all things are naked and open etc" ..should make us much more clear and transparent in our dealings with one another – yes, but particularly in approaching God. Paul was painfully honest about his shortcomings in chapter 7 of Romans. "O wretched man that I am..." (Romans 7:14-15) as was David in his prayer to God in Psalm 51, knowing God "desired truth in the inward parts". (Psalm 51:6) Only then – when we are 'unmasked' before God can we really develop and deepen the relationship, and get the contact and help we desperately need.
This honest and 'open-faced' approach is absolutely imperative if we are to be part of the God Family, as we are reminded by the book of James that with God Himself – unlike Satan – "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning" (James 1:17)
If we are being led by the very spirit and mind of this Being – which must indeed be the case if we are to be the children of Almighty God (Romans 8:14) – it is important that we don't just grudgingly allow God and Christ to shape and mould us, but that we actively seek their input, as expressed in John 3:
- And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
- For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
- But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God (John 3:19-21)
Rest assured that there is no place for a mask within this process but we can simultaneously receive great comfort in knowing the overall purpose of God is "...to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy..." (Jude 24) and to that end: "...the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him..." (II Chronicles 16:9) For, as King David points out within the book of Psalms:
- A song of David: Thou searchest me, Eternal One, though knowest me,
- thou knowest me sitting or rising, my very thoughts thou readest from afar;
- walking or resting, I am scanned by thee, and all my life to thee lies open;
- ere ever a word comes to my tongue, O thou Eternal, it is well known to thee;
- thou are on every side, behind me and before, laying thy hand on me.
- Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is far, far beyond me.
- Where could I go from thy spirit? where could I flee from thy face?
- I climb to heaven? – but thou are there; I nestle in the netherworld? – and there thou art!
- If I darted swift to the dawn, to the verge of the ocean afar,
- thy hand even there would fall upon me, thy right hand would reach me.
- If I say, "The dark will screen me, the night will hide me in its curtains,
- Yet darkness is not dark to thee, the night is clear as daylight.
- For thou didst form my being, didst weave me in my mother’s womb.
- I will praise thee; for the awful wonder of my birth; thy work is wonderful.
- Thou knowest all about my soul; my body was no mystery to thee, as I was being moulded secretly and put together in the world below;
- all the days of my life were foreseen by thee, set down within thy book; ere ever they took shape, they were assigned me, ere ever one of them was mine.
- O God what mysteries I find in thee! How vast the number of thy purposes!
- I try to count them? – They are more than the sand; I wake from my reverie, and I am still lost in thee ...
- ... Search me, O God, and know my heart: test me, and try my thoughts:
- See if I am taking any course of wrong, and lead me on the lines of life eternal. (Psalm 139: 1-18, 23,24 Moffatt)
Latest Audio - 2026-02-07
“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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