Beginners Care Package

Is God A Family?

Fred R. Coulter

The Nature of God

Let’s go to Revelation 3, because we have quite a few things to cover today. And it’s actually going to be somewhat soul-searching as well as exposing. But we are having a phenomena occur now that is almost unreal. Let’s go to Revelation 3, and let’s pick it up here in verse 11. Jesus says, “Behold, I come quickly:...” After He says that He will keep those who are faithful from the hour of temptation which will come upon all the earth to try them that dwell on the earth, He says, “...hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.”

Question: how can a man take your crown? (Audience comment) Lead you in the wrong way. Yes. That’s correct. How else can a person take your crown? (Audience comment) Take you from Christ. To take someone who is in the Church of God, to take them from Christ, how does that have to be done, if it can be done? Because there is a warning in Matthew 24 which says that if it’s possible the very elect shall be deceived. So there are possibilities. So how is it that someone who knows the truth can be taken away, or have their crown taken away? (Audience comment) Ok, you’re not doing the things you know to be right. Ok. That’s correct. What are some of the things that we know that are right that we should be doing? Obeying Christ; “Obey My voice.” Yes. Love God. That’s fine. But what is it you should be doing? What is something you should be doing? (Audience comment) Yes. Doing God’s will. Prayer and study. Very important.

Now, for those of you who don’t like to hear the Worldwide Church of God talked about, you can turn this tape off right now and spare yourself. But if you do that, then you’re just hiding in the woods from the practice that has happened before, and it isn’t going to do you any good to turn the tape off. So you might as well listen. Because there are some very serious things that are going on in the Worldwide Church of God that are unbelievable. And they are threatening with this verse to take away what people believe. Now let’s go to Colossians 2. And as we are turning there, and I’m amazed at how some things fall. I just finished and sent out that 14 page letter which was really a, you might say, a small booklet on what it means to be complete in Christ. And what was one of the dangers that Paul warned about, concerning men doing things to brethren and to ministers? Colossians 2. Let’s go there. Because we have the same warning here again.

Let’s pick up in verse 3. “And this I say, lest any [one] man should [deceive] beguile you...” Now beguile means to deceive. “...Beguile you with enticing words.” Now this means, “clever sounding persuasive words.” Ok, Colossians 2 and - I said verse 3, I meant verse 4. Sorry about that. Just go the verse down. Let’s come to verse 6 now. “As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him:…” (Col. 2:4,6). Now there’s one thing that we need to be very careful of. Because even this verse can be twisted out of shape. This is a true verse, true enough. So in order to answer this verse, understand it properly, we need to ask this question: how was it that they received Christ? Was it with the fullness of the teachings of the apostle Paul? Yes. From him personally? No, through Epaphras. But it was directly from Paul, even though not personally firsthand from Paul. Some people come along and say today that, “Well, as you learn from Herbert W. Armstrong, don’t be moved from that foundation.” It doesn’t mean that. Because what Herbert Armstrong had was partial. Granted, it was more than anybody had had for a long, long time. And one of the things that he had that was very important was why you were born, and our ultimate destiny. He did understand that very well. And that is why he succeeded, because God blessed him in that. Now that is under assault in a major way within the Worldwide Church of God.

Now notice verse 7, “Rooted and built up in Him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy...” Now I’ve said a little bit about philosophy. But we’re going to talk a little bit more about philosophy today, in relationship to what is happening. “...And vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ” (vs. 7-8). What does philosophy lead to? It leads to demonism. Because he says, “…in the voluntary worship of angels...” (vs. 18). You can read the rest of the chapter there, because we’ll have something to say about philosophy.

Now let’s go back to Hebrews 5, and let’s see why people in the past have been deceived. Why people in the Church of God have allowed someone to come along and take away a measure of their faith, hopefully not their crown entirely. But here is the condition that people get themselves in when they don’t pray, when they don’t study, when they don’t let the Spirit of God work in their lives. And especially when ministers come along and tell them they don’t need to study, or tell them, “Well, you leave the things in the Bible to us experts.” I talked to a woman who talked to her son-in-law and daughter who are in the WCG, and when scripture came up to discuss a subject, both of them said, “Well, we’re not experts.” Think on that statement. “We’re not experts.”

Now Hebrews 5:12. “For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For every one that useth milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.” Boy, those are some pretty clear words. If you are not exercising your senses and using the word of God so that you become skillful in it, then you’re going to say, “I’m not an expert.” But here’s what Paul said, verse 14. “But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use...” That is, using the Word of God, studying the Word of God, thinking with the Word of God, using the Spirit of the Word of God, using God’s Spirit in your life, “...Have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil” (Heb. 5:12-14).

Why should you study? Not only to show yourself approved, but so that you understand the Word of God, the word of righteousness. So you can understand what? To discern good from evil. You have no other way of understanding what is right. It’s just not possible. And yet there are people out there who are in Worldwide who have been put to sleep. Who, when the things come to the door, which brings all of these strange and diverse doctrines, which we’ll talk about some of them today. And by the way, I didn’t bring it, but someone listed 154 doctrinal changes in WCG. 154. Now we’re not talking about just a little misunderstanding of a scripture or two. We’re talking about wholesale apostasy. But people in WCG are so asleep that some of them do not even want to bother to take the time to prove what is right and what is wrong. Isn’t that a shame? Is that not a shame? They have been so worn out, they’re so struggling with life, that they can no longer take 2 Timothy 2:15 where it is, “Study to show yourself approved to God” (paraphrased). Now here in our little group, we’re trying to keep our noses in the Bible. And with everything that’s going on, brethren, I just don’t think we can keep up with it.

Now here, I’ve got an interesting letter. It says, “Enclosed is an article we would like for you to look over and give your thoughts and opinions on it.” Ok. I’ll go ahead and do that. “We’re studying your tapes on Revelation with your chart, and it is very interesting. Thank you for the chart on counting Pentecost. That was greatly appreciated. Thank you also for the 1 Peter series of tapes. We’re missing tape #2. We would appreciate getting it.” You will. “We’re not afraid of hearing about prophecy, etc.. We feel it’s about time the people are taken off the milk and begin being fed the meat. We are in the end time, and the people need to be prepared. And as you have mentioned, most of your listeners are past WCG members, so it’s time, past time we were off the milk. So turn on the heat, and start serving the meat. Thank you for hearing me out.” It’s amazing how God sends letters just at the right time, isn’t it?

So turn on the heat, and start serving the meat. Well, I’m going to do a little bit of that today. So if you, and I would suggest brethren, that whoever you know in WCG, make a copy of this tape and send it to them, and tell them that their spiritual life may very well depend on how they’re going to handle what is coming down within WCG. And if a minister says contrary to what I’m going to read here, then you know that the minister himself has compromised his conscience so much he doesn’t know what he’s doing.

Let’s go to Matthew 16 for a minute, and let’s understand what Jesus said and why He said it, and the reason for it. Let’s pick it up right here in verse 1. “The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired Him that He would shew them a sign from heaven. He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red. And in the morning, It will be foul weather today: for the sky is red and lowring. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?” (Matt. 16:1-3). The greatest manifestation of God that ever was came in the person of Jesus Christ to those people, and they couldn’t understand it, though they knew it.

“A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And He left them, and departed. And when His disciples were come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread. Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.” Now you can put in there “bread”, and John 6. Jesus is the bread of God, right? “I am the bread which came down from heaven,” (John 6:33, 35, 38, paraphrased). Compared to the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees. “And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have taken no bread. Which when Jesus perceived, He said unto them, O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have brought no bread? Do ye not yet understand, neither remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets ye took up? Neither the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many baskets ye took up? How is that that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees? Then understood they how that He bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees” (vs. 4-12).

Now what is doctrine? Doctrine comes from the Greek word didache, which means, teaching. The teachings. Most people do not understand, which we will bring out subsequently, not today; but I just have to tell you that God is certainly blessing Carl Franklin with being able to find some books that are just unreal. The things we’re going to bring out concerning Judaism, and Egyptology mixed in with Judaism, is going to be just a flabbergasting. Most people do not understand that the scribes - not the scribes, but the Pharisees and Sadducees, many of them were philosophers and Hellenized. Most people do not understand that. And one of the main doctrines of philosophy is the Trinity. Because philosophy is a religion.

Now someone sent me, and I’m very happy they did, so this is not something I’m concocting and making up in my mind. But you have the real facts before you right here. From the Pastor General’s report of the WCG, July 27th, 1993. I gave you a copy of it so you could read the whole thing. So you yourself could see. So you yourself would understand that this is not something that I have an axe to grind on. But there are a lot of people who are in danger of accepting such false doctrine, which is ultimately based upon philosophy, that it is unreal. Now you will recall when we went through the series at the end of 1992, “The Holy Spirit.” And we saw the booklet that they put out called God Is... And at that time I said the booklet God Is... was never meant to solve any problems. It was meant to create problems, to bring a solution later. So I said at that time that booklet was step one. This Pastor General’s report is step two. What they will do after this will be step three, to fully accept the Trinity. And their accepting of the Trinity is going to go back to the base pagan philosophy of Three-In-One. Not even as well defined as the Catholics, but more base than that.

Now I will tell you the truth of the Trinity right now. You can draw a circle in your notes if you want to, or just keep it in mind. The circle is One. That is Satan the devil. Who are the three? Nimrod, Semeramis, and Horus. Or any of the other names that any of the other nations gave them. Now I’m just going to read excerpts, and you have them marked on the copy you have, because before I made copies for you I marked it. And when I read I always mark. So then, let’s pick it up here, the second paragraph, page one.

“Before the God Is ... booklet was published, I wrote to the church explaining that the teachings we once held, that the destiny of human beings is to become gods, was not one we could support theologically....” There is the error of their doctrine right there. They are not studying their Bibles; they are studying theology. When you get to studying theology, then you are studying religions. You are not studying the Bible. Now, to study other religions to see where they are in error in relationship to the Bible is fine, provided you know what you’re doing. Now it’s says in parentheses, “...(or biblically for that matter)...” Now that is not true. This is a blatant, absolute lie. Now let’s come down here to the third paragraph. “Since then I’ve received a great number of letters and comments expressing appreciation and excitement for the general approach of the booklet, especially the honesty that pervades the whole presentation” (PGR). You will see I have a little line with a question mark there. What are you being honest with? The philosophies of men, or the truth of God’s Word?

Let’s come on down here to the fourth paragraph. Oh - the last sentence of the third paragraph: “The difficulty for some readers was greater...” Now you will notice how he puts down all of the brethren as ignorant, unlearned, difficult to understand. And I tell you what, I don’t think the brethren are ignorant. I don’t think that they cannot learn. My experience has been, I could even teach you a few basic things of Greek and you comprehend it. That doesn’t mean you understand how to read Greek or anything, but at least you can see differences. God - listen, if we’re going to reign with Christ as kings and priests, does God expect us to be simpleton oafs all our lives? If we’re to be teachers, are we to know less than the students?

Let’s go on here. Fourth paragraph now. “As our study on the nature of God has continued over the past year, the need to make certain edits in the booklet became clear.” Because they were deliberately misspoken so they could come along and do edits. Isn’t that what I said? Here it is. “These edits will be reflected in the next edition of the booklet. In the meantime, it is helpful to realize that the fundamental point of the booklet was to address the very thing that was wrong in our older position. Simply put, the Bible proclaims plainly and clearly that there is one and only one God.” Now we’ll cover that a little bit later. “When the Bible says that God is one, the word ‘one’ does not refer to a family, but to one God” (PGR). Question: then why have the plural word Elohim?

Let’s go back to Genesis 1. Now we’re probably going to have to resurrect and make available for everyone on the mailing list, which you could do, but remember our series on “Who Was Jesus?” Remember that? Yes indeed. Very profound. Genesis 1:26, “And God [Elohim] said, Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness:...” Now let’s ask some very simple questions. Are we made in the likeness of angels? No. Some angels appear as animals; some angels appear as men. Like Gabriel, like Michael, etcetera. One of the explanations given is that God was talking to the heavenly host when He said, “Let Us.” That could be an explanation, but I do not feel that that is correct, simply because it says Elohim, Us. Plural noun, plural relative pronoun “us.” Personal pronoun, rather. Next question: is everything about God revealed in the Old Testament? Nope. Who was the only Elohim revealed to Israel? The one Who became Jesus Christ.

Now let’s go to John 1:1. Remember last week I said it’s unreal how we have to go back to this place all the time? All the time, John 1? The first verses? Let’s read it again. Because you see, what they are doing, they are taking the theory of Bible study by using subtraction. Now what do I mean by that? They take one scripture and fight against the other scripture, and then they decide which one they don’t want. Rather than taking the theory of addition and putting them together and find out what they both say together. John 1:1, “In the beginning...” Is that when man was made, in the beginning? Yes. “...Was the Word,...” Who was the one Who spoke, “Let there be light”? Who was the one Who created? “...And the Word was with God,...” How many beings do we have? Two. “...And the Word was God.” How many Gods are there? Two. Without a doubt. That’s what the Bible teaches. It doesn’t teach polytheism of many gods to be worshipped. Nor does it strictly teach monotheism. Because the Old Testament, in the places we covered in that series and laboriously went through every place, remember that? The Old Testament does allow for more than one in Elohim. That’s why God used the plural word instead of the singular.

Let’s notice something else. Verse 2, “The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him;...” Now what can we conclude from this? If the Word was with God, and if the Word was God, and if the Word created everything that there is, we have these three things, which says that God the Father did not Himself personally create man, or anything on the earth. Doesn’t it say that? Yes it does. As clear as a bell. “All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made. In Him was life;...” (vs. 2-4), which means, He’s eternal. If you have life, and you are God, and you were in the beginning, are you not eternal? Yes indeed.

Now let’s go to Colossians 1. I tell you what, I think the most important book for us today, we’re going to find out, is going to be the book of Colossians. Colossians 1, now let’s pick it up in verse 16, speaking of Christ. “For by Him were all things created,...” All right? “...That are in heaven, and that are in earth, [the] visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him, and for Him:...” Ok.

Let’s go to Titus. We won’t go through all of the Scriptures that we could, but will cover some of them, because we have that extended series, “Who Was Jesus?” The book of Titus, second chapter. Now let’s pick it up here in verse 10. Titus 2:10. If I said the first chapter, I’m sorry. Beg your pardon. “…Not purloining, but shewing all good fidelity; that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things.” Now how are we to hold the doctrine of God? This is an admonition to women, yes, but is it not also to everyone? Should we not hold the doctrines and teachings of God in a proper understanding and respect? Yes. “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present [age] world; looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;…” (Titus 2:10-13).

Is Christ God? Yes. Question: is God the Father God? Yes. How many does the Bible reveal? Two. Question: why have a Father, and why have a Son, and why are we called the children of God, if there’s no such thing as a family? Are we breeding swine? Are we creating Hitler’s super farms for breeding of the Aryan super race? What are you going to do with this scripture, Ephesians 3? What are you going to do with this scripture? Ephesians 3:14, “For this cause... “ That is, the whole cause of preaching the gospel and the mystery of godliness, and so forth, “...I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of Whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,…” (Eph. 3:14-15). “Oh, there is no family of God. That’s why Christ is going to marry the church, and she is called His bride.” And I say that very facetiously. Because those who come out with such proclamations as that, deserve that kind of facetious answer. Let’s go on. I will let you read all of those scriptures.

“You see, inherent in the word Elohim is not the word ‘family’...” That is a true statement. But the rest of the Bible teaches that Elohim, being Christ and the Father, are building and creating Their family. So it’s just like all of these slick lawyers and slick philosophers who take a definition of a word and deny the whole Bible. And the reason is, is because the whole Bible is not defined in one word. It’s that simple. So I’ll let you read all of those which talk about one God. That’s all that was revealed to Israel. I have no question or problem with any of those scriptures that are listed here. The problem I have is that they don’t bring to bear the rest of the Bible, to bring understanding to those scriptures. So what we’re going to see, we’re going to see the strangest mixture of “One in Three” that you have ever heard of. And it’s going to be unreal.

Let’s go to the paragraph marked with a little star on it, on page 2. “The Bible does not allow for the existence of two God beings…”(PGR). What did we just read? Would you ever in your most wildest imaginations of heresy ever believe that something like this would come from the WCG? Would you? And if you’re currently in the WCG and you’re sitting there and you don’t want to open your eyes, then you’re going to be in deep trouble. Because you’re going to be walking out one day and you’re not going to realize it, but that spiritual quicksand is just going to suck you under, and you will have no way out. And God is going to hold you individually and personally responsible. You’re not going to say, “The minister told me.” And, “I believe in this authority.” And God is going to say, “Did you fall for that old lie of Satan the devil, that hierarchy is more important than love and obedience to God?” Do you think you’re going to get in the kingdom of God if you say you’re going to follow church authority, right or wrong? Who is going to come before the judgment seat of God? Church authority. That’s right. No individual has to come before God. Just church authority.

Because if you believe in church authority that way, then you also have to also believe in the perverted thing I just said. Because it says, “Everyone shall come before the judgment seat of God and shall give an account for himself.” And you’re not going to stand there and pull an Adam, or pull an Eve. You’re not going to stand there and say, “The hierarchy...” or, “The minister...” And the minister is not going to say, “Well, I was loyal.” God’s answer is going to be, “So were a third of the angels that fell with Satan. They were loyal to him.” Because the word “loyalty” has absolutely no relevance unless that loyalty is to God and God alone. And anyone who stands on that foundation, you’re in the quicksand already. And the only thing that is left is to pull the plug, and the plug is being pulled right now.

All right. Let’s ask the question, why did Jesus say, when the young man came to Him and said, “Good Master, what should I do that I should have eternal life?”, and He said, “Why call you Me good? There’s none good but God” (Luke 18:18-19, paraphrased)? The answer is, when Jesus was on the earth, God the Father was in heaven. And since Jesus bore in His flesh the law of sin and death, in the likeness of our flesh, He could not be called good as God is good, because He was in the flesh. That’s why. I’ll leave it so that you can go through that, because we’ve built up to that very carefully as we go through the series on “Who Was Jesus?”, which there is one God. That one has to include Christ and God the Father. When he refers to one God, in many cases he is referring to the Father and not to Jesus Christ in particularly.

Now let’s come to page 3. Last paragraph on page 2, and we’ll get into page 3. “So now we begin to see that the Bible gives us two facts that are apparently contradictory. But I say apparently, because they only appear to be contradictory because our minds are finite…” (PGR). See brethren? You’re stupid, and can’t understand anything. What did Paul say concerning and understanding the things of God? 1 Corinthians 2, right? God reveals them by His Spirit. What did Paul say of his own mind? 1 Corinthians 1, the very last verse. Let’s go there please. 1 Corinthians 1:16, “For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct Him?” (1 Cor. 2:16). Obviously, God’s mind is greater than ours, without a doubt. “...But we have the mind of Christ.” I said chapter 1. Beg your pardon. It’s chapter 2:16. As you can see, I am little unglued with this thing myself, so pardon me.

Philippians 2. “Yes, brethren, you’re all to remain dumb, stupid sheep so we can manipulate you all of your lives, so we can take from you and take your money and tell you what to do and where to go, because we will play God in your life. Don’t you dare think.” That’s what this is saying, brethren, as we will see. Paul didn’t do that. He said Philippians 2:5, “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:…” Colossians 1:27, what is the hope of glory? Christ in you. What did Paul pray for? That our minds would be open to understand by the Spirit of God. Granted, our minds are limited. But not used in such a sense as to say that when God calls us we can’t understand. Our minds, however though, are not finite in the way that they think. Its finite in that it’s encased in our brain.