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The Only Guaranteed Way to Escape End-Time Catastrophes


Chapter 1


HUMAN BIAS AGAINST TAKING ACTION


Humans do not like to give it much thought.  Even if a thought flashes into their minds, they put it away almost immediately as it may be too painful to contemplate.  People don’t like to think they will be affected by a disaster.  If someone was to tell them that they could be affected by a global disaster, many just won’t believe it.  They have never experienced anything like it in their lives before, and do not want to believe they ever will.

In psychology, this is known as the “normalcy bias.”

In its simplest terms it refers to the natural human reaction of denial, and/or grossly underestimating the effects when faced with a disaster or crisis.  All humans, including the most intelligent ones are subject to the normalcy bias, particularly if a disaster or crisis has never happened before.  They tend to believe that if a disaster has never happened before, it never will.   It leads to a mindset in which people are unable to prepare ahead of time to deal with the crisis before it strikes or take action to avoid it.  Then when the crisis actually engulfs them, they have to suffer its full effects.

Here are two examples of the normalcy bias at work.  This is a quotation from a write-up by Porter Stanberry of Stanberry & Associates Investment Research, sent to many in 2012 to sell his investment services:

“The normalcy bias often results in unnecessary deaths in disaster situations. For example, think about the Jewish populations of World War II...

“As Barton Biggs reports in his book, Wealth, War, and Wisdom:

"By the end of 1935, 100,000 Jews had left Germany, but 450,000 still [remained]. Wealthy Jewish families...kept thinking and hoping that the worst was over...

“Many of the German Jews, brilliant, cultured, and cosmopolitan as they were, were too complacent. They had been in Germany so long and were so well established, they simply couldn't believe there was going to be a crisis that would endanger them. They were too comfortable. They believed the Nazi's anti-Semitism was an episodic event and that Hitler's bark was worse than his bite. [They] reacted sluggishly to the rise of Hitler for completely understandable but tragically erroneous reasons. Events moved much faster than they could imagine."

“This is one of the most tragic examples of the devastating effects of the "normalcy bias" the world has ever seen.

“Just think about what was going on at the time. Jews were arrested, beaten, taxed, robbed, and jailed for no reason other than the fact that they practiced a particular religion.  As a result, they were shipped off to concentration camps. Their houses and businesses were seized.

“Yet most Jews STILL didn't leave Nazi Germany, because they simply couldn't believe that things would get as bad as they did.  That's the normalcy bias...with devastating results.

“We saw the same thing happen during Hurricane Katrina...

“Even as it became clear that the levee system was not going to work, tens of thousands of people stayed in their homes, directly in the line of the oncoming waves of water.  People had never seen things get this bad before...so they simply didn't believe it could happen.  As a result, nearly 2,000 residents died.

“Again... it's the "normalcy bias."  We simply refuse to see the evidence that's right in front of our face, because it is unlike anything we have experienced before.  The normalcy bias kicks in...and we continue to go about our lives as if nothing is unusual or out of the ordinary.”

The most devastating example of the normalcy bias in the history of mankind occurred more than 4,300 years ago, in the days of Noah!

Because of interracial marriages and complete lawlessness, the entire world had become saturated with violence.  The Bible describes the conditions in these words in Genesis 6:1-13 (KJV):

“1 And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth [meaning the world population began to explode], and daughters were born unto them, 2 That the sons of God [The correct translation here should be ‘sons of gods’ because the gods mentioned here were the non-white descendants of Cain and Lamech who had deified themselves, calling themselves ‘gods’] saw the daughters of men that they were fair [meaning racially white, of the line of Seth the son of Adam]; and they took them wives of all which they chose [meaning married or took as many as they liked.  These were interracial, polygamous and mainly forced marriages.] 3 And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years. 4 There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God [‘sons of gods’] came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.

“5 And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. 7 And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repents me that I have made them. 8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. 9 These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations [actually refers to racially pure, meaning he resisted forced interracial marriages], and Noah walked with God. 10 And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. 11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. 12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth. 13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.”

God used Noah to warn the world to repent or He would destroy all mankind in a worldwide flood.  Noah was informed by God that He is going to reduce man’s life span to 120 years from the nearly 1,000 years.  Noah was a preacher of righteousness (2 Peter 2:5) and may already have been warning the world to repent of sins.  This brought persecution on him from Lamech and his descendants.  Noah had to flee to Egypt for his life with his family.  It seems it is from Egypt that God commissioned him to warn the world about the Flood.  Then when Lamech died of old age, Noah left Egypt to go to Mesopotamia (land between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers) to begin building the ark.  Noah was probably building the ark for more than 8 decades.

Can you imagine the attention this huge project would have garnered around the world?  The news of a middle aged man (age of 500 years was middle aged for people who lived more than 900 years) building a huge vessel on dry ground, stating that God is going to destroy all mankind in a worldwide Flood if they did not repent of their sins was a powerful witness to the world.  But it subjected Noah and his three youngest sons, Shem, Ham and Japheth who worked on the project with him to decades of jeers and ridicule.  Nobody even remotely believed that there could be a worldwide Flood in which all of humanity and all land creatures would be destroyed.  It had never happened before.  They could not imagine it could ever happen.  The ‘normalcy bias’ was strongly at work in Noah’s days as well.

Jesus Christ referred to this event when describing the time of His return to earth the second time.  He stated in Matthew 24:37 (NKJV) and Luke 17:26: “37 But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.”

In the days of Noah a few decades before the Flood, the descendants of Lamech ruled the entire world.  And they had begun persecuting and killing those who remained loyal to God.  The result of their threats and murders was that all of humanity had left worship of the true God and followed the satanic worship system of Lamech’s descendants.  Only Noah of all of humanity remained loyal to God.  It is quite certain that Noah had many sons and daughters besides Shem, Ham and Japheth.  They all gave in to the threats of the descendants of Lamech and followed the false religion.  But God through Noah warned that world for about 100 years to repent of following the false religion and its evil ways or He will drown them all.  The world laughed Noah to scorn and did not pay heed.  God did carry out His warning and drowned them all except Noah and the 7 with him in the ark.  Even Noah’s descendants who gave in to the false worship system perished in the Flood.

God through His true Church has been warning about the great false Church, and the rotten Holy Roman Empire and that those who give in to its worship system will all be destroyed by God.  But just as in the days of Noah, not many will pay heed.  God will carry out His threat this time also and destroy all of them.  But there is better news this time than in the days of Noah.  Noah’s preaching did not cause any to repent.  The preaching of God’s Church, however, will cause tens of millions to repent.  And that is the only way to guarantee coming out alive through the Great Tribulation for anyone in the world.

The Most Important Question of Our Day

The most important question for every human being in our day is exactly the same as that faced by every human in Noah’s day: If the world were to be warned of global catastrophes because of its sins that could destroy all life on earth, will you repent in order to receive protection from God, as Noah received in his day?  Or will you let the normalcy bias leave you unable to act to protect yourself and your family?

The destruction of the earth and mankind in it is prophesied in the Bible by God through Isaiah the prophet in Isaiah 24:1, 4-6 (NKJV): “1 Behold, the Lord makes the earth empty and makes it waste, distorts its surface and scatters abroad its inhabitants… 4 The earth mourns and fades away, the world languishes and fades away; the haughty people of the earth languish. 5 The earth is also defiled under its inhabitants, because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant. 6 Therefore the curse has devoured the earth, and those who dwell in it are desolate. Therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men are left.”

God says that because humanity has transgressed His laws, the earth is going to be burned with the fire of nuclear and conventional weapons with only a few men left alive.  Jesus Christ also described this global catastrophe in these terms in Matthew 24:21-22 (NKJV): “21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22 And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake those days will be shortened.”

About 97 years ago, in August-September 1917, Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong, through whom God founded the modern era of His Church, was commissioned by God to preach the good news of the soon coming Kingdom of God to all the world for a witness, in fulfillment of the prophecy in Matthew 24:14 (“14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.)  The call was initiated by God through a dream to his wife Mrs. Loma Armstrong as described by Mr. Armstrong in Volume 1, pages 203-205 of his autobiography.

In the dream Mrs. Armstrong was with Mr. Armstrong and saw a solid mass of brilliant stars filling the sky and then vanishing.  Then 3 angels appeared and one of them put his arm around both of them.  The angel told them that Christ was really coming in a very short time.

Mr. Armstrong writes: “At that time, we had been going quite regularly to motion-picture theatres.  She asked the angel if this were wrong.  He replied Christ had important work for us to do, preparing for His coming – there would be no time for “movies.”

When Mrs. Armstrong told the dream to Mr. Armstrong, he was embarrassed, and suggested that she tell the dream to the minister of the Church up on the corner and ask him if it means anything.  Then Mr. Armstrong writes:

“Let me say here that in about 99,999 times out of 100,000, when people think God is speaking to them in a dream or vision in this day and age, it is pure imagination, or some form of self-hypnotism or self-deception.  I have only come to believe that this dream was a bonafide call from God in the light of subsequent events.”

If Noah warned the world for about 100 years since receiving his call, and the world has been receiving warning for 97 years since Mr. Armstrong’s call, this means that the beginning of the end of the end time events is nearer than we may think.

The author has been giving his weekly messages (which every human being can hear in his or her own language every week at 9.00 a.m. USA Eastern Standard Time every Saturday by just focusing his or her mind on listening to them), delivered by Satan and the demons from December 2, 2006 to July 14, 2007 and by God’s angels since July 21, 2007.  These messages fulfill a specific prophecy.

Revelation 10:5-6 states (NKJV): “5 The angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised up his hand to heaven 6 and swore by Him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and the things that are in it, the earth and the things that are in it, and the sea and the things that are in it, that there should be delay no longer…”

After the world entered the time of “delay no longer’ in fulfillment of end of the end time prophecies, the first event prophesied to occur is stated in verse 11: “11 And he said to me, "You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, tongues [meaning languages], and kings."

The main thrust of the author’s messages delivered in all languages of the world has been soon coming prophesied events and the role various nations, peoples and kings will play in them.  Since this prophecy has been so dramatically fulfilled, it means that end of the end time catastrophic events can begin at any time now.  All these events and the sequence of fulfillment are described in the author’s booklet titled “World in Bible Prophecy,” available on this web site www.ChurchofGodMessage.com for free download.

God always warns the world through His prophets when He is about to let catastrophic events take place.  He says through Amos the prophet in Amos 3:7 (NKJV): “7 Surely the Lord God does nothing, unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets.”  God warned the world about the Flood through Noah.  He has been warning our present world through Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong and then God’s Church even till today.  Author’s messages are a continuation of the same commission from God to His Church.

The question is: Will you pay heed to the warning or will you let yourself be the victim of the normalcy bias and be overwhelmed by the coming catastrophes?  The choice is yours.

Jesus Christ has prophesied that humanity will react in the same way as those in Noah’s days.  He said in Luke 17:26-29 (NKJV): “26 And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: 27 They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. 28 Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; 29 but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. 30 Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed.”

Matthew states the same thing in Matthew 24:37-39 (KJV): “But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking , marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, 39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.”

Again, each and every human being has to make his or her own choice whether to heed the warning, or let the normalcy bias dictate their actions (or inaction really) and do nothing.

There is a Sure Way of Escape

What would be God’s point in warning each and every human being if there was no way of escape?   Warning the world of approaching catastrophes makes sense only if God promises a way of escape for those who heed the warning.

If the chance of surviving these end time catastrophes was based purely on chance, then it would make no difference whether one heeded the warning issued by God’s Church or not.  But the truth is that God has promised a surest way of escape.  To receive protection for escaping these catastrophes, He requires some action from the individual.  That is why it is vital to pay heed to the messages and diligently act on them.  God has promised in the Bible that based on our own actions we can receive protection from Him throughout the entire three and a half years of the Great Tribulation and come out alive.

In fact, as the Great Tribulation progresses in time, if by chance a person remains alive till that time, he or she can still repent and change and receive God’s protection for the remainder of the Great Tribulation.  But obviously, the longer one delays one’s response to God’s warning to repent and change one’s ways, the less the chance of survival because without God’s protection, one could perish in any of the preceding catastrophic events.

There is another danger in delaying one’s response to God’s warning to repent and change.  Repentance is not merely switching one’s attitude in an instant and expecting God to protect the person from then on.  Repentance has to be demonstrated by actions.  Delaying one’s response may mean there is not enough time to demonstrate one’s repentance.  By delaying one’s response to God’s warnings one may have reached the point of no return when it is too late to demonstrate one’s repentance to God by one’s actions.

Where does God promise sure protection to people during the entire three and a half years of the Great Tribulation?

You can search the Bible from cover to cover and you will find only one place where only one specific group is promised protection for the entire three and a half years of the Great Tribulation.  And that place is Revelation 3:7-13.

In Revelation 3:7-13 Jesus Christ describes an era of His Church called the Philadelphian Church.  “7 "And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write, 'These things says He who is holy, He who is true [this means that this is absolutely true testimony from God which we can completely believe and rely on]… 8 I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door [of the Internet and broadcasting, and in the author’s case God’s angels broadcasting his messages every week], and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name. 9 Indeed I will make those of the synagogue of Satan [infiltrators implanted by Satan in God’s Church in the Philadelphia era], who say they are Jews [spiritually] and are not, but lie--indeed I will make them come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you.10 Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. 11 Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown. 12 He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more…”

The characteristics of the members of the Philadelphian Church that God praises are that they keep God’s word, meaning all His commandments and doctrines and live by every word in the Bible; have not and will not deny to the very end that they worship the true Jesus Christ of the Bible and that He is their Savior; persevere in doing God’s work of warning the world of the coming catastrophes and proclaiming the most wonderful news of the return of Jesus Christ to earth to save mankind from annihilating all life on earth and to establish the Kingdom of God; hold fast to the very end the doctrines and understanding of prophecy God restored to the Church through the end-time Elijah the prophet, Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong; and work diligently to overcome their sins.  Those members of God’s Church who demonstrate that attitude to God can rely on His promise that He will “keep them from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.”

Members of God’s Church with this attitude are the only people in the entire world who are promised protection in a place of safety for the entire ‘hour’ of trial, which is the entire three and a half years of the Great Tribulation. This is the only sure way of escape.  REMEMBER, THIS IS GOD’S PROMISE.  AND HE ALWAYS KEEPS HIS PROMISES.  Those members of God’s Church who continue to examine their conduct daily to see that it meets the requirements described above have God’s own sure promise of protection in a place of safety.  You can completely and totally depend on this promise from God, without any reservations.

Here is how Moses describes God in Deuteronomy 32:3-4: “3 For I proclaim the name of the Lord: ascribe greatness to our God. 4 He is the Rock, His work is perfect; for all His ways are justice, A God of truth and without injustice; Righteous and upright is He.”  Yes, God is a God of truth.  That’s why we can depend on His promise of safety throughout the entire three and a half years of the Great Tribulation.Besides members of God’s Church with the Philadelphian attitude, of those who survive the horrifying events of the first two and a half years of the Great Tribulation, another group is then guaranteed protection during the last one year of the Great Tribulation called the ‘day of the Lord’ when God pours out His wrath on the nations of the world.  These people see the catastrophic events taking place during the first two and a half years of the Great Tribulation exactly as proclaimed by God’s Church which they can verify from the pages of the Bible, repent of their sins, turn to God and beseech Him for protection.  God then responds.  God’s response is described in Revelation 7 (NKJV):

“1 After these things I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, on the sea, or on any tree. 2 Then I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God. And he cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, 3 saying, "Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads." 4 And I heard the number of those who were sealed. One hundred and forty-four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel were sealed…”

Then verses 5-8 list the 12,000 from each of the twelve tribes that were sealed.  The modern descendants of these twelve tribes are America (which is Manasseh), America and British Commonwealth nations (Joseph); Jews (Judah) and the rest of the tribes live in France, Ireland, Switzerland, Scandinavian and Benelux countries.  Only the tribe of Dan (whose descendants live in Denmark and partly in Ireland) are excluded from those sealed.

Then verse 9 onwards describe another multitude:

“9 After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, saying, "Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!" 11 All the angels stood around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures, and fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying: "Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom, thanksgiving and honor and power and might, be to our God forever and ever. Amen." 13 Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, "Who are these arrayed in white robes, and where did they come from?" 14 And I said to him, "Sir, you know." So he said to me, "These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb [meaning repented of their sins, accepted the blood of the Lamb (another name for Jesus Christ) as payment of the death penalty on their behalf for their sins, and made a commitment to live God’s way of life]."

This great multitude perhaps numbering in the tens of millions are peoples from all nations of the world and languages, including from the tribes of Israel.  All these came out of two and a half years of the Great Tribulation and have washed their sins in the blood of Jesus Christ, meaning acknowledged their sins, repented of them and accepted the sacrifice of Jesus Christ as payment of the death penalty for their sins so that they can be forgiven and qualify to receive eternal life.These three groups will be described in detail later to explain how one can become a part of them and receive God’s protection to come out alive at the end of the Great Tribulation.

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