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FUNDAMENTAL BELIEFS OF THE CHURCH OF GOD
BELIEFS 17, 18, 19
BELIEF 17: TITHES AND OFFERINGS
God’s Church believes in tithing (which means to “give a tenth of” one’s income) to honor God, to acknowledge that He is our Creator and has provided all human beings the means to make a living. Tithing is a law which God has instituted to provide the means to serve Him by preaching the gospel of salvation and the soon coming kingdom of God, to spiritually care for the Church, help the needy and make attending God’s festivals (seven annual holy days) possible. In addition to tithes, God also requires His people to give freewill offerings (not a fixed percentage of income but the amount is freely chosen by the one giving the offering), especially during the annual holy days, according to the blessings received during the year.
SCRIPTURES
Church members are required to give a “tithe of all the increase” in Deuteronomy 14:22, “You shall truly tithe all the increase of your grain that the field produces year by year,” meaning the income produced from agriculture, property, business or employment.
God reminds us in the Scriptures that everything belongs to God. Psalm 24:1 says: “The earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof.” (Repeated in I Corinthians 10:26, 28; see also Job 41:11; Psalm 50:12; Haggai 2:8).). In Exodus 19:5 God says, “...all the earth is Mine.” Then in Deuteronomy 8:18 Moses instructed Israel "And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth."
Tithing was codified as a law as part of the covenant God made with ancient Israel in the time of Moses. However, before Israel became a nation, people faithful to God tithed. After Abraham rescued his nephew Lot by defeating a coalition of Assyrians and an Elamite king (ancestors of the Persians), he tithed of the spoils of the battle to Melchizedek, priest of the Most High God, who was actually the Word who later came to earth as Jesus Christ (Genesis 14:18-22), recognizing that God is the “possessor of heaven and earth” Who gave him the victory. By tithing we worshipfully recognize that, first and foremost, God is the source of our existence, blessings and our provider.
Then Abraham’s grandson Jacob followed his example by promising to God “Of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth [or tithe] to You" (Genesis 28:20-22) when God’s promises to Abraham and Isaac were reconfirmed to him. Certainly, he learnt of the practice from his father Isaac who also tithed.
The practice of tithing was later written into law. Numbers 18:21-23, 26-28 state: “21... behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tenth in Israel for an inheritance, for their service which they serve, even the service of the tabernacle of the congregation...23...it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations, that among the children of Israel they have no inheritance. 24 But the tithes of the children of Israel...I have given to the Levites to inherit...26 Thus speak unto the Levites, and say unto them, when you take of the children of Israel the tithes which I have given you from them for your inheritance, then you shall offer up...a tenth part of the tithe...28...to Aaron the priest.”
The tribe of Levi was separated from the other tribes to offer services in the Tabernacle/Temple. People in Israel paid tithes to them and the Levites paid tithes to the priestly family of Aaron which performed religious services in the Tabernacle/Temple. The priests paid their tithes for the upkeep, maintenance and other expenses for the temple.
God promises to bless the tithe payer. Proverbs 3:9-10 says, “9 Honor the Lord with your possessions, and with the firstfruits of all your increase; 10 So your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine.”
When the Jews returned to their land from the Babylonian captivity, they neglected tithing. God rebuked the nation in Malachi 3:8-12, “8 Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed me. But you say, wherein have we robbed you? In tithes and offerings. 9 You are cursed with a curse: for you have robbed me, even this whole nation. 10 Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in my house, and prove me now herewith, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. 11 And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast its fruit before the time in the field, says the Lord of hosts. 12 And all nations shall call you blessed: for you shall be a delightsome land, says the Lord of hosts.”
Did you notice, God here mentions “tithes and offerings.” Thus, God expects His people to give offerings over and above their tithes. Offerings could be given to God at any time, but they are given especially during the seven annual holy days or festivals. The amount of the offering is determined by the individual according to the blessings he has received from God during the year (Deuteronomy 16:16-17).
Jesus in His ministry upheld the practice of giving tithes and offerings when he rebuked the Pharisees in Matthew 23:23, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin [garden herbs] and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone." Jesus here confirmed that tithing should be diligently practiced in minute details along with the more important or “weightier matters of the Law.”
What are the Tithes Used For
What are the tithes to be used for? In ancient Israel, the tithes were paid to the tribe of Levi, one of the 12 tribes of Israel. The Levites paid their tithe to the priests the descendants of Aaron the high priest, also of the tribe of Levi. The priests paid their tithes which were put into the temple treasury and used for temple related expenses.
The priests and Levites provided religious services and instructions to the people and served in the temple according to their courses. They were the most educated people in ancient Israel and educated the rest of the tribes. In addition, they were responsible for administering justice in Israel.
Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong (HWA) wrote in the final book of his life that he authored, “Mystery of the Ages” on page 322: “Today’s governments demand up to 40, 50, and even 90 percent in inheritance taxes, income taxes, hidden taxes, federal, state, county, school board and city taxes.
“But God requires only ten percent. And out of that ten percent will be financed the entire governmental, educational and spiritual leadership of the whole earth.”
Clearly the purpose of the tithe was to finance the entire governmental, educational, religious, legal and justice systems in the nation. This was possible when God was the king of ancient Israel. But when Israel asked God for a king like the other nations around them, God warned them through Samuel the prophet in I Samuel 8:9, 15, 17: “…you shall solemnly forewarn them, and show them the behavior of the king who will reign over them…He will take a tenth of your grain and your vintage, and give it to his officers and servants…He will take a tenth of your sheep. And you will be his servants.”
So, the purpose of the tithe in ancient Israel was to finance the entire governmental, justice, legal, educational and religious systems in the nation. But when a king ruled, he took another tenth of their income as tax to finance the army and other governmental functions.
Once Jesus started the Church, the tithes were to be paid to the ministers in the Church for financing God’s work of preaching the gospel to all nations, making disciples and caring for the disciples who were added to the Church.
God’s Church believes that HWA was the end time prophesied Elijah (Malachi 4:5-6, “5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: 6 And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.”) who was sent to restore all things as Jesus prophesied in Matthew 17:10-11, “10 And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come? 11 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come and restore all things.”
“Restore all things” means a prophet in the spirit and power of Elijah will be sent by God to restore all true doctrines or fundamental beliefs and correct worship of God to His true Church. That’s what HWA did in God’s Church. That means all his judgments, including those concerning tithing, are still binding on the Church.
More Than One Tithe
The Bible actually describes more than one tithe. The first tithe in ancient Israel was used to finance the entire governmental, educational, justice and religious systems.
God’s true Church also keeps God’s seven annual holy days or feasts as described earlier. Out of these holy days, God’s Church keeps the Feast of Tabernacles and the Last Great Day at gatherings in special places throughout the world. Members travel to these festival sites and keep these two feasts for a total of 8 days. They have to meet their travel, lodging and meal expenses at these feasts. Entire families of the members keep these feasts together. In addition, we have special meals at the other feasts.
Members of God’s Church set aside a separate10% of their income, called the second tithe, to finance these feasts, just like the ancient Israelites did. This is commanded in Deuteronomy 14:22-27, “22 You shall truly tithe all the increase of your grain that the field produces year by year. 23 And you shall eat before the Lord your God, in the place where He chooses to make His name abide, the tithe of your grain and your new wine and your oil, of the firstborn of your herds and your flocks, that you may learn to fear the Lord your God always. 24 But if the journey is too long for you, so that you are not able to carry the tithe, or if the place where the Lord your God chooses to put His name is too far from you, when the Lord your God has blessed you, 25 then you shall exchange it for money, take the money in your hand, and go to the place which the Lord your God chooses. 26 And you shall spend that money for whatever your heart desires: for oxen or sheep, for wine or similar drink, for whatever your heart desires; you shall eat there before the Lord your God, and you shall rejoice, you and your household. 27 You shall not forsake the Levite who is within your gates, for he has no part nor inheritance with you.”
Members and their families spend this money on themselves and share with others less fortunate and is not sent to the Church, except a tenth of this tenth (or 1%) is sent to help finance rentals of meeting halls and other facilities during the Feast of Tabernacles and other Feasts.
Members in the Church of God are also required to set aside another tenth, called the third tithe, every third year to help the poor and needy. In a seven-year cycle, this third tithe applies to the third and sixth years. No third tithe is set aside in the seventh year. The commandment for the third tithe is stated in Deuteronomy 14:28-29, “28 “At the end of every third year you shall bring out the tithe of your produce of that year and store it up within your gates. 29 And the Levite, because he has no portion nor inheritance with you, and the stranger and the fatherless and the widow who are within your gates, may come and eat and be satisfied, that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hand which you do.”
In modern times, particularly in western countries, national governments institute mandatory taxes for social welfare and care for the poor. Under such circumstances is a Christian obligated to pay the third tithe as well? The position of the United Church of God (UCG) is stated in its booklet titled “What Does the Bible Teach About Tithing?”:
“The Council of Elders has resolved that where governments provide programs, the intent and purpose of which is to provide for the needs of those that the biblical third tithe was designed to assist, and that where such programs are funded by an annual rate of taxation greater than the biblical third tithe, members are not obligated to pay what amounts to an additional third tithe to the Church.
“The Council of Elders further resolves that since there will always be members of the Church whose needs will not be adequately provided for by national governments social programs, and since the clear example in Scripture is that the Church care for its members in need, that those members of the Church who are able are encouraged to contribute to the Church Assistance Fund so that the biblical injunction to care for the needy within the Church can be fulfilled.”
I agree that is a fair statement. I will provide my own experience with the third tithe and my judgment on how this command should be implemented.
Holy Day Offerings
In addition to the three tithes, God also requires members of His Church to make freewill offerings on each of the seven holy days. Each member should contribute according to the blessing he has received during the year. This command is recorded in Deuteronomy 16:16-17: “Three times a year [correct translation should be “three seasons in the year during which all the seven annual holy days are celebrated] all your males shall appear before the Lord your God in the place which He chooses; at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, at the Feast of Weeks (or Pentecost), and at the Feast of Tabernacles; and they shall not appear before the Lord empty-handed. Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord your God which He has given you.”
Thus, during the seven annual holy days, members of God’s Church contribute whatever they wish for furthering God’s work of preaching the gospel to all the world.
HWA’S JUDGMENTS CONCERNING TITHING
Mr. Armstrong made judgments concerning implementing the tithing system in God’s Church which are binding on Church members. But the Church has had to make further judgments in implementing the tithing system in high tax countries. And God requires Christians to pay their full taxes.
Some countries have tax rates as high as 50-70% and some had marginal tax rates as high as 90%. Clearly, a rich man with $1 million in annual income in a third tithe year cannot pay first, second and third tithes amounting to 30% of gross income, after paying say 80% in his country’s income tax first. He’ll have no money left over for his family’s living expenses or even pay the three tithes after paying taxes. In such cases, the ministry had to make judgments to suggest how much the person should pay in tithes.
Let’s take a more realistic example in an American setting. Suppose a family with husband, wife and two children earn $80,000 gross in annual income, say, in a state like Wisconsin where I lived for 16 years. Suppose the family gives 3% of its income in freewill offerings during the holy days. Then in a third tithe year, the family’s take home income after taxes would be $65,610, an effective tax rate of 10.87% besides 7.65% in social security taxes. The three tithes and offerings would total $26,400. The family would be left with $39,210 to meet all its living expenses, including rent/mortgage, car expenses, all living expenses, needs of the children and other requests for money from the Church such as building fund, local Church requirements and possibly other charitable giving in the community. Very little could be saved for retirement. In a non-third-tithe year, the family would be left with $46,786 to meet all its expenses and save what it can for retirement.
For a single person whose salary was $56,000 (that’s what I earned in one particular year), in a third tithe year, the take home pay would be $45,135, with an effective tax rate of 11.75% and 7.65% in social security taxes. The three tithes and offerings would total $18,480. The net pay to meet all expenses would be $26,655. In a non-third tithe year, the net pay would be $31,942. When I earned $56,000 about 25 years ago, federal and state taxes in Wisconsin were much higher, an average of about 17-18%, so that I was left with very little for my own living expenses. If I remember correctly, the amount left over was around $22,000 because I felt blessed and paid around 5% of gross income in offerings.
Clearly, members earning middle-class income after paying all their tithes on gross income, offerings and taxes, were reduced to poor-class families and individuals. As a single individual, because of all the tithes, offerings and taxes paid faithfully, I lived at the poverty level and was unable to save anything for retirement. But after beginning to preach the gospel in 2006, I paid the first tithe and most of the offerings to myself. The reason is that I incurred all the expenses for buying equipment and other expenses on my own and was not supported by anyone. I also paid lower 3.33% to the Church for the third “tithe.”
In ancient Israel, the tithe was used to finance the entire governmental, educational, religious, legal and justice systems in the nation. These functions were performed by the priests and Levites. I have not been able to find any statistics that show what percentage of the total population was constituted by the priests and Levites. To start with after the Exodus, they numbered only about 3% of the population. But since they did not perform military service, most likely their numbers grew over time to perhaps 8-10% of the population. However, I have not been able to find information in the Bible for unequivocal support for my statement.
Today, the Church has to finance only the religious system, because the government collects taxes for financing the other systems. Moreover, the number of paid ministers and other Church employees are only about 1-1.5% of the number of tithe-paying members in the Church. The lower percentage was appropriate in the 1970s and 1980s while the higher percentage is more appropriate after splits in the Church. Therefore, contribution of 1-1.5% of gross income should ensure salaries for Church employees equal to average earnings of members. However, the Church incurs other expenses besides ministers’ salaries such as meeting hall rentals, administrative offices, equipment, costs of media, publishing literature and potential member visits. Therefore, members should not have to pay a full 10% of their gross income to the Church as first tithe. The amount needs to be discussed, but in my judgment 3.33-5%, depending on the tax rate in the country would be more in keeping with what God wants the first tithe to be used for. Beyond ministers’ and administrative staff salaries and expenses, the rest would be available for preaching the gospel.
The reason I give a range of 3.33-5% for the first tithe is that ministers have to be adequately compensated. God’s Church selects the best men available for the job. They deserve to be compensated better than the average earnings of members. In addition, if by any chance large number of members are unemployed, or the number of paid ministers is greater than 1% of the tithe-paying members, the higher percentage of 5% could be requested. We need to remember God’s admonition to the returning Jews in Malachi 3:10, “10 Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in my house...” The ministers need to be well compensated. If not, you won’t have the best men available for the ministry or them serving wholeheartedly.
The issue of providing good income as an incentive for capable men to serve in the ministry is the same as the nation encouraging intelligent and capable men becoming doctors and dentists. Nobody wants “idiots” to become doctors because pay is low. That’s why doctors should be some of the best paid professionals.
However, healthcare is an essential service needed for every citizen. I believe it should be the government’s responsibility to provide healthcare to every citizen. A national health service is the best and most cost-effective way to do so.
Doctors in the USA have argued that they are not well paid and compare what they are paid to the compensation of the best paid CEOs of large companies, who are paid tens of millions of dollars. I hope nobody is a fool to accept this argument that each doctor must be paid a salary of more than $1 million and the best doctors paid salaries of $5 million. In that scenario, healthcare expenditures will consume more than 50% of the nation’s entire budget.
Healthcare should be available for every citizen free of cost. Doctors should be the best paid professionals to attract among the best people to the profession. The number of CEOs who get paid tens of millions of dollars annually is only in the dozens in the entire nation. And their average tenure is around 7 years. The number of doctors on the other hand is more than one million and they serve 30-50 years in their profession. When we take all large and small corporations into account, the median CEO salary is around $206,000. In 2024, Primary Care Physicians (PCPs) in the United States earned an average of $287,000, while Specialists earned an average of $404,000. Therefore, average pay of a doctor is higher than the median pay of a CEO.
With an average salary of $2 million, the doctors’ salaries would cost $2 trillion. Then there are more than 4 million nurses and millions of other hospital and medical practice staff to be paid. That’s why the doctors’ argument of the 1980s and 1990s that they are not paid adequately when compared to CEOs of top corporations is not a valid argument. Becoming a doctor is a special calling. A nation cannot compensate them as much as the top CEOs of the largest corporations. But on average they are still the best paid professionals.
The argument that applies to doctors applies also to ministers. They have to serve the entire Church of God. Therefore, many men are needed to serve in the ministry than just one man preaching as happens in a modern mega church. Leaders of mega churches keep all the offerings totaling in the millions of dollars as personal income. And they sell the gospel, charging for all their books and educational videos. But in God’s Church the gospel is to be provided free of cost to the world and many more paid ministers are required. Therefore, each minister or even top leader cannot be paid in the millions. But to attract the best available men for the job, they have to be adequately compensated above the average earnings of members.
Requirement of the second tithe for keeping God’s holy day remains unchanged. However, I see nothing in the scriptures that says ministers are not required to keep the second tithe. In an agrarian society like ancient Israel in which the Levites and priests had no land and no agricultural income, and during the holy day feasts there were enough sacrifices to provide meat for the priests and Levites, there was no need for them to keep the second tithe. Since they had no agricultural produce or income, that’s why Israelites were told not to neglect the Levites during the feasts. But today the ministers are paid a regular salary. That’s why I believe they should also keep the second tithe which will keep them humble and make them feel like the people they serve.
While I agree with the view expressed by UCG regarding the third tithe because government takes in taxes and provides welfare for the poor, there are certainly people in the Church who fall through the cracks in the government welfare system and need help sometimes in their lives. Therefore, some amount of third tithe should be given.
In this regard, I have had personal experiences from which members could benefit. I am sure other members have had similar experiences. My third tithe years have been my best years financially. I always earned more in those years and also received unexpected gifts, benefits and blessings. My experience has been that God blesses the third-tithe payer because he wants to help the poor in the Church. Because of these experiences, I have made it my practice to pay 3.33% of my income to the Church during my third tithe years, even after I started preaching the gospel myself and did not pay first tithe. IN FACT, I ALWAYS LOOK FORWARD TO MY THIRD TITHE YEARS BECAUSE I KNOW GOD WILL BLESS ME WHEN I PAY MY THIRD TITHE. I have always used the full second tithe for keeping the holy days.
Though my suggestions are different from what was practiced in the days of HWA, they are still in line with what he instituted in the Church. They are in line with what he stated about how the first tithe will be used to fund various government functions in God’s kingdom, which now governments provide themselves. Because the tax burden is high in most countries, after paying all the tithes and offerings, members with middle-class income in western countries were reduced to living poor class lives with what was left over for personal expenses. Hence, the Church was already making judgments to reduce the amount to be paid in tithes.
Now I must share some personal experiences. I am always scared to offer any suggestions that might differ somewhat from what HWA instituted in the Church because he was sent by God to “restore all things,” including his judgments on how the Church should be governed.
Recently, an issue came up concerning voting in elections and participating in politics which I discuss in the Church’s belief concerning voting. HWA’s judgment concerning voting was that members should not vote or participate in politics. I have never disagreed with that judgment and have never voted or participated in politics in my entire life. But a situation came up recently when I had to consider whether I or members could relax that judgment temporarily because of the current situation in the USA with about 41 million Christians choosing not to vote. I prayed to God for guidance, and I believe my prayers were answered. I discuss that in the Church’s belief number 23 concerning voting and taking part in politics.
I simply tremble to differ from the judgments made by HWA. Just as I prayed to God for guidance concerning voting, I prayed to God for guidance concerning tithing as well. Just as God answered my prayer concerning voting through a dream, I believe God answered my prayers concerning tithing also through a vivid dream on July 15, 2025.
In my dream, I gave tithes and large amounts in offerings to the Church. The result was that I was unable to pay all my expenses and had to beg the Church for help. But no help was forthcoming from the Church. Then I woke up.
I believe God’s message was that one should be able to take care of one’s own and family’s needs. But one cannot disregard God’s admonition in Malachi 3:8-11 quoted earlier, “8 Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed me. But you say, wherein have we robbed you? In tithes and offerings. 9 You are cursed with a curse: for you have robbed me, even this whole nation. 10 Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in my house, and prove me now herewith, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.”
Providing “meat in God’s house,” means that God’s work and salaries of ministers are adequately financed. Also, one must remember that God promises to bless the tithe-payer. In his autobiography, HWA provided many examples of how people were immediately miraculously blessed when they started giving tithes and offerings.
I also have another real-life example I faced with Joseph W. Tkach Sr, the successor appointed by HWA, and his son Joseph Tkach Jr. I knew I had been racially discriminated against. So, I went to our Church headquarters in Pasadena, CA, to ask for legal help in filing lawsuits for racial discrimination. I did not receive any help. But through a German masquerader (people of German ancestry living in white countries) Church member, the message was conveyed to me that I should give all the money I receive for racial discrimination to the Church for preaching the gospel. I seriously contemplated doing that. But I thought it through and realized that if I gave all the money to the Church, I would have to beg the Church for help if I needed it sometime. I decided it would be a very foolish thing to do, and I would not do it. This is precisely how I was guided through my dream recent dream. Of course, later the Tkaches were discovered to be German masqueraders bent on destroying the Church from within.
Today, Gerald R. Flurry (GRF), head of the Philadelphia Church of God (PCG, a splinter group from the original Worldwide Church of God) and David C. Pack (DCP), head of the Restored Church of God (another splinter group) are requiring full tithe payments from their members and are asking them to give over and above that. DCP is in fact asking members of his group to sell all they have and put the money in common for the last great effort to preach the gospel and warn the world of coming catastrophes. Some members of DCP’s group did that a few years ago and are now living in dire poverty with no help from the Church. I advise no one to make such a foolish decision ever. In PCG’s case, the information is that ministers are very well paid, but members face financial hardships.
I believe my suggestions concerning tithing are in line with the purpose for tithing. HWA also acknowledged that the tithes and offerings in ancient Israel were used to finance the entire governmental, justice, legal, educational and religious systems in the nation. Many of those functions are performed by governments today with taxes. Therefore, members should not have to pay the full tithes as the Church performs only the religious function for its members with some financial help given to needy members. We must avoid falling into the Us vs. Them mentality the develops when ministers and members follow different rules. Ministers or lay members, we are all human beings with the same needs, desires and aspirations. In the Church, we must look out for each other’s welfare.
In many mega churches in the USA today with tens of thousands of members, the leader treats the contributions by members as his personal income and feels no obligation to merely take a salary for his family and use the rest of the funds for preaching the gospel or for charitable purposes. For such leaders, preaching the gospel is mere investment to increase membership leading to greater contributions which would be greater personal income for the leader. Many such leaders are multi-millionaires.
In contrast in God’s Church, the income from tithes and offerings is considered God’s money from which the top leader and the ministry are paid salaries and expenses while the rest of the funds are used for preaching the gospel. The top leader does not accumulate huge amount of assets for his future generations like leaders of mega churches do.
As I stated, I am very fearful of making any suggestions that might be different from what HWA instituted. Concerning the ministry paying second tithes, I prayed to God to guide me, whether through a dream or otherwise as He guided me through dreams regarding voting and tithes and offerings. Since God did not communicate with me through a dream or otherwise despite prayers for many days, I am assuming that my suggestion that ministers should also pay second tithes is just and fair. Being not required to keep the same rules also generated a Us vs Them mentality in the ministry and the lay members. I believe that being required to keep the same rules keeps the ministry humble and avoids the Us vs Them mental attitude in the Church.
I also understand that the ministry were paid modest salaries during HWA’s days. Perhaps, the no second-tithe requirement judgment was made keeping that in mind, especially when requiring tithe of the second tithe to be given to headquarters provided adequate funds to finance the feasts for the ministry. But according to my observation it led to a Us vs Them unhealthy mentality. That’s why some members were not paying their tithes faithfully. But we all serve the same God and are fellow laborers in His work and have the same needs desires and aspirations. The tithing system should be fair and equitable and not generate an Us vs Them mentality.
I believe our side (white Americans of non-German ancestry) has impounded all the stock assets in U.S. companies the Germans bought in the early 2000s and is keeping them for my benefit as compensation from Germans and German masqueraders for destroying my businesses and unprecedented discrimination against me for over 40 years in the USA. I am allowed to give some of it away. When I have access to that money, the Church will have more than enough money for preaching its warning message and the gospel (good news) of the soon coming Kingdom of God. There will be no need for members to pay tithes to meet ministers’ salaries or for preaching the gospel, no matter what the costs.
Moreover, in the Internet age the cost of preaching the gospel has reduced considerably.
BELIEF 18 – RETURN OF JESUS CHRIST TO ESTABLISH GOD’S KINGDOM
God’s Church believes that Jesus Christ will soon return to earth amid global catastrophes and cataclysmic events called the Great Tribulation (Matthew 24:21-22) to prevent mankind from annihilating all life on earth. He will then subdue all nations, establish God’s kingdom on earth and rule over all nations for 1000 years, as King of kings and Lord of lords, sitting upon the throne of David. God’s kingdom will continue forever and ever.
SCRIPTURES
The book of Revelation puts end of the end time events in a chronological sequence as contained in the messages in the seven seals. The world has reached a period called “No more delay” (Revelation 10:6, NIV) in fulfillment of end time events. The next prophesied event is stated in Revelation 10:11 (NKJV), “And he said to me, you must prophesy again about many peoples, and nations, and tongues [meaning in many languages] and kings.”
The prophecy in Revelation 10:11 has already been fulfilled. I, a lay member, was asked by many ministers in God’s Church to start preaching the gospel around January 2005. An unprecedented development! It took me some time to get organized as I did not even own a decent personal computer at that time. I started with a blog on September 26, 2006. Then on December 2, 2006, I started preparing messages and read them out aloud every Saturday morning at 10.00 a.m. USA Eastern Standard Time (later switched to 9.00 a.m.). I took advantage of the fact that demons had started broadcasting my thoughts around 2001. After July 2007, every Saturday, God’s angels have been rebroadcasting my messages to every human being on earth in his or her language. Whoever wants to hear the messages has to merely tune his ear to hear and he will hear them. That’s how dramatically this prophecy has already been fulfilled. Now there is no longer any delay in fulfillment of the events described in the seven seals of the book of Revelation, beginning with chapter 6. I have described all these events in my free eBook “Summary of Sequence of end Time Events” and the larger eBook “World in Bible Prophecy.”
The first four seals in Revelation 6:1-8 describe the Third World War that is about to take place. The fifth seal in Revelation 6:9-11 describes the Great Tribulation of 1,260 days or three-and-a-half years for God’s true Church and the American, British and Jewish people in the state of Israel after their defeat at the hands of the German-led seventh resurrection of the Holy Roman Empire in alliance with other global partners. Then Revelation 6:12-17 describe the sixth seal at the end of two and a half years or 900 days into the Great Tribulation, which pictures a great worldwide earthquake and frightening meteor showers, signaling the beginning of the terrible events of the “Day of the Lord,” which is one year of God’s wrath on all nations.
The seventh seal is divided into seven trumpets. The first four trumpets picture a war between the King of the North, or the German-led Holy Roman Empire against an Islamic-African alliance called the King of the South in which the Islamic alliance is annihilated.
As an Eastern Alliance, known as the Kings of the East see the war between the King of the North against the King of the South taking place, they mobilize for war against the King of the North and his allies who pre-emptively attack them with chemical and biological weapons. This is the fifth trumpet (Revelation 9:1-11). The Eastern alliance also uses similar weapons against the King of the North and his allies. This war and its effects last five months (verse 5). Then the Eastern alliance mobilizes a 200-million-man army to attack the King of the North and his allies. This global war kills one-third of the world’s population at that time (Revelation 9:13-18). It devastates the Holy Roman Empire’s forces. This is the sixth trumpet.
After this war, the Holy Roman Empire is contemplating using nuclear weapons to stave off total annihilation. Kings of the East are contemplating the same. If this war is allowed to take place, all life on earth could be destroyed. That’s when God the Father sends Jesus Christ to earth like lightening flashing from the east to the west to intervene in human affairs and put an end to man’s madness under Satan’s influence.
Establishment of God’s Kingdom
Return of Jesus Christ to earth will be heralded by the seventh trumpet blast (Revelation 11:15, “15 And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, the kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.”) It will not be a secret event. The whole world will see this event (Matthew 24:26-27, 30, “26 “Therefore if they say to you, ‘Look, He is in the desert!’ do not go out; or ‘Look, He is in the inner rooms!’ do not believe it. 27 For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be...30 Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.”) Also, Revelation 1:7, “Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.” (And 1 Thessalonians 4:16).
When Jesus Christ returns to earth, nations will not automatically submit to His rule because Satan and the demons will have deceived them into believing He is the antichrist. They will have to be brought into submission. Revelation 11:18, “18 And the nations were angry, and your wrath has come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that You should give reward unto your servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear your name, small and great; and should destroy them which destroy the earth.”
The seventh trumpet is divided into seven bowls which symbolize the seven plagues which Jesus Christ will have to pour out to subdue all of humanity under His rule.
Jesus Christ first preaches the gospel of the Kingdom of God through three mighty angels. One angel announces the good news of God’s Kingdom on earth. The second angel announces the judgment of the great whore, the Roman Catholic Church and the Holy Roman Empire, and the third angel announces God’s judgment on those who received the mark of the Beast (Revelation 14:6-11).
Jesus Christ also demands that the nations release their Israelite slaves. The nations do not repent, and do not want to release their Israelite slaves. As a result, Jesus Christ pours out His plagues on them. These 5 plagues, symbolized by pouring out five bowls of the seventh trumpet, include a loathsome, foul-smelling sore upon those who had the mark of the beast; the Mediterranean Sea turned to blood; then rivers and springs of water around the world turned to blood; mankind scorched with great heat; and the throne of the Beast [King of the North] and his kingdom become full of darkness (Revelation 16:1-11).
These plagues make the nations hopping mad, and Satan and his demons also arouse them to war with Jesus Christ (Revelation 16:13-14).
Because of what they suffered from the plagues that Jesus Christ poured on them, nations gather at Armageddon (or 'Hill of Megiddo') to attack Jesus Christ. A massive army perhaps more than a hundred million strong is gathered from all around the world. This will be the largest concentration of armies in one battlefield in the history of man (Revelation 16:12, 16). Then they go to Jerusalem for the attack, where Jesus' headquarters are located. But the nations are defeated and their armies totally annihilated. This is the 6th bowl or plague, described in Revelation 16:12-16.
The annihilation of the world's armies is described in Zechariah 14:12: "And this shall be the plague with which the Lord will strike all the people who fought against Jerusalem: 'Their flesh shall dissolve while they stand on their feet, their eyes shall dissolve in their sockets, and their tongues shall dissolve in their mouths.'"
The result of this war is that blood flows out from the soldiers in the army, making a huge river of coagulated blood, bodies and weapons of soldiers that is about four feet deep and 184 miles long (Revelation 14:19-20).
Not only are the armies of the nations that came to Jerusalem destroyed, but Jesus Christ also further pours out His wrath on the nations for having sent their armies to attack Him. There is a massive, global earthquake the like of which the world has never experienced in its history. All the cities and mountains are leveled; ocean floor rises so that there are no more islands left. There is massive loss of human life. In addition, there is great hail with huge hailstones weighing 100 pounds each falling on human beings to kill them. This is described as the 7th bowl or plague of God’s wrath poured out on the nations (Revelation 16:17-21). The end result of all these plagues is that very few human beings are left alive (Isaiah 24:6). The population of the earth left alive because of the earthquake and the hail perhaps could be in the hundreds of millions.
But there is a great positive outcome from the earthquake. More land becomes available for cultivation. Deserts disappear; mountains and plateaus are leveled and become fertile land. Even the land under the permafrost becomes available. More fresh water becomes available all over the world, and because the floor of the oceans rises in many places to form land, the mineral wealth of the oceans becomes available for man's use.
With the greatest ever earthquake and the plague of great hail, the 1,260 days of the Great Tribulation will end.
Jesus Christ will first rescue the surviving American, British and Jewish slaves. They will all be brought to Jerusalem and the Land of Israel (Isaiah 11:11-12, 15-16; 43:5-6; 49:22-23) in a much greater Exodus than the first Exodus of ancient Israel from Egypt (Jeremiah 23:7-8).
Then Jesus Christ will bring all the culprits to justice who brought all the catastrophes on earth. The Beast (German head of the Holy Roman Empire) and the false prophet - the pope of the Roman Catholic Church - are captured alive and thrown into the Lake of Fire (Revelation 19:20).
After all the nations are subdued and there is no more opposition from human rulers, God’s kingdom is established on earth. The establishment of God’s Kingdom is celebrated with a great feast and marriage of the Lamb. This is when Jesus Christ symbolically marries His Church, the saints collectively, who were resurrected to eternal life (Revelation 19:6-9) when Jesus Christ returned.
Finally, Satan, the original instigator of all evil on earth is bound and imprisoned in solitary confinement in the abyss for the 1000 years of God's Kingdom on earth (Revelation 20:1-3). After the removal of Satan and his demons from rulership of the earth, Jesus Christ will rule as King of kings [King is Jesus Christ and “kings” refers to the resurrected saints] and Lord of lords [Lord is Jesus Christ and “lords” also refers to the resurrected saints] in God’s Kingdom. The saints of God are resurrected to eternal life at Jesus Christ's return to earth and will reign with Christ as kings and priests (Revelation 5:10) for a thousand years (Revelation 20:4). The world will at last begin to live in peace, harmony, justice, great abundance and prosperity.
Coming of the Messiah, the Christ, as King of Kings and Lord of Lords was prophesied in the Old and New Testaments (See Isaiah 40:10; Daniel 2:44; Micah 1:3, Matthew 24:30; John 14:3; Acts 1:11; Revelation 1:7; Revelation 19:16). The fact that Jesus Christ shall sit on the throne of His human ancestor David and rule over Israel and all Gentile (non-Israel) nations is prophesied in Isaiah 9:7 (“7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever...”); Jeremiah 3:17, “17 At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the Lord...”); Jeremiah 23:5, Luke 1:32 (“32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:”); Romans 15:12 (“12 And again, Esaias [Isaiah 11:10] says, There shall be a root of Jesse, and he that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles; in him shall the Gentiles trust.”)
The fact that God’s Kingdom will last forever and ever is attested to in Isaiah 9:7, Daniel 2:44, Revelation 11:15, and Daniel 7:13-14, 18, 27.
Since God’s kingdom will continue forever and ever, what happens after the 1,000 years is mentioned in my short eBook “Summary of Sequence of end Time Events” , available free on my religion website www.ChurchOfGodMessage.com. Here is the listing of those events:
1) After the 1,000 years, Satan is released for a short season. He will go to deceive the nations one final time to attack Jesus Christ and the saints at Jerusalem. The Russians and the Chinese will be deceived by him and will come to Jerusalem for the attack. Fire from heaven will devour this army. Satan and the demons who joined him will be imprisoned, this time in the fire that will be burning at Jerusalem. Their fate is now sealed (Revelation 20:7-10).
2) Then all human beings who have ever lived and did not receive their chance for salvation during the first 6,000 years by being called into God’s Church will now be resurrected to physical life (Revelation 20:11-13; Ezekiel 37: 37: 1-14, 26-28; Matthew 10:20-24, 12:41-42). Isaiah 65:20-25 tell us that these physical humans will all be given 100 years to live and their conduct judged. They will have their minds opened to understand God’s truth and His plan of salvation, to repent of their sins and qualify to receive eternal life as God’s sons and daughters.
3) Those who still refuse to repent and accept God’s way of life will have their lives permanently extinguished, rather than be tortured forever in an ever-burning hell. They will cease to exist and will be as though they had never been (Revelation 20:15; 21:8; 2 Peter 3:7, 10-12, Obadiah 1:16).
4) After the present earth is consumed, God will then create a new heaven and a new earth (Revelation 21:1-3) and God will dwell among former human beings now made His literal immortal sons and daughters.
5) God has promised all things, meaning the entire universe, for man to inherit (Revelation 21:7; Hebrews 2:6-8). Paul declared in 1 Corinthians 2:9-10 (NKJV): "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him. 10 But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit."
In fact, God has already allotted the universe to nations (Deuteronomy 4:19, “19 And lest you lift up your eyes unto heaven, and when you see the sun, and the moon, and the stars, even all the host of heaven, should be driven to worship them, and serve them, which the Lord your God has divided unto all nations under the whole heaven.”). This indicates that what God accomplished on earth will then be done in the entire universe by humans made immortal as God’s literal sons and daughters. That’s the awesome future that awaits mankind.
BELIEF 19 – KNOWLEDGE OF BIBLE PROPHECY DISTINGUISHES CHURCH OF GOD FROM OTHER CHURCHES
God revealed to John the apostle in Revelation 12:17, “And the dragon [another name for Satan] was wroth with the woman [a symbol for a Church; in this case God’s true Church] and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” Then in Revelation 19:10,”... the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”
This shows that the testimony that a Church is God’s true Church is that it will understand prophecy and preach it to the world. This is one of the features that distinguishes God’s true Church from other churches in the world.
Many end time prophecies were revealed to Daniel the prophet as well as other prophets. But the angel Gabriel who revealed prophecies to Daniel told him that many of the prophecies given to him will be understood only in the end time.
Daniel 12:4, 8-10, “4 But you, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased... 8 And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things? 9 And he said, Go your way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. 10 Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand.”
Daniel was told to seal the book, meaning prophecies revealed to him, till the end time. Then the characteristics of the end time are identified: “many shall run to and fro [worldwide air travel], and knowledge shall be increased.” This shows we are living in the end time.
Understanding about all the various beasts mentioned in the books of Daniel and Revelation was first revealed to Herbert W. Armstrong (HWA) through whom God founded the modern era of the Church of God, known initially as the Radio Church of God and then as the Worldwide Church of God.
HWA passed away on January 16, 1986. Since his death, Church of God has splintered into several different organizations. Some leaders of those Churches have built upon the basic understanding of prophecy provided by HWA. I have also built my understanding of prophecy on the foundation provided by HWA, which I have described in my eBook “World in Bible Prophecy” available free on my religion website www.ChurchOfGodMessage.com.
Many other Christian denominations have now started dabbling in prophecy. They admit that the great contribution HWA made to religion was explaining bible prophecies. But none have as good an understanding of prophecy as God’s Church because that is Jesus Christ’s testimony that we are His true Church.
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