HWA Sermon/Commentary: Respect for Authority/Church Government - 1951

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The prayer is given by an unnamed person who sounds like it could be Herman Hoeh, but I am unclear. 

Prayer

Announcements

After the prayer, Herbert launched directly into the real estate and development details of the latest acquisitions. He deals with the purchase of properties and tomato gardens, and various real estate deals. He then explains how he can convince the owner to get them to donate the tomato plants to the college with income tax deductions. 

You know I told you last Sabbath that there were some property deals pending and we have now acquired all the property down across the street and the 50 foot strip of it goes clear across to the next block (?) Vernon, and all of the corner where the fence is and the tomato gardens, I think most of the tomatoes are going to be given to the college or the campus, they'll be moved over here, and there are about $50,000 dollars worth, you know (?) cost money. There very slow grown. They're all 20 to 25 years old, that is the larger ones, he has also about 700 of those, and he also has about 700 smaller tiny plants, ready to be sent out. But the landscape architects can probably use them and where they can go. I think nearly all of them will be ready to go. They were not included in the real estate deal, they're excluded, however, he has practically no place for them, the market is way off, and consequently, they are talking about donating to the college, they can probably make more money doing that than any other way, because they can donate them to the college at the full value and receive credit by a deduction on their income taxes. And they probably save money and make more when they look at it that way then trying to sell them when apparently there's just no market for them. 

Here, Herbert goes into the run-down houses that needed to be purchased which may result in the forcing out of a family who is living at the home. He says it may be because they are poor caretakers of the home, but have neglected it - but, oh well. He then goes on, unapologetically, to the purchase of better houses. He then states he will use the students to clean them up, and may repair them later. He goes into a little knowledge he acquired about the new freeway, and new housing projects for students. 

Now what we acquired is 250 (?) way. It's almost square, the street runs at a little angle so, on one side a little left of that, but, almost that, and then the 50 foot lot on the other side of it, running clear through to Vernon, and then three houses with lots down on Green Street, and another house and lot on, uh, I can't remember the name of it, the street down here just on this side of Union... (Camden) Camden. It is not so valuable. And I imagine it would be worth more if the house was torn down and taken away. There's a family living in it, however. Probably one of those cases where they'd be better off living almost anywhere else. However, as I understand it, the house is in probably in bad repair in part of the way they've taken care of it, so … one or the other. Nevertheless, we have three properties on Green street we feel may prove to be very valuable. And, we got them for just about the price of the lots. And yet, those houses are in fairly good shape. And, essentially, two of them, and we put some students to work,soon as we take over possession, and clean them up, there's not a lot of repair work we can do without spending very much money, we'll leave that for later, and that way we can considerably increase the rentals from them, and they will pay for themselves. So it isn't costing us anything to have them, And since we happen to know privately, that the new freeway coming across the bridge across Colorado street across to Royal, is going to come right down Green Street, and Green Street will be the main artery in town from Hollywood, and from Glendale, we rapidly expect the value of that property to go way up. It is commercial zoned property. And a large building can be put up on it. It's a good trading point, we probably will not use it as part of the College, however, it was necessary to take as part of the Real estate deal, and … like housing next Fall, and the overflow of the students would put them down their temporarily, and build additional housing as required on the campus. 

Now, he goes into how he is moving off the community gardens (including all of the tomatoes) to build the softball diamond for the students of the College.

Now the vacant spot across here, as soon as the community gardens are moved off of it, the plant house and things that are there now, will become a softball diamond, baseball diamond you know, for the students next spring. And we will take possession April 1^st, and we can have it by February or March if we get the communities moved off of it in time. 

Herbert now goes into the business aspects of purchasing someone's property - but decides to wait it out, convinced someday he will get it regardless. Then, a rare conversation between Herbert and some of his staff, bantering about how much better they take care of their property then the other owner. 

Now we have decided that the other party on north of us here, Mr. and Mrs. Manson's property, is not worth as much to us at this time as it seems to be to them. And we don't really need it, as a matter of fact, we have quite an expanse of grounds, and now that we've branched out across the street, we do not need the Manson property, badly enough to pay 2 or three times what it's worth. And we feel it will come to us anyway in due time. So if God wanted us to have it, we will have it. I do believe that there's an opportunity open that we could grab the opportunity otherwise God may not open it again. But very excess value, and considerably more than 50% more than the higher price that we paid for Mayfair, with only half as much grounds, and not nearly as big a house, we feel that that's not exactly the opportunity. And so, we have definitely passed that up. However, it seems to me that the mansions have not proceeded since I finally turned it down, any more of their inspection work that was in progress. … responsibility for some kind of a deal with Mr. Merritt. And I will see him Monday morning. And, I don't know what will happen. Mr. Merritt wouldn't have bought that property over there on Monday afternoon. But we have to get a little ahead of Monday Afternoon. And, then Mr. Merritt called me up and wanted to move some of the houses in front of Green Street, I mean, in front of our Mayfair property, on Terrace Drive, and he wanted to move some of them right out here in front of our... if we would let them. He has four more old houses and doesn't know where to move them now. And apparently, he's quite disappointed that we acquired that property. So we know very definitely it would have been filled with old houses if we hadn't gotten it when we did.

Someone else: The City of Pasadena … he can't move any more houses in.

Herbert: Is that so?

Someone else: He couldn't really use his property if he got it.

Hebert: Oh, when did he get that.

Someone: The other night.

Herbert: And you ruined it.

Someone: (Unintelligible)

Herbert: Are you sure of that?

Someone: (Unintelligble)

Herbert: Who?

(Laughter)

Herbert: (laughs) I would say to make it retroactive and make him move his place out.

(Laughter)

Herbert: We don't, we frankly don't like it too well. He compliments us on keeping our grounds in such beautiful condition, he came over here, and he said, I'm (?) , he said, your place and mine are the two best kept up in places this neighborhood. Is that true. But, we would like to make the neighborhood beautiful. We're doing our part, to make it that way, and sometimes it doesn't seem consistent if others compliment us on what we're doing and then make it ugly. Be nice they make it nice and beautiful and clean. 

At this time, Herbert goes into the showing of a real estate film that evening, and brags about shopping at large department stores with he and the mrs. all across Canada. 

Now tonight, the film will be shown, and tonight, I believe it's the picture of showing the history of one of the biggest developments in Canada. The Hudson Bay Company. And now that will be quite entertaining for Mrs. Armstrong and myself because weve been all through Canada, weve been in the Hudson Bay Stores, which are the largest department stores in the cities in Canada, they are in Winnipeg, and Vancouver, and up in around the island, I can't think of the name over there, I always get another name, you know what I mean, Columbia, and a number of other, Calgary, and other cities, and events, and so, we've been through so many of those stores, and heard so much about Hudson's Bay, it's going to be quite interesting to see the history of how it was established. And, I think the picture will be shown at 7:00. Is that the time we have it shown. 7:00. Tonight.

Now these pictures are very unusual. We have not had to be disappointed in one so far. Then, I'd just like to say that this world has adopted it's own formula and standard for what is considered worldly. Certain men, and I think right are bigoted and narrow-minded men, at the head of certain church denominations in the past 400 years, have formed a code of their own. Set to coincide with (?) And their code is, don't dance, don't go to theaters, don't drink, don't smoke, don't play cards, don't do this, you know. Those things. And those things are made worldly. And those things they make sin. And then they do the things that God condemns. While some of the things that they condemn put to the right use God not only allows but in some cases commands. And so they go exactly contrary to God. 

Now Herbert goes into a short preaching session about worldliness - and how the churches of the world worship the devil and are deceived and are completely upside down - that only he and they have "the truth", under the assumption that all of the commands he refers to were/are for today's generation due to his six-month Bible study. He calls the blind, deceived, devil-worshipers, and praises his god for their being the only ones who know "the truth". He ends it with sanctimonious assertions. 

Now worldliness as I mentioned in the broadcast the other morning is all that is in this world. And it's all based on the pride of life and the lust of the eye and the flesh. In other words . And on those principles great civilizations have been built. That is great In the sense of (?), I don't mean great in the sense that it's good. Civilizations in this world government, that which are world's society and all that goes with it including athletics and social customs, its entertainment and it's amusement, this world's educational institutions and this world's – they're parts of the world. And this world's churches. And they too are in the world and of the world and part of the world. And so which are available and in the world form a separate code of what they construe of being worldly. And which they condemn but which God doesn't always condemn. And then they approve that which God does condemn. They have turned the Word of God and the Gospel upside down. We're to come out from among them.. Because they are the world. And they worship the god of this world. Which is not the same god we worship at all. They worship they know not whom. They think they're worshiping the Creator and they're only worshiping the devil. But they don't call him devil, they call him god. They call him holy father. They are deceived, many of them are sincere, they've been brought up in those beliefs, they don't know any better, that's true. They're blind, they're led by blind leaders, and when the blind lead the blind, they both go right into the ditch. And that's where they're all going.

So I tell you brethren we shouldn't condemn such people. Not that they know any different, most of them. Rather, I think we should have charity and powers, and we should have a very overwhelming sense of gratitude to God if for some reason he's called us as unworthy as we are, and has given us the privilege of knowing his great and wonderful truth. Is it of of our own choosing that we're not blinded and following all these things, being deceived by other people, no, I don't think it is .. Is it because we are better than they? Most certainly not. … lead us into judgement to condemn them. For some reason that perhaps we don't understand, and we certainly don't deserve, God has seen fit to call us and our understanding, and to give us present truth, and shouldn't that just make our hearts leap for joy. Such a great blessing. And are intended to bring us happiness because there's a way to happiness, and to peace, and to joy. Let's practice those ways, let's appreciate what God has given, and rejoice and give him all thanks and gratitude, and praise. Because he certainly is greatly to be praise for His goodness.

At this time, he goes into more announcements - this one from Dr. Merrill - concerning nutrition, food, and diet. It was a few years later that Herman Heoh's wife, Isabel, began a large push among the church on the benefits of healthy eating with articles that were published in the Good News. 

I might just again make one suggestion to the Tuesday Night meeting.. Dr. Merril and I are going to conduct a meeting. I think it'll be my turn this time, and... you could be here, some of you are missing something, if you could be here, you could hear Dr.Merril's lecture, with slides last tuesday night, Dr. Merril's lecture on nutrition, and food and diet and the causes of sickness and disease. Now that's a real privilege to hear a practicing physician speak on those subjects he has devoted much time to research and to study of that question. Which is a subject that has been neglected and not studied by many of the scientific gentleman. Unfortunately, much of what we know has been taught along the line of health food and all that sort of thing has been taught by lay men who themselves are not qualified and have gone into a certain type of fanaticism that I believe the medical fraternity would call a quackery or something of the sort. I know sometimes they go completely overboard into lopsided and unbalanced ideas, and all that sort of thing. Now, I don't believe, frankly, that anybody has this matter of food and diet and it's relation to our health and sickness and disease 100% correct. It is a subject that has not been studied by the type of men who are qualified to study such subjects from a purely scientific basis.

And I am quite certain that Dr. Merrill will be the first to say that he doesn't have it 100% correct as God Almighty would see it if we had the revelation from God we don't because that's one of the things that man can learn for himself if only he would. But we have neglected to learn those things. God has given us the equipment to learn. The facilities to make studies and research and one thing or another in that field, and.. those things for ourselves. And God in the Bible reveals only those things which we cannot otherwise find out. That's a good thing to remember. But I think that you'll get one of the finest courses if not the very finest that are obtainable anywhere. And then, the other phase of the lecture is on sex understanding and marriage, marriage relationships, which are the basis of family happiness, family life is the basis of all right civilizations. And there again, the foundation is the revelation that comes from God, that is a subject that should be approached only from the attitude of God and from the attitude that God gives us in his word. Understanding his purpose. That we would come to a right undertstanding. And then we come to see why just about nine out of ten homes are at least unhappy if not broken up about every third one is broken up and divorced, and most of the rest of them are unhappy because of a lack of understanding on these very subjects. Well, I tell you, between that and the food composition, where we get wrong diet and food and the lack of the right elements in our food, there's such sickness and such disease, and such impotency, and a well, clouded thick minds instead of clean, clear minds. Those are the things that have more to do with our happiness then with anything else in the material (?). Basically, (?) Now you're all welcome to come, the classes are at 7:00 on Tuesday nights.

Here, he begins talking about the Faculty reception.Although he is welcoming those who dress in "Day clothes", it is quite clear the preference is formal attire. And finally, for the announcements portion of the day, Beverly sings special music - with piano accompaniment. 

Now on Thursday night of this week, at 8:00, is a reception, here at the college, in honor of the faculty. You most certainly are all cordially invited, and I hope that you will all be here, this is one of the most important college activities of the year, and at this particular reception, while dress is not indicated, I happen to know that most of the girls in the college are coming in formals, and I feel the men are going to wear tux's and in other words it is an occasion when either one is perfectly correct and you come in just ordinary business or day clothes or you may come in at least semi-formal clothes as you please. And there will be more of course in the formal or formal clothes, but if you would wear formal clothes it would be alright to do so because some will be doing that. And I think it's a good experience for some college students. Now that will be from 8:00. On Thursday evening. But don't forget and hope that you all be sure to come. Now Beverly is going to sing today one of Dwight's numbers, this composition are the words of the 57^th Psalm. Let the people praise Him.

Beverly sings special music

Now I began the subject last Sabbath that I didn't have time to complete but I stopped in just about the middle of it and said we would try to complete it today. And I had to be very busy today with some of the Lord's work. Which couldn't wait, … we had visitors here this morning, and the broadcast, and so I was even delayed a little bit in arriving, and not even had time to refresh my mind on this subject on this at all since last Sabbath.

But we were discussing this matter on respect for authority. 

The first thing that is noticed here is Herbert's condemnation of mainstream Christian thinking - that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is not a message about his person. The absolute ignorance of what Jesus Christ accomplished on the Cross is, from the very beginning, completely glossed over, in favor of a message about a world-ruling government. 

Now the very essence of Christianity, of Christian life, has been ignored, totally, by this world's so called Christianity. The very Gospel of Jesus Christ is not a message about his person. But is the very message which he himself preached. It's the message that God sent by Jesus Christ to this world. He was the messenger or the minister who brought it. And the message he brought was the good news of the Kingdom of God. 

Points in this paragraph: That the ministry of Jesus Christ was "not a ministry to the public at all" - just a "teaching" to the students of Jesus' little "college". Even though it was written in scripture that there are not enough books that could contain all the things that Jesus did - and even though his whole life was an example of service and love to all people - Herbert decides to concentrate on only one aspect of Jesus' time on the Earth. 

Now a kingdom, primarily, is a government. There is a duality, a dual phase of the kingdom of God. And in our Bible class at the college, we have been noticing how in the what is popularly, supposedly to be the ministry of Jesus Christ, which was not a ministry to the public at all, but merely a teaching of those students who he called, that were called by the english word, that's translated into the english word disciples, but the greek word simply meant students, or learners, they were just students, and while he did on occasion preach to the public, because seeing the miracles that he did, they were so impressed, they wanted to hear from Him, many of them did recognize him as the promised Messiah, yet he always spoke to them in parables so that hearing they would hear but not understand. Seeing they see but not comprehend. Because he said to his disciples it was not given to them to understand. We were noticing this week in the class now, when he came to the Gentile woman at Jacob's well. He was on his way up to begin the active ministry, so to speak, as we call it His ministry, because he began proclaiming that message from Galilee. And Galilee is way up in the northern part of Palestine. And that Jesus was going north, he passed through Samaria. And he came to this old well at Jacob's. And there was a Gentile woman drawing water. He said to her if she had known who it was speaking to her she wouldn't have asked him and he would have given her living water. He would have given her eternal life. But she didn't know. And he didn't open her up to understanding. He did tell her things about herself, how many husbands she had had, and they weren't really her husbands at all, oh, yes they were too. And there's one point that came out of the class that she said she had had five husbands. Therefore, we know that four of her husbands had died. Because otherwise, they would not have been her husbands. If she was merely divorced and remarried, she could not have called them her husbands.

But now, probably, the fifth husband was still living, and she was divorced and was married to another who was not their husband Jesus said you were well spoken, that the one that's still living, now he's not your husband. But Jesus did say she had had five husbands. So therefore he assumed that the firstborn had died. You know if you just understand the Bible, you can read a lot of those things you couldn't of between the lines that are really there. That you wouldn't just get in plain language, sometimes. 

Here we are with one of Herbert's most often-quoted dogmas - that Jesus wasn't trying to save the world. What an absolute load of "hogwash", as Herbert would say. His whole LIFE on Earth was dedicated to saving the world. God so loved the world, that whosoever believes in Him, shall not perish, but have everlasting life. It is not that Jesus wasn't trying to "save" the world. The Holy Spirit had not yet come, to a world that did not yet know Him - a world that was under the Law because Jesus had not yet fulfilled the Law. Herbert's dogma of a 6,000 year penalty from Adam to the second coming completely overlooked everything Scripture says that Jesus accomplished on the Cross. 

But Jesus made no effort to convert her. He wasn't trying to save the world. He wasn't making any effort to convert the world, and when he preached, he deliberately (?) his words in such language that people could not comprehend. Now to his disciples, or his students, he opened their understanding, and he spoke to them in plain language. He was teaching them because they were the foundation on which the Church was built. And they had to be taught and trained before the Church could start. Now that wasn't the way you heard it, that wasn't the way you thought the truth was, but that is the truth. It just goes to show you how little the Bible is understood today. 

Herbert's only definition of the Kingdom of God was a physical comparison to a physical type. Righteousness, peace, joy in God's Spirit is the Kingdom of God according to scripture - a Kingdom that dwells inside of you as Christ in us - God with us. Those who have the Holy Spirit have the Kingdom of God. Herbert could only see it in comparison to rank, hierarchy, government, and rulership. He looked at it completely and totally physically and tried to equate a spiritual concept with a physical concept of rule. It is far, far more than just the aspect of rulership. He also has to get in a few digs on Christianity again - at how "careless" they read the Bible. To me, what was careless was not getting the proper training of how to read the Bible himself, and going out on his own without any clue or concept about the context of what he was reading. 

Now, to Nicodemus. Jesus had explained another phase of the Kingdom. The Kingdom of God is a family . The Kingdom of God is God. God is the Kingdom. That's another thing that people don't understand. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. But in the language in which Moses wrote, he used the Hebrew name Elohim. And Elohim is a uni-plural. Like family. And it means a family. More than one person. God isn't just one person. Jesus Christ was God. One of his names was Emmanuel. Meaning God with us. He was God in human flesh. But He died. Was God dead? The one that he prayed to, that person he called the Father in Heaven was another person altogether. And that person was alive while the second person Jesus Christ was dead. And if the Father hadn't been alive, there would have been no one to resurrect Jesus but he knew that His Father would resurrect Him and trusted the Father to bring Him back to life. He gave his life and died. Jesus was dead and totally unconscious. He wasn't preaching to any spirits in prison for three days and three nights. The time preaching to the spirits in prison was way back in the days of Noah. Before the flood while the ark was being prepared. People should read on a little farther and see where these things are in the Bible because they read the Bible so carelessly. They just read other books carefully.

And so, Jesus said except you be born again you can't enter into the Kingdom of God. So, God is a Kingdom. And there is a narrow kingdom, then there is a (?) kingdom and there's the animal kingdom, and you might even say the human kingdom, because I think there is a human family, might be differentiated from other animals far enough to call it the second kingdom, just depends on how you divide it, although we are (?) speaking, the animal kingdom. Then there is an angel kingdom, but high above all others, the God kingdom, or the Kingdom of God. 

Here is a classic example of how Herbert is taking the spiritual and is trying to make it physical. Animals, plants - and humans - these are all matter - physical. Christ in us is spiritual. God's kingdom is spiritual. The Holy Spirit is spiritual. You cannot take physical examples in a material world to try to make a point about the spiritual! 

Now, you don't just “get in”. How could an animal or plant ever get in to the human kingdom. You couldn't unless you could be born into the human kingdom, because the only way that anyone became a human being was to be born as one. And the only way that anyone could become God, or a part of God, or a part of the God Kingdom is to be born into it. We've been born twice, and therefore Jesus said we are flesh. 

Now here is an absolutely ignorant statement that very few, if any Christians, actually believe - that in heaven, you're simply sitting on clouds, strumming a harp, staring out into sky in idleness and relaxation. What Herbert was actually describing was actually the expectation of many incoming ministers - to be waited on to be served by others. This was what Herbert expected as well! More double talk from the great double talker. 

But how contrary is that to what people have always supposed. They have always thought that it doesn't matter getting saved, so instead of having burning, burning, burning forever and ever while we live forever in hell, that we'd live forever up in heaven where it'd be just playing on harps, and we'd have nothing to do, and play around in idleness, and nothing to do except be waited on to be served by others. But we certainly wouldn't be very great because Jesus said the great one is the one who does the serving. Not the one who is served. 

Here, Herbert again goes on how he is the only person, thanks to his six month oh-so-intensive study, has everything absolutely right, and everyone all around him as everything wrong - on just about every count - and has the Bible turned upside down. Ignorant, ego-driven, prideful charges meant to build up his empire. 

You see, the world has everything upside down. They have it all backwards. They don't have any (?). They're wrong on just about every count. Certainly have turned the Bible upside down.

And so in a sense, the Kingdom of God is a family that we're to be born into, but in another sense, it is a government. Now if we get down to it, join those two together and it is an ordered family, in which the person of the Father, who is the one person at the head of that family, rules the entire family. There are many persons that are going to be in that kingdom. We know that the Father and the Son now are two separate persons in the Kingdom of God. But we who are now students and learners, disciples, are to be taught and trained, and if they are begotten, are now heirs, who are now the sons of God who are begotten but not born, but as we grow as a baby, unborn baby, grows in it's mothers womb before it's large enough to be born.

So, in this begotten state of the spirit, we must grow being fed on the spiritual food until we grow in character and in grace large enough to be born spiritually as the children of God.

Now, God's family is a larger family. God's family is not a slovenly, disordered, confused family. God is not the author of confusion. In God and in the family of God there is only order. And so as God moves, and God's family is a government. And God rules that government in the person of the Father, he rules it with his law.

Here, Herbert says he can never make a mistake as long as he has the will of God. 

Where to even begin with the list? Prophecies? Ministers selected? Abuse? Coverups? Pentecost? Doctrine? Garner Ted? Rod Meredith? Anyone got a pad of paper and a pen? 

 

Now in God's family, the children don't go around and say well how much this ?, well Dad has to do this, and Dad has to do that, and the other thing, and then say, Dad, we passed a resolution, we voted that you have to do thus and so. They don't do that. They take orders from higher up. It's Dad who makes all the laws and does the rules. Not the kids. And we're only the kids. There isn't any democracy in it whatsoever. If there were, there'd be a lot of disagreement and there'd be disorder and God is not the author of confusion. And God's Kingdom is never going to be divided against itself, and the only way we can prevent that is if the mind of the Father and the laws of the Father and the government of the Father must rule his kingdom. No one will ever come into that kingdom until they have yielded their will totally from here. Because, they still have learned, Now I've already learned it, and I hope you have, that His will is right. That it couldn't be wrong. It is always perfectly right. No error, no mistake whatsoever. That's the kind of will I want to submit to. Because I can never make a mistake as long as I have that will. The will of God.

Here is a glimpse of how Herbert's government was modeled: Not by just letting people do whatever they may, a whim - but the principle of the entire kingdom (not righteousness, peace and joy, as scripture says) of obedience - and the very essence being a respect for authority. Seventy years later we can see exactly what that "authority" did with their "authority" and exactly what repercussions were enabled by such. 

 

Now the very gospel is the good news of the Kingdom of God. And the Kingdom is a government. By which he governs his family, his people. God governs by law, and order. Not by just letting us do whatever we may (?) and whatever may be a whim, or something of ours. The principle of the entire Kingdom and the purpose of God is, then, obedience. Obedience to God's laws. But the very essence of it, then, is, respect for authority. Because, if you have laws, you must have a means of administering those laws. There must be an executive branch of the government. To carry out the administering of the law. 

Here's the carrot of rulership - under conditions - IF you're converted, IF you grow spiritually. You're not born - (do I need to pull out all the scriptures to the contrary) - you're simply in holding in the embryo just waiting for a minister to abort you for the stupidest reason. 

And so that God the Father is the law giver, we find that Christ is the administrator, he is the head of the executive branch of that kingdom, or that family, he is the one coming as the king of kings and will rule all nations with a rod of iron. And he's going to rule them with the Father's law. And we're going to rule under him, if we are really converted. And if we really grow spiritually, until we are ready to be born as Jesus has been born a son of God by the resurrection from the dead.

Now the very principle that is so often overlooked even by Sabbath keeping people who believe in the law of God, is God's method of putting his law into action. Now that principle is just as important as the Law, it's second only to it, it goes hand in hand with it, and that principle is respect for, and obedience to authority.

Now in order to carry out his laws, the supervision of His government, the executive end of it, God places certain people in positions of authority. But here again, the people who are (?), down below, are not visibly connected to those who rule over them, but God the Father, and Jesus the Son, who has been made the chief executive , and Jesus Christ chooses those whom he will call, to be the ones who are to be the kings or the priests. 

Here we go, with Jesus only have overcome the devil, but is sitting up there with the Father letting the devil do his thing until the 6,000 years are up. No mention, no concern, no teaching of the scriptures that teach everything that Jesus accomplished with his death and resurrection. Completely ignored to enable his own teaching, enabling the false belief that the devil has so much power over the whole world except for Herbert's teach - which we now know fully was under the snare of just as much evil as the world. It was simply covered up. 

Now he began calling his twelve disciples. And now they studied under him, the disciples. But after they graduated from that college, if you care to use the name college, it wasn't customarily spoken of as a college, but it was his kind of college. And when they graduated so to speak, and when they received the Holy Spirit and were empowered by the Spirit of God, then they were clothed with authority as the representatives of the Kingdom of God in this foreign land, this earth. Because God's Kingdom has not been set up on this earth yet. And God's jurisdiction of his kingdom goes only as far as his citizens or his subjects extend, and it does not, at this time, include the earth. Well, in a sense it does, God rules, but you know what I mean, he has turned over the government of the earth, as he did an archangel, who started a competition and a rebellion and he became Satan the devil, and God is leaving it there until his own due time comes until Jesus Christ who has already overcome the devil, and qualified to be the successor, will be inducted into that office.

And so God is leaving the jurisdiction of the world, more or less, into the devil's hands. As far as that's concerned. But could step in and change it at any time, but he doesn't. And this is his way, because he goes according to that plan, and order. But the jurisdiction that Jesus Christ extends to those he calls and who has willingly of their own accord .. accepted His call, and followed him, those were his disciples. And there were other disciples that through them were drawn in to form the church. The true Church.

Now the Apostle Paul exercised authority. Jesus Christ struck him down, and Paul went to Arabia, and spent three years with Christ. Whether Christ was over there in spirit, over over there in person, we don't know. It isn't stated in the Bible. But Jesus said, have I not been with Christ, have I not seen Christ? He didn't go to man to find out what to preach. But after he had been with Jesus three years, later on he went down to Jerusalem to confer with the other Apostles down there, and they compared notes as to what they were preaching, and they found that Paul was preaching exactly the same Gospel as they were, of course they got it from the same Christ they received it from. He was taught by Christ the same as they were. So they had the same gospel exactly.

Now those that are placed in administrative office are selected by Jesus Christ. And he has the mind of God the Father. And is in perfect accord with God the Father so there is no confusion. Jesus Christ would never (?) run for office that would be the one that men would put into such an office.