The Church Behind Tomorrow's World

Many viewers wonder: Who is behind these Tomorrow's World telecasts? The most obvious answer is found in what we say at the end of each program: We are sponsored by the Living Church of God. But that brings up another question: Who or what is the Living Church of God? On this Tomorrow's World telecast I'll be answering this question. I'll show you who we are, what our mission is, and what we believe.

I'll also be offering to you a free publication-- Restoring Original Christianity-- so be sure to have writing material available so you can take down our contact information. As with everything that we offer, this resource is given away free for the asking. Members and coworkers of the Living Church of God have already paid for it, and I'll explain on this program why it is that everything we have is distributed free of charge. So stay tuned to learn about the church behind Tomorrow's World.

I'll be back in five seconds to give you the answer. ♪ A warm welcome to all of you from all of us here at Tomorrow's World, where today I'll be answering the question of who we are--which Church is it that is behind these telecasts, our magazine, and all of our free resources. I'll also explain the mission of the Living Church of God and what we believe. Simply put, we are a remnant of first century Christianity, but what does this mean?

Jesus said He would build His church and the gates of the grave would not prevail against it. Yet, the record of the New Testament and history show that the professing Christian church veered off in a radically different direction than the church started by Jesus, His apostles, and first century believers. He warned us in the Olivet Prophecy that the first sign to watch for, regarding His second coming and the end of the age, is false Christianity. We must not take this warning lightly.

Look this up in your own Bible and consider what it means for you--Matthew 24, and verses 3 to 5... "Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?" And Jesus answered and said to them [here it is]: "Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am [that is, Jesus is] the Christ,' and will deceive many."

Yes, there would be those who claim His authority, admit that He is the Christ, but would deceive, not the few, but the many. Does history bear this out? The answer is absolutely. Highly respected historian, Jesse Lyman Hurlbut in The Story of the Christian Church, gives this title to Chapter 5--"The Age of Shadows."

There he shows how dramatically the church changed over a relatively short period of time: "We name the last generation of the first century, from 68 to 100 A.D., "The Age of Shadows," partly because the gloom of persecution was over the church; but more especially because of all periods in the history, it is the one about which we know the least. We have no longer the clear light of the Book of Acts to guide us; and no author of that age has filled the blank in the history.

For fifty years after St. Paul's life a curtain hangs over the church, through which we strive vainly to look; and... [take note of this] when at last it rises, about 120 A.D. with the writings of the earliest church-fathers, we find a church in many aspects very different from that in the days of St. Peter and St. Paul." Note that Hurlbut mentions these changes occurred following the death of the Apostle Paul. Is this not what Paul himself warned would happen?

Acts 20, beginning in verse 29, records his warning to the elders at Ephesus... "For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves. Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears."

Hurlbut chronicles some of the changes that crept into what became an increasingly very different church from that of Christ and the apostles: "The forms and ceremonies of paganism gradually crept into the worship. Some of the old heathen feasts became church festivals with change of name and of worship. About 405. A.D. images of saints and martyrs began to appear in the churches, at first as memorials, then in succession revered, adored, and worshiped.

The adoration of the Virgin Mary was substituted for the worship of Venus and Diana." Many historians agree that the church of today has little resemblance to that of the original church of God that Christ founded. Prolific writer and highly respected historian Will Durant, makes this insightful comment for anyone with eyes to see and ears to hear: "Christianity did not destroy paganism; it adopted it.... Christianity became the last and greatest of the mystery religions."

History records two paths for what is broadly called Christian. The first is the popular and diverse forms of mainstream Christianity-- Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Protestant. And there is great diversity among these. The second is minuscule in comparison. It is the small, persecuted church that would not die. To learn more about that church, and the Living Church of God, order our free resource-- Restoring Original Christianity.

This easy-to-read booklet contrasts the church that Jesus built with the one that Hurlbut, Durant, and many others tell us is a very different form than original Christianity. Don't be fooled. Your salvation is far too important to accept without question traditions passed down to you. Be sure to order a free copy of Restoring Original Christianity. And do it today before you forget. If our toll-free number is busy, wait five or ten minutes and try again.

And when I come back, I'll get specific about the history of Tomorrow's World and the Living Church of God. ♪ For today's free offer call... Or go to... This clear and straight-forward resource will help you understand this vital truth-- straight from the pages of the Bible. If you're calling for the first time, you will also receive a free annual subscription to Tomorrow's World magazine.

Six inspiring issues discussing news, science, and modern culture will help you make sense of your world from a biblical perspective. Call today and join millions around the world who are turning to Tomorrow's World for truth, prophecy, and hope in these confusing times. Call now! Or go to... ♪ Welcome back to Tomorrow's World where I'm explaining who we are--who it is that is behind these telecasts, what is our mission, and what we believe. Simply put, our roots go back to the first century.

As our resource--Restoring Original Christianity-- explains, the Christianity of Christ and the apostles is different from what most people think. Mainstream Christianity is rife with non-biblical Greek philosophy and pagan doctrines. The church Jesus built is not and has been persecuted for rejecting non-biblical doctrines and following, not what people think He taught, but what Jesus truly taught. The mainstream catered to the masses and absorbed popular pagan forms of worship.

From sun worship came a rejection of the seventh-day Sabbath, which was established at creation. Sun-worshipping Roman Emperor Constantine, in 321 AD, commanded a different day for rest, as shown in Eerdman's Handbook to the History of Christianity: "When in 321 Constantine made the first day of the week a holiday, he called it the 'venerable day of the Sun' (Sunday)." Any who did not go along with this law and other non-biblical doctrines were stripped of privileges and persecuted.

However, in Matthew 16:18, Jesus declared... "I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it." No, the church that Christ built never died. We read about it in the writings of those who hated it and tried to stamp it out. That church, which refused to compromise and introduce pagan doctrines as substitutes for the doctrines of Christ, was considered heretical. Nevertheless, one must compare what Jesus and His apostles taught to discover who the real heretics are.

The modern roots of Tomorrow's World and the Living Church of God are found in the Worldwide Church of God under the pastor ship of the late Herbert W. Armstrong. His wife, Loma, came in contact with a member from the Church of God, Seventh day (which by the way is not associated with the Seventh Day Adventists). That was in the mid-1920's. She became convinced that the Biblical Sabbath was Saturday, not Sunday. Now this did not please Mr. Armstrong, who viewed this as fanaticism.

However, she would not budge unless he could show her from the Bible that she was in error. He began an in-depth search of the scriptures to prove her wrong, which at the time he thought would be simple enough. After all, all these churches could not be wrong. But, the end result was that, as I personally heard him say: "It is a humbling thing to admit that your wife is right and you are wrong--especially when it is over the most important argument you ever had."

In 1933 Mr. Armstrong was offered a 6:00 a.m. time slot on the tiny 100-watt KORE radio station in Eugene, Oregon. His audience grew and he began publishing--if you could call it that--a mimeographed magazine called the Plain Truth. But from that humble beginning, the work grew to where the Plain Truth was a modern full color magazine, with a monthly circulation of 8.4 million copies--covering virtually every country on earth. And it was given away free of charge.

The Living Church of God continues to follow Christ's instruction in Matthew 10, and in verse 8, where He told His disciples... "Freely you have received, freely give." And that's why today's resource, Restoring Original Christianity, which explains who we are, can be yours, absolutely free of change. In 1952, Mr. Armstrong ordained five men to the rank of Evangelist. And among them was Roderick C. Meredith.

Mr. Armstrong died in January of 1986 and in less than five years, his appointed successor took the Worldwide Church of God in a radically different direction. By December 1992, it became abundantly clear to Dr. Meredith that the Worldwide Church had irreversibly changed or rejected all the major doctrines that Herbert W. Armstrong restored under the leadership of Jesus Christ.

And, at age 62, Dr. Meredith had to make a choice: either retire comfortably as that organization tried to get him to do, or set out and revive the Work and restore the Biblical doctrines of original Christianity. He chose the latter and started the Global Church of God-- later changed to the Living Church of God. Dr. Meredith immediately followed Christ's instructions found in Mark 16:15... "And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature."

He began to preach the gospel by going on weekly radio, writing booklets, and starting a bi-monthly magazine. He began with an informal meeting of only 19 members in his home in December 1992. But many church of God members began to reject the apostasy and joined with him in doing the Work.

Today the Church has grown to encompass members all over the world, and a large percentage are brand new to the truths of original Christianity--having heard the true gospel for the first time at Tomorrow's World. The Work of Jesus Christ is not over.

From our "About Us" page at our TomorrowsWorld.ORG website we read the following, Tomorrow's World is sponsored by the Living Church of God, with active congregations in North and South America, the Caribbean, Europe, Asia, Africa and Australasia, with more than 239 ministers serving over 401 congregations around the globe....

Our flagship magazine, Tomorrow's World, is translated from English into French and Spanish, and we print booklets for distribution in the German, Dutch, Afrikaans, Chinese, Hindi, Portuguese, Urdu and a few other languages. Dr. Meredith set up a Council of Elders--which is made up of seasoned ministers to advise him--and prior to his death in May of 2017, after consultation with the Council of Elders, he appointed me as his successor and as Presiding Evangelist of the Living Church of God.

While this may all sound as though we are a mega-church, that is hardly the case. Most of our congregations are small and close knit. We're a little flock as Jesus mentioned in Luke 12 and verse 32 where He said... "Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." However, our dedicated members and coworkers are doing a Work far greater than our numbers would indicate.

Many wonder how this is so and the answer is that we have loyal members and coworkers who make it possible. Also, we do not build church buildings as a general practice instead we rent halls to hold our services. Choosing rather to spread the gospel on television, over the Internet and social media, and in print. We'll look at that more in a moment, but I want to remind you of today's free resource--Restoring Original Christianity.

Do you realize, dear friends, that you can worship Jesus in vain? That's what He tells us in Matthew 15:7-9... "Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying: 'These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'" And in Luke 6:46, He chided the people for calling Him Lord--meaning Master--but disregarding what He said...

"But why do you call Me "Lord, Lord," and not do the things which I say?" Original Christianity--that of Christ and the apostles-- is what Tomorrow's World and the Living Church of God are about. Few people today know about first century Christianity and that is why we're offering this important resource-- Restoring Original Christianity. So, pick up the phone, or go to our website--TWTV.org/Original to receive your free copy of Restoring Original Christianity.

And when I come back after this short break, I'll explain more about who we are. ♪ This clear and straight-forward resource will help you understand this vital truth-- straight from the pages of the Bible. Call now! Or go to... ♪ Today I'm asking and answering the questions: Who is behind Tomorrow's World? What is our mission? And what are our doctrines?

In the previous portions of this program, I've given you a very brief history of the modern era of the Living Church of God, but the story does not begin in modern times. For a greater understanding of this subject, please order our free booklet--Restoring Original Christianity. The Living Church of God believes Jesus of Nazareth came as God in the flesh. He gave His life in exchange for ours. He is our Lord, our Master, and Savior. And we are saved by faith in His shed blood.

However, we do not turn God's grace into license to disobey His law. Jude, the half-brother of Jesus, warns us against that error in verses 3 and 4... "Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.

For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ." This is why the Living Church of God observes the seventh-day Sabbath, from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset, as did Jesus, His original apostles, the apostle Paul, and first century Christians.

We also observe the seven biblically ordained annual festivals, rather than pagan observances with the name of Christ blasphemously attached to them. Dear viewers, think about this. Why are the days that Jesus and His apostles kept rejected by mainstream Christianity? And why is the most sacred day of mainstream Christianity named after a fertility goddess and celebrated with fertility symbols such as eggs and rabbits? Does that really make any sense?

Our mission was given to us by Jesus Christ and it's spelled out on our "About Us" page at TomorrowsWorld.org. Tomorrow's World proclaims to the world the good news of Jesus Christ's coming Kingdom and blows a bold "warning trumpet" of God's impending judgment, calling for repentance and spiritual change. You may wonder what is different about proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ's coming kingdom. Don't all churches do that?

Sadly, the answer is, no. The word "gospel" means good news, but do you realize that Paul warned the church of God at Corinth for putting up with teachers who taught a different gospel, and yes, even a false Jesus? Here it is in 2 Corinthians the 11th chapter and verse 4...

"For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted--you may well put up with it!" A few verses later he called these false teachers, ministers of Satan... "For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder; for Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.

Therefore it is no great thing if his [that is, Satan's ministers] also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness; whose end will be according to their works." The Living Church of God teaches the very same message Jesus proclaimed during His three-and-a-half year ministry--a coming kingdom, or government, to rule on this troubled planet. Read through Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. You'll be shocked at how many times Jesus referred to the Kingdom of God.

Now, Matthew uses the term "kingdom of heaven," whereas the other writers use "kingdom of God." But heaven is where God dwells, so it is heaven's-- that is, God's--kingdom. It is not a kingdom in God or in heaven. Of indicates ownership, not location. The Living Church of God does not neglect Bible prophecy, including Jesus' Olivet Prophecy, the book of Revelation and other passages scattered throughout the New Testament.

Jesus explained to His disciples that unless He returns to stop mankind's madness, human extinction would occur-- Matthew 24:21-22... "For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be