Why does GOD hide Himself?

By David Jon Hill Page 1 2 3 Tomorrow's World — Dec, 1969

Christ Through the Centuries

Peter, John and the other apostles were set apart as God's true representatives by the enormous power which passed through them to perform miraculous healings (Acts 3:1-9; 5:12-16). The religious establishment never doubted the authenticity of these signs and wonders. But did they accept the presence of God? No sir! They feared for their own position — they didn't want to lose their own followers, their own adulators, and of course their own tithe-payers (Acts 4:16-18; 5:17-18).

God was now working through the New Testament Church. But the religious leaders, true to form, acting as they always have and always will, cared more for "letters and learning" (Acts 4:13) than for the overt revelations of God.

For the more than 1,938 years since Christ's death and resurrection, mankind has had access to Him through the Bible. (The Bible is the Word of God — and so is Christ, John 1:14) But what has man done with it?

He has "interpreted" it — in a myriad of councils, conclaves, conferences and consistories. How? For his own convenience! No more laws, Sabbaths, Holy Days, tithing, prophecy, correction. Now even morality is "out of date." What's the purpose of these "Bible interpretations"? Very simple — muzzle the Bible and HIDE its God!

For 18½ centuries, the True Church of God was a small persecuted group of outcasts who met in private houses and hired halls (Rom. 16:5; Col. 4:15; Acts 28:30). It was not a "respected" religio-political system, like "Organized Churchianity" which is really baptized paganism!

If Jesus Christ began his physical ministry today, He would be accused of being the greatest threat to "God, Christianity and Patriotism"! He would be charged with treason and sedition by every country on earth — and His trial and "execution" would be festively celebrated around the world (probably on December 25)!

The Coming Revelation of God

"Ridiculous," Mr. Christian would say. "If God really appeared mankind would rejoice — not reject Him." This namby-pamby hypothesis will be exposed as a myth. Christ is soon going to return — and the world won't like it one bit. Because Christ will not return as a pleading preacher-boy. He will NOT make speeches at the United Nations, He will not appear on televised press conferences, and He will surely not lead protest marches. He won't "prove Himself" to scientists. He won't explain His behavior to psychologists. And He surely won't quibble and quarrel with theologians. No, Christ is going to rule this world with a rod of iron! (Rev. 2:27)

The Book of Revelation tells the story. Curiously enough, the world looks on this book as a deliberate effort by God to "hide His mysteries." Nothing could be further from the truth. Read the name — Revelation! These 22 chapters spell out, in excruciating detail, the history of the world — before it happens. Here God reveals all — yet man claims it is "hidden in symbol." (Write for our free booklet, The Book of Revelation Unveiled at Last!)

Agnostic Arnold's "wish" (remember him?) will soon be granted — God will soon open Himself for all to see (Matt. 24:27). But humanity will respond just as it has always responded. Man will once again hide from his Creator. "And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, HID themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and HIDE us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb" (Rev. 6:15-16).

But don't we read that all mankind will rejoice, make merry and even send gifts to one another at this time? Sure — that'll be when God's two witnesses are murdered! (Rev. 11:3; 7-10) And soon thereafter, when Christ takes over "the kingdoms of this world" (Rev. 11:15), the nations will be angry (verse 18) and men will blaspheme God (16:21).

Do you catch the ironic drama of the situation? The same men, who had pompously proclaimed that they would "surely obey God if only He would stop hiding 'like a woman' and appear 'like a man,' " will themselves hide under rocks and blaspheme Him when He actually does appear like a God!

The WORK of God

Soon, very soon, God is going to reveal Himself to all mankind. You don't have to believe it. We're not trying to make you believe it. Our job is just to tell you about it. Because you're going to see it for yourself. We know that for an authoritative fact — because we've been commissioned to herald the GOOD NEWS of Christ's World-Ruling Government.

You have come into contact with the very WORK OF GOD!

Many of you subscribers to TOMORROW'S WORLD have been personally selected by the Creator of Heaven and Earth to actively participate as Co-Workers in His End-Time Work. You have caught the vision. You have forged a position of mammoth responsibility for yourself. You have had the courage and the foresight to enthusiastically support God's Work with your tithes and offerings. You have become Co-Workers forever!

That's not just a figure of speech.

You are literally Co-Workers with Christ on God's Eternally Triumphant Team! Together, all of us are the instruments through which God is revealing Himself to this last generation of humanity. It is our job to give all nations God's warning witness (Matt. 24:14) before the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord strike.

The world as a whole will reject us and hide from their God — just as they always have whenever God's messengers have spoken. That's all right. We are not trying to convince or convert anybody — even if we were, it wouldn't do any good.

Our purpose is to give this world a witness that they'll never forget — so that when these prophecies do unfold in headlines and blare out of radios, when a conquering Jesus Christ returns to earth, the people "shall know that there hath been a prophet among them" (Ezek. 2:5; 33:33), and that the Lord God had indeed spoken through this WORK (Ezek. 24:24; 6-10).

Humanity will come to know our WORK with the most intense worldwide emotion in history. They will see spectacular miracles (Matt. 10:7-8; Rev. 11:6) — and deeply realize that God is revealing Himself through us! They will hear our words — but in most cases they will not obey (Ezek. 33:31). One last time mankind will reject God's prophets and hide from its Creator.

The Ultimate Revelation

We have thrown at you a mass of historic and prophetic information. No doubt you believe our general thesis — that God has continuously revealed Himself to man but man has always hidden himself from God. But your belief is founded on secondhand data. It's right, it's good — but there's better! How would you like some firsthand evidence?

Your Creator has provided a way — He can reveal Himself through you! He can literally dwell in you (I John 4:12) — Jesus Christ, the Creator of this universe, can come into your mind and flesh! (I John 4:2) How? By the implantation of His Holy Spirit (John 14:17) — which is God's Power to express Himself through you.

God is offering a majesty which transcends even the most fertile imaginations. And you can have it!

How do we know that God can reveal Himself through individual men? What's our evidence?

We have an absolute two-fold proof: First, the person can keep God's Law for the first time. Of course God's Law will be kept! If God is going to manifest Himself through men, He is obviously going to obey His own Law! Second, the person can develop progressively more God like character.

The phenomenally incomprehensible result of this development occurs at the resurrection — when, in truth and in fact, the person himself is changed into Eternal God! As wildly incredible as it surely sounds to our brainwashed ears, God Almighty is reproducing Himself. He is making man eligible for full-fledged Son-ship in His God-plane Family. That seems like sacrilegious blasphemy to worldly religions — but it happens to be the reason why God created the entire universe! Request our booklet, Why Were You Born?, for the full explanation.

The world teaches that man can't keep God's Ten Commandments. True. Man alone can't. But, when God impregnates and augments man's spirit by His Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:16), then man can fully obey God's Law because Christ Himself will help. The world hates obeying God and the world ridicules the idea of God reproducing Himself. As a result the world rejects God's revelation through man.

And by rejecting God's revelation, the world blasphemes God's Holy Spirit. Religionists tell you "just believe on the name of the Lord Jesus and you shall be saved." They also make the equally ludicrous claim that the Holy Spirit is a distinct person! This is a flagrant attempt to both close off the Godhead in an unexpandable "Trinity" and deny God's power to keep His own Law through human beings.

How do you know that God can reveal Himself through men? You can't stake your belief on these words stuck end to end. So prove it! Prove it by trying it! There is no other way. You must personally experience the enormous benefits of God's Spirit. And we don't mean some pseudosanctimonious hodge-podge of self-deluded emotion, nicey-nice prayer meetings and goody-good testimonials. We do mean God's breathtaking Purpose in life — and His specific office of scintillating authority prepared especially for you.

Let's get down to business. How do you get God's Holy Spirit? There are just two requirements: 1) A wholly repentant attitude of mind and 2) baptism. That's it (Acts 2:38).

How do you know if you are repentant? How do you get baptized? Where are God's ministers? We can answer your questions. The Graduate School of Theology of Ambassador College has sent dedicated men into most communities in the United States and the British Commonwealth, and into many other cities around the world. These sincere individuals have no religious "ax to grind," no "quota" to meet, no pressure to exert. Their sole purpose in life is to help you gain eternal life. If God has granted YOU the capacity to catch the vision, if you have questions which you want answered, write to us and request a special, private appointment. Give us the pleasure of serving you. We'd love to.

Of all God's revelations to man, the clearest and most dramatic for you will occur when you personally sense the remarkably thrilling change in your own mind brought about by God's Holy Spirit — a steady perfection of your character, a new power in your understanding, a sudden zest in your life, and a fantastically happy outlook for your future. You will never again have to rehearse the many times, places and ways of God's revelations to mankind. When you want to see God revealing Himself, you'll just look at God's Power in your own life!