THE QUESTION OF REPRESENTATION
There is something we ought to consider carefully concerning the Church of God, the ministry Jesus Christ established, and the approaching Great Tribulation.
It concerns representation.
Who represents the Church of God?
Who has been given the responsibility to carry out the Work of God?
What happens when those who have been given that responsibility need repentance and correction?
And what happens when the established representation is taken to a place of protection, while others remain outside during the Great Tribulation?
These are important questions because there is a difference between having representation that needs repentance and being separated from that representation.
There is also a difference between recognizing the need for repentance and possessing the authority to represent the ministry Christ established.
And there is a difference between being appointed to a responsibility and assuming that responsibility before the appointed time.
We must understand these distinctions.
For the warning to return cannot be properly understood unless we first recognize what Jesus Christ established, whom He appointed, and where He placed them.
I. THERE IS ONLY ONE CHURCH
Before considering Philadelphia and Laodicea, we must establish something fundamental.
Jesus Christ has one Church.
Ephesians 4:4–6 declares:
There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
Notice carefully.
One Body.
One Spirit.
One Lord.
One faith.
The Church is not a collection of competing spiritual organisms, each independently claiming to represent Jesus Christ.
Neither does the existence of different responsibilities within the Church create separate Churches.
Jesus Christ is the Head of His Body.
Colossians 1:18 states:
And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
The Church is a spiritual organism composed of those whom God has called and who are led by His Holy Spirit.
But that spiritual organism is not without order.
God has established government within His Church.
He has placed members within the Body according to His will.
And He has given responsibilities to those whom He appoints.
Therefore, when we consider Philadelphia and Laodicea, we must not imagine two separate Churches operating independently of one another.
The prophetic distinction concerns conditions, responsibilities, correction, and the circumstances of God’s people.
It does not require the existence of two competing Bodies of Christ.
There is one Church at all times.
And Jesus Christ remains its Head.
II. GOD DETERMINES PLACEMENT
First Corinthians 12:18 declares:
But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.
Who places the members?
God does.
Not the members themselves.
Not those who consider themselves more knowledgeable.
Not those who believe they could perform another person’s responsibility more effectively.
God places the members as it pleases Him.
This establishes a principle we must not overlook.
A member’s responsibility originates with God’s appointment, not merely with that member’s desire to exercise authority.
The same chapter continues:
But now are they many members, yet but one body.
And verse 21 states:
And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.
Different members have different responsibilities.
Yet they belong to the same Body.
One member cannot simply declare another unnecessary because he disagrees with that member’s conduct.
Neither can he assume that another member’s need for correction automatically transfers that member’s responsibility to himself.
God determines placement.
And God determines responsibility.
This does not excuse wrongdoing among those who have been appointed.
But it does mean that correction and appointment are two different matters.
III. JESUS CHRIST ESTABLISHED HIS MINISTRY
Ephesians 4:11–12 states:
And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.
Notice that Christ gave these responsibilities.
They were not simply assumed by individuals who possessed knowledge of Scripture.
The ministry exists to serve the Church according to the order Christ established.
Acts 13:2–3 records Barnabas and Saul being separated for the work to which God had called them, followed by fasting, prayer, and the laying on of hands.
First Timothy 4:14 also refers to the laying on of hands of the presbytery.
These passages demonstrate that ministerial responsibility was treated as a matter of calling, recognition, and appointment.
It was not merely a matter of personal declaration.
A person may recognize false doctrine.
He may understand the teachings of Herbert W. Armstrong.
He may preserve sermons, writings, broadcasts, and Bible studies.
He may even correctly identify where others have departed from what was taught.
But none of these things automatically establishes that person as a representative of the ministry Christ appointed.
Possessing the teachings of an apostle is not the same thing as possessing the office or commission of that apostle.
A recording preserves a message.
It does not ordain the listener.
A book communicates doctrine.
It does not appoint its reader to ministerial office.
And recognizing the errors of others does not automatically confer authority over them.
This distinction becomes especially important when considering the warning to return.
IV. THE TWO-FOLD COMMISSION AND THE WARNING
During the Philadelphia era, Herbert W. Armstrong taught that Jesus Christ had opened the door for the worldwide proclamation of the Gospel of the Kingdom of God.
The Church understood its responsibility as a twofold commission: proclaiming the Gospel to the world as a witness and feeding the flock whom God had called.
The warning of coming punishment and the necessity of repentance accompanied that Work.
But the warning was not an independent commission that replaced the established ministry.
It served the purpose of directing people toward God, His truth, and the obedience He required.
The ministry had responsibility for carrying out the Work.
The members had responsibilities in supporting and participating in it.
The commission belonged to Jesus Christ, who gave it.
It was not the private possession of any individual.
Therefore, someone who recognizes the need for a warning must distinguish between personally speaking the truth and officially representing the ministry entrusted with that commission.
All Christians have a responsibility to be truthful and faithful witnesses of their beliefs.
But that responsibility does not automatically make every member an ordained minister.
Nor does it authorize someone to establish a competing ministry simply because he believes others need correction.
Romans 10:15 asks:
And how shall they preach, except they be sent?
The question concerns being sent.
Not merely having something to say.
Not merely recognizing a problem.
Not merely possessing a message.
The authority to represent an established ministry must rest upon a legitimate appointment.
V. THE MINISTRY MAY NEED REPENTANCE WITHOUT CEASING TO BE ESTABLISHED
Now consider an important distinction.
What happens when those who have received responsibility within the Church begin to drift spiritually?
Does their need for repentance automatically prove that they were never appointed?
Does the necessity of correction erase the responsibility previously entrusted to them?
Consider Christ’s messages to the churches in Revelation 2 and 3.
In Revelation 2:5, Christ tells Ephesus:
Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works.
Notice that Christ commands them to remember where they had been.
They were not instructed to invent a new foundation.
They were commanded to repent and return to the works they had abandoned.
Christ also warned that failure to repent could result in the removal of their candlestick.
Therefore, an established position is not an unconditional guarantee that responsibility can never be removed.
But neither does the need for repentance prove that the original establishment never existed.
Being established does not excuse disobedience. And needing correction does not, by itself, authorize someone else to assume the responsibility.
Those entrusted with the care of God’s people must repent when they are wrong.
They must correct their conduct.
They must return to faithful obedience.
But others must not use those failures as justification for appointing themselves in their place.
Jesus Christ remains the Head.
And He determines how His servants are corrected and how responsibilities are assigned.
VI. GOD WILL REFINE THE SONS OF LEVI
Malachi 3:1–3 presents an important principle concerning purification.
Verse 3 declares:
And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness.
Notice something significant.
God speaks of purifying the sons of Levi.
Their need for purification does not mean that they were never sons of Levi.
Their need for correction does not erase the fact that they had been identified with a responsibility.
God Himself undertakes the refining.
He purifies them so that they may offer an offering in righteousness.
This is an important principle when considering those whom God has established within His ministry.
Their need for repentance must not be mistaken for proof that God never appointed them.
Nor should another person assume that their shortcomings automatically authorize him to take their place.
At the same time, the refining process must not be treated lightly.
God purifies because purification is necessary.
The responsibility of those appointed makes their need for obedience all the more serious.
The application of Malachi’s prophecy to the end-time ministry requires careful prophetic examination. The passage directly concerns the purification of the sons of Levi; its relationship to Philadelphia and Laodicea must be established through interpretation.
Nevertheless, the principle is clear.
God can correct and purify those who have been given responsibility without their previous appointment having been imaginary.
And those who have been appointed must submit to that correction.
VII. THE MAN CALLING AT THE GATE
Consider an illustration.
A gathering has been arranged.
Certain people have been invited.
They have an appointed place within the gathering.
Now imagine a man standing outside the gate, calling the invited attendees to come inside.
He recognizes the invitation.
He knows where the gathering is taking place.
He may correctly identify those who have wandered away.
And he calls them to return.
But consider this carefully.
Does his position at the gate automatically make him the leader of the gathering?
Does recognizing the invitation authorize him to replace those who have already been appointed?
Certainly not.
Among those returning may be individuals who have been given responsibilities within the gathering.
Some may have neglected those responsibilities.
Some may need correction before they can faithfully exercise them.
But the man calling from the gate does not become their appointed leader merely because he recognizes their need to return.
His message may be correct.
His warning may be necessary.
But the correctness of his warning does not automatically establish his authority over those whom God has placed.
Calling someone to return and being appointed to lead those returning are not necessarily the same responsibility.
This is a distinction we must remember.
A person may stand outside and call others toward what God established.
But he must not confuse his knowledge of their destination with an appointment to govern them.
The warning must point toward what Christ established.
It must not become a means of replacing that establishment with the authority of the one delivering the warning.
VIII. THE RELAY RACE AND THE PASSING OF RESPONSIBILITY
Consider another illustration.
A relay race involves runners who belong to the same team.
Each has an appointed responsibility.
One runner carries the baton.
Another prepares to receive it.
The second runner may know the course.
He may understand the objective.
He may be ready to run.
But he cannot simply declare that the baton belongs to him because he knows where the race is going.
There is an appointed transition.
The baton must be passed.
Until that transition, the second runner remains a teammate preparing for his responsibility.
He does not replace the runner presently carrying the baton merely by announcing that he intends to run.
This illustrates an important principle concerning responsibility within the Church.
A person may have a responsibility associated with a future phase of God’s Work.
But that does not necessarily authorize him to assume the responsibilities of those already appointed before the transition occurs.
The timing matters.
The appointment matters.
And the authority under which the responsibility is exercised matters.
If repentance is required before a person can faithfully fulfill his appointed responsibility, that repentance cannot simply be bypassed.
The transition must occur according to God’s will.
The relay illustration is not itself a prophecy establishing when or to whom a particular commission is transferred.
It illustrates the difference between preparing for a responsibility and exercising it after receiving the proper appointment.
One team does not become two teams because the baton passes from one runner to another.
And one Church does not become two Churches because different members have responsibilities at different stages of its Work.
IX. PHILADELPHIA WAS COMMANDED TO HOLD FAST
Revelation 3:7–8 identifies Jesus Christ as the One who opens and no man shuts, and shuts and no man opens.
To Philadelphia, He declares:
I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it.
Herbert W. Armstrong taught that this open door concerned the worldwide proclamation of the Gospel through the Philadelphia era.
Christ established the opportunity.
Christ directed the Work.
And the Church was responsible for faithfully carrying out the commission.
Then Revelation 3:11 declares:
Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.
Notice the instruction.
Hold fast.
There is something already given that must be preserved.
Christ does not instruct Philadelphia to abandon its foundation and establish another.
He commands faithfulness to what has been received.
This includes obedience to Christ, fidelity to His truth, and faithfulness in the responsibilities He has entrusted to His servants.
But holding fast must never become an excuse for defending wrongdoing.
The same Jesus Christ who commands Philadelphia to hold fast also commands repentance wherever repentance is necessary.
The ministry remains accountable to Him.
Its members remain accountable to Him.
And no person can claim immunity from correction merely because he occupies a position of responsibility.
X. LAODICEA IS COMMANDED TO REPENT
Now consider the message to Laodicea.
Revelation 3:17 describes a people who believe themselves rich and increased with goods, having need of nothing.
Yet Christ reveals their actual spiritual condition.
In verse 19, He declares:
As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
Notice that Christ’s correction is an expression of His love.
He calls them to repentance.
He does not tell them to establish another Church.
He does not authorize competing spiritual Bodies.
And He does not suggest that their need for correction makes Jesus Christ the Head of a different Church.
There remains one Head.
There remains one Body.
But there are differences in spiritual condition.
Philadelphia is told to hold fast.
Laodicea is told to repent.
These instructions must be understood in their proper contexts.
Under the prophetic interpretation developed in this study, Laodicean leadership does not constitute an independent authority replacing Philadelphia.
Rather, its responsibility is subordinate to the established representation.
This proposed relationship must be examined carefully through Scripture, since Revelation 3 does not explicitly describe an administrative hierarchy between the two congregations.
Nevertheless, the principle of one Body remains essential.
Different conditions within the Church do not establish competing Churches.
XI. THE CHURCH IS TAKEN TO A PLACE OF PROTECTION
Revelation 3:10 contains Christ’s promise to Philadelphia:
Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.
Within the prophetic understanding taught during the Philadelphia era, this promise was associated with protection from the coming Great Tribulation.
Revelation 12:14 describes the woman being taken into the wilderness:
And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.
Notice the words:
“Into her place.”
The woman is taken to a place prepared for her.
She is nourished there.
She is protected from the serpent.
But what happens to the representation of the Church when this occurs?
Does it disappear?
Does Jesus Christ abolish the ministry He established?
Does the Church cease to exist?
No such conclusion is stated in the passage.
The woman continues to exist.
She is protected.
And under the interpretation being examined here, the established Philadelphia representation continues within that protection.
The representation has not disappeared. Its location and circumstances have changed.
This distinction becomes especially important when considering those who remain outside.
XII. THE REPRESENTATION IS INSIDE, WHILE OTHERS REMAIN OUTSIDE
Revelation 12:17 declares:
And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Notice the distinction.
The woman has been taken to protection.
The dragon then turns against the remnant.
Under the Philadelphia–Laodicea interpretation, this describes a separation between the faithful Church protected from the Tribulation and those who remain exposed to persecution.
But it must not be misunderstood.
The separation does not require two separate Churches.
Neither does it mean that the established representation has ceased to exist.
Rather, the representation remains within the place of protection.
Those outside are separated from it.
The distinction is therefore between the existence of representation and the relationship of those who stand apart from it.
A person may be separated from an established authority without that authority ceasing to exist.
Likewise, the protected Church may retain its established responsibilities even though those outside no longer have ordinary access to its ministry.
This is a central point.
There is representation, but those outside do not presently stand with that representation.
The warning to repent is therefore not a call to invent another Church.
It is a call to return to faithful obedience within the one Church Christ established.
And those who have been given subordinate responsibilities must not confuse their position with an independent authority.
XIII. SUBORDINATE LEADERSHIP IS NOT ANOTHER CHURCH
If there is one Church, then leadership serving those outside the place of protection cannot properly be understood as the government of another independent Body of Christ.
Different responsibilities do not create different Churches.
The ministry established by Christ remains accountable to Him.
And any subordinate leadership must likewise remain accountable to His government.
In the prophetic framework considered here, Laodicean leadership serves in a secondary capacity under the established Philadelphia representation.
Its responsibility is not to replace Philadelphia.
Its responsibility is not to establish a competing organization.
Nor is it to claim that the separation of God’s people has abolished the authority Christ previously established.
Rather, it must serve according to the responsibility God has given.
The same principle applies to anyone serving as a liaison or witness on behalf of those outside.
Such a person would not become the independent head of another Church.
He would serve within the one Body, under Jesus Christ, according to his appointment.
The precise identification and authority of such a liaison require further scriptural examination.
But the underlying principle remains:
Subordinate responsibility does not create an independent Church.
And the existence of those outside the place of protection does not require the existence of another spiritual organism.
XIV. THE WITNESS ON BEHALF OF THOSE OUTSIDE
There is another matter to consider.
During the Great Tribulation, God has not ceased to act.
Revelation 11:3 declares:
And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.
Notice the expression:
“My two witnesses.”
God identifies them as His witnesses.
He gives them their responsibility.
Their authority is not presented as something they obtained merely by declaring themselves qualified.
It comes from God.
This is important when considering the possibility of a witness or liaison serving those outside the protected Church.
Representation must rest upon appointment.
It cannot rest merely upon possession of doctrine, personal conviction, or public recognition.
A witness appointed by God serves according to the responsibility God gives him.
He does not thereby become the independent head of another Church.
Nor should his appointment be used to deny the existence of the established representation.
Revelation 11 directly establishes the ministry of the two witnesses during the prophetic period described there.
Whether either witness also serves the particular liaison role proposed in this study must be demonstrated rather than assumed.
Nevertheless, the passage establishes that God can appoint witnesses for a particular responsibility during the Tribulation.
The Church remains under Jesus Christ.
And those whom God sends must serve according to His appointment.
XV. THE WARNING TO RETURN HAS A DESTINATION
Consider the meaning of the warning to return.
Return to what?
If Jesus Christ established His Church, appointed His ministry, and gave His commission, then the warning must direct people toward what He established.
It cannot properly become an invitation to follow a self-appointed authority.
Neither can it become a declaration that the original representation no longer matters.
Imagine again the man standing at the gate.
He calls the invited attendees to come inside.
But if he begins insisting that everyone must follow him instead of entering the gathering to which they were invited, has he not changed the purpose of the invitation?
And if he declares that those already appointed have no responsibility because they need correction, has he not assumed authority that was never necessarily given to him?
The warning must point beyond the person delivering it.
It must direct attention toward Jesus Christ.
Toward His truth.
Toward His established order.
And toward the repentance He commands.
The messenger must not become more important than the message.
And the message must not be used to replace the authority of the One who gave it.
A warning to return is meaningful because there is something established to which people are being called.
XVI. THE DIFFERENCE BEFORE AND DURING THE TRIBULATION
Now consider the distinction between the period before the Great Tribulation and the circumstances during it.
Before the Tribulation, the Church has responsibilities associated with the commission Christ gave.
The ministry must remain faithful.
Those who have departed from obedience must repent.
Those within the ministry who require correction must also repent.
Their appointment does not excuse their sins.
But their need for repentance does not automatically transfer their responsibility to someone outside the ministry.
There remains opportunity to respond to correction before the prophetic separation.
Then comes the time when the faithful Church is taken to protection.
Under the interpretation developed here, the established Philadelphia representation continues within that place.
The remnant remains outside and faces persecution.
Laodicean leadership, insofar as it has been appointed by God, remains subordinate to the established order rather than becoming an independent Church.
A witness or liaison may serve those outside according to a responsibility God gives.
But no such appointment should be presumed merely because someone claims to possess the correct message.
The representation remains.
The circumstances have changed.
And those outside must confront the seriousness of their separation.
This is the distinction.
Before the Tribulation, representation may require repentance and correction while still carrying its established responsibility.
During the Tribulation, the protected representation remains established, while those outside must repent and return to faithful obedience.
There are not two Churches.
There is one Church, one Head, and differing circumstances among those associated with it.
XVII. THE REMNANT IS NOT WITHOUT HOPE
We must also recognize that Christ’s warning to Laodicea contains an appeal to repentance.
Revelation 3:19 declares:
As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
And verse 21 promises:
To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
This is a remarkable promise.
Christ does not present repentance as meaningless.
He calls those needing correction to overcome.
Therefore, the distinction between those protected and those exposed to the Tribulation must not be turned into a declaration that repentance is impossible for those outside.
The warning is serious precisely because repentance matters.
Under the prophetic interpretation considered here, those who remain outside the place of protection face severe trials.
But the necessity of repentance remains.
The question is why anyone would deliberately postpone obedience until such suffering becomes necessary.
Why refuse correction now?
Why presume to replace what Christ established?
Why claim an authority that has not been given?
And why treat the opportunity to repent as though it were something to be postponed?
Christ’s instruction is clear:
Be zealous therefore, and repent.
XVIII. WHO HAS THE AUTHORITY TO REPRESENT THE CHURCH?
This brings us back to the original question.
Who represents the Church of God?
Is it whoever speaks most forcefully?
Whoever possesses the greatest collection of sermons?
Whoever can quote Herbert W. Armstrong most extensively?
Whoever condemns the greatest number of doctrinal errors?
Or whoever declares himself to be the defender of the Church?
None of these things, by itself, establishes ministerial authority.
The question is whom Jesus Christ has appointed.
First Corinthians 12:18 declares that God sets the members in the Body as it pleases Him.
Ephesians 4:11 declares that Christ gave the ministry.
Romans 10:15 asks how they shall preach unless they are sent.
The principle is consistent.
Authority to represent the ministry must rest upon appointment.
Knowledge is important.
Doctrine is important.
Faithfulness is essential.
Repentance is necessary.
But these things must not be confused with the authority to assume an office.
A person can faithfully preserve and communicate truth without claiming ministerial authority.
And a person who has received ministerial responsibility must remain faithful to Christ rather than assuming that appointment makes correction unnecessary.
Both must recognize the authority of Jesus Christ.
XIX. THE ONE CHURCH MUST NOT BE DIVIDED INTO COMPETING REPRESENTATIONS
There is a danger in treating the distinction between Philadelphia and Laodicea as though it authorizes competing Churches.
If Christ has one Body, then the existence of different spiritual conditions does not create different spiritual organisms.
If God has established an order of responsibility, then subordinate leadership cannot properly claim independence merely because it operates under different circumstances.
And if the faithful Church is taken to protection, its physical separation from others does not necessarily abolish its established representation.
The Church is not divided into independent bodies simply because some are protected and others are persecuted.
Neither should those outside presume that their circumstances authorize them to establish another government.
The question remains whether they recognize and submit to the authority of Jesus Christ.
This does not mean that a corporation, by its mere legal existence, possesses spiritual authority.
The Church is not simply a corporation.
It is the Body of Christ.
Nor does it mean that every person claiming succession from a former ministry possesses legitimate authority.
Claims must be examined.
Appointments must be established.
Doctrine must be tested against Scripture.
And all must remain accountable to Jesus Christ.
But the failures of men do not justify abandoning the principle that Christ governs one Church.
One Head does not establish competing Bodies.
XX. HOLD FAST, REPENT, AND RECOGNIZE WHAT CHRIST ESTABLISHED
There is a lesson here for every one of us.
Those whom God has appointed must not presume that their responsibility excuses their sins.
They must repent where repentance is necessary.
They must submit to correction.
They must faithfully carry out the duties entrusted to them.
Those who have been called to support the Work must likewise fulfill their responsibilities.
Those who have departed must examine the warning to return.
And those who believe they have been appointed to a future responsibility must not prematurely assume authority that has not yet been entrusted to them.
The runner preparing to receive the baton must be ready.
But he must also recognize the appointed transition.
The man calling at the gate must direct people toward the gathering to which they were invited.
But he must not confuse calling them inside with possessing authority over the gathering.
And those needing purification must submit to the refining of God.
Malachi 3:3 reminds us that God purifies the sons of Levi.
Revelation 3:11 commands Philadelphia to hold fast.
Revelation 3:19 commands Laodicea to repent.
And Ephesians 4:4 reminds us that there is one Body.
These passages must be understood together without confusing their distinct purposes.
CONCLUSION: REPRESENTATION REMAINS
The approaching Great Tribulation raises a question that every member of the Church ought to examine.
Where has Jesus Christ placed us?
What responsibility has He given us?
Are we faithfully carrying out that responsibility?
And are we willing to repent where He commands repentance?
The Church of God is not a collection of competing spiritual organisms.
There is one Church.
There is one Head.
And God places the members within the Body as it pleases Him.
The ministry Christ established is accountable to Him.
Those who have been appointed must remain faithful.
Those requiring correction must repent.
And those who recognize the errors of others must not assume that their knowledge automatically gives them authority to replace those appointed.
Under the prophetic understanding considered in this article, the faithful Philadelphia Church is taken to a place of protection.
Its representation does not disappear.
It remains established under Jesus Christ.
Those outside that protection are separated from it and must confront the necessity of repentance.
Any subordinate leadership serving those outside must do so according to God’s appointment, not as the government of another independent Church.
And any witness appointed during the Tribulation must serve according to the responsibility God gives.
The warning to return therefore has a purpose.
It directs people toward Jesus Christ and what He established.
It does not authorize a competing ministry.
It does not establish another Body.
And it does not make the person delivering the warning more important than the authority to which the warning points.
The Church remains one.
The Head remains Jesus Christ.
And representation remains subject to His appointment.
There is a difference between having representation that needs repentance and being separated from that representation when the faithful Church is taken to protection.
There is a difference between calling others to return and being appointed to lead those returning.
And there is a difference between preparing to receive responsibility and exercising it after the appointed transition.
Let us therefore hold fast to what Jesus Christ established.
Let us repent where repentance is necessary.
Let us recognize that God places the members in His Body according to His will.
And let us never mistake our own declarations for His appointment.
For the warning to return must always direct us toward the One who established the Church.
Jesus Christ is its Head.
He determines its government.
He appoints its servants.
He corrects those whom He loves.
And He alone determines the responsibilities entrusted to each member of His Body.
There is one Church.
And its representation belongs to Jesus Christ.
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