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marathonI read a funny story in a newspaper recently.

Around 5,000 runners at the Marathon of the North in Sunderland, United Kingdom were dismayed to find that they had been disqualified. This unprecedented error was caused by course deviation. The tragedy (?) started when the second and third placed runners were not within line of sight of the leader and chose a wrong route. This resulted in all those who followed taking an incorrect route through this section. In the end, 5,000 runners including the second runner have been told they fell short of completing a marathon by just 264 m because of an organizational blunder.

Why did 5,000 runners take the wrong route? Wasn’t there anyone who could know he/she was running a wrong course? Wasn’t there any single runner who realized this fact? If someone had had this question and wanted to find the correct course, the result might have been significantly different. The problem was that they just blindly followed the runners ahead of them who took an incorrect route.

The path of faith, whose destination is the kingdom of heaven, is similar to a marathon. Not all people can reach the finish line like a marathon race. Before reaching the kingdom of heaven, some are supposed to give up the race. Some may surrender the race by being fascinated with nearby things, and others may stop to run due to incapability. A sad case is that people managed to reach the final line but were told they were disqualified due to course deviation like the above-mentioned 5,000 runners. Those who take a wrong course in the race to the kingdom of heaven must pay tremendous costs: they cannot enter the kingdom of heaven, but hell. Therefore, we must not take an incorrect route to the kingdom of heaven.

God taught us the route to the kingdom of heaven through the Bible. We should be baptized first and keep the Sabbath and the Passover and the seven feasts in three times. In addition, we ought to have humble minds to serve brothers and sisters by following the example of Jesus.

Those who keep man-made commandments such as Christmas, Sunday service and Thanksgiving Day, which are not found in the Bible, are taking the wrong path. Such man-made teachings cannot lead us to the kingdom of heaven. What will happen if we blindly believe and follow the words of false prophets? It’s plain to see.

Those who guide this people mislead them, and those who are guided are led astray [NLT: For the leaders of the people have misled them. They have led them down the path of destruction] (Isaiah 9:16)

Such 5,000 runners, who ran hard but were disqualified, might have appealed that it’s unfair. They might have made an excuse that they just followed the runners ahead of them and insisted that they didn’t have any faults, like those who claim that they just have kept Sunday service and Christmas by following their pastors. However, it is no use making excuses for wrong directions. They will be disqualified in the Kingdom of Heaven Marathon and deserve the penalty of eternal hell.

Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers! [ESV: depart from me, you workers of lawlessness]’ (Matthew 7:21-23)

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The World Mission Society Church of God (WMSCOG) observes the Sabbath and the Passover of the New Covenant and the seven feasts in three times in accordance with the teachings of Jesus. Those who follow man-made rules such as Sunday and Christmas worship God in vain (Matthew 15:7.) The World Mission Society Church of God also believes in the Spirit [Christ Ahnsahnghong] and the bride [God the Mother] based on the Bible (Revelation 22:17.) Please click here for more about the WMSCOG.