For those of you who have been waiting for this paper, we are sorry for the few months delay—but we hope it will be worth it. This edition of How Does the Eternal Govern Through Humans is almost twice as long as the last edition, and much of the original material has been rewritten. Numerous evaluations and criticisms of the paper were considered in this rewrite. Errors were corrected, speculative material was removed, and much additional proof was added for the important points.
The basic message is the same as the last edition, but the explanation of church leaders is improved. The first edition de-emphasized most human authority in the church, whereas this edition affirms the human authority that is described by the Bible, but shows that these leaders must be appointed by the Eternal, not by the human system of ordination.
Another major change is the removal of names and terminology unique to “Church of God” groups—not because this terminology is bad, but so the paper can appeal to a wider audience. We must remember that the clergy-laity concept is a great hindrance to spiritual growth in numerous other Sabbatarian and Sunday-keeping organizations. The main reason that Seventh-Day Adventists do not keep the holy days is not because they have studied them in the Bible and found them unnecessary. It is because their church-ordained leaders do not teach it, so the people see no need to study it. Similarly, people in Sunday-keeping organizations do not study the Sabbath because their hierarchies or ministry assure them that Sunday is the day. Understanding individual responsibility to the Eternal should be one of the first steps to understanding truth.
We realize that How Does The Eternal Govern Through Humans? is now the size of a small book. But we encourage you to read it—in however many sittings it may take. The world is going to plunge into a great amount of confusion after January 1, 2000, if not before (see Servants’ News, Dec 1997). Many people, some of them religious, will be standing up claiming to have the solution. You need to know what kind of religious leaders you should trust and accept, and why.
— Norman S. Edwards