Doctrine

Where Is God’s True Church Today?

4uwzvo — Tue, 01 Mar 2022 22:13:06 +0000

Where Is God’s True Church Today? 4uwzvo Tue, 03/01/2022 - 22:13

Where Is God’s True Church Today?

Roderick C. Meredith (1930-2017)

Booklet Media

#Christianity

#Church

#False Christianity

#God

#Jesus Christ

#Law of God

#Ten Commandments

Thousands of different denominations claim to be following Jesus Christ. Yet they teach thousands of different “gospels” and disagree on countless points of doctrine. Is Jesus Christ the Head of all these denominations? Is Christ divided? Or is there a true Church of God that stands apart from this religious Babylon? How can you recognize God’s true Church? This booklet will help you understand!

Have you ever wondered why you were born? What your real future will be like in the afterlife? What you will actually be doing for eternity? Will you sit around all day, playing a harp, or staring passively into the face of God? Or does God have something far more awesome and wonderful planned for you?

Have you ever wished you could find a church that truly understands the end-time prophecies of the Bible—how they apply to today’s headlines and the near future events affecting your life? Have you searched for a church that could help you understand the genuine meaning of life itself—and could explain where you and your nation will be headed in the next few years? Have you ever wished that you could find a church where the ministers actually preach right out of the Bible and help you “make sense” of its words—including its many specific prophecies? Do you long for a church where virtually all the members bring their Bibles to services, and where everyone actually believes what the Bible says and is trying to live by the true “first-century Christianity” that Jesus Christ and His apostles lived and preached?

Have you hoped to find a church where people of all races and backgrounds are accepted with warmth and love, and where Christ’s command to love one another is reflected in the “family atmosphere” when church members gather for worship and fellowship?

My friends, there is such a church that genuinely believes in the divine inspiration of the Holy Bible and is actually trying to do what the Bible says in every phase and facet of life. It is a church that has no other “holy books” or church “traditions” that take the place of the Bible on anything. This church is not a building or a corporation or an invention of human beings. It is a spiritual organism with a history going right back to Jesus Christ and the apostles. It is a very small church—the “little flock” described by Jesus Christ (Luke 12:32)—but it has always existed since the time of Christ and will exist at the end of the age when its faithful members are taken to a “place of safety” (see Revelation 12) before the Great Tribulation actually begins. Do you want to be part of such a church, whose members will soon become the kings and priests helping rule this earth under Jesus Christ? (Revelation 5:10).

Where Are God’s People?

The man sitting across from me was sharing his thoughts earnestly.

“I used to think that God’s people were just scattered all through the various denominations,” he exclaimed. “However, the more I read the Bible, the more I feel there must be a true Church somewhere on earth composed of people who really do what the Bible says. But how can I know? How can I be sure where God is working today?”

Now, the big question is: How can you know? How can you be sure?

Today, many churches call themselves Christian. Some practice baptism by immersion in water. Others just “sprinkle” or pour water on the head of baptismal candidates. Many churches keep what they call the “Lord’s Supper” every Sunday morning. Others observe this custom once a month or quarterly, or only once a year.

Most churches observe Sunday as their day of worship, while a few observe the Sabbath from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset. Others say that the day of worship does not matter at all.

Churches are called by all kinds of names: Episcopal, Baptist, Holiness, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Catholic, Methodist, Pentecostal and others. More importantly, the various churches of this world have different concepts of God. Some feel that God is a fierce autocrat who roasts sinners in an ever-burning hellfire. Others think of God as simply the “divine spark” that somehow started all life but that has very little to do with everyday events and does not care about mankind’s “lifestyle.” Yet these differing churches all call themselves “Christian”—they use the name of Christ.

Does it make any difference? Has God left it up to human beings to search out and call their churches by various names, and come up with various days upon which to worship, various modes of baptism and different doctrinal teachings?

Where Is God?

Does God have anything to say about all of this?

Yes, He does!

Somewhere on this earth, God has true servants who faithfully and fully proclaim the end-time warnings to which we should all be paying attention. God inspired His prophet Amos to tell us: “Surely the Lord God does nothing, unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets. A lion has roared! Who will not fear? The Lord God has spoken! Who can but prophesy?” (Amos 3:7–8).

Today, staggering events are on the immediate horizon. They are prophesied in your Bible. One-fourth of the entire Bible is devoted to prophecy. And the Apostle Paul wrote: “Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables” (2 Timothy 4:2–4). Does your minister preach the full message of the Bible? Does he regularly explain, and make clear to you and your loved ones, the powerful end-time prophecies of the Bible? The Bible lists many specific events for which true Christians should be watching. These events will soon clearly demonstrate that humanity is at the very end of this present age—the age of man’s rule over the earth under the influence of Satan the Devil (Revelation 12:9).

Many religious leaders talk about the “end times.” But, in all honesty, who is telling you the specific events for which you should watch? And who is helping you, today, to understand the real meaning behind the traumatic upheavals in the weather, the increasing earthquakes, terrorist attacks and the awful wars in Africa, the Middle East and elsewhere that are increasingly threatening this planet?

Who is truly “making sense” out of all of this?

Jesus said: “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:31–32). Again, if you are to abide in Christ’s “word,” who is really making that word “come alive?” Who is continually quoting—not from the secular writings of this world—but from the inspired word of God? Who is constantly challenging you: “Prove all things; and hold fast that which is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21, KJV)?

Another vital issue to consider: where is the full Truth being preached today?

“Oh, all churches have the same basic beliefs!” many will say. Or: “No one has a monopoly on the Truth. We can’t really know about these things anyway, so all religions are essentially valid as long as people are sincere!”

I am sure many of you have heard this type of reasoning before. If there is not a real God, or if the Holy Bible is not truly inspired, then such reasoning might stand up. But such is not the case! Perhaps the most basic instructions of Jesus Christ are these words: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God” (Luke 4:4). God’s true Church must necessarily acknowledge this most fundamental of all Christian teaching! Church leadership, and individual Church members, may not yet be perfect, but they must at least acknowledge that God’s word is the basis for knowing the ultimate Truth their Creator intended. For without the Bible—without the inspired instruction from God Himself in His inspired word—all that remains are the billions of human opinions: “This is the way I feel!” or: “This is how it seems to me!”

Do you get the picture?

So if God does have a true Church on this earth, it must acknowledge the inspired authority of the Bible, and must base its teaching solidly on that foundation! As the Apostle Paul was inspired to write: “But if I am delayed, I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth” (1 Timothy 3:15).

Again, what is the Truth? Jesus said in your Bible: “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth” (John 17:17).

Wherever the true Church is, it is the pillar and “bulwark” (as the word “ground” ought to be translated in 1 Timothy 3:15) of the Truth. It is the protector of the Truth. Paul also tells us that true Christians—those who compose the true Church—are “fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone” (Ephesians 2:19–20). If, as Paul wrote, the true Church is built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, then the writings of the apostles and the prophets—not human opinions or “feelings”—must be the basis of doctrine and practice.

Paul’s inspired statement about the true Church being the pillar and bulwark of the Truth is enormously important! For through God’s Church, people should come to understand the supreme purpose for mankind’s existence. They should learn in detail about God’s great plan for humanity and how He is working out that plan. They should come to understand the vital one-fourth of the Bible that is prophetic. They should then grasp the real meaning of current events as they relate to Bible prophecy. This will make their newspaper reading and world news viewing on television truly “come alive.”

Then, members of the true Church of God will know how to follow Jesus’ command: “Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man” (Luke 21:36). These truly converted people will then have the divine protection of God Himself during the horrifying Great Tribulation that Jesus Christ specifically prophesied would occur just before His return (Matthew 24:21–22). These true Christians—members of the true Church, learning the full Truth—will be spared from the horrifying “hour of trial” that will soon descend on this earth! For Jesus promises to people in this Church: “Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth” (Revelation 3:10).

Do you, personally, want to be protected during the traumatic years just ahead? Or would you rather be “comfortable” attending whatever church you grew up in—or that you now attend—whether or not it understands the real Truth?

A “Comfortable” Church?

Should you look for a church where you can easily “fit in” and where you can be “comfortable?” A Charlotte Observer columnist recently wrote: “‘Comfortable in church.’ The phrase has always driven me crazy. The idea that we would go to church to get comfortable, to be comfortable, to be with people around whom we are comfortable, is offensive, maddening and just plain loony. ‘Comfortable’ is what I want when I put my feet up to watch TV. Comfort for the churchgoers I know is about class, education level, country club and race. And yes, too often about politics to boot. We like to worship with people who think like us, look like us, and drive the same kinds of cars we drive.” I am sure you are familiar with these attitudes. But is this the approach to true religion that Jesus Christ taught His true followers?

Please listen to Christ Himself: “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate [“love less”] his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple…. So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple” (Luke 14:26–27, 33).

No, Jesus Christ does not intend that we strive for a “comfortable” existence in following Him! This may sound strange to some of you who have only heard about the “peace and prosperity” gospel that so many preach today. But the true Christ of your Bible talked constantly about the need to come out of this world’s society, about the need to prepare for persecution and about the need to “give up” one’s life in order to truly serve the only One who can actually give us eternal life!

The true Church is composed of people who have genuinely surrendered their lives to God through Jesus Christ. They will have proved to themselves the existence of the true God, the Creator of heaven and earth. They will have proved to themselves the literal inspiration of the Holy Bible and will have dedicated themselves to following Jesus Christ’s instruction: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God” (Luke 4:4). And they will certainly have proved for themselves that Jesus of Nazareth was God in the flesh: that He died to pay the penalty of sin for all humanity, rose from the dead after three days and three nights in the grave (Matthew 12:40) and now sits at the right hand of God the Father as our active High Priest, living Head and soon-coming King.

Such truly converted people will surrender to Christ as “Lord”—the One whom they will obey. Therefore, through Christ living within them through the Holy Spirit (Galatians 2:20), they will strive to live by the teachings of the Bible. These are the people who make up the true Church of God!

So if you are willing to “get real,” then please be willing to listen to what the Bible actually says. For God does have a true Church here on earth. That Church is genuinely preparing its members for eternal life. That Church is genuinely doing the Work of God today. And that Church has several notable “signs”—key identifiers that are clearly mentioned in the Bible—which will show any sincere, discerning person where God’s true Church is if they are willing to listen with an open mind!

Do You “Need” to Attend Church?

In the current religious confusion, many people become turned off by what they call “organized religion,” and decide to stay at home and worship God alone, with their family or with a few other people. Is there anything wrong with that?

Even though many sincere people try to justify the practice of forming a “stay at home” church, this is very definitely wrong for many reasons. And it is totally un–biblical, except in a very few extreme circumstances!

Those who truly believe the Bible understand that Jesus Christ was the “light” whom God sent into the world. He was our example, and His apostles were also used as examples, once they were fully converted.

What was the inspired example of Jesus Christ? “So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read” (Luke 4:16). Jesus’ own practice was to attend worship services regularly with others in an “organized” synagogue or Church setting! For God had already called the Sabbath a “holy convocation”—which means “commanded assembly.” So Jesus Christ obeyed this command, setting us an example.

We find that—even after Jesus’ resurrection—Peter and the early apostles met regularly in the temple on both the weekly and annual Sabbaths. In fact, the New Testament Church actually started not on Christmas or Easter, but on one of God’s commanded Holy Days, the Day of Pentecost! (Acts 2:1). Then the early disciples met regularly with others in the temple at Jerusalem (Acts 2:46–47).

When it was God’s time for Paul to become active in the ministry: “Then Barnabas departed for Tarsus to seek Saul. And when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. So it was that for a whole year they assembled with the church and taught a great many people. And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch” (Acts 11:25–26). Note that Paul and Barnabas “assembled” with the “Church.” So there was an “organized” Church which did meet together regularly! Still later, we read: “Then Paul, as his custom was, went in to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures” (Acts 17:2).

The inspired writer of Hebrews tells us: “And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching. For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins” (Hebrews 10:24–26). This vital scripture in God’s word tells us not to forsake assembling with others. It also tells us to “stir” one another to love and “good works.”

A few misguided souls might assume that if they just met at home with family and friends, they could stir up each other to good works. This approach clearly goes against the overwhelming number of biblical examples that God’s true servants did and should meet as an organized church, led not by some layman who decides to “appoint himself” to the ministry, but by a properly trained and ordained true minister of Jesus Christ! The Bible is emphatic that “no man takes this honor to himself, but he who is called by God” (Hebrews 5:4).

In my more than 50 years in Christ’s ministry, I have dealt with a number of men and women who decided to withdraw from “organized religion.” In doing so, they adopted a “just Jesus and me” approach to the church, not recognizing that God has established a clear pattern of leadership in His Church. Many of the men, depriving themselves of sound counsel, ended up assuming the duties of the ministry, or virtually “appointing themselves” as ministers of Jesus Christ. In nearly every case, these men were obviously self–willed, usually “hardheaded” and genuinely unwilling to be taught and led by others. They desired to be “important” in their own eyes and in the eyes of their family or immediate friends by taking it upon themselves to establish a “home church” and act as minister or leader.

These men seemingly forgot the powerful example of Korah and his followers who rejected the leadership of God’s appointed servant Moses and argued that “every man” had the right to act as spiritual leader! These self-willed individuals challenged Moses and Aaron with these words: “You take too much upon yourselves, for all the congregation is holy, every one of them, and the Lord is among them” (Numbers 16:3). God showed His attitude toward this “every man is a minister” approach by having the earth open up and swallow alive these hardheaded rebels (vv. 28–34)!

In our day, by separating themselves from God’s true ministers and also separating themselves from being part of the Work that Christ is accomplishing, through His true Church, of preaching the Gospel to “all the nations” (Matthew 28:19–20), these people are shirking their responsibility to be part of the active body of Jesus Christ. They are not learning the lessons of working together as part of that body, are not learning the full Truth in a balanced way, are not learning to humbly receive and act upon the needed exhortation and correction that all Christians receive in the true Church of God.

Rather, such individuals end up on the “fringe” of God’s people, not interacting and learning as part of a real church fellowship. Such self-appointed religious leaders, and their followers, usually become sidetracked by odd ideas and doctrinal novelties. Also, very importantly, they show the living Christ that they lack faith in His ability to lead the Church, which God tells us is His responsibility (Ephesians 1:22–23; Colossians 1:18)!

The Church Jesus Built

Jesus asked His disciples: “‘Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?’ So they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets'” (Matthew 16:13–14).

But Peter answered: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Then Jesus continued: “You are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it” (v. 18).

Jesus here said very plainly that He would build a “church”—which simply meant in the inspired Greek language a “group” or “crowd” of people. Jesus called it “My” church—not just any group or crowd or church.

Throughout the New Testament, God clearly indicates, again and again, that His people—His Church—would be small in number during this age, and would often be persecuted. He said: “You did not choose Me, but I chose you…. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you” (John 15:16–19).

Wherever they are, it is obvious that God’s true people do not truly “fit” into this world and its society. For Jesus continued: “If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you” (v. 20). And Jesus called His people the “little flock” (Luke 12:32).

Jesus said: “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Matthew 7:13–14). Remember, then, only a few go in through the straight gate. Only a few truly understand and are part of God’s true Church today!

Notice: “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven” (Matthew 7:21). Jesus plainly stated that His true people must be obedient to the Father’s will. They must do what God the Father commands.

Now, see how this directly applies to the true Church. All through the New Testament, the term “woman” is used as a symbol of a church. In 2 Corinthians 11:1–2, the true Church is pictured as the affianced “bride” of Christ. In Revelation 17, the great false church is called a “harlot” (v. 1) and the “woman” (v. 3) sitting on a scarlet colored beast.

Nearly all scholars acknowledge that in Revelation 12, the true Church is pictured as the bride. She is being “persecuted” by the “dragon”—described in verse 9 as Satan the Devil. Although the zealous members are taken to a place of safety, in verse 17 God describes the devil as going to make war with the “remnant” of the true Church—those left behind.

In Revelation 14:12, God goes on to describe His faithful people: “Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” These are the people, God indicates, who will be protected from the soon-coming Great Tribulation and the horrifying plagues of God that immediately follow!

Does it make any difference how you worship God? Of course you can worship in the church of “your choice”—as the Sunday religious-page ads often say. Of course you can follow the ideas of your relatives, friends and associates! But will they be there to protect you during the coming world upheaval? More importantly, will they be there to “save” you in God’s judgment?

Why not prove to yourself that the Bible is the inspired revelation, from the Creator, of basic spiritual knowledge otherwise inaccessible to mankind? Why not see what the word of God—the Bible—says about where God’s true Church is today?

Identifying “Signs”

We have already seen that Jesus said He would build His Church. We have found that the Bible describes that Church as a small, persecuted Church—one that is certainly not part of this world’s society. It is a Church that does the will of God the Father. And it keeps the Ten Commandments given as a basic way of life by Almighty God.

Obviously, many differing churches are small. Many are persecuted. Some are persecuted because they seem to deliberately provoke others and so bring unneeded persecution upon themselves—not because of a biblical message, but because of thoughtlessly and arrogantly trying to “cram their religion” down the throats of other people.

Many small, unorthodox religious groups sincerely feel they are not “part of this world.” Perhaps they wear distinctive attire—black hats and black bonnets, simple and plain clothing or special undergarments—to “prove” this to themselves and others. But being small, sometimes persecuted and not of this world’s society are principles that may be applied in strange ways. A biblical “key” to properly understanding and applying the above principles is revealed in the Apostle Paul’s statement that God has given Christians the spirit of “a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7).

But apart from the above general description of the true Church, are there any specific identifying signs that point unmistakably to where God’s Church is today?

Thankfully, there are.

For the sake of brevity, I will list and explain just five of these “signs” so that—if your mind is open—you may know how to recognize God’s true Church on earth today.

1. The FEAR of God

Before creating mankind, God created Lucifer—one of the three cherubs, or super archangels, who originally surrounded His throne. In Latin, “Lucifer” means “light bringer” or “shining star of the dawn.” Lucifer was originally created as a powerful, beautiful super archangel with tremendous wisdom and capacity (Ezekiel 28:11–15). In Isaiah 14:12–15, Lucifer is described: “How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, you who weakened the nations! For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’ Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, to the lowest depths of the Pit.”

As nearly all theologians recognize, it is obvious from this and other scriptures that Lucifer’s ability and beauty led to a great deal of pride. This pride, in turn, led Lucifer to rebel against his Creator, and his name was later changed from “light bringer” to Satan—which literally means “adversary” in Hebrew. Lucifer became God’s greatest enemy.

Throughout the entire Bible, God shows us that He is determined not to allow anyone to come into His Kingdom who is a potential adversary—a potential Satan! Would you? We all should recognize how vital this is to God. He wants unity and peace in His Kingdom and His Spirit-led family! He is the Author of love, joy and peace. Any being who would be a potential rebel might eventually destroy that peace.

Therefore, throughout the entire Bible, God reveals that He will make absolutely sure that any potential son of His will come to have the correct “fear” of God! As God’s word indicates, this fear is not “terror” or being “afraid” of something bad! Rather, it is a profound reverence, humility and willingness to obey our Creator and never to rebel against His laws and His righteous ways that always bring peace and joy.

One of the first “tests” that Abraham, the “father of the faithful,” had to pass is described in Genesis 22. Please read this chapter carefully! Here we find how God “tested” Abraham (v. 1) to see whether he would be totally submissive to his Creator—even willing to sacrifice his only son. At the very last minute—when Abraham had proved his total submission to God—God sent His Spokesman who said: “Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me” (v. 12). Then, God gave Abraham the magnificent blessing that tremendous physical wealth and power would come upon his descendants, as well as spiritual blessings through the “seed,” Jesus Christ (vv. 15–18).

Abraham had to prove to God that he “feared” Him, and that he was willing to totally surrender his own will—not just to “believe in” God but to do what God commanded! In Proverbs 1:7, we read: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” Again, in Proverbs 9:10 we read: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” So this tremendous awe and deep reverence before our Creator is the very starting point of true knowledge and true wisdom. Without it, God does not want us in His eternal Kingdom!

It should be obvious that those in God’s true Church must learn to have this profound reverence and willingness to obey their Maker that was portrayed so well by Abraham, the “father” of the faithful. Also, members of the true Church will have proved to themselves what God tells us in Hebrews 11:6: “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”

If you and I are to be genuine Christians, we must totally believe in a real God—the God described in the Bible. And we must believe that, as the Bible says, He is a “rewarder” of those who diligently seek Him—not of those who half-heartedly attend the “church of their choice” or the local neighborhood church whenever it is “convenient,” and who believe whatever religious fad is currently in vogue!

Real Christians will also have proved to themselves the inspiration of the Holy Bible! Jesus said: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God” (Luke 4:4). They will have surrendered themselves to follow what Jesus said, and to do what God says in His inspired word. They will understand that God “reveals” Himself through His word, not through our human imagination. They will understand and respond to 2 Timothy 3:16–17: “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

As God makes clear in the above verse, scripture is given not just for our encouragement but for reproof and for correction as well as “instruction in righteousness.” God’s true Church must base its beliefs totally upon God’s inspired word! It must accept the true Christ revealed in the Bible as both Savior and Lord—the One we must obey. Those who fail to do so have come up with hundreds of different, competing denominations—each with different doctrines, practices and concepts of what God is like.

The Foundation of TRUTH

In his very helpful and insightful book, The Battle For the Bible, Dr. Harold Lindsell lays out this fundamental proposition: “Of all the doctrines connected with the Christian faith, none is more important than the one that has to do with the basis of our religious knowledge. For anyone who professes the Christian faith the root question is: From where do I get my knowledge on which my faith is based? The answers to this question are varied, of course, but for the Christian at least it always comes full circle to the Bible. When all has been said and done, the only true and dependable source for Christianity lies in the book we call the Bible” (p. 17, emphasis ours).

I hope all of you will carefully read the above quote and say a hearty “Amen.” For this is absolutely vital to true Christianity. And it is a vital “key” that must be taught and practiced by any church that calls itself the true Church of God! Again, the true people of God will only be those who surrender to actually do what the Bible really says. They will obey God’s word even if it brings them “problems” or severe persecution! As you know, the early Christians took their very lives in their hands when they followed Jesus and the original apostles. They were continually persecuted, sometimes martyred—and often hounded out of their jobs, their cities or even their families. As we have already seen, the Jesus Christ of the Bible told all who would follow Him: “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate [“love less”] his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple” (Luke 14:26–27).

When challenged about which “power” healed a crippled man, the Apostle Peter courageously answered: “Let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’ Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:10–12).

To be in God’s true Church, one must sincerely follow Peter’s inspired instruction on the day of Pentecost: “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call” (Acts 2:38–39). When one comes to the point of being willing to heartfeltly repent of breaking God’s holy law—for “sin is the transgression of the law” (1 John 3:4, KJV)—one must be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, and receive the Holy Spirit through the laying on of hands. At that moment, the new Christian will be totally forgiven of past sins, and will become a member of God’s Church.

For you cannot “join” God’s true Church! You must be put into the Church—baptized into the Church—by God Himself, through His filling you with the Holy Spirit. As Paul explained: “Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His” (Romans 8:9). Also: “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:13). Through the total surrender of your heart, mind and body to God through Jesus Christ as Savior, you will be plunged into—put into—the Church of God, which is Christ’s body. Then—with Christ as your ultimate Boss and Lord—you will not belong to yourself anymore. “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s” (1 Corinthians 6:19–20).

Are you, personally, willing to make that kind of commitment?

Complete Surrender to Jesus Christ

God’s true Church is composed of people willing to surrender fully to Christ. They must also be willing to follow Jesus’ instruction: “If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it” (Matthew 16:24–25). Most professing Christians today are so interested in “saving” their lives—having a “good time” and fitting into this present society—that they would find it very difficult to even consider actually obeying this powerful teaching of the Son of God.

I will always remember conducting a series of small evangelistic meetings in February, 1957 in London, England. Among the attendees was a very kindly Scottish couple who came virtually every night for four weeks and seemed very interested and enthusiastic. They said, “Praise the Lord!” and acted very pleased with what I had to say during most of the campaign. They said that they wanted to do “whatever” the Lord had in mind. But near the end of these evangelistic meetings I touched on a couple of very key and vital instructions from God involving the Ten Commandments directly. Suddenly, their attitude changed. They became somber and defensive.

My wife and I both tried to visit with them for the last night or two of their attendance in these meetings. They acknowledged that what I said came out of the Bible. But they said that in their present situation, because of this man’s employment, it would be “too difficult” to obey God. So they failed to show up for the last couple of meetings, and eventually faded away into the mass of Londoners. God’s direct command seemed “too hard” for them. It demanded obedience in a way to which they were not prepared to respond.

One of the finest true ministers I have ever known said often: “God will not ‘save’ anyone He cannot rule!” You see, as in the example of Abraham, God demands that we prove to Him our willingness to surrender our lives and wills totally to do what He says!

Please do not misunderstand! I do not mean to convey the idea that every person has to have this almost perfect attitude of submission to God before becoming a member of His true Church! But the basic understanding and willingness to grow in that perfect submission to our Creator should be there. We in this Work, which the living Christ is using to proclaim His message, cannot help you by offering you a “cheap substitute” to genuine Christianity. We cannot and must not offer you “cheap grace” and say, as do so many others: “God accepts you just as you are!”

For the true Jesus Christ of the Bible said: “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46).

The real Jesus Christ also said: “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'” (Matthew 7:21–23).

Note carefully the final phrase of this inspired teaching from the Son of God: “Depart from me, you who practice lawlessness!”

Those who pretend to teach the Ten Commandments, but who then invent all manner of excuses to “water down” the very basis of genuine Christian character, are in deep trouble! The Apostle James was inspired to write: “For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. For He who said, ‘Do not commit adultery,’ also said, ‘Do not murder.’ Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty” (James 2:10–12).

James was clearly referring to the Ten Commandments. Those are the commandments that teach against murder and adultery. James showed that we must obey all ten of God’s commandments—not come up with clever reasons as to why any of them is “done away,” or that some are to be modified or “watered down” to fit our modern lifestyle.

Rather, God’s true Church is composed of those who have the genuine “fear of God”—who are tired of “playing games” with religion, and are willing to diligently seek the God of the Bible, obey His commandments and truly yield themselves to Christ to live His obedient life within them through the Holy Spirit. In fact, the best one-verse definition of a true Christian that I know of is found in Paul’s inspired statement: “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20, KJV). This is the very basis of true Christianity. This is the foundation of the true Church of God!

2. The True Church Has God’s NAME

It sounds almost too simple. You would think people would know. But God names things what they are!

Before Satan rebelled, he was called “Lucifer,” which means “light bringer.” After he tried to dethrone the living God, however, his name was changed to “Satan.” This means “enemy” or “adversary”—exactly what in fact this great fallen cherub had become.

The name “Jacob” means “usurper” or one who “supplants” another. After he wrestled with God’s Messenger and began to ask God for help, God changed his name to “Israel.” This means “overcomer” or “prevailer” with God. All through the Bible you see this principle. Names are very important to God. And God names things what they are!

Many years ago, in 1517, a young Catholic priest in Germany became upset at the selling of “indulgences”—the Roman Catholic practice of promising forgiveness of sins upon payment of money. He nailed to the church door 95 theses expressing why the practice of selling indulgences was wrong, and explaining his other disagreements with the Roman Catholic Church. Thus, Martin Luther unwittingly started what became the Protestant Reformation. Later, after a break with the Roman Church, his followers called themselves “Lutheran” after this reformer. They decided to name their church the “Lutheran Church.”

Years later, receiving a feeling of “inner warmth” and peace after a certain religious meeting, John Wesley set out preaching about a different approach to God and religion. Eventually, his followers decided to name their church after him. But, although the term “Wesleyan” was widely used, Wesley and his followers became noted for their “methodical” and organized manner of conduct, and what began as a nickname eventually became the name of their whole denomination, “The Methodist Church.”

Presbyterians are named after their form of church government by the elders, or “presbyters.” Baptists are named after one doctrine: baptism. Seventh Day Adventists are named after two of their doctrines—belief in the seventh-day Sabbath and the “advent” or return of Jesus Christ. Many other churches take their names from their town, their form of government, or some point of doctrine.

What, then, should God’s true Church be named? Should it be named after some man? Should it be named after some country or geographic location? Should it be named after some doctrine or practice of the Church? Does God give us any indication in the Bible what His Church should be called? Some may be surprised to learn that He does!

The Correct “Name” Is Listed Twelve Times

When the Apostle Paul was instructing the elders of the Church in Ephesus, he wrote: “Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood” (Acts 20:28).

Heed what? “Heed the “Church of God.'”

Does it seem too obvious that God’s true Church would be called just that: “The Church of God”? Notice 1 Corinthians 1:1–2. In his official address to the church, the Holy Spirit inspired Paul to write: “Unto the church of God which is at Corinth…” Later in the letter, he tells them: “Give no offense, either to the Jews or to the Greeks or to the church of God” (1 Corinthians 10:32).

In 1 Corinthians 11:16, Paul describes the many congregations collectively as “the churches of God.” In verse 22 of this chapter, Paul again refers to them as “the church of God.” And in 1 Corinthians 15:9, he wrote: “For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.” 2 Corinthians begins with the same official address: “To the church of God which is at Corinth.” And in 1 Thessalonians 2:14, Paul refers to the original Christians as “the churches of God which are in Judea in Christ Jesus.”

The introduction to both of Paul’s letters to the Thessalonians refer to “the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father,” for they were His churches and must be in union with Him. And in 1 Timothy 3:5, Paul tells the young evangelist Timothy that if an elder does not know how to rule his house, “how shall he take care of the church of God?” Finally, in 1 Timothy 3:15, Paul tells Timothy that he is writing to tell him how to conduct himself in “the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.”

How clear!

Throughout the New Testament—in twelve distinct passages—the true Church is called “the church of God,” “the churches of God,” “the church of the Thessalonians in God” and, at pagan Ephesus where stood the idol to the goddess Diana, “the church of the living God.”

Often, in business or industry, the founder or owner’s name is given to an enterprise as the identifying “sign” of ownership or control: for example, “The Bank of Morgan” or “Lever Brothers.” God’s name is always attached to His true Church. Christ is God, so in one or two passages we also find the appellation “church of Christ.”

One of the absolute prerequisite identifying signs of God’s true Church is that it must bear God’s name! The name alone is not absolute proof of its identity. But, taken together with the four other identifying signs we shall discuss, it is an absolutely vital designation. For God names things what they are. In fact, just before His crucifixion, Jesus prayed for His followers: “Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are” (John 17:11).

3. Growth in Grace and Knowledge

The Apostle Paul wrote: “Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His” (Romans 8:9). And again: “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God” (v. 14).

To be truly “Christian” and a child of God, one must be filled with and led by the Holy Spirit. The Bible shows clearly that each child of God must grow spiritually. So must the true Church of God genuinely grow in spiritual understanding and depth. And it must be led by the Holy Spirit.

Now, notice how the Holy Spirit works. Jesus explained that the Holy Spirit is “the Spirit of truth.” He said that when the Spirit of truth has come, it would guide Christians into all truth, and that it would even tell them of things to come (John 16:13). Note that the Spirit “guides” us into all truth. It also helps us understand prophecy—”things to come.”

It is a process of growing and changing; a process of becoming more and more like God in our character, our thoughts and habits. Perhaps the Apostle Peter expressed it most clearly: “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18).

The true Church of God is made up of truly converted Christians—people who have been and who are certainly being changed by the power of God’s Holy Spirit. As each individual must “grow” in grace and in knowledge, so the unified body of those individuals—the true Church—must also grow.

For instance, Daniel was given awesome visions and dreams involving events to take place on earth at the end of this age—probably just a few years from now. He asked: “O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things?”

And God’s angel answered: “Go your way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end” (Daniel 12:8–9). Now, with mankind having the capacity to destroy all life from off this planet, we are certainly in the prophesied “time of the end.”

Who Really UNDERSTANDS?

Is there, today, a church that is truly growing into such knowledge and understanding of Bible prophecies? Do you know of any church that has been willing to change and grow, not to become more like the world, but rather to more deeply understand the Master Plan that God is working out here below? Is there a church that truly understands where we are headed—why the United States and Great Britain are slowly but inexorably sliding from their pinnacle of national greatness, and how and why a powerful union of nations in Europe will soon become the force to reckon with?

There is a Church that grasps why you were born and put on this earth, and that understands the incredible human potential—including the amazing truth that God is literally reproducing Himself. This Church knows why most people in this present age never join any type of “Christian” church or organization, and why God is not even trying to “save” the world during this 6,000-year period when, as the Almighty God, He clearly has the power to do so if He wants to.

God’s true Church understands these matters, and can give clear biblical answers to these most basic questions. It is a Church that keeps on learning and growing in vital knowledge and understanding.

Remember, most “mainline” churches seldom if ever change or grow in true knowledge. When they do change, it is nearly always in the direction of secularism—”watering down” what little bits of biblical truth they may once have had.

But the true Church of God grows continually into a deeper and fuller understanding of the Bible, of the great purpose being worked out here below and of the exciting fulfillments of biblical prophecy now starting to occur.

4. The “SIGN” of God’s People

Speaking of true Christians having to flee the coming Great Tribulation, Jesus said: “And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath” (Matthew 24:20). Why would Jesus be concerned about His followers keeping the Sabbath day?

Because it is and always has been the “test” commandment—a test to see whether each of us will just obey God because He says to do it. And therefore it is an identifying “sign” of His people. Also, it points to the true God, the Creator of heaven and earth.

Jesus observed the Sabbath, “as His custom was” (Luke 4:16). The Apostle to the Gentiles always preached and had religious services on that day (Acts 17:2).

In the Old Testament, a special Sabbath covenant was made with Israel: “Speak also to the children of Israel, saying: ‘Surely My Sabbaths you shall keep, for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the Lord who sanctifies you. You shall keep the Sabbath, therefore, for it is holy to you. Everyone who profanes it shall surely be put to death; for whoever does any work on it, that person shall be cut off from among his people. Work shall be done for six days, but the seventh is the Sabbath of rest, holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. Therefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever; for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed‘” (Exodus 31:13–17).

To prove this point to yourself about God’s true Sabbath and its meaning, write immediately for our free booklet, Which Day Is the Christian Sabbath?

In addition to the weekly Sabbath, God gave His people seven annual Sabbaths or Holy Days. These spiritual “feasts” of rejoicing picture God’s great plan of salvation. Those who fail to observe them do not understand God’s great plan and purpose. They do not know, for instance, why God is not “saving” everyone now. And they do not know the exact time when, in God’s Master Plan, all human beings who have ever lived will be given genuine understanding of God’s word and of true Christianity—and the vast majority will respond!

One of these spiritual feasts is the Passover. Most churches have changed its time and manner of observance and call it the “Lord’s Supper,” “Eucharist,” or some other name. Jesus kept it as the “Passover” (Luke 22:15–20). The Apostle Paul kept the Passover and the accompanying “Days of Unleavened Bread” (1 Corinthians 5:7–8).

The Passover lamb of ancient Israel pointed to the death of Jesus Christ—the Lamb of God—for our sins. Right after the Passover, the “Days of Unleavened Bread” were observed. In putting out leaven, Christians are to picture putting out sin and growing in grace and knowledge—the next step after accepting Christ’s sacrifice!

Paul taught the Gentile church at Corinth how to keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread: “Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth” (1 Corinthians 5:8). Notice! This is a New Testament command—not to Jews—but to a primarily Gentile church to observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread. God’s true Church should be observing this God-given festival just as Christ, the apostles and all the early Christians did!

For a full explanation of these days and their meaning, write also for our free booklet, The Holy Days: God’s Master Plan.

The point is that these annual Sabbaths and Holy Days are also part of God’s “sign” by which His people would be identified. Notice God’s clear statement regarding the days of Unleavened Bread: “It shall be as a sign to you on your hand and as a memorial between your eyes, that the Lord’s law may be in your mouth…” (Exodus 13:9).

Wherever God’s true people are—wherever His Church is—His servants will have the identifying “sign” of God’s true Sabbaths, weekly and annual. For the weekly Sabbath points to the true God—the Creator—and the annual Sabbaths set forth His marvelous plan.

Frankly, if you or your present church are not willing to genuinely obey the fourth commandment, which tells us to keep the seventh day of the week as “holy time,” then you will still be sitting there arguing or “reasoning” away God’s commands when His true Church flees to safety just as Christ indicated in Matthew 24:20! And you will become very thirsty as the millennial rule of Christ begins and He is forced to bring total drought on all nations and peoples who refuse to keep His commanded Holy Days—especially the Feast of Tabernacles (Zechariah 14:16–19)! For your own sake—and the sake of your loved ones—please do not underestimate this huge issue! Are you willing to surrender and obey your Creator on this vital point?

5. God’s Church Does the Real WORK of God

One of the “signs” Jesus gave of His coming, and of the end of this age, was this: “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14).

Somewhere on earth, just before Jesus’ Second Coming, His true servants will be preaching with increasing power the message of the coming world-ruling Kingdom of God! They will preach the message of heartfelt repentance and total surrender to God and to His laws, which Jesus Himself preached. They will explain how true Christianity involves not just accepting Jesus Christ as personal Savior, but genuinely accepting Him as our Lord, our High Priest and our soon-coming King. For Jesus’ coming Kingdom is a real Kingdom. A kingdom is a government—and from one end of your Bible to the other, God’s message is about His coming government, which will utterly crush all the governments of this world and will rule forever (Daniel 2:44; Revelation 11:15).

The living Jesus Christ will soon return in mighty power to govern this earth and save man from blowing himself off this planet (Matthew 24:22)! As Jesus tells one “era” or “branch” of His true Church: “He who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations—He shall rule them with a rod of iron” (Revelation 2:26–27).

Notice: “And have made us kings and priests to our God; and we shall reign on the earth” (Revelation 5:10). Notice that Christ and His saints will rule “on the earth“—not up in “heaven”!

Through God’s true Church, this vibrant message of His soon-coming world-ruling government is to be proclaimed. This message is not given to convert everyone, but is proclaimed as a “witness” so that when these end-time events actually occur, humanity will understand more quickly.

Also, through His Church, God is training men and women in lessons of character and obedience so they may be “ready” to serve under the living Christ when He returns as King of kings. The Apostle Paul was inspired to alert true Christians to this absolutely vital aspect of Christian life and of the type of preparation and training members of the true Church should be receiving. Paul wrote: “Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Do you not know that we shall judge angels? How much more, things that pertain to this life?” (1 Corinthians 6:2–3).

In order to rule others, one must first learn to rule oneself. God’s government is based upon His spiritual law—the Ten Commandments. So that is why God says of the true saints: “Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus” (Revelation 14:12).

Another absolutely vital part of the Work of the true Church is to understand and proclaim the prophetic messages of the Bible. About one-fourth of the entire Bible is devoted to prophecy! God’s word itself tells us: “For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy” (Revelation 19:10).

God’s Church understands and proclaims to you the real meaning of current events, the “Big Picture” of why the U.S. and other British-descended peoples are increasingly losing their power and prestige, and exactly where this is leading. It can explain why the mainly Catholic nations of continental Europe are increasingly uniting, where this is destined to lead and why the British will—within a few years or less—get out or be “pushed out” of the European Union. If you wish to genuinely understand these vital issues, call or write and request a free copy of our eye-opening booklet, The United States and Great Britain in Prophecy.

Another vital part of the prophetic commission of God’s Church in these end-times is what we call the “Ezekiel commission.” This is the warning message that God clearly indicated His true servants should give especially to the twelve tribes of Israel. As the aforementioned booklet clearly explains, the Anglo-Celtic peoples of the U.S. and the British Commonwealth nations are the descendants of the so-called “Lost Ten Tribes” of Israel. Along with the Jewish people, they will bear the brunt of the soon-coming Great Tribulation. These are the people who must be warned—ahead of time—about this coming holocaust!

So we in the Living Church of God do feel the responsibility to act on God’s instruction to the end-time watchman: “When he sees the sword coming upon the land, if he blows the trumpet and warns the people, then whoever hears the sound of the trumpet and does not take warning, if the sword comes and takes him away, his blood shall be on his own head. He heard the sound of the trumpet, but did not take warning; his blood shall be upon himself. But he who takes warning will save his life. But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, and the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at the watchman’s hand. So you, son of man: I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore you shall hear a word from My mouth and warn them for Me” (Ezekiel 33:3–7). This is a vital part of the responsibility of God’s true servants in these “last days.”

Only God’s Church truly understands and gives you the genuine understanding of these and other world-changing trends that will soon dramatically affect your life! God’s true Church will also be consistently teaching, training and genuinely preparing its members for their future as kings and priests in Christ’s soon-coming world government (Daniel 7:27; Luke 19:15–19, Revelation 1:5–7; 5:10; 20:6). You need to open your mind, zealously study your Bible, ask God for understanding and “see” where the living Christ is working in these end times! God’s true Church will be preaching the entire Bible—not just a few sentimental passages about the person of Jesus Christ while at the same time neglecting the powerful message that He Himself preached. You can find that Church and become part of it—if you are willing!

God’s Church Has All FIVE Identifying “SIGNS”

Around the world, God’s true Church is proclaiming—with increasing power—the coming government of God on earth through Jesus Christ and the resurrected saints, based on God’s law and His commandments. God’s true Church teaches the way of life that Christ and His apostles preached and practiced. It practices God’s form of government and is preparing its members to assist Christ in ruling this world (1 Corinthians 6:2–3).

It is important to note that while God’s true Church is one spiritual organism, the Bible shows that it is normal for the Church to exist in several different corporate “fellowships” or “branches” at the same time. In chapters 2 and 3 of Revelation, Christ reveals the characteristics of the seven ages or “eras” of God’s true Church. He finds some fault with most of the seven churches or “eras”—but not Philadelphia. These “eras” represent attitudes that are always present in God’s Church, and they also indicate the progression of “dominant” attitudes in the Church at large. Today, we are clearly in the Laodicean era, which Christ condemns for being “lukewarm” even though it has most of the Truth. The living Jesus Christ said: “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth” (Revelation 3:15–16).

The Living Church of God, which has produced this booklet you are now reading, strives to retain the Philadelphia emphasis even in our Laodicean age. We earnestly exhort God’s people to be zealous in doing God’s Work, in preparing to be kings and priests in Christ’s Kingdom and in totally surrendering to Christ’s rule in the Church and in our personal lives. We in the Living Church of God are definitely focused on accomplishing the Work that Jesus Christ is doing through His Church in these last days.

Jesus inspired the Apostle Paul to tell us in 1 Corinthians 12 that His Church is the “body” of Christ—the physical instrument through which Christ is working today to accomplish His Work and to prepare the future kings and priests for His Kingdom. It is important to note that that body has always existed. Remember, Jesus said: “And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18).

So, ever since Christ ascended to heaven and became the living Head of the Church, He has guided His “little flock” through trials, tests and persecutions down through the ages. It will be extremely helpful to each of you to request your free copy of our very revealing booklet on this topic, God’s Church Through the Ages. This booklet thoroughly documents the history of the true Church down through the centuries—using many outside church histories and resources to prove its points. It will help you understand where God’s true Church has been all these years, and where it is today.

By examining the “fruits” you can see for yourself how God is using the Living Church of God today to accomplish His purposes. Remember, as indicated above, God’s true Church is the “body” of Christ. As the Apostle Paul wrote: “For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:12–13).

Different “Branches” of God’s Church

To be in the body of Christ, you must be fully surrendered to God and be led by God’s Spirit: “Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His” (Romans 8:9). So each member of the true Church must be genuinely converted and led by God’s Spirit. Again, God gives the Holy Spirit “to those who obey Him” (Acts 5:32). Yet down through the ages, there have been many different Church of God fellowships—”branches” of the true Church—that sometimes coexisted. In the first century after Christ, the Apostle John wrote of seven churches in Asia Minor, which displayed attitudes that would be found throughout Church history to come, each of which would also represent the dominant attitude of the Church in successive “eras.” These different “branches” of God’s true Church were often in different parts of the world—perhaps, at times, unknown even to each other. For example, during the 12th and 13th centuries, God’s true Church existed among the Bogomils in Hungary even while those believers were unaware that a similar group of Sabbath-keepers existed simultaneously in Great Britain.

Many in the U.S. are familiar with the Seventh Day Church of God. Over the years it underwent various “splits”—as many denominations do—and before World War II had ended up with one group headquartered in Stanberry, Missouri, and another headquartered in Caldwell, Idaho. From this environment, God raised up Herbert W. Armstrong, who for many years led what became known as the Worldwide Church of God. The Worldwide Church of God became, by far, the largest group of true believers who surrendered their lives to keep the whole law of God, observe the true Sabbath, preach the Gospel of the coming Kingdom of God and use the correct name, “the Church of God.” Even during this time, however, there existed the aforementioned groups of the Seventh Day Church of God. Mr. Armstrong often acknowledged that these different fellowships were “branches” of the true Church.

During Mr. Armstrong’s ministry, most whom God called to the Truth found themselves asking two vital questions:

Where was the truth of the Bible most clearly being preached?
Where was the “Work” most powerfully being done?

Remember, the “Work” consists not only of preaching the truth of the Bible, but specifically of proclaiming to the world the soon-coming Kingdom of God (Matthew 24:14), giving the “Israelitish” nations a strong warning of the impending Great Tribulation, “feeding the flock” with the “whole counsel of God” (Acts 20:27) and genuinely teaching, training and preparing God’s people to be “kings and priests” in Christ’s Kingdom (Revelation 5:10).

Certainly most of the Seventh Day Church of God people were “nice,” and they had some of the Truth. But they seemed content just to teach the basics and to quietly enjoy their fellowship with one another. They seemed to lack the “fire in the belly” to “go into all the world” and powerfully preach the Gospel and also give the vital “Ezekiel warning” (Ezekiel 33:1–7) about the coming Great Tribulation that will primarily strike the Anglo-Celtic nations.

Jesus tells us, regarding any religious organization: “By their fruits you will know them” (Matthew 7:15–20). So it is up to each individual to carefully consider: Where is Christ primarily working today? Who is preaching more of the Truth? Who is most effectively doing the Work of proclaiming the Gospel to the public all over the world?

We understand from the Bible and from history that the Church of God is the “body” of Jesus Christ—the body of believers in the genuine Truth of the Bible. Wherever God’s true people are, they will be those who have surrendered their lives to live by “every word of God.” Within the greater body of Christ, God’s true people must genuinely love one another as Jesus loved us all (John 13:34). Where those people are gathered into different corporate fellowships, there will be differing strengths and varying emphases. But outflowing love, brotherly kindness and the spirit of service should be present in converted members of God’s Church, no matter where they live and to which particular fellowship they belong. For the genuine love of God is squarely based on the Ten Commandments. As the Apostle John was inspired to tell us: “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome” (1 John 5:3).

And so, through the Spirit of Christ within them, the true people of God will follow this path. They will have the understanding and courage to obey all ten of the Ten Commandments—exemplifying Revelation 14:12: “Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.” And they will exercise the faith to keep the identifying “sign” that God gave His people (Exodus 31:16–18).

Rather than argue and make excuses to disobey, God’s Church keeps holy what God has made holy. It follows the inspired example of Jesus and the apostles in keeping God’s Sabbath and His annual Holy Days, which reveal His awesome plan. Finally, God’s Church does the Work of proclaiming as a “witness” the message of salvation through Jesus Christ and the good news of the soon-coming Kingdom of God based on His law.

The organization that publishes this booklet strives to do all of these things. As you know, we in the Living Church of God try to follow all of the above truths with all our hearts and powerfully proclaim the end-time prophecies of the Bible and do all we can to specifically warn the Israelitish people of the coming Great Tribulation. With our Headquarters in Charlotte, NC, offices all around the globe, scores of local congregations with resident ministers, worldwide radio and television and a growing publishing work including this very booklet and Tomorrow’s World magazine, that message is going out with increasing power.

Now, you must decide what to do about this booklet. Perhaps it will merely be helpful to you to consider these obvious, biblical identifying “signs” of where God is working—where His true Church is today.

But if your interest goes beyond that—if God is calling you and if we can serve you personally—do not hesitate to write us at the address of our office nearest you. We can merely answer your questions by mail. If you request it, a fully-trained representative of this Work will call on you in person at a time and place agreeable to you.

You must decide.

As world events move inexorably toward the end of this present age, you owe it to yourself to be sure of where you are headed. “Take the bull by the horns.” Prove these things to yourself from the pages of your Bible. If God is opening your mind now, then act on this precious knowledge and begin to really prepare for your job in Tomorrow’s World. Only the true Church of God has been given the genuine understanding, the courage and the motivation to fearlessly proclaim the full Truth and really prepare you and your loved ones to fulfill the magnificent purpose for your lives and to become “kings and priests” (Revelation 1:6) in the soon-coming Kingdom of God on this earth!

You Need to ACT!

If you would like to visit with a minister or representative of this Work, then call our office nearest you as listed on the “Regional Offices” page at the back of this booklet. Or write to the nearest office, if you prefer. Just state your desire for a visit and give your address and/or phone number so our representative may contact you. Be assured that no one will show up without previously scheduling a visit at a time and place agreeable to you. Our minister or representative will be there simply to answer your questions about the Bible or about this Work and the Living Church of God.

There will be no pressure for you to “join” anything and no solicitation of money for any purpose. But you will have the opportunity to talk with a true minister or representative and more thoroughly check us out in a personal way and ask about attending worship services or a Bible study if you wish. Often, our minister may suggest that you read more literature, prove the truths of the Bible to yourself more thoroughly and be more sure of your commitment before attending any meetings. For we want you to be sure. We are trying to serve you in your quest for eternal life in the Kingdom of God.

However, if God is truly opening your mind and “calling” you, we are sure that you will be delighted to meet with others who have been willing to genuinely give their lives to God and in service to their fellow man. You will find a group of happy people—often with little children—who bring their Bibles to services, and are like the Bereans, who “received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so” (Acts 17:10–11). There will usually—depending on the size of the group and the local situation—be singing of hymns, announcements of any activities, news of the Work, helpful sermons and a great deal of enthusiastic visiting and fellowshipping after the meetings.

May God help you to “prove all things: hold fast that which is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21, KJV). As the end of this age swiftly approaches, we should not forever sit around speculating and doing nothing! God rewards those who zealously act on the Truth and do all they can to get involved in serving Him and in serving their fellow human beings in God’s service. As James was inspired to tell us: “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves” (James 1:22). Again, be sure to request a free copy of our extremely helpful and thoroughly documented booklet, God’s Church Through the Ages. It will help you really understand the history of God’s true Church—the “little flock” that almost disappeared during the Dark Ages.

God help you to understand and to get involved while you still have the opportunity! You may now be in your “comfort zone” in some other church fellowship. But—if God is calling you at this time—your Creator wants you to be an active part of His Church in genuinely preparing for His kingdom and powerfully warning our peoples of the coming Great Tribulation. Notice the clear responsibility of God’s faithful servants: “Deliver those who are drawn toward death, and hold back those stumbling to the slaughter. If you say, ‘Surely we did not know this,’ does not He who weighs the hearts consider it? He who keeps your soul, does He not know it? And will He not render to each man according to his deeds?” (Proverbs 24:11–12).

The living Jesus Christ tells all of us to bear fruit: “By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples” (John 15:8). Again, may God inspire you to be an active part of the Work that Christ is now accomplishing through His body, the true Church of God on earth today.

Booklet Category

Doctrine

God

Twelve Keys to Answered Prayer

4uwzvo — Tue, 01 Mar 2022 21:45:23 +0000

Twelve Keys to Answered Prayer 4uwzvo Tue, 03/01/2022 - 21:45

Twelve Keys to Answered Prayer

Roderick C. Meredith (1930-2017)

Booklet Media

#God

#Prayer

Why does God not answer most people’s prayers? Do you know how to pray in a way that will get real results?

I know that what I am about to say is not “politically correct.” But let me put it this way: Why should you expect the God of the Bible to answer the prayers of people who pray to some other god? Who pray in a wrong manner? Who regularly disobey the true God? Who ask for the wrong things?

The answer is simple—you should not! Make no mistake. You have no reason to expect real answers to your prayers unless you pray to the true God in the rightway. This may seem outrageous to those who take Christianity for granted—just another of the many religions in the world. But the truth is that literally millions of professing Christians, world have NO IDEA who the true God is or how they should pray to Him.

Oh, I am quite aware that many people say they “feel better” after repeating some familiar or special mantra. And since problems oftentimes work themselves out, many people feel that they have had an answer to their prayers when they really have not. This often goes hand in hand with the practices of “mind science” or the “power of positive thinking.”

But that is NOT the kind of “answer” I am talking about in this booklet. What I mean is direct, divine INTERVENTION by the personal God of the Bible—the Creator of the heavens and the earth and active Ruler of the entire universe! How can you and your loved ones get this kind of answer to your prayers? Although other points could be offered, I want to set forth a number of basic “keys” to answered prayer. I am positive that if you follow these points literally, sincerely and wholeheartedly, you will begin to receive genuine ANSWERS to your prayers. And they may be so real and so forceful that it will surprise many who have never experienced this kind of power before.

Key #1—Pray Sincerely to the True God

It is absolutely vital that you pray to the very real God of the Bible if you expect genuine answers to your prayers. He reveals Himself to mankind in many ways—in creation, in the Bible, in His foretelling specific divine intervention in world affairs and in direct ANSWERS to those who seek and obey Him.

The Apostle Paul was inspired to describe the true God in this way: “For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many gods and many lords), yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live” (1 Corinthians 8:5-6).

In our modern, ecumenical approach to religion, we may think that praying to some vague “blob” off in the sky or to some kind of wood or stone idol is just the same as praying to the CREATOR—the God of Abraham, Isaac, Israel and Jesus Christ. But it is not the same at all!

The true God was revealed by Jesus Christ (Matthew 11:27). To one of His disciples, He said: “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me…? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me” (John 14:9-11).

We read of Jesus Christ acknowledging that God was a loving, divine Person—a “Father.” And we see the Father acting through Christ to heal the sick, to comfort the downcast and to teach those whom He calls to keep the Ten Commandments as a way of life (Matthew 19:17). This should certainly help us to better understand God’s character and His desire for us.

Christ also set an example for us in praying to the Father: “Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: ‘Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You'” (John 17:1). Again, when He taught His disciples the outline—the proper approach to prayer—He said: “In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen” (Matthew 6:9-13).

So once again, Jesus revealed that the God to whom we should pray is a Father. And what does Christ reveal about Him? He is “in heaven.” He—as our Father—is One who can give us daily bread, forgive our sins, deliver us from Satan and bring us into His everlasting Kingdom.

In describing this true God, whom so very few even today are acquainted with, the Apostle Paul stated: “Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you: ‘God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things. And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings'” (Acts 17:23-26).

We learn more about the true God from the Old Testament. The great Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar, was told that he would be driven from his kingdom “until you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses” (Daniel 4:32). And this God will not share preeminence with any other. He inspired Isaiah to write: “Look to Me, and be saved, all you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other. I have sworn by Myself; the word has gone out of My mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, that to Me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall take an oath” (Isaiah 45:22-23).

This is an awesome God, with limitless power and glory! When you get down on both knees and lift up your hands in prayer to the great CREATOR of the universe, you should think of to whom you are praying, and “hallow” or praise His name, as Jesus instructed. Remember that He is not only the Creator, but the active GOVERNOR of the entire universe—guiding the rise and fall of nations according to His will. He is the One in charge of the weather—sending “rain in due season” (cf. Deuteronomy 28:12)—or at times drought and destruction upon those nations that must be punished (vv. 24-25).

Yet, if you surrender to Him, obey Him and serve Him, God will become your loving Father, your Protector, your Healer, the Giver of “every good and perfect gift” (James 1:17) and the One who has abounding love and mercy. “For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. As a father pities his children, so the Lord pities those who fear Him. For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust” (Psalm 103:11-14).

Be sure you always pray specifically to this God—the true God—and to no other. As you begin your prayer, think about whom you are praying to and consciously worship this Great God who gives you life and breath.

Key #2—Study the Bible

It naturally follows that praying to the true God involves believing what He says. And we find His words—instructing human beings how they should live—in the Holy Bible. It reveals essential knowledge that we could not acquire in any other way. It is God’s “Instruction Manual” for humanity. It tells us who God is, what He is like and how we ought to serve Him. In its pages we find God’s own instructions as to how we ought to pray to Him.

But you will not receive this full instruction by just “going to church” or by carelessly reading bits and pieces of the Bible for comfort or inspiration. God commands us in His Word, ‘Earnestly STUDY to show yourself approved to God, a workman unashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth” (2 Timothy 2:15, J.P. Green’s Literal Translation).

To know God, to understand His will and to BELIEVE in His promises, you need to regularly STUDY His inspired Word in an orderly way—just as you might study a science textbook or a volume on history. A good place to start is the book of Matthew—the first book in the New Testament. Read this through slowly and carefully—noting what Jesus actually said, paying particular attention to the many examples of answered prayer.

It is beyond the scope of this booklet to thoroughly prove the divine inspiration of the Bible. But if you really want to, you can prove that the prophecies given ONLY in the Bible have either already been fulfilled in literal detail in the past, or are now beginning to be fulfilled in this exciting end-time age in which we live. When you understand the detail and the breadth of these prophecies, you can see that God practically signed His name to the Bible—clearly showing that this book is of DIVINE inspiration! The Apostle Paul wrote: “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

So when you read specific promises in the Bible, ask for the Almighty to fulfill them in your life. When you see that Jesus and others asked for certain things, realize that this is an example for you to follow. In all your prayers, follow the example of Christ and the Apostles. Let your prayers be the same as theirs when you face similar trials and difficulties.

What about King David of Israel and the other great prophets of the distant past? Their heartfelt prayers and the awesome deliverance God granted them likewise instructs us and bolsters our faith: “Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come” (1 Corinthians 10:11).

One of the reasons King David was a man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14) is not only that he obeyed God, but that he walked and talked with Him and constantly worshiped and ADORED Him. You will clearly see this attitude all through the Psalms: “Bless the Lord, O my soul! O Lord my God, You are very great: You are clothed with honor and majesty, who cover Yourself with light as with a garment, who stretch out the heavens like a curtain.… I will sing to the Lord as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being” (104:1-2, 33).

Leaving behind the memorized, often meaningless, prayers of mainstream religion, begin to really STUDY the teachings and examples relating to prayer in your own Bible. Let the inspired Word of God teach you how to pray and what to ask for. And BELIEVE the teachings and the promises you find in this holy book.

Key #3—Deeply Repent of Your Sins

Although from time to time God hears the prayers of anyone who sincerely cries out to Him in time of need, He is not bound by His Word to do this. That is why men and women sickened by the horrors of war have demanded: “Where was GOD at the Battle of Leningrad, when hundreds of thousands perished?” They have asked: “Where was GOD when the Jews, Poles, Czechs, Danes and Dutch were being herded into gas chambers in World War II?” Or, “Where was God during the rape of Nanking?”

God’s Word answers: “Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; nor His ear heavy, that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear” (Isaiah 59:1-2).

The same principle is found in the New Testament. A man Jesus healed of blindness stated: “Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears him” (John 9:31).

It is not our job to psychoanalyze or “spiritually dissect” those who have not had their prayers answered in the past. But we all have a DUTY to ask ourselves: “Do I worship the true God? Do I do His will?”

Jesus said: “If you want to enter into life, keep the commandments” (Matthew 19:17). Do you keep the Ten Commandments? Or do you make excuses? The Apostle John was inspired to write: “And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight” (1 John 3:22). This New Testament scripture clearly shows us that we receive ANSWERS to our prayers when we KEEP GOD’S COMMANDMENTS!

Please be honest with yourself. It is easy to rationalize or to “reason around” this very clear scriptural teaching about obeying God’s law. But if you want real answers to your prayers, you need to REPENT of breaking the Ten Commandments—which is defined as SIN (1 John 3:4, KJV). And you need to accept Jesus Christ as your personal Savior (Acts 2:38). Then—through the help of the promised Holy Spirit—you will need to SURRENDER more and more each day to let Jesus Christ LIVE His obedient life in you. Keep in mind what the Apostle Paul declared: ‘I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20, KJV).

As you GROW in grace and in the knowledge of Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18), He will live His life in you more and more fully over the course of your Christian life. Certainly, you will not be “perfect” all at once! NO human being has ever been perfect except Jesus Christ Himself. But you WILL be walking in the “way” of the Ten Commandments by surrendering to Him. By “walking with Christ” in this manner, you can be ASSURED of having more powerful answers to your prayers than ever before!

Key #4—Forgive Others

Another vital key to answered prayer is our willingness to truly FORGIVE others. Frankly, our loving Father in heaven simply does not hear those who come to Him in a spirit of revenge, bitterness or hatred. Immediately after giving us the “Lord’s Prayer”—the outline prayer describing the right general approach to talking with God—Jesus went on to instruct His followers: “If you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Matthew 6:14-15).

The prophet Isaiah was inspired to warn us NOT to come into God’s presence while oppressing others, accusing others or being wrapped up in serving only the self. He wrote: “If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, if you extend your soul to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted soul, then your light shall dawn in the darkness” (Isaiah 58:9-10).

Jesus gives us the same admonition: “Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar; and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift” (Matthew 5:23-24).

So we need to come to God in a humble, repentant and forgiving attitude. Otherwise, as Jesus said, God will not forgive us! A spirit of humility and mercy is a key element in whether or not God will hear us as we pray. His inspired Word tells us: “But on this one will I look: on him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at My word” (Isaiah 66:2).

Key #5—God Often Hears the Unconverted

An important aspect of the above point about being merciful and forgiving others is the need to humbly realize that God often hears even the prayers of completely unconverted individuals who cry out to Him. Of course we know that God has said: “Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, That it cannot save; nor His ear heavy, that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear” (Isaiah 59:1-2).

It is certainly true that God will virtually never hear those who are sinning and in a wrong attitude. But, there are millions of sincere people who think they are truly worshiping God and are simply DECEIVED. God Himself has allowed this! And in His inspired Word, God explains that it is “the Devil and Satan who deceives theWHOLE WORLD” (Revelation 12:9). Also, Jesus Christ tells us very clearly: “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:44).

It is very important that we do NOT self-righteously assume that God only hears the prayers of those who are converted and are obeying Him. Again, what about those sincere people who are not yet called? And what about you and me before we were called and converted? As I look back on my own life, I definitely remember several times when God absolutely intervened in answer to my prayers. He was “calling” me. He was beginning to reveal Himself to me as a “real” God by intervening in my life. He has done and will do the same for many, many others all over the world.

Remember the story of the Pharisee and the publican in Luke 18:9-14: “Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: ‘Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, “God, I thank You that I am not like other men; extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.” And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, “God, be merciful to me a sinner!” I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.'”

So the Creator will often hear the prayers of weak or spiritually blinded people who humbly pray to Him. He will NOT hear them if they knowingly disobey Him or are in a wrong attitude. He will NOT hear those who directly pray to idols or to false “gods.” But our merciful Father will hear those who—though ignorant of His full revelation—sincerely cry out to Him as the Creator and the true God.

The above understanding is beautifully expressed in Psalm 107:23-24, 27-31: “Those who go down to the sea in ships, who do business on great waters, they see the works of the Lord, and His wonders in the deep.… They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits’ end. Then they CRY OUT to the Lord in their trouble, and He brings them out of their distresses. He calms the storm, so that its waves are still. Then they are glad because they are quiet; so He guides them to their desired haven. Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men!”

We all know of vain, disobedient or even “worldly” professing Christians who frankly “brag” about answered prayer or tell wild stories of constant “miracles” in their church or in their lives. This religious boasting and even falsifying is a real detriment to true Christianity and could easily be a stumbling block to those being called who see through this sham. BUT, if your friend or neighbor sincerely and heartfeltly prays to the God of heaven, he or she may be heard because God knows that their ignorance of His ways is not deliberate and that their sincerity is very real.

Key #6—Seek God’s Will

Another key to successful prayer is to be absolutely sure that—as far as possible—you align your will and your requests with GOD’s will. As you zealously study the Bible and yield to let Christ live within you, His will increasingly replaces your own. It affects how you pray. You come to realize that God has made all men and women in His image—that He will “call” ALL mankind to understanding and repentance in His time. With this in mind, you will not be praying just for your own good, but for the good of others as well. Then you can sincerely say to God, as Jesus did: “not Mywill, but Yours, be done” (Luke 22:42).

Remember this key phrase from the outline prayer in Matthew 6: “YOUR WILL be done on earth as it is in heaven” (v. 10). We all need to focus on this as we pray. What is really best for us and everyone concerned in the long run? Only GOD knows for sure.

On the other hand, the Bible contains literally dozens of promises and/or direct indications of what God has done or will do in regard to answered prayer. If we pray in faith that God will hear us—and in accordance with His will—we may be sure that He is listening. “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him” (1 John 5:14-15).

Key #7—Have Faith in God

The more you drink in of the Bible, the more deeply you will realize the importance of FAITH. “Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6).

So you cannot please God without real FAITH. And, generally speaking, the Bible makes it clear that God will not hear and answer your prayers unless you come to Him in faith: “But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord” (James 1:6-7).

Like the other keys we have examined, building faith is accomplished by truly SURRENDERING to let Jesus Christ live His life in you through the Holy Spirit! “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17). So allof us need to constantly read the Bible, and drink in of the examples of faith and obedience of the great men and women of God. In this way, we “feed” on Jesus Christ (John 6:57). We come to think like He thinks, want what He wants. And, through the Holy Spirit, He increasingly LIVES within us as we grow spiritually. Thus united with Christ, we can have TOTAL CONFIDENCE that God the Father will hear our prayers. And this absolute, unwavering confidence in God is what faith IS!

Note carefully this vital teaching of Jesus Christ with respect to prayer and faith: “Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, BELIEVE that you receive them, and you WILL have them” (Mark 11:22-24).

By continually drinking in of the Bible and praying for faith, you will find that your faith will increase more and more. Understand that living faith is produced by God’s Holy Spirit within us (Galatians 5:22-23). And Jesus said: “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” (Luke 11:13).

God wants to give you these things if you humbly ask for them. So pray to Him continually to give you the FAITH you need. Learn to BELIEVE in the promises of God. Learn to believe that God is real—that He has perfect wisdom, perfect love and perfect POWER. Realize that He will KEEP all His promises! Learn to imitate Abraham, the father of the faithful (Romans 4:16), for he “did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also ABLE to perform” (vv. 20-21). This is REAL FAITH. This is the attitude you must have to receive genuine answers to your prayers.

Key #8—Be Persistent

If your son asks you just once for a bicycle and then seemingly forgets about it and never brings the subject up again, how deep is his desire for it’? How much do you think he would appreciate it if he did get one? And so it is when we ask for something from our heavenly Father. Before He supernaturally intervenes, God wants to know that we deeply desire whatever we ask for, and that we will respectand worship Him for answering our prayer.

In other words, God uses our need or desire as a “vehicle” to draw us closer to Him spiritually—to cause us to focus on His will and on what is really best for us and for any others who might be involved. If we carelessly ask for something, and then virtually forget that we ever did, what would that indicate? It might tell God that we are not all that interested in His doing what we ask! Or it could be that all our desires are shallow, perhaps constantly changing, and that we would not feel a deep sense of appreciation and worship even IF He constantly answered such shallow prayers!

Perhaps you are familiar with Jesus’ parable of the “unjust judge” (Luke 18:1-8). This is the story of a certain widow who kept coming and kept coming to the “unjust” judge until he finally said: “Because this woman troubles me I will avenge her [thus honoring her request], lest by her continual coming she weary me” (v. 5). Then Jesus said: “Hear what the unjust judge said. And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them?” (vv. 6-7). When you have a really deep desire for something, you should cry out to God day and night—NEVER giving up.

God wants us to be persistent. He wants us to walk with Him, talk with Him and commune with Him continually—day after day in this age, and ultimately throughout eternity! The Apostle Paul instructs us to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17).

When I was courting my wife to be, I “just couldn’t spend enough time with her.” We talked in person, we talked on the phone, and I thought and prayed about her until we finally married! The true Church is pictured as the affianced bride of Christ. We NEED to spend a lot of time with Him and with the Father to become deeply acquainted. Remember, what we do in this life prepares us to spend ETERNITY together with these two divine Personalities. This is a REAL relationship and, as with any other, it must be developed over time.

So learn to pray regularly to God—spending enough time in prayer to become genuinely “acquainted” with Him. For He is the One in whom “we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28). According to the Scriptures, Jesus often rose early in the morning and spent long, uninterrupted TIME praying to His Father (cf. Mark 1:35).

The prophet Daniel rose to be one of the highest rulers of the Babylonian Empire. Nevertheless, he constantly took time to pray to God on his knees—three times each day (Daniel 6:10). This relationship with the Eternal God was so important to Daniel that He finally risked DEATH in order to continue this vital part of His spiritual life! (vv. 5-10).

King David also customarily prayed three times each day to his Creator: “As for me, I will call upon God, and the Lord shall save me. Evening and morning and at noon I will pray, and cry aloud, and He shall hear my voice” (Psalm 55:16-17).

So pray regularly. Spend plenty of TIME communing with Jesus Christ and your Heavenly Father. And never—EVER—stop praying to God! For, in more ways than one, your very life depends upon this contact!

Key #9—Pray Fervently

I once knew an extremely dedicated and zealous servant of God who often said: “Brethren, one of the reasons we in our modern society do not receive more answers to prayer is that we do not put our HEARTS into our prayers!” One of the key Scriptures he would then cite was Hosea 7:14, which describes one reason that God did not hear the prayers of the ancient Israelites. The Moffatt translation perhaps renders this verse the most clearly: “They never put their HEART into their prayers.

What about us? Do you and I pray with our entire being? Or do we just rattle off a memorized prayer like some pagan chant, or perhaps sleepily mumble a few half-hearted requests to God just before drifting off to sleep?

Again, remember Jesus’ example of getting up EARLY to pray to the Father! For prayer was vitally important to Christ. That is why He apparently put it first on His schedule—before anything else could interfere. And He probably came back to God repeatedly as the day progressed. The book of Hebrews tells us about Christ’s passionate, heartfelt prayers: “Who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement CRIES and TEARS to Him who was able to save Him from death… was heard because of His godly fear” (5:7).

It is good to go to a “private place” to pray as Jesus instructed in Matthew 6. Alone, we can occasionally CRY OUT to our Creator to help us, to chasten us, to DELIVER us from temptations or difficulties where only the help of God Himself can fully take care of the situation. The last night of Jesus’ human life, when He knew He was about to be arrested and crucified, He poured out His being to the Father in fervent prayer for help and deliverance: ‘And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. And His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground” (Luke 22:44).

Jesus was CRYING OUT to His Father in such an intense and passionate manner that some of His capillaries may have literally BURST—filling certain sweat ducts with blood! In our modern, secular, hedonistic, “laid-back” society, we need to grasp that the truly vital issues of life are not material! Rather, they are spiritual—having to do with our Creator and with ALL ETERNITY. They are certainly worthy of getting excited about!

So let us put our hearts into our prayers. Let us be FERVENT. Let us be PASSIONATE as we pour out our hearts to the awesome Personality who wants to be our real Father: “the High and Lofty One who inhabits eternity” (Isaiah 57:15).

Key #10—Ask God to Fashion and Mold You

A genuine man or woman of God is one who has totally surrendered to the will of the Creator. Through the prophet Isaiah, God tells us: “But on this one will I look: on him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at My word” (66:2).

This attitude of seeking God’s will rather than our own—of total submission to our Heavenly Father—is VITAL to our prayer life if we are to receive constant and POWERFUL answers. Note again Jesus’ attitude in one of His final prayers to God while He was still in this human flesh: “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not MY will, but YOURS, be done” (Luke 22:42).

Do you want to truly GROW spiritually—”till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ”? (Ephesians 4:13). If so, you—like we all—need to spiritually “wrestle with God” in our prayers as Jacob literally wrestled with Him and prevailed (cf. Genesis 32:24-32). We need to engage Him in long, thoughtful conversation about how we can more fully yield to Him, walk with Him and honor Him in our lives. We need to constantly ask God to help us fulfill the great PURPOSE for which we were born (please read for our booklet on this subject, titled Your Ultimate Destiny).

It is fine—within limits—to pray for “physical things.” But the ultimate purpose of prayer is to help us focus on GOD, yield to Him and surrender our will to His as we cultivate a vital, interactive relationship. In this way, He becomes increasingly REAL to us. Through constant and heartfelt Bible study and prayer we must SEEK God’s will. We must grasp that our past ideas and attitudes about God and religion in general need much improvement. God tells us through Isaiah: “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways.… For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8-9). And the Apostle Paul instructed: “Let this MIND be in you which was also in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5).

Learn to walk with Him, talk with Him, quietly “commune” with Him off and on all day long. Sincerely ask Him to MOLD you into His own image. The prophet Isaiah was inspired to write: “But now, O Lord, You are our Father; we are the clay, and You our potter; and all we are the work of Your hand” (Isaiah 64:8). The approach of yieldingto God as you pray, of asking Him to rebuke and chasten and fashion you, is one of the vital keys to really powerful prayer.

Key #11—Give Praise and Thanks to Almighty God

Another of the qualities that made King David a man after “God’s own heart” was the sincere love, worship and ADORATION that he continually expressed toward the great CREATOR who blessed him, sustained him and guided him. The entire book of Psalms is literally FILLED with David’s prayers of worship and adoration. Notice Psalm 18: “I will love You, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised; so shall I be saved from my enemies” (vv. 1-3).

Clearly, God—in the person of Jesus Christ, who was the “Rock” of Israel (1 Corinthians 10:4)—was David’s personal “Hero,” his Champion, his Protector and personal Friend. David rejoiced and EXULTED in the wisdom, power and MAJESTY of the Great God! Today, when tens of millions in the world tend to virtually WORSHIP rock stars, rap stars, movie or television “idols” (aptly named!) and sports celebrities, it has become unfashionable to worship and adore our Creator as David did. But rather than worshiping these vain, often misguided, human “stars,” why not give praise to the Great God, who gives us life and breath—the “Father of lights,” who, as we have seen, is the Giver of “every good gift and every perfect gift”? (James 1:17).

Why not truly worship Jesus Christ—through whom God the Father created EVERYTHING that is? (cf. John 1:1-3; Ephesians 3:9). Why not worship the One who “emptied” Himself of His divine GLORY in order to set us a perfect example? (cf. Philippians 2:7-9, NRSV). Why not worship our merciful and faithful High Priest (Hebrews 2:17-18), who willingly DIED for us on the cross? Why not worship HIM?

It is true that human beings want someone to “look up to.” But we are guilty of IDOLATRY when we PERVERT this desire to worship, using it to idolize or sometimes even to shout and scream and stand in awe of degenerate, God—rejecting men and women.

Rather, we all need to redirect this hero worship, including the awe and sense of EXCITEMENT it sometimes engenders, and rather worship the most truly “exciting” Personality in the entire universe—Almighty God! We need to picture how God “flung Out the stars” across the blackness of space, how He made this earth, put man upon it and made us in His image to be His full sons—literal brothers of Jesus Christ forever (Romans 8:29)! We need to appreciate every beautiful sunrise and sunset, every moving work of music, art or literature, every beautiful human being and the talents and love they possess—and realize that they all came from GOD! And He has a lot more in store for us!

We need to constantly thank and praise God for every good gift and for His help and blessing in every situation (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Instead of losing control in our enthusiasm for sports figures, rock stars or any other human “idols,” let us unashamedly pour out our WHOLE BEING in thanking, praising and WORSHIPING the God who made us and who gives us life and breath. This is the God who FORGIVES us time and time and time again, who guides and blesses us, and who in the end—plans to share His ETERNAL GLORY with us if we will only respond and learn to love Him as He loves us!

Key #12—Pray in the Name of Jesus Christ

In ancient Israel, the high priest ALONE was allowed to go into the Most Holy Place of the tabernacle or temple—which pictured entering into the direct presence of God. And even he was commanded to go there ONLY once a year—on the Day of Atonement (cf. Leviticus 16). With this sole exception on but one single day, anyone entering this sacred room would be immediately put to death by God Himself! Likewise, mankind, as a whole, has been cut off from direct contact with God.

But today, because Jesus of Nazareth died for our sins, true Christians have direct access to the Father. Instead of fearing DEATH in coming before God, we are rather instructed: “Let us therefore come BOLDLY to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need”! (Hebrews 4:16).

Through the “name”—the office and authority of Jesus Christ—we can directly approach God in prayer and worship. We do not need any human priest as a kind of intercessor. For we already have the greatest High Priest—Jesus Christ (v. 14). And He taught His true followers: “Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you. Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full” (John 16:23-24).

Of course, many misuse the name of Christ. For, citing Isaiah, Jesus described the religious leaders of His day: “IN VAIN they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men” (Matthew 15:9). Again Jesus said: “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46).

To truly and correctly use Jesus’ name, we must OBEY Him and ask according to His will. Remember that in the Sermon on the Mount, Christ warned: “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!”‘ (Matthew 7:21-23).

Frankly, those who teach or practice LAWLESSNESS—preaching that obedience to the Ten Commandments is not necessary—are not AUTHORIZED to use the name of Jesus Christ. For they are teaching and practicing a false Christianity that is completely contrary to EVERYTHING that Jesus lived and died for!

The Apostle John explained: “He who says, ‘I know Him,’ and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him” (1 John 2:4). One does not genuinely “know” God—is not acquainted with God—unless he truly surrenders to let Christ live in him, practicing the Ten Commandments as a WAY OF LIFE. Likewise, you cannot know God unless you are growing, overcoming and experiencing within your own life the very CHARACTER of God that is expressed in these commandments!

Those who do not really know the true God or His way are simply not capable of properly coming before Him in the name of Jesus Christ. However, as we have seen, a merciful God will sometimes even hear the prayers of sinners IF they are sincerely ignorant and IF they turn to Him with all their hearts. But for those who want consistent answers to their prayers, we must serve and obey the true God. As God’s Word tells us: “Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin” (James 4:17).

So as you approach God in heartfelt, regular prayer, be sure you are OBEYING your Lord and Master Jesus Christ. Though He does not expect instant spiritual maturity, He does want us to walk in this way through the help of the Holy Spirit. Then come to the Father through Christ ALONE to make the direct contact of effective prayer. And remember that coming through Christ’s name—that is, through His office or authority—includes most of the other keys to prayer given in this booklet. For coming fully and perfectly in Christ’s name would certainly include praying to the true God, being filled with the Scriptures, obeying God, forgivingothers, having deep faith in God, being persistent and fervent, learning to yield as malleable clay in God’s hands and heartily worshiping and adoring your Creator.

Finally, for your own good, please study and review ALL of these vital keys! Learn to constantly pray to God—communing and walking with Him. Then, as the end of this age approaches and the awesome trials and tests of the full Christian life come upon you—as they surely will—you will know exactly what to do and how to do it. In fact, you will be able to follow Christ’s own footsteps. Since He had cried out to God for strength and courage, He was not afraid when His time had come to die. In fact, as Judas and an entire detachment of troops came to seize Him, Jesus calmly “went forward” and asked them: “Whom are you seeking?” (John 18:4). For Jesus had done what He always did. Earlier, in the Garden of Gethsemane, He had fallen on his face and fervently PRAYED, calling out: “O My Father…” (Matthew 26:39).

God grant that you will learn to pray as Jesus did! For you should now understand how to use one of the most powerful tools in the entire universe. You have now been given real answers to unanswered prayer—12 keys to answered prayer!

Booklet Category

Christian Living

Doctrine

God

Which Day Is The Christian Sabbath?

4uwzvo — Tue, 01 Mar 2022 22:23:03 +0000

Which Day Is The Christian Sabbath?

4uwzvo Tue, 03/01/2022 - 22:23

Which Day Is The Christian Sabbath?

Roderick C. Meredith (1930-2017)

Booklet Media

#Christian Living

#Christianity

#Law of God

#Sabbath

#Ten Commandments

Here is an absolutely VITAL subject that is far more important than most people even begin to realize! It has everything to do with whether or not you really “know” the true God—the Creator. In fact, it directly affects your inheriting everlasting life in His soon-coming Kingdom.

Jesus said that—at the end of this age—only God’s direct intervention would stop man from destroying all human life from this planet. He said, “And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved [alive]; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened” (Matthew 24:22).

As we swiftly approach the END of this present age of man’s rule under the influence of Satan the Devil, it is vitally important that we consider whether or not we are really obeying the God who gives us life and breath. For the Jesus Christ of the Bible taught time and again that “empty faith” is NOT enough! In His concluding remarks in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven” (Matthew 7:21).

In this regard, He asked, “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46). And in a heated discussion with the Pharisees, Jesus quoted Isaiah’s prophecy, saying, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And IN VAIN they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men'” (Mark 7:6-7). Think about that! Jesus clearly stated that it is possible to worship God—and yet worship Him IN VAIN by following the teachings of men! Then Jesus said to them, “All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition” (v. 9).

Clearly then, when the traditions of men conflict with the commandments of God,we face a HUGE problem according to Jesus Christ!

Did you know that your willingness to keep holy the true Sabbath day, which God made holy, directly affects whether or not you will be granted eternal life in the Kingdom of God? Did you know that keeping the true Sabbath is—and always has been—a special “test” commandment in God’s sight?

Which Day Is the Biblical Sabbath?

Jesus Christ taught us, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God” (Luke 4:4). Jesus also made it clear that the Bible does NOT contradict itself. He showed that the teaching of Scripture is consistent. For Jesus said, “the Scripture CANNOT be broken” (John 10:35).

The Apostle Paul expanded on this theme, saying, “ALL Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

If you are willing to BELIEVE these inspired statements, then you will have no problem understanding this vital subject. For the Bible teaches us about God’s true Sabbath day from Genesis to Revelation. In fact, it is one of the clearest and most easily understood subjects in the entire Bible—IF you honestly look at the facts and are not fearful about “what other people think.” Remember that in Jesus’ day many of the religious leaders knew that He was the Christ, but would not confess Him for this very reason: “For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God” (John 12:43).

Do you have the faith and courage to do what God clearly commands—regardless of what others think?

All right. Let’s get down to clear, absolute PROOF regarding the true Sabbath of Almighty God. Let’s assume that you were beginning your search for the true Sabbath on the proverbial desert island and that the only written materials you had managed to preserve after a shipwreck were the Holy Bible and a calendar. If you began your search with a completely open, objective mind, and had perhaps even forgotten the day you had previously observed, which day would you HAVE to keep after such an objective study?

“Sunday,” you say?

“No way!”

WHY? Because the Bible never commands anyone to observe Sunday as a weekly day of worship! Rather, it instructs us to work on that day. In fact, from Genesis to Revelation, many verses in the Bible clearly show that, rather than observing the first day—Sunday—it was the seventh-day Sabbath (from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset) that was kept by all of God’s faithful servants in both Old and New Testament times. And this same seventh-day Sabbath will continue to be observed by Christians on this earth during Christ’s soon-coming 1,000-year rule! (cf. Revelation 20:4-6).

Notice the teaching of Jesus Christ in Mark 2:23-28. Jesus allowed His disciples to pluck heads of grain to eat as they walked through grain fields on the Sabbath. He was challenged on this point by the Pharisees, who had added more than 60 legalistic “dos and don’ts” to the Sabbath—of their own human devising. But Jesus said, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath” (vv. 27-28).

Christ did not say that the Sabbath was made for the Jews—but for “man.” He said the Sabbath (not Sunday) is the day He is “Lord of.” Jesus did not give the slightest hint about abrogating the Sabbath commandment. Rather, He showed both here and in the verses that follow, how to keep the Sabbath in a more meaningful way. Again, Jesus said that the Sabbath was “made for man”—for him to keep—LONG BEFORE the Jewish people even existed.

At this point, let us look at the inspired account of when God made mankind—and subsequently gave man the Sabbath. In Genesis 1:1 we read, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” This original creation may have been billions of years ago. The next verse shows that the earth came to a state of chaos and waste. And the succeeding verses describe how God reformed our planet about 6,000 years ago and created the progenitors of the plant and animal life forms that presently inhabit it. Now notice verse 26: “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.'” So mankind was created in God’s “image.” We were given “dominion” or RULE over all the rest of creation. But how was mankind to keep in contact with his Maker? How were we to remind ourselves that the true God is, in fact, the CREATOR of all that is?

Genesis 2:2-3 begins to provide the answer: “And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God BLESSED the seventh day and sanctified it,because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.”

Notice that God “ended” or completed His work of creation by resting on the seventh day of the week. The word “Sabbath” is derived from the Hebrew word Shabath, which literally means “rest” or “cessation.” God created the Sabbath by resting on this day and ceasing from creating material things. And He “blessed” and “sanctified”—that is, set apart for holy use—this day and no other! By blessing and sanctifying the seventh-day Sabbath, God showed that His presence is IN this day in a very special way. For of all the days of the week, this one ALONE points to Him in a unique way as the true God, the One who created and now governs the entire universe.

Sunday in the New Testament

The word “Sunday” does not even appear in literal Bible translations. We do find the phrase “first day of the week” in the New Testament, but this occurs just eight times. Five of those references (Matthew 28:1; Mark 16:1-2; Mark 16:9; Luke 24:1; John 20:1) describe Mary Magdalene and others coming to the tomb AFTER Christ’s resurrection. As we prove elsewhere in this booklet, Jesus was resurrected Saturday evening—NOT Sunday morning. So those references have nothing to do with observing the day of Christ’s resurrection!

In John 20:19, we read that on “…the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.'” This was not a worship meeting celebrating the resurrection; Scripture tells us that until they saw Him, they did not believe that Christ was risen! (Mark 16:14; Luke 24:27-41).

The book of Acts recounts the development of doctrine and practice in the early Church. Yet the first day of the week is mentioned only once, in Acts 20:7-12. “Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread [i.e. eat a meal], Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight” (v. 7). This was a one-time farewell meeting and meal, not a regular worship service. And when we understand that by biblical reckoning days are from sunset to sunset, we can see that the before-midnight portion of “the first day” is actually on Saturday. This “first day” gathering was a Saturday evening event! And at sunrise Sunday morning, Paul began the hard work of a 20-mile hike (vv. 11-14)—not what one would expect if he considered Sunday his Sabbath day of rest!

In 1 Corinthians 16:2, the Apostle Paul requested: “On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come.” This is no endorsement at all of Sunday worship. Notice that the practice was meant to stop when Paul came to Corinth! And notice that these verses say nothing about gathering for a weekly worship service to do this collection. This was not a collection of money, but of food to assist the poor in Jerusalem, suffering from drought and famine (cf. Romans 15:25-28). Until Paul’s arrival, each individual was asked to “store up” his contributions—surely in his home. Paul knew that the collection would be bulky enough that it would take several people to transport it to Jerusalem (v. 4)—not what one would expect if money were collected.

One more verse that some use to justify calling Sunday the “Lord’s Day” is Revelation 1:10. Here, the Apostle John says, “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day,and I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet.” But this does not refer to worshiping on the first day of the week—or any day of the week, for that matter. Revelation is a “prophecy” (1:3) of end-time events. Clearly, then, the “Lord’s Day” is synonymous with the “Day of the Lord”—a future time, mentioned more than 30 times in Bible prophecy, when God will supernaturally intervene in human affairs, executing punishment on the nations and finally sending Jesus Christ back to this earth to bring world peace at last. John meant that he was carried in vision by God’s Spirit to that time.

But even if this were talking about a day of the week, which day would it be? Remember what Jesus said: “The Son of Man is… Lord of the Sabbath” (Mark 2:28). Also, the preincarnate Christ called the Sabbath “My holy day… the holy day of the Lord” (Isaiah 58:13). And in the fourth commandment, He said, “The seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God” (Exodus 20:10). Obviously, then, the seventh-day Sabbath is not our day. It is—without question—the Lord’s day! Weekly Sunday observance, therefore, has absolutely no biblical foundation.

The Test Commandment

As all Bible students know, the patriarch Abraham was the great-grandfather of Judah—from whom came the “Jews.” Did he keep God’s true Sabbath? Absolutely!For God said, “Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws” (Genesis 26:5).

Succeeding generations of Israelites clearly understood from these verses that Abraham kept the seventh-day Sabbath—the Sabbath that God had “sanctified” at the creation of mankind. And in the New Testament, the Apostle Paul tells us that Abraham is the “father” of the faithful (Romans 4:11, 16).

Many will argue that the Ten Commandments—including the fourth one about keeping the Sabbath holy—were just part of the “Old Covenant” that God made with Israel at Mount Sinai in the days of Moses. These people contend that, because the Old Covenant ended at Christ’s death, the Ten Commandments—with the Sabbath requirement—ended also.

But it was at the beginning of human history that God made the seventh-day Sabbath “holy time.” And about 2,000 years later, Abraham, the father of the faithful, set for us an EXAMPLE of faithfulness by keeping God’s commandments and statutes—obviously including the observance of the Sabbath day. Remember, this was still LONG BEFORE there was any Old Covenant with Israel!

Hundreds of years later, we find Abraham’s descendants being led out of Egyptian slavery by Moses in the Exodus. Several weeks before the Old Covenant was proposed at Mount Sinai, God wanted to remind His people of the true Sabbath, which He had given mankind at creation. In case any of them had forgotten or become mixed up about His Sabbath—which was possible since the Israelites had been in Egyptian slavery for several generations—God gave His people a series of signs to make clear to them which day He had made holy.

Now examine the account in Exodus 16:1-30. The people of Israel were “murmuring” against God because they wanted more food. So God said, “I will… TEST them, whether they will walk in My LAW or not” (v. 4). Interesting. Because this is more proof that God’s law was definitely in effect even BEFORE the giving of the Old Covenant at Mount Sinai!

So God explained that He would perform the following miracle. Every day of the week, except Saturday, a special food from heaven called “manna” would blanket the ground in the morning like dew. The people were to gather it up each morning and eat it that same day. They could not keep it overnight, because that would cause it to breed worms and stink.

But there would be no manna on the ground on Saturdays. What, then, were they to eat on that day? God’s answer: the second phase of His miracle. Every Friday, He would give them a double portion of manna—one portion for that day and another to be kept overnight and eaten on Saturday (v. 23). This would require a third phase of the miracle. God would allow manna collected on Fridays to remain unspoiled overnight, so that it could be eaten on Saturday. From Friday to Saturday was the only time each week they were permitted to keep food overnight—for God was showing them that Friday was the preparation day for the Sabbath.

Thus, God was arranging things so they wouldn’t have to do the work of gathering manna on Saturday—enabling them to rest on the Sabbath, yet still have something to eat that day. “So they laid it up till morning, as Moses commanded; and it did not stink, nor were there any worms in it. Then Moses said, ‘Eat that today, for today is a Sabbath to the Lord; today you will not find it in the field'” (vv. 24-25).

Remember that this was a TEST—to see whether they would follow God’s law or not. So what did the people do?

As human beings so often do, they did NOT take God seriously! Some Israelites went out and tried to find manna even on the Sabbath. “And the Lord said to Moses, ‘How long do you [people] refuse to keep My commandments and My laws? See! For the Lord has given you the Sabbath; therefore He gives you on the sixth day bread for two days. Let every man remain in his place; let no man go out of his place on the seventh day.’ So the people rested on the seventh day” (vv. 28-30).

On this occasion, several weeks before Israel came to Mount Sinai, God began performing a weekly three-phase miracle to show His people WHICH DAY was—and had always been—His holy Sabbath. When some tried to work on that day anyway, the Creator thundered, “How LONG do you refuse to keep My commandments and My laws?”!

Who Gave the Ten Commandments?

The Ten Commandments—including the Sabbath-day requirement—have been in existence since mankind was created. God was simply reminding the people of this important fact.

Next, we come to God’s codifying of the Ten Commandments for His nation of Israel. This was truly an awesome occasion. Thunder roared. Lightning flashed. And the earth SHOOK with the power of the Creator. Then God Himself—not Moses—spoke the Ten Commandments! (Exodus 20:1). Many think that God the Fathergave these commands and that Jesus Christ later came along and did away with them. But Jesus told the Jews that they had “neither heard [the Father’s] voice at any time, nor seen His form” (John 5:37).

So just who was this God with Israel in the Sinai wilderness? He was often called the “Rock” of Israel (Deuteronomy 32:4, 15, 31; Psalm 18:2, 31, 46, etc.). In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul was inspired to write about Him. He says the Israelites “all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was CHRIST”! (1 Corinthians 10:4). The Bible makes it abundantly clear that the Person in the Godhead who spoke to ancient Israel was the One who later “emptied” Himself and became Jesus Christ!

During His human lifetime, Jesus told the belligerent Pharisees, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM” (John 8:58). Many respected Bible commentaries acknowledge that in this verse Jesus is clearly indicating that He was, in fact, the God of Israel now made flesh.

Regarding this phrase, “I AM,” the Expositor’s Bible Commentary states:

“I AM” implies continuous existence, including existence when Abraham appeared. Jesus was, therefore, asserting that at the time of Abraham’s birth, he existed. Furthermore, I AM was recognized by the Jews as a title of deity. When God commissioned Moses to demand from Pharaoh the release of the Israelites, he said, “This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you'” (Exod. 3:14). [One scholar] states that “the phrase harbors within itself the most authentic, the most audacious, and the most profound affirmation by Jesus of who he was” [vol. 9, p. 99].

Yes, Jesus Christ was certainly the God of the Old Testament—the “Word,” as the first chapter of John’s Gospel calls Him, who spoke on His Father’s behalf (To learn more about this subject, please write for our free booklet, The Real God). The Bible also shows that Christ was the One through whom God created all things (John 1:1-3, 14; Ephesians 3:9; Colossians 1:16-17; Hebrews 1:2-3). This means that Jesus Christ is the One who originally created the Sabbath by resting on the seventh day!No wonder He is Lord of that day, as we have seen from Mark 2:28. For He MADE the Sabbath!

We can now see that it was Christ’s own voice that SHOOK the mountains as He set forth the great spiritual LAW of God. As we have noted, that law had existed even from creation. But the Israelites had been in slavery, and no doubt their knowledge of the law and the Great God behind that law had become foggy over the centuries. So now God—in the person of the “Word,” Jesus Christ—spoke that law and then inscribed it on tablets of stone (Exodus 31:18; 34:1).

Near the middle of that law—with more space devoted to it than any other—is the fourth commandment, in which God reminded Israel again to keep the seventh-day Sabbath: “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your manservant, nor your maidservant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it” (Exodus 20:8-11).

Notice that God said to “remember” the Sabbath. They had already been instructed about the Sabbath from creation and again in Exodus 16—as we have seen. Then God said to “keep” it holy. You cannot keep cold water hot! Likewise, the Sabbath had to have been made holy or Israel could not have kept it that way! Only GOD can make something “holy”—in this case, a period of time. And, as we shall see, the seventh day is the ONLY weekly period of time that God has ever “sanctified” or set apart as holy time.

In verse 11, God reminds us that the Sabbath points to creation. After God had spent six days creating, He “rested” on the seventh day. “Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.” Again, no other day of the week has been blessed by God—that is, had His divine favor put upon it—in this way.

But wasn’t the Sabbath a part of the Jewish sacrificial or ceremonial law that was done away? Some theologians try to contrive arguments along these lines. But if you will just study your own Bible, it is easy to see through this false reasoning. Note that in Exodus 20, NOTHING is said about animal sacrifices, washings or any ceremonial duties being connected with the Sabbath (cf. Jeremiah 7:22-23). For, as the inspired account in Deuteronomy tells us, the Ten Commandments stood ALONE as the great spiritual law of God. As Moses reminded the people, “these words the Lord spoke to all your assembly, in the mountain from the midst of the fire, the cloud, and the thick darkness, with a loud voice; and HE ADDED NO MORE. And He wrote them on two tablets of stone and gave them to me” (Deuteronomy 5:22).

A Sign Between God and His People

Later, God-again in the person of Jesus Christ-made a special covenant with Israel concerning the Sabbath. God said, “Speak also to the children of Israel, saying: ‘Surely My Sabbaths you shall keep, for it is a SIGN between Me and you throughout your generations, THAT YOU MAY KNOW that I am the Lord who sanctifies you'” (Exodus 31:13).

The emphasis here is that we “know” the true God who sets us apart if we keep the “sign” of His Sabbath, which points to Him as the CREATOR.

The preincarnate Jesus continued, “Therefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations as a PERPETUAL covenant. It is a SIGN between Me and the children of Israel FOREVER, for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed” (vv. 16-17).

A “mark” or “brand” is something that is usually forced on a person or animal. But a “sign” is something voluntarily displayed, such as a sign that reads “Jones & Sons” outside a business establishment. In the case of the Sabbath, it points out who God’s faithful people are. They have surrendered to God and are willing to display the “sign” of the Creator by keeping holy the only day of the week God ever made that way. And to the faithful themselves, it is a constant reminder that they do NOT worship “gods” of wood and stone, or figments of human imagination, but the very CREATOR who made all the wood and stone-and even the human mind, which often tries to abandon the Creator and come up with its own concept of “god.”

Notice especially that the Sabbath was to be kept by the Israelites as a “perpetual covenant” between them and God “forever”! Do we find ANY evidence whatever that Israelites who became Christians were to forsake that sacred covenant and start keeping another day? Does God have a double standard when it comes to which day to keep as the Sabbath?

No. Rather, according to Paul, Gentile Christians were to be “grafted” into Israel and become spiritual Israelites (cf. Romans 11:17, 24; Galatians 3:28-29). This same Apostle was inspired to state very clearly, “For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God” (Romans 2:28-29). For these reasons, Paul called the New Testament Church the “Israel of God” (Galatians 6:16).

So truly converted Gentiles become part of spiritual Israel and must also obey the Ten Commandments-the great spiritual LAW of the Creator. Certainly they must also obey the terms of the “perpetual” Sabbath covenant that the preincarnate Jesus made with Israel. It is a sign between Jesus Christ and His people FOREVER!

In Isaiah 56, we find a remarkable prophecy set right in the midst of END-TIME prophecies-many of which refer to the years just ahead of us. In this setting, God gives this pointed instruction to men and women of ALL nations: “Blessed is the man who does this, and the son of man who lays hold on it; who keeps from defiling the Sabbath, and keeps his hand from doing any evil” (v. 2).

A few verses later, God instructs the Gentiles or foreigners to keep His Sabbath and describes the BLESSINGS that would come from doing so: “Also the sons of the foreigner who join themselves to the Lord, to serve Him, and to love the name of the Lord, to be His servants-everyone who keeps from defiling the Sabbath, and holds fast My covenant-even them I will bring to My holy mountain, and make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on My altar; for My house shall be called a house of prayer for ALL NATIONS” (vv. 6-7).

As Jesus said, the Sabbath was made for “man”-that is, for ALL mankind. Now notice how Jesus and the Apostles continually kept the seventh-day Sabbath-the same day that all the Jews around them were keeping.

Example of Jesus Christ

God tells us time and again that Christ was the “light”-the EXAMPLE of how we ought to live. It is amazing how many professing Christian ministers will give lip service to this statement, yet “reason” and argue, argue, ARGUE against following Christ’s perfect example in Sabbath-keeping and other acts of obedience to God’s law!

Speaking of Jesus, the Gospel of John tells us, “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it” (John 1:4-5). Do most religionists today really comprehend that “light” any more than they did in Jesus’ own day?

Later, Christ said, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life” (John 8:12). What did He mean by this term-“follows Me”? Can a person reject Jesus’ teaching, refuse to follow His example and the entire way of life He exemplified, and still claim to be His “follower”? In 1 Peter 2:21-22, God inspired Peter to instruct us, “For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an EXAMPLE, that you should follow His steps: ‘who committed no sin, nor was guile found in His mouth.'”

Yes, in all things Christ set us an example! The Apostle Paul echoes this theme, telling the Corinthians, “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1). So we are to “imitate” Jesus Christ-not just loosely “follow” Him according to our own human reasoning.

The Apostle John stated, near the very end of his life, that “he who says he abides in [Christ] ought himself also to walk just as He walked” (1 John 2:6). The New English Bible translates this verse thus: “Here is the test by which we can make sure that we are in Him: whoever claims to be dwelling in Him, binds himself to LIVE as Christ Himself lived.”

And how did Jesus Christ live? The Sermon on the Mount is usually regarded as the very ESSENCE of His teaching. Here Jesus stated, “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill [i.e. fill to the fullest]. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away [and they still have not!], one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. Whoever therefore breaks one of the LEAST of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven”(Matthew 5:17-19).

Jesus did not come to do away with the Ten Commandments that He had previously delivered from the Father in the Old Testament. Rather, He came to give full expression to them-to show their real spiritual intent. In fact, He made them even more binding. For example, Jesus explained that the seventh commandment against adultery prohibited more than just having sexual relations with someone other than your spouse. It even forbade lusting after others in your mind (vv. 27-28). And as we’ve just seen, He also said that in order to be called “great” in His coming Kingdom, men must “do and teach” even the least of God’s commandments. How much more vital is it that we do and teach the very TEST commandment, which points to the true GOD-the Creator!

Now many say that Christ broke the Sabbath Himself. But that is completely false! The Bible says that He was “without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). And “sin IS the transgression of the law” (1 John 3:4, KJV). So we know that Jesus never transgressed God’s law-including the fourth commandment about keeping the Sabbath holy. If Jesus had broken the Sabbath, He would have earned the wages of sin-death (Romans 6:23)-and could not have become our Savior. It is clear, then, that Jesus never broke even the least of God’s commandments-nor taught men so. On the contrary, He said, “I have KEPT My Father’s commandments” (John 15:10).

Furthermore, at the very beginning of His ministry, Jesus set the standard for what would be His lifelong example: “So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His CUSTOM was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read” (Luke 4:16). Again, in Luke 13:10, we read, “Now He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath.” Certainly, then, we should follow Christ’s example in keeping the same Sabbath day He kept! And which day was this Sabbath? Why, the very same one the Jews around Him were keeping, of course-Saturday.

Actually, God’s Sabbath-as the Jewish people understood then and now-was to be observed from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset. In fact, all the days on God’s calendar are from sunset to sunset-nighttime followed by daytime (cf. Leviticus 23:32; Genesis 1:5-31). God did NOT have His days begin and end in the middle of the night as calculated by a man-made clock! In fact, they had no such clocks back then. But they did have God’s BIG “clock” in the sky-the sun. And they had the stars, by which ALL man-made calendars need to be adjusted, even today. For in the beginning, God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years” (v. 14). So, when we keep holy the days that God made holy, we find that they are based on His very creation-with its heavenly bodies marking time-which points to Him, the CREATOR of all that is!

Incidentally, the fact that Christ kept the same Sabbath as the Jews shows that the correct day had not been lost in the remote past, as some today will argue. Remember that the preincarnate Christ had made a big deal about reminding the Israelites of the correct Sabbath day following their enslavement in Egypt. Wouldn’t He have kept it on the right day during His human life-even if the Jews had been wrong about it? Of course! But they were not wrong. Christ was Lord of the day that the Jews kept as the Sabbath! (cf. Mark 2). And from that time until now, the seven-day week has remained unaltered.

How can we be sure? The Jews continued to observe the Sabbath-even after they were scattered. If the weekly cycle had been lost, Jews in one area of the world would be keeping a particular day while Jews elsewhere kept other days. But what do we find? In every nation in which the Jews have been scattered, they are unanimous in keeping the SAME DAY-Saturday! Thus, Saturday is still the seventh day of the weekly cycle that began at creation.

Christ and Disciples-Sabbath-Breakers?

We have seen that Jesus quite obviously kept God’s holy Sabbath day, though some today say otherwise. The Pharisees did accuse Him of breaking it, as in Mark 2 where Jesus’ disciples picked heads of grain to eat when they were hungry on the Sabbath. But this was NOT a transgression of the Sabbath. It was only a violation of the legalistic restrictions the scribes and Pharisees had added to the Sabbath.

Why had these men done this? Well, for one thing, under the Old Covenant, the penalty for Sabbath-breaking was death by stoning (Exodus 31:15; Numbers 15:32-35). It was that serious! Moreover, Sabbath-breaking and idolatry were singled out by God as two of the major sins for which He had caused Israel and Judah to be taken into national captivity and slavery centuries earlier-and, according to prophecy, would do so again (cf. Nehemiah 13:17-18; Ezekiel 20:10-25; 22:6-23:47). And so, as they did with most points of God’s law, the scribes and Pharisees went into the opposite ditch and began legislating, in extremely minute detail, everything that was permissible or not permissible to do on the Sabbath. As noted earlier, they added to God’s commandment-attaching more than 60 specific requirements or restrictions. In so doing, they made God’s weekly Holy Day a great burden-which it was never meant to be (cf. 1 John 5:3). For instance, according to them, you could only walk so many steps at a time on the Sabbath before having to sit down and rest. Yet God’s law says no such thing.

Of course, it was the responsibility of each individual to make sure that he wasn’t overexerting himself on the Sabbath to the point that his actions would have qualified as work. If Jesus had not been present with His disciples, it would simply have been a personal judgment call for them. But Christ was there as a perfect Judge-God in the flesh and Lord of the Sabbath. And He made it very clear that the scribes and Pharisees were wrong! Picking a few heads of grain and eating them simply does not violate the Sabbath command. On the other hand, if the disciples had been harvesting, that would have been a different matter. But they weren’t. They were just grabbing a bite to eat!

However, some will persist, surely the Sabbath was done away upon Jesus’ death. But was it? Did His disciples think so? Notice that after Christ’s burial, some of His most dedicated followers decided to better prepare His body so it wouldn’t decay so quickly in the grave. “Then they returned [home] and prepared spices and fragrant oils. And they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment” (Luke 23:56). Luke was inspired by the Holy Spirit to write here that these dedicated women kept the Sabbath “according to the commandment”! Even after Jesus’ death-even after EVERYTHING that was going to be “nailed to the cross” already had been-God’s Sabbath commandment still stood inviolate!

Were Christ’s disciples substituting Sunday for the Sabbath at this time? We just saw that they refrained from doing work on the Sabbath. But notice the very next verses: “Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb” (24:1-2). Now, on Sunday, they had come to do work. Obviously, the Sabbath they had kept holy was the previous day-Saturday.

After His resurrection, did Jesus in some way indicate that His former teaching had been “done away” or “nailed to the cross”? No-not in ANY WAY! Rather, Jesus instructed His disciples to go out over the whole earth and teach these same things-even to the END of this age. “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe ALL THINGS that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:18-20).

Was Jesus Resurrected on Sunday?

If you visit a mainstream Christian church and ask members why the day on which they and other people attend worship services is Sunday, a typical response might be that Jesus was resurrected on that day. But how well does this idea bear up under close scrutiny?

Notice what Christ told the Pharisees, who were looking for a sign of the Messiah: “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and NO SIGN will be given to it EXCEPT the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (Matt. 12:39-40).

The only sign Jesus gave to prove He was the Messiah was that the grave would only hold Him for a limited amount of time-exactly “three days and three nights” (or 72 hours). But the Easter Sunday tradition maintains that Christ was buried just before sunset on “Good Friday” afternoon and resurrected early Sunday morning-only two nights and one day (or 36 hours)!

Some will argue the definition of “day.” But Christ clearly stated that there are 12 hours in a day, not including the night (John 11:9-10). Therefore, when Easter Sunday proponents take His remark and conclude that Christ was in the grave three days x 12 hours = 36 hours, we can see that they are leaving out the “three nights.” There are approximately 12 hours of daytime and 12 hours of nighttime in one 24-hour day! So three days and three nights is definitely 72 hours. But was it exactly 72 hours? Jesus said He would rise “AFTER three days” (Mark 8:31)-i.e. no less than 72 hours. But He also said He would rise “IN three days” (John 2:19, 21)-i.e. no more than 72 hours. This is absolutely clear-72 hours exactly! And God is always right on schedule.

Also consider that, when the women came to His tomb Sunday morning, “it was still dark” (John 20:1) and He had already risen. How could this be? The Sunday-resurrection proponents contend that He had risen just moments before. If they are correct, then “three days and three nights” earlier would be just before sunrise on Thursday morning. Yet no one believes Christ was buried on Thursday morning-or any morning for that matter-and with good reason. When Joseph of Arimathea laid Christ’s body in the tomb, “the Sabbath drew near” (Luke 23:50-54). Biblical days, including Sabbaths, begin at sunset and end the following sunset (cf. Genesis 1:5-31; Leviticus 23:32)-a nighttime period followed by a daytime period.

Christ, then, was buried in late afternoon-before a particular Sabbath began at sunset. Three days and three nights later would be the same time of day-late afternoon! Now we have another problem. If we assume that Christ was buried on Friday afternoon, as the Good Friday tradition asserts, then His resurrection-72 hours later-would be Monday afternoon. Yet no one believes this either-again, with good reason. For remember that Christ had already risen before the women came to His tomb prior to daybreak Sunday morning! What, then, is the answer?

Why have so many thought that Christ was put in the grave on Friday afternoon? Mark 15:42 states that “it was the Preparation Day, that is, the day before the Sabbath.” Since the weekly Sabbath always occurred on the seventh day of the week (now called Saturday), the “Preparation Day” was normally on Friday. However, we have already seen the problem with this. The answer to the apparent dilemma is that the weekly Sabbath is not the only Sabbath mentioned in the Bible. Leviticus 23 lists seven annual Holy Days that occur in God’s Festivals. Each of these days was considered a Sabbath (or a “rest” from normal labor). All annual Sabbaths or “High Days” (except Pentecost) fell on particular calendar dates rather than set days of the week.

Now the mystery can be solved by reading John 19:31. The Jews wanted to remove the crucifixion victims “because it was the Preparation Day, that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a HIGH DAY).” Christ kept the Passover with His disciples the night before His death (Luke 22:15). He died on the cross the next afternoon, which was still Passover (the 14th of Abib or Nisan according to the Hebrew Calendar-Leviticus 23:5). Leviticus 23:6-7 reports that the next day, beginning the evening after His crucifixion, was not a weeklySabbath, but an annual Sabbath-the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

Now put together the facts. It is clear from the Bible that Christ died and was buried on Passover afternoon-and that the following day was an annual Sabbath. It is also clear that he was resurrected at the same time of day-late afternoon. But whichafternoon? Since the women found Him already gone Sunday morning, it would be sensible to conclude that He had been resurrected the previous afternoon on Saturday! This would mean He had been buried three days and three nights earlier-Wednesday afternoon. It would also mean that Passover, Nisan 14, fell on a Wednesday that year. And, indeed, that is what happened in A.D. 31, a year that fits the time frame the Bible demands.

Scripture also provides further proof that there were TWO Sabbaths that week-an annual and a weekly one. In Mark 15:47, Mary Magdalene and her companion watched Joseph of Arimathea lay Jesus in the tomb near the end of the Passover. The next verse, Mark 16:1, tells us that after the “Sabbath,” Mary Magdalene and her companions bought spices with which to anoint Christ’s dead body. However, Luke 23:56 shows that they prepared the spices before the Sabbath. Naturally, they couldn’t have prepared spices before they were even bought! The only explanation that makes sense is that they bought the spices on Friday and prepared them the same day-after the annual Sabbath on Thursday and before the weekly Sabbath on Saturday! Then they rested on the weekly Sabbath-at the end of which Jesus was resurrected. The next morning, Sunday, they came to the tomb before sunrise and found him already gone.

But some will point out Mark 16:9, which says, “Now when He rose early on the first day of the week….” Yet how can this be? To understand, we should read the verse in the original King James Version and continue further in the sentence: “Now when Jesus was risen [the perfect tense is correct here-He was already risen] early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene.” He was not “rising” on Sunday morning. As we’ve seen, He rose Saturday afternoon. So early Sunday morning, He was already “risen.” Also realize that in the original Greek there was no punctuation. Had the King James translators simply put a comma after the word “risen” and not after “week,” this would make complete sense. The Centenary Translation renders it this way: “Now after his resurrection, early on the first day of the week he appeared first to Mary Magdalene.”

To conclude, a Sunday morning resurrection could not be the reason for changing the weekly day of worship from Saturday to Sunday. But even if Christ wereresurrected on Sunday, why would His disciples-who had kept the seventh-day Sabbath with Him-have abandoned His example of keeping the Ten Commandments and switched to Sunday-keeping? And why would they have picked Sunday, a day already associated with pagan sun worship? But the Bible is very clear that Christ was NOT resurrected on Sunday morning. So this pitiful attempt to CHANGE God’s Law does not hold water!

Practice of the Original Apostles

Throughout the book of Acts, we find that the Apostles continued to observe the Sabbath regularly. They did this with Jews as well as with Gentiles, and-guided by the Holy Spirit-the entire early New Testament Church continued to meet on the seventh-day Sabbath for decades after Jesus’ death. Even mainline Protestant historians acknowledge this fact. In his book, The Story of the Christian Church,Jesse Lyman Hurlbut states, “As long as the church was mainly Jewish, the Hebrew sabbath was kept; but as it became increasingly Gentile the first day gradually took the place of the seventh day” (1970, p. 36).

Notice that Hurlbut says the first day “gradually” replaced the seventh-day Sabbath. Did God gradually do away with His law? Ridiculous! As we shall see later, conniving me “gradually” DECEIVED millions of professing Christians into doing away with not only the Sabbath, but the entire concept of obedience to God’s law!

However, no such change took place during the lifetime of Christ’s original Apostles. Even the Apostle Paul-the Apostle to the Gentiles-kept the Sabbath regularly. And he wasn’t even converted to Christianity until well after Christ’s resurrection. Notice the account of Paul and Barnabas in Acts 13:14: “But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and sat down.”

“But,” some might argue, “Paul was just meeting with the Jews on Saturday since that was their Sabbath!” However, the book of Acts tells us that “when the Jews went out of the synagogue, the Gentiles begged that these words might be preached to them the next Sabbath” (13:42). Here was Paul’s grand opportunity to inform the Gentiles that they would now meet on Sunday! But did he? On the contrary! “The next Sabbath almost the whole city came together to hear the word of God” (v. 44).

The truth of the matter is that neither Paul nor ANY of the Apostles uttered one single word about changing God’s holy Sabbath or any part of the Ten Commandments. Rather, as they had been taught by Christ Himself, they kept, and always assembled on, the seventh day.

What about when Paul traveled through predominately Gentile areas? God’s Word tells us, “Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. Then Paul, as his CUSTOM was, went in to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures” (17:1-2).

It was clearly Paul’s “custom” to meet on the Sabbath. Acts 18:4 tells us that “he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and persuaded both Jews and Greeks.” In example after example in the book of Acts, when Paul or the other Apostles met to worship, there is not a single, solitary hint that they ever regularly met on any other day of the week to worship except Saturday-the seventh-day Sabbath that they had always observed and that the Jewish community was still observing.

In fact, if they had started teaching some other weekly day of worship, it would have caused a literal RIOT among the Jewish Christians! The only major ministerial conference mentioned in the New Testament is described in Acts 15. It was occasioned by a bitter controversy over whether Gentile Christians should be compelled to be circumcised. The book of Acts notes the incident that sparked this conference: “And certain men came down from Judea and taught the brethren, ‘Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.’ Therefore, when Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and dispute with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas and certain others of them should go up to Jerusalem, to the Apostles and elders, about this question” (vv. 1-2).

At the conference in Jerusalem, after there had been “much dispute,” Peter rose up and carefully explained how God had called the Gentile Christians through him apart from any command to be physically circumcised. Afterward, Paul and Barnabas described the fruits of their Work among the Gentiles, without circumcision being involved. Then James, the presiding Apostle at Jerusalem, summarized the matter and stated, “Therefore I judge that we should not trouble those from among the Gentiles who are turning to God, but that we write to them to abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from things strangled, and from blood”(vv.19-20). Finally, a letter was drafted, outlining this landmark decision and the reasons for it (vv. 22-29). Paul took a copy of this letter with its decrees and read it to all of the Churches under his jurisdiction (16:1-5).

Some will argue that the four prohibitions mentioned here are the only laws from the Old Testament still binding on Christians. But notice that murder is not listed. Are we, then, free to commit murder? Obviously not! So why are these points specifically mentioned? Because the four things Christians are to abstain from here are practices that were common to pagan religion. In sacrificing to their idols, many pagans would strangle animals rather than slitting their throats and letting the blood drain from them. Then they would eat these offerings and commit gross sexual immorality as religious ritual. The prohibitions in Acts 15 were originally part of God’s statutory law. But they were also listed later with the ceremonies and rituals of the Levitical worship system to keep the Israelites from adopting these wrong practices (cf. Leviticus 17:7, 10; Numbers 25:1-3). The Apostles wanted it understood that, although the ceremonial and ritual parts of the Old Testament law-including physical circumcision-were no longer necessary, these four points that were given in the ceremonial section of the law were still binding. And why were they still binding? Because they were part of God’s original law-which was still in force!

Bear in mind that this great controversy and subsequent apostolic conference took place over the ordinance of physical circumcision. How much MORE of a debate would have raged if the Apostles had tried to change or do away with one of the Ten Commandments-especially the one about God’s weekly Sabbath, the very identifying “sign” of God’s people?! There would have been an absolute UPROAR. But do we find even the slightest hint of a dispute over any such change?

We do NOT!

As the expression goes,” the silence on the subject is DEAFENING.” There was no such change until scores or even hundreds of years after the death of the original Apostles! So neither Jesus nor the apostolic Church EVER attempted to change the Sabbath. They never attempted to do away with obedience to ANY of the Ten Commandments!

Later Apostolic Teaching

Many Protestant theologians have been schooled in the theory of “progressive revelation.” But we will see that this theory is nothing less than a complete perversion of the truth. It conveys the idea that the ancient prophets were simply Hebrew philosophers trying to devise their own concept of a divine being. Then along comes Jesus, a Jewish carpenter-heavily influenced by the religion and morals of His time-living and teaching under the Old Covenant. Jesus’ original Apostles, according to this theory, were, likewise, unsophisticated, backward and didn’t really “understand.”

Then comes the Apostle Paul-the “liberator,” as the theory goes-and things begin to get better. For Paul is said to be willing to “break out” of the Jewish mold and introduce modern Christianity-Gentile Christianity-which would be more acceptable to the world at large.

The trouble with the above theory is that it is GROSSLY INACCURATE! For it attempts to completely negate Jesus’ own command, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by EVERY WORD of God” (Luke 4:4). And we must remember that aside from the life and teaching of Jesus Himself, the only Word of God available to humanity when He made this pronouncement was the Old Testament. This fact poses a major problem for these progressive theologians. For both the Old Testament prophets and Jesus Christ very clearly taught OBEDIENCE to the Ten Commandments-including seventh-day Sabbath observance. Even many Protestant theologians acknowledge that Jesus taught and kept the Sabbath day.

And what the “progressive revelation” teachers also cannot explain is that the original apostolic writings very directly and very powerfully uphold the concept of obeying the Ten Commandments as the Christian way of life-once again, including keeping God’s Sabbath.

James, the brother of Jesus Christ, who became the presiding Apostle at Jerusalem, wrote, “For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. For He who said, ‘Do not commit adultery,’ also said, ‘Do not murder.’ Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty” (James 2:10-12). So true Christians are to keep the “whole law.” It is a law with “points”-including the commands against murder and adultery. Clearly, this law is the Ten Commandments. And James said that if we “stumble” in failing to keep even one point of this law-obviously including the Sabbath-we are “guilty of ALL”!

John, the Apostle “Jesus loved,” also wrote about God’s law-near the END of the apostolic age. If anyone were to give us a new “progressive” teaching, it would be him. So what “progressive revelation,” then, did John give us? He was inspired by God to write, “Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, ‘I know Him,’ and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him” (1 John 2:3-4).

A person may know about God by coming to understand only part of the Truth. But to genuinely and personally “know” Him, John says that we must experience God’s way of life by KEEPING His commandments! For God’s kind of love-His very natureand character-is revealed in the Ten Commandments. Again, as John wrote, God’s very LOVE is expressed in the Ten Commandments: “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome” (5:3). And anyone who fails to literally keep the Ten Commandments-not perfectly, of course, but as a way of life-is DISOBEYING his Creator and in fact does not really “know” God!

What about Paul? Did he dismiss God’s law? By no means! In Romans 2:13, he wrote, “For not the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God, but the DOERS of the law will be justified.” And in 1 Corinthians 7:19, he stated, “Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing, but keeping the commandments of God is what matters.” Again, this certainly includes the fourth commandment concerning the Sabbath!

Furthermore, the Apostle Paul is traditionally understood to have written the book of Hebrews-and there is strong evidence to support that tradition. Because of his rabbinic training in the technical intricacies of the Mosaic law, he was undoubtedly the most qualified of all the Apostles to thoroughly explain the New Covenant that God is making with all humanity-the very theme of Hebrews. After this book describes how God spoke of the “seventh day” as the day of rest (4:4), it goes on to state, “There remains therefore a Sabbath rest for the people of God” (v. 9, NASB).

This is a very interesting passage. Chapters 3 and 4 of Hebrews talk about God’s people entering into “rest.” The Israelites in the wilderness wanted to enter God’s “rest”-meaning to finally cease from wandering and settle in the Promised Land. And that did happen in the days of Moses’ successor, Joshua. Yet also mentioned here is the fact that the Eternal God later inspired King David to write of entering God’s rest as something still future. Hebrews states, “For if Joshua had given them rest, then He would not afterward have spoken of another day” (4:8). This is obviously speaking of the coming Millennium, or 1,000-year period, of Christ’s rule on earth-since the future Kingdom of God is the “Promised Land” for true Christians.

It is in this context that Hebrews talks about a Sabbath rest remaining for God’s people. In almost every case in chapters 3 and 4, the Greek word for physical rest-katapausin-is used for God’s rest. But in verse 9, God inspired a different word to be used-sabbatismos. Many translations render it simply as “rest,” just like they do katapausin. But that is confusing, since it is, in fact, a different word. The New American Standard Bible, quoted above, uses “Sabbath rest.” But does this mean literal, weekly Sabbath-keeping? The Anchor Bible Dictionary says yes, assuring us that sabbatismos refers to “seventh day Sabbath celebration.” Thus, the New Testament states very clearly that seventh-day Sabbath-keeping is to continue for true Christians.

However, some argue that this means we should just rest from our sinful works in our new life in Jesus. But notice what is added in the next verse: “For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.” Did God “rest” from His work of SIN? Of course not. He rested from CREATING-His occupational work as the Creator. And on what day did God “rest”-setting us the example? “God rested on the seventh day from all His works” (v. 4). And so must we.

However, the context of these verses does show that the Sabbath is more than just a memorial of creation. It is indeed a physical TYPE of something else-and we should observe it as such. But that something is NOT primarily the Christian life in this age. It is, rather, our life in the future millennial rest of TOMORROW’S WORLD-when Jesus Christ sets up the Kingdom of God over the entire earth.

Notice what the Commentary on the Whole Bible by Jamieson, Fausset & Brown has to say about Hebrews 4:9: “This verse indirectly establishes the obligation of the Sabbath still; for the type continues until the antitype supersedes it.” As the coming millennial Sabbath “will not be till Christ… comes…, the typical earthly Sabbath must continue till then.” Yet, as we will later see, even in Tomorrow’s World human beings will continue to keep God’s weekly Sabbath holy.

How clear! Here in the book of Hebrews we find a direct New Testament commandfor Christians to “rest” on the seventh-day Sabbath! It was probably given, interestingly enough, through the Apostle to the Gentiles-the very Apostle whom so many Protestant theologians insist “did away” with God’s law!

This section in Hebrews 4 concludes thus: “Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall after the same example of disobedience” of those in ancient Israel (v. 11). The phrase, “the same example of disobedience,” should resonate deeply with students of the Bible. For, just as Sabbath-breaking and idolatry factored heavily in the Israelites’ national captivity and slavery, these two sins were also major reasons that most of their forefathers died during the 40 years of wandering before inheriting the Promised Land.

Text from Faith of Our Fathers by James Cardinal Gibbons, first published in 1876. This well-known American Catholic leader stated quite clearly that there is no Scriptural authority for changing the day of worship form Saturday to Sunday.

THE FAITH OF OUR FATHERS

Third—A rule of faith, or a competent guide to heaven, must be able to instruct in all the truths necessary for salvation. Now the Scriptures alone do not contain all the truths which a Christian is bound to believe, nor do they explicitly enjoin all the duties which he is obliged to practice. Not to mention other examples, is not, every Christian obliged to scantify Sunday and to abstain on that day from unnecessary servile work? Is not the observance of this law among the most prominent of our sacred duties? But you may read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, and you will not find a single line authorizing the sanctification of Sunday. The Scriptures enforce the religious observance of Saturday, a day which we never sanctify.

The Catholic Church correctly teaches that our Lord and His Apostles inculcated certain important duties of religion which are not recorded by the inspired writers.¹ For instance, most Christians pray to the Holy Ghost, a practice which is nowhere found in the Bible.

We must, therefore, conclude that the Scriptures alone cannot be a sufficient guide and rule of faith because they cannot, at any time, be within the reach of every inquirer; because they are not of themselves clear and intelligible even in matters of the highest importance, and because they do not contain all the truths necessary for salvation.

¹See John xxi.25; II.Thess.Ii.14.

You should read God’s indictment of ancient Israel in Ezekiel 20:10-24. Notice here verses 12-13: Moreover I also gave them My Sabbaths, to be a sign between them and Me, that they might know that I am the Lord who sanctifies them. Yet the house of Israel rebelled against Me in the wilderness; they did not walk in My statutes; they despised My judgments, which, if a man does, he shall live by them; and they greatly defiled My Sabbaths. Then I said I would pour out My fury on them in the wilderness, to consume them.

Therefore, repeating the inspired instruction from the book of Hebrews, let ALL true Christians be careful to NOT follow that “same example of disobedience” by failing to keep holy the only day of the week God made holy-the seventh-day Sabbath!

The Diabolical Transfer

The New Testament very clearly indicates that God’s true Church would be small and persecuted. Jesus instructed His disciples, “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Matthew 7:13-14).

Jesus called His Church the “little flock” (Luke 12:32). And in His Olivet Prophecy, He warned, “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake” (Matthew 24:9). Frankly, “mainstream” Christians are NOT the ones who are going to be “hated by all nations.” Why? Because they fit into the world pretty well, going along with its customs and traditions-and, all too often, with its SINS.

But was there an obedient Church such as Jesus described still in existence after apostolic times-which still faithfully kept God’s true Sabbath day? Yes indeed. In fact, virtually all church historians acknowledge that many thousands of early Christians continued to observe the seventh-day Sabbath for many generations!

We have already seen Jesse Lyman Hurlbut’s statement: “As long as the church was mainly Jewish, the Hebrew sabbath was kept.” But was any biblical writer ever inspired to tell us that the Sabbath was later to be CHANGED?

Of course not.

For the active, living Head of God’s true Church is Jesus Christ. “And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence” (Colossians 1:18; cf. Ephesians 1:22). The book of Hebrews tells us, “Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct. Jesus Christ is the SAME yesterday, today, and forever” (13:7-8).

Indeed, throughout the entire Bible, only one day is set apart as the Sabbath-the seventh day. And that day is Saturday! Here is a quote from James Cardinal Gibbons, who was Archbishop of Baltimore and probably the most well-known American Catholic leader of his time. Observe what this highest-ranking Catholic in America wrote about God’s Sabbath in his famous book, Faith of Our Fathers: “You may read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, and you will not find a single line authorizing the sanctification of Sunday. The Scriptures enforce the religious observance of Saturday, a day which we never sanctify” (1876).

And notice this from The Catholic Mirror-the official newspaper of Gibbons’ archdiocese, under his direction: “In the Old Testament reference is made one hundred and twenty-six times to the Sabbath, and all these texts conspire harmoniously in voicing the will of God, commanding the seventh day to be kept” (Sept. 9, 1893). It then states, “Nor can we imagine anyone foolhardy enough to question the identity of Saturday with the Sabbath or seventh day, seeing that the people of Israel have been keeping the Saturday from the giving of the Law.”

And look at this from a later article under Cardinal Gibbons’ direction: “God’s written word enjoins His worship to be observed on Saturday, absolutely, repeatedly, and most emphatically, with a most positive threat of death to him who disobeys” (Sept. 23, 1893).

How CLEAR can you get? Of course the commandment-keeping, true Church of God would have persisted in keeping His seventh-day Sabbath-from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset!

George Park Fisher, who during his life was a respected professor of ecclesiastical history at Yale University, concurs with Hurlbut in that the early Christians observed the seventh-day Sabbath. Professor Fisher writes, “The Jewish Christians at first frequented the synagogues. They continued to observe the festivals appointed in the law, and only by degrees connected with them Christian ideas and facts. They kept the Sabbath on Saturday, according to the Mosaic commandment”(History of the Christian Church, 1887, p. 40).

So if God’s Sabbath is so clearly established in His Word-and was certainly kept by His Bible-believing Church-then where did Sunday come in? Renowned modern historian Will Durant writes, “The serious temper of the Jewish Sabbath was transferred to the Christian Sunday that replaced it in the second century”(The Story of Civilization, vol. 3, 1972, p. 599).

How did this happen? A Roman Catholic study course tells us that “the [Catholic] Church transferred the obligation from Saturday to Sunday” (Father Smith Instructs Jackson). The Catholic Mirror agrees: “The Catholic Church… by virtue of her Divine mission, changed the day from Saturday to Sunday” (Sept. 23, 1893). In fact, the Catholic Church’s Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome PUBLISHES a book by Dr. Samuele Bacchiocchi, a non-Catholic scholar, which proves this very fact! Its preface is written by Vincenzo Monachino, chairman of the university’s Church History department. He writes:

We [the Roman Catholic Church] GLADLY MENTION the thesis that Bacchiocchi defends regarding the birth-place of Sunday worship: for him this arose most probably not in the primitive Church of Jerusalem,well-known for its profound attachment to Jewish religious traditions, but rather in the Church of Rome. The abandonment of the Sabbath and the adoption of Sunday as the Lord’s Day, are the result of an interplay of Christian, Jewish and PAGAN religious factors [From Sabbath to Sunday: A Historical Investigation of the Rise of Sunday Observance in Early Christianity, 1977, pp. 7-8].

Esteeming One Day Above Another?

Some cite Romans 14:5-6 as proof that it doesn’t matter which day we keep as the Sabbath or whether we keep any day at all. In this passage, the Apostle Paul states, “One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it.” But is this really talking about Sabbath-keeping?

Notice the rest of verse 6: “He who EATS, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who DOES NOT EAT, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks.” What is this about? Romans 14 begins with Paul telling the Christians in Rome to receive those who are “weak in the faith, but not to [enter into] disputes over doubtful things” (v. 1)-i.e. things some we are not sure about. In verse 2, Paul mentions some who would eat only vegetables for various religious reasons-even though the Bible shows in many places that it is acceptable to eat clean meat. For instance, the parable of the prodigal son pictures a righteous father preparing a “fatted calf” to be eaten (Luke 15:23).

In another of Paul’s letters, he explains one particular reason that a number of Christians had become vegetarians. Most of the available meat in the marketplace had been offered to idols. Of this Paul says, “Therefore concerning the eating of things offered to idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no other God but one…. However, there is not in everyone that knowledge; for some, with consciousness of the idol, until now eat it as a thing offered to an idol; and their conscience, being weak, is defiled” (1 Corinthians 8:4, 7).

Some new converts thought that eating such meat was participating in idol worship, but went along with other Christians and did it anyway. That is the worst thing they could have done. For Paul states in Romans 14 that “he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith; for whatever is not from faith is sin” (v. 23). Whether something is inherently wrong or not, if you think it might be and do it anyway, you are sinning!

So to those who thought it was all right to eat meat, Paul said, “Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat” (v. 3). But continuing in the same verse, he said, “And let not him who does not eat judge him who eats; for God has received him.” Yet Paul told those who thought it was okay not to flaunt that in front of those who did not (vv. 15-22).

So why did Paul break from his dissertation on eating or not eating meat by mentioning the esteeming of days? Because it involved the same principle! There were some weak new converts who thought certain days were better than others for fasting or eating or abstaining from particular foods. Others thought all days were the same in regard to what could be eaten.

Christ said that when we fast, it should be to God and without others knowing unnecessarily (Matthew 6:16-18). But Jews and Gentiles both practiced “semifasts” on particular days of the week or month. The Pharisees fasted, according to custom, “twice a week” (Luke 18:12). And the Jews as a people fasted during certain months (Zechariah 7:4-7). However, the Jewish religious authorities were divided on some of these matters. The Gentiles, too, were divided over when and if to abstain from certain foods (cf. Hasting’s Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics).

The only way the Sabbath could have been a factor here is if some thought it could be used as a fast day and others did not. However, that is not stated, and if Paul had been talking about the Sabbath, he probably would have mentioned it by name-just like he did in Colossians 2:16, where Gentile converts to Christianity were being criticized for how they were keeping God’s Sabbath and other Festivals. Whatever the case, the controversy in Romans 14 about esteeming particular days had practically NOTHING to do with God’s Sabbath or His other Holy Days!

No, whether or not to keep the days that GOD made holy was not even at issue. This was all about MAN-made traditions-some of which were okay to follow but notokay to impose on others. In God’s eyes, it doesn’t matter when we fast (except for the Day of Atonement, on which God commands us to fast). What matters to Him is that we do it with a right attitude-and that we do not judge each other according to our personal ideas.

The Right to Change the Day?

Little by little, gradually and stealthily, Satan was able to influence misguided Catholic theologians to begin introducing the ancient “venerable day of the Sun” in place of the weekly Sabbath. After all, millions of pagans had always observed that day-Sunday-as part of their worship of the sun itself and of other heavenly bodies. These deceived theologians thought that a change to Sunday worship would make it easier for the heathen to “convert” to Christianity!

But what kind of “Christianity” is it when you change God’s Ten Commandments and then go on to water down the entire way of life taught by Christ and the original apostolic Church? Is it still true Christianity? Again, we must listen to Jesus’ own words: “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven” (Matthew 7:21).

Under Satan’s deceptive influence, the Protestant churches have followed “mother Rome” in rejecting God’s true Sabbath. Though they repudiated a number of Catholic teachings, the pagan practice of Sunday worship was not one of them. However, many of the early Protestant scholars of the Reformation era were better informed. They, in fact, knew what the Bible actually teaches! Notice what Martin Luther, the very father of the Reformation from whom the Lutheran Church is named, wrote: “Indeed, if Carlstadt [one of the few that argued against Sunday observance] were to write further about the Sabbath, Sunday would have to give way, and the Sabbath-that is to say, Saturday-must be kept holy” (Against the Celestial Prophets). But Luther wouldn’t change back to the right day. He wrote in his Larger Catechism that “to avoid the unnecessary disturbance which an innovation would occasion, [the worship day] should continue to be Sunday”(The New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge, “Sunday”).

This is why the Catholic Church will “gladly mention” that it changed the day! For it shows that the Protestants are not relying on the Bible as their only rule of faith-as they claim-but are instead acknowledging the “authority” of the Roman Church to change God’s law. Here’s how The Catholic Mirror explains it: “The Protestant world at its birth found the Christian Sabbath [Sunday] too strongly entrenched to run counter to its existence; it was therefore placed under the necessity of acquiescing in the arrangement, thus implying the Church’s right to change the day, for over 300 years. The Christian Sabbath [Sunday] is therefore to this day the acknowledged offspring of the Catholic Church… without a word of [protest] from the Protestant world” (Sept. 23, 1893).

Incredible? Yes! Of course, the Catholics had no such “right” to change the day. Nevertheless, that is just what they did. And the Protestant churches have followed suit. Meanwhile, the true Church has continued in keeping the true Sabbath-just as it did in apostolic times. Before concluding, take one more look at that period. Respected scholar W.D. Davies writes:

Everywhere, especially in the East of the Roman Empire, there would be Jewish Christians whose outward way of life would not be markedly different from that of the Jews. They took for granted that the gospel was continuous with [the religion of Moses]; for them the New Covenant, which Jesus had set up at the Last Supper with His disciples… did not mean that the covenant made between God and Israel was no longer in force. They still observed the feasts of Passover, Pentecost and Tabernacles; they also continued to be circumcised, to keep the weekly Sabbath and the Mosaic regulations concerning food. According to some scholars, they must have been so strong that right up to the fall of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 they were the DOMINANT ELEMENT in the Christian movement [Judeo-christianisme,“Paul and Jewish Christianity,”1972, p. 72, quoted by Bacchiocchi, p. 151].

If the Sabbath-keepers were the “dominant element” of Christianity for some 40 years after the death of Christ and the coming of the Holy Spirit, shouldn’t that tell us something? Isn’t it obvious that if Jesus Himself, Peter, James, Paul and MOST of the Christian Church of that time observed the seventh-day Sabbath-then THAT is the day we ALL ought to be keeping? That is the day the original Apostles of Jesus Christ kept until they died. How DARE these later theologians of the Dark Ages place the name of Christ on a day He never kept-NEVER sanctified! How DARE they replace God’s holy Sabbath with the pagan “day of the Sun”-Sunday! How DARE they pervert the very “sign” that identifies the CREATOR and those who worship Him!

Saturday vs. Sunday

Statements from Other Churches

Jesus Christ said of the Pharisees, “‘In vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men…. All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition” (Mark 7:7-9). Yet notice what other churches admit regarding their observance of Sunday instead of Saturday.

ROMAN CATHOLIC

Stephen Keenan, A Doctinal Catechism, p. 174:

“Question: Have you any other way of proving that the Church has power to institute festivals of precept?

“Answer: Had she not such power, she could not have done that in which all modern religionists agree with her—she could not have substituted the observance of Sunday, the first day of the week, for the observance of Saturday, the seventh day, a change for which there is no scriptural authority….

“Question: When Protestants do profane work upon Saturday… do they follow the Scripture as their only rule of faith…?

“Answer: On the contrary, they have only the authority of tradition for this practice. In profaning Saturday, they violate one of God’s commandments, which He has never clearly abrogated, ‘Remember thou keep holy the Sabbath.'”

The Convert’s Catechism of Catholic Doctrine, 3rd ed., p. 50:

“Question: Which is the Sabbath day?

“Answer: Saturday is the Sabbath day.

“Question: Why do we observe Sunday instead of Saturday?

“Answer: We observe Sunday instead of Saturday because the Catholic Church, in the Council of Laodicea [c. 363] transferred the solemnity from Saturday to Sunday.”

Catholic Press, Aug. 25, 1900

“Sunday is a Catholic institution, and… can be defended only on Catholic principles…. From beginning to end of Scripture there is not a single passage that warrants the transfer of weekly public worship from the last day of the week to the first.”

METHODIST

Charles Buck, A Theological Dictionary, “Sabbath”:

“Sabbath in the Hebrew language signifies rest, and is the seventh day of the week… and it must be confessed that there is no law in the New Testament concerning the first day.”

Clovis Chappell, Ten Rules for Living, p. 61:

“The reason we observe the first day instead of the seventh is based on no positive command. One will search the Scriptures in vain for authority for changing from the seventh day to the first.”

PRESBYTERIAN

The Christian at Work”, April 19, 1883, and Jan. 1884:

“Some have tried to build the observance of Sunday upon Apostolic command, whereas the Apostles gave no command on the matter at all…. The truth is, so soon as we appeal to the litera scripta [literal writing] of the Bible, the Sabbatarians have the best of the argument.”

ANGLICAN

Isaac William, D.D., Plain Sermons on the Catechism, vol. 1:

“Where are we told in Scripture that we are to keep the first day at all? We are commanded to keep the seventh; but we are nowhere commanded to keep the first day…. The reason why we keep the first day of the week holy instead of the seventh is for the same reason that we observe many other things, not because the Bible, but because the Church, has enjoined it.”

EPISCOPAL

Philip Carrington, Toronto Daily Star, Oct. 26, 1949:

“The Bible commandment says on the seventh day thou shalt rest. That is Saturday. Nowhere in the Bible is it laid down that worship should be done on Sunday.”

BAPTIST

Harold Lindsell (editor), Christianity Today, Nov. 5, 1976:

“There is nothing in Scripture that requires us to keep Sunday rather than Saturday as a holy day.”

But, under the powerful influence of Satan the Devil, “who deceives the whole world” (Revelation 12:9), they have done it! (To learn more about the change from God’s holy Sabbath to the pagan Sunday, please write for our free booklet, The Beast of Revelation.)

Obviously, then, to really follow what the BIBLE teaches, you MUST observe the seventh-day Sabbath-from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset. But if you are willing to COMPROMISE on the very commandment that points out the true God, then you might very well end up observing the “day of the Sun” right along with the vaunted majority-the countless millions that prophecy shows will soon be subjected to the greatest TRIBULATION in human history because of their rebellion against the true God! (cf. Matthew 24:21-22).

How to KEEP the Sabbath

Just how are we to keep the Sabbath? As we have seen, the scribes and Pharisees tried to legislate, in minute detail, all that was acceptable or unacceptable to do on the Sabbath. In doing so, they made the Sabbath a great BURDEN- something God never intended (cf. 1 John 5:3). He gave the Sabbath and magnified it in other places in His Word with some specifics, but mainly by expounding broad, spiritual principles.

What does God tell us? In the fourth commandment itself, God says, “Six days you shall labor and do all your work” (Exodus 20:9). Many would be surprised to know that this is actually part of the commandment. God ordained the first six days of the week for our business and work. Our Creator intended that we be busy and productive-earning our daily bread. In Proverbs 19:15, He tells us, “Laziness casts one into a deep sleep, and an idle person will suffer hunger” (NKJV, 1988). The person who shirks his responsibilities the first six days of the week is just as guilty of breaking God’s law as he who works on the seventh!

That brings us to the next injunction in this great law: “But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your manservant, nor your maidservant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates” (Exodus 20:10). So you are not to do any kind of real work on the Sabbath-be it your occupation, personal business, housework or any strenuous activity. And neither are those in the environment over which you have control. Of course, preparing-or cleaning up after-a light meal would not be wrong. For we find a number of occasions when Jesus enjoyed a Sabbath meal with others. And He never condemned the practice of hospitality on the Sabbath (cf. Luke 14:1-6).

But cessation of labor is not the only requirement God makes. He also gives positive instruction. In Moses’ recounting of the Ten Commandments, the fourth one begins by enjoining us to “OBSERVE the Sabbath day, to KEEP IT HOLY” (Deuteronomy 5:12). We must look to God to tell us how to do that. Leviticus 23 lists “the feasts of the Lord [not the Jews], which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations.” God says, “These are MY feasts” (v. 2). The first one mentioned is the weekly Sabbath: “Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation. You shall do no work on it; it is the Sabbath of the Lord in all your dwellings” (v. 3). God then lists His seven other Feasts or Festivals, which contain seven annual Sabbaths. These days are also embraced by the spirit of the Sabbath commandment.

God’s Sabbaths-weekly and annual-are to be holy “convocations” and are, therefore, days commanded for worship services. When we fellowship with other people in whom God dwells, we are, in fact, also fellowshipping with Him (cf. 1 John 1:3, 7). The New Testament states that we must make sure we are “not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as [we] see the [millennial Sabbath] Day approaching” (Hebrews 10:25). We must not forsake assembling on the days God has appointed for that purpose.

Finally, to really understand how God intended the Sabbath to be used, look at what He said in Isaiah 58: “If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on My holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight… not doing your own ways, nor finding your own pleasure, nor speaking your own words, then you shall delight yourself in the Lord; and I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth” (vv. 13-14).

So we are not to be doing our own pleasure on God’s Holy Day. That means we aren’t to be pursuing our hobbies or leisure activities. That does not preclude doing any enjoyable things on the Sabbath whatsoever, for we are to find DELIGHT in it. The point is that, whatever we do, God must be an intrinsic part of it. A family walk through a natural setting, for example, is a wonderful way to get in touch with the great God who made the beautiful creation we see.

When the seventh day arrives, we must stop pursuing our “own ways” (the things we normally do), seeking our “own pleasure” (just trying to have fun) and speaking our “own words” (the everyday things we talk about that do not involve God). This last one is often VERY HARD to follow because “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34). To truly keep the Sabbath in the spirit, we must focus our MINDS on God and those things He wants us to be concerned with during His holy time. Then, as God promises, we will be truly blessed.

Furthermore, in addition to worshiping with God’s Church on His weekly Holy Day, we should remember Christ’s approach that “it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath” (Matthew 12:12). So this is a day we can use for making encouraging phone calls or writing letters to the sick, the “shut-ins” or fellow Christians who are lonely. It may also be possible to visit the sick or others in need on the Sabbath-or to have them over for a Friday evening meal (cf. Matthew 25:34-36; James 1:27).

So we should not think of the Sabbath as the day we “can’t do” this or that! Rather, we should approach this very special day as a period when we can and shouldreally TAKE TIME to deeply study and thoughtfully analyze the Bible. It is a time when we can sit quietly, meditating over and thinking through the truly big issues of life: Why were we born? What is the PURPOSE of life? What is the WAY to achieve that purpose? How are we personally doing in moving toward that objective? In addition, the Sabbath is the perfect time for unhurried, thoughtful, heartfelt PRAYER to our Father in heaven-to “commune” with our Creator, to worship Him, to get to know Him intimately. This, then, is how to KEEP God’s Sabbath holy.

Of the Ten Commandments, the fourth one-concerning the Sabbath day-is and always has been the real “test” commandment (cf. Exodus 16:4). Many can accept the other nine-don’t worship other gods, honor your parents, don’t murder, don’t commit adultery, don’t steal, don’t lie, etc. But the fourth commandment is different. To keep it means visibly living quite differently from the society around you-perhaps even being looked upon as odd or weird. Yet Jesus said, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. And whoever does not bear his cross and come after me cannot be My disciple” (Luke 14:26-27, Today’s English Version).

Do you love the “praise of men” more than the praise of God? Or do you have the FAITH and the COURAGE to obey God’s commandments-even if you were to lose your job, your friends and perhaps some of your relatives?

True Christians OBEY The Fourth Commandment

Throughout the Bible, God shows that His true followers keep His commandments. In Revelation 12, God describes the true Church-the little flock-that had to escapethe bonds of the Roman Empire during the Dark Ages (v. 6). Then, He foretells how this will happen again-in our day (v. 14). Finally, God describes Satan’s RAGE against the Church: “And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ” (v. 17).

In Revelation 14:12, God describes the character of His saints, saying, “Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.” Notice that the saints do not merely observe some “new” commandments of Jesus. They observe God’s commandments through the faith OF Jesus Christ-not merely their faith IN Him (cf. Galatians 2:20, KJV). For, through the Holy Spirit, they have Christ living His life in them and empowering them to overcome themselves, the world and Satan-and are therefore able to OBEY God’s spiritual law!

And Revelation 22:14 describes those who will live with God the Father and Christ throughout eternity in the New Jerusalem: “Blessed are those who DO HIS COMMANDMENTS, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city.”

In His famous Olivet Prophecy recorded in Matthew 24, Jesus describes the time when true Christians will, once again, have to FLEE for their lives. This time is just a few years ahead of us-for it is placed in this prophecy just BEFORE the Great Tribulation, in which ALL humanity would be exterminated, were it not for God’s supernatural intervention. Warning His true servants as to what we should do when that Tribulation approaches, Jesus said, “And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the SABBATH” (v. 20). Obviously, Jesus knew that His true disciples at the time of the end would still be KEEPING the true Sabbath day!

In another inspired END-TIME prophecy, God’s Word shows that His true servants will be keeping the Sabbath day holy even during the 1,000-year reign of Christ here on this earth: “‘For as the new heavens and the new earth which I will make shall remain before Me,’ says the Lord, ‘So shall your descendants and your name remain. And it shall come to pass that from one New Moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another, all flesh shall come to worship before Me,’ says the Lord” (Isaiah 66:22-23). So obedience to the fourth commandment is not “old fashioned.” It is instead the “wave of the future”! For ALL HUMANITY will learn to obey God’s commandments-and keep holy the days God made holy-in the soon-coming Tomorrow’s World, when the Kingdom of God is set up on this earth!

We who are willing to heed and OBEY our Creator now-through Jesus Christ living His life within us-will be given the awesome opportunity to serve under Him in ruling the cities and nations of the world at that time. For we are the true pioneerspreparing for Tomorrow’s World. We are overcoming-standing up against the prevailing forces and trends of this materialistic, Satan-influenced society. Jesus said, “He who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations-‘He shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the potter’s vessels shall be broken to pieces’-as I also have received from My Father” (Revelation 2:26-27).

Yet, even now, in this carnal society, you are not completely alone by any means. For when you include the Orthodox Jews, the Seventh-Day Adventists, the Seventh-Day Baptists and many from the various Churches of God, there are millions of people who observe the seventh-day Sabbath. They have found, and you will find, that it is possible to keep this “test” commandment and still be blessed and made prosperous in many ways. You may even find in our diverse society a number of people who will admire your courage and dedication, even though God may not be “calling” them to full spiritual understanding at this time.

Remember, there are millions of people who sincerely want to do the right thing. Yet Jesus said, “NO ONE can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:44). But, if God is calling you and is now opening your mind to His full Truth, then you have a RESPONSIBILITY TO ACT upon that Truth. For as James 4:17 states, “to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.”

If you, then, are sincerely interested in truly obeying God and being one of the “firstfruits” of His salvation in this age, you may wish to contact Christ’s “little flock,” which He has preserved even in this mixed-up generation. A significant branch of this body of believers is doing the Work of God. It is the Church that sponsors the Tomorrow’s World program on radio and television and that publishes the Tomorrow’s World magazine, which goes into many nations. We are called the Living Church of God, and you will find our regional addresses and phone numbers at the end of this booklet. We have representatives in many major cities around the globe. So if you would like to ask questions about how to properly observe the Sabbath or about meeting with others in your area-or if you have other questions about true Christianity-just drop us a line or give us a call. No one will be sent to call on you unless you request it. Our representatives will simply talk to you on the phone or answer in writing. We will NOT use any “high-pressure” tactics to get you to join or support us. For we want to be sure that God is truly “calling” you.

Do you want the opportunity to observe the true Sabbath, to enjoy warm, loving fellowship with others of similar beliefs and to learn more fully the plan and PURPOSE of the Great GOD? Do you want to participate with others in this CRUSADE to prepare the way for the return of Jesus Christ to this earth? We hope so, because all of this is so enormously helpful in assisting your spiritual growth. Unless you meet with others of the true faith of Jesus Christ and are nourished with His Word rather than the traditions of men, you may easily “die” spiritually. The book of Hebrews, in a passage quoted elsewhere in this booklet, says, “Let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching” (10:24-25).

Will you, personally, exercise the faith and the COURAGE to obey the God who gives you life and breath? Or will you follow the deceptions of this world under Satan’s powerful influence? You now KNOW that the God of the Bible commands you to observe His holy Sabbath. And the ultimate penalty for disobeying God’s law is DEATH in the Lake of Fire. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23; cf. Revelation 21:8).

As God spoke to ancient Israel, so now-through His inspired Word-He speaks to you in Deuteronomy 30:19: “I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore CHOOSE LIFE, that both you and your descendants may live.

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Is Christmas Christian?

4uwzvo — Mon, 28 Feb 2022 20:24:47 +0000

Is Christmas Christian?

4uwzvo Mon, 02/28/2022 - 20:24

Is Christmas Christian?

Living Church of God

Booklet Media

#False Christianity

#origins of traditions

#paganism

We see the scene every year… decorated trees, evergreen wreaths and bright multi-colored lights. Sometimes there is a little crèche in the corner, depicting an infant child receiving lavish gifts. Yet most of the gift-giving these days is done by debt-laden adults, trying to outdo each other in gifting children, family members and friends with the latest style or fad.

PREFACE
THE REASON FOR THE SEASON?

Around the world, Christmas is by most measures the most popular single holiday, as well as the centerpiece of the world’s largest religious tradition. Nine out of ten Americans say they celebrate Christmas (Pew Forum, December 2013). Nearly all who call themselves “Christians” celebrate the day, and in the United States even eight-of-ten non-Christians claim to observe a Christmas holiday of some sort (ibid.).

But what are they celebrating? Millions go into debt buying gifts to celebrate a Jesus who reminded us that we cannot serve both God and mammon. The Savior who warned against covetousness is honored, they seem to think, by the annual consumer frenzy that culminates around the Christmas tree. Every December, millions of revelers overindulge in rich foods, drink a little too much and engage in wild behavior—in celebration of the Savior whose Sermon on the Mount praised meekness and humility.

And what about church? Almost any pastor or priest can tell you about “twice-a-year Christians” who only show up in church on Christmas and Easter.

Then again, Christmas is also a time when pious believers set up the “Christmas crèche” and reflect on the legends surrounding Christ’s birth. Instead of filling their minds with the latest consumer fad or bargain-basement sale, they prefer to think of the baby Jesus in His manger, visited by Magi bearing gifts. Would these well-meaning people be shocked to learn not only that this common Christmas scene is never found in the Bible, but that the Bible itself proves a very different story than the one they have learned?

Christmas has become important to billions of people for a variety of reasons. It is fun. It is profitable. It is a way to reflect on cherished traditions. Yet there is a fundamental question that usually goes unanswered: Is Christmas Christian?

Read on, and the information in this booklet will open your eyes, change your perspective—and maybe even spur you to an even deeper and more meaningful relationship with the true Jesus Christ, beyond all the Christmas legends and traditions!

CHAPTER 1
WHY DECEMBER 25?

How did Christmas originate? Long before Jesus was born, the season around December 25 was a birthday celebration! Christmas has a pre-Christian origin!

About that time each year an event that was very important to ancient agrarian societies occurred—called the winter solstice. That event occurs when the days cease becoming shorter and begin to grow longer. The sun’s arc begins to become higher in the sky each day, portending the return of springtime, which will lead to a rebirth of life to the wintry and seemingly dead earth. Cultural anthropologists note, “All over the world, for countless millennia, people have participated in a religious ritual at the winter solstice, when the sun’s downward course is arrested and it turns back, it seems, to earth. This change of state in the bleak mid-winter of the year was experienced as the rebirth of the sun and commemorated as the birth day of the sun god, the luminous divine child” (The Myth of the Goddess, Baring and Cashford, p. 561).

When the sun declined in the sky and the days shortened, it marked the onset of winter and the loss of productivity in the land. The shortest day of the year is the lowest point of the sun’s arc in the sky. That day is called the winter solstice. But after that time, the sun’s arc across the sky begins to increase each day, foretelling the coming of spring and a rejuvenation of the earth. The midwinter festival of the winter solstice was an important event for all sun-worshiping cultures, and much mythology formed around it. Also, much celebration accompanied it.

The fact that Christmas is of pagan origin is not particularly controversial—as popular encyclopedias attest. Note what the Encyclopaedia Britannica says about it. “Its observance as the birthday of the Saviour is attended with secular customs often drawn from pagan sources; indeed, Christmas and Epiphany, which falls 12 days later on January 6, are transformed pagan celebrations of the winter solstice, so closely linked that their origins cannot be discussed separately.

“December 25 in Rome—This was the date of a pagan festival in Rome, chosen in 274ad by the Emperor Aurelian as the birthday of the unconquered sun (natalis solis invicti), which at the winter solstice begins again to show an increase of light. At some point before 336ad the church at Rome established the commemoration of the birthday of Christ, the sun of righteousness on the same date.

“Traditional Customs—The traditional customs connected with Christmas have been derived from several sources as a result of the coincidence of the feast of the Nativity of Christ and the pagan agricultural and solar observances at midwinter. In the Roman world the Saturnalia (December 17–24) was a time of merry-making and exchange of presents… But though Christmas festivities were indirectly influenced by these customs, the fact that Christmas was celebrated on the birthday of the unconquered sun gave the season a solar background, connected with the calends of January (January 1)—the Roman New Year when houses were decorated with greenery and lights, and presents were given to children and the poor. To these solstitial observances were added Germano-Celtic yule rites when the Teutonic tribes penetrated into Gaul, Britain and Celtic Europe. Yuletide brought its own tradition of feasting and mortuary customs, to combine with Roman solstitial and transitional New Year rites… Evergreens, as symbols of survival, have a long association with Christmas festivities, probably dating to the eighth century when St. Boniface completed the Christianization of Germany and dedicated the fir tree to the Holy Child to replace the sacred oak of Odin” (“Christmas,” p. 704, Vol. 5, 1970 ed.).

Another edition of Britannica adds, “The precise origin of assigning December 25 as the birth date of Jesus is unclear. The New Testament provides no clues in this regard. December 25 was first identified as the date of Jesus’ birth by Sextus Julius Africanus in 221 and later became the universally accepted date. One widespread explanation of the origin of this date is that December 25 was the Christianizing of the dies solis invicti nati (“day of the birth of the unconquered sun”), a popular holiday in the Roman Empire that celebrated the winter solstice as a symbol of the resurgence of the sun, the casting away of winter and the heralding of the rebirth of spring and summer. Indeed, after December 25 had become widely accepted as the date of Jesus’ birth, Christian writers frequently made the connection between the rebirth of the sun and the birth of the Son. One of the difficulties with this view is that it suggests a nonchalant willingness on the part of the Christian church to appropriate a pagan festival when the early church was so intent on distinguishing itself categorically from pagan beliefs and practices” (Encyclopaedia Britannica, “Christmas”).

Britannica continues. “Christmas was not among the earliest festivals of the church… Christmas customs are an evolution from the times that long antedated the Christian period—a descent from seasonal, pagan, religious and national practices, hedged about with legend and tradition” (1959, Vol. 5, “Christmas,” p. 642).

“In the south of Europe, in Egypt and Persia, the sun gods were worshipped with elaborate ceremonies at the season of the winter solstice, as a fitting time to pay tribute to the benign god of plenty, while in Rome the Saturnalia reigned for a week. In northern lands mid-December was a critical time, for the days became shorter and shorter and the sun was weak and far away. Thus these ancient people held feasts at the same period that Christmas is now observed… Thus, the central idea of the winter solstice—the return of light—became the hope of the world in the birth of Christ, the light of the world… When the fathers of the church in 440ad decided upon a date to celebrate the event [of Christ’s birth], they wisely chose the day of the winter solstice which was firmly fixed in the minds of the people and which was their most important festival. Because of changes in man-made calendars, the time of the solstice and the date of Christmas vary by a few days” (ibid., p. 643).

Did you notice that? In 440ad, the professing Christian authorities simply transferred an ancient pagan practice to the worship of Christ—thinking in effect that they would “Christianize” what the pagans had already been doing! But were they “Christianizing” pagan practices or “paganizing” Christianity?

CHAPTER 2
WHEN WAS JESUS BORN?

At what time of the year was Jesus actually born? It might surprise you to know that it could not have been in late December! Luke 2:8 records that at the time Jesus was born, “there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flocks by night” (KJV). This scene could not have occurred in the winter, because in the early autumn the flocks were brought in from the countryside to winter in more sheltered areas. The winters in that region are cold, wet and sometimes snow covers the browned-off pastures. The shepherds and the sheep cannot endure the exposure to the elements all winter. Note the clear statements on this in the well-known Adam Clarke’s Commentary: “It was a custom among the Jews to send out their sheep to the deserts, about the Passover, and bring them home at the commencement of the first rain: during the time they were out, the shepherds watched them night and day. As the Passover occurred in the spring, and the first rain began early in the month of Marchesvan, which answers to part of our October and November, we find that the sheep were kept out in the open country during the whole of the summer. And as these shepherds had not yet brought home their flocks, it is a presumptive argument that October had not yet commenced, and that, consequently, our Lord was not born on the 25th of December, when no flocks were out in the fields; nor could he have been born later than September, as the flocks were still in the fields by night. On this very ground the nativity in December should be given up” (article: “Luke 2:8“).

If Jesus could not have been born in December, then is there any indication when He was born? The exact date cannot be known from Scripture, but there are strong indications that it must have been in the early autumn, around September.

Note that Jesus began His ministry around His thirtieth birthday. “Now Jesus Himself began His ministry at about thirty years of age” (Luke 3:23). And the gospel accounts show that He ended His ministry after three and a half years when He was crucified at Passover, which occurs in the spring of the year in late March or April. That puts the time of His birth a half-year after Passover, in the autumn around late September or early October.

Also, the timing of the birth of John the Baptist provides another confirmation of an autumn birth for Jesus.

Luke 1 tells of an important event leading up to the conception and birth of Jesus. There was a priest named Zacharias serving in the Temple, who attended according to his assigned course, the course of Abijah (v. 5). Elizabeth, his wife, was the first cousin of Mary, Jesus’ mother. Zacharias and Elizabeth were “well advanced in years” (v. 7) and had no children. When Zacharias was serving at his particular time in the temple, the angel, Gabriel, appeared to him and told him that his wife would become pregnant. We know that child later as John the Baptist (John 1:13–17).

Centuries earlier, King David had divided the priesthood serving the temple into a rotation of 24 courses (1 Chronicles 24:1–19). Zecharias’ course was the eighth of the 24, and corresponded to a certain time of the year—around the end of May on our calendar. The Holy Day of Pentecost occurred the week after Zacharias’ course, and he was required to serve during that time as well, as all the priests were. He was apart from his wife during his service, and the earliest he could have returned home and begotten a child was around the second week of June.

The same angel, Gabriel, was sent to Elizabeth’s first cousin, Mary, a virgin, six months later to tell her that she would become pregnant with the Messiah by the power of the Holy Spirit. “And the angel answered and said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. For with God nothing will be impossible'” (Luke 1:35–37).

If John the Baptist was conceived shortly after Zecharias returned home in mid-June, and Jesus was conceived six months later, that puts Jesus’ birth in mid-to-late September. At that time of the year, the flocks would still have been in the fields, as Luke 2:8 states, “Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.” Christ’s birth did not happen on the winter solstice in late December.

Every December you hear it—”Let’s put Christ back in Christmas.” The reason that people feel the need to “put Christ in Christmas” is that He never was in Christmas—and is not now!

CHAPTER 3
DREAMING OF A COMMERCIAL CHRISTMAS?

Many observers lament the “commercialization” of Christmas. Retailers even have a term—”Christmas creep”—to describe how the Christmas retailing season seems to begin earlier and earlier each year. Many of us can remember when holiday decorations in the stores appeared only in December. Then the selling season began encroaching into November, and the Christmas music in the stores began around the Thanksgiving holiday in the United States. Then it moved to the week before Thanksgiving. Now we commonly see decorations and hear seasonal music in the mall around Halloween in October.

As far as the secular promotion of Christmas holiday goes, the “reason for the season” is clear—Just “follow the money”!

“Black Friday” is the name retailers give to the day after Thanksgiving in the U.S. and the U.K.—or “Vendredi Noir” in France—all of which occur near the end of November. It refers to the time when retailers traditionally consider that their cash flow goes from a loss—”running red ink” during most of the year—to a profit when they say they are “in the black.” This means that most of their profits come from sales in the holiday season: No Christmas, no profits!

The Christmas holidays are critical to the retailing economy. Naturally, they would want to extend the buying season as long as possible. There is great financial incentive to maximize retailing activity during that period.

Christmas can be “make or break” for retailers. Each year they have to find ways to maintain or increase their sales volume during the holidays. Creative marketers find numerous ways to create a longer selling season, because it means that more of consumers’ hard-earned cash is available to buy their products. If customers have not saved throughout the year for Christmas purchases—which is the case for most people—they will likely have to finance their purchases either from their current wages or through credit card debt. So having a three or four month selling season brings in more sales than marketing in December only—hence, we see what retailers call “Christmas Creep.” The holiday marketing season “creeps” into November, October or earlier if merchants can get away with it.

One of the most important marketing tactics is to generate “Christmas spirit” in the stores and shopping districts. Initially, holiday decorations remind shoppers of the season and add to a festive feeling of involvement in it. Soon there is seasonal music—usually of a secular sort to avoid offending the non-religious—and it is a very important element in convincing shoppers to buy more and more. Crooners, some of whom are long gone, sing sentimental renditions of “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” or “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.” After the selling season is over in January, most people are very relieved to escape the constant musical marketing.

Many employers give bonuses at year-end, and the retailers want to capture as much of that bonus money as possible. So, many merchants have big year-end sales to clear out remaining merchandise and to get hold of that cash for themselves!

Guilt sells! Parents are made to feel that they are not good parents if their kids fail to have “a big Christmas.” How often have you been asked, “Did you have a big Christmas this year?” A lot of sentimentality is attached to the presence, each Christmas morning, of a huge pile of presents that the givers sacrificed financially to purchase—such that the main beneficiary of that sentiment may be the merchant who sold the gifts, rather than the recipients!

Over-extending financially on Christmas for emotional reasons is a common problem—as credit repair agencies know.

CREDIT CARD DEBT—”THE GHOST OF CHRISTMAS PAST”

“What’s in the cards?” Christmas debts! Credit card debt spikes during the holidays—and then must be paid off during the rest of the year at very high interest rates. Personal finance experts call this accumulation of expensive debt the “Holiday Debt Hangover.” Credit repair firms love it! “Consumer counseling agencies see a 25 percent increase in the number of people seeking help in January and February, and most of that traffic is propelled to their doors by holiday bills that haunt consumers like the ghost of Christmas past… ‘A lot of people get by, paying the minimums on their credit cards,’ said Durant Abernethy, president of the National Foundation for Credit Counseling. ‘Add on the holiday bills and all of a sudden, those minimums are more than they can afford'” (Eileen Alt Powell, “Lingering Christmas Bills Can Lead to Debt Woes,” ABCNews.go.com. March 7, 2014).

Credit card companies love the holiday season and the “Holiday Debt Hangover” it produces. It is extremely lucrative for them and extremely expensive for unwise holiday shoppers. There is plenty of sane advice on dealing with the problems that the holiday season creates. Deborah Fowles advises on about.com, “How to Avoid the Financial Holiday Hangover: Does this scenario sound familiar? You use credit cards to do your holiday shopping, promising yourself you’ll pay the debt off within two or three months. Six or eight months later (or more), you’re still paying, and those items that seemed like such bargains end up costing you 10 to 20 percent more than you thought, due to credit card interest. For many Americans, this debt pattern is repeated year after year. Personal finance experts call this the ‘holiday hangover.’ There are times when incurring credit card debt makes sense, but holiday gift-buying is not one of them. Using credit cards often leads to impulse spending, overspending, and increased debt” (“Avoid Credit Card Debt During the Holidays”).

If the gift-buying of the holiday season is an economic boon to retailers and credit card companies, the months after the holidays are a veritable gold mine for credit repair firms. Credit repair firms do much of their business as a result of holiday credit card purchases.

Merchants’ “Christmas Creep” may make people feel that the holiday selling starts earlier and earlier each year, but the holiday season actually started far earlier than most people think. As a matter of history, the observance of December 25 began as the birthday of the sun-god, not the Son of God!

CHAPTER 4
SANTA CLAUS OR “HO, HO, HOAX”?

How many children have asked their parents, “What does Santa Claus have to do with the birth of Jesus?” Or, “My friends say there is no Santa Claus. Is Santa Claus real?” Did they get an honest answer?

Kids are encouraged to believe in the Santa Claus myth, but at some point they always find out that the whole story was never true. They learn that there is no immortal, bearded, stout man in a red suit, no reindeer and no workshop at the North Pole with busy elves making toys. What they take away from that inevitable discovery is the idea that there are myths associated with their religious beliefs. Christmas, after all, is supposedly a religious festival. The Santa Claus myth is presented to an impressionable young mind as being factually true—and then the child finds out it was never factually true. Parents may even leave faked evidence of the Santa visit, such as an empty milk glass or a half-consumed soft drink. Once a child learns the truth, this introduces the idea that stories involving the supernatural are likely faked. And children do invariably learn that the Santa Claus story is a fabrication—a lie or even a complicated series of lies. And most learn this at a very early age.

David Kyle Johnson, Assistant Professor of Philosophy at King’s College, Pennsylvania, writes on the Psychology Today Web site that every child who believes in a real-life Santa Claus has a “big moment” when he or she realizes that it simply is not true. He reports that there are “some horrific stories about the ‘big moment’—stories that show discovering the truth about Santa is often not without consequences—everything from the erosion of parental authority and trust to turning a child into an atheist. For example, [one boy] defended Santa’s existence in front of his whole class on the mere basis that his ‘mother wouldn’t lie’ to him, only to read the encyclopedia entry on Santa in front of the whole class and simultaneously discover that she indeed would. When [one little girl] realized that the reason she didn’t always get what she asked Santa for was that he didn’t exist, she figured that God’s non-existence was the best explanation for why her prayers also went unanswered. I’m not saying that this happens to all kids; I am saying it’s a possibility. If you are religious, I doubt it’s a possibility you would willingly invite. Of course, if you are an atheist, you might like that the Santa lie does this” (“Say Goodbye to the Santa Claus Lie,” December 2012).

Of course, not all children react badly to the “big moment,” and many, if not most kids are resilient. But doubts and skepticism learned as a child can stay on into adulthood.

NO, VIRGINIA…

On September 21, 1897, a well-known bit of Christmas lore occurred. An eight-year old girl named Virginia O’Hanlon wrote the New York Sun newspaper and said…

“Dear Editor— I am 8 years old. Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus. Papa says, ‘If you see it in The Sun, it’s so.’ Please tell me the truth, is there a Santa Claus?”

She received the famous reply that read in part, “Virginia, your little friends are wrong… Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus… Alas! How dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus!… Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies.”

Fairies?

But Virginia had undoubtedly been taught by her parents to tell the truth, and she had asked the editor, “Please tell me the truth…” She was asking whether there is actually a Santa Claus. Do you think that the answer she received was the truth? No, Virginia, it was not the truth! But one day, Virginia undoubtedly discovered the truth about Santa Claus… and fairies as well.

A child wonders… If a magical Santa Claus is a mythical part of the Christmas festivities, then what about the miraculous birth of Jesus? Did angels really announce it? Did the Magi actually come? Was there actually a star over Bethlehem? Is Jesus really a king? Will the child wonder whether all the miraculous things in the Bible are myths? When they discover the truth about Santa Claus, children are being taught the idea that religious miracles can be myths. A very regrettable feature of the Santa Claus myth is that children are told to believe it “on faith.” When that faith is lost, as invariably happens, this may create skepticism about faith in religious matters in the future.

In truth, Santa Claus is not coming to town, and it is best that children’s religious faith be established in things that are the truth. Jesus said, “Thy word is truth” (John 17:17, KJV).

OLD MYTHS

Where did the modern Santa Claus myth come from? According to historians, it developed from a variety of sources over many centuries. In the fourth century ad, there actually was a Greek bishop in Myra (now modern Turkey) named Nicholas who was declared to be a saint by the Roman church. The day set aside in his honor as “St. Nicholas’ Day,” December 6, gradually became blended with the customs associated with “Christ’s Mass” (Christmas) later in the month.

For many generations before they entered the Roman Catholic church, the Germanic peoples had observed a midwinter festival called Yule, and as a result, many Yuletide traditions were absorbed into Christmas. Rome found it useful to “Christianize” many of the pagans’ former customs in order to make the pagans more amenable to Catholic evangelization. The meaning of the day might be superficially changed, but the actual practice and the time on the solar calendar remained the same.

Some of the imagery of Santa Claus that we have today likely originated with the Germanic god, Odin, who was said to have a white beard, bring gifts and ride through the sky. “The appearance of Santa Claus or Father Christmas, whose day is December 25, owes much to Odin, the old blue-hooded, cloaked, white-bearded Giftbringer of the north, who rode the midwinter sky on his eight-footed steed Sleipnir, visiting his people with gifts.… Odin, transformed into Father Christmas, then Santa Claus, prospered with St Nicholas and the Christchild became a leading player on the Christmas stage” (Margaret Baker, Discovering Christmas Customs and Folklore: A Guide to Seasonal Rites Throughout the World, p. 62). Over the centuries, a variety of sources have influenced the many variations of the Santa Claus mythology.

The Encyclopedia Americana notes, “On the eve of his festival day… St. Nicholas makes his tour, visiting palace and cottage… When he is gone, the children place receptacles for the gifts which St. Nicholas is expected to let fall down the chimney…” (“Saint Nicholas’ Day,” Volume 20). The Dutch version of the name was Sinterklaas, which was anglicized in America to Santa Claus. The English version is Father Christmas, which is a common version of the name in many languages, such as Papá Noel in Spanish and Le Père Noël in French. Even the Muslim Turks have their own version of Father Christmas, Noel Baba (“Father Noel”). But since they are mostly Muslim, he supposedly brings gifts on New Year’s. For Turks who profess Christianity, he is said to come on Christmas. The Santa Claus character appears in many cultures with his name translated into many languages.

NEW SANTA

The general origin of the name Santa Claus is well understood, but the popular images of today’s Santa Claus are quite different from those of the Germanic god, Odin, or the fourth century ad St. Nicholas. From where does the modern image of a portly, laughing elf in a red suit come from? Mainly from three sources.

“Twas the Night Before Christmas” (originally called, “A Visit From St. Nicholas”) was a poem written by Clement Clark Moore, which was first published December 23, 1823 in the New York Sentinel newspaper. It established the imagery of a jolly, bearded elf delivering toys to tots from a sleigh pulled through the sky by reindeer. This imagery is somewhat similar to the Germanic god, Odin, who gave gifts to children around the time of the winter solstice and sometimes rode on a fanciful eight-footed steed across the sky. This poem became very popular and gave rise to a specific image of St. Nicholas.

Later, the words of the poem were given graphic form when the cartoonist, Thomas Nast, drew a depiction of St. Nicholas in 1881. The famous cartoon showed a smiling, portly, white-bearded man carrying toys for kids, and it caught the public imagination.

The image was further evolved by the marketing efforts of the Coca-Cola Company, which posted ubiquitous images of a jolly, white-bearded man in a Coca-Cola-red suit happily holding up the company’s product. That commercialized image—or variations of it—is used throughout the Christmas marketing season by retailers and Christmas-card makers. And it is the most common image of Santa Claus in the public mind today.

Is Santa Claus coming to your town? One could argue that in some mythical sense, he may come as the patron god of retailers. But for the child that asks “Please tell the truth…” as Virginia O’Hanlon did, the answer is “No, he won’t come, in fact—and never did.”

CHAPTER 5
EVERGREENS AND OTHER CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS

The use of evergreens at or around the winter solstice is found in many ancient pagan cultures, including the Egyptians, the Romans, the Druids and the Vikings. They are usually associated with the worship of a sun god—particularly around the time of the winter festival, which occurs in many cultures at the winter solstice, the point when the sun is at its lowest in the winter sky.

Did you know that the decoration of trees with silver and gold—in connection with a celestial event—is mentioned in the Bible? However, the reference is not a favorable one.

The prophet Jeremiah lived for many years under Babylonian rule, and saw for himself the customs of that nation. Does the practice he describes sound familiar to you? Perhaps, over the years, you and your family have done almost the exact same thing in your home for Christmas as Jeremiah describes: “Thus says the Lord: ‘Do not learn the way of the Gentiles; do not be dismayed at the signs of heaven, for the Gentiles are dismayed at them. For the customs of the peoples are futile; for one cuts a tree from the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the ax. They decorate it with silver and gold; they fasten it with nails and hammers so that it will not topple. They are upright, like a palm tree, and they cannot speak; they must be carried, because they cannot go by themselves. Do not be afraid of them, for they cannot do evil, nor can they do any good'” (Jeremiah 10:1–5).

In the Western world, the tradition of evergreen decorations around Christmas—especially the adornment of fir trees—was maintained by the Germans, who brought their custom into the English-speaking world. Indeed, any reputable historian of the period will confirm that the use of evergreen trees and holly in connection with winter solstice festivals was a tradition in place long before the birth of Jesus Christ.

For millennia, evergreen trees have been a symbol of returning life during the cold, winter months when it seems that all plant life dies or goes dormant. Unlike many plants, the evergreen fir tree and bushes such as holly remain green during the winter. So, it is perhaps no surprise that these hardy plants have long been used to celebrate the winter solstice and its related festivals, as they served well to symbolize the life that remains in nature even in the depths of winter. While all the foliage around them seemed to die, the evergreen plants were seen to represent the promise that life would return in the spring.

This connection is well-known and not of recent discovery. Encyclopaedia Britannica reports, “In the Roman world the Saturnalia (Dec. 17-24) was a time of merry-making and exchange of presents… Fires and lights, symbols of warmth and lasting life, have always been associated with the winter festival, both pagan and Christian… Evergreens, as symbols of survival, have a long association with Christmas festivities” (article: “Christmas” p.. 704, Vol. 5, 1970 ed.).

WHY GIFT-GIVING?

The custom of gift-giving during the winter festival goes back to Roman times and earlier. As a popular encyclopedia describes: “The celebrations of Saturnalia included the making and giving of small presents (Latin: saturnalia et sigillaricia). This holiday was observed over a series of days beginning on December 17 (the birthday of Saturn), and ending on December 25 (the birthday of Sol Invictus, the “Unconquered Sun”). The combined festivals resulted in an extended winter holiday season… The feast of Sol Invictus on December 25 was a sacred day in the religion of Mithraism, which was widespread in the Roman Empire. Its god, Mithras, was a solar deity of Persian origin, identified with the Sun. It displayed its unconquerability as ‘Sol Invictus’ when it began to rise higher in the sky following the Winter Solstice—hence December 25 was celebrated as the Sun’s birthday. In 274ce, Emperor Aurelian officially designated December 25 as the festival of Sol Invictus” (article: “Christmas,” New World Encyclopedia).

WHY DO WE CALL IT “CHRISTMAS?”

The English word “Christmas” comes from the Catholic term, “the Mass of Christ” or “Christ’s Mass.” According to The Catholic Encyclopedia, “The word for Christmas in late Old English is Cristes Maesse, the Mass of Christ, first found in 1038, and Cristes-messe, in 1131… Christmas was not among the earliest festivals of the Church” (article: “Christmas”).

The history of the observance of December 25 goes back long before the birth of Jesus and entered Christendom as a “baptized” pagan festival. The early Catholic fathers wanted to ease their pagan converts into the Catholic faith and often found it useful to attach “Christian” meanings to the existing pagan practices. Historically, those pagan practices included gift-giving, parties, decorating evergreen trees, holly, mistletoe and celebrating the birth or re-birth of a god.

CHAPTER 6
CAN CHRISTMAS “SANCTIFY THE PAGAN”?

Historians know that Christmas had its origin in pagan antiquity, but theologians have long reasoned that it is possible to “sanctify the pagan.” In this view, a culture may keep its pre-Christian forms, but the pagan symbols and myths can become Christian in meaning and purpose.

The influential Roman Catholic prelate Cardinal John Henry Newman wrote, “We are told in various ways by Eusebius [an early church historian], that Constantine, in order to recommend the new religion to the heathen, transferred into it the outward ornaments to which they had been accustomed in their own…. The use of temples, and these dedicated to particular saints… holidays and seasons… turning to the East, images at a later date… are all of pagan origin, and sanctified by their adoption in the Church” (An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine, chapter 8:6).

Theologian Christopher Dawson went even further when he wrote, “The complete sanctification of the pagan is the end result of the Christianization of the world” (The Leavening Process in Christian Culture, August 7, 1955). So, in this view, the conversion of the world to Christianity necessarily involves accepting its pagan practices.

But which would adopt which? Would paganism be adopting Christianity or would Christianity be adopting paganism? It is clear that the fact is well-known among secular and religious historians that many of the symbols of Christmas and the time of its observance came from pagan practices. What is questionable is the doctrine of “sanctifying the pagan” that is used to justify many practices in Christendom.

While this rationale can be attractive for theologians and traditionalists, it is contradicted by the Bible. So, then, what does God think about “sanctifying the pagan”? What has He said? The truth may surprise millions who just assume they can blend their cherished pagan traditions with the worship of the true God, who told His people: “When the Lord your God cuts off from before you the nations which you go to dispossess, and you displace them and dwell in their land, take heed to yourself that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed from before you, and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods? I also will do likewise.’ You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way; for every abomination to the Lord which He hates they have done to their gods; for they burn even their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods. Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it” (Deuteronomy 12:29–32).

How dare anyone defy this clear instruction from the inspired word of God! If you considered a pagan practice to be “nice” and not “abominable,” would it then be acceptable to observe it in God’s worship? Some who want to observe the modern counterparts of the pagan holidays argue that in this scripture, God was only forbidding Israel from observing the worst “abominations” of the pagans, like child sacrifice. So, they reason, the rest might be acceptable. Yet that is not what God said. He was forbidding all of the pagan practices and affirming His own. Even if you think it is “nice”—He said do not do it. God said, “Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it.”

Some may argue theologically that God can cleanse and sanctify whatever He wants to—but the point is that He said in no uncertain terms that He does not want to. We are commanded to observe what He commands and not add to or take away from it!

Did Jesus observe a pagan practice? Some point out that Jesus observed the Feast of Dedication (John 10:22), which occurred on the 25th of Kislev of the Hebrew calendar—which is usually around mid-December on our modern calendar. That traditional feast was instituted by a great hero of Judaism, Judas Maccabeus, to commemorate an important event in Jewish history—the rededication of the temple after it was defiled by the Greek ruler, Antiochus Epiphanes. But this traditional observance is observed on the Hebrew luni-solar calendar, not the Roman solar calendar, and is not an adopted pagan practice. It marks an important event in history, similar to Thanksgiving or Independence Day in America. Similarly, Purim is a Jewish festival occurring in later winter or early spring, that marks God’s protection of the Jewish people in the time of Esther. Both are found on the Hebrew calendar, and neither is taken from paganism. Jesus was an observant Jew and observed many legitimate traditions of His people—yet He never observed a pagan practice.

Some make the mistaken assumption that because we may use things of pagan origin in our daily lives, it must be acceptable to use them in our religious activities as well. They point out that the names of the days of the week have their origin in pagan words. For instance, the name Wednesday takes its name from Woden—a Norse god. Thursday is derived from another Norse god, Thor. Saturday corresponds to Saturn’s Day, from Latin, Sāturni diēs. Saturnus was a Roman god. Also, most Western institutions do not use the biblical luni-solar calendar; they use the solar Gregorian calendar.

In fact, the Israelites’ own calendar used months with Babylonian names. So it is important to draw a distinction; people do not read or sing from a calendar at their churches. The fact that society has a myriad of pagan-influenced practices does not mean that we can ignore a plain biblical instruction. God does not say that a month cannot have a Babylonian name; he does command that His worship must not be taken from Babylonian (or other pagan) practices.

WHO ADOPTED WHOM?

The Roman emperor Constantine allowed Christianity to be practiced openly in the Roman Empire beginning in 318ad, and it was later declared to be the official religion of the Roman Empire in 380ad. Historians have long recognized that when the Roman world began to profess Christianity, many religious leaders found it beneficial to adapt various pagan customs to fit the new faith. The less change from old practices, the better—or so they thought!

Noted historian Will Durant wrote an eleven-volume history titled The Story of Civilization. In Volume III, titled Caesar and Christ, he commented very frankly on the effect of paganism on the later development of professing Christianity. He wrote, “Christianity did not destroy paganism; it adopted it. The Greek mind, dying, came to a transmigrated life in the theology and liturgy of the Church; the Greek language, having reigned for centuries over philosophy, became the vehicle of Christian literature and ritual; the Greek mysteries passed down into the impressive mystery of the Mass. Other pagan cultures contributed to the syncretist result. From Egypt came the ideas of a divine trinity, the Last Judgment, and a personal immortality of reward and punishment; from Egypt the adoration of the Mother and Child… From Phrygia came the worship of the Great Mother; from Syria the resurrection drama of Adonis… The Mithraic ritual so closely resembled the eucharistic sacrifice of the mass that Christian fathers charged the Devil with inventing these similarities to mislead frail minds. Christianity was the last great creation of the ancient pagan world” (p. 595).

Some may reason that it does not matter if they use pagan practices in their worship as long as they do so to honor God. But what they should ask is whether God has changed His mind about this matter. He has told us, “For I am the Lord, I do not change” (Malachi 3:6), and “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). Jesus quoted the prophet, Isaiah and said, “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” (Matthew 15:8–9). God has not changed His mind about how He is to be worshiped.

God rejects pagan practices and instructs us not to incorporate them into His worship. He tells us what days we are to observe, how we are to observe them, and why we are to observe them. There was no instruction by Christ or the apostles to have an annual memorial to Christ’s birth or to copy the pagans in their festivals! Quite the contrary: copying the pagans in God’s worship was forbidden.

SANCTIFIED BY TRUTH!

God’s truth sets His begotten children apart. Jesus said, “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth” (John 17:17–19). History shows us that the belief and practice of professing Christianity, from the second century ad onward, was very different from the faith Christ and His apostles preached. Seeing this already beginning to happen in his day, Jude wrote to the faithful Church: “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” (vv. 3–4).

We must not go along with the widespread desire to turn Christ’s message into a popular paganized affront to His very teachings. God’s truth shows us the way, and deviating from “the faith once delivered” is tantamount to deviating from the path He has placed us on—the narrow way. Sadly, we see that the narrow gate has sifted out many in the past decades, just as in ancient times. One lesson we must always remember is that the true Church is “a little flock” (Luke 12:32).

We cannot “sanctify the pagan”!

CHAPTER 7
GOD OFFERS A BETTER WAY

Did the original Church observe any kind of Christmas holiday? No! There is absolutely no mention in the Bible or in secular history of the first-century Church keeping Christmas—or any such observance—at the time of the Winter Solstice. As noted earlier, history records that Christmas became a pervasive practice only when Roman Catholicism became the official religion of the Roman Empire. It is easy to understand that when the official state religion changed, millions of pagans throughout the Empire did not suddenly have a “conversion experience”—rather, they generally kept their customs and traditions which were given new meanings by the Roman church.

There are historical records of Christ’s supposed December 25 birthday being observed before Constantine’s supposed “conversion” in 336ad, but before then it was not an institutionalized practice even of the Roman church! And for the Church of the first century—the original believers taught by Christ’s own apostles—there never was any such observance! The first-century Church used the Hebrew luni-solar calendar (as the New Testament demonstrates) and avoided the religious observances associated with the Roman solar calendar—which is the type of calendar we use today.

WHAT MEMORIAL DID CHRIST COMMAND?

What were the religious observances of the first-century Church according to the Bible and secular history? What was “the faith once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3) that they were to contend for, and what were the annual observances of the Church that the apostles taught? In sharp contrast to the idea that there should be an observance of Christ’s birth, Jesus Christ Himself instructed His followers to keep a memorial to His death, and the apostles passed His command on to the churches they raised up.

Are Easter and Christmas in the Bible? In the King James Version of the Bible, the English word “Easter” appears in Acts 12:4. However, it comes from a mistranslation of Pascha, which is Greek (Πάσχα) for “Passover.” This error is corrected in the New King James Version and in most modern translations which render the word correctly as “Passover.” The word, “Easter,” is an Anglo-Saxon word for a spring festival honoring the Teutonic goddess, “Eastra” or “Ostara.” The name of the festival and some of its associated practices were carried over by the early Anglo-Saxons when they converted to Roman Catholicism.

How, then, did Christ want to be memorialized? The Apostle Paul instructed the brethren in Corinth, Greece—a congregation composed of Gentile believers—”For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed [Nisan 14, the beginning of the Passover] took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, ‘Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.’ In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it [each Passover], in remembrance of Me‘” (1 Corinthians 11:23–25). The early Church observed a memorial to Christ’s death just as they were instructed by Jesus and the apostles. Christ’s sacrificial death as the Lamb of God is of great importance to the whole world. He gave us no memorial to His birth!

Jesus asked, “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46). He also said, “These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips” (Matthew 15:8). People say that they want to honor Christ, but they institute their own ways in contradiction to what Christ instructed them. Jesus continued, “But their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men” (v. 9). If we want to honor Christ and have our hearts close to Him, we will do the things He said—and we will not do the things He said to avoid. We have a clear choice between the practices that God authorized and the traditions that mankind has created for itself.

CHAPTER 8
MANY ARE OPTING OUT OF CHRISTMAS

Should Christmas be a religious celebration for you? The origins of Christmas are well known and are not particularly controversial. It is a traditional holiday that originated in paganism and was incorporated into professing Christianity in the fourth and fifth centuries ad. It is not a biblical feast and was never practiced by the first-century Church. Jesus Christ never authorized a memorial to His birth; rather, He instructed His faithful followers to keep a memorial to His death (Luke 22:19; 1 Corinthians 11:23–26). This matters because the Bible forbids God’s people from adopting pagan customs in the worship of the true God—the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Jesus Himself said that using mankind’s traditional practices in His worship does not honor Him (Matthew 15:9). So, Christmas is not an appropriate religious observance for one who professes to obey Christ!

Furthermore, the secular aspects of the Christmas holidays—the costs and hassle that dominate the season—are difficulties many would rather avoid. The seasonal celebrations often involve excessive drinking, and the number of traffic accidents increases dramatically during the holidays. Everyone should be very careful on the highways, particularly at night.

The loud and widespread commercial marketing of Christmas dominates the days and weeks before the holiday arrives. Shopping can be very stressful, since stores are packed with shoppers trying to finish their shopping for long lists of gift-recipients. Also stressful are the debts that mount up during the season—which often stay with shoppers for much of the following year. So, more and more people are opting out of the secular festivities—to their great relief.

As a religious holiday, Christmas is not biblical. In fact, the Bible instructs us not to use pagan practices in our worship of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. And we should not teach our children that lies and myths—such as those surrounding Santa Claus—are religious truths. Even simply as a secular custom, Christmas is generally an expensive, stressful time that many people would rather do without.

Does Christmas honor Christ? What does the Bible say? It records that as a matter of history, the first-century Church of God kept the Christian Passover and the seven annual festivals as commanded in Leviticus 23. In doing that, they were not trying to “be Jewish”—they were simply obeying God. The Bible records no observance of the birth of Jesus. We honor Him by obeying Him and observing these festivals, which picture the plan of salvation.

Passover pictures the cleansing of our sins by the sacrifice of the Lamb of God, since “Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us” (1 Corinthians 5:7). The Days of Unleavened Bread picture God’s Church being and remaining “unleavened” by sin. Pentecost pictures the founding and sanctification of the Church of God by the giving of the Holy Spirit. The Feast of Trumpets pictures the return of Christ in power and glory with the sound of a great trump—the voice of an archangel! The fast that occurs on the Day of Atonement pictures the binding of Satan and the freeing of this world from Satan’s rule. The great Feast of Tabernacles pictures the rule of Christ as King of kings with His saints on earth for 1,000 years. The eighth day of the Feast of Tabernacles, The Last Great Day, pictures the Great White Throne Judgment which will be the hope of all who have ever lived. The annual Holy Days are holy time, and should not be profaned by our regular work. They have great meaning for Christians and map out God’s plan of salvation for mankind.

By commanding the observance of these festivals, God, in effect, has us act out this great plan by participating in His annual Feasts so that we will always remember it. The Apostle Jude exhorted the first-century Church—and us today, “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” (Jude 3). “For all” included both Gentile and Jewish Church members.

Both biblically and historically, “the faith once for all delivered” included the annual biblical festivals. The real choice today is whether to follow the instructions of Christ and the apostles—as recorded in the Bible—or to continue with the familiar human traditions that replaced those instructions. Christ’s clear instructions are for His Church to observe a memorial to His death, not to His birth.

For more information on this vital subject, be sure to request our free booklet, The Holy Days: God’s Master Plan. This powerful and eye-opening booklet will help you understand which days your Creator really intended for His true people to observe, and will explain more about how, as mentioned above, these days teach us about the magnificent plan He is working out here on the earth. To request your free copy of The Holy Days: God’s Master Plan, contact us at the Regional Office nearest you, listed at the back of this booklet, or go to our TomorrowsWorld.org Web site, where you can read the booklet or order your very own free printed copy. This vital information will change your life!

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The Filtering Power of Shellfish!

bduval — Fri, 05 Aug 2022 14:10:42 +0000

The Filtering Power of Shellfish! bduval Fri, 08/05/2022 - 14:10

The Filtering Power of Shellfish!

2019-11-04

Editorial Staff

During His ministry on earth, Jesus Christ emphasized the need to watch the times in which we live and to pray we would be ready for His return: “And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!” (Mark 13:37). On these pages, we plan to keep you informed of noteworthy news and current events that we believe should have your attention. Today’s world is changing quickly, and here at Tomorrow’s World we want to help you fulfill Christ’s admonition to watch!

Shellfish—including lobsters, oysters, mussels and crabs—are consumed by people around the globe as a gourmet delicacy—yet few realize they are dining on creatures that God created for an entirely different purpose. A recent AFP article noted, “The mussel is the hoover [vacuum cleaner] of the sea, taking in phytoplankton for nourishment along with microplastics, pesticides and other pollutants…. It’s a super-filter in the marine world, filtering up to 25 litres of water a day… [Mussels] store almost everything else that passes through—which is why strict health rules apply for those destined for human consumption” (AFP, August 18, 2019).

Because mussels store the contaminants they filter from the water (which are passed on to those who eat them), they are excellent sentinels or “bio-indicators” of the health of the waters in which they live. Scientists are now using mussels to determine which toxins are present in aquatic environments, and researchers are also considering “deploying” mussels and oysters to rid polluted waters of microplastics, pesticides, bacteria, and other environmental toxins.

Shellfish are actually scavengers—part of the “clean-up crew” for aquatic environments. Mussels and oysters were designed by God to be underwater filtration systems and actually work to purify water. They were never intended to be eaten by humans, and the Bible clearly states that these creatures are “unclean” and not a food source for people (see Leviticus 11:9–12 and Deuteronomy 14:9–10). To better understand the reasons why God created different types of creatures, be sure to read “Do You Really Want to Eat That?“

Easter: The Untold Story

4uwzvo — Mon, 28 Feb 2022 19:15:12 +0000

Easter: The Untold Story 4uwzvo Mon, 02/28/2022 - 19:15

Easter: The Untold Story

Gerald E. Weston

Booklet Media

#origins of traditions

#paganism

#easter

Every year, billions of people observe a joyous Easter Sunday celebration. For some, it may be one of the few times each year they come to church. For others, it may be the culmination of observances going back to Ash Wednesday, Palm Sunday and Good Friday in preparation for the festive day. Many of these people have no idea that their Easter celebration owes far, far more to pre-Christian myth than to anything Jesus Christ or His Apostles believed, practiced or taught.

THE NEGLECTED TRUTH

Every year, professing Christians celebrate the holiday known as Easter, but few understand its true origins. How is it that a day supposedly picturing the resurrection of Jesus Christ came to be known by the name of the pagan goddess, Eostre? What are the origins of celebrating the day with rabbits and colored eggs and how did they come to be associated with it? What do these have to do with the resurrection of Christ?

Do you realize that the Good Friday crucifixion and Easter Sunday resurrection tradition contradicts the one sign Jesus said He would give to prove He was the prophesied Messiah? Shockingly, literally hundreds of millions profess that Jesus Christ is their Savior, but their very traditions deny the one and only sign Jesus said He would give that He was who He claimed to be—the Son of God. Consider what this means! Either Jesus is not the Messiah He claimed to be, or the professing Christian tradition is wrong. It cannot be any other way!

It is time to dust off your Bible and look into the one and only true source that reveals what really happened at the time of Jesus’ crucifixion! The truth of what happened—and what your Bible records—is not what most people think! If you are willing to look into the biblical record and the facts recorded by well-respected historians, you can know the truth about Easter and its pagan past; and you can know the truth of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

CHAPTER 1
WHAT’S IN A NAME?

For many professing Christians, Easter is the most sacred holiday of the year. For others, it is a time to show off a new set of clothes and perhaps a hat or bonnet. For children, it is an exciting time to search for brightly colored eggs that were hidden in the garden or around the house. Some children even receive live chickens or rabbits from well-meaning parents.

But consider, what does all this have to do with the resurrection of Jesus Christ? The simple answer is, absolutely nothing! Nevertheless, most people look at such customs as harmless fun for the children. But, are they? Or do they obscure the truth about the most important event in the history of mankind: Christ’s life, message, crucifixion and resurrection?

I often tell people a true story about my uncle George. He was a colorful character, to say the least. He was a self-made man who left home at the age of 16 and went on to invent various electronic instruments used in the oil-drilling industry. I knew for many years that he was a passionate atheist, but I never knew why until a few years before his death when he explained it to me. When he was five years old, his mother, my grandmother, told him to go out and look for the eggs the rabbits laid. It was Easter Sunday. Even at this early age he knew that rabbits did not lay eggs, because my grandmother raised rabbits for sale. He immediately protested, “Rabbits don’t lay eggs.” And she replied, “Georgie, if you look real hard you’ll find them.”

As he explained to me, he really did look, but he did not find any. He went back into the house and disgustingly informed her, “Mother, you lied to me. Rabbits don’t lay eggs.” And, as he further explained, “That’s when I began to question the whole idea of God and Christianity.”

Why is it that Christians lie to their children about such things when the Ninth Commandment tells us: “You shall not bear false witness”? Are they not aware of Revelation 21:8, which tells us that “all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death”? Maybe these “little white lies” are more serious than we realize! Maybe we should rethink what we teach our children!

What History Reveals

From where do these seemingly harmless lies and quaint customs originate? Historians reveal a great deal about the origins of Easter traditions, starting with the very name itself. Easter is nothing more than another spelling for the Anglo-Saxon goddess Eostre, but where did this goddess originate? The New World Encyclopedia suggests a connection between Eostre and Easter with the very popular and ancient goddess Ishtar: “Scholars likewise speculate that Eostre, the Anglo-Saxon goddess of Spring whose name later gave rise to the modern English ‘Easter,’ may be etymologically connected to Ishtar” (article “Ishtar”).

Interestingly, the Melkite Greek Catholic Church admits this about the origin of the name Easter, but gives a slightly different spelling from that of Ishtar. Our modern English word “Easter” comes from Old English, and referred originally to the Norse goddess of fertility, Istra—who was symbolized by a rabbit.

Thus the connection between Easter and rabbits, but why was Istra symbolized by a rabbit? Historians confirm this goddess, spelled variously as Ishtar, and Istra was known as the goddess of fertility, and the rabbit is a well-known fertility symbol. Even today people can be heard using the expression, “breeding like rabbits.” An example of this is seen in a November 2011 Scientific American article titled, “Why Pioneers Breed Like Rabbits.”

The rabbit is not the only fertility symbol passed down from antiquity. The Oxford Companion to World Mythologyexplains this about Easter: “The holiday comes in the early Spring and is clearly related to ancient fertility myths of reborn heroes.… For many, Easter is synonymous with fertility symbols such as the Easter Rabbit, Easter Egg, and the Easter Lily” (article “Easter,” p. 111).

Easter and the Egg

While the egg is clearly a fertility symbol, many historians trace the origin of the Easter egg back to the Babylonian myth of a large egg falling from the sky into the Euphrates River, from which the goddess Astarte was hatched. Astarte was revered by the ancient Phoenicians as goddess of the moon and the measurer of time. But who was Astarte? Is there any connection with this goddess and Easter traditions? Historians tell us Astarte is merely another name for Ishtar.. “The name Ishtar is likely Semitic in origin, and was identified in ancient times with Canaanite goddess Ashtoreth or Astarte” (New World Encyclopedia, article: “Ishtar”).

As we are beginning to see, this goddess—from which we derive the name of what is supposed to be a most solemn Christian celebration—has quite a past. She was no obscure figure, but was known by different names in different languages and cultures. The highly respected Encyclopaedia Britannica confirms the connection between Astarte and Ishtar: “Astarte was worshiped in Egypt and Ugarit and among the Hittites, as well as in Canaan. Her Akkadian counterpart was Ishtar. Later she became assimilated with the Egyptian deities Isis and Hathor (a goddess of the sky and of women), and in the Greco-Roman world with Aphrodite, Artemis, and Juno” (article “Astarte”).

These all refer to the same goddess, either with different spellings or with different names in various cultures. Here is a quote tying Ishtar with another important name: “Ishtar, a goddess of both fertility and war, is the Akkadian name of the Sumerian goddess Inanna and the Semitic goddess Astarte, the three names referring to the same deity in different cultural contexts. She inspired great devotion in the ancient Babylonian empire, as evidenced by the many grand temples, altars, inscriptions, and art objects devoted to her” (New World Encyclopedia, article “Ishtar”).

Interestingly, just as there came in ancient cultures to be a connection between the moon and the various goddesses of fertility, the rabbit became entwined in many of these myths. Why the rabbit? With a gestation period of just about one month, the rabbit’s cycle came to be associated with the lunar cycle, across a number of cultures.

With our modern understanding of biology we may laugh at this today, but many in the ancient world believed the rabbit to be a hermaphrodite—an animal that could reproduce without losing its virginity. This led to an association between the supposedly virgin rabbit and the Virgin Mary, as typified by the painter Titian’s Madonna of the Rabbit. When former goddess-worshipers discovered Christianity, it was easy for them to take their old reverence to a goddess and transfer it to Mary, in contradiction to Scripture and actual Christianity. Thus the various myths expanded and prevailed.

Of course, just as there were variations of myth across the different world cultures, there were also variations of worship from one culture to another, just as we see variations in spellings and customs in our modern world in the worship of gods that transcend national and cultural boundaries.

But does any of this matter? As long as we are celebrating Christ’s resurrection, what difference does it make? If there were no God, it probably would not matter, but if the God of the Bible does exist, it matters plenty!

God told Moses to warn ancient Israel that they were to make “no mention of the name of other gods, neither let it be heard out of thy mouth” (Exodus 23:13, KJV). Yet most of professing Christianity has done just that! And we cannot rely on the tired argument that this admonition applied only to the Jews under the Old Covenant. Malachi 3:6 tells us that God does not change, and Hebrews 13:8 tells us, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever”! This same Jesus Christ, prior to His human birth, was the very God family member who inspired Exodus 23:13: “Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ (1 Corinthians 10:1–4). Is it any wonder that Jesus protests, “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46).

If Jesus Christ had proclaimed the observance of Easter, we would of course be obliged to do as He had instructed us. Even if it were His Apostles who had begun the observance in harmony with His instructions, we would do well to follow their example. But neither Christ nor the Apostles left us any example of observing such a festival.

Indeed, as we will see throughout this booklet, the vast majority of nominal Christians today are observing a festival that Scripture reveals is not just non-Christian—it is actually repugnant to God. Worse yet; most are neglecting the actual festival that Jesus Christ observed and taught His disciples to observe in memory of His sacrificial death. Read on and learn the amazing truth that may change your life forever!

CHAPTER 2
THE QUEEN OF HEAVEN

As we have seen, Ishtar was the ancient goddess of fertility and love, and was also known by the names Istra, Eostre, Easter, Astarte, Aphrodite, Artemis, and Inanna. In the Hebrew language, the plural form of Astarte was Ashtaroth and we find many references to the worship of Ashtaroth in the Old Testament, but never in a positive context! She seems to have been known as the “Queen of Heaven,” as we learn from The New World Encyclopedia: “Astarte may also be the ‘Queen of Heaven’ spoken of by the prophet Jeremiah several centuries later during the seventh or early sixth century B.C.E. Here, the people of Judah fear that by heeding the words of the prophets and abandoning the worship of the goddess, they have brought ruin upon themselves” (article: “Astarte”).

A Heavy Price to Pay

The encyclopedia goes on to reference Jeremiah 44:18, an instructive passage of Scripture that we would do well to examine closely. The time setting was shortly after the Jewish nation fell to king Nebuchadnezzar and his Chaldean Empire. Most were killed or deported to Babylon, but a few poor among them were left behind. Jeremiah was also spared and allowed to remain in the land of Judea.

The remnant leaders approached Jeremiah, requesting that he seek God’s will on their behalf. Should they stay in Judea, or go to Egypt? They unequivocally assured Jeremiah that they would do whatever God directed: “Whether it is pleasing or displeasing, we will obey the voice of the Lord our God to whom we send you, that it may be well with us when we obey the voice of the Lord our God (Jeremiah 42:6).

Ten days later, Jeremiah returned God’s answer—that they should remain in Judea—but by now they had discounted the earlier profession and had set their hearts to go to Egypt. How true to human nature! We want to do God’s will… as long as it agrees with our own!

Through His prophet Jeremiah, God again gave a strong indictment against this rebellious remnant upon their arrival in Egypt. “Why do you commit this great evil against yourselves, to cut off from you man and woman, child and infant, out of Judah, leaving none to remain, in that you provoke Me to wrath with the works of your hands, burning incense to other gods in the land of Egypt where you have gone to dwell, that you may cut yourselves off and be a curse and a reproach among all the nations of the earth?… They have not been humbled, to this day, nor have they feared; they have not walked in My law or in My statutes that I set before you and your fathers” (Jeremiah 44:7–8, 10).

Idolatry was a primary cause behind the house of Israel going into captivity, and later the house of Judah was overthrown for the same reason. They defended their rebellion against their Creator rather than admit the obvious. No doubt, very few who are reading this booklet are burning literal incense to worship a literal statue or false god, so it may be very easy for us to condemn the Israelites’ actions. But, in our own way, do many of us do the same? Do we also defend our pagan customs and traditions while failing to obey our Creator? Notice their response, and the connection to the queen of heaven: “As for the word that you have spoken to us in the name of the Lord, we will not listen to you! But we will certainly do whatever has gone out of our own mouth, to burn incense to the queen of heaven and pour out drink offerings to her, as we have done, we and our fathers, our kings and our princes, in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. For then we had plenty of food, were well-off, and saw no trouble. But since we stopped burning incense to the queen of heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, we have lacked everything and have been consumed by the sword and by famine” (Jeremiah 44:16–18).

Cakes for the Queen

How easily people are deceived! This rag-tag Jewish remnant chose to worship an ineffective pagan goddess rather than the Creator of the universe and the One who earlier had brought them out from Egyptian bondage to become a nation. The attitude we find today among the majority of professing Christians is not all that different from the people of Jeremiah’s day—defend tradition over Scripture at all cost! If one human rationalization fails to work, try another. Here is one rationalization that we would not likely find today: “The women also said, ‘And when we burned incense to the queen of heaven and poured out drink offerings to her, did we make cakes for her, to worship her, and pour out drink offerings to her without our husbands’ permission?'” (Jeremiah 44:19).

Jeremiah responded to the people by explaining the reason for the fall of their nation and their current pitiful state. “The incense that you burned in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, you and your fathers, your kings and your princes, and the people of the land, did not the Lord remember them, and did it not come into His mind? So the Lord could no longer bear it, because of the evil of your doings and because of the abominations which you committed. Therefore your land is a desolation, an astonishment, a curse, and without an inhabitant, as it is this day. Because you have burned incense and because you have sinned against the Lord, and have not obeyed the voice of the Lord or walked in His law, in His statutes or in His testimonies, therefore this calamity has happened to you, as at this day” (Jeremiah 44:21–23).

A Family Tradition

It is not as though the people were not warned. Jeremiah had rebuked them years earlier, prior to the time of their captivity, for their worship of this Queen of Heaven and what the results would be if they did not repent. Yet, as we know, traditions laden with emotion and family sentiment can exert a powerful pull! These pagan celebrations and customs involved the whole family. Each member played a part in this warm and comforting family affair. “The children gather wood, the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead dough, to make cakes for the queen of heaven” (Jeremiah 7:18). We should not minimize the appeal such a celebration has on the human psyche.

Baking cakes of bread sounds innocent enough. Of course, the problem is not with bread, but with the purpose for which people bake it. How many professing Christians read these words, look down upon that poor misguided tribe of Judah, but then do exactly the same? What Jeremiah is describing in these verses is one Easter custom that is popular even to this day in some countries around the world—baking small cakes or buns with a cross cut into them prior to baking, or a sweet glaze cross placed on top after baking. These are especially popular on what is called Good Friday, the supposed day of Jesus’ crucifixion. Note this April 2012 quote from the popular British Food History blog, describing these buns in light of Jeremiah’s denunciation: “The cross, people assume, is to denote the cross upon which Jesus was crucified. This is in fact nonsense; spiced buns with crosses were being produced throughout much of pagan Europe. Spiced buns have always been symbolic in worship and ones adorned with crosses were made for the goddess Eostre (where Easter gets its name).”

God’s reaction follows Jeremiah’s description of this practice . “‘Do they provoke Me to anger?’ says the Lord. ‘Do they not provoke themselves, to the shame of their own faces?’ Therefore thus says the Lord God: ‘Behold, My anger and My fury will be poured out on this place—on man and on beast, on the trees of the field and on the fruit of the ground. And it will burn and not be quenched'” (Jeremiah 7:19–20).

Encyclopaedia Britannica links the Queen of Heaven with Astarte, also known as Ashtoreth, whose worship God condemns. “Astarte/Ashtoreth is the Queen of Heaven to whom the Canaanites burned offerings and poured libations (Jeremiah 44)” The Bible refers to Ashtoreth as an abominable pagan goddess (1 Kings 11:5, 33; 2 Kings 23:13).

Ezekiel 8 introduces another element to this dark picture. Ezekiel is in Babylonian captivity and is taken in vision to the temple in Jerusalem where he is shown abominations committed by his people. He is first taken, “to the door of the north gate of the inner court, where the seat of the image of jealousy was, which provokes to jealousy” (Ezekiel 8:3). What can this possibly be? We may not be able to know for sure, but the highly regarded New Bible Commentary Revised makes an educated guess. “The image of jealousy… may have been an image of the Canaanite goddess, Asherah. Manasseh had set up such an image… in the Temple and later removed it (2 Ch. 33:7, 15).”

But who is the Canaanite goddess, Asherah? “Other names of this deity were Ashtoreth [Astarte] and Anath. Frequently represented as a nude woman bestride a lion with a lily in one hand and a serpent in the other.… Characteristically Canaanite, the lily symbolizes grace and sex appeal and the serpent fecundity [the ability to produce offspring in large numbers]” (Unger’s Bible Dictionary, article “Asherah”).

We cannot say for certain that Ezekiel’s “image of jealousy” was indeed the same-named goddess, but this goddess that we find with so many names is all about sex appeal, fertility and various customs we now associate with Easter! We know that there is nothing inherently sinful about rabbits, eggs, cakes or lilies, but when they have the name Easter attached to them we ought to wonder why any of this should be associated with Christ.

Ezekiel was told to turn again, to see greater abominations. After digging in a wall, he came to a door that he enters and sees “all the idols of the house of Israel, portrayed all around on the walls” (Ezekiel 8:10). Then he was told to, “Turn again, and you will see greater abominations that they are doing” (v. 13). And what did he see? He found that, “to my dismay, women were sitting there weeping for Tammuz” (v. 14).

Who was Tammuz, and how is he connected to Easter? The online edition of the New World Encyclopedia traces an important mythical tale involving Ishtar’s [Easter’s] descent into the underworld. There she attempts to usurp the throne of her sister, who is queen of the underworld; but her sister, Ereshkigal, hangs Ishtar on the wall by a hook. However, her uncle intercedes and sets her free, but she must first find a replacement. Her husband Tammuz temporarily angers her and she seizes him and drags him below to the underworld.

Ishtar, also called Inanna in the tale, soon regrets her rash act toward Tammuz. Now we will pick up the story as told by the New World Encyclopedia: “Ishtar arranges for Tammuz’s sister to substitute for him during six months of the year—thus explaining the mystery of the sun’s diminishing in winter and growing stronger in summer. The story of Ishtar and Tammuz prefigures those of Cybele and Attis, of Aphrodite and Adonis, and of the Egyptian Isis and Osiris—all of them tales of a young god who dies, and a goddess who mourns him” (article “Ishtar”).

A Sunrise Service and Pagan Gods from the East

It is difficult for the average person growing up in a nominally Christian church, whether Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant or other, to realize just how heavily influenced their cherished practices are by ancient pagan traditions, but there is one more found in Ezekiel 8, where Ezekiel is told: “Turn again, you will see greater abominations than these” (v. 15). What could these possibly be?

“So He brought me into the inner court of the Lord’s house; and there, at the door of the temple of the Lord, between the porch and the altar, were about twenty-five men with their backs toward the temple of the Lord and their faces toward the east, and they were worshiping the sun toward the east” (v. 16).

This passage is clearly describing a “sunrise service,” as the sun rises from the east. Such practices go back for thousands of years, linking the sun with ancient pagan deities. As historian Alexander Hislop observed, “Long before the fourth century, and long before the Christian era itself, a festival was celebrated among the heathen, at that precise time of the year, in honour of the birth of the son of the Babylonian queen of heaven; and it may fairly be presumed that, in order to conciliate the heathen, and to swell the number of the nominal adherents of Christianity, the same festival was adopted by the Roman Church, giving it only the name of Christ. This tendency on the part of Christians to meet Paganism half-way was very early developed” (The Two Babylons, pp. 93). Festivals focusing on the solstice days were observed in the name of pagan gods long before there was any “Christian” idea of celebrating Christmas or Easter!

To the east, in central Asia Minor, more than a thousand years before the Romans, the Hittites also worshiped a great mother goddess. On the side of a hill near Sardis is a giant rock carving of a mother goddess that the ancient poets Homer, Ovid and Sophocles describe as the “Mother of the Gods, the oldest goddess of all” (The Hittite Empire, Garstang, pp. 176–177). On statues and carvings, this Hittite deity “assumes the aspect of a goddess of the skies, or Queen of Heaven, a familiar aspect of Astarte” (ibid., pp. 114, 204–205). Astarte was the Phoenician goddess of war, the evening star, sexual love and fertility. Temple prostitution was part of her worship. She was often depicted naked, “wearing a crown of cow’s horns enclosing a solar disc”—similar to the Egyptian goddess Isis (Encyclopedia of Gods, p. 33). The Roman army spread the worship of this ancient Hittite goddess across Europe from Germany to Britain because her cult “found great favor among the soldiers” (Garstang, p. 302).

And this pagan Queen had a child. In Egypt, Isis was worshiped as one of the greatest deities. She was usually depicted seated on a throne “holding the child Horus… both official theology and popular belief proclaimed… Isis and Horus the perfect mother and son” (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 15th ed.).

How abominable! In this way, Jesus—the Word made flesh—was connected with a goddess-mother whose worship predated His birth by hundreds of years!

All around the world, sincere people get up early on Easter Sunday to watch the sun rise. I remember such an occasion when my family did so to be part of a sunrise service at Mount Rushmore in South Dakota. Not only does this practice hearken back to ancient mother-goddess-and-child worship; it relies on the supposition that Jesus rose early Sunday morning. Yet, as we will see in the next chapter, even this simple question of timing is an unbiblical deception!

CHAPTER 3
WORSHIPING CHRIST IN VAIN

It may be easy to look back with pity—even condescension—on such ignorant people who believed in those preposterous tales and practices. But, if that is the case, why do we find the very symbols of their worship so prominently featured in today’s professing Christianity? Why have professing Christians chosen the name of paganism’s outrageous goddess for the name of what many consider the most sacred of all Christian holidays?

Does this really matter? In spite of the overwhelming evidence of pagan origins for Easter celebrations, some rationalize that mixing a little innocent paganism into Christian celebrations brings more people to Christ and makes Christian celebrations more colorful and enjoyable. But how does the God of the Bible see this? We have already read in Ezekiel and Jeremiah that these pagan practices were not pleasing to God 2,600 years ago, so why would we think He would be pleased today?

Many people wrongly assume the only thing that is important is that we believe in Jesus. But is belief alone enough? James says, “No!” We read: “You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!” (James 2:19). Furthermore, have we considered that it is possible to make a show of worshiping Jesus, but to do so in vain? Notice what Jesus Himself declared: “He answered and said to them, ‘Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: “This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men”‘” (Mark 7:6–7).

Jesus asked this thought-provoking question: “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46). One of the things for which Jesus condemned the religious leaders of His day was that they rejected God’s commandments and substituted their traditions. One of God’s commandments is that His people are not to borrow pagan ideas and blend them with His observances. We are explicitly told not to think: “‘How did these nations serve their gods? “I also will do likewise.’ You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way; for every abomination to the Lord which He hates they have done to their gods.… Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it” (Deuteronomy 12:30–32).

And yet, this is exactly what traditional Christianity does! Highly respected encyclopedias and history books admit that much of what we think of as Christian simply was not and is not. The well-respected Eerdman’s Handbook to the History of Christianity confesses: “The Christian church took over many pagan ideas and images. From sun-worship, for example, came the celebration of Christ’s birth on the twenty-fifth of December, the birthday of the Sun. Saturnalia, the Roman winter festival of 17–21 of December, provided the merriment, gift-giving and candles typical of later Christmas holidays. Sun-worship hung on in Roman Christianity and Pope Leo I, in the middle of the fifth century, rebuked worshippers who turned round to bow to the sun before entering St Peter’s basilica. Some pagan customs which were later Christianized, for example the use of candles, incense and garlands, were at first avoided by the church because they symbolized paganism” (pp. 131–32). To learn more, request our informative booklet, Is Christmas Christian?

As we have already shown, these pagan influences are also clearly seen in Easter traditions. We might do well to ask, “How can ‘pagan’ customs be Christianized?” More often than not, professing Christians who read the Old Testament have a misguided understanding as to the nature of ancient Israel’s actual problem. While it is true that they gave themselves over entirely to pagan influences at various times, that is not the whole story.

In the days of the famous prophet Elijah, their major problem involved mixing paganism with the worship of the true God. After Elijah prayed that it would not rain for three-and-a-half years, in an attempt to wake the people up from their sins, Elijah and King Ahab gathered the people together to settle the issue. Elijah’s question to the people is most instructive: “How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him” (1 Kings 18:21). His very question indicates a blending of the worship of the true God with heathen Baal worship. Here is what The New Bible Commentary Revised has to say about Elijah’s question:

“It seems to be literally, ‘Till when are you hopping at two forks?’ The sin of the people had been not in rejecting the worship of [God], but in trying to combine it with the worship of Baal. Such syncretism [blending religious customs and worship] is always considered to be broad-minded, whereas the other is narrow-minded. But [the God] of Israel left no room for other gods. Elijah makes this clear: If Yahweh is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.”

The pagan origin and celebration of Easter is a major problem for professing Christianity, but it is only part of the problem. In addition to blending pagan customs and traditions into the worship of the true God, contrary to His command, we find that even the part of Easter that supposedly comes from the Bible is terribly flawed—as we will see in the next chapter of this booklet!

CHAPTER 4
THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS

Have you ever considered why you believe the things you do? If we are truly honest with ourselves, every one of us primarily believes what we were taught growing up. Even if you have cast aside belief in God, you most likely accept the things you think the Bible says. You may still picture a long-haired Jesus and His twelve disciples all stationed on the same side of a long table eating something called “the last supper.” Sadly, this is a poor fabrication of what really occurred. Even those who never darken the doors of a church building for anything other than a wedding or funeral probably believe that the Bible teaches that Jesus was crucified on Friday and resurrected Sunday morning.

Every year, so-called Christians and atheists celebrate Mardi Gras in New Orleans and similar festivals across Central and South America. It is a time of partying and “letting go.” How many do not realize this is connected to the Easter celebration? Mardi Gras simply means “Fat Tuesday” and is the last day to “let it all hang out” (sometimes literally!) before the next day that begins 40 days of “fasting.” This is followed by Good Friday and Easter Sunday. There are also a number of other special days thrown in, such as Palm Sunday and Ash Wednesday, none of which are fully biblically based.

These customs and traditions are so entrenched in people’s minds and culture that it seems heretical for anyone to question them. Yet, we are told in 1 Thessalonians 5:21 to “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good” (KJV).

Virtually all people who think they understand anything about the Bible believe that Jesus was crucified on a Friday, put in the tomb in the late afternoon of that day and then resurrected early Sunday morning.

But where did this idea come from? People may assume they read it in the Bible, because that is what they were taught in Sunday School. It is what they see every year—billions of professing Christians take note of “Good Friday” and think of Christ’s crucifixion, then two days later (or is it a day-and-a-half?) they celebrate Easter Sunday. “Sunrise services” are widely advertised, and people just follow along, because “everybody’s doing it.” Why, after all, would anyone do differently?

Well, if the Bible says differently, we surely should be doing differently. After all, no matter how many human customs we may come up with (Rabbits laying eggs? Really?), the Bible is in fact the only truly reliable source we can turn to for a proper answer to this question.

The Only Sign Jesus Gave

We can begin with a simple question: how long did Jesus Himself say that He would be in the tomb? “Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, ‘Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.’ But He answered and said to them, ‘An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth'” (Matthew 12:38–40).

Consider. Jesus said that no sign would be given to that generation except for the sign of Jonah. What was that sign? It was that Jesus would be in the grave the exact same length of time as Jonah was in a great fish’s belly. How long was that time? According to both Jesus and Jonah, three days and three nights!

Try as you might, you cannot count three days and three nights between Friday afternoon and Sunday morning. Even if you count parts of days, you still come up short. Try it for yourself. Scripture tells us Jesus was put in the tomb right at sunset, but some count a few minutes before sunset as day one. Friday night would be one night; the daylight portion of Saturday would be the second day and Saturday night would make the second night. Now if Jesus rose Sunday morning after sunrise we might count that as day three, but where is the third night? It just is not there! And that is stretching the case by counting a few minutes of daylight at the beginning and end as two of the three days.

Many nominal Christians have never even read Matthew 12:38–40, and of those who have read it, many have never really studied what it means. As a result, professing Christians often simply assume that the period from Good Friday through Easter Sunday counts as three days. Yet that is hardly what Jesus said and meant! If we accept the Good Friday-to-Easter Sunday tradition, we are left with three possibilities: 1) We have not properly understood the sign Jesus gave, 2) Jesus was wrong and He is not our Savior, or 3) The Good Friday-to-Easter Sunday tradition is wrong.

So, has the world properly understood the sign Jesus gave? If so, what are the implications? Was He wrong about how long He would be in the grave? Did He literally mean three days and three nights, because as we have seen, you cannot count three days and three nights from late Friday afternoon to early Sunday morning. If He meant what He said, we have a significant problem. Recognizing this problem, The Abingdon Bible Commentary bluntly tells us, Jesus was mistaken: “The statement made is inaccurate, for Jesus was in the grave only from Friday evening to Sunday dawn” (commentary on Matthew 12:40).

Most popular commentaries are not as cynical and choose instead to explain that the statement is not to be taken literally. Is this because the true unprejudiced Scriptures demonstrate this? Or is it possible that tradition is trumping truth?

Traditionalists allege that the Greek expression used in this verse simply means a “day/night,” or a single 24-hour day. Further, the first and third days only need to be a portion of a “day/night.” However, Jesus’ sign is not dependent on Matthew 12:40 alone. Jesus’ words were recorded in the Greek language, and it is true that the Greek expression used in this verse may mean parts of three days. Even so, that reasoning is controversial at best among scholars of Greek (as we have just read from The Abingdon Bible Commentary, which is so careful about the Greek that it shockingly assumes Jesus was wrong!).

What is the truth? We must remember what Jesus said: “For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (Matthew 12:40). Should we not then investigate what the Bible tells us about how long Jonah was in the belly of the fish? What does the original account tell us? “And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights” (Jonah 1:17).

The book of Jonah was written in the Hebrew language and we must look to that language and its common usage to understand this expression. The Companion Bible explores the meaning of three days and three nights in Hebrew usage. After giving a technical explanation that three days in Hebrew usage can mean all or parts of three days, it then explains that in Hebrew usage, when it speaks of days and nights, it means both three days and three nights. It then sums up the discussion: “Hence, when it says that ‘Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights’ (Jonah 1:17) it means exactly what it says, and that this can be the only meaning of the expression in Matthew 12:40” (Appendix 144).

This is the first reason we know that Jesus’ claim means a full three days and three nights—the meaning of Matthew 12:40, when taken in the context of the account of Jonah, can only mean three days and three nights.

In, After and The

The second reason we know the Good Friday/Easter Sunday tradition is in error can be discerned by comparing other statements Jesus made about how long He would be in the grave. Jesus spoke figuratively of His body on a number of occasions as “this temple,” and even declared: “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up” (John 2:19).

“In three days” means that it has to be within three days, but on other occasions we read that He would be resurrected to life after three days. “And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again” (Mark 8:31).

Following His resurrection, Jesus explained to His disciples what happened and why. “Then He said to them, ‘Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem” (Luke 24:46–47).

So here we have three different expressions that clarify how long He would be in the tomb: “in three days” and “after three days” and “the third day.” When we put these three statements together, along with Matthew 12:40 and Jonah 1:17, there can be only one time that fits—exactly 72 hours; not a minute before or a minute after. The time is precise!

PASCHA OR EASTER?

The name Easter is nowhere to be found in the Bible, with one exception. The men who translated the King James Version of the Bible inserted Easter for Passover in Acts 12:4. No modern translation supplies the word Easter, as they all properly translate the Greek Pascha as Passover. This is so well understood that some of the more modern commentaries, such as The New Bible Commentary Revised, do not even address the subject, though older ones (which relied on the King James Version) do. For example, Adam Clarke’s Commentary has this to say about Acts 12:4 and the proper translation:

“Perhaps there never was a more unhappy, not to say absurd, translation than that in our text [KJV].… The term Easter, inserted here by our translators, they borrowed from the ancient Anglo-Saxon service-books.… The Saxon [various Greek spellings] are different modes of spelling the name of the goddess Easter, whose festival was celebrated by our pagan forefathers on the month of April; hence that month, in the Saxon calendar.… Every view we can take of this subject shows the gross impropriety of retaining a name every way exceptionable, and palpably absurd” (Adam Clarke’s Commentary, Acts 12:4).

The Jamieson, Faussett, and Brown Commentary, is more abbreviated, simply saying: “intending after Easter—rather, after Passover; i.e., after the whole festival was over” (The word in our King James Version is an ecclesiastical term of later date, and ought not to have been employed here).”

CHAPTER 5
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF PASSOVER?

There is a third convincing proof that Jesus would be in the tomb exactly 72 hours. That proof is found in the biblical chronology of events. Sadly, this is something few understand, because most who call themselves Christians today have substituted pagan holidays and traditions, choosing to reject the Festivals and Holy Days that God gave to His people—days that were kept by Jesus Christ Himself, as well as His Apostles and the original first-century Christian Church.

Why, then, do most people assume Jesus was crucified on a Friday? The truth is that many have no idea other than that is what they were taught. Still, those who are more biblically literate understand from Scripture that He was crucified on a Preparation Day leading up to a Sabbath. For example, we have Luke’s statement regarding Jesus’ burial by Joseph of Arimathea: “This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a tomb that was hewn out of the rock, where no one had ever lain before. That day was the Preparation, and the Sabbath drew near” (Luke 23:52–54).

As all students of the Bible should know, the weekly Sabbath begins at sunset on Friday and ends at sunset on Saturday. So, on the surface it might appear that Jesus was crucified Friday morning and put in the grave very late Friday afternoon, but this is not what happened—as we shall see.

Many errors are the result of a carelessly made false assumption and this is the case on this subject. There is no doubt that Jesus was crucified on the Preparation day for a Sabbath, but which Sabbath was this? Was it the weekly Sabbath which began Friday evening at sunset and ended Saturday evening at sunset? Or is it possible that it was a High Day, an annual Sabbath?

What is commonly called the Lord’s Supper, or the Last Supper, was in fact the Passover. There can be no doubt about this, although some scholars reject clear scriptures and claim otherwise. Matthew, Mark and Luke all call Jesus’ final supper with His disciples the Passover. Here is Luke’s account: “Then came the Day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover must be killed. And He sent Peter and John, saying, ‘Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat.’ So they said to Him, ‘Where do You want us to prepare?’ And He said to them, ‘Behold, when you have entered the city, a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him into the house which he enters. Then you shall say to the master of the house, “The Teacher says to you, ‘Where is the guest room where I may eat the Passover with My disciples?…'”‘ So they went and found it just as He had said to them, and they prepared the Passover. When the hour had come, He sat down, and the twelve apostles with Him. Then He said to them, ‘With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer'” (Luke 22:7–15).

For further evidence, see Matthew 26:17–20, where the Passover is mentioned three times in connection to His final meal. Also see Mark 14:12–17, where the Passover is mentioned four times. The three synoptic gospels combined (Matthew, Mark and Luke) mention the Passover at least twelve times in relation to what is commonly called the Last Supper! Can there be any doubt that the last supper was indeed the Passover?

God counts each day from sunset to sunset (Genesis 1:3–5). So, we can see how, on the day of His crucifixion, Jesus kept the Passover with His disciples in the evening, was taken into custody that night and was crucified during the daylight portion of the Passover day. The Passover is a very special day, but it is not a Sabbath day. However, as we shall see, the day that began at the sunset after His death was an annual Sabbath day: the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread!

Many professing Christians are woefully ignorant of what the Bible actually says and many have no idea of the historical events of scripture. Were it not for the movie, The Ten Commandments, even fewer would know about Israel’s journey out of Egypt, but it is important for us to be aware of those events if we are to understand the true crucifixion and resurrection account.

The family and nation of Israel were slaves in Egypt and served under cruel bondage. In the course of time, God sent Moses to rescue them and take them to the land that had been promised to their ancestor Abraham. Nine miraculous plagues fell upon Egypt, but Pharaoh refused to let the Israelites go. Then came the tenth plague by which all the firstborn in Egypt died, except those protected by a special ceremony.

The Israelites were commanded to set aside a yearling male lamb or goat on the tenth day of the month and follow these instructions. “Now you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month. Then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight. And they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat it. Then they shall eat the flesh on that night; roasted in fire, with unleavened bread and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. Do not eat it raw, nor boiled at all with water, but roasted in fire—its head with its legs and its entrails. You shall let none of it remain until morning, and what remains of it until morning you shall burn with fire. And thus you shall eat it: with a belt on your waist, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. So you shall eat it in haste. It is the Lord’s Passover” (Exodus 12:6–11).

Again, since the Bible counts time from sunset to sunset, this was the beginning of the 14th day, which began that year on a Tuesday evening after sunset. The firstborn in every household had death pass over them if they were in a house marked by the blood of a sacrificed lamb or goat—this evening became known as the Passover.

During the daylight hours of Nisan 14, the children of Israel “spoiled” the Egyptians and traveled to the city of Rameses, from where the Exodus began after sunset at the beginning of Nisan 15. It took the children of Israel seven days to go from Rameses to the other side of the Red Sea, and this time period was memorialized as the Days of Unleavened Bread, because the Israelites were on the move and did not have time to allow their bread to rise.

The Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread were very closely associated, such that we sometimes see “Passover” used to indicate both festivals together. The difference between the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread is clearly delineated in Leviticus 23:5–7. “On the fourteenth day of the first month at twilight is the Lord’s Passover. And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the Lord; seven days you must eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall have a holy convocation; you shall do no customary work on it.” See also Numbers 28:16–18. In both accounts, we learn that Nisan 15, the first day following the Passover, is a day to congregate and to rest from our customary work. It is an annual Sabbath—a High Day—a little-understood fact with profound implications, as we shall see in the next chapter.

GOD’S MASTER PLAN

Meaning of the Festivals

Old Testament	New Testament
Passover Blood of a sacrificed lamb was placed around the doors of Israelite houses God "passed over" in slaying the Egyptian firstborn (Leviticus 23:5)	Passover Pictures Jesus Christ shedding His blood for the sins of mankind
Days of Unleavened Bread A seven-day festival during which leavening is put out of dwellings and is not eaten (Leviticus 23:6–14)	Days of Unleavened Bread Putting out leaven pictures a Christian's duty to "put out sin" from a life yielded to Jesus Christ
Pentecost A day celebrating the gathering in of the first and smaller of the two annual harvests; observed 50 days from a fixed point in the previous Feast (Leviticus 23:15–22)	Pentecost Pictures the Christian receiving God's Holy Spirit
Feast of Trumpets Called Rosh Hashana by the Jews; a day of rejoicing marked by the blowing of trumpets (Leviticus 23:23–25)	Feast of Trumpets Pictures a time of war and plagues leading to the "first resurrection" and Christ's return as King of kings
Day of Atonement A day of fasting and repentance, known to the Jews as Yom Kippur (Leviticus 23:26–32)	Day of Atonement Pictures the binding of Satan at the beginning of the Millennium and the world becoming at one with God
Feast of Tabernacles A seven-day celebration of the great fall harvest, observed by living in temporary dwellings for the duration of the Feast (Leviticus 23:33–43)	Feast of Tabernacles Pictures the Millennium, when the earth will be ruled by Jesus Christ and His saints
Last Great Day Adjacent to the Feast of Tabernacles, this eighth day is considered a separate Feast (Leviticus 23:36, 39)	Last Great Day Pictures the "White Throne Judgment" when all those not previously called will be able to hear the True Gospel and accept salvation

CHAPTER 6
“FOR THAT SABBATH WAS A HIGH DAY”

Without knowing that the Sabbath right after Christ’s crucifixion was an “annual Sabbath,” it is difficult to understand the New Testament account, but with this understanding the whole story opens up to us. The day following the Passover was a high day, an annual Sabbath where work was not to be done. Jesus kept the Passover with His disciples at the beginning of the day (shortly after sunset), then was put in the grave late in the afternoon at the end of the Passover day. When the sun set that evening, the first day of Unleavened Bread, an annual Sabbath day, had begun; this is exactly what the Apostle John reveals in John 19:31: “Therefore, because it was the Preparation Day, that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.” Of course, Scripture shows that Christ’s legs were not in fact broken (v. 33), in fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecy (Psalm 34:20).

John tells us that it was not the preparation for a weekly Sabbath, but for a High Day Sabbath! Jesus kept the Passover with His disciples on Nisan 14. Then, as John confirms, the next day was (as every Bible student should know) an annual Sabbath! The day on which Passover is kept is also the Preparation Day for the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

So, why is this not widely understood by today’s professing Christians? Why do priests and ministers not teach this truth plainly? John 19:31 is not unknown to biblical scholars, so how do they deal with it? Different commentaries have varying explanations, but the Jamieson, Fausset and Brown Commentary on the Whole Bible is typical in explaining away the true significance of this verse, describing only “the first day of unleavened bread, and, as concurring with an ordinary Sabbath, the most solemn season of the ecclesiastical year.” The New Bible Commentary Revised says: “It was doubly important to the Jews to observe their ritual requirements on a day which was both Sabbath and festival.” But is this accurate? Scholars recognize that Jesus died on the Preparation Day for an annual Sabbath, but miss the importance of this statement. By hanging on to their tradition, they reject the clear teaching of Scripture!

Two Sabbaths

What is generally missed is that the Bible records two Sabbaths involving the time Jesus was in the tomb! Scripture tells us the women rested on the Sabbath and then bought spices. “Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, that they might come and anoint Him” (Mark 16:1). Notice that this took place after a Sabbath!

But Luke 23 tells us they prepared the spices and then rested on the Sabbath. “That day was the Preparation, and the Sabbath drew near. And the women who had come with Him from Galilee followed after, and they observed the tomb and how His body was laid. Then they returned and prepared spices and fragrant oils. And they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment (Luke 23:54–56).

It goes without saying that you cannot prepare the spices before you buy them! Read those two scriptures again. Mark tells us that they did not buy the spices until after the Sabbath, but Luke tells us they prepared them and rested on the Sabbath. These two passages give infallible proof that the women rested on the High Day (the annual Sabbath), then bought and prepared the spices the next day, then rested on the weekly Sabbath. This is the only way to harmonize these verses! Either there were two Sabbaths, with an ordinary day in between, or the Bible contradicts itself!

If this is too hard for you to visualize or follow along with after so many years of having learned the wrong sequence of events, just look at the chart in the center of this booklet. Jesus kept the Passover with His disciples Tuesday evening after sunset. Following the Passover meal, He then left the upper room and took His disciples with Him to the Garden of Gethsemane. This is where Judas led the authorities to arrest Jesus, and where Judas betrayed Him with a kiss. Jesus was illegally tried and abused that night and during the early morning hours of Wednesday. Around 9:00 a.m. Wednesday morning, He was taken out and crucified. He then died about 3:00 p.m. Wednesday afternoon. What happened next?

“Now when evening had come, because it was the Preparation Day, that is, the day before the Sabbath [the annual High Day Sabbath: John 19:31], Joseph of Arimathea… went in to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus” (Mark 15:42–43). Permission was granted only after Pilate summoned the centurion, who affirmed that Jesus was indeed dead (vv. 44–45).

The gospel of John informs us that Joseph, along with help from Nicodemus, the Pharisee who came to Jesus by night (see John 3:1–21), collected the body and carried it to a nearby tomb. It is evident from the details that they worked very quickly, as there was only a short span between Jesus’ death and the beginning of the annual Sabbath which began at sunset Wednesday. “And Nicodemus, who at first came to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds. Then they took the body of Jesus, and bound it in strips of linen with the spices, as the custom of the Jews is to bury. Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. So there they laid Jesus, because of the Jews’ Preparation Day, for the tomb was nearby” (John 19:39–42).

Luke clarifies how close to the Sabbath it was when Joseph and Nicodemus finished their work preparing and burying Christ. “Then he [Joseph] took it [the body of Jesus] down, wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a tomb that was hewn out of the rock, where no one had ever lain before. That day was the Preparation, and the Sabbath drew near. And the women who had come with Him from Galilee followed after, and they observed the tomb and how His body was laid” (Luke 23:53–55).

Now, count three days and three nights with this background in mind. Wednesday at sunset began the annual high-day Sabbath so Wednesday night was the first night. Daylight Thursday was still the High Day Sabbath and was the first day. The High Day came to an end when the sun set Thursday evening. Sunset Thursday until sunset Friday was another preparation day and was an ordinary work day between two Sabbaths. This was when the women bought and prepared the spices, satisfying both Mark 16:1 and Luke 23:56.

Thursday night is our second night and daytime Friday is our second day. When the sun set on Friday afternoon, the weekly Sabbath began. Friday night is our third night and daytime Saturday is our third day. Jesus was raised from the grave late Saturday afternoon (right before sunset), three days and three nights after He was put in the grave. Clearly, Christ’s words in Matthew 12:40 were fulfilled: “For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” Note also that the Apostle Paul was inspired to remind us that Jesus rose exactly as He said He would (1 Corinthians 15:4).

THE SIGN OF JONAH

Jesus told His enemies, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (Matthew 12:39–40).

Three days and three nights—this is the sign Jesus gave to establish His Messiahship. Our Savior staked His very identity on what some might brush off as a seemingly trivial detail. Yet the Pharisees did not consider it so trivial. Notice how they responded to Christ’s death: “On the next day, which followed the Day of Preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees gathered together to Pilate, saying, ‘Sir, we remember, while He was still alive, how that deceiver said, “After three days I will rise”‘” (Matthew 27:62–63).

The chief priests and Pharisees feared that Christ’s disciples might try to fake His resurrection, following the exact time-table He gave, thus continuing His influence even after His death. In response, Pilate authorized additional security to make sure no one would tamper with the grave (vv. 65–66).

Significantly, when describing Jonah’s ordeal in the belly of the fish, the book of Jonah uses the exact same words for day and night that are used in Genesis 1:5. “Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days [yowm] and three nights [layil]” (Jonah 1:17).

Our Creator is a God of perfect timing. He gave exact instructions for keeping the Passover on time (Exodus 12:12, 22). He gave human beings exact instructions for keeping a specific day of rest and worship (Exodus 20:8). He instructs us to observe specific annual Holy Days throughout the year (Leviticus 23). When it comes to prophecy, He has perfect timing, knowing the “end from the beginning” (Isaiah 46:10).

Indeed, the prophet Daniel foretold the timing of Christ’s first coming, hundreds of years in advance (Daniel 9:24–26). So we can understand that the death and resurrection of the Savior of the world would occur with perfect timing, as confirmed by the sign of Jonah.

CHAPTER 7
WHAT HAPPENED ON SUNDAY?

The scriptures nowhere use the names we now use to label the days of the week. We never read in the Bible the name “Sunday.” Instead, as we look at how the days around Christ’s crucifixion are described, we find reference to the Preparation Day, the Sabbath, the first day of the week and a High Day. In this regard, virtually all scholars understand that the Preparation Day is the day before either a weekly or annual Sabbath. The weekly Sabbath runs from what we know as Friday sunset to Saturday sunset. The first day of the week is what we call Sunday in the English language. And a High Day is understood by scholars to indicate an annual Sabbath. Sadly, to maintain their tradition (contrary to the Scriptures), scholars and religious leaders have generally tried to conflate the annual Sabbath with the weekly Sabbath.

Interestingly, as an aside for those who claim we cannot know when the biblical seventh-day Sabbath is, the Good Friday/Easter Sunday tradition identifies both the weekly Sabbath (Saturday) and the first day of the week (Sunday)! And, as we have seen, so does the true chronology of events. Those who use the specious argument that time has been lost and we cannot know the day are without excuse! (If you have not read our booklets Which Day Is the Christian Sabbath? and The Holy Days: God’s Master Plan, please call, write, or go online to TomorrowsWorld.org to read or order your free copy)!

Where does the idea come from that Jesus was resurrected Sunday morning? Mostly from tradition, but Scripture should take precedent over tradition. A careful reading reveals that when the women came to the tomb it was around dawn on the first day of the week. This is when most people erroneously think the resurrection took place. But notice what it says (and, even more importantly, what it does not say) in Luke 24:1–6: “Now on the first day of the week [Sunday], very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments. Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, ‘Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen!'” Take note that it does not say that He rose that morning; it says only that when they arrived He was gone—already risen!

But some would ask, “Doesn’t the Bible actually say that Jesus rose Sunday morning?” The answer is, yes, but no! Notice this in Mark 16: “Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons” (v. 9). On the surface, this certainly looks as though Jesus rose Sunday morning, so what do we do with all the other evidence we have seen that contradicts this? Which is correct? John tells us: “the Scripture cannot be broken” (John 10:35). Therefore we must take a closer look at this verse.

Most people take for granted the chapters, verses and sentence structures found in the Bible, but it was not always this way. The first New Testament Greek manuscripts had no punctuation as we understand it today. All the letters were written in uncials, what we would call capital letters. Later manuscripts were written in minuscules, what we might call cursive small letters. Among the uncials, all words were run together with no space between them. Mark 16:9 would look this way, except that instead of English letters, they were Greek letters:

We can be thankful that translators and publishers have, over time, made Bible reading easier by adding capitalization and punctuation. More often than not they do a very fine job of this, but we must realize that their own biases creep into our translations and that is the case with this verse.

Mark 16:9 can be punctuated in at least two different ways. The New King James Version and many other modern translations have punctuated it according to their traditional beliefs; hence, that Jesus rose early on the first day of the week. However, as we have seen, if this were the case, the very sign Jesus gave that He was the Messiah and Son of God would be contradicted. We would also have a major contradiction about when the women bought and prepared the spices and the whole flow of events as given in the Bible would be wrong.

We firmly believe that the Bible was inspired (God-breathed) and without error in its original writings, but no modern translation is without errors. Many of these deviations do not introduce truly major misunderstandings, but the NKJVrendering of Mark 16:9 does. If we change the punctuation to be in harmony with the rest of scripture, it would read this way: “Now, when He rose, early on the first day of the week He appeared first to Mary Magdalene.” Here we see that the emphasis is not on when He rose, but on when He first appeared to Mary Magdalene. The fact is that the onlyway to know how it should be punctuated is to read it in both its immediate context and the context of Scripture as a whole. Since we know the proper order of events as shown earlier, we know that the emphasis is not on when Jesus rose, but on when He appeared to Mary. Punctuating it this way is totally legitimate, and is the only way to harmonize this verse with the rest of Scripture.

Does It Matter?

To deny the sign Jesus gave is to deny Jesus as our Savior. Millions of very sincere people have done just that, not realizing they have been deceived by traditions handed down from generation to generation and perpetuated in mainstream Christian churches. Instead of doing what Paul commanded in 1 Thessalonians 5:21, “Test all things; hold fast what is good,” they have gone along with quaint sentimental customs involving rabbits, eggs, lilies and pagan deities and days.

Some would protest that it is the thought that counts and as long as we are doing it for Jesus it is okay. But is this what Jesus told His followers? No! Notice: “But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him (John 4:23). Worshiping Him sincerely is important, but we must also worship Him in truth!

We are specifically told not to ask, “‘How did these nations serve their gods? [And say] I also will do likewise.’ You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way; for every abomination to the Lord which He hates they have done to their gods; for they burn even their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods. Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it'” (Deuteronomy 12:30–32).

If you would like to learn more about the Holy Days God instructed mankind to keep and how they portray the incredibly exciting plan God is working out here below, please call, write, or go to TomorrowsWorld.org to order your own free copy of our booklet, The Holy Days: God’s Master Plan or to read it online. And if you are tired of being led about by unbiblical man-made and pagan traditions, and would like to meet with others who are keeping the biblically inspired Sabbath and Holy Days, please contact the Regional Office nearest you and request to speak to one of our representatives. We have congregations in many cities and countries around the world where people faithfully observe the days God instituted.

Booklet Category

Doctrine

False Religion

Do You Believe the True Gospel?

4uwzvo — Mon, 28 Feb 2022 18:55:48 +0000

Do You Believe the True Gospel? 4uwzvo Mon, 02/28/2022 - 18:55

Do You Believe the True Gospel?

Roderick C. Meredith (1930-2017)

Booklet Media

#Apostles

#Bible

#Christianity

#God

#Jesus Christ

#Kingdom of God

#Law of God

#Prophecy

What did Jesus really preach? Do you know? Do not be too sure! Just what did Jesus mean by “the Kingdom of God”? Here is the exciting Good News: there is a new world coming!

CHAPTER 1

A MESSAGE ABOUT THE MESSENGER?

Your eternity depends on your willingness to understand and believe the true Gospel! Yet the Apostle Paul warned the Christians of his day that “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!” (2 Corinthians 11:4).

Frankly, millions of sincere men and women have put up with a false gospel. They have been deceived all right—far too easily deceived. Why? Because too many have failed to obey God’s command to “Prove all things” (1 Thessalonians 5:21, King James Version). Jesus Christ said, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15). Have you believed the same Gospel Jesus preached? You need to be sure! There are many, many “gospels” being preached in the world today!

Have you ever heard something like this?

Just give your heart to the Lord. Jesus was born in the manger as the Christ, the Son of God, to save as many souls in this age as would accept Him into their hearts. When He grew up, He went around performing miracles and forgiving people. He kept God’s harsh law for all of us before finally being nailed to the cross along with that old law. He rose from the dead on the third day and appeared to many witnesses. Then He returned to heaven and began to set up His Kingdom in the hearts of men. He’ll forgive your sins and come into your heart—just as you are—if you’ll only accept Him. Jesus saves! Just believe on Him, and you’ll be saved—born again. And, when you die, you’ll go to be with Him in heaven—forever!

But is that really the Gospel Jesus taught? If you have accepted, without question, the almost unanimous voice of mainstream Christianity in this regard, you probably think that it is. Yet consider something Mark Twain wrote:

In religion and politics people’s beliefs and convictions are in almost every case gotten at second-hand, and without examination, from authorities who have not themselves examined the questions at issue but have taken them at second-hand from other non-examiners, whose opinions about them were not worth a brass farthing (Autobiography of Mark Twain).

Do you really know what constitutes the genuine Gospel that Jesus and His Apostles preached? Or have you made a careless assumption, following the crowd as Mark Twain noted, taking your beliefs from second-hand suppositions?

Probably you were taught the mainstream understanding of “the Gospel” while growing up. Or maybe you learned it from the barrage of religious publications and broadcasts that exist in our modern world. In any case, you have, more than likely, not seen the need to question your beliefs. After all, most professing Christian authorities are in agreement here. Surely, they must be right. Or are they?

In His famous Olivet Prophecy, Jesus Christ warned, “Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many” (Matthew 24:4–5, KJV). Many assume that Christ was talking about individuals who would claim to actually be Christ themselves. However, there have not been “many” such people over the centuries who have been taken seriously, much less who have deceived the “many.” Another interpretation some have offered is that Jesus was referring to false “Savior” figures like Hitler and Mussolini. But this is really taking liberties with the text. Remember, Christ said that “many shall come in My name….”

Here is a clearer rendering of what Jesus meant: “Take care that no one leads you astray. Indeed, many will appear, making use of My name, saying that I am Christ, yet deceiving many.”

What an astounding warning! Christ was foretelling that many false preachers would talk about Him and that they would proclaim that He is the Christ, the expected Messiah. Yet even after acknowledging Jesus’ Messiahship, the deceivers are prophesied to seduce the unwary from a correct understanding of Jesus’ genuine Gospel! How about you? Might they have deceived you, too? Do not make careless assumptions! Find out—prove—what is true. Then you will really know and nobody will be able to fool you!

FALSE ASSUMPTIONS AND FALSE HOPES

Jesus said this about certain false religious teachers of His day: “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” (Matthew 15:8–9). Jesus is plainly saying that one can worship Him to no purpose, uselessly—if the doctrines on which that worship is based have their source in men’s erroneous ideas about how to interpret Scripture, rather than on the plain, intended teaching of the word of God!

What, then, is the actual Gospel that Jesus preached? Did He simply tell people to believe in Him—or was it far more than that? This is a vital question, for if you believe a lie rather than the truth, you will eventually find yourself holding a bag of false hopes and unfulfilled expectations!

In Luke 13, Christ explained the plight of those holding false hopes:

When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, "Lord, Lord, open for us," and He will answer and say to you, "I do not know you, where you are from," then you will begin to say, "We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets." But He will say, "I tell you I do not know you, where you are from. Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity." There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves thrust out (vv. 25–28).

Does it really make a difference to God whether or not we adhere strictly to the exact same Gospel that Christ and His Apostles preached? On the authority of Jesus Christ, I say it makes a great deal of difference!

After Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection, He appeared to His Apostles and commissioned them to “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:15–16).

Christ later inspired the Apostle Paul to pronounce a double curse on anyone who would dare preach a different gospel.

But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed (Galatians 1:8–9).

The Apostle Paul took great pains to warn the Corinthian Christians about false ministers who would come preaching “another Jesus” and proclaiming a “different gospel” (2 Corinthians 11:4). This is why I say—as a minister of Jesus Christ—that it is critically important for you and your salvation to recognize the true Jesus Christ of the Bible and to prove for yourself what is the genuine Gospel that He preached! And Jesus Himself made that clear!

It can easily be shown from the Bible that the Gospel does not revolve solely around the personality of Jesus, the Son of God. Of course, Jesus is our Messiah who shed His blood so that our sins might be forgiven. We need to deeply appreciate and proclaim this truth. But that in itself does not constitute the complete Gospel.

Certainly, we need the understanding of Christ’s sacrifice. The Bible says, “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). Consequently, the name of Jesus Christ is absolutely vital. Yet it is absolutely false to say of Jesus, as many now do, “He is the Gospel. He is the Kingdom of God.” There is much more to the true Gospel message preached by Jesus Christ.

GOSPEL “OF” CHRIST OR “ABOUT” CHRIST?

At the end of the Old Testament, God inspired the following prophecy: “Behold, I send My messenger, and he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple, even the Messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight” (Malachi 3:1). According to Mark 1:2–4, the first messenger mentioned here refers to John the Baptist, who prepared the way before Christ’s First Coming. Christ is referred to next as “the Lord… even the Messenger of the covenant….” So Jesus Christ was sent as a “Messenger.” A messenger bears a message from someone else—and so Jesus did, as He made plain by stating that “the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me” (John 14:24).

God the Father sent Christ to announce a message from Him. What kind of message was it? The word “gospel” originates from the Old English word godspell, meaning “good news” or “announcement of glad tidings.” The New Testament translators used “gospel” for the Greek noun euaggelion. The English word “evangelism”—preaching the Gospel—is derived from it. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John have come to be known as “the four gospels” because they relate four separate accounts of Christ delivering His announcement of Good News!

What was this Good News all about? Let Scripture answer! Open your Bible and turn to Mark 1:14–15. Read what God inspired Mark to write: “Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.’” This is the Gospel. There is only one—and it is about the Kingdom of God.

Some will attempt to deny the prominence of the Kingdom of God in the Gospel by pointing out that Mark 1:1 mentions the “gospel of Jesus Christ.” It is also referred to as the “gospel of God” because it was a message from God. But the New Testament overwhelmingly calls it “the gospel of the kingdom of God.” That is what the Gospel is about! Look at what one scholarly work attests:

There is clear agreement among the synoptic Gospels [Matthew, Mark, and Luke] that the kingdom of God was the principal theme within Jesus’ message…. In aggregate, they present some fifty sayings and parables of Jesus concerning the kingdom…. It is, then, a matter of consensus within the canon that the kingdom constituted a primary focus of Jesus’ theology (The Oxford Companion to the Bible, 1993, p. 408, emphasis added).

Do not blindly believe this booklet—or any commentary or Bible study aid. Believe your Bible—believe God! People have gone off track spiritually by relying solely on men. Scripture commands you to “Test all things” (1 Thessalonians 5:21). Check up on this and examine it for yourself. Suspend your prior opinions and just read what God says. It will soon be clear in your mind that the Gospel of Christ is His message from the Father about the Kingdom of God. Jesus affirmed this after teaching in the city of Capernaum by saying, “I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent” (Luke 4:43). Matthew 9:35 testifies that this is exactly what He did: “Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom….”

According to Jesus, what should life’s primary focus be? “… seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:33). In what has come to be known as the “Lord’s Prayer,” Jesus said, “In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come” (vv. 9–10). The Gospel that Christ brought is indeed the Good News of this coming kingdom. That is the message Jesus preached. He sent His disciples out preaching that very same message. And they did preach it—for the rest of their lives!

It was not until false teachers began to subvert the early Church that Christ’s Gospel began to be perverted. Paul, writing more than 20 years after Christ’s death, was aware of one such distortion: “… there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ” (Galatians 1:7). Among a growing number of heresies, perhaps none was gaining as much momentum as the new gospel about the events of Christ’s life and of simply believing in His person to be saved. Gradually, then, the true Gospel of Christ was supplanted by a false gospel about Christ.

In the mouth of Christ and of those whom, while He was on earth, He sent forth to proclaim it… it was the good tidings of the kingdom of God… which He had come to establish…. After Christ’s death and resurrection it became the good tidings (not so much brought by, and proclaimed by, as) about Christ (James Hastings, A Dictionary of the Bible, 1899, vol. 2, p. 233, emphasis added).

WHAT ABOUT THE NAME OF JESUS?

Christ sent out His disciples “to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick…. So they departed and went through the towns, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere” (Luke 9:2, 6). When the Apostles returned, Christ took them to a deserted place. “But when the multitudes knew it, they followed Him; and He received them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who had need of healing” (v. 11).

According to Jesus’ example and instructions, preaching the Gospel is preaching about the Kingdom of God!

Then, in verse 18 of the same chapter, when He was alone with His disciples, Christ asked, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” They answered, “John the Baptist, but some say Elijah; and others say that one of the old prophets has risen again” (v. 19).

Matthew 16 contains a more complete passage paralleling this account: “He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Simon Peter answered and said, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven’” (vv. 15–17).

Clearly, Christ had not even told His own disciples this yet. But Jesus had already sent them out preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. Notice verse 20: “Then He commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that he was Jesus the Christ.” The reason He commanded this is that he did not want to be crucified prematurely. But what is absolutely certain from this verse is that the Gospel of the Kingdom of God cannot be a simple proclamation stating that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, for we have just seen in Luke 9:11 that they had already been preaching the Gospel—but obviously had not told the people that Jesus was the Christ!

Some might say, “Yes, but perhaps the Gospel preached by Christ and His Apostles was about the fact that the Messiah had to die for our sins and be resurrected, minus the actual identity of that Messiah.” To answer that, look at what happened after Peter recognized that Jesus was the Messiah, as recorded in Mark 8:

Then He strictly warned them that they should tell no one about Him. And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. He spoke this word openly. Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. But when He had turned around and looked at His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, “Get behind Me, Satan! For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men” (vv. 30–33).

It was only after Peter’s recognition of Jesus as the Christ that Jesus began to teach His disciples about His coming crucifixion and resurrection. But Peter did not receive this teaching very well at this point, so it ought to be plain as day that a proclamation of Christ crucified was not a part of the Gospel that Christ had previously sent Peter out preaching!

To further illustrate this, look at the same event as recorded in Luke 9:18–22. In verse 22, Christ instructed the Apostles that He would die and be resurrected. But, evidently much later, they still did not get it!

But while everyone marveled at all the things which Jesus did, He said to His disciples, “Let these words sink down into your ears, for the Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men.” But they did not understand this saying, and it was hidden from them so that they did not perceive it; and they were afraid to ask Him about this saying (vv. 43–45).

The Gospel that Jesus had sent the Apostles to preach was not centered on believing on Christ’s person or receiving forgiveness of sins through His sacrifice. Just talking about Christ is not the Gospel! Yes, Jesus Christ is the most important Person ever to have walked the earth. He was, indeed, God in the flesh, the Son of God, who came as the Christ to give His life to atone for the sins of mankind. And He has been resurrected to be the Savior of the world. All of this is true. And—although it is extremely necessary—none of this is the sole focus of the Gospel of the Kingdom of God.

It was only after Jesus was resurrected that He added this element to the message the Apostles were to preach:

And He [the risen Jesus] opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures. Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And you are witnesses of these things” (Luke 24:45–48).

The name of Jesus Christ—that is, His true name—comprises who He is, what He has done for us, and everything He has taught, commanded and stood for. This essential information was added—to be taught alongside the Gospel of the Kingdom of God—after the death and resurrection of Jesus. Is this an assumption? Not at all! Look at the preserved biblical account of the preaching of the early evangelists and Apostles, years after Christ’s death.

Notice what Philip preached in Samaria. “But when they believed Philip as he preached [first] the things concerning the kingdom of God and [second] the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized” (Acts 8:12).

The true Church is to preach both elements: first the Gospel of the Kingdom of God, and, second, the true name of Jesus Christ.

CHAPTER 2

WHAT IS THE KINGDOM OF GOD?

We have seen that the true Gospel preached by Christ and His Apostles was about the Kingdom of God. Exactly what is that kingdom? There have been many ideas. The Jews of Christ’s day thought that a Messiah figure would lead their physical nation to militarily subdue other governments until they reigned supreme over all men. Later, the concept emerged that the Church made up the Kingdom. Others have believed that the Kingdom of God is an ethereal realm set up in the hearts of men. Others see it called “the kingdom of heaven” in Matthew’s gospel account and conclude that it must refer to eternal bliss in heaven. Some also maintain that the Kingdom is the person of Jesus Himself.

The “Kingdom of God/Heaven” is a subject of major importance in the Bible for two primary reasons: its frequency in the first three canonical (synoptic) gospels of the NT, and the conviction that it stands at the very center of the message of the historical Jesus. Its meaning, which is derived from a world of oriental monarchs and monarchies that is very different from modern Western democracies, has been interpreted in various ways. Historically it has been associated with the future state of the resurrected, immortal blessed; the Church; monastic contemplation; mystical ecstasy; pious religious experience; the progressively redeemed society inspired by love; the future transformation of this world; apocalyptic hope for the next world; and an open-ended symbol possible of many interpretations (“Kingdom of God, Kingdom of Heaven,” Dictionary, 1992, emphasis added).

Scripture scholar George E. Ladd described how one particular theologian “reduced the Kingdom of God to the subjective realm and understood it in terms of the human spirit and its relationship to God. The Kingdom of God is an inward power which enters into the human soul and lays hold of it. It consists of a few basic religious truths of universal application.” A more recent interpretation, Ladd mentions, “conceives of the Kingdom as the absolute, the ‘wholly other’ which has entered into time and space in the person of Jesus of Nazareth” (The Gospel of the Kingdom).

He continues, “At the other extreme are those who, like Albert Schweitzer, define Jesus’ message of the Kingdom as an apocalyptic realm to be inaugurated by a supernatural act of God when history will be broken off and a new heavenly order of existence begun. The Kingdom of God in no sense of the word is a present or spiritual reality; it is altogether future and supernatural.”

Ladd also points out the view or interpretation that “relates the Kingdom of God in one way or another to the Church.”

Since the days of Augustine, the Kingdom has been identified with the Church. As the Church grows, the Kingdom grows and is extended in the world. Many Protestant theologians have taught a modified form of this interpretation, holding that the Kingdom of God may be identified with the true Church which is embodied in the visible professing Church. As the Church takes the Gospel into all the world, it extends the Kingdom of God. An optimistic version holds that it is the mission of the Church to win the entire world to Christ and thus transform the world into the Kingdom of God.

Are any of these interpretations right? What, in the midst of all this confusion, is the truth? What is the Kingdom of God?

WHAT IS A KINGDOM?

To understand the Kingdom of God, we should begin by asking what any kingdom is. A kingdom is primarily defined as a “community or major territorial unit having a monarchical form of government headed by a king or queen” (Merriam-Webster.com).

This is also the biblical definition of a kingdom. Four things are necessary to constitute a real kingdom: 1) a king or ruling agent; 2) land or territory; 3) subjects or citizens within that territorial jurisdiction; 4) laws and a form of government. If we leave out any of these elements, we do not have a real kingdom. And if we believe in some ethereal sort of “kingdom,” we do not believe in the true Gospel!

The truth on the subject of the Kingdom is revealed in God’s word. What men think may be interesting and appealing to the intellect, but the truth is in the Holy Scripture. “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth” (John 17:17).

The Bible reveals that Jesus’ message concerned government and governance. He was born to be humanity’s King! The prophet Isaiah wrote this of Him:

For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this (Isaiah 9:6–7).

Shortly before Christ’s human conception, the archangel Gabriel told Mary, who would be His mother, “He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end” (Luke 1:32–33).

During Jesus’ trial, Pontius Pilate asked Him if He was a king. “Jesus answered, ‘You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice’” (John 18:37). Too many in this deceived world think of Christ as either “the little Lord Jesus, away in a manger” or as a frail weakling nailed to a cross. They do not contemplate His role as a coming, omnipotent Ruler and King.

NEBUCHADNEZZAR’S DREAM

What is the nature of the government that is to rest on Christ’s shoulders? Is it merely human devotion to “sweet Jesus”? Emphatically, no! God’s message and plan for mankind is consistent. The prophet Daniel was inspired nearly 600 years before Christ’s birth to write about the coming Kingdom of God.

During the Jews’ captivity in the ancient Neo-Babylonian or Chaldean Empire, Daniel served his masters in the palace of the emperor Nebuchadnezzar. This world ruler had a vivid dream, which so troubled him that he was losing sleep over it (Daniel 2:1). He just had to know its meaning! So Nebuchadnezzar ordered his court magicians, astrologers, and sorcerers to reveal to him the dream’s meaning. But this shrewd despot would not even tell his “trusted” advisors what He had dreamt! They were first required to tell him his dream—so that he could know their interpretations were trustworthy (vv. 2–9). They, of course, were unable to do so (vv. 10–11).

God, however, had given Daniel “understanding in all visions and dreams” (Daniel 1:17). When he was brought before Nebuchadnezzar (2:25), he explained, “The secret which the king has demanded, the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, and the soothsayers cannot declare to the king. But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days” (vv. 27–28).

So God’s purpose here was to reveal to this pagan ruler that there is a real God who rules the vast universe, as well as to reveal what would happen “in the latter days.” If you want to understand the exciting, advance news of future events—the culmination of which may occur in your lifetime—open your Bible, turn to this amazing chapter in Daniel, and read it for yourself!

You, O king, were watching; and behold, a great image! This great image, whose splendor was excellent, stood before you; and its form was awesome. This image’s head was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. You watched while a stone was cut out without hands, which struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were crushed together, and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; the wind carried them away so that no trace of them was found. And the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth. This is the dream. Now we will tell the interpretation of it before the king (vv. 31–36).

Did this dream mean something? Yes, because God had inspired it! It was prophetic. However, some people think that Bible prophecy is just melodic poetry—serving no guiding, foretelling purpose. Others believe prophecy does indeed have meaning, but that we cannot possibly decipher what that meaning is—at least until after its fulfillment and often not even then. There are still others who subscribe to the idea that prophetic meaning is subject to personal interpretation.

These views reject or distort a major aspect of Christ’s message. And since more than one fourth of the Bible is prophecy, such opinions about prophecy would make a major portion of God’s word basically useless to us.

Yet God tells us that “all Scripture… is profitable” (2 Timothy 3:16) and Revelation 19:10 teaches us that “the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” The Apostle Peter wrote that “we have the prophetic word confirmed… knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:19–21).

We must never try to interpret the Bible by reading our ideas into it! And we must not believe the personal interpretation of other human beings. We must deeply study the Bible—comparing scripture with scripture. We must let the Bible interpret itself.

A SUCCESSION OF WORLD-RULING KINGDOMS

Daniel gave God’s interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, saying first, “You, O king, are a king of kings” (Daniel 2:37). Nebuchadnezzar subjugated other kingdoms under his own. He was the first to rule over a really world-dominating kingdom or empire. But it was not through his own might, “For the God of heaven has given you a kingdom, power, strength, and glory” (v. 37). God was revealing His own supremacy in world events. “… you,” God told Nebuchadnezzar, “are this head of gold. But after you shall arise another kingdom inferior to yours; then another, a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth” (vv. 38–39).

Did you catch that? God is speaking here of literal kingdoms—a succession of world-ruling governments. This is clearly not talking about syrupy, sentimental concepts. God is making the truth plain! Nebuchadnezzar’s Chaldean Empire was represented by the head of gold. Following that would come another empire, to be succeeded by still another. If you check the history books, you will see that the Persian Empire came next, followed by Alexander the Great’s Greco-Macedonian Empire.

Yet another, represented by the two legs of iron, would immediately follow that one, “And the fourth kingdom shall be as strong as iron, inasmuch as iron breaks in pieces and shatters everything; and like iron that crushes, that kingdom will break in pieces and crush all the others” (v. 40). The Roman Empire did just that. We can see that it was divided into two “legs,” West and East, with capitals in Rome and Constantinople respectively.

If we compare this account with Daniel 7 and Revelation 13 and 17, we can understand that the Roman Empire system would have ten revivals or resurrections in later centuries. The last seven of these revivals would be controlled by a false religious authority. The last of the ten revivals equates to the feet and toes of this great image in Daniel 2. Its ten toes of “iron mixed with ceramic clay” (v. 43)—a strong but brittle mixture (v. 42)—symbolize ten contemporaneous political leaders who will give power to a charismatic, powerful ruler (Revelation 17:12–13). Together, these “kings” will make up the final resurrection of the fourth world-ruling empire. That final European superstate may rise before your very eyes! Remember that Daniel had told Nebuchadnezzar that this vision was to reveal events “in the latter days.”

Now we come to Daniel 2:44, the meaning of the stone “cut out of the mountain without hands” that smashes the image representing the succession of human world-ruling empires and then grows to fill the whole earth. This is the revelation we have been seeking! Here, in the plain words of God Almighty, is the explanation of what the kingdom of God really is: “And in the days of these kings [the last revival of the Roman Empire] the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.”

No more will there be any human “king of kings” like Nebuchadnezzar! Jesus Christ will then reign over the whole earth as King of kings and Lord of lords (cf. Revelation 19:11–16). Revelation 11:15 affirms Daniel’s prophecy. At the time of Christ’s Second Coming, loud voices in heaven will proclaim, “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!” Thus will tomorrow’s world finally be inaugurated!

Daniel’s prophecy, when studied with the book of Revelation, should make it abundantly clear that the future Kingdom of God will be a literal government, just as were the previously mentioned world-ruling empires. As Daniel concluded, “The dream is certain, and its interpretation is sure” (Daniel 2:45). This is gloriously wonderful Good News!

OTHER PROPHECIES OF TOMORROW’S WORLD

Other Old Testament prophets also clearly show that Christ’s Kingdom will be a future divine government having global, administrative authority over this earth. Has God’s Kingdom already been established? The answer is obvious from a few straightforward prophecies from Scripture about the coming Kingdom:

Now it shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow to it. Many people shall come and say, “Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, and we shall walk in His paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, and rebuke many people; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore” (Isaiah 2:2–4; cf. Micah 4:1–3).

Micah adds this additional information: “But everyone shall sit under his vine and under his fig tree, and no one shall make them afraid; for the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken” (v. 4). Would anyone today argue that this prophecy has already been fulfilled?

A statue depicting a man beating his sword into a plowshare stands outside the United Nations’ headquarters in New York City—but a quick look at the television or newspapers will show you that the United Nations has not fulfilled this wonderful prophecy of nations not learning war anymore!

Another famous prophecy of Isaiah should help give us a reality check on the arguments of those who maintain that the Kingdom is already present:

But with righteousness He shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt of His loins, and faithfulness the belt of His waist. The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze; their young ones shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play by the cobra’s hole, and the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper’s den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse, who shall stand as a banner to the people; for the Gentiles shall seek Him, and His resting place shall be glorious (Isaiah 11:4–10).

The picture of world peace—even in the realm of nature—portrayed by this prophecy has inspired many to sacrifice and labor for God’s Work. Jesus did not fulfill this prophecy of the Kingdom at His First Coming. After all, do bears graze or lions eat straw? Its fulfillment is yet future, awaiting Christ’s Second Coming. There is no confusion here.

Another prophecy about the coming Kingdom of God is found in the book of Zechariah:

It shall come to pass in that day that there will be no light; the lights will diminish. It shall be one day which is known to the Lord—neither day nor night. But at evening time it shall happen that it will be light. And in that day it shall be that living waters shall flow from Jerusalem, half of them toward the eastern sea and half of them toward the western sea; in both summer and winter it shall occur. And the Lord shall be King over all the earth. In that day it shall be; “The Lord is one,” and His name one…. And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles (14:6–9, 16).

Regrettably, many do not have faith that God Almighty means what He says and says what He means! God clearly states in these prophecies that He is going to completely transform civilization. God has repeatedly foretold His end-time rule over the nations of this earth: “He shall judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with His truth” (Psalm 96:13). Again, for emphasis, God repeated this prophecy: “For He is coming to judge the earth. With righteousness He shall judge the world, and the peoples with equity” (Psalm 98:9).

Why do we not hear that kind of Gospel in today’s world? You probably know why. This message is extremely unpopular with most of the religious, political, and social leaders in today’s power structures. They do not want to lose their power! This was one of the reasons the chief priests and the Pharisees sought to kill Jesus (John 11:47–53). Nevertheless, there will be a real new world order established under Jesus Christ’s leadership, totally changing this world’s political and religious institutions. Will you believe what God says, or will you swallow the philosophical concoctions brewed up by disobedient, sinful men who have been deceived by Satan the Devil, the “god” of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4)?

DID CHRIST SAY THE KINGDOM IS “AT HAND”?

When Jesus began His ministry in the late 20s AD, He “began to preach and to say, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand’” (Matthew 4:17). What did Jesus mean? Certainly, He was not implying that it was then the Millennium, when swords would be beaten into plowshares! In fact, about 40 years after Jesus made this statement, terrible massacres befell His kindred people when the Romans slaughtered hundreds of thousands of Jews during their brutal suppression of the Jewish revolt in the late 60s and early 70s AD (cf. Luke 23:28–31)! And this bloody, oppressive rule by avaricious human kingdoms would continue for centuries. How could the Kingdom of God have then been “at hand”?

Yet when Jesus was accused by His jealous adversaries of casting out demons by the power of Satan, Jesus responded that “if I cast out demons… surely the kingdom of God has come upon you” (Matthew 12:27–28). How could the Kingdom of God have then come upon them?

Answer: by the presence of the King—the Son of God—who was proclaiming the Gospel of that Kingdom! The Messiah Himself stood before them!

The Bible sometimes uses the terms “king” and “kingdom” interchangeably (cf. Daniel 7:7–18, 23). By the Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ exercised, while on earth, many of the functions typical of His position as the King of the Kingdom.

A striking characteristic of the Kingdom of God is miraculous, divine intervention. Jesus healed the sick, opened the eyes of the blind, raised the dead, and commanded the physical environment to behave as He wished! Like refreshing morning dew, the reality of the Kingdom of God settled—during Christ’s sojourn on earth—upon a physical world grappling to comprehend the spiritual reality of God Almighty.

When Jesus spoke of the Kingdom of God coming upon them, He spoke of His actions and their impact. He was neither transporting His hearers into the Kingdom nor implying that His Kingdom has already been established. Jesus was simply proclaiming that the King of God’s future Kingdom had arrived! This fact alone was to have profound repercussions. The Kingdom was “at hand” because, at Jesus Christ’s First Coming, His presence and actions would have an immediate impact on some people’s lives in advance of the Kingdom’s literal establishment on earth.

DID THE KINGDOM APPEAR IMMEDIATELY IN APOSTOLIC TIMES?

Because His disciples “thought the kingdom of God would appear immediately” (Luke 19:11), Jesus gave them the famous parable of the pounds or minas:

A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return. So he called ten of his servants, delivered to them ten minas, and said to them, "Do business till I come." But his citizens hated him, and sent a delegation after him, saying, "We will not have this man to reign over us." And so it was that when he returned, having received the kingdom, he then commanded these servants, to whom he had given the money, to be called to him, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading (vv. 12–15).

Christ was the nobleman in this parable. He went to a “far country”—the heaven of God’s throne—to receive the Kingdom of God. Then He would return with it. This has not yet happened; Christ is still in heaven. His Second Coming is yet future. At His Second Coming He will return with the Kingdom. In the rest of the parable, Christ showed how those who zealously and diligently used their talents and abilities—represented by the minas—to serve God would be given rulership over cities! To the one whose mina had increased ten minas, Jesus said, “‘Well done, good servant; because you were faithful in a very little, have authority over ten cities.’ And the second came, saying, ‘Master, your mina has earned five minas.’ Likewise he said to him, ‘You also be over five cities’” (vv. 17–19). Wow! Those who overcome in their Christian lives will be given authority and rulership in the Kingdom of God. How exciting to have an opportunity to serve others and teach them God’s ways!

This amazing Good News is related in numerous other scriptures. It is certainly not talking about “rolling around heaven all day.” The book of Matthew does not call God’s Kingdom the “kingdom in heaven.” It is the “kingdom of heaven”—it comes down from heaven. The Apostle Peter assures us that our inheritance (the Kingdom) is currently “reserved in heaven” for us (1 Peter 1:4)—to be brought to earth by Jesus Christ at His return, not before! Those in whom Christ resides by His Spirit are ambassadors for that Kingdom, which now waits in heaven (2 Corinthians 5:20). As Paul wrote, “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 3:20). But we will not go to live there (cf. John 3:13; Acts 2:29, 34). The Kingdom will come down to us at Christ’s return.

Jesus taught His disciples that there will be a time of judgment when He will come to “sit on the throne of His glory” (Matthew 25:31). “Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world’” (v. 34). This clearly speaks of a future time when the righteous will inherit the Kingdom when Christ comes in His glory. We are now heirs of the Kingdom that He will bring with Him, not yet inheritors.

The Kingdom of God is not the Church. Brethren in the Church must enter the Kingdom in the future: “Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:10–11).

THE SAINTS’ RULERSHIP IN THE KINGDOM

At the end of His ministry, Jesus addressed His disciples, saying this:

The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those who exercise authority over them are called "benefactors." But not so among you; on the contrary, he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who serves. For who is greater, he who sits at the table, or he who serves? Is it not he who sits at the table? Yet I am among you as the One who serves. But you are those who have continued with Me in My trials. And I bestow upon you a kingdom, just as My Father bestowed one upon Me (Luke 22:25–29).

The King James Version reads more clearly: “And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me” (v. 29). Jesus then provided His disciples with a view of their future rewards and responsibilities in that Kingdom to which He was appointing them: “… that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel” (v. 30). What is Jesus saying? He is pointing to a future time when they would judge the twelve tribes of Israel. Jesus was not referring to their immediate ministry.

If Jesus intended His disciples to understand that His Kingdom was on earth right at that moment, why did He give the following response to Pilate? “Jesus answered, ‘My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here’” (John 18:36).

Even after Jesus’ death and resurrection, He continued “speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God” (Acts 1:3). Jesus chose His words deliberately, knowing that His disciples were familiar with the prophecies of Isaiah, Daniel, and Zechariah. These prophets had clearly foretold a literal, divine government to be set up on this earth under the Messiah. The Apostles asked Jesus, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?”

He responded, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority” (Acts 1:6–7). Jesus never contradicted their scriptural understanding that a genuine kingdom was to be set up on earth—ruling over the nations. He merely told them that it was not yet time.

In the seventh chapter of his prophecy, Daniel had foretold what would happen at the Kingdom’s inauguration:

I was watching in the night visions, and behold, One like the Son of Man [Christ], coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days [God the Father], and they brought Him [Christ] near before Him [the Father]. Then to Him [Christ] was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom the one which shall not be destroyed (Daniel 7:13–14).

Where will that kingdom be? Notice that it is a Kingdom “that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve.” As so many verses show, that kingdom will be here on earth!

In Daniel 7, the exiled Jewish prophet dreamed about four wild beasts that symbolized the same four world-ruling kingdoms outlined previously by Nebuchadnezzar’s dream recorded in chapter two. Notice this: “Those great beasts, which are four, are four kings which arise out of the earth. But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever” (vv. 17–18). Verse 22 reveals that “judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom” (KJV). The saints of God will possess the Kingdom at that time—as glorified, immortal, divine beings!

An awesome future awaits God’s saints! They will be empowered to help bring genuine peace and joy to this suffering, bloody world. No more temporary and often worthless “Band-Aid” solutions! The immortal saints will assist Christ in enacting effective solutions and reforms for all humanity. Yes, they will join with Christ in ruling this world, straightening out the problems where the problems are—right here on earth. As Jesus said, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5).

The Apostle John wrote in the book of Revelation that Christ will have “made us kings and priests to our God; and we shall reign on the earth” (Revelation 5:10). The same book records Christ saying, “And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations… as I also have received from My Father” (Revelation 2:26–27). “To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne” (Revelation 3:21). The Father’s throne is in heaven, and Christ is now there at His right hand. However, the throne of Christ, from which the saints will rule with Him, will be the throne of David in Jerusalem (Luke 1:32).

We can be there after the prophesied last trumpet sounds and Christ returns as King of kings. “Behold, I tell you a mystery: we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed” (1 Corinthians 15:51–52). As that final trumpet blast pierces the air and a world-rocking earthquake shakes the earth to its foundation (Revelation 11:13–15; 16:18), the faithful saints in Christ will no doubt experience a special thrill of joy as they rise to meet Christ in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:13–18). Then they will descend with Him to the Mount of Olives (Acts 1:11–12; Zechariah 14:3–4) to begin the job of bringing peace to a rebellious world.

Under Jesus Christ’s authority, many of us may assist King David of Israel, a man after God’s own heart, who will be resurrected and given back his former job of leading the twelve tribes or the nations of Israel (Jeremiah 30:9; Ezekiel 37:24). We will get to know Moses, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the other faithful saints and servants of God from all generations, for then we will truly be born of God—born of the resurrection into God’s Family Kingdom.

God’s saints—the overcomers—will be given the opportunity, under Christ’s leadership, to deal with the tyrants who will bring humanity to the brink of annihilation: “Let the saints be joyful in glory; let them sing aloud on their beds. Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand, to execute vengeance on the nations, and punishments on the peoples; to bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron; to execute on them the written judgment; this honor have all His saints. Praise the Lord!” (Psalm 149:5–9).

In the New Testament, the Apostle John was inspired to write, “Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years” (Revelation 20:6). The Spirit-filled Apostles and early Church of God clearly understood and taught that the Kingdom of God would be set up at the end of this age as a literal government on this earth under Christ and the resurrected saints. This wonderful future time is often called the “Millennium”—meaning, simply, a 1,000-year period.

The noted historian Edward Gibbon chronicled the belief in the Millennium in his renowned History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. Concerning the history of early Christianity, Gibbon wrote the following:

The ancient and popular doctrine of the Millennium was intimately connected with the second coming of Christ. As the works of the creation had been finished in six days, their duration in their present state, according to a tradition which was attributed to the prophet Elijah, was fixed to six thousand years [cf. Psalm 90:4; 2 Peter 3:8]. By the same analogy it was inferred, that this long period of labour and contention, which was now almost elapsed, would be succeeded by a joyful sabbath of a thousand years [cf. Hebrews 3–4; Revelation 20:6]; and that Christ, with the triumphant band of the saints and the elect who had escaped death, or who had been miraculously revived, would reign upon earth till the time appointed for the last and general resurrection (1862, p. 176).

Man has been given 6,000 years to learn the lesson that, without God, he is totally unable to govern himself. The prophet Jeremiah points out that “the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man who walks to direct his own steps” (Jeremiah 10:23).

George Washington, the first President of the United States, conveyed the same sentiment in a letter dated October 31, 1786: “Mankind, when left to themselves, are unfit for their own government” (Columbia Dictionary of Quotations, 1993, p. 383). The terrible crises at the end of this age will finally bring humanity to the brink of total self-annihilation. Only then will people see the absolute futility of self-rule and be humbled enough to seek God’s absolute governance over their lives. Then God will intervene!

BORN INTO GOD’S KINGDOM

The Kingdom of God will rule the earth’s peoples. But these subject mortals will not be in the Kingdom—only ruled by it. Who then, will be in the Kingdom? Can you become part of it?

When Christ met with the Pharisee Nicodemus, who had come secretly at night, Jesus went right to the heart of the matter: “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). He then explained, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit” (v. 6)—that is, composed of spirit. Unless we have been changed into immortal spirit beings, as 1 Corinthians 15 describes our future resurrection, we have not yet been “born again.” Verse 50 of the same chapter assures us that “flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God.” But do “flesh and blood” humans enter the Church? Yes! So the Church cannot be God’s Kingdom! To be in that Kingdom, we must first be born of God as literal children in God’s Family.

In all of God’s physical creation, humanity alone has a conscience and can come to know the difference between good and evil. This is through what the Bible calls “the human spirit” (1 Corinthians 2:11, New Revised Standard Version).

It energizes the human physical brain with intellect—creating our wonderful minds, which are so incredibly superior to that of any other physical creature. God’s Holy Spirit joins with this human spirit at conversion (Romans 8:16).

The mainstream “Christian world” confuses “born again” with “conversion.” There is not space enough in this publication to prove in detail what God’s word reveals about being “born again.” However, we must mention it briefly here since it directly bears on the understanding of what God’s Kingdom actually is.

Initial conversion is merely the beginning of spiritual life—just as conception is the beginning of physical life. But that is not “birth.” Birth occurs after a period of gestation within the mother’s womb. Spiritual “birth” occurs after a period of spiritual gestation in this physical life. It is an amazing process. At conversion—our spiritual conception—due to the presence of the Holy Spirit, we become “partakers of the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4), the very nature of God. As we grow and overcome spiritually, God puts more and more of His godly nature within us. Finally, we are ready to be fully “born” of God at the resurrection.

Jesus is to be the “firstborn among many brethren” (Romans 8:29) or, as the New Revised Standard Version translates it, the “firstborn within a large family.” As our Savior, Elder Brother, and High Priest, He is “bringing many sons to glory” (Hebrews 2:10). At the resurrection, those who have truly accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior will certainly share in God’s glory. They will become “sons of the resurrection” like Jesus (Luke 20:36), for Jesus Himself was born of the resurrection and is twice called the “firstborn from the dead” (Colossians 1:18; Revelation 1:5). Of course, we, as younger members of God’s Family, will always be in submission to the Father and Christ in total love and obedience, as we have demonstrated to God through obedience, service, and overcoming.

Authentic Christianity—biblical Christianity—teaches that the Kingdom of God will, at the end of this age, be set up as a literal government on this earth, in which today’s true Christians will serve under Jesus Christ, bringing genuine world peace at last. That, indeed, is tremendous Good News! The Kingdom of God is the ruling Family of God, which we can enter at the future resurrection from the dead. The true Gospel is astounding!

CHAPTER 3

THE ONLY NAME THAT CAN TAKE US THERE

To truly succeed, a person must first have a goal or objective. God has given Christians the most remarkable goal there is—eternal life in the Kingdom of God. The next step is to be educated about how to reach this goal. How can God’s human saints enter His Kingdom? What does the Bible tell us about the way to go? Jesus said this:

“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know.” Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:1–6).

The Apostle Peter later stated, “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). The name of Jesus Christ is absolutely vital; the early Apostles and evangelists preached it, along with the message about the coming Kingdom. We must have the same focus, but we must be sure it is the true Christ we are talking about.

Many today worship a false Jesus who supposedly did away with the Father’s commandments. He is often portrayed as an effeminate weakling with long hair and a haunting, far-off look in his eyes. People just praise his name and feel nice sentiments about him.

Is that what it means to preach the name of Jesus? No! We read the following in The Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible:

In biblical thought a name is not a mere label of identification; it is an expression of the essential nature of its bearer. A man’s name reveals his character…. This was a concept shared by the peoples of the ancient world. Hence to know the name of God is to know God as he has revealed himself (Ps. 9:10). The full disclosure of his nature and character is given in Jesus Christ, who has manifested his name (Jn. 17:6, 26)” (1991, vol. 3, pp. 500-501).

The name of Jesus includes not only who He was and everything He did, but also all that He taught and stood for. What did Jesus stand for? What is the way of life He came to reveal?

THE LAW OF THE KINGDOM

Remember that one of the requirements of any kingdom is a code of laws by which to govern. In the Kingdom of God, the supreme law of the land will be the Ten Commandments—the great spiritual law of Almighty God. Christ told the Pharisees, “The law and the prophets [the Old Testament] were until John [the Baptist]. Since that time the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is pressing into it” (Luke 16:16).

But this does not mean that the message of the Kingdom of God has displaced the “law and the prophets”—it has, rather, given full expression to it! At the beginning of Christ’s ministry, Matthew recorded that “Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people” (Matthew 4:23). Jesus, we know, preached “the gospel of the kingdom.”

As we are “pressing into” the Kingdom of God, what must we be pressing and striving to do? In the following three chapters, Matthew 5–7, Jesus expounded an entire way of life in what is called the “Sermon on the Mount.” Jesus’ exhortation to His followers to zealously obey the whole, godly intent of Scripture is shocking to many who have a mainstream Christian background. He said, “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill” (Matthew 5:17).

The word “fulfill” does not mean “do away with”—contrary to what you may have been falsely taught! Jesus magnified—enlarged—God’s law. He showed how we are to keep it in the spirit, or intent, as well as the letter, making the requirements of the law something you must obey in your thoughts (2 Corinthians 10:5) as well as by your actions. For instance, Jesus taught that not only must a true Christian refrain from murder, but also that he must not even harbor the attitude of hatred or violence (Matthew 5:21–22).

Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (vv. 27–28). In Jesus’ teaching, the Ten Commandments were the foundation for the entire way of life He proclaimed. It was not just a sentimental belief in Christ’s person that counted, but a total surrender to Him and to the Father as Lord and Master. In Luke 6:46, Jesus asked, “But why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do the things which I say?” Jesus never said, “Please accept Me; won’t you give Me your heart?” Rather, Christ taught us to live a God-centered life and said, “My Father is greater than I” (John 14:28).

If everyone lived by God’s perfect law code, there would be absolutely no problems. We would have a perfect society. As it now stands, all of man’s problems are the result of broken laws. The Bible clearly defines sin as “the transgression of the law” (1 John 3:4, KJV).

Sadly, after almost 6,000 years of deciding for himself which way to go, mankind is still blind to this reality. “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death” (Proverbs 14:12; 16:25). Man has sought peace and harmony for ages, yet it has eluded his grasp. “The way of peace they have not known” (Isaiah 59:8). In all of man’s legislating, he has not yet designed a governmental system that works apart from God’s law.

The law of God is a major aspect of the Gospel, because it is truly Good News—giving an understanding of the way of life that leads to perfect and lasting happiness, abundance, peace, and joy. The people of ancient Israel had that way of life explained to them through God’s law. However, it did them no lasting good because they did not have living faith to continue walking in God’s way: “For indeed the gospel was preached to us [first-century Christians] as well as to them [the Israelites of Moses’ day]; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it” (Hebrews 4:2). So they had the Good News delivered to them in part, but they did not have the understanding or the faith to receive it.

Today we know that the godly fulfillment of our human potential rests with Jesus Christ! He Himself pointed the way. When He introduced the subject of the Kingdom of God, He told listeners, “Repent, and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15). We must repent and believe—have faith. Paul preached the same message: “I have gone preaching the kingdom of God” (Acts 20:25). In doing so, he was also “testifying to Jews, and also to Greeks, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ” (v. 21).

We must go to God seeking forgiveness. To be accepted by Him, our first action must be to repent of breaking His spiritual law—summarized by the Ten Commandments. To “repent” means to be really sorry—so sorry that we turn around, go the other way, and start obeying God’s law, forever altering our way of life. We must also have “faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ”—the King of the Kingdom of God. This involves belief and acceptance of Jesus as our personal Savior, as our High Priest in heaven right now, and as our coming King.

At the beginning of the New Testament Church, on the Day of Pentecost, the Apostle Peter was inspired to announce the way to salvation for humanity, saying, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call” (Acts 2:38–39). So Peter says that we must repent and be baptized for the remission—forgiveness—of our sins!

In John 3:16, Jesus said that “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” Upon our sincere faith in Jesus Christ and His death in our stead, the death penalty for having transgressed God’s law is removed from us. When truly converted, the Christian is “justified by His blood” (Romans 5:9). Being justified means to be declared guiltless—to receive unconditional pardon from the terrible penalty of everlasting death. This, too, is Good News!

RECEIVING THE WORLD’S MOST PRECIOUS GIFT

We should be deeply thankful to God that, through the death of His Son, we can be forgiven of sin. But does our justification now free us to go back and continue violating God’s spiritual law? Nothing could be further from the truth! The plain truth that many seem unwilling to understand is that a genuine Christian has—at conversion—really repented of breaking God’s law. He is, at that point, effectively making a “covenant with his Creator” to stop sinning—to stop breaking God’s Law, the Ten Commandments!

At baptism, having faith in the promised gift of the Holy Spirit, a new Christian is covenanting with God to stop sinning and to surrender his mind, his will, and his life to God so that the living Christ may now empower him to live an obedient life—obedient to the law and will of God. As Paul explained, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20, KJV).

It is through Jesus Christ literally living His life within us that we are able to keep the Ten Commandments as a way of life. Do we keep the commandments perfectly? No, nor do we do anything else perfectly! But we do surrender to Christ to let Him keep God’s law in us through the power of the Holy Spirit—and, to the extent we yield to Christ, we are able to more fully obey God’s law. Then we are told to continually “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18). As we grow spiritually in our Christian lives, we should be keeping God’s law with increasing zeal and faith.

How can you really obey God’s spiritual law as you seek to imitate and follow your Savior? Jesus Christ has promised to give you the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the very nature and love of God. By giving us His Spirit, God is “begetting” us and putting His empowering nature with us. Through His divine nature, we are able to grow spiritually. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of “power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7).

The Apostle Paul wrote that “hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit [that] was given to us” (Romans 5:5). How does the love of God function? In what way does it lead us? “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome” (1 John 5:3). So the Spirit-imparted love of God directly leads us to obey the Ten Commandments as a way of life. This also is Good News. It is a vital part of the Gospel.

By giving us His Spirit—His divine nature—God helps us to overcome sin and to grow spiritually. God Himself “qualifies” us for eternal life through this spiritual deliverance from sin and the sway of Satan the Devil. Through the Holy Spirit, He begets us into His Family. But we do not yet “have it made.” We must still earnestly “press toward the goal” before being finally born into God’s Kingdom at the resurrection of the dead (Philippians 3:13–14).

What wonderful Good News it is to be delivered from sin through Christ! “In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, [which]… is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory” (Ephesians 1:13–14). Yes, it is also Good News to truly know our Father and our Savior and to receive God’s empowering Holy Spirit, which enables us to live the life God wants us to live. What Good News to all humanity that we can experience the real joy of salvation—the love, the peace of mind, and the deep sense of purpose that we had never before experienced.

The Kingdom of God would not be such a wonderful message if there were no way that we could be a part of it! But, thankfully, God, in His great love and mercy, has provided a way—the way—through the death and resurrected life of His beloved Son, Jesus Christ. What awesome and marvelous Good News that really is!

WHAT JESUS CHRIST HAS DONE, IS DOING, AND WILL DO

The Gospel embraces God’s entire plan of salvation. It is a message centered on who and what God is and the purpose He is working out through humanity.

The fulfillment of this purpose for each of us, individually, rests on our willingness to trust in Jesus Christ. The Gospel reveals the perfect way of life He taught—that of living God’s law as outlined throughout the Old and New Testaments, both written through His inspiration.

The Gospel points to Jesus’ role as the sacrificial Lamb of God who came to take away the sins of those who accept Him as their personal Savior. The Gospel also directs us to Christ’s current role as our heavenly High Priest who continually intervenes with the Father on our behalf. It is through the Holy Spirit that Jesus lives His very life in us as we yield to Him. That is what empowers us to obey God’s spiritual law, the Ten Commandments!

Finally, the Gospel’s main focus is on Christ’s future return in power and glory as the Almighty King of kings, to rule this world and the entire universe under the authority of God the Father. And ruling with Jesus Christ for all eternity will be His resurrected, immortal saints. What a magnificent and stupendous plan is revealed in the Gospel of the Kingdom of God!

Salvation through eternal life in the Kingdom of God is our goal. And the true Jesus Christ is the only way to get there: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek” (Romans 1:16). Christ taught us the Way. Through acceptance of Him and obedience to Him as Lord and Master—which means we must keep His holy law, the Ten Commandments—we can enter into God’s Kingdom. What Good News that God has provided such a way!

HE WHO HAS THE SON HAS LIFE

The Apostle John stated that his gospel account was “written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name” (John 20:31). And, in his first canonized epistle, he wrote, “He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God” (1 John 5:12–13).

Christ tells us all to “believe the gospel” (Mark 1:15, KJV)—that is, believe His message. The message of God’s word is consistent. How, then, can one verse say, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31), while another verse says, “But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments” (Matthew 19:17)? John was also clear about the need for keeping God’s Ten Commandments. In 1 John 3:10, he wrote, “In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness [law-keeping—cf. Psalm 119:172] is not of God….” John continues, “Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit [that] He has given us” (1 John 3:24).

What is the answer? Does salvation come by belief or by keeping God’s commandments—by “faith” or by “works”? Let the Apostle James answer: “What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him?…. Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead… You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!” (James 2:14, 17, 19). In the same way, even demons know that Jesus is the Messiah who came to deliver humanity. But that does not save them. We must use the knowledge God gives us. “But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?… Do you see that faith was working together with his [Abraham’s] works, and by works faith was made perfect?… You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only” (vv. 20, 22, 24).

So we see that salvation is not a matter of faith or works—but faith and works! A dynamic, living faith is always accompanied by active obedience to the law of God. How does belief in Jesus and His message fit into this? The answer is simple: If we truly believe what Jesus stands for and tells us, we will obey Him. This is accomplished by our accepting Him and all that He taught. After repentance and baptism, we receive God’s Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38), by which the love of God is “poured out in our hearts” (Romans 5:5). And, as John wrote, “this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments” (1 John 5:3).

As 1 John 3:24 has shown us, our commandment-keeping is evidence of Christ living in us through the Holy Spirit. If we truly accept Jesus Christ into our lives, He will live His obedient way of life in us to the degree that we put to death our old nature and yield to Him. Paul explained, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20, KJV).

Notice: “the faith of the Son of God….” Revelation 14:12 shows that God’s true Church has the “faith of Jesus.” Initially, we must demonstrate “faith toward God” (Hebrews 6:1). But that is not the faith that saves us. We must have His very faith—by which He performed His miracles—acting in us. This faith is a fruit of God’s Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22, KJV). As we exercise this faith through law-keeping, it will grow, along with our trust in and reliance on Jesus Christ. Acting in faith brings faith to life!

There is no contradiction here. Living faith is active obedience—which is spiritual love. How do we know if we have the Son? “Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, ‘I know Him,’ and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him” (1 John 2:3–5).

A CALLING TO GLORY!

Yes, Christ died to reconcile us to God. But that was not the end of it! And neither is what Christ does through us in this life. Jesus Christ is going “to present you holy, and blameless, and irreproachable in His sight—if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard” (Colossians 1:22–23). As Christian overcomers, we should always hold fast to the hope of the true Gospel, the tremendous understanding of our ultimate destiny.

When the last trumpet sounds, those who have overcome and daily learned to “press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God” (Philippians 3:14) will feel themselves ascending in the air to meet Christ. Can you imagine the surge of exhilaration and ecstasy the saints will then have, knowing that they are now members of God’s Family? At long last, they will have finally overcome all obstacles to achieve their ultimate destiny—a destiny for which all of us were created! To learn more about this vital topic, please request our free booklet Your Ultimate Destiny or read it at TomorrowsWorld.org.

As we hurtle skyward to join Christ in the air, we will realize that we are forevermore part of the divine level of existence—members of God’s Family. This dramatic climax to our human lives inspired the Apostle Paul to write, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God” (Romans 8:18–19).

WHEN WILL THE KINGDOM COME?

Christ told His disciples in Matthew 24:36, “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.” He was referring here to His Second Coming to establish the Kingdom of God on earth. However, even though we do not know the exact day or hour that God’s Kingdom will be set up, we do know that it is near. Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21 give some “signs of the times” to watch. Jesus said this:

“Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.” Then He spoke to them a parable: “Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. When they are already budding, you see and know for yourselves that summer is now near. So you also, when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near. Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away” (Luke 21:28–33).

Terrible events are sharply increasing in the world today. In one way, even that is Good News, because it means that God’s Kingdom is drawing nearer. In Matthew 24:14, Jesus said, “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.” You are now in touch with those who preach this Gospel, even as you read this booklet! Also, the fact that Christ said “this gospel” in the middle of Matthew 24 proves that the Gospel does indeed include the prophetic events preceding the arrival of His Kingdom. It is Good News because God will be administering the only kind of medicine that will work on stubborn, carnal humanity: a forcible takeover of the planet—a divine coup d’état!

Many world leaders, leading scientists, and other brilliant men believe that a one-world government is the only way to prevent humanity from destroying itself. Yet everyone knows that humanity will never do this in a cooperative and right way. Only God can do it correctly—and, make no mistake, God will do it. Then world peace and joy will finally be ours. What fantastic Good News that is!

So when you hear people preaching about the wonderful “Gospel,” you had better make sure they are not just talking about the first phase of the Christian life—our forgiveness from past sins through Jesus’ blood. The true Gospel goes far beyond that! It goes far beyond what most people understand or comprehend, for the ultimate Good News is absolutely transcendent in its implications. It challenges you toward a glorious life of active service in the Kingdom of God throughout Christ’s soon-coming reign on this earth, and further serving and ruling over the vast universe for eternity! This is the full Good News. This is the real Gospel of Jesus Christ!

Booklet Category

Doctrine

What Is The Meaning Of Life?

4uwzvo — Wed, 02 Mar 2022 14:26:02 +0000

What Is The Meaning Of Life?

4uwzvo Wed, 03/02/2022 - 14:26

What Is The Meaning Of Life?

Roderick C. Meredith (1930-2017)

Booklet Media

#Afterlife

#Heaven

#Holy Days

#Resurrection

#Salvation

Why were you born? Why does God allow even dedicated Christians to go through years and decades of trials, tests and persecution? Why is it so important that we all “overcome”? What is the magnificent purpose for all our lives here on planet earth?

Most people never stop to consider their real purpose in life.

In fact, most assume there is no real purpose. How about you? Is there any transcendent reason for you to be alive? Can you have a remarkably interesting and fulfilling destiny ahead of you, regardless of your present situation? Can you be 100 percent sure of a future rendezvous with happiness, joy and peace?

Or, are you living a fleeting, disappointing existence on planet earth with no more purpose for your life than the birds, the bees or, for that matter, the worms that crawl in the dirt? As a human being, you obviously have much higher intelligence than these creatures; you can visualize the future; you have hopes and dreams; and creative imagination far beyond any other form of physical life on this earth. Yet do all these gifts, potentials and dreams rot when you die and “dust returns to dust”?

This truly is worth considering. You should think about it! Sure, some religious people may feel they will be wafted off to heaven to sit around for all eternity with nothing to do except “roll around heaven” all day, as the song goes. But you should not assume anything. Do not be gullible—find out for yourself and prove what is your ultimate destiny!

The real truth of the matter has been revealed in the Creator’s instruction manual for humanity, the Holy Bible. In the Bible, God decrees the fate of nations and empires. He prophesies of world-shaking, future events that are to happen. And these prophecies are unfolding before the eyes of this generation!

However, in a more quiet yet profound way, your Creator also reveals the ultimate destiny of mankind—the real purpose for your life and my life. In a number of places, it is called the “mystery” of God. Indeed, it is a mystery to the vast majority of people—even to most of the supposed “Christian” world. For it goes far beyond what most humans have ever visualized or imagined. Yet it is so obvious, so simple, so powerful in its logic that you may wonder why you did not understand it all along.

So, again, what is your ultimate destiny? Why were you born?

A PURPOSE in Humanity’s Creation

You did not just “happen.” Human beings are not the product of blind chance. By common sense, most people realize that a fine Swiss watch was not the result of slow, evolutionary processes which took place over millions of years in a mineral-rich, primordial sea, as silica and metallic elements washed back and forth while being charged by lightning strikes. Even though the sand and the elements washed back and forth for billions of years, a delicately fashioned, accurate Swiss watch would never be the result of unplanned, blind happenstance.

Yet some intelligent, “educated” individuals prefer to be “politically correct” and subscribe to the evolutionary theory that your mind—with a complexity far surpassing any watch or computer ever designed and produced—somehow came together, with your body, as an “accident” of the evolutionary process.

If you believe that, you had better stop reading right here because, until God Himself wakes you up, you are not going to understand anything about your ultimate destiny or any other spiritual thing. As it is written, “The things which are seen were not made of things which are visible” (Hebrews 11:3).

The revealed Word of the Creator shows us that man was purposefully created. In the first book of the Bible, Genesis, God describes how He designed each creature “according to its kind” (Genesis 1:21, 24–25). Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness” (v. 26).

Here we discover two vital points. First, God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness.” So there were two different personalities here discussing the creation of man in Their image. These were obviously God the Father and the Logos or “Word” (Spokesman) who was later born in the human flesh as Jesus of Nazareth (John 1:1–2, 14).

The second vital point is conveyed by the rest of the verse, “let them have dominion over the fish… birds… cattle.” So, from the beginning, mankind was ordained to have dominion, to rule, to be in charge over all the physical creation here on earth. He was immediately given the responsibility and the opportunity to use creative imagination and judgment.

Notice these inspired words of David: “What is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him? For You have made him a little lower than the angels (Hebrew Elohim), and You have crowned him with glory and honor. You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet” (Psalm 8:4–6). Here we see that God has a special purpose for man. Man is made a “little lower” than the “Elohim“—a Hebrew term denoting God! Yet man is crowned with glory and honor and given “dominion” over the work of God’s hands (v. 6).

Remarkably Unique Abilities

From the beginning, man was given a mind, which is remarkably distinct from any animal brain. Unlike any other creature on earth, man has creative imagination and the capacity even to analyze himself. He can laugh at himself or reason between right and wrong, enabling him to make judgments—to a limited degree— like God Himself!

At the time of the building of the tower of Babel, God said: “Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them” (Genesis 11:6). The clear indication here is that, unless restrained by God, man might have “progressed,” even back at that time, to the point of being able to destroy himself from off the face of the earth!

Today, as the abilities of different nations and races are once again being utilized in a worldwide scientific community, humanity has indeed progressed to the point where we could destroy ourselves. Man is able to launch huge, complicated rockets into outer space. He is able to store and then instantly recall billions of pieces of information in marvelous computer systems. And he is also able to break matter down to its smallest components, and to detonate the hydrogen atom in a blinding, searing explosion. ˙

Almost 2,000 years ago, Jesus Christ specifically prophesied this situation when He warned: “For then [when certain foreseen events take place] there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened” (Matthew 24:21–22).

Yes, unless the Creator intervenes to save His own creation from self-destruction, mankind would obliterate all human life from planet earth! But, as we shall see, God gave man this great intelligence for a purpose—and God’s purpose shall stand.

Created to Rule

From the beginning, man was placed over the physical creation on earth. He was given the capacity and responsibility to help direct and judge his fellow man under God (cf. Exodus 18:13–26). Humanity was given God-like responsibility from the beginning.

Then, when Jesus Christ came to earth in human flesh to bring the Gospel, He continually preached about the coming government of God: “Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel'” (Mark 1:14–15). This coming world-ruling government was predicted by most of the Old Testament prophets as well as Jesus Christ, Peter, Paul and John.

After describing the four great, world-ruling kingdoms that would govern the world until the end of this age, the prophet Daniel stated: “And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever” (Daniel 2:44).

Most of Jesus’ parables concern the Kingdom of God. In Mark 4:30–32, Jesus compares the Kingdom of God to a grain of mustard seed. Jesus shows that the Kingdom of God, though starting out extremely small, will eventually grow to tremendous size. In the parable of the nobleman (Luke 19:12–19), Jesus clearly states that those who “overcome” and use their talents, as God intends, will be given authority in Christ’s soon-coming government to rule over cities. To the servant who had increased his money ten times, Jesus said, “Well done, good servant; because you were faithful in a very little, have authority over ten cities” (v. 17). To the servant who had increased his money five times, Jesus said, “You also be over five cities” (v. 19).

Then, on the night just before His death, Jesus promised the Apostles: “And I bestow upon you a kingdom, just as My Father bestowed one upon Me, that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel” (Luke 22:29–30). If we believe that Jesus meant what He said, then we know that the Son of God specifically promised that “overcoming” Christians will join Him at His Second Coming in ruling over the cities and nations on this earth!

Notice these direct statements by Jesus, the Christ, as recorded in the book of Revelation: “And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations— ‘He shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the potter’s vessels shall be broken to pieces’—as I also have received from My Father” (Revelation 2:26–27). “To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne” (Revelation 3:21). Then note the prayer of the saints as recorded in Revelation 5:10, “[You] have made us kings and priests to our God; and we shall reign on the earth.”

Finally, notice Revelation 20:6: “Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.” Yes, the true saints are called of God and are being trained through an entire lifetime of overcoming to join Jesus Christ in ruling over the cities and nations on this earth! Could anything be plainer than that?

Yet, somehow, many misguided people, even theologians, still believe in the idea of “doing nothing” for all eternity. They do not remotely realize that true Christians are called for a wonderful, exciting, awe-inspiring purpose.

Only Overcomers Need Apply

God says only overcomers will be in His kingdom. Only overcomers will join Christ in ruling this earth. We are told throughout the New Testament to become like God. Jesus said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). Again, Jesus instructed, “Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48).

The Apostle Peter instructed Christians: “But as He who has called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, ‘Be holy, for I am holy'” (1 Peter 1:15–16). The Apostle John exhorted God’s faithful, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (1 John 2:15). The Apostle James wrote, “Resist the devil and he will flee from you” (James 4:7).

So there it is! True Christians are to overcome their own human vanities and passions, overcome the world and its temptations, and finally resist Satan himself. Peter concludes his last letter with this searching admonition, “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen” (2 Peter 3:18).

Now, in the human flesh, we are subject to all sorts of weaknesses and sin. But by regular, diligent study of the Holy Bible; by constant, fervent prayer on our knees, and by continually yielding and actively surrendering ourselves to God, we are to overcome our sinful ways and let God, through His Holy Spirit, build within us the holy, righteous character of God.

We know that we will not achieve perfection in this life, but we must be making real progress. For we are to grow in the very nature and character of God Himself. Therefore true Christians are ensured of constant trials, tests and persecution.

The Apostle Paul predicted, “Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12). Jesus said, “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a man’s foes will be those of his own household” (Matthew 10:34–36). The Apostle Peter warned, “Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you” (1 Peter 4:12).

It is clear that the true Christian is required to overcome himself, the world and the assaults of Satan. He will be harassed, persecuted and perhaps even martyred by the enemies of God.

WHY We Must Build Righteous Character

Is a Christian to go through life’s difficulties just so he can take a very long celestial vacation to “roll around heaven” all day and be bored watching the clouds pass by while plunking out harp music? Or, perhaps, is he to serve God as a messenger like the angels? After all the remarkable trials, tests, tears and perhaps even the agony of overcoming physical sufferings, is our reward to be no greater than that of the multiple millions of created beings in the angelic host? No way!

The truly awesome purpose of human existence goes far beyond even what the righteous angels and archangels will experience! Why do we go through trials? Why are we tested time and again? God wants to see if we are willing to totally surrender to Him. His ultimate purpose is to reproduce in us His mind, His love and His character. God is reproducing Himself!

Yes, you read it right. At this point, I should exhort all of you who read this not to tune out. Ask God for an open, inquiring mind—do not make assumptions. Spiritual safety rests with a sincere desire to “prove all things” according to the words in your own Bible. For the great purpose for human life, which truly makes sense, has clearly been inspired and placed in the pages of the Holy Bible for centuries!

Now go back to Genesis and review again what God did in the beginning. Each animal was created “according to its kind” (Genesis 1:24). So cattle reproduce cattle. Lions reproduce lions, and so on. This was God’s mind or pattern as He created each creature. Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness (Genesis 1:26). In plain language, God was indicating that they—the God Family now known as the Father and His Son Jesus Christ—would begin to reproduce themselves, adding more members to the “God Family”! Does it sound blasphemous to you to think that God planned to reproduce “after His kind”?

Some of the self-appointed religious leaders during Jesus’ day thought so. You might be surprised to learn that this matter of God having a family was a big issue of debate between Jesus and that day’s religious authorities. For Jesus had said to them, “I and My Father are one” (John 10:30). This statement by Jesus angered the religious leaders enough that they considered Him a heretic worthy of death.

When Jesus asked them why they were trying to kill Him, these honored religious authorities retorted, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God” (v. 33).

Notice carefully what Jesus said to defend Himself against this charge of blasphemy, “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, “you are gods”‘? If He called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’?” (vv. 34–36).

The passage Jesus referred to is Psalm 82:6. The Hebrew word translated as “gods” is Elohim. It is the same word translated “God” in Genesis 1:1, and is used hundreds of times throughout the Old Testament to denote the divine Being. Many modern religious scholars maintain that this word just means “mighty judges.” But this is not a valid understanding of the usage of the Hebrew word Elohim. Otherwise Jesus would not have been so quick to pick this passage in a life or death situation. Jesus used this passage in the Psalms to clearly show that man does have God-like potential, that humanity is truly “made in the image” of God. Obviously those incensed religious authorities recognized that Jesus was flesh and blood just as they were. Further, since Jesus was the “Son of God,” He was not blaspheming by making Himself equal with God when He called God His Father!

In fact, this issue came up earlier in John’s gospel when these same religious authorities sought to kill Jesus because they accused Him of breaking the Sabbath, and also because He “said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God” (John 5:18). They obviously recognized that a real son is, in fact, equal to his father.

I am a father myself. I am privileged to have four sons and two daughters. As God has ordained, I have reproduced “according to my kind.” My sons and daughters are fully human just as I am human. Though I may be greater in experience and wisdom, and am the patriarch of my family, my children are as fully of the human family as I am, and have completely the same human capacity, potential and dignity that I do.

What about God’s sons? Are we so accustomed to the modern religionists using religious-sounding “fluff words” that we no longer have real understanding as to the meaning of the words we use? Do we fail to recognize that a literal “son” of God would truly be like God?

Biblical Meaning of “Elohim”

The very first name that God applies to Himself in the Old Testament is “Elohim.” “In the beginning God [Hebrew Elohim] created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). Elohim is used 31 times in the first chapter of Genesis—and clearly identifies “God” as the Creator. But what does Elohim mean?

All authorities are agreed that this Hebrew name (Elohim) for “God” is plural in form. Some think this plural name of God proves that the Old Testament “God” is comprised of more than “one Being.” Others deny this, but there can be no question that the plural ending -im of this Hebrew word clearly allows for a “plurality of Beings” in the concept of the Hebrew God as mentioned in the Old Testament.

Grammatically, the form ‘Elohim’ contains the plural ending -im. The function of ‘Elohim’ as a true plural (“gods”) is reflected in numerous biblical texts (Exodus

12:12: ‘all the gods of Egypt’). In this function ‘Elohim’ can be preceded by a definite article (‘the gods,’ Exodus 18:11, ‘now I know that Yahweh is greater than all the gods’). In Hebrew ‘Elohim’ can be accompanied by plural adjectives (very frequently in Deuteronomy: ‘other gods’) and construed with plural verbal forms (Psalm 97:7: ‘all gods bow down before him [Yahweh]’). The striking feature of the OT text lies in the use of this plural form ‘Elohim’ in order to designate the one God of Israel (“Names of God in the Old Testament”, The Anchor Bible Dictionary, vol. 4, p. 1006).

There is irrefutable biblical proof that this plural noun (Elohim) is to be understood as conveying, not the sense of a dual or a triune God, but of a “God Family” with more than one member. If God were to be forever limited to only Father and Son, then presumably, they would have used another Hebrew word to convey such a limited, two-member Godhead. The Hebrew word Elohaim does connote duality; however God (Hebrew Elohim) did not use Elohaim (conveying duality), but used Elohim, indicating plurality. Why did God use Elohim? Simply because Elohim is a divine family of Beings—a family into which many divine sons and daughters will later be added, as revealed in the New Testament (2 Corinthians 6:18).

One of the greatest proofs that Elohim is to be understood as being plural in actual meaning is the undeniable fact of how the Creator used that word in the Bible, “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness'” (Genesis 1:26). Clearly, God did not say, “Let Me make man in My image, according to My likeness.” God nowhere says the angels are creators, but always speaks as though only God is Creator.

Proof that Elohim is to be understood as plural in meaning is found in numerous other scriptures:

1) Christ said, “My Father is greater than I” (John 14:28). Clearly, though there is only “one God,” it is unscriptural to say that God is “one Being” or “one Entity.” If the Father and His Son were not two distinct Persons (Beings/Entities), Christ could not have said that His Father was “greater than” He.

2) In Matthew 22:41–46, Jesus revealed that Psalm 110:1 refers to Himself and His Father, “The LORD [Hebrew Yahweh, the Father] said to My Lord [Hebrew Adonai, the Son], ‘Sit at My [the Father’s] right hand, till I make Your [the Son’s] enemies Your footstool.'” Many scriptures reveal that only two Persons—the Father and His Son—now comprise the divine Family. The Trinity is nowhere taught in the Bible—it is not so much as even once mentioned in either the Old or the New Testaments. Rather, God Almighty reveals that all who become His sons and daughters (2 Corinthians 6:18) by a new spiritual begettal—at the resurrection of the just—will be born of the spirit as immortal, glorified spirit beings in the very God Family (1 Thessalonians 4:13–18; 1 Corinthians 15:50–57).

Such glorified saints will then be changed from human into divine—from mortal into immortal beings. As immortal sons and daughters of God, they will then be higher than the angels (whom they will then judge—1 Corinthians 6:3), and will at that time be worthy of receiving the worship of mortal humans (Revelation 3:9)!

Elohim is a plural noun which denotes that God is a Family of divine Beings—not a closed Trinity, which could never admit other sons and daughters of God into the God-plane Family of divine beings. Elohim can and does allow for a plurality of divine Beings in the Family of God; the Hebrew Scriptures clearly prove that this word, Elohim, is to be taken quite literally. Can we believe the plain Word of God? God meant what He said, “Let Us make man in Our image”!

“Born” of the Resurrection

In this life, we are “begotten” or regenerated through conversion and the impregnation of God’s Spirit. This Spirit is the Spirit “of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7). The Spirit of God imparts to us the very nature of God.

As we surrender our wills to God, yield to His Holy Spirit and drink in of it through regular Bible study and prayer, we grow in spiritual maturity until it is time to be fully “born of God” at the resurrection of the dead!

Jesus Christ is our example and forerunner. He was “declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead” (Romans 1:4). Later, in Romans, Paul was inspired to write that true Christians are “predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren” (Romans 8:29).

Notice! All who truly yield themselves to God will become like Christ, so that He, then, will become the firstborn of many other sons of God—literal sons just like Jesus Christ, the firstborn and Captain of our salvation.

Again Paul 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 may have the preeminence” (Colossians 1:18).

So, for the second time, God shows clearly that to be ultimately “born again” like Christ, the firstborn from the dead, we must finally be “born” into the very family of God by the resurrection from the dead!

In Revelation 1:5, the Apostle John was also inspired by God to describe Christ as “the firstborn from the dead.” If Christ is the “firstborn,” there must be others. If the “firstborn” of God is very God, then those later born of the very same Father must also become full members of the God Family!

The entire Bible is clear on the fact that you do not leave the state of death except by the resurrection. We have just discussed three scriptures showing clearly that those truly “born again” are born of the resurrection from the dead, and that they become full members of the “God Family”—the God level of existence—just as Jesus did.

Who Will Always Be in Charge?

The Bible indicates the Father will always be greater in power and authority. Obviously, God the Father will never get old or retire or die. So He will always be the unquestioned Head of the God Family. Even Jesus Christ said, “My Father is greater than I” (John 14:28).

Similarly, the Bible clearly shows that Jesus Christ will always be greater than the other sons to be born into the God Family. He is to sit at the right hand of the Father (Hebrews 8:1). He is to be “King of kings” (Revelation 19:16). He will always be our High Priest (Hebrews 6:20).

It is obvious that the major purpose of the Christian life is to reconcile man to God. The Holy Spirit guides a person through an entire process of total surrender to God and to the Savior, Jesus Christ. Through the Spirit, a person grows in the grace and knowledge—the very character—of Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18). With God’s help, this process involves overcoming and learning to “live… by every word of God” (Luke 4:4). For a person to draw near to God, he must deeply study the Bible, “eating” of the spiritual bread of life (John 6:56–63), so that it literally becomes the way he thinks and acts. Overcoming involves regular, heartfelt prayer to God every day of one’s life—often several times a day and always being in a spirit of prayer. It involves constantly meditating on God’s Word and purpose, and occasionally fasting to draw closer than ever to God.

In all this, and then in daily, active yielding to let Christ live His very life within us through the Holy Spirit (Galatians 2:20), the true Christian learns to walk with God. Month by month, and year by year, the totally surrendered Christian becomes increasingly like God. Indeed, a person with genuine faith should live this way, for Jesus instructed us, “Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). The Apostle Peter exhorted Christians, “But as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct” (1 Peter 1:15).

In his final letter, Peter described how God’s “divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness… that through these [promises] you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust” (2 Peter 1:3–4).

Do all these scriptures mean what they say? Can we honestly “spiritualize away” the many, many inspired scriptures that tell us to be holy, to be like God, and to yield to Him so He can place within us His own divine nature? Consequently, it is logical to consider the idea that it has been God’s plan all along to reproduce Himself. This is what the God Family (Elohim) had in mind when they said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness” (Genesis 1:26).

“Born Again”—But Are We to Be INFERIOR Sons?

We have already seen that Jesus Christ was “the firstborn among many brethren” (Romans 8:29). Will the younger brothers yet to be born have far less glory than Christ?

Although, as just explained, Christ will always be greater in power and authority, yet the Bible clearly indicates that the Spirit-born sons of God will share the same level of glory and majesty as their Elder Brother, Jesus Christ. Notice Romans 8:18, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” Throughout the Bible, there are literally dozens of verses that indicate our sufferings, our trials and our tests—the whole process of overcoming—are to help fashion and mold us into God’s image. They prepare us to be born at the resurrection from the dead and to be glorified as Christ was glorified.

Of course, the truly converted Christian is regenerated or “begotten” of God in this present life. But the final, ultimate birth is to be born into the very Family of God at the resurrection.

As the Apostle Paul wrote: “But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive…. And so it is written, ‘The first man Adam became a living being.’ The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual. The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is the Lord from heaven…. And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man” (1 Corinthians 15:20–22, 45–47, 49).

Yes, we are to be sons of the resurrection—not falsely “born again” in front of an emotional crowd of people in some “revival meeting”! The true “born again” experience will so far surpass these counterfeit emotional outpourings which confuse today’s religious world that there is no room for comparison! For, at the “last trumpet,” Christ will return to this earth as King of kings, and those found worthy will find themselves surging upward toward the clouds to meet Him in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:16–17). They will have spirit bodies and will be glorified as newly “born” members of the divine Family! They will not be regarded as “adopted,” or merely “created” beings. Rather, these Spirit-born sons will come right out from God, having His very divine nature just as surely as we in this life have the human nature and characteristics imparted by our human parents.

Using a human analogy, we are now “begotten” children of God, still in our Mother’s womb (Jerusalem above, Galatians 4:26), but growing in grace and knowledge so that we may be born of God at the resurrection (cf. Romans 1:4; 8:29). The Apostle John wrote, “Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is” (1 John 3:2). Yes, we shall look “like” Christ at that time!

How does the living Christ look? We find His present appearance described in Revelation 1:13–16. Now, following His resurrection, Jesus’ eyes are like “a flame of fire.” His face is like the “sun shining” in full strength! He is glorified, as we shall be glorified, according to the marvelous purpose of the Great God who made us in His own image!

What a Future for Those Who Overcome!

Let’s turn to 1 John 3 for a moment. After describing how we shall be “like” Christ and be able to look right into the face of that blinding glory, John writes, “And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure” (v. 3). Once we grasp the ultimate purpose of God, the truly incredible human potential that our Creator has planned for us, we have every reason to want to be “pure,” to live a righteous and holy life.

Our true reward is not some vague and nebulous “pie in the sky” concept of “rolling around heaven” all day, with nothing to do. Rather, it involves becoming “sons of the resurrection” and joining Christ in actively ruling this planet for at least the next 1,000 years. What will Christ’s saints be doing? They will be cleaning up pollution, stamping out pornography and war and healing the sick. The saints’ job will be to bring indescribable joy to a shell-shocked world. Could anything be more personally rewarding?

We shall not merely rule over humans, but over the mighty angels of God! Notice 1 Corinthians 6:2–3: “Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Do you not know that we shall judge angels? How much more, things that pertain to this life?” Our whole Christian experience of developing Christ’s mind (Philippians 2:5) and character is for this supreme purpose.

It will be an exciting, stimulating, productive, and incredibly fulfilling experience. It is real!

What comes after this? Read Paul’s inspired statements in Hebrews 2:5–7: “For He has not put the world to come, of which we speak, in subjection to angels. But one testified in a certain place, saying: ‘What is man that You are mindful of him, or the son of man that You take care of him? You made him a little lower than the angels; You crowned him with glory and honor, and set him over the works of Your hands.'” Notice man’s ultimate superiority to the angels. For man was made a “little,” or as many scholars translate it, “a little while” lower than the angels. Ultimately, God plans to put “all things” in subjection under man.

Even now, man is creating computer systems that can almost rival the human mind in their astonishing capacities, and he is also capable of annihilating all human life from this earth through atomic and hydrogen bombs and other weapons of mass destruction! Yet because of the need for food, water and oxygen to sustain human life and because of the exceedingly vast distances between the planets—man could not conceivably explore the entire universe even if he could travel at the incredible speed of light.

Inheriting a Universe

But, describing Tomorrow’s World, God indicates that “all things” will be put under man. The Greek word here used for “all things” may correctly be understood as “the entire universe”! In fact, in the Weymouth Version, Hebrews 2:8 is translated, “For this subjecting of the universe to man.”

Immediately after that, Paul wrote: “For in that He put all in subjection under him, He left nothing that is not put under him. But now we do not yet see all things put under him” (Hebrews 2:8). Notice that nothing is excluded from being under man’s dominion. But it is not yet accomplished. Commenting on those verses, Eerdmans’ Critical and Experimental Commentary states, “As no limitation occurs in the Scripture, the ‘all things’ must include heavenly as well as earthly things” (vol. VI, 1948, pp. 530–531).

The New Bible Commentary: Revised also comments on this passage, “Further, these verses indicate that not only Jesus, but men— through Jesus as their High Priest and Author of Salvation—are called to inherit a destiny of glory and dominion” (ed., Guthrie, et al., 1975, pp. 1196–1197).

In plain language, then, it is clear that God created man to be truly like Him. We who overcome are destined to be real Sons of God—not “pseudo-sons” of a much lower rank and level of existence.

Speaking of the “sons of the resurrection,” the book of Hebrews says, “He [God] left nothing that is not put under him” (Hebrews 2:8). Our ultimate destiny, then, is to become full-fledged Sons of God and help rule the entire universe under the direction of our Elder Brother and High Priest, Jesus Christ!

Then we will have glorified spirit bodies that will not be subject to physical laws, as we know them now. We will be able to hurtle throughout the universe far faster than the speed of light, for we will be full members of the Creator Family—the Family of God—able to move at the speed of thought!

Serving our Father and Jesus Christ in the perfect government of God, we will undoubtedly be challenged in ages to come to rejuvenate and beautify vast portions of the universe that are now bleak, lifeless and desolate. No doubt there will be further creative activities and exciting projects of all kinds to contemplate. As the scripture says: “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end” (Isaiah 9:6–7).

Once this awesome purpose for mankind is fully understood, then many other things involving human life and the true Christian way of life begin to make a lot more sense.

Notice Romans 8:17, “and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.” When we grasp what that supreme “glory” really involves—the very glory of God—then our human trials do truly seem less formidable. Philippians 3:21 speaks of the returning Jesus Christ, “who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.”

Spirit Beings Will Teach God’s Way to Mankind

Speaking of the ultimate “born again” experience, Jesus Christ told Nicodemus: “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit” (John 3:6–8).

In the resurrection, the Spirit-born saints will be like Christ was after His resurrection. We will be able to simply pass through walls, (John 20:19), and disappear into thin air (Luke 24:31).

At the same time, the resurrected saints, like Christ, will also be able to appear in human form, visit with, eat with and teach human beings during Christ’s millennial reign on earth. John 21 describes the risen Christ preparing an outdoor fish barbecue (v. 9) for the disciples and then teaching them.

Of course, many interesting, exciting and even amusing situations may be envisioned when the resurrected sons of God may surprise or even temporarily frighten (“It’s one of them, again!”) unsuspecting human beings in Tomorrow’s World.

Isaiah 30 describes the time when the whole nation of Israel is brought back from its coming captivity to be governed and taught by divine Beings: “And though the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your teachers will not be moved into a corner anymore, but your eyes shall see your teachers. Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it,’ whenever you turn to the right hand or whenever you turn to the left” (vv. 20–21).

During the soon-coming millennial rule of Christ and the resurrected saints, those millions of humans still living on earth will be taught the way to peace, prosperity and true happiness. “Many nations shall come and say, ‘Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, and we shall walk in His paths.’ For out of Zion the law shall go forth, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. He shall judge between many peoples, and rebuke strong nations afar off; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more” (Micah 4:2–3).

Now notice verse 5, “For all people walk each in the name of his god, but we will walk in the name of the LORD our God forever and ever.” The people each walk in the name of “his god”? What is this inspired prophet talking about?

Possibly, Micah is describing the relationship of people in various cities or provinces to their particular Ruler or Judge—a “born-again” member of the God Family assigned to rule their city or state (Luke 19:17–19).

God’s great purpose in giving us life and breath is that we may join Him and His “firstborn” Son, Jesus, in a real family relationship based on love, service and obedience to the way that produces peace and happiness—the spiritual law of God as revealed in the Ten Commandments and teachings of Christ.

A Stupendous Truth Explained!

Before we are even “converted” in this present life, we must deeply repent of “sin”—which is simply the transgression of God’s law (1 John 3:4, KJV). Then we are promised the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38) which God gives to those who obey Him (Acts 5:32).

Then, we must overcome through the strength and help of God’s Spirit within us and grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ, in the very character of God. For our heavenly Father, through this process, puts His very nature within us. So, in that way, we are not merely “adopted.” But we are literally begotten and finally born of God, having been impregnated with the divine nature and continuing to grow spiritually until we are ready to be “born of God” at the resurrection!

As Supreme Ruler over all that is, God is taking no chances that His sons would ever rebel against Him! Only those who have totally surrendered their lives and wills to God and to their Savior and coming King, Jesus Christ, will be considered worthy of becoming members of the divine Family—the ruling Kingdom of God.

The above analysis should thoroughly disprove one objection which some have voiced against this marvelous truth. Some people think that if the resurrected saints were to become truly God— with the power of God—then there would be a grave danger that they would rebel against God the Father and perhaps start a spirit war as Lucifer did (Isaiah 14:12–15). But this objection reveals an almost total lack of understanding of what real conversion is all about! For after we have surrendered to our Creator, “walked with God” in our Christian lives over years while suffering trials, tests and persecutions (the expected lot that befalls every true Christian), and in spite of these trials, hung in there and endured faithfully to the end (Matthew 24:13)—there is no way we would ever turn aside and fight our own heavenly Father!

As “sons of the resurrection” (Luke 20:36), we will be like God. Remember, “God cannot be tempted by evil” (James 1:13). God will not sin—because of His very divine character, which is eternally and naturally faithful and righteous. So the idea of a full member of the God Family rebelling or sinning is a contradiction in terms.

Another objection is the idea that since God the Father is uncreated and has always existed, we could never be like Him. But this neglects the wonderful truth that, at the resurrection, we are to be literally born of God! We will not—at that time—be merely “created.” Rather, we will come right out from God, being literally filled with and composed of the Holy Spirit, like God Himself.

For, again, God is reproducing after His kind just as surely as we humans do! His Spirit-born sons, in the resurrection, are not “lesser” types of spirit beings any more than your children turn out to be something less than human!

Another vital point to remember in this connection is that Christ is to “marry” the church at His second coming (2 Corinthians 11:1–2; Revelation 19:7). Is the bride of Christ to be something inferior to Him—a completely different class of being? Will the glorified saints exist on some lower plane of existence from God like a pet dog compared to a human? Think about it!

Some people are sincerely shocked, at first, by this stupendous truth involving our ultimate destiny. But there are others who seem interested only in playing word games to try to confuse the issue and obscure one of the most vital and magnificent truths revealed in the entire Bible—the awesome, inspiring, supreme purpose of our Creator in giving us life and breath and making us “in His image”!

As I have already said, and I repeat once more lest someone try to twist these words, God the Father and Jesus our Head and Savior will always be greater in power and authority than we will be. But, as “sons of the resurrection,” the saints will be on the same level of existence, just as your sons and daughters are on the same human level as you are. Truly, God the Father and Jesus will always have existed longer and done more in the past than any of the resurrected saints. But you and I have lived longer and done more in the past than our human children. Yet they are fully human just as we are!

We need to realize that the continuum of “eternity” goes on and on and that, as full members of the Creator Family, the saints will also join God in ruling, creating and accomplishing awesome projects throughout the universe in ages to come (Isaiah 9:7).

God Is Eternal

One false argument against the truth of our ultimate destiny goes like this: “We can never become fully like God because God has eternally existed and has been the Creator of all that is—and we have not.”

Is there an answer? Part of the real answer is found in Romans

4:17. Here Paul notes that God called Abraham “a father of many nations.” God stated this as a fact long before it ever occurred! So Paul was inspired to write, “God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did.”

The ultimate reality is God’s will. God had already willed that Abraham was to be “a father of many nations.” So, in God’s mind, it was a fact because God had willed it so!

In like manner, God must have planned from the beginning to reproduce Himself “just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love” (Ephesians 1:4). Again, “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren” (Romans 8:29).

God’s plan is to bring more full sons of God into His Family so that Christ might be “the firstborn among many brethren.” All this was predestinated—willed—by the mind of God “before the foundation of the world” (Ephesians 1:4). So, in the terms of the will of God—we who overcome are already eternal, have already been given the gift of eternal life through the immutable will of God!

Another clear indication that this is the way God thinks of things is found in Hebrews 7:9–10: Notice this scripture, “Even Levi, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, so to speak, for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him.”

So God says that Levi “paid tithes through Abraham” even though Levi did not yet exist! As Levi was “in the loins” of his great grandfather, Abraham, so we—so to speak—have certainly been in the spiritual “loins” of our heavenly Father who has willed that we become His full sons! So in that way—the way God Himself thinks and acts—the true saints who remain faithful and overcome have always existed in the mind of God.

We were in the “loins” of God when He created the angels, later created the earth and put mankind upon it, and still later when He sent His Son to make possible our entrance into the Eternal Family of God.

Jesus said, “God is Spirit” (John 4:24). And again, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit” (John 3:6). When we are truly “born of God” and become “sons of the resurrection” (Luke 20:36), we will have the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4). So we will be composed of the Holy Spirit as God and Christ are composed of that same Spirit. The Holy Spirit is eternal and has always existed and will always exist.

Therefore, although we will be new personalities added to the Family of God by a literal spiritual birth in the resurrection, we will always have existed in the mind and will of God. We will have been in the “loins” of our Father from eternity, and we will then be composed of the Spirit, which is eternal.

So our spiritual birth as full sons of God is merely part of the spiritual continuum of God’s will. And once we (if we are overcomers!) are members of the extended Family or Kingdom of God, we also will then join with the Father and our older Brother in creating, recreating, building, working and improving this vast universe. For truly, as God’s Word tells us, “Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end” (Isaiah 9:7).

True Christians have an absolutely awesome opportunity and future ahead. A billion years from now, when we have been working and creating for an “eternity” under the direction of our Father—the specious arguments and word games employed by the blinded theologians of this world who deny the clear intent of God to make us His genuine sons—will seem trite indeed.

Jesus said, “Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch” (Matthew 15:14).

God’s Awesome LOVE

God has created humans so that, after a young man and woman marry, they most sincerely desire children. They want to share their home, share their lives and share their love with a little human being made in their image. They look forward to having a baby—a child who, as a full human being, will develop, learn and grow to fully share its life, its plans, hopes and dreams with its parents and other brothers and sisters in a loving family relationship.

So it is with God. “He who does not love does not know God, for God is love” (1 John 4:8). And because God is love, He wants to share His love, His glory, His eternity, with billions of others who will become His genuine Sons in the resurrection! If God the Father and Christ were selfish, aloof, or lacking in love and out-flowing concern, perhaps they would want to keep to themselves and not make it possible for others to join their Family in a complete God-plane relationship by literally reproducing themselves.

But in the transcendent spiritual love that motivates our Father and our Lord (Elohim—the God Family), they have chosen to reproduce themselves by placing within surrendered Christians their very own “divine nature.” Then, God nurtures these “begotten” sons through this physical life of overcoming until they, like Christ—”the firstborn from the dead”—are also literally “born” of God as “sons of the resurrection” (Luke 20:36).

How great is the love of Christ? The inspired Apostle Paul prayed that Christians, “may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height—to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:18–19). How can you be filled with all of the “fullness of God” and not be God?

The love of Christ, and of our Heavenly Father, impels them to share with us their eternal glory as full sons of the kingdom, or Family, of God. In the future, when you read passages in the New Testament concerning the resurrected saints inheriting God’s glory—perhaps they will now have much deeper meaning. For this “mystery, which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:26–27).

Yes, men have always wondered, “Why was I born? What is the purpose of life? If there is a real God, why does he try and test mankind so much and allow so much suffering to occur?”

Now, the mystery is solved! If your mind and heart are open, you now know the answer to these profound questions that have puzzled philosophers and scholars for centuries. You should be everlastingly grateful and thankful to our God and our Savior, Jesus the Christ, for making us “after their kind.”

Jesus’ Fervent Prayer

In the final 24 hours of His life, on the night before His crucifixion, Jesus offered to God His most complete prayer recorded in the Bible. Let us review some highlights of that inspired prayer, “And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was” (John 17:5). Here we find Christ specifically asking that the stupendous glory He had shared with the Father from eternity be restored to Him—He who was to be “the firstborn among many brethren” (Romans 8:29).

In verse 11 of John 17, Jesus prayed, “Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are.” Christ and the Father are one God, one Family, one level of existence above all other creatures. Jesus prayed that the saints become one in the same way!

Notice John 17:20–23: “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.”

These words of out-flowing love are inspiring and magnificent. They certainly make clear that those of us willing to utterly surrender to God and let Christ live His life in us through the Holy Spirit will attain to the same type of glory that He attained. We will be completely one with God (as Christ is one with the Father) and therefore obviously be God. This will be the supreme fulfillment of God’s own purpose in giving us life and then calling us to spiritual understanding! “That the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me” (v. 23).

The indescribable love of our Father is somewhat beyond full human comprehension. Yet we who understand must respond to that love with deep reverence, thankfulness and obedience to our great God. We must strive to “live… by every word of God” (Luke 4:4). And we must learn to “walk by faith” (2 Corinthians 5:7)— keeping our eyes always on the magnificent goal our God has set for us.

“But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6). And how great is that reward!

With all my heart and all my being, I encourage all of you who read this to truly “seek Him“—diligently. Do not allow yourself to put anything ahead of God and His truly wonderful purpose for your life. Learn to truly study the Bible as never before. Learn to get down on your knees before the Supreme Governor of the universe and literally pour out your heart in prayer to Him for the love, the wisdom, and the strength to truly be an overcomer and to become His real son in a world-ruling kingdom soon to be set up on this earth.

Nothing is more exciting. And, when you really understand, nothing is more “real” than what the Great God says will happen! This is the final fulfillment of the Gospel of Jesus Christ—the ultimate good news—that man can be born into the God kingdom, the God-level of existence.

The ancient patriarch Jacob had 12 sons. They collectively had sons, daughters, grandchildren and great-grandchildren—millions and millions of descendants—and so became the nation or the “Kingdom of Israel.” So, as Christ assists the Father in “bringing many sons to glory” (Hebrews 2:10), they are bringing into being an entire Spirit-composed nation. It is a spiritual “Kingdom” of God, comprised of real sons of God—who have been literally born of God by the resurrection, and are possessed of the full nature and character of God. Again, I say, this is the ultimate meaning of the “Gospel,” the ultimate good news and transcendent purpose for your life!

“Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure” (1 John 3:2–3). Now that you understand your ultimate destiny, you know why God wants you to let Him and His Son build within you their holy, righteous character.

God the Father is not a “nicey-nice” wimp, or a stern, unsmiling puritan or an impractical philosopher. He and His firstborn Son, like a loving family, are preparing other sons to join with them in ruling this world and, later, the entire universe. So go out under the stars some clear night—try counting as many stars as you can see and think of the billions of stars scattered across the vast universe which you cannot see—and then meditate on this awe-inspiring purpose for your life and thank God for it! Then, get down on your knees and begin to zealously do your part to make it all possible!

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The Ten Commandments

4uwzvo — Tue, 01 Mar 2022 21:01:20 +0000

The Ten Commandments

4uwzvo Tue, 03/01/2022 - 21:01

The Ten Commandments

Roderick C. Meredith (1930-2017)

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#Christian Living

#Christianity

#God

#Law of God

#Ten Commandments

Today’s “modern” society is in conflict over the Ten Commandments. Have they been “done away” by divine fiat or by mankind’s march toward scientific knowledge? Should they be displayed in public places, or reserved for the church? Are they a burden to “enlightened” people, or a blessing to those who obey them?

Preface

More than 40 years ago, I had the privilege of writing the first edition of this booklet, The Ten Commandments. It was adapted into a booklet from a magazine serialization, and was sent to hundreds of thousands who requested it over several decades. It has been out of print for more than a decade, but I have now updated it for Tomorrow’s World viewers and subscribers. Even so, it is very much the same booklet as was first offered more than 40 years ago. This is no surprise, for it is describing the unchanging laws of God. As He said, “For I am the Lord, I do not change” (Malachi 3:6).

Even secular scholars recognize that the very first Christians based their lives on following the great spiritual law of God—the Ten Commandments. When they said, “The Lord Jesus Christ,” they recognized that the word “Lord” means “Boss”—the One you should obey! Jesus reminded them again and again of this vital relationship, as in Luke 6:46: “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?”

It is my hope and prayer that you will study this booklet carefully, and come to appreciate that God’s law—the very law that will be in effect during the soon-coming Millennium—is a blessing for those individuals, families and nations that keep it, following the perfect example of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

The Keys to Understanding

This is a lawless age. Crime and violence are increasing at a fearful rate because among millions of people there is practically no respect for law or constituted authority, either of God, or of man! On the international scene, nations live in fear because they very well know that the so-called “guarantees” and treaties of peace are not worth the paper on which they are written. There is no law—no respect for authority—among the nations of the world. This is the world in which you live!

The Real Source of Law

Men have lost all deep respect for law because they have forgotten the very source of all law and authority! Your Bible says: “There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy” (James 4:12). That lawgiver is Almighty God. In their modern search for a man-devised “peace of mind” or a “religion that satisfies,” men have totally forgotten about the great God who rules this universe! No wonder some of our young people—the leaders of tomorrow—have such a lawless attitude. One of the world’s foremost educators warned a group of military leaders of this very problem. He was the late Dr. Rufus von Klein Smid, former chancellor of the University of Southern California. He stated: “I have no quarrel with the present emphasis placed on science, but today we are paying for support of schools which act from September 1 to June 30 as if there were no God.” Dr. von Klein Smid noted the “absence of moral values” in our youth resulting from this attitude. When you leave the true God out, there is no real standard of behavior left. The result is spiritual chaos and lawlessness and wretchedness in the human heart. In nearly all present-day religious denominations, the tendency is to try to “modernize” and “democratize” God, and do away with His authority to rule His creation—and us, His creatures. There are very few truly “God-fearing men” left on earth today! Having made their imaginative pet “god” in their own image, men certainly do not stand in awe and deep respect of such a “god.” They do not fear their “god.” And they certainly do not obey this creature of their own imagination! Yet the real message of Jesus Christ was about the God who created this earth! His was the God who blessed men for obedience to His laws—and who punished for disobedience. The Jesus Christ of your Bible always preached the gospel of the Kingdom of God (Mark 1:14; Luke 4:43). In modern language, He preached the happy news of the government of God—the rule of God. He said: “Repent, and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15). Before you can sincerely believe and accept Jesus Christ as your Savior, and have His shed blood cover your sins, you must repent. But repent of what? Repent of sin! What is sin?

Despite the contradictory ideas and generalizations of organized religious denominations, your Bible clearly states: “Sin is the transgression of the law” (1 John 3:4, KJV). Sin is breaking God’s spiritual law—the Ten Commandments. That is definitely and specifically what sin is! Before God will forgive your past sins, you must first repent of breaking His law! You must learn to fear and respect God as the Supreme Ruler of this universe—and as your King and Ruler. Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, was inspired to write: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge” (Proverbs 1:7). This godly fear is by no means a personal dread, but a deep respect and reverence for the great office and authority of God—for His divine power—His wisdom—His love. Without faith in such a great and real God, mankind is incomplete. Cut off from the true God of law and order, mankind is purposeless, empty, frustrated, confused. The way out of modern man’s emptiness and confusion may sound trite or simple to some people. But it is real—and it works! It is simply that mankind must quit worshiping false gods. Mankind must return to the God of the Bible, the God of creation, the God who rules this universe! Summarizing His way to the fulfillment of man’s desire for a happy, abundant and purposeful life, God inspired these words at the end of the book of Ecclesiastes: “The end of the matter, all having been heard: fear God, and keep His commandments; for this is the whole man” (Ecclesiastes 12:13, Moffatt). Mankind is frustrated and incomplete without this living, vital contact with God—walking His way, keeping His commandments. Obedience to God’s commandments would bring peace and fulfillment and joy to all the nations and peoples of this earth. It is the real answer to all of our problems, individually and collectively. It is the way of life Jesus Christ is going to teach when He returns to rule this world (Micah 4:2).

Do You Really Understand God’s Commandments?

The prophet David was a man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22). He is used as a type of Christ, and will rule directly under Christ over the entire nation of Israel in the soon-coming millennium (Ezekiel 37:24), when Christ will bring peace to this earth. David wrote: “Oh, how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day” (Psalm 119:97). David studied and pondered God’s law all day long! He learned how to apply it to every situation in life. This gave David wisdom. “You, through Your commandments, make me wiser than my enemies” (v. 98). God’s law showed David the way to go—a way of life. “Your word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path” (v. 105). Throughout Psalm 119, David declared how he loved God’s law, and used it as his guide in life.

Do you? Probably you do not. Most of you have been taught that God’s law was done away—or else you simply have not realized that it is the only way of life that will bring mankind true happiness and joy. You have not realized that God’s law reveals the very nature and character of God Himself. And God commands us: “Be holy, for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:16). Remember that the true Christians, the “little flock” of Jesus, are described as those “who keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ” (Revelation 12:17). And God gives this description of the character of His saints: “Here is the patience of the saints: here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus” (Revelation 14:12). If you are to be counted among God’s true saints who will escape the seven last plagues, you will have to have this living faith—this obedient faith—in Almighty God through Jesus Christ living His life in you! You will have to understand and keep God’s spiritual law as revealed in the Ten Commandments! Please really study this booklet, look up each scripture quoted and live by His spiritual and holy law.

The Almighty God of Israel

To properly understand and feel the real impact of the Ten Commandments, let us notice the setting in which they were given. Remember that Moses and the Israelites had preserved the knowledge that their God was the Creator of heaven and earth. He was the great ruler of the earth who had brought about the Flood in the days of Noah, their forefather. And now the true God, the God of Israel, had delivered them from Egyptian bondage by tremendous miracles; He had brought them out of Egypt and through the waters of the Red Sea that rose on either side of them as a mighty wall (Exodus 14).

Since the time they had passed through the Red Sea, God had begun to deal with them and to remind them of His laws that they may have, in part, forgotten. Before they ever reached Mount Sinai, God erased all doubt about which day was His Sabbath by performing a series of miracles to remind them (Exodus 16). In Exodus 18, Moses was already judging the people according to God’s laws and statutes (v. 16). Now that they were come to Mount Sinai, God proposed—not to give them a new law—but to enter into a covenant or agreement with them so that they would be His special people and He would be their God whose laws and statutes and judgments they would obey. Since the Ten Commandments were—and always will be—God’s basic spiritual law (Romans 7:14), they were made a part of this agreement between God and Israel.

Long before Sinai, God specially blessed Abraham, the “father of the faithful” (Romans 4:11), because “Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws” (Genesis 26:5). So Abraham certainly understood and obeyed the Ten Commandments.

Since the Ten Commandments were God’s holy and spiritual laws, He proclaimed them with great power and, unlike the rest of the covenant, wrote them with His own hand. Notice the setting in Exodus 19. God commanded the people to clean themselves up and be ready against the third day when He would come down to them (vv. 10–11). “Then it came to pass on the third day, in the morning, that there were thunderings and lightnings, and a thick cloud on the mountain; and the sound of the trumpet was very loud, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled” (v. 16). God was here showing His power as the Creator of this earth as He began to speak with His own voice the Ten Commandments! As the Creator Himself descended upon Mount Sinai in His glory, “Its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked greatly” (v. 18).

In this setting of great glory and majesty and power, God spoke the Ten Commandments to the people who were trembling in awe below the mountain. His voice must have literally shaken these people with its power as it boomed across the land like the sound of thunder (Psalm 104:7).

The First Commandment

And so God began speaking the Ten Commandments—revealing to His people the laws of life that bring success and happiness and peace with God and with man. In our day of human reason, of agnosticism and of creeping materialism, it is important to notice that the Almighty spoke first not about the “brotherhood of man,” but about obedience and worship to God—the Creator and Ruler of heaven and earth—and the personal God of those who serve and obey Him! “And God spoke all these words, saying, ‘I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me’” (Exodus 20:1–3). That is the first and, as we shall see later, greatest commandment. Study the wording of this commandment carefully—and meditate on it as David did! “I am the Lord your God” is a more revealing phrase than at first meets the eye. The “I” who was speaking with such tremendous power was quite evidently the great Creator of heaven and earth. In His very manner of appearance, He had demonstrated His power as Creator by sending forth thunder and lightning and literally shaking Mount Sinai as if it were a wet dishrag!

The First Commandment and You

Now that we have seen the power and might with which God revealed Himself when He spoke the Ten Commandments from Mount Sinai, let us see how each one of them—beginning with the first commandment—applies to you personally. For if you make any claim to being a Christian, remember that Jesus Christ, the Founder of Christianity, said that you shall live by every word of God (Matthew 4:4). And certainly—through God’s help—you must walk according to the commandments of Almighty God if you would enter into eternal life (Matthew 19:17). How, then, does the first commandment apply to you? “I am the Lord your God,” the Creator states. Is the God of creation—the God of Israel, the God of the Bible—really your God whom you serve and obey? Or have you conjured up your own false “god” or “gods”? Or are you falsely worshiping according to the “traditions of men,” which Jesus said would cause you to worship God in vain? (Mark 7:7). These are issues that you need to consider!

To Christians, God says that He is the One who has “brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.” Throughout the Bible, Egypt is used as a “type” to represent sin. All the unconverted are held in slavery to the organized, paganized system of this world, and to their own personal lusts. When a person is really converted, God brings him out of that bondage—and he comes out willingly and gladly! You need to examine whether or not you have ever really come out from the false traditions and ways of this world and have also repented of your own personal lusts and sins.

God commands: “You shall have no other gods before Me.” Have you put something else in place of God? Is your time, your interest, your service taken up more with something other than the true God? What idol have you placed between yourself and the true God, studying His Word, and living by it? God says: “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork” (Psalm 19:1). Throughout its pages, the Bible declares that God is the real Creator of this earth and of the universe. He is the one who gives life and breath to all creatures (Genesis 1). Do you honestly think of and worship God as your Creator and the One who gives you every breath of air you breathe? You should, for that is part of worshiping the true God and having no false gods before Him!

Today, the greatest deception of all is not communism or atheism, but the false, pagan doctrine of evolution preached by the false god of science. Evolution is an attempt to explain the creation without the Creator. It denies the true God and His very nature and office! It is the very basis of most of this world’s “education”! But the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God (1 Corinthians 1:20). In the Bible, God is revealed not only as the Creator, but the One who sustains and who rules His creation—intervening in the affairs of His servants to guide and to bless and to deliver them. David said: “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold” (Psalm 18:2). Literally hundreds of times, David called upon God to intervene and deliver him from some trouble or calamity. Do you go to God with these matters, or do you trust in your own strength and in purely human devices?

Understand God’s Purpose

In Matthew 6:9, Jesus tells us, when we pray, to address God as our “Father.” Throughout the New Testament, He is revealed as the One to whom we should go with all of our trials and problems. Like a human father, He watches over His children and blesses and protects them. He also chastens every son that He loves (Hebrews 12:6). From the beginning, God has been the ultimate Father of mankind. In creating man, God said: “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness: let them have dominion over the fish of the sea…” (Genesis 1:26). Human beings were made in the physical image of God—the outward form and shape of God. Mankind was given certain responsibilities and prerogatives like God Himself—dominion or rule over all the creation on this earth. We were given certain limited powers to make—or “create,” so to speak—new things that had never existed before in that exact form. In this limited way, human beings exhibit some of the very abilities of God! For God plans and purposes that we shall ultimately be like Him—glorified as He is glorified (1 John 3:2)! Mankind is ultimately to be born of the spirit—made of spirit—composed of spirit (John 3:6). We will be part of the spirit-born, ruling family of God. God plans that those who overcome human nature in this life and learn—through the help of His indwelling Holy Spirit—to keep His perfect laws shall be made like Him—born into His very family and kingdom! Then, after this life of growing and overcoming, after this spiritual rebirth, we will be able to exercise some of the prerogatives of God Himself! We will be qualified as an additional member of the ruling Kingdom of God! (If you would like a detailed exposition of this spiritual rebirth, write for our free booklet, Your Ultimate Destiny).

Yet, even in this regard, science and this civilization compete with God, and therefore become false gods! Modern science is trying desperately to give mankind power far in excess of its mental and spiritual capabilities for handling such forces! As former President Eisenhower said in his first inaugural address: “Science seems ready to confer upon us as its final gift the power to erase human life from this planet.” And now—realizing what they have already done forebodes destruction of this earth—scientists are working feverishly to colonize the very heavens! And here on earth our civilization continues its paganized teaching that mankind is the ultimate judge of what is right or wrong and puts human beings completely in the place of God and His laws! Whether we realize it or not, this carnal attitude—this God-rejecting attitude—permeates every phase and facet of our civilization today!

What You Serve Is Your “God”

Most people who just go to church once a week and take their religion for granted do not actually know what real worship is. They think “worship” is something you do once a week in church, not realizing that it should affect every thought and word and action every day of your life! In everything you think or say or do, you either serve God, or else you serve your own lusts and Satan the devil! The Apostle Paul was inspired to explain this: “Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?” (Romans 6:16). There is no middle ground! You either delight in God and His law and serve and obey Him all day long, or else you serve and obey your own lusts! One key to this situation is how you use your time. For your time is your life! The Bible commands us to be “redeeming the time, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:16). How much time do you actually spend each week studying and meditating on God’s Word and law as David did? How much time do you spend in earnest, prevailing prayer to Almighty God? How much time do you spend in discussing the Bible with others, teaching it to your family, writing words of spiritual edification to others as well as words of purely social interest?

Most professing Christians think of their religion as just occupying a corner of their lives. But in all fairness and love, we say that the day will come when they will realize that that type of religion is false religion and false worship! What is the most important thing God commands you to do? When Jesus Christ your Savior was asked this question, He answered: “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 22:37–40).

The destiny of all nations and individuals rests on these two commandments! If men will obey these two commandments as they are magnified throughout the Bible, they will be blessed! If not, they will be cursed and will become wretched in their own confusion and frustration! As Jesus said, the very writings of the prophets hang on whether or not nations obey or disobey God’s law. Every prophecy written against a nation shows that God foresaw that the nation would disobey and turn away its eyes from His law and obedience to His commandments! These are living laws—like the law of gravity—that rule the world in which we live!

Learn to Love and Worship God Above All Else

Jesus said that the great commandment is to love God with all of your heart and soul and mind. You are to worship and serve God with all of your being! Whenever you think or speak or hear of anything good or beautiful or wonderful, you should think of God! Remember James’ inspired statement: “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning” (James 1:17). Because you love Him, because you know His way is right, because you truly worship Him, you should meditate on God’s law and on His Word daily as David did. You should study your Bible regularly to live by every word of God. You should pray to God regularly, with sincerity and with all your heart, as Jesus did, setting us an example. Whenever you find that God commands you in His Word to do something, you should immediately say: “Yes, Lord,” and not argue, “reason” or evade the issue, as so many falsely professing Christians do today.

Knowing that He made you and that your life really belongs to Him, you should present your body a living sacrifice as God tells you to do (Romans 12:1). You should serve and obey God with all your being—with a willing heart—and do all in your power to prepare yourself for and to further the work of reaching others with the message of the soon-coming government of God that will finally bring real peace to this earth. Your attitude should always be that of Jesus Christ, your example, when He was called upon to give His very life: “Not My will, but Yours, be done” (Luke 22:42). This is what true worship really means! This is how to keep the first commandment, the great commandment!

The Second Commandment

In His teaching in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus stated: “Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven: but whoever does and teaches them [even the “least” commandments], he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:19). Throughout the entire message, Jesus was explaining and expounding and magnifying the Ten Commandments. He was showing that this spiritual law was a living law—like the law of gravity or inertia. When you break it, it breaks you! We have seen, therefore, that when men or nations break the first commandment—”You shall have no other gods before Me” (Exodus 20:3)—they bring an inevitable penalty of suffering and wretchedness upon themselves and their posterity. Men cut themselves off from the source of their being, from the purpose of life, from the laws that would give them happiness, peace and joy. Men cut off from the true God are empty, frustrated and miserable. And whether by the awfulness of war, personal violence, sickness or simply the rotting of corruptible human flesh, the ultimate fate of all men cut off from God is an ignominious death—with no hope or promise of eternal life thereafter (Romans 6:23; Revelation 21:8).

The Second Commandment Stated

Man is incomplete, having cut himself off from the true worship of the true God. Yet he is to worship that God alone: “You shall have no other gods before Me” (Exodus 20:3). The second commandment tells us how to worship the true God, what pitfalls to avoid in our worship, and of the continuing blessing or penalty that comes to our progeny as a result of the way in which we worship Almighty God. “You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord [Eternal] your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments” (Exodus 20:4–6).

The natural physical mind cries out for something to help in the worship of God. Physical human beings want some physical object—some “aid” to worship—to “remind” them of the invisible God. Yet that is exactly what is forbidden in this commandment! Jesus said: “But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth: for the Father is seeking such to worship Him” (John 4:23). Notice that it is only the “true” worshipers who are able to worship the Father in spirit and truth. Many others attempt some form of worship but, because they limit their worship by a false concept of God, it is largely in vain. “God is Spirit: and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth” (v. 24). The instant that human beings set up any representation of God, they deny what is essential in God. God is the essence of all power—all wisdom—all love. God is limitless. When a man invents his own mental or physical image of God, he automatically limits in his own thought and worship the God who will not be limited!

The Basis of Idolatry

Many times after reiterating the Ten Commandments, God again warned Israel against any form of idolatry. “You shall not make idols for yourselves; neither a carved image nor a sacred pillar shall you rear up for yourselves; nor shall you set up an engraved stone in your land, to bow down to it; for I am the Lord your God” (Leviticus 26:1). God was continually against every form of idol or image used in worship. However, lest some misunderstand, let us pause at this point to note that God does not condemn art or sculpture, but rather the setting up of any picture or image or representation “to bow down to it.” In the original command in Exodus 20:4–6, God is not condemning every picture and image, but, as the command continues, “you shall not bow down to them nor serve them.” So it is the use of art or sculpture as a form of worship or “aid” to worship that God condemns! The real basis of all idolatry is that self-willed, rebellious mankind refuses to surrender himself to worship the true God in the way that He commands! Not really knowing the true God, then, nor having His Spirit, human beings think they need some “aid” or “representation” to help them worship their humanly devised concept of God. Notice that this second commandment is not speaking of the worship of an idol, which is forbidden in the first commandment. This second commandment forbids the use of physical “aids” or “helps” in worshiping the invisible God.

A Truly Converted Person Knows God

No one who really knows God as Father—no one who is living in daily communion with Him—needs a picture or image to help with prayer. If someone thinks he needs this kind of help, it is simply because he has not come to know God—and undoubtedly is not filled with and led by the Holy Spirit of God. In order to worship God in spirit, you must have the Holy Spirit. “Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His” (Romans 8:9). But God gives His Holy Spirit only after genuine repentance and baptism—and only to those who “obey Him” (Acts 2:38; 5:32). Very few men in this day and age have truly surrendered themselves to obey God, to walk with Him, to let Him rule their every thought and word and action. Therefore, they are not actually acquainted with God. He seems far off—unreal—nebulous. They look instead to a physical “reminder” in front of them to help them realize that He exists and is there to hear their prayers!

Pictures of Jesus

Thousands of professing Christians employ representations or pictures of a so-called Jesus Christ in their worship—and even display them in their homes. What does your Bible say about such pictures? First of all, the second commandment itself obviously prohibits the use of anything that represents God or could easily become an object of worship. Certainly, since Jesus Christ is God (Hebrews 1:8), this would directly prohibit any picture or likeness of His person! In addition, for those who might wish to “reason” or argue about this point, these so-called pictures of Christ have no similarity whatever to the way Jesus Christ really looked! Jesus—when in human flesh—was a Jew (Hebrews 7:14). The features in most of His supposed pictures are obviously not Jewish! As the Word of God, Christ inspired the Apostle Paul to write: “Does not even nature itself teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a dishonor to him?” (1 Corinthians 11:14). Yet these pictures invariably show a man with long hair, soft feminine features and a sentimental, sanctimonious look in His eyes. This is not the Christ of your Bible!

Actually, Jesus was undoubtedly very masculine in appearance. As a young man, He was a carpenter—working outdoors. And He continued spending most of His time outdoors even during His ministry. So most crucifixes, pictures and images of Jesus are in total opposition to every description given of Him in the sacred Word of God! They give a false impression of the true Jesus Christ in every respect. Jesus’ face must have had a rugged, sunburned appearance. He was not womanish in appearance, but rather had short hair like a man. He did not have beautiful, aristocratic features, but as He inspired Isaiah to describe His human appearance: “He has no form or comeliness; and when we see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him” (Isaiah 53:2). As a human being, Jesus was a normal, healthy, perhaps somewhat rugged looking young Jewish carpenter in His early thirties. With earnestness and conviction, He began preaching the message of God’s soon-coming Kingdom or rule over this earth. However, if we think of Jesus’ appearance at all, we should think, in general terms at least, of the way He looks today. He has described this for us in Revelation 1:14–16: “His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow; and His eyes like a flame of fire… and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength.” As very God, Jesus’ face now shines with radiance and with power. As a human being, you would not dare to look directly into it! Many will claim they do not worship these pictures or images. Perhaps so. But this false picture and false concept of Christ undoubtedly comes into their minds quite often when they think of Christ or pray. These false pictures and statues actually come between them and Christ. They separate the worshiper from Christ! If you use such images or pictures of Christ, you are breaking the second commandment! And you are greatly limiting your concept of the living Christ—who now sits glorified at the right hand of God in heaven with His face shining like the sun in full strength!

Worshiping Systems and Institutions

One of the most common forms of modern idolatry is making an idol out of one’s church or society. For many people, this world’s society—its dictates, customs and traditions—becomes a literal god. Many people are desperately afraid of doing anything that might be regarded as different or “odd.” They feel they must conform to this world and its ways. But God commands: “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2). This command must seem very hard to obey for people who get to thinking that other people must be right in what they think and say and practice. The Bible shows that many people in Jesus’ day failed in their worship, for “they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God” (John 12:43).

If you blindly obey the customs and traditions of your family, your church or society instead of the commands of the word of God, you are guilty of idolatry. That group or institution becomes an idol to you in place of the true God! Even ritual in a church service may become dangerous, for however refined the ritual of some institutions may be, it begins and ends in the physical senses of human man—and is not a valid substitute for the true worship of God “in spirit.” The Bible directly describes people of our day as “having a form of godliness, but denying its power” (2 Timothy 3:5).

The true God is the invisible, Eternal Creator and Ruler of the universe. How should you worship Him? He answers: “But on this one will I look: on him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at My word” (Isaiah 66:2). You must worship God directly—and with a humble and willing heart. You must study God’s Word, willingly be corrected by it, and tremble before its authority over your life! With a heart proven to be submissive through repentance and obedience, you must pray to God in heaven many times each week on your knees and in silent prayer as you go about your daily tasks. You must come to know Him and love Him as your Father. As this entire booklet explains, “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome” (1 John 5:3). So you will genuinely love and honor your Creator by living an obedient life based on following the way of the Ten Commandments—just as Jesus did.

As Enoch and Noah and Abraham did, you must learn to “walk with God”—and be in constant and increasing communion and yieldedness to Him throughout every day of your life. Then—guided by His Spirit—you will never even begin to consider using an image or idol or picture as an “aid” to prayer and worship of the great sovereign Ruler of this universe, and your personal Father in heaven!

A Solemn Warning and Promise

We have seen that God forbids the making of any image or idol to represent Him: “For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments” (Exodus 20:5–6). Because God is our Father, He is lovingly zealous for our eternal welfare. He is jealous over us, in that He will not countenance His children worshiping false gods. This, of course, is for our own good! If we persist in an idolatrous and vain form of worship, God says He will visit our iniquity upon our children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren. There are many ramifications to this statement and principle. But there is one obvious direct meaning in this context. If, in worship, men put an idol, image or something else in place of God and come under the influence of that false worship, then they are not only harming themselves—but their children and grandchildren! The principle is that their false idea of worship will be transmitted to their children—damaging and wrecking their lives and happiness! It is a solemn and terrible thing to pass on to your children a false concept of God. It is one of the most awful things a parent can do! For it should be obvious to any Bible-believing person that the worship of idols and false “gods” has absolutely wreaked havoc in the lives of billions of people. Cut off from the knowledge of the Creator, untold millions have been deceived by Satan (Revelation 12:9), and as a result have experienced wars, broken homes, mass starvation, slavery—and all manner of human suffering and degradation beyond description!

But together with this warning, God gives a merciful promise to those who are willing to worship God as He commands. In their case, He is a loving and merciful God, “showing mercy to thousands” who love Him and keep His commandments. Here is a remarkable contrast. God only visits the iniquity of the fathers to the third and fourth generations before intervening with merciful punishment and awakening to truth. But He shows mercy to the thousandth generation! God calls men into His own immediate spiritual presence—to worship their Creator directly. Men can come to really know the great God of the universe as their personal Father. They can daily walk with Him, talk with Him. Whenever a man stops short of that face-to-face worship of the Eternal God, he is working ruin in his own character—breaking the commandment of God. This is the meaning and force of the second commandment.

The Third Commandment

Is God really first in your personal life? Results of a poll of 1,500 college students showed that they had two sets of values toward which they professed allegiance: on the first level, towards self, family and friends; on the second level, to mankind (in general) and God. It is notable that God was least regarded by these “educated” young people! Yet in this same poll, 90 percent of those questioned indicated a belief in God. This prevailing spiritual lethargy and passive disrespect toward God—and toward the great magnitude of His office and power—is indicative of a growing trend even among churchgoers and professing Christians. People like to talk about religion and God, but they do not stand in awe of His position and His name. And this spiritual cancer has within it the seeds of the destruction of our Western civilization!

The Third Commandment Stated

In discussing the first and second commandments, we found that we must guard against making a god out of anything—and putting it in place of the true God. And we learned that God commands us to worship Him directly—to walk with Him, to talk with Him, to really know and worship Him in spirit and truth—and to avoid using any image, picture or physical object as an “aid” to worship or to “remind” us of the great Creator. The third commandment deals with God’s name, His office, His position as the great sovereign Ruler of the universe: “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain” (Exodus 20:7). In the Bible, personal names have a meaning. The original Hebrew name of Abram was changed to Abraham—for Abraham means “a father of many nations.” And Abraham was destined to become just that—”a father of many nations” (Genesis 17:5). So it is with God’s name.

God’s Name Reveals the Kind of God You Worship

Every name or title of God reveals some attribute of the divine character. In studying God’s Word, we learn new facts about God’s nature and character with each new name by which He reveals Himself. In other words, God names Himself what He is! If men use the name of God in a way that denies the true meaning and character of God, they are breaking the third commandment. God declares through Isaiah: “Hear this, O house of Jacob, who are called by the name of Israel, and have come forth from the wellsprings of Judah; who swear by the name of the Lord, and make mention of the God of Israel, but not in truth or in righteousness” (Isaiah 48:1).

People to whom this prophecy applies use the name of God, but fail to obey the revelation of God contained in His name. And shocking though it may be, many religious people repeat over and over the name of God in sermons or prayers. They are taking God’s name in vain—to no good use or purpose! The original command says: “The Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.” The Hebrew word here rendered “guiltless” may also be translated “clean”—”The Lord will not hold him to be clean who takes His name in vain.” The test of spiritual cleanliness is our attitude to the name of God! We are clean or unclean according to whether we take the name of God in truth—or for vanity. Do you realize what this means? It certainly indicates that someone is better off who—because of sincere religious doubts—has dropped the name of God from his vocabulary, than a professing Christian who talks about God continually, but denies Him in daily life!

In the Lord’s Prayer, we are instructed to “hallow” God’s name. And the third commandment with which we are dealing has directly to do with showing the proper respect for the name of God. One of the ten great points of God’s eternal spiritual law is devoted to this very thing! First of all, however, let us make it clear to those who may have been misinformed on the subject that reverencing God’s name does not mean trying to speak Hebrew or Greek or learning to pronounce God’s name in the original biblical languages! There are certain sects that make a great matter out of this. Some claim that “Jehovah” is the Father’s name. Others claim that it is “Yahweh,” others “Yahveh,” and others use still different variations. The truth of the matter is that since all admit that the Hebrew vowels have not been preserved, no one knows exactly how this Hebrew name of God should be pronounced! (For proof that “God” is the Father’s name, request our free reprint article titled “The Truth About ‘Sacred Names'”).

Describing the significance of one’s name, Moulton-Milligan’s Vocabulary of the Greek Testament states: “By a usage similar to that of the Heb.… [onoma, “name”] comes in the N.T. to denote the ‘character’, ‘name’, ‘authority’ of the person indicated” (p. 451). Also, and even more important, God Himself inspired Daniel and Ezra to use the Aramaic word for God in nine chapters of the Bible that they wrote in this language, and the New Testament writers all were inspired to use the Greek words for the Deity. The real importance of the matter, of course, lies not in the phonetic sound that is used to describe God, but in the meaning that His names convey! Thus, this respected authority on biblical linguistics clearly shows that one’s name signifies one’s office, authority and especially one’s character. The names of God show us what God is like—they reveal His character! Do you really know what God is like? Do you respect His various offices and His name as you should? Turn to your Bible and check up!

God’s Nature and Character Revealed

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). In this very first verse of the Bible, God reveals Himself by the Hebrew name Elohim. There is one God—but more than one member in the Godhead, or God family! This same word Elohim is used in Genesis 1:26: “Then God [Elohim] said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness.'” Here it is clearly seen—in context with the passage itself—that more than one person shares the name of God—Elohim. In the New Testament, this is made clear by the revelation that God the Father created all things by and through Jesus Christ—who was with God and was God from the beginning (John 1:1–14; Ephesians 3:9).

In these passages, therefore, it is revealed that God is more than one person—God the Father and the “Word” or Spokesman, who later became Jesus Christ when born in human flesh. This Father-Son relationship shows that God is a family. And the way the word Elohim is used in these early passages in Genesis and elsewhere certainly indicates that God is the creating kingdom or family! Interestingly, Elohim is plural in form but is used either in the singular or plural, depending on the context. God, by virtue of being Creator, is also the Ruler over His creation. We find that immediately after creating the first man and woman, God gave them both a blessing and a command: “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it” (Genesis 1:28).

Yes, the true God is Ruler—and you should obey Him because He made you and gives you every breath of air you breathe! In dealing with Abraham, God sometimes called Himself El Shaddai, which means “Almighty God.” So God is the source of all power! His name should be revered, because it stands for the one who is the source of all power, all might, and all authority. The name most commonly translated “Lord” in the Old Testament is translated from the Hebrew letters YHWH, sometimes rendered YAHWEH or YAHVEH. The original Hebrew word means the “Eternal” or “Self-Existent One.” The word is both used and defined in Genesis 21:33: “Then Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there called on the name of the Lord [YHWH], the Everlasting God.” This Hebrew word, often translated “Jehovah” in some of the revised versions, shows God’s character as the ever-living God and is used to show His everlasting office in a covenant relationship to those whom He has created. God has always existed and will always exist to carry out His blessings, His promises, and His covenant with His people! Our God is the Eternal—the Self-Existent One. Throughout His Word, God’s name is connected with His attributes—His power, His eternal existence, His mercy, His faithfulness, His wisdom, His love. Notice how the prophet David connects God’s name with His creative power: “O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is Your name in all the earth, who have set your glory above the heavens!… When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained, what is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him?” (Psalm 8:1–4). Here God is pictured as setting His glory above the heavens. Then David proceeds to show that God has created the heavens, the earth and man. No wonder God’s name and office are to be respected!

In our everyday speech, many of us are damning the very name of our Creator and our God! We are using our breath to curse and damn the name of the very One who gives us our life and the very breath with which we curse His name! An expression used with terrible frequency is asking God to “damn” someone. Poor men and wealthy men alike give ready tongue to this vile oath—and often think they are proving their “manhood” or getting away with something by doing it! Yet it would be hard to find any normal human being anywhere who would like to see this phrase carried out with respect to others in all of its terrible meaning. Using this expression is trifling with the name of our God—asking Him to do something that He has never intended to do. God never “damned” a person in the way many seem to think! This idea is an awful heresy! God’s work is the work of salvation, and God will deprive no one of eternal life, except that one who, by his own volition and will, rejects God’s way. God says: “On this one will I look: on him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at My word” (Isaiah 66:2). The very same may be said about the deep respect and godly fear we should have for God’s name—which directly represents God’s character, His Word and His purposes.

Should You Swear?

Men today are accustomed not only to profane swearing and invoking God’s name to back up their oaths, but there are also many legal ceremonies that invoke the name of God in a form of swearing or an oath. Jesus Christ said: “But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne; nor by the earth, for it is His footstool: nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King” (Matthew 5:34–35). God’s name is so sacred and holy that we are commanded not to invoke it to back up our words or our oath! We can be glad that the American nation was founded by men who read their Bibles and made great allowance for religious liberty and freedom. Therefore, even though many public officials will, on occasion, ask you to raise your hand and “swear,” they all realize that provision has been made so that you can employ the word “affirm” instead of swearing. And actually, as we should all know, the simple affirmation or formal word of a God-fearing Christian is far more to be relied upon than ten thousand oaths given by a liar on the witness stand! The travesty of businessmen, politicians and even college professors taking God’s name in vain on the witness stand in this manner bears ample proof of this statement!

Religious Titles to Avoid

Speaking of using certain expressions as a religious title, Christ said: “Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven” (Matthew 23:9). Although there is a flagrant and obvious abuse of this command in some large religious organizations, this statement of God’s Word is clear to anyone who wishes to obey it. Our only spiritual Father is God! Any application of this word as a religious title to a man is simply direct blasphemy against the Creator who has made all men—even the weak, corruptible human beings who impudently take to themselves and falsely assume that which is a divine title. Of course, we should call our human parent “father,” as God Himself does in the fifth commandment. Another common misuse of the divine name is the application of the term “Reverend” to any human being—be he a minister or otherwise. For God applies this title to Himself alone: “He sent redemption unto his people: he hath commanded his covenant for ever: holy and reverend is his [God’s] name” (Psalm 111:9, KJV). “Reverend” applies to someone to be revered—someone worthy of worship! No mortal human being is worthy of such a title! Even so great a servant of God as the Apostle Paul himself was inspired to write: “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh), nothing good dwells” (Romans 7:18). Anyone who considers himself worthy of worship—or deserving of the title “Reverend”—is someday going to have to repent of breaking the third commandment!

The Most Common Sin of All

In teaching His disciples, and us as Christians, how to pray, Jesus Christ set forth the right manner to approach Almighty God and the attitude of reverence in which we should hold His office and His name. In the opening phrases of what is commonly called “The Lord’s Prayer,” some translations of the Bible are falsely punctuated. After the invocation, “Our Father which art in heaven”—the approach of mankind to God—there are three requests linked together, and then a clause following which conditions all three—and not the last one only. The correct rendering would be as follows: “Our Father which art in heaven, thy name be hallowed, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, as in heaven, so on earth.”

The phrase “as in heaven, so on earth” has reference not merely to “thy will be done,” but to “thy kingdom come” and to “hallowed be thy name.” These thoughts contained in what is called the Lord’s Prayer—the hallowing of God’s name, the coming of His kingdom, and the doing of His will—are simply different phases of the same thing. For we hallow God’s name by submission to His kingdom and government, and by doing His will and obeying His laws. Simply holding the phonetic sound of God’s name in reverence is only a small part of fulfillment of the third commandment. Jesus asked: “But why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46). Prayer without obedience is a subtle form of blasphemy! The supposedly religious people who talk about religion and God but refuse to obey His Word and His law are guilty of greater sin than those who admittedly go the way of the flesh and at least refuse to pretend otherwise. The hypocrisy of religious denominations and religious people is infinitely worse than the profanity of the street. Praise offered to God that is counteracted by rebellion against His ways and His laws is certainly blasphemy—and it is taking the name of God in vain! One who preaches or prays with eloquence and a devotional attitude, but then proceeds to break the least of God’s commandments (Matthew 5:19) blasphemes when he prays! But even if such a one deceives the world, he never deceives God!

Speaking of the “religionists” of His day who refused complete obedience to the will and law of God, Jesus declared: “This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men” (Mark 7:6–7). In like manner, many today profess God with their lips, but their worship is vain! “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father in heaven” (Matthew 7:21).

May God grant you the willingness to obey His will and law! May you learn to worship Him in spirit and in truth. May you learn to honor and reverence His great name—for it represents His creative power, His wisdom, His faithfulness, His love and kindness and patience and infinite mercy. It represents the character and office and dignity of the great God who sits at the controls of the universe!

The Fourth Commandment

Why were you born? What is the meaning of your life? What is the true goal of life—and what are the laws of life by which that goal can be attained? How much time do you spend each week in considering these very important questions? Most people are so busy with the day-to-day cares of making ends meet that they devote almost no time at all to the spiritual issues of life. If questioned about Bible study or prayer, most people reply that “there just isn’t enough time” for these religious activities.

Because he is so engrossed with his job during the day, and with television, movies, parties and sports in the evenings and on weekends, the average American is totally lacking in even a rudimentary knowledge of his own religious beliefs. And he is childishly ignorant of the fundamental truths of the Bible—so much so that a survey showed that the average American is unable even to name the four Gospels correctly! God seems far away to him. The Bible is “for old folks and preachers” to read and understand. Yet he proclaims that he “hopes to do better” someday. The big question is—when? When will he take the time to really get to know God? When will he take time to study his Bible, to pray earnestly to the Creator as his Father, to meditate on the laws and purposes of life? For most people, the true answer will probably be “never”—unless they learn to obey the fourth commandment of Almighty God! Obedience to this little-understood commandment is a powerful factor in bringing the lives of men and women close to the Creator God—and to His blessings and direct guidance.

The Fourth Commandment Stated

We have already discussed the prevalent sin of putting another god in place of the true God. We learned that God commands us to worship Him directly and to avoid using any image, picture or physical object to “remind” us of the great Creator, or as an “aid” to worship. And we were warned against the vain use of the name of Almighty God, which stands for His position, His character, His power, His office as the great Ruler of this entire universe. The fourth commandment completes the first section of the Decalogue, which deals with man’s relationship to God. It provides for the perpetual observance of a sign of the relationship between God and man. “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it” (Exodus 20:8–11).

This command is, in its wording, the longest of any of the ten. It is placed, protectively as it were, in the very midst of the Ten Commandments. Yet, sad to say, it is the one command about which men “reason” and argue most, and which they would most quickly tear asunder and try to separate from the rest of God’s law. Notice that it starts out with the injunction to “remember.” This very statement proves that the Sabbath command was already understood by God’s chosen people and that, in incorporating it as part of His covenant, God was reminding them of a spiritual command of which they already had knowledge. “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.” You cannot “keep” cold water hot! And mortal men cannot make anything holy. Therefore, to fully grasp the significance of this divine command, we need to learn who made the Sabbath day holy and when! Jesus said: “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27–28). Notice that Jesus said the Sabbath day was “made.” Whatever was made has a Maker. Note also that Jesus did not say that the Sabbath was made only for the Jewish people, but for man—for all mankind, in other words. Then He stated that He—Christ—is “Lord” of the Sabbath. In this statement, He claims to be—not the destroyer—but the Lord of the Sabbath. In His human life, Jesus kept the Sabbath, and many verses in the four Gospels are devoted to His instructions to the disciples in how it should be kept, and in freeing it from the traditions that the Jews had added. But, before continuing, let us answer the question: “Who made the Sabbath day?”

Who Made the Sabbath?

In understanding the command to remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy, and in understanding who made the Sabbath in the first place, we need to turn to an account of the very beginning of God’s creation. The New Testament gives such an account in the first chapter of the Gospel according to John. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him; and without Him nothing was made that was made” (John 1:1–3). Here we find Jesus Christ described as the “Word” (or “Spokesman,” as the original Greek may more properly be rendered). This passage reveals that Jesus has been with the Father from the beginning, and that nothing was made without Him—without Jesus Christ! As the second person in the Godhead, the Father used Him as the instrument through whom the creation was brought into being. The Apostle Paul was inspired to speak of how God “created all things through Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 3:9).

In Hebrews, we find Christ described as the Son of God, “whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds” (Hebrews 1:2). These and many other scriptures show that He was the person in the Godhead who later became Jesus Christ, who actually carried out the job of creation! He was the one who said: “Let there be light,” and there was light. He was the one who created man—and set him on this earth in the Garden of Eden. So speaking in particular of He who did the creating, the inspired writer of Genesis states: “And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made” (Genesis 2:2–3).

Jesus said that the Sabbath was made for man. Here we see that the Sabbath was made when man was made. And it was made by the divine Being who later became Jesus Christ! It was made as an intrinsic part of the environment that surrounded mankind, and which God made in the seven days of creation. Notice that God “blessed” the seventh day and “sanctified” it. Such an honor was not conferred on any of the preceding six days. When God blesses something, He bestows His divine favor upon, and His divine presence in, that thing. The very word “sanctify” means to set apart for holy use or purpose. Thus, we see that in the very act of creation, the Almighty God put His divine favor upon, and set apart for holy use and purpose, a certain space of the most enduring thing there is—time.

The Sabbath Is a Blessing

Certainly this insight into the background of the Sabbath gives added meaning to God’s command: “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.” Through Jesus Christ, God made the seventh day of the week holy—and on His authority as our Creator He commands us to keep it that way! The Sabbath, then, is holy time. Yet it was made for man—as a great blessing to all mankind! Our Creator knew that we would need a period of rest and worship every seventh day, and this is the basic purpose for which the Sabbath was created. Each of us tends to become overly absorbed in our daily cares and work and pleasure during the week. Our Creator foresaw this, and set apart His Sabbath day as a consecrated time when we can completely forget our daily routine and draw closer to the Creator God in study, meditation and prayer. Modern mankind desperately needs this period of time in which to have real communion with its Maker and God. Taking time to think about God and to worship Him, to pray, to study and meditate upon the purpose for human existence, and upon God’s revealed laws of life—all this adds great strength and meaning to human life the other six days of the week. The Sabbath is one of the greatest blessings that has ever been bestowed upon the human family!

The Command Expounded

Understanding that the Sabbath command is just as binding as the commandments against murder and adultery, let us proceed to analyze and expound this commandment of God and its application to our personal lives today. Except for the explanatory and expository statements, the fourth commandment consists of two basic injunctions: First, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.” Second, “Six days you shall labor and do all your work.”

It is by the authority of God that the first six days of the week are appointed for man’s business and labor. It is the will of God that human beings should work and earn their daily bread. One who continually idles away time in the six days is as equally guilty in the sight of God as one who works on the seventh! The idle person is ordinarily clothed with rags, and his idle mind and hands lead him into many wretched vices and sins. This second part of the Sabbath command is just as binding as the first! One who never works is totally unfit for worship! The honest, purposeful work of the six days is in itself an act of worship and obedience to God. We are placed in a world that contains all that is necessary for our physical being, but to obtain it we must work! It is part of the original intention of God, for mankind was placed in the Garden of Eden “to tend and keep it” (Genesis 2:15).

However, in like manner, one who never pauses from daily business and pursuits, to worship as God has commanded on the seventh day that He has made holy and set apart, is—through lack of contact with his Maker—rendered incapable of the highest potential achievement in work, in service and in the joy of accomplishment. Since the very Creator has so commanded, we can keep the Sabbath day of rest and spiritual rejuvenation with complete confidence that God will bless and prosper us, because we have done this!

A Paid Vacation

Normally speaking, if you would quit working every few days to take a needed rest, you might naturally expect to get behind with your work and finances. But God Himself has set in motion a great law. God’s Ten Commandments are living, active laws—just like the law of gravity. They are in operation—they work automatically. The law of the Sabbath backed up by the very power of the Creator—says that if you will pause to rest and worship Almighty God on the seventh day every week, you will be so blessed during the work of the six days that this will more than make up for what you might have accomplished by laboring on God’s Sabbath!

Do you realize what this amounts to? In one way of looking at it, God is giving us a paid vacation every seventh day! But this vacation is not only for the purpose of physical rest, it is also a time for worship, for spiritual rededication, for the contemplation and exercise of the spiritual purposes and laws of life that God has set. In the observance of the seventh day, which God has made holy—and which alone points to creation—man is brought into close communion with his Maker and his God. For God’s very presence and His divine blessing are especially evident in this day that He has set apart and sanctified.

These are the busiest days that humanity has ever seen. These are days in which most men seem to have little or no time for the contemplation of the spiritual purposes and goals of life—the most important questions that mankind ought to be considering. The tremendous blessing of God’s true Sabbath is that it enables human beings to take time to fully consider and weigh these most important of all questions in life—and to commune with our God and Creator in a way that few in this age have ever experienced. The true observance of the Sabbath would keep mankind in contact with God! Without that contact, we are cut off from the very purpose of our existence, from the laws that govern our success or failure in life, from an understanding of what we are, where we are going and how to get there. Without this contact with the Creator God, human life is emptiness, frustration and a thing of vanity. In this age above all others, mankind needs the contact with God, the spiritual strength and understanding, and the divine blessing and guidance that proper observance of God’s true Sabbath provides.

Jesus’ Example

Jesus Christ—the inspired example of how every true Christian ought to live—taught by His own life and actions that the Sabbath is a holy convocation (commanded assembly) for God’s people, as is taught in Leviticus 23:3. Jesus’ example and customary practice is recorded in Luke 4:16, where we read that Jesus, “as His custom was… went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read.” Certainly the true Sabbath is a day for the worship and adoration of God by His called servants. And it is a time for the preaching and expounding of God’s Word and His living laws. It is the duty of every true Christian, then, to find out where that Church is in which he can really worship God “in spirit and in truth,” a Church that properly observes the true Sabbath of the Creator God, and a Church in which Christians are taught to “live by every word of God.”

There are a number of churches that believe in keeping the fourth commandment. But most of these churches, in their teaching and practice, directly break one or more of the other commandments. Jesus founded only one Church (Matthew 16:18), and it alone keeps all of God’s commandments. You need to find out about this Church. Write immediately for the informative free booklet, God’s Church Through the Ages. We also offer you personal services to help you understand where God’s Church is and to help you with any questions you may have. The Living Church of God has ministers available in all parts of the United States and many other parts of the world, ready to counsel with you personally to answer any questions you may have about the Church or how to keep the Sabbath. Of course, none of them will call on you uninvited. But, if you of your own volition want to discuss these vital subjects with a qualified and dedicated servant of God, please write and let us know. We would be happy to send one of our ministers to see you.

Rejoice in God’s Sabbath

Learn to keep the Sabbath in a positive way! Use the seventh day that God has sanctified and made holy as He has intended—to rest from worldly labor, to pray, to study and to meditate on God’s Word and the purpose for human existence. Take time to do good to others, to care for the sick, to visit the afflicted. Assemble with other true Christians on the Sabbath if this is possible. The seventh day, which God made holy, is the commanded and God-blessed time for rest, for worship and for contemplation of the vital keys to the meaning of life. If you have any doubt whatsoever about the day on which the Sabbath should be observed, write for our free booklet, Which Day Is the Christian Sabbath? Properly understood and properly observed, the fourth commandment—the keeping of God’s holy, Sabbaths is one of the greatest blessings that the Creator has ever bestowed upon the children of men! It is an identifying sign, between mankind and the true God. Remember it—keep it holy!

The Fifth Commandment

Youthful violence and insolence characterize the age in which we live. Broken homes are increasing. Teenage crime is absolutely skyrocketing! Years ago, one of America’s most respected authorities on juvenile problems, Judge Samuel S. Leibowitz, set out to find the answer to the frustration of America’s youth. He decided to go to the Western nation with the lowest reported incidence of juvenile crime: Italy. He sought the reason from police and school officials throughout the nation. From every part of Italy, he received the same answer: Young people in Italy respected authority. Judge Leibowitz had to go into Italian homes to find out why. He found that even in the poorest home, the wife and children respected and honored the father as its head. He found that the modern do-as-you-please, permissive world does not really make a child happy and balanced. Rather, a child wants the solid walls of discipline and rules around him, defining his world—telling him exactly how far he can go. Just as will be expected of him in the adult world, a child must be disciplined to do things he does not necessarily want to do. From infancy, a child must be taught to respect and obey his parents.

Judge Leibowitz concluded his investigations with a nine-word solution to juvenile delinquency: Put father back at the head of the family. The remarkable answer to juvenile problems given by this eminent authority goes deeper than might be realized. For it goes to the very source of the problem—a lack of deep-seated respect for authority, beginning in infancy and continuing throughout life. This problem has its origin in childhood—in the home! Long before a child is even aware of the existence of church, school or nation, he is forming attitudes and habits toward those who are his superiors in the nursery, the home and the neighborhood. Developed from infancy, this part of a child’s character will undoubtedly affect his thoughts and actions for the rest of his natural life!

The Fifth Commandment Stated

The first four commandments define man’s relationship with God. They teach us the magnitude of God’s power and name—and exhort us to remember Him as Creator of all that is. The fifth commandment is placed first among those that govern our human relationships. It is not only chief in importance among these, when we understand its full meaning, but it acts as a “bridge” between the two sections of God’s law. For true obedience to the fifth commandment is inevitably linked with obedience and honor toward God Himself! Our Creator knew this when He inspired it to be “the first commandment with promise” (Ephesians 6:2). “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you” (Exodus 20:12). Why honor our parents? The true answer reveals the depth of this commandment and its true import.

If only every parent on earth might come to realize the tremendous influence upon a child’s later life that automatically comes as a direct result of obedience or disobedience to this God-given command! This commandment is one of the ten great points of God’s eternal, spiritual law. Under the Old Testament dispensation, the penalty for directly and flagrantly violating this law was death! “And he who strikes his father or his mother shall be surely put to death.… And he who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death” (Exodus 21:15, 17). That is how important this command is in God’s eyes! The home and the family unit are the basis of all decent society. And the relationship of children to their parents is an exact type of the spiritual relationship between true Christians and God. The lessons of character learned in that relationship may last children the rest of their lives—and for eternity! In the eyes of a small child, a parent stands in the place of God Himself. For the loving and affectionate parent is the child’s provider, protector, teacher and lawgiver. A child’s early training and response to this relationship will in large measure determine his later response to the larger relationships with society. And, ultimately, it is certain to affect his relationship with his spiritual Father in heaven.

Honor and Respect for Parents

The New Testament magnifies this command in many places. The Apostle Paul wrote: “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother, which is the first commandment with promise” (Ephesians 6:1–2). The original command to honor father and mother applies to all of us throughout our lives. But in this place children specifically are told to obey their parents “in the Lord.” Because of his total lack of experience and judgment, it is absolutely necessary that a child be taught to obey his parents instantly and without question. Explanations and reasons for this may and should be given to the child from time to time. But, at the moment a parental command is given, there may not be time or opportunity to give the reason why! Therefore it is imperative that a child be taught the habit of unquestioning obedience to his parents. For, until the young child develops, his parents stand to him in the place of God. And God holds them responsible for teaching and directing the child properly.

Obedience “in the Lord”

By direct implication, parents are bound by the fifth commandment to make themselves honorable. For to be honored, one must be honorable. All parents need to realize that they represent God to their children! Parents should live lives worthy of a child’s deep respect and reverence. Then they should teach their children to honor and respect both of their parents. As their children mature, parents should instruct them about the existence of the great spiritual Father of all life, the Creator of heaven and earth, the sovereign Ruler of the universe—Almighty God. Christian parents should teach their children to honor and obey their spiritual Father with even more implicit faith and love than they do their earthly parents. For the greatest lesson that a child or anyone can be taught is that of fear and obedience to the One who set in motion all life in the first place! Thus, children will be taught the habit of obedience. They will learn to respect authority. In due time, if their minds are opened to know the Supreme Father of all life, they will already have learned the very basis of godly character—loving obedience to God, and deep respect and reverence for all law and constituted authority.

Blessing for Obedience

The Apostle Paul reemphasizes the blessing attached to the fifth commandment: “That it may be well with you, and you may live long on the earth” (Ephesians 6:3). Obedience to the fifth commandment automatically results in the building of habits and character that tend to long life. A young person so trained will avoid the recklessness, the violence, the wrong companionship and the rebellion against authority that often result in untimely death. And, in its ultimate meaning, those who learn to respect and obey their parents and later—because of this training—God Himself, will certainly “live long on the earth.” For, as Jesus said: “Blessed are the meek [the humble and obedient], for they shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5).

There are also many everyday blessings to the obedient child. Certainly not the least of these is a sense of security. As Judge Leibowitz pointed out, a child is confused if he is not told the bounds of his activities. But if a child is told what those bounds are by his parents—and stays within them—he is then relieved of the responsibility that he innately realizes his parents must shoulder. Frustration is another problem that is alleviated. The disobedient child is a frustrated child—for his mind is constantly plagued with feelings of guilt and rebellion. A child who loves, honors and obeys his parents is a blessed child indeed. He will tend to live a more truly happy, carefree and purposeful life. And in his spiritual life, he will pass through the natural and beautiful sequence from the honoring of his parents to the joyful worshiping of his God!

Thus far we have dealt primarily with the application of the fifth commandment to children and young people. But the original command to “honor” our parents is not addressed just to children—but to everyone.

Even Adults Should Honor Their Parents

The time may come when it is no longer necessary or right that a person should strictly obey his parents. But the day should never come when he ceases to honor them. The word “honor” has a much larger meaning than that of obedience. It indicates a high respect, as for worth, merit or rank. It denotes a feeling of high esteem and reverence. A person who has properly obeyed his parents in childhood later expresses his honor for them in a deeper appreciation of the comforts and training they provided him as a child. This honor expresses itself in courtesy, thoughtfulness and kind deeds. As we mature, it becomes increasingly evident that untold hours of work, of anxious thought and agonized prayer were bestowed for our welfare by faithful and loving parents. It should become the delight of every decent man and woman to return this love that our parents showered on us. In the evening of life, many parents long for this affection and fellowship with their children more, perhaps, than for any other blessing. Let us think and act on this opportunity to return the love our parents so freely gave!

To the everlasting shame of our professing Christian society, thousands of elderly parents are reduced to living on a mere pittance that comes to them through governmental agencies. In all too many cases, the children are able but simply unwilling to provide additional comforts for their parents. Jesus Christ gave one of the most forceful interpretations of the fifth commandment in its application to this very problem. In His day, men were excusing themselves from providing for the necessities of their parents. They were saying that funds that might have been used in this way were “Corban”—that is, dedicated to the service of the altar. These funds were not part of God’s tithe, but rather an additional offering that was used to gain favor in approaching God. Reproaching these hypocritical religionists, Jesus said: “All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition. For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death” (Mark 7:9–10). Now notice how these hypocrites “reasoned” their way around this commandment! Jesus continued: “But you say, ‘If a man says to his father or mother, “Whatever profit you might have received from me is Corban”… then you no longer let him do anything for his father or his mother, making the word of God of no effect through your tradition'” (vv. 11–13). Jesus condemned these hypocrites. His words plainly teach that a Christian must give material and financial assistance to his aged parents if it is possible and their needs so require. He must not excuse himself by saying that all his extra funds are “dedicated to God”! This is a part of our obedience to the fifth commandment.

Jesus’ Own Personal Example

Jesus Christ lived the message He taught. His own personal life is a dramatic illustration of obedience to the fifth commandment. Just before His death, Jesus said: “I have kept My Father’s commandments” (John 15:10). Through obedience to His heavenly Father, and to His human parents as well, Jesus grew in wisdom and maturity even as a youth. Even in His dying moments, while suffering one of the most agonizing deaths ever devised by men, Jesus honored and loved His mother to the very end. Just before He died on the stake, John records: “When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, ‘Woman, behold your son!’ Then He said to the disciple, ‘Behold your mother!’ And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home” (John 19:26–27). Here Jesus made final provision for John to take care of His mother after His death.

At a time when the thoughts of all other men would have been of self, Jesus still remembered the fifth commandment and extended love and honor to the woman who gave Him birth, who nourished Him from infancy, who taught Him the Scriptures, and who now stood in this awful place—unashamed—weeping at His death. Remember the perfect example of Jesus Christ! “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you” (Exodus 20:12).

The Sixth Commandment

This is an age of hate and violence. It is an age of intense competition, strife and personal tensions. The nations of the earth—and the individuals within them—are conditioning their minds and consciences to the likelihood of wholesale murder and possibly world suicide. Naturally, this situation is devastating to the spiritual principles and ideals of our people. The effect of this is being felt now—even as you read this booklet. We have seen the blessings that come through awe and respect for the one true God, through reverencing His name and office, through hallowing His Sabbath day and keeping it in the true knowledge of Him, and through honoring our fathers and mothers in their high office that directly reflects God’s Fatherhood and love for all creation. In all these commandments, we have seen love and wisdom and blessings. And so it is with the sixth commandment.

Amid the thunder and lightning and literal shaking of Mount Sinai, God’s voice thundered the sixth commandment: “Thou shalt not murder” (Exodus 20:13, Jewish Publication Society translation). Biblical authorities agree that “murder” is a more correct reading of the original inspired Hebrew than the word “kill.” For it is possible to kill, yet not to murder. And it is important to understand that only the letter of God’s law was given to ancient Israel, whereas Christians are to live by the spirit and fullest intent of that law as magnified by Christ Himself. Under the original letter of the law, it was intentional killing or murder that was forbidden. Remember that in this same “book of the covenant” given to Israel, God commanded them to kill or execute those guilty of major crimes (Exodus 21:12–17). Also, the instructions in Numbers 35:9–34 show that accidental killing was not regarded as murder. Even here, though, manslaughter was obviously a terrible offense—and the careless or unwitting slayer had to remain in a city of refuge for perhaps many years until the high priest died. Just as God commanded capital punishment for serious crimes under the letter of the law, so the commanded wars of Israel should be viewed not as acts of wholesale murder but the carrying out of the divine will through human instruments. Notice in Deuteronomy 7:1–2 that God directly commanded Israel to exterminate the heathen tribes in the land of Canaan. This was not humanly devised warfare nor was it personal vengeance or malice. It was the express will of Almighty God who gives life—and who alone has the right to say when it shall be taken.

Incidentally, it should be noted that the history of the time indicates that these nations occupying Canaan were absolutely wicked in the extreme—and were burning alive their own children in human sacrifice to their pagan gods. This was part of the intelligent reason why the Creator ordered their extermination at that time. Notice that in all these cases where God permitted human beings to take life, it was only as His agent—at His express will. God’s original purpose was that mankind should learn not to kill. And although it was permitted in certain instances to the carnal, unconverted people of Israel, we shall see that God is now developing in His Spirit-begotten children the character to love, to serve and to save life—not to destroy it.

The Source of Life

“Then God said, Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness: let them have dominion…” (Genesis 1:26). Man is given life by his Creator. He does not give it to himself. Neither may he take it from himself—or from others. Life is sacred because it is God-given. Mankind has been made in the very image and likeness of God. Of all the physical creation, only human beings have the type of mind that God possesses. God is the Ruler of all that is. But out of human flesh He is forming literal sons who will someday share in that rule. So God said, “let them have dominion.…” Human beings need experience in order to develop the character God purposes for us. Experience requires time. And a human life consists of just so much time. God gave that life for the supreme purpose of preparing another son to be in His kingdom and family forever. The giving of life and breath and ability includes all mankind. It is the most wonderful gift of which physical mankind has knowledge. The taking of life ends all. It cruelly and unexpectedly crushes all the hopes and dreams and plans of a being made in the very image of the Creator Himself. It is a wicked usurpation of a prerogative belonging to God alone who gives life in the first place—and who alone has the authority to take it away (Job 1:21). That is why any form of murder is one of the ten great sins; it is destroying the highest creation of Almighty God! In effect, it is an attempt to thwart the very purpose of the great sovereign Ruler of the universe! The Giver of all life is God. And puny, mortal human beings have no business whatsoever interfering with God’s greatest gift!

Personal Application of the Commandment

Jesus Christ came into this world to “exalt” God’s law and “make it honorable” (Isaiah 42:21). Jesus cast a spotlight, as it were, on the Ten Commandments, and showed their real spiritual intent and meaning in the full Christian life. Jesus said: “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire” (Matthew 5:21–22). Here murder is traced to its source—hate and anger. Christ declared that if personal anger fills the heart of one of His subjects, such a person is in danger of judgment. If that anger leads a man to have utter derision and contempt for a fellow human being, that man shall be “in danger of the council”—of God’s punishment. If in bitterness and scorn one shall say of his fellow, “You fool,” such a one shall be “in danger of hell fire.” This is Jesus Christ’s application of the sixth commandment to us. If we harbor hate and anger in our hearts, we are harboring the spirit of murder. Action follows thought. First we think, then we do! The Spirit of Christ guides us not only to control our actions, but to control our thoughts and our attitudes. In part, the New Covenant is the process of God writing His law in our hearts and minds (Hebrews 8:10). God spoke through Paul: “Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord” (Romans 12:19). Mankind is incapable of taking vengeance with proper wisdom and justice for all concerned. God alone has the wisdom and power and the right to take vengeance on human beings—to the extent of executing them if need be.

The true Christian must learn that God is real—and that His protection and His vengeance are just as real! How, then, should you deal with your enemies? “Therefore ‘If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (vv. 20–21). It takes real strength of character to help and serve your fellow human being when he has directly tried to harm you! It takes the spiritual wisdom to realize that he is a fellow human being, made in the image of God, and simply misguided for the time being in his thoughts and actions.

Humanity’s Greatest Crime

Perhaps the greatest international crime of humanity is the scourge of war. Millions of human lives created in the image of God have been mercilessly slaughtered down through the ages in useless, senseless, idiotic wars that in most cases failed utterly to accomplish their stated purpose! The spirit of God’s law as magnified by Jesus Christ is totally opposed to every form of war! Nearly all the really great religious and political leaders of the world have acknowledged the utter futility of war. Before the outbreak of World War II, Pope Pius XII declared: “Everything is gained by peace; nothing is gained by war.” One of the most respected statesmen and military leaders of our time, General Douglas MacArthur, stated: “Men since the beginning of time have sought peace… military alliances, balances of powers, leagues of nations, all in turn failed, leaving the only path to be by way of the crucible of war. The utter destructiveness of war now blots out this alternative. We have had our last chance. If we will not devise some greater and equitable system, our Armageddon will be at our door. The problem basically is theological and involves a spiritual recrudescence, an improvement of human character that will synchronize with our almost matchless advances in science, art, literature, and all material and cultural developments of the past two thousand years. It must be of the spirit if we are to save the flesh.” Humanity’s “last chance” is to repent of the sin of war before human annihilation removes every vestige of life from this planet! General MacArthur acknowledged that the problem we face is theological—it is a Christian problem involving a true knowledge of the true God! He went on to say that it involves “an improvement of human character.”

The greatest statesman of all times was Jesus Christ. He was the Spokesman for the government or Kingdom of God. Christ said: “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you” (Matthew 5:43–44). There is a great deal of highly respectable, cultured and educated paganism abroad in the world today under the name of “Christianity.” But can even this sophisticated paganism face these clear words of Jesus Christ without confessing that His life, His teaching, and His Spirit condemn the very essence of war? More lives have been snuffed out prematurely, more suffering has been endured, more homes have been wrecked and broken, more time and property has been utterly wasted because of the scourge of war than through any other means in the history of man! And war has never solved the problems of men or brought permanent peace. Instead, it only breeds more war! For “all who take the sword will perish by the sword” (Matthew 26:52).

The Bible Teaching

Jesus Christ came into this world as a messenger of the government or kingdom of God. He took no part in this world’s politics or wars. On trial for His very life before Pontius Pilate, He said: “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here” (John 18:36). As we have stated, only God who gave life has the right to take life. Therefore, only God has the right to wage war! And, as Jesus taught, God does not choose to have His children wage war for Him during this age. Jesus said that His servants would fight if His kingdom were of this world. But it is not. Through the Apostle James, God shows that war results from a type of spirit exactly opposite of what He wants His servants to have. “Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask” (James 4:1–2).

God’s Government Will End War

Jesus Christ came preaching the good news of the government or rule of God. That rule is based on the Ten Commandments—God’s spiritual law. Jesus magnified that law and showed its spiritual intent and purpose. He taught that if we even hate our brother, we are spiritually guilty of murder! Jesus taught that men should obey the laws of God and prepare for His coming Kingdom by yielding themselves to let God’s laws—His character—be placed within them. When God’s government does come very soon now to this earth, His law will go forth as the standard of conduct of all nations (Micah 4:1–2). At that time, God alone will wage war to punish rebellious nations in perfect wisdom and justice. As for the peoples of the world themselves? “Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore” (v. 3). War involves learning to hate and kill. Young men will no longer be forced to learn an attitude that is diametrically opposed to the rule of God’s law of love. Dwight D. Eisenhower once said: “Man’s hope for world peace does not rest in opposing armed camps, but in an idea. That idea is the concept of a rule of law as the means of settling disputes among sovereign states.” Whether this former President realized it or not, he pointed out the fact that only the government of God, based on His laws, will solve the problems of men and nations! But meanwhile, true Christians must work and pray for God’s Kingdom of peace, and we must realize that the spirit of war is the spirit of murder—and avoid it with all of our strength.

Speaking before the League of Nations, American clergyman Dr. Harry Emerson Fosdick years ago put this thought in a very powerful way that still rings true today: “We cannot reconcile Jesus Christ and war—that is the essence of the matter. That is the challenge which today should stir the conscience of Christendom. War is the most colossal and ruinous social sin that afflicts mankind, it is utterly and irremediably unchristian; in its total method and effect it means everything that Jesus did not mean and it means nothing that He did mean; it is a more blatant denial of every Christian doctrine about God and man than all the theoretical atheists on earth ever could devise. It would be worthwhile, would it not, to see the Christian Church claim as her own this greatest moral issue of our time, to see her lift once more as in our fathers’ days, a clear standard against the paganism of this present world and, refusing to hold her conscience at the beck and call of belligerent states, put the kingdom of God above nationalism and call the world to peace. That would not be the denial of patriotism but its apotheosis.”

The essence of the matter is that Jesus Christ is against the spirit of murder in every form. He is against war—and someday He will put an end to it forever! He is against all malice and envy and hate. Jesus Christ taught the dignity of mankind and the sacredness of human life—”Created in the image of God.” And the great Father of Jesus Christ, the Almighty God who governs the universe from His throne in heaven—that God thunders at an age of violence and rebellion: “You shall not murder.”

The Seventh Commandment

Is “sexual compatibility” the all-important thing in marriage? In this age of broken homes, juvenile delinquency and modern psychology, many will say that the answer is “yes.” But the fact remains that the more “modern” theories about marriage are put into practice, the faster the divorce rate climbs and the more little children are doomed to grow up without the blessing of a stable, happy home. It is a painful fact that almost half of all marriages in America end in the divorce courts. The marriages end—but the suffering and anguish and grief do not. For the little children of such broken homes, the years of frustration and emptiness are only beginning. Is there a real meaning to marriage that modern men and women need to understand? Are there God-given laws and principles that can safeguard a Christian marriage and make it happy and purposeful?

The Seventh Commandment Stated

The Creator God devoted two of His ten great spiritual laws—the Ten Commandments—to protecting the relationships in the home and family. In this booklet, we have already discussed the first of these: “Honor your father and mother.…” The other law directly governing the home and family is contained in the seventh commandment: “You shall not commit adultery” (Exodus 20:14). Almighty God gave this commandment to protect the honor and sanctity of marriage. Immediately after the sixth command, which declares the sacredness of human life, God gives this law to safeguard the highest earthly relationship. For marriage and the home are the basis of all decent society. The words of the command directly forbid adultery as violating the sacred rights of the marriage relation. Its spirit makes evident the fact that all unchaste conduct before marriage is a wrong done to the future marriage, and unfaithfulness before marriage is violating the command as much as adultery committed after marriage. The seventh commandment covers in principle all forms of illicit sex, including male and female homosexuality—now an enormous sin in the Western world. Marriage is in God’s sight such a precious, righteous, holy thing that it must not be defiled! The meaning of marriage and its great purpose in God’s plan needs desperately to be understood in this age of unhappy marriages and broken homes.

The Purpose of Marriage

It is impossible to understand the true meaning of marriage without first understanding that sex and marriage are God-given and God-ordained. To leave God out of the picture—as this modern age is doing—is to degrade the marriage union to mere animalism. Notice God’s purpose in creating man and woman! “And the Lord God said [after He had made only the man], ‘It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him” (Genesis 2:18). God saw that a man was incomplete by himself, and so He decided to make a “helper” suitable for a man—one with whom a man could really share his life. So the first and primary purpose of marriage is to make man and woman complete. Each is incomplete without the other.

Man alone was not able to fulfill the purpose for which God created him—was not able to learn the lessons of character that God intended—so God created the woman as a “helper” to the man and, in the very creation, showed that they were to dwell together as man and wife in one fleshly union—to share everything in this life, and so make their lives meaningful and complete (in a physical sense, at least). The second purpose of sex and marriage is the begettal and training of children. For God had told the man and woman: “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it…” (Genesis 1:28). With begetting children comes the responsibility of protecting and training them. A stable, happy home and marriage are indispensable to the correct nurture and training of a child. And God commands: “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6). The home and family form the basis of all decent society! The lessons of character learned in the home—patience, understanding, kindness—all of these are qualities that God wants in us for all eternity, and the family relationship is one of the best places in which they can be learned! Better than in any other place, the lessons of decency, loyalty, and a sense of responsibility are learned in a happy and well-balanced home. And so, in addition to making us complete, and the begetting and training of children, a third great purpose of sex and marriage is the building of character in the home and family relationship. The kingdom and law of God are based on love. Jesus said: “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). To obey God’s law of marriage, man and wife must literally give themselves to each other in every phase and facet of their lives.

Marriage Pictures Christ and His Church

As ordained by God, the marriage union is holy. It is so holy that, in His Word, Almighty God uses the marriage union as a type (a model or parallel) of the relationship between Christ and His Church! Notice Ephesians 5:22–24: “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church: and He is the Savior of the body. Therefore, just as the church; is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.” Here, God shows that in the Christian home the wife is to submit herself to her husband as the head of that home, just as she must learn to submit to Christ Himself for all eternity! In this holy relationship, she is learning a lesson of lasting faithfulness!

Then the husbands are addressed: “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for her.… So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself” (vv. 25, 28). Jesus Christ served, helped, trained, protected and eventually gave Himself for His Church. So husbands are to protect, to provide for, to guide, to encourage, to love and give to their wives! A Christian man is to be the head of his house. Yet he is to use that office to serve and to give protection, guidance and happiness to his wife and family. And Almighty God holds him responsible for being the right kind of head! Because of this great lesson and purpose in marriage, God says: “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh” (v. 31). In the marriage union, man and woman are made one. Their relationship is then to picture the eternal, loving and serving relationship of Christ and His Church. Therefore, nothing should come between them.

The lesson of marriage is to teach us eternal faithfulness to Jesus Christ as our Head! To separate from one’s God-given mate is to fail to learn the lesson that God intends for us to learn in marriage. It is a reproach to Almighty God—for it denies His wisdom in ordaining the marriage union in making us truly “one flesh” with our mate! How can we ever be faithful to the living God throughout all eternity if we selfishly refuse to be faithful to the mate to whom we are bound in this life for only a few years and fail to learn the lessons of patience, kindness, long-suffering, self-control, love and faithfulness in the sacred marriage union?

What Jesus Christ Taught

Now it becomes increasingly clear why Jesus Christ taught the enduring quality of the marriage vow. When Jesus was asked by the hypocritical Pharisees why Moses allowed divorce in Old Testament times, He answered: “Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery” (Matthew 19:8–9). Divorce generates divorce! A moment’s reflection will recall that the commonplace granting of divorces, as is so prevalent today, was practically unheard of even 50 years ago. The religious leaders of that time and before warned us that if divorce were once tolerated, there would be no restraint powerful enough to keep it within the limits then fixed. Today we see the truth of this warning! We now behold the sad and miserable spectacle of as many as one-half—or, in some areas, more—of all marriages ending in failure in the divorce courts of men! And after divorce, what? It is a matter of record that most divorced persons seek a second mate, and many find a third or a fourth mate to satisfy a desire that God intended should be satisfied and channeled to and uplifted in the holy and sacred marriage with their first mate—who in most cases is still living at the time of the remarriage. This is a pitiful spectacle and a national disgrace!

Even though God permits divorce in certain instances, it is far better for each marriage partner to learn to help and serve and forgive the other, and thus preserve the sacred marriage bond. Jesus’ famous exception clause, “except for sexual immorality [porneia]” (Matthew 19:9), should be employed only as a last resort and even then after much prayer, counsel, and sincere attempts to save the marriage. And the same would apply to the Apostle Paul’s permission for the Christian to remarry if deserted by an unconverted mate (1 Corinthians 7:15).

Marriage Is Ordained of God

We now see that marriage is not something that just evolved through the reasoning and gradual civilization of man. Rather, marriage was ordained by the Creator God. He ordained it as a holy union picturing the everlasting faithfulness between Christ and His Church! And every form of adultery is so very wrong and evil because marriage is holy and sacred in the sight of Almighty God. Adultery is not only an offense to the aggrieved husband or wife involved; it is an offense to their home and their children. It is an offense against society—because it strikes at the very basis of all decent society. But, most of all, it is an offense against God Himself and against an institution that He has ordained.

In America and Britain today, a God-rejecting society all too often seeks a Hollywood-type romantic ideal in marriage. Thus men and women are subtly encouraged to break the marriage covenant if their selfish, sensual desires are not fulfilled with the wife or husband of their youth. In a “marriage-go-round” society, they fail to learn the basic lessons of character that marriage can and should teach—outgoing concern for their mate, patience, mercy, humility, service and lasting faithfulness. In addition, they fail to consider the suffering and frustration of the children from their original marriage—the irreparable damage done to their lives and minds that will carry over into yet future generations and future marriages.

Truly, even though God allows some marriages and homes to be shattered by divorce, it is something our Creator abhors. “For the Lord God of Israel says that He hates divorce…” (Malachi 2:16). Again: “…The Lord has been witness between you and the wife of your youth, with whom you have dealt treacherously; yet she is your companion, and your wife by covenant” (v. 14). There is no question, then, that God hates divorce—even though He allows it. To learn the lessons God intends in marriage, true Christians should seek to “cleave” to their mates in body, mind and attitude. They should seek earnestly to understand each other—to share freely and joyously their plans, their hopes, their dreams. And, with God’s help, they will crush any adulterous and lustful thoughts that present themselves. The sin of lust is more fully understood when you realize how righteous and holy the proper use of sex in marriage is to Almighty God the Creator. The process of adultery, and the process of divorce and remarriage, usually begin in the heart.

Notice how Jesus Christ covered this point in magnifying the law of God and making it holy: “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:27–28). Jesus taught that you break the seventh commandment when you even so much as entertain thoughts of sexual lust toward another person. Action follows thought. So it is part of the development of Christian character for every God-fearing person to learn to guide and to channel his thoughts away from all lust and illicit desires.

Meanwhile, in the industries that control the most realistic, lifelike media that influence and move young people to action—movies and television—the emphasis in an ever-increasing number of productions is upon sex or violence, or a combination of both. But modern society is paying a terrible penalty for these widespread sins and abominations! More and more homes are made miserable and wretched because of adulterous relations of one or both mates. Increasing numbers of homes are broken in divorce. More children are being left without the love and guidance of both parents! And illicit sexual intercourse before marriage—called “fornication” by God—is becoming epidemic among young people in today’s society. Yet any and all of these things constitute breaking the seventh commandment! Those young people who are cheapening and damaging the happiness of their future marriages through illicit sex before marriage are seriously injuring their entire future in this present life. And unless they repent and stop this vile practice, they will force God by an eternal necessity to exclude them from His Kingdom and everlasting life and happiness (1 Corinthians 6:9–10). God’s laws are always for our own good and the good of those around us. They should be obeyed. We should fear being counted with the “abominable” and “sexually immoral” who will have their part in the lake of fire and brimstone, which is the second death! (Revelation 21:8).

Obey the Seventh Commandment

God gives some important advice to those who are tempted to commit fornication or adultery. In this age of sexual stimulation and lust, it is invaluable to heed this advice if you would enter into the Kingdom of God and eternal life. God says: “flee sexual immorality” (1 Corinthians 6:18). He does not say to let your mind dwell on honoring sexual ideas or desires. He does not say to place yourself alone with another person’s mate or with a single person with whom you might be sexually tempted. He does not say to watch movies or television or read books that wrongly stimulate the sexual appetite. God does say to get as far away from these things as you possibly can! He says to run—flee—away from temptation to sexual sin.

Sex is not a toy to be played with and experimented with. It should be regarded as a God-given blessing in the holy and sacred marriage union that the Creator Himself has ordained. It should always be thought of with reverence, and as an expression of unselfish love in a Christian union that pictures the everlasting faithfulness of Christ and His Church! This generation needs desperately to learn the lesson of lasting faithfulness in marriage and in the home! It needs to obey both the letter and the spirit of God’s seventh commandment: “You shall not commit adultery” (Exodus 20:14).

The Eighth Commandment

After the God of heaven thundered from the top of Mt. Sinai the commandments ordaining the true worship of Him, and laws protecting the most sacred human relationships—the home, the family, and human life itself—God gave the eighth commandment. This is God’s law protecting all private property and possessions: “You shall not steal” (Exodus 20:15).

Because men do not think the God who gave this commandment is real—and do not fear to disobey His law—we have more physical theft than ever before. But we also violate the eighth commandment in hundreds of ways through a watered-down system of morality. After discussing some debased scheme by which to cheat a business competitor or customer, executives shrug their shoulders and say: “Well, that’s just business.” Or, after a meeting involving false measurement, poor quality or misleading advertising, a businessman will say: “What’s the difference? If I don’t do it, somebody else will.”

When cheating the government or falsifying an income tax return, the common American phrase to salve one’s conscience is: “Let Uncle Sam sweat this time. The government is taking too much money anyway. So what?” Yes, so what? Is that “just business”? Well, it also happens to be God’s business—and He has set in motion a law stating: “You shall not steal.” When you break God’s law, it breaks you! For God’s laws are living, active things—like the law of gravity. When you transgress them, the punishment is automatic—and it is sure.

The Right to Property

According to God’s Word and His law, there are only two right ways by which you can come into possession of anything. The first is by a free gift—or an inheritance—from another person, or from God Himself. The second is by honest labor, which earns something as a legitimate return. Any other way is theft—the taking from another that which belongs to him.

The eighth commandment recognizes the legitimate acquisition of property, and forbids theft. It is important to note that, in principle, the eighth commandment forbids all forms of communism that deny man’s right to property. It also forbids international thievery in which governments forcibly confiscate and steal the property and possessions of their own or other nations’ citizens. And, to our lasting shame, all nations stand guilty of breaking God’s law in this respect! Young people today are learning to steal in an immensely large and organized fashion. Not only are they purloining articles by the thousands from stores, shops, schools and even churches, but they regularly organize an intricate system of cheating on tests and exams in schools and colleges. Because it is generally looked on without too much alarm, this practice is growing at an unprecedented rate. But what the young people may not have been told is that cheating is taking a score or grade illegally—and is stealing. It is directly breaking the eighth commandment of God!

The industrialist or merchant who uses false weights and measures or a poor quality of material or workmanship to deceive the public is just as guilty of breaking the eighth commandment as a common thief! He is trying to get something more than a legitimate return for his product. Viewing the illegal profits he hopes to receive, he is trying to get that extra something for nothing. In principle, he is simply stealing! Yet, in how many thousands of cases this type of lawlessness and deception is practiced, God alone knows.

Thievery Through False Advertising

One of the great commercial sins of our age is the common practice of false advertising. The consumer is led to expect that a certain “pill,” for instance, will cause him to lose weight, gain weight, increase his potency, restore his thinning hair, or whatever the case may be. And, in most cases, this statement is a direct, willful lie without any doubt. Such a practice is, in effect, stealing from the people who pay money to achieve the promised result. In many cases, the victims of these gigantic frauds are not only robbed of money, they are robbed of health, happiness and peace of mind. Many a “respectable” businessman and community leader has attained his position largely through this type of mass deception and theft!

Our nations and peoples need to wake up! Just because a sin can be made outwardly to appear “respectable,” remember that God is the real Judge. The Almighty has this to say: “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators… nor thieves… will inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Corinthians 6:9–10, KJV). Lest any misunderstand, remember that it is God’s will that His servants prosper in material wealth—as long as they gain it honestly, and do not set their hearts upon it. The Apostle John wrote: “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers” (3 John v. 2).

Tarnished Wealth

Moreover, we must realize that an industrialist’s wealth that is tarnished by an unnecessarily high death rate in his plants or factories is ill-gotten gain—and he is branded in the light of God’s law as a thief, if not a murderer! The principle behind the eighth commandment is broken again and again in the relations of capital and labor. James was inspired to warn the dishonest employer: “Indeed the wages of the laborers… which you kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries… have reached the ears of the Lord…” (James 5:4). It is also equally true—and especially so in this era of corrupt unionism—that many an employee robs his employer! He does this by taking his wage and yet withholding his full share of honest labor. And that is stealing! All too often one laborer tells his coworker: “Slow down, buddy, you’re working too hard. If you keep on working like that, we’ll all have to work hard around here!” British and American laborers, spending an undue proportion of their working time on “tea breaks,” “coffee breaks” and “cigarette breaks,” are causing our industries to be badly beaten in the worldwide trade war now going on. This lack of productivity is affecting the destiny of the American and British people! The eighth commandment of Almighty God has a message for both capital and labor. To capital: “A fair day’s wage for a fair day’s work.” To labor: “A fair day’s work for a fair day’s wage.” But just stealing from a fellow human being is not the only principle involved in the eighth commandment. God owns far more property than any man (Haggai 2:8).

Stealing from God

In Malachi 3, speaking to modern-day Jacob or Israel, God declares: “Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings” (v. 8). God here indicts our modern English-speaking peoples for robbing our very Creator and His Work! No wonder there is so little true religion left on earth today! No wonder there is so much confusion and deceit going about in the name of Christianity! God continues: “You are cursed with a curse, for you have robbed Me, even this whole nation. Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and try Me now in this, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open for you the windows of heaven, and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it” (vv. 9–10).

Here is a bold challenge from Almighty God! God says He will bless you if you begin tithing—as He commands—through faith in Him and in His Word. Countless case histories may be cited to show that God certainly does bless the tither even in material ways. He may not always do so immediately. You may have to obey Him and exercise faith for a while. But as you serve Him, obey Him, trust Him, God will keep His part of the bargain. Your blessing is certain to come! Notice this joyful letter from someone who took God’s promise literally: “A few weeks ago I was absolutely broke financially. I received ten cents. I was tempted not to tithe the one cent. I did. Then a few days later I received one dollar. Again, I was tempted to keep the tithe because of many needs. I just received 40 dollars and am getting the tithe off to you as soon as possible. I have been faithful and so has God.”

The Command Applied Positively

The definite positive application of the eighth commandment is stated in the New Testament letter to the Ephesians. “Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need” (Ephesians 4:28). On the one hand, this passage condemns stealing. On the other, working and giving are outlined as the way of life the positive application of God’s command dictates. Property and possessions are to be gained by honest work—not merely to satisfy personal desires and needs—but so that any excess may be freely given to the brother in need. In the real intent or spirit of God’s law, a man not only steals by taking from another that which is his, but by refusal to work in order to share and give to others in need! The true Christian should be “distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality” (Romans 12:13).

As God’s begotten children, we are to become like Him (Matthew 5:48). And Jesus said: “My Father has been working until now, and I have been working” (John 5:17). The positive lesson of the eighth commandment is also summarized in these all-inclusive words of Jesus, the Christ: “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). If, through God’s Spirit, we can truly learn to live by those words, we will have indeed fulfilled the spirit of the eighth commandment!

The Ninth Commandment

This is the age of the sophisticated lie, the double standard of morality, the “Enron” syndrome. This is the age of respectable-appearing lawyers, industrial leaders, government officials and college professors perjuring themselves on the witness stand and even before the United States Senate. This age also presents a peculiar spectacle—of millions of people who believe in evolution attending churches that nominally, at least, believe in the Creator God of the Bible. The Christ of the Bible thoroughly condemned the hypocrites of His day. What would He say about our generation?

Society Living a Lie

In his book, Sex, Vice and Business, noted author Monroe Fry wrote of “the willingness of communities to accept vice when it brings an indirect profit to their respectable businessmen.” His book shows plainly what thousands of sophisticated adults already know: “Respectable” church and civic leaders are often ready and willing to support gambling, prostitution and narcotics if it is to their financial advantage to do so. To the community at large, they appear as the pillars of virtue and respectability. To the procurers of prostitutes, narcotics or to big-time gambling czars, they are ready to make an “undercover deal.” They are ready to use their civic influence or position to let organized vice and crime flourish in their community—so long as they get a financial cut. In plain language, they are living a lie! The revelation of how much our entire “Christian” society is based on this type of hypocrisy is absolutely astounding! But we are paying a stern penalty nevertheless—for we are breaking the ninth commandment of God. In this booklet expounding the Ten Commandments, we have seen that the greatest sin of all is putting something else in place of the true God. This, in turn, leads to idolatry, to blaspheming God’s name, to breaking His Sabbath, to dishonoring our human parents, to murder, adultery and stealing. And the exact same principle applies to the ninth commandment of God.

The Ninth Commandment Stated

“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor” (Exodus 20:16). It is only in seeking and bearing witness to the truth that man is associated with God. For, in fact, God is truth! Jesus said: “Your word is truth” (John 17:17). And: “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). No matter what other faults and weaknesses a person may have, if he is willing to speak the truth, live openly and truthfully what he really is, and acknowledge the truth when it is shown to him, that person can be respected and helped to overcome personal weaknesses.

The far-reaching spiritual applications of the ninth commandment are tremendous. There is a personal, living Almighty God of this universe whose ways and laws are intrinsically right. Therefore, an honest person—one who is willing to speak the truth and acknowledge the truth when it is revealed—must eventually be converted to the true God and His ways! But if one’s word is no good, and one is in the habit of lying to others (and oneself), one’s very character and mental processes are so twisted and perverted so as to prevent understanding the truth of God until one’s lying mind is cleaned up! That is why it is so vitally important that—even though people may have honest differences of opinion on many matters—we all learn to live and speak truthfully. Yet we are living in a society that is increasingly permeated by various forms of untruth, hypocrisy and self-deception. If we are ever to build the character of God—and inherit eternal life—we must consider the ninth commandment in all of its ramifications, and learn to obey it.

The ninth commandment protects every upright and decent person, in that it helps guard reputations. Perhaps there is no more despicable sin than that of slander, the lie invented and spread with intent to harm another human being. A thief takes only material goods, which may usually be replaced. But a false witness who slanders may rob one of esteem and reputation in the eyes of others—and chances are slim that a lost reputation will ever be fully regained.

The Practical Value of Honesty

The immediate value of being able to rely on a man’s word would not only guard every decent man’s reputation and eliminate millions of wasted hours from the burden of investigating every statement and report several times over, it would also prevent unworthy men from ever being placed in high positions of responsibility. It would absolutely clean up our society! Often, today, entire nations are guided by leaders who are in power only because of their ability to delude and deceive their own people! Throughout the world, we see dictators arising and promising their followers something for nothing. By means of clever propaganda, a leader makes the people believe what he himself knows to be a big lie. Then follow many months or years of uncertainty, anguish and frustration, until ultimate disaster strikes and the truth is finally made plain only by force of circumstance.

Even in our democratic nations, men are all too often recommended for high office—not because of integrity and ability—but because of what seems expedient at the moment in party politics. The political and governmental leaders who countenance this are certainly “bearing false witness” against their fellow countrymen! They are living a lie—as well as helping tell one. In the field of industry and business, think of the tremendous benefit that would come to the public if each company would really tell the truth about its own product and honestly seek to serve the consumer’s real needs! The effects of this would be absolutely astounding! Think of a society where each brand of toothpaste and breakfast cereal, for example, was not just an imitation or needless variation of another but was the only and best of its particular type, honestly priced and truthfully advertised! Apply this to every phase of society and you get something near utopia. But this is not a farfetched or fantastic suggestion. It is simply the blessing that would come if the entire society really and literally obeyed the ninth commandment of God! If you would live forever in the society of God, you are commanded by Him who gives you life and breath: “Therefore, putting away lying, ‘Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,’ for we are members of one another” (Ephesians 4:25).

Apply the Ninth Commandment in Your Life

The very root principle of all sin is vanity. “Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher; vanity of vanities, all is vanity” (Ecclesiastes 1:2). The real reason most men reject the true God is that they want to be “gods” in their own eyes and the eyes of their fellow men. It is vanity. Every sin that is committed by human beings has its ultimate roots in this one principle. And so it is with every form of lying.

People lie because they are more concerned with their own self-esteem and sense of importance than they are with the ultimate good of their neighbor. They speak and act falsely because they fear the opinions of men much more than that of Almighty God Himself! The daily actions and words of nearly all men bear eloquent testimony to the literal truth of this statement. As John said even of the religious leaders of his day, “they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God” (John 12:43). Men and women are often ashamed of what they call “failure” in a business or social sense. They will cheat, falsify and lie in order to avoid this “failure”—or to cover it up.

But from the point of view of what is intrinsically “right”—and of eternal values—the thing they should fear is sin. For, as the Apostle Paul said, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31). Jesus said: “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake” (Matthew 5:11). We all had better quit worrying so much about what puny, mortal men think—and become far more concerned about what Almighty God thinks! Then we will learn to cease from all hypocrisy in business, in social life, in politics—yes, in our religious and scientific endeavors. Remember that many whom this deceitful world condemned have received God’s blessing and are heirs of eternal life. Never forget that it was through the sin of false testimony and lying that Jesus Christ was murdered! “For many bore false witness against Him, but their testimonies did not agree” (Mark 14:56).

Since, through vanity, men want to believe what is popular at the moment, they will kid themselves and their associates into believing even religious and scientific theories that have no basis whatsoever in actual fact! God warns against all such hypocrites: “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness” (Romans 1:18).

Men suppress the truth. God is condemning those who knowingly suppress the truth of His existence and His purpose on this earth! God says the vain philosophers and scientists of this world are “without excuse” for denying that He literally created this universe and is now ruling it through His power (v. 20). Most scientists and theologians who believe in the Satan-inspired theory of evolution ought to know better. Some of them do know better! But they are going along with what pleases men, and they are living a lie! God says they are “without excuse”!

And in the same category are those ministers and Bible students who continue to teach and practice what they know are ancient heathen and pagan beliefs and customs condemned in the Word of God. In all too many cases, they know better! They are “without excuse.” The continued teaching of these basic scientific and spiritual lies is the very thing that is blinding most of this world from the real nature of God and of His true plan and purpose here below. This is the truly terrible result of bearing false witness, self-deception and lying. For as long as supposedly “educated” leaders keep deceiving themselves and others about the very existence and power and plan of God, our civilization is doomed!

Live by the Truth

In your own personal life, then, learn the importance of telling the truth, believing the truth, living the truth. Be careful not to base your whole life on a series of lies—whether they be personal, political, scientific or religious distortions of truth. Remember, it is the truth that will make you free (John 8:32). In your personal speech, guard your words carefully. Never forget that a person is only as good as his word. It is almost impossible to help one who has become a habitual liar, because any response to help may simply be another deception. One of the basic qualities of God’s character is that He is truth. If we could not rely on God’s Word, there could be no real assurance of forgiveness from past sins, of present help in time of need, or of future reward and eternal life.

If God had tremendous well-meaning love, and all wisdom and power—but you could not rely on His Word or His promises—where would you be? Have you ever thought of it that way before? The very diametric opposite of God’s character is that of Satan the devil. As Jesus Christ revealed: “When he [Satan] speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar, and the father of it” (John 8:44). Those who follow Satan in his refusal to live by truth have a terrible fate awaiting them: “But the cowardly, unbelieving… and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death” (Revelation 21:8). Remember, there are no “white lies” in God’s sight. Half-truths, distortions and deceptions are condemned throughout God’s Word. Jesus said: “Your word is truth” (John 17:17). Let us live by that inspired Word that we may inherit eternal life in the kingdom that is based on what is literally true and right. This is the message of the ninth commandment.

The Tenth Commandment

Did you know that recent surveys have revealed that the financial troubles plaguing most families are not the result of low income? Rather, they are directly caused by overextending a normally adequate income for luxuries and personal indulgence, and by the American habit of installment buying! “Buy now and pay later,” say the advertisements. But do you really need to buy this item now? And are you sure you will be able to “pay later”?

A Society Based on Lust

“Keeping up with the Joneses” is a popular American slogan. High-pressure advertisements constantly encourage this idea. It is made to seem backward or wrong not to strive and compete and lust after as many material possessions as your neighbor owns. The modern idea is to “get all you can while the getting is good.” The incessant pressure to get ahead—which usually means to acquire more money and material property—has spawned more and more idolatry. It is blinding the minds and hearts of millions to the life of God.

Several years ago, a prominent religious publication, The Canadian Churchman, ran a sobering article revealing the effect of this material idolatry on young Africans studying theology in the United States and Canada. One such young man said: “Before I came to study here, I was a good Christian. I dreamed someday of becoming a medical missionary. Now I’m an atheist.” “Why?” asked the shocked interviewer. “Since coming here,” he replied, “I’ve discovered that the white man has two gods. One that he taught us about, and another one to whom he prays. A Presbyterian mission school taught me that the tribal doctrines of my ancestors who worshiped images and believed in witchcraft were wrong and almost ludicrous. But here you worship larger images—cars and electrical appliances. I honestly can’t see the difference.”

Surprising? It should not be—except that most people get so close to their own sin that they cannot see it. We live in a so-called “Christian” society that in actual fact is based on lust and greed for more and more material things! The frenzied effort to compete with others and get ahead is the source not only of most financial problems, but the real cause of much physical and mental illness, broken homes, frustrated lives. Most important of all, this form of idolatry leaves one with almost no time, strength or desire ever to become acquainted with the true God—whose living laws and ways alone would bring real inner peace and joy.

The Tenth Commandment Stated

Most men fail to realize that the Ten Commandments are living, moving, active laws—like the law of gravity. They are automatic. When you break them, they break you! So it is with the final commandment of God’s law. Even though it may be broken without the knowledge of any other human being, the penalty for its violation is absolutely certain! “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s” (Exodus 20:17).

Of all the commandments, the tenth refers most specifically to man’s relation to man. The force of the commandment lies in these words: “your neighbor’s… your neighbor’s… his… his… his… his… your neighbor’s.” This is a sevenfold guarding of the interests of another. It is not wrong to lawfully desire a wife, a servant, or an ox or donkey. But where the object admired is legitimately out of reach of the one admiring, admiration merging into desire to possess breaks the commandment. Although this commandment deals most obviously with human and physical relationships, the spiritual requirement of the command is in some ways more rigid than any that has preceded it. This command regulates even the thoughts in the mind and heart of man. Most men look on sin as an outward or physical type of thing. They do not realize that the holy, righteous character that God purposes in us necessitates that even our thoughts be completely purified and made like His. Action follows thought. What you think, you are. If you secretly reject God’s standard and His way, if in your heart you lust after something that you either cannot or will not come to lawfully possess with His blessing, then—sooner or later—this mental rebellion will prompt outward sin. The actions will then proceed to defy God—to break His law—because the thoughts have been doing this all along!

This command pierces through all “surface Christianity” and shows whether a person has really surrendered his will to his Maker! It is a searching and fearful principle. But it is a command you must learn to obey if you are ever to receive eternal life and glory in the Kingdom of God. “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5). Through God’s Spirit in us, we must fight the fight of faith—put down the lustful human nature within us—and ultimately succeed in “bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5). This is the ultimate goal of true Christianity, to be fully attained in the resurrection.

But we are to grow in God’s character during this life. We must learn—as did righteous Enoch, Noah, Abraham and other servants of the Most High—to “walk with God.” We must go His way—do as He does—think as He thinks. But the normal mind of the human being is filled with selfishness, vanity, competition, greed, hate, lust. It is a mind cut off from the ways and thoughts of God (Isaiah 55:8–9). That is why Jesus emphasized how important it is to get our minds changed, converted and cleaned up when He said: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8).

Where Do We Stand?

Especially since World War II, life in our Western society has sped up. We are rushing to make more money. We are in a hurry to have a good time, to get everything we can out of life. On every side, we are taught to compete with our neighbors for social honors and material advancement. We have come to literally crave material luxuries that were in some cases completely unknown just two or three generations ago. We are urged to spend more than we make—to do more than we ought. “You owe it to yourself,” the subtle advertisement reads, putting over the idea that we would be foolish not to buy a bigger car, eat at a more expensive restaurant or take longer and more costly trips. The emphasis is on getting and on self. On an international scale, the nations of the world fight and kill because of this same attitude of heart. “Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask” (James 4:1–2).

All too often, the capitalist lusts for more money than he can easily attain by paying fair wages. So he robs his employees by paying too little, and spending too little on improving working conditions and safety. Likewise, the modern laborer—often misguided by unscrupulous union leaders—learns to lust after more money than he can honestly earn. Through organized pressure and political trickery, he thinks he can get something for nothing.

Why do so-called “authors” write cheap paperback novels based on nothing but filth, obscenity and juvenile stupidity? Why do publishers print such corruption that degrades the human emotions of love, kindness and idealism to a level lower than the animal? You can quickly see hundreds of other major examples of covetousness in our society if your eyes are really open. But be willing to see your own covetousness as well! Be willing to repent of it and ask God for the love and strength to overcome it. Our generation needs these words of the Son of God: “Take heed and beware of covetousness; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses” (Luke 12:15). Do you understand that? Your real success and happiness in life, Christ said, cannot truly be measured by how new or powerful a car you drive, the kind of home you live in, the clothes you wear, or even the food you eat. Happiness is a state of mind. It comes from having the very Spirit and mind of Christ inside your own mind. Jesus said: “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head” (Luke 9:58). The love, joy and peace that Jesus exemplified came from giving and serving—not from any material thing Jesus was able to get. Jesus, the Son of man, was able to overcome human vanity and covetousness because He put the service of God far ahead of anything and everything else. After telling how the unconverted seek after—and worry about—the material necessities and comforts, He commanded: “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Matthew 6:33).

The Commandments Join Together

And so at this point the last commandment joins hands with the first. For whatever you seek contrary to God’s will, you covet. If in your mind and heart you lust and covet something more than to obey the Creator and receive His blessings, that thing becomes an idol to you. “Covetousness… is idolatry” (Colossians 3:5). Then, whatever you idolize you put in place of the true God. And you break the first commandment: “You shall have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3). The Apostle Paul said: “Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?” (Romans 6:16).

When you begin to covet material things, you “serve” them. You spend your time, your energy, your money for these things. In such a situation, you have neither time nor energy to really study the Bible, or to spend an hour in earnest prayer before the One who gives you life and breath. And you find yourself being stingy and jealous of the money you owe your Maker to finance the proclamation of His truth. By this simple process, the material things you lust for and covet become your actual “god.” For you truly serve and worship them—and find in your life little time, strength and wealth with which to serve the true God with all of your heart, strength and mind.

Do you see? Covetousness is a terrible thing—for it cuts you off from the fellowship and blessings and love of the great God of heaven who made all that is—but intended that this material creation be used in His service and for His glory. And, in practical daily life, covetousness violates the basic principle of the way of life set forth by all the commandments of God and by Jesus Christ Himself. Jesus summarized this principle when He said: “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35).

In learning to lovingly, sincerely and intelligently serve your fellow man, and to serve and worship the true God, you will find the only real sense of fulfillment and joy in this life. And in tomorrow’s world, you will be given eternal life and glory in a divine government literally based on the Ten Commandments—the true way of love, of giving and serving your fellow man, and of worshiping and exalting the living God who gave these commandments for our eternal good.

The New Commandment of Jesus

Many teach that Jesus Christ substituted some sort of “new” commandments to take the place of the Law of His Father. What is the Truth? Are the Ten Commandments still to be obeyed?

This is an age of rebellion against all law and constituted authority. Nations and governments are being overthrown, and homes and schools thrown into chaos by various forms of rebellion.

A revealing insight into modern man’s reaction to the phrase in the Lord’s Prayer “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done” was given by an Ohio minister several years ago, who wrote: “We do not mean it. We don’t like authority, nor will we give in easily even if He is the King of heaven… It is all too obvious that most men over most of the years have prayed earnestly: ‘Thy kingdom not come, my will be done.'”

The Ten Commandments Abolished?

In the previous chapters of this booklet, we have explored the positive application of the Ten Commandments to every aspect of our personal lives as living, active laws. But today, many professing ministers and Bible teachers are wrongly proclaiming that the Ten Commandments are “done away”—as they say—or that they have been replaced by the “new” commandments of Jesus.

What are these “new” commandments? Do they replace or contradict the Ten Commandments? What does the Bible reveal on this important subject?

First of all, let us notice one of the all-important purposes for Jesus Christ’s coming to this earth in the human flesh. Isaiah prophesied of Jesus: “He will exalt the law and make it honorable” (Isaiah 42:21). Here we find that Christ came not to abolish the law, but to “magnify” it (KJV).

To exalt, or to magnify, has just the opposite meaning of changing or abolishing something. It means to reveal in the most minute detail—to enlarge upon. Certainly the life and teachings of Jesus do just that with the Father’s law.

Jesus said: “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill” (Matthew 5:17). Jesus did just what these words imply. Both in His life and teaching, he fulfilled the law. He magnified it by His perfect example. He filled it to the full, passing beyond the mere letter to observe even the minutest spiritual intent and purpose of the Father’s perfect law.

Those who knew Him as a teacher could never charge Him with having substituted the traditions of men for the commandments of God. He obeyed the Ten Commandments in word and in deed. He taught and lived them as the perfect way of life.

He said: “Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven: but whoever does and teaches them [even the “least” commandments], he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:19).

Certainly, we should all aspire to be “great” in God’s Kingdom. For we should want to overcome as much as we can, and have the opportunity to serve the most we can! Therefore, we should earnestly and fervently strive to do and teach even the “least” of God’s commandments. Do you think the Sabbath commandment is “least”? If so, you had better do and teach God’s Sabbath just as He commanded, following Christ’s perfect example in keeping holy the seventh day—not the “day of the sun”!

The Way to Eternal Life

When a young man came to Him asking the way to eternal life, Jesus said: “If you want to enter into life, keep the commandments” (Matthew 19:16–18).

The young man asked, “Which?”

Jesus answered: “‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not commit adultery…'” and proceeded to list several of the Ten Commandments. Jesus Christ knew the way to salvation! He said that way was obedience to the law of God the Father and surrender to His will.

Jesus declared: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father in heaven” (Matthew 7:21).

Far from abolishing the Ten Commandments, Jesus obeyed them (John 15:10). Christ was the “light” that God sent into the world to show men how to live. After His death and resurrection, Christ sent the Apostles out with this command: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19–20).

The Apostles had been there when Christ told the young man: “Keep the commandments.” They had heard Him magnify the commandments of God in what is called the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5–7).

The Apostles had witnessed the obedience of Christ to the Ten Commandments, and knew that His was the perfect example. Therefore, when Jesus Christ sent them out to every nation with the order to teach themallthings He had commanded them, there could be no possible doubt in their minds but that this included the Ten Commandments of God.

Obedience to the Ten Commandments, then, was the very basis of the teaching of Christ and of His original Apostles. But what about the “new” commandments of Jesus? Did they not alter or abolish the necessity for literally keeping the Ten Commandments that were revealed in the Old Testament?

A “New” Commandment

Actually, in spite of what many think, there is only one place in all the Bible where Jesus said He was giving a “new” commandment. The other references—by the Apostle John—are to the exact same principles, as we shall see.

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34–35).

Jesus gave this “new” commandment during the last night of His physical life on earth. He had—by teaching and example—already shown the disciples that keeping God’s commandments was simply an expression of love.

We show real love toward God when we truly worship and obey, allowing no other “gods,” idols, pictures or anything else to come in His place, and always honoring His name and keeping holy His seventh-day Sabbath—which He made holy, and which Jesus and the Apostles always kept! And we show love to those around us when we zealously obey the last six commandments.

Christ had already summarized God’s law into the two great principles: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind… You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:37, 39). In fact, in the latter part of this summary of God’s law, Jesus quoted directly from the Old Testament (Leviticus 19:18)!

What, then, was “new” about Jesus’ command to love our neighbors?

The answer is plain. The principle of loving our neighbors was notnew, but Jesus’ magnification of that principle in His own perfect life shed a completely new light on the spiritual intent and depth of this commandment.

Remember Jesus’ emphasis—”As I have loved you, that ye also love one another.”

Jesus’ own perfect example of love and service was the greatest and most meaningful magnification of the love of neighbor as commanded by God. In His life, He demonstrated how that love actually functions in day-to-day life.

How to Love Your Neighbor

Three times the Divine voice broke the usual silence of the heavens in announcing the satisfaction of God in the life of Jesus. Even the Roman Procurator, Pontius Pilate, declared: “I find no fault in Him” (John 19:4).

This was because Jesus lived a life of giving to others. Whether in His constant teaching of the multitudes, His healing of the sick, His feeding of the hungry crowds or in an act of humility such as washing the disciples’ feet, He was always giving of Himself.

This loving and giving Jesus Christ also said to the religious leaders of His day, “Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell?” (Matthew 23:33).

Are these strange words from a man of love? No. Rather, they are manifestation of how perfect love sometimes says and does things for the good of others which at the time they may not appreciate.

Jesus loved these Pharisees! It was in love that He thundered these words to wake them up from a life of religious hypocrisy and perversity that was damning their souls. Remember, it was also for these same Pharisees that Jesus died. It was for these men and others like them that Jesus prayed: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do” (Luke 23:34).

It was in that perfect, understanding love that Jesus withdrew Himself occasionally from the multitude to rest, to meditate or to pray. For He knew that only by keeping close to the Father and being an instrument in His hands could His human presence and teaching enrich the lives of others.

Jesus did not just act like He loved others. He did love them with a perfect love. Through God’s Holy Spirit within Him, He desired from the heart to love and serve His fellow beings for their highest good.

He literally lived the words Paul later showed He uttered: “It is more blessed to givethan to receive” (Acts 20:35). In this way, His command that men love one another “even asI have loved you,” certainly does become a “new” and more all-encompassing command in governing human relationships.

Did Jesus Literally Obey the Ten Commandments?

Many religious people think that Jesus had a sentimental type of “love” in His heart, but that He did not really obey God’s commandments literally.

The truth is that Jesus Christ kept and obeyed every one of the Ten Commandments in the letter and in the Spirit—just as His followers today should do. As we have already seen, He declared that He had obeyed the Father’s commandments (John 15:10).

To make it perfectly clear, Jesus Christ never had another god before the true God. He never committed idolatry, or blasphemed God’s name. Jesus kept holy the Sabbath that God had made holy and often worshipped in the synagogue on that day as was His custom (Luke 4:16).

Jesus honored His parents, and He never killed, committed adultery, stole, lied or coveted. He set us an example, that we should follow in His steps (1 Peter 2:21).

Today, a true Christian is one so surrendered to God that Christ is actually living His life in that person through the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit. For the Apostle Paul said: “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life I now live in the flesh I live by the faith ofthe Son of God, Who loved me, and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:20, KJV).

A true Christian should not only have faith in Christ, but should live by the very faith of Christ placed in him by the Holy Spirit. Christ—through the Spirit—should literally be living in the true Christian. Remember, Christ will live the same life in you today that He did 1900 years ago—setting an example. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).

Jesus, in His flesh, “was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). Tempted, yes, but in His fleshly life He obeyed the Ten Commandments. Dwelling now in His true disciples through the Holy Spirit, He will keep the commandments in them.

It is Christ’s love. It is His power in us that can keep the spiritual law of God. For Jesus Christ was, and is, obedient to God the Father.

Did John Give a “New” Commandment?

In an epistle of John—the Apostle Jesus loved—we also find reference to a “new” commandment.

“Brethren, I write no new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which you heard from the beginning. Again, a new commandment I write to you, which thing is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining. He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now” (1 John 2:7–9).

Here the Apostle refers his flock first of all to the “word” of God which they had from the beginning. But then he mentions one “new” thing. He proceeds to explain this is the deep spiritual love which brethren in Christ should have for one another. There is simply no room in this love for hate, envy or malice.

But does this Christian love “do away” or change the Ten Commandments of God?

Of course not!

It only emphasizes and magnifies the personal love Christians must have toward their fellow men. This love goes far beyond the letter of the Ten Commandments—but by no means replaces them!

As John wrote in his second epistle: “And now I plead with you, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment to you, but that which we have had from the beginning: that we love one another. This is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, that as you have heard from the beginning, you should walk in it” (2 John vv. 5–6).

Here John defines Christian love as keeping the commandments!

We are not just to love the persons of God and Christ. We are to love their way—their very character—which is expressed in the Ten Commandments. Christ not only taught obedience to the commandments, He lived them!

And so John adds: “Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son” (v. 9).

What the “New” Commandments Actually Teach

When we examine the positive side of the “new” commandments, we find that they simply reinforce and make more binding the old! They outline a way of love—of giving—of serving, which can only be attained through Christ Himself living in us.

In perfect unselfishness, we are to learn to love others as Jesus loved us. That is New Testament doctrine! It is far more binding than the letter of the commandments stated in the Old Testament.

But it does not replace them. Rather, it magnifies them to their full spiritual intent. And these “new” commandments themselves refer to the perfect magnification in the life of Jesus.

And Jesus obeyed the Ten Commandments literally in spirit as well. He is to be our “light,” our example.

Describing the principle of how we should love our neighbor, the Apostle Paul stated: “Love is the fulfillment of the law” (Romans 13:10). For God’s spiritual love flows down the riverbed, or channel, of the Ten Commandments. In perfectly obeying the Ten Commandments—in their every phase and facet—Jesus’ entire life was a radiant life of love itself, and love is the fulfillment of law. The “new” commandment He gave called attention to His perfect example of obedience to the Father, and of kindness and service to all men.

Millions of professing Christians have been taught that all they need to do is to “love Jesus” or to have the “love of God.” What is that “love”? How does God Himself tell us how His love is to be expressed? At the very end of the Apostolic Age, decades after Jesus’ resurrection, God inspired the Apostle John (Jesus’ dearest friend among the Apostles) to tell us: “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome” (1 John 5:3).

Remember, Jesus lived God’s law in everything He thought, said and did. In this flesh, none of us will keep God’s law perfectly. But God’s law must be our “pattern” of life. We are commanded to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18)—patterning our lives after Christ’s life ever more perfectly as each year goes by.

May God help you to follow the example of His Son in obeying His law. And may you, through surrender and obedience, develop the very character of God. Thus, by His mercy through Christ’s sacrifice, and through your total surrender to let Christ live His obedient life within you through the Holy Spirit, you may be granted everlasting life in the Kingdom of God!

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The Real God: Proofs and Promises

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The Real God: Proofs and Promises 4uwzvo Tue, 03/01/2022 - 20:53

The Real God: Proofs and Promises

Douglas S. Winnail

Booklet Media

#Existence of God

#God

#Promises

Why is the God of the universe not real to most people today? Why is there so much skepticism and doubt about God? If you have ever pondered these questions, the answers could change your life! In this booklet we will examine the sources of modern misunderstandings about God, and consider seven proofs that reveal the true God.

Questions About God?

Have you ever wondered whether God actually exists? Can you know for sure? Can you prove it? Is there one true God, or are there many gods? Is the idea of God merely the product of the human imagination? Does it make any difference if you believe in God or not? These are among the most important questions you could ever ask. However, in our modern secular world, we know more about television schedules, celebrities’ private lives, and professional athletes’ statistics, than we know about God!

While millions profess to believe in God, the true God is just not that real to most people. How real is God to you? Is the God you worship the same God revealed in the pages of the Bible—or is your concept of God something conjured up in men’s mind? Has the doubt and skepticism permeating our society influenced your ideas about God? Today many people have real difficulties when it comes to finding solid answers about God.

It may come as a shock to you, but our modern, sophisticated, well-educated world has been deceived when it comes to life’s biggest questions! The truth about the real God has been perverted and suppressed—not just by atheistic philosophers and secular scientists, but by misguided theologians! This may sound like an outrageous statement, but it is exactly what the Bible revealed would happen, and it is verified by historical facts, as we will see in this booklet.

Atheists claim that God does not exist, and that the idea of God is an invention of the human mind. Agnostics say it is impossible to know whether or not God exists. Evolutionary biologists prefer to think that God is not necessary. Secular scientists want to eliminate God from all discussion on the assumption that the whole idea of God rests on personal belief and not on proof. Unwittingly, misguided and misinformed theologians play into this deception by suggesting that you can take God’s existence on blind faith—just believe—no proof is necessary or possible!

With so-called experts offering such conflicting ideas, it is no wonder that the average person has doubts and reservations about God. Do you have doubts? We ask for a receipt as proof that we have purchased an item. We get a deposit slip when we put money in the bank. Yet when it comes to the most important question in life, we are told we can just “take it on faith”—blindly, without any proof—that God exists! Or we listen to “experts” claiming that God does not exist, or that we cannot know for sure, but we do not seriously question or demand any verification for such dramatic statements.

For much of the last century, many have taken for granted that science can explain the universe without God, and that His existence is doubtful at best. Sometimes it is claimed that intelligent people no longer believe in God—yet nothing could be further from the truth! Theologians who make excuses for the Bible and shrink from making dogmatic statements about God and His Word, in an attempt to harmonize science and religion, have only succeeded in undercutting their own influence. Much of organized religion is in decline today simply because the truth about the real God has been ignored, perverted and suppressed.

The God of the Bible challenges us to prove that He really does exist—and He offers specific ways to do that. The real God predicts the future, and challenges anyone to do the same with any similar degree of accuracy. The God who inspired the Bible boldly states that to live contrary to His instructions invites disaster. The real God is going to send Jesus Christ back to this earth to put a stop to human misrule and establish His kingdom—on this earth, not in heaven—as a world-ruling government with the aid of His saints. Is this the God you worship? Is this the God you hear about when you go to church or tune in a religious broadcast on radio or television? Probably not!

In this booklet, you will see how and why the knowledge of the real God has been perverted and suppressed. You will learn why our modern society is so skeptical when it comes to questions about God. You will see why mankind’s questions about God will just not go away. You will also be able to study for yourself seven definitive proofs that demonstrate that God is real and very much alive.

But first, we need to understand why our modern culture is so skeptical and mixed up when it comes to questions about God, and how it became that way. Let us notice why belief in God has been discounted as being unimportant, and examine the consequences of that misguided approach. You cannot afford to remain in the dark about such fundamental issues. The real answers may shock and surprise you!

Superficial Religion

Current surveys indicate that approximately 95 percent of Americans believe in God—yet many Americans live their lives as if God does not exist. More than 80 percent seldom or never attend church or read a Bible. Only about 30 percent view the Word of God—the Bible—as the ultimate authority in their lives. Most just follow their conscience and do whatever they think is best—or whatever they please! In European countries, belief in God is much lower, and the number of people who do not regularly practice any faith is even greater. In Britain, France, Italy, Germany and Scandinavia, only 30 percent or less believe in a personal God (The Empty Church: The Suicide of Liberal Christianity, Reeves, 1996, pp. 51, 61–65). These figures indicate that for most people today—even in so-called “Christian” countries—belief in God is just not a relevant part of their lives.

While interest in religion among Americans runs high, America has been described as a secular and materialistic society. Vanderbilt Divinity School professor Edward Farley asserts “religiosity is marginal” to most of our cultural institutions—government, business, education and entertainment. Pollster George Gallup found that America is a “nation of biblical illiterates” where fewer than half of all adults can name the four gospels of the New Testament (ibid., pp. 49, 63). Fewer than half of Americans can name even five of the Ten Commandments—the fundamental principles that the real God outlined for human society. When one cannot even name the commandments, it is not surprising if one does not live by them!

Today, many practice a superficial “consumer Christianity” or “cafeteria religion”—that is, people pick and choose what religious tenets they wish to believe and reject those teachings that do not appeal to their interests. For many people, religious beliefs are often personal, vague, generalized and casual. Levels of confidence and conviction are often rather low. Doctrinal specifics are usually fuzzy. Each person tends to believe what seems to be right in his or her own eyes. This is part of the legacy of the Protestant Reformation—where the individual, not the church or the Bible—becomes the sole authority (ibid., pp. 61–62). As one teenager responded when asked by a reporter about what she thought about God: “God is everywhere. God is in me. I am God.” These are, as we shall see, sadly misinformed opinions!

America and the European countries are described today as having entered a “post-Christian era” (ibid., chapter 2). We no longer believe the actual teachings of Jesus Christ, as found in the Word of God. The Bible states that Jesus Christ will return to reign on this earth with His saints (Daniel 2:44–45; 7:27; Revelation 5:10, 11:15–18), yet mainstream Christianity teaches, and most professing Christians prefer to believe, that we all go to heaven. God said to remember the Sabbath (Exodus 20:8–11); yet most people “do their own thing” on this day. The Bible condemns fornication, adultery and murder; yet these behaviors permeate our societies. Noted educator, author and American civil servant William Bennett has written, “We have become the kind of society that civilized countries used to send missionaries to” (ibid., p. 66). This is largely because we have forgotten, rejected, or perhaps never heard about the real God. But just how did this happen?

Reason Replaces Religion

The America that on its coins proclaims to the world, “In God We Trust,” developed from European roots. Europe had received the knowledge of the true God from the Apostles, who brought it from Jerusalem to the European peoples. We learn in school that western civilization was built on the noble ideas of Greek democracy and Roman law, yet both the Bible and history reveal how the misguided religious ideas of these ancient pagan cultures have contributed to the current confusion. In the book of Acts, we read that the Apostle Paul told superstitious pagan Athenians about the one true God. Noticing an inscription “TO THE UNKNOWN GOD,” Paul stated: “The One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim unto you” (Acts 17:23–24). They may have practiced democracy, but they were sadly misinformed about religious truth!

In Rome, Paul was even more explicit. He told the Romans that “the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest [evident] among them, for God has shown it to them” (Romans 1:18–19). He told these educated Romans that they were without excuse for not knowing about the true God, “for since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made” (Romans 1:20). Paul further states that misguided humans “although they knew God… did not glorify Him as God.” As a result, their understanding was darkened so that, “professing to be wise, they became fools… who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature [creation] rather than the Creator” (Romans 1:21–25). The Bible reveals a remarkable human tendency and its consequences: “Even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind,” which has led to widespread spiritual confusion, physical immorality and social evils that still confront us today (Romans 1:26–32).

Many today do not realize that the knowledge of the true God and true Christianity, which Paul brought to Greece and Rome, was soon corrupted with a mixture of pagan religious ideas. As Roman Catholic historian Will Durant writes: “Christianity did not destroy paganism; it adopted it.” The form of Christianity that developed in Europe and later spread to America and the rest of the world “was the last great creation of the ancient pagan world” (Caesar and Christ, Durant, 1944, p. 595). Durant and other historians explain that belief in the one true God became belief in a Trinity as a result of the influence of pagan philosophy. They note that perverted Gnostic ideas “obscured the Christian creed” and that theologians schooled in pagan philosophy tried to explain the nature of God through speculation instead of teaching what God had revealed about Himself in Scripture. After centuries of such discussion and debate, it is not surprising that the often abstract God of modern Christianity bears little resemblance to the true God of scripture.

Other European ideas also undermined and altered the teachings about the real God. The Enlightenment of the 18th century, and scientific discoveries that seemed to contradict Scripture, led some to conclude the Bible and its God were only myths (see God’s Funeral, Wilson, 1999). Darwin’s speculations about evolution seemed to remove the need for a God of creation. Julian Huxley, a promoter of Darwin’s ideas, confidently stated: “There is no longer either need or room for supernatural beings capable of affecting the course of events in the evolutionary pattern of thought. The earth was not created, it evolved. So did all the animals and plants that inhabit it, including our human selves, mind and soul as well as brain and body.” Huxley also asserted boldly that, “operationally, God is beginning to resemble not a ruler, but the last fading grin of a cosmic Cheshire cat.” In the face of what seemed to be overpowering discoveries made by scientists, theologians retreated and back-pedaled in their teachings about God.

Huxley made another observation that is still influencing contemporary views of God. He commented: “Our concept of God needs to stress religious experience instead of a belief in a particular dogma.” In other words, God is the warm feelingthat you feel in your heart—not a Supreme Being whose existence you can prove and who intervenes in history. This idea was promoted in the 1600s by the French philosopher Pascal who said: “It is the heart that experiences God, and not the reason.” The Reformation theologian, John Wesley, also spoke of the “warmed heart” as a sign that one had discovered religious truth. Yet all this clashes dramatically with Paul’s admonition to a Greek audience to “prove all things; hold fast to what is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21). The prophet Malachi quotes God as saying: “Prove Me” (Malachi 3:10, KJV). Proof involves solid and convincing reasons. Belief in the real God involves the mind—not just warm feelings in the heart!

Over the last two centuries, belief in God has come under attack by many intellectuals in the West—the children of the Enlightenment. The German philosopher Nietzsche asserted that “God is a thought.” Freud termed belief in God a form of mental disorder that mankind would eventually grow out of. Karl Marx termed religious belief “the opium of the people.” Atheist H. L. Mencken asserted: “God is the immemorial refuge of the incompetent, the helpless, the miserable.” Playwright Tennessee Williams described God as a “senile delinquent.” In the 1960s, prominent theologians echoed Nietzsche’s earlier sentiments and actually asked: “Is God dead?” Oxford zoologist Richard Dawkins asserted, in a speech titled A Scientist’s Case Against God, that there is no evidence to support religion, and that better educated people today admit this (Science, August 15, 1997, p. 892). He claims that anyone who believes in a Creator God is “scientifically illiterate.”

In light of such assaults against belief in God, the near absence of powerful biblical teaching by clerics, and the dearth of honest, objective presentations of physical evidence by scientists, it is not surprising that the real God of this universe remains little known to most people today. But questions need to be asked. Are the critics right, or have they been deceived? Have the rantings of secular, atheistic individuals tragically misled our society about God? Let us notice several important lessons that we can learn from the Bible and our recent past that relate to questions about God. We will then examine seven proofs that demonstrate the reality of the true God.

New Evidence, New Lessons

David wrote in the Psalms more than 3,000 years ago: “The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God'” (Psalm 14:1). Solomon states: “The mouth of fools pours out foolishness” (Proverbs 15:2). Looking back over the last few centuries it is painfully obvious that many of the “enlightened” intellectuals who have molded our modern world were simply wrong! They made foolish assumptions and foolish statements that many people believed! These misguided individuals were essentially the blind leading the blind.

Marx’s communism proved to be a dismal failure that caused untold suffering. Freud’s psychological theories have largely been discredited. While Freud proclaimed religion a neurosis, one of his students, Carl Jung, found religion to be very beneficial in treating psychologically disturbed individuals (God: The Evidence, Glynn, 1997, p. 69). In fact, a growing body of scientific literature documents the positive effects of certain religious beliefs on personal health. Marx and Freud, whose ideas did much to secularize our society by undermining its religious and moral foundation, were sadly mistaken about many things.

The same is now being said about the ideas of Charles Darwin and his free-thinking contemporaries. The evolutionary theories of Darwin that supposedly did away with the need for a Creator God have come under increasing criticism in recent decades. A growing number of scholars—among them cosmologists, biologists, biochemists and paleontologists—are admitting that the theory of evolution simply does not and cannot explain the origin of the earth, the origin of life or the origin of species. The ideas generated by Darwin and others simply do not fit with the facts of the fossil record or what has been discovered about the universe in the last century (see Creation and Evolution, Hayward, 1995; “Debating Darwin,” Christian Century, July 15–22, 1998, pp. 678–681).

As the 20th century comes to a close and we begin a new millennium, questions about God are being asked with a new earnestness. Evolutionists’ purposeless universe has proven to be a psychologically empty and depressing concept. Surprising discoveries about the universe point to an intelligent creator (see Newsweek, July 20, 1998, pp. 47–52; November 9, 1998, p. 88). Naturalistic science that seemed to provide answers to all questions is now recognized as having serious limitations. In the remainder of this booklet, we will see what can be learned about the real God by examining proofs from both the natural world and the Bible. The evidence is astounding and it is powerful—and it comes from “scientifically literate” scholars. You can prove that God exists—you do not have to doubt or just blindly “take it on faith.” The God of the universe is real!

Proof 1 —

Creation Demands a Creator

The theory of evolution postulates that the earth and the universe came into existence slowly over eons of time, or that the universe has always existed. The atheist astronomer Carl Sagan once stated that, “the Cosmos is all that is or ever was or ever will be.” However that simply is not true! Studies in cosmology have demonstrated in recent years that there was a time when the cosmos did not exist—that it had a beginning at a specific point in time. This is exactly what the Bible states. In Genesis 1:1 we read: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Both the Bible and the discoveries of science clearly indicate that the earth and the universe have not always existed.

Astronomers studying galactic motion have observed that the universe is expanding outward from a given point, but at a decreasing rate of speed. The universe appears to have begun with a large explosion. This is referred to as the “big bang.” Scientists have been able to detect echoes of this explosion that still reverberate through the universe—called the “radiation echo” or “background noise.” Stephen Hawking, a theoretical physicist at Cambridge University, has written that the big bang cosmology may reveal “the mind of God,” and American astrophysicist George Smoot has suggested that background radiation represents “the handwriting of God” (Science, August 15, 1997, p. 890). Such evidence is forcing scientists to reevaluate long-cherished naturalistic theories.

Physicists have also formulated laws concerning thermodynamics. The First Law of Thermodynamics states that the amount of energy in the universe remains constant. The Second Law of Thermodynamics states that the amount of usableenergy in a closed system (the universe) is decreasing. This means the universe is running down—thus, “it could not have existed forever in the past and will not exist forever into the future” (When Skeptics Ask, Geisler and Brooks, 1996, p. 220). It had a beginning. The existence of radioactive elements (such as carbon-14) which decay at a measurable rate (called a half-life) also points to a time when those elements were made radioactive. Again this points to a beginning. This, too, is contrary to what evolutionists have theorized, but is consistent with Scripture.

But what causative agent brought the universe into being? Science operates on the principle that for every effect there is a cause. But what caused the “big bang?” Was it merely blind, natural forces, or was it an intelligent being, a Creator God who carefully planned it beforehand? Since this was a one-time event that was not observed or repeatable, the scientific method is of little value in rendering a decision on this matter. The subject of origins lies beyond the realm of scientific investigation. However, the Bible describes the origin of the universe and the earth in terms that are compatible with facts ascertained by scientists. The discovery that the universe had a definite beginning agrees with clear statements in the Bible.

Scripture repeatedly refers to God as the Creator of the physical earth and universe (Genesis 1; Isaiah 40:28; Mark 13:19; Revelation 4:11). However, the real God is concerned with far more than just the physical creation. The Bible also reveals there is also an ongoing spiritual dimension to God’s creation.

The Apostle Paul writes that when a person chooses to turn from a self-centered way of life, and chooses to begin living by the teachings of Jesus Christ, that person becomes a “new creation” or a “new creature” (2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 6:15). As we will see, God has an incredible purpose for human beings who are willing to embark on this challenging spiritual journey. The Bible indicates very clearly there are more aspects to life than naturalistic science can discover. These aspects are revealed by the Creator—the real God of the universe—and are not discoverable in a laboratory by the scientific method! Creation, in all of its aspects, requires a creator.

Proof 2 —

Life Demands a Life-Giver

The origin of life presents another challenge to those who want to reject the idea of a supernatural God. Evolutionists have suggested that life formed spontaneously in a pool of chemicals as the earth cooled billions of years ago. We are told that carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen and ammonia combined randomly, with the aid of solar energy and cosmic rays, to form amino acids and DNA molecules. Over eons of time, cells supposedly developed from these accidental combinations. While this may sound plausible, biochemists know better. Scientists who have tried to produce life by these methods have learned that it is much more difficult than their theories would suggest. A DNA molecule contains as much information as a volume of an encyclopedia. Proposing this evolutionary theory of life’s origins is analogous to suggesting that an explosion in a junk yard could produce a fully assembled automobile—and that this automobile could then begin reproducing itself!

In the 1950s, Stanley Miller performed a simple experiment to see if these theories would actually work. He succeeded in producing some simple amino acids, and his experiment was hailed as proving that life could be generated spontaneously from non-living matter. However, the proclamations were premature. No one has yet produced life from a pool of chemicals (pre-biotic soups)—in spite of a lot of tinkering. Astrophysicist Hugh Ross comments: “Even under highly favorable conditions of a laboratory, these soups have failed to produce anything remotely resembling life. One problem is that they produce only a random distribution of left- and right-handed pre-biotic molecules… Life chemistry demands that all the molecules be either right- or left-handed. With all our learning and technology we cannot even come close to bringing life together in the lab” (The Creator and the Cosmos, Ross, 1993, p. 148).

Forty years after his initial experiment, Miller stated: “The problem of the origin of life has turned out to be much more difficult than I, and most other people, envisioned” (Scientific American, February 1991, p. 117). German biochemist Klaus Dose has observed that all the experimental efforts have “led to a better perception of the problem of the origin of life on earth rather than to its solution. At present all discussions on principal theories and experiments in the field either end in stalemate or in a confession of ignorance” (The Creation Hypothesis, Moreland, 1994, p. 176).

This is not surprising. Anaxamander of Miletus, the ancient Greek philosopher, also speculated that life could develop spontaneously from non-living matter. This superstitious idea prevailed until the 1800s when experiments done by Redi and Pasteur proved otherwise. These now-classic experiments revealed that maggots appearing in spoiled meat came not from the meat but from the eggs of flies that came in contact with the meat. Life came from life—not from non-life. Until recent decades, this was referred to as the law of biogenesis. Only in the last several decades—when scientists have attempted to generate life spontaneously to verify evolutionary theories—has this once-accepted law been ignored. Still, there is no evidence that exceptions to this law exist.

Human beings can speculate that life could be generated spontaneously from non-living matter, but the facts do not agree with these speculations. Man has not been able to produce life—in spite of considerable effort on the part of highly intelligent individuals. Scripture portrays God as creating life. In Genesis 2:7 we read: “The Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being”—something all the sophisticated laboratories in the world have been unable to begin to duplicate. Life demands a life-giver. There appears to be no other way.

Proof 3 —

Laws Demand a Law-Giver

Science exists because scientists understand that the universe operates in an orderly manner according to laws—the laws of physics (of gravity and of motion), the laws of chemistry and laws of biology. As one writer comments: “Ever since Isaac Newton, science has blared a clear message; the world follows rules, rules that are fundamentally mathematical, rules that humans can figure out” (Newsweek, July 20, 1998, p. 49). Even evolutionists begin their speculations assuming that the rules, or natural laws, worked the same in the beginning as they do today. If the universe did not operate on these rules, or laws, it would cease to function and would come apart in chaos. Notice several examples of how these laws work.

Gravity holds the planets in their orbits. Without gravitational forces there would be no solar systems. Stars and planets would be hurtling through space in a helter-skelter manner. Gravitational forces hold the earth at a distance from the sun that makes it possible for life to exist on this planet. If gravitational forces were either stronger or weaker than they are, stars (such as our sun) would not burn hot enough, or would burn out too rapidly and certain chemical elements essential for life would simply not be produced. Our bodies exist because chemicals combine in only certain ways. If chemical reactions did not occur the same way every time (according to laws), we would cease to exist as living, breathing human beings. Life would cease to exist.

For years, biology textbooks have referred to another law known as fixity of the species—that there seems to be a genetic limit to the amount of variation that can occur within a species. Plant and animal breeders are aware of these limits. Charles Darwin was aware of the variety that could be produced by breeding domestic animals (such as dogs, pigeons, cows and horses). During his cruise on the Beagle, he also observed striking variations among finches and turtles on islands in the Pacific Ocean. In formulating his theory of evolution, he speculated that, given enough time, these small variations could eventually produce totally new species—that natural forces alone could produce new life forms without the need for a creator. These ideas had a profound effect on the Western world—especially on its religion—and seriously undermined belief in God.

However, time has exposed serious problems with Darwin’s ideas. No one has ever observed a new species coming into existence in nature in this way. In spite of many attempts, neither has anyone been able to produce new species by selective breeding. Dogs may vary in size, color and many other characteristics, but they are still dogs. Horses are still horses. Fruit flies are still fruit flies. The Bible clearly states many times that God created each type of plant and animal “according to its kind” (Genesis 1:11–12, 21–25). There is no evidence from the biological world that one species can turn into another. The Bible also indicates that God created human beings after the “God kind”—which, as we will see, has profound implications for the purpose of human life.

Even the fossil record supports this fundamental biblical principle. Darwin speculated that intermediate forms of life must have existed as species evolved, yet he knew this was not the actual case. He wrote in The Origin of Species: “Why then is not every geological formation and every stratum full of such intermediate links? Geology assuredly does not reveal any such finely graduated organic chain, and this, perhaps, is the most obvious and gravest objection that can be urged against my theory” (see Geisler and Brooks, p. 228). Darwin assumed these intermediate links would be found, but a hundred years after his book was published they are still missing! This absence of transitional forms has been called “the trade secret” of paleontology. When species appear in the geologic record they appear fully formed. This makes sense if they were created. The evidence of the fossil record lends further support to the biblical concept of the fixity of species and a real God that operates according to laws and rules.

The fundamental question is: how did these laws originate? Where did they come from? Who set them in motion? How are they sustained? Evolutionists do not know. Natural scientists do not have a clue. Physicist Stephen Hawking, a scientist attempting to answer questions about the universe without the aid of Scripture, has acknowledged “the laws [of physics] may have originally been decreed by God” (Ross, p. 91). This is interesting because the Bible refers to the real God repeatedly as the “Lawgiver” (Isaiah 33:22; James 4:12). As the Creator, God designed and set in motion the laws and forces that hold the universe together (Job 28:24–27). We are also told in Scripture that God is “upholding all things [the universe] by the word of His power” (Hebrews 1:3)—that He sustains the laws that He originated and set in motion.

On the subject of law, the Bible reveals a dimension beyond the physical. While God is described as a law-giver in the physical sense, Scripture contains spiritual laws that God designed to govern human conduct. The Ten Commandments form the basis of the spiritual law of God. We are told plainly that if we obey those laws we will be blessed and if we disobey those laws we will reap negative consequences (Leviticus 26; Deuteronomy 28). Solomon wrote in Proverbs that life will be difficult for a person who transgresses the laws of God (Proverbs 13:15, KJV). Why would this be so, unless there is a real God who designed and sustains those laws? Evolutionary theory has no answer for this. One of the reasons people want to do away with the concept of God is that without God there are no laws of conduct and any type of behavior becomes permissible. We are living with the consequences of that philosophy today—and it is destroying our society! The existence of laws requires a law-giver. For those laws to continue to operate, a sustainer is necessary. This is how the real God operates.

Proof 4 —

Design Demands a Designer

One of the most powerful proofs of God’s existence, and one of the most revealing aspects of the true God, is the wondrous evidence of design found throughout the universe—from the smallest atom to the cosmos. It is on the issue of design that naturalistic evolutionary theories have run aground. It is in the area of design that surprising discoveries have been made in recent years that are compelling even skeptical scientists to consider the reality of God.

Solomon wrote: “The Lord by wisdom founded the earth; by understanding He established the heavens” (Proverbs 3:19). David, referring to the human body stated: “I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works” (Psalm 139:14). Abraham Lincoln once observed: “I can see how a man can look upon the earth and be an atheist, but I cannot conceive how he can look up into the heavens and say there is no God.” Even Albert Einstein realized “God is not playing dice with the universe.”

The profound truth in these statements has begun to register in the scientific community, as a result of surprising recent discoveries in fields as diverse as molecular biology and cosmology. Darwin acknowledged that “complex organs such as the eye would be difficult to explain in terms of the gradual stepwise process outlined by his theory,” but he did not realize how complicated the molecular biology of vision would turn out to be (Christian Century, July 15–22, 1998, pp. 679–680). Biochemist Michael Behe writes in Darwin’s Black Box that evolutionists’ inability to explain the development of such complicated structures and processes is “a very strong indication that Darwinism is an inadequate framework for understanding the origin of complex biochemical systems” (ibid.).

Discoveries about the universe have been just as profound. As man’s knowledge has grown, so has the evidence that the universe could not have come about by chance. One writer observes: “The very science that ‘killed’ God is, in the eyes of believers, restoring faith. Physicists have found signs that the cosmos is custom made for life and consciousness. It turns out that if the constants of nature—unchanging numbers like the strength of gravity, the charge of the electron and the mass of a proton—were the tiniest bit different, then atoms would not hold together, stars would not burn and life would never have made an appearance” (Newsweek, July 20, 1998, p. 48). Physicist John Polkinghorne, who became an Anglican priest, wrote: “When you realize that the laws of nature must be incredibly finely tuned to produce the universe we see, that conspires to plant the idea that the universe did not just happen, but that there must be a purpose behind it” (ibid.). Astrophysicist Hugh Ross discusses 33 of these finely tuned conditions that make life possible on this earth (see The Creator and the Cosmos, Ross, 1993, pp. 131–145).

A growing number of scientists in the fields of physics, astronomy and cosmology are acknowledging what is called the “anthropic principle” (Greek anthropos=man). This principle, suggested in the 1970s by physicist Brandon Carter, states that for life to exist on earth, all the conditions had to be “pre-planned” from the very beginning of the cosmos. As Harvard Ph.D. Patrick Glynn notes: “The most basic explanation for the universe is that it seems to be a process orchestrated to achieve the end or goal of creating human beings” (God: The Evidence, Glynn, 1997, pp. 7, 32). Glynn states further: “From the scientist’s viewpoint, the fact that the universe looks as though it had a definite beginning might be upsetting enough. But what appears to drive cosmologists nearly to distraction is the anthropic principle”—that the earth and the universe was created for mankind (ibid., p. 42). That is an astounding observation for a scholar to make today!

While a universe pre-planned for mankind may be shocking for atheists and evolutionists to consider, this is exactly what the Bible clearly states. Scripture reveals that God created human beings for a purpose. In Genesis 1:26–28 we read that God created human beings in His own image (not in the image of apes) and gave human beings dominion over the earth—to rule it or manage it. The Apostle Paul told the Romans that we can become “children of God” and “heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ” (Romans 8:14–17). This means we will share, by inheritance, what Jesus Christ has—that is, eternal life (1 Corinthians 15:50–53) and rulership on this earth in the coming kingdom of God (Revelation 5:10). The Bible reveals that human beings were created for the ultimate purpose of becoming part of the family of God (1 John 3:1–4; Hebrews 2:1–11) eventually to rule this earth with Jesus Christ (Revelation 5:10; Daniel 7:27). This is the purpose of human life, yet this exciting information has been perverted and suppressed over the centuries! This is not even understood today by most theologians.

Compare this astounding future, as outlined in the Bible, with the common idea that either we go to heaven and sit on clouds and play harps, or else we burn forever in hell fire. Compare the future revealed by the true God, to zoologist Richard Dawkins’ ideas that, “the universe we observe has… no design, no purpose, no evil and no good, nothing but pointless indifference… we are machines for propagating DNA… It is every living object’s sole reason for living” (Science, August 15, 1997, p. 892). Is it any wonder that people today see no real purpose in life, or have no hope or excitement about the future? Science, philosophy and theology have failed to grasp the real meaning of life!

The Bible clearly states that mankind has been deceived by a very clever deceiver (Revelation 12:9). Evolutionary theories that undermine faith in a real God, and the misguided reasoning of theologians, have also played their part in this deception. So have human beings, who simply do not want to consider that God exists, because of the restraints on behavior this would entail. However, the real God who designed this universe also has a design and a purpose for mankind. Scientists are discovering astounding evidence of intelligent design in the cosmos. Scripture reveals God’s amazing, ultimate purpose for mankind. Intelligent and purposeful design—both physical and spiritual—requires a supernatural Designer—a real God!

Proof 5 —

Fulfilled Prophetic Promises

Some of the most compelling evidence for an all-powerful, supernatural God comes from the disciplines of history and prophecy. The astounding accuracy of Bible prophecy is a constant challenge to skeptics. Yet it is amazing to realize how many people, including secular scholars, are simply unaware of how Bible prophecy is so remarkably confirmed by known history. Even more amazing is that prophecy is seldom mentioned today by the clergy—yet fulfilled prophecy absolutely proves that there is a real, all-powerful God. Isaac Newton, one of the most brilliant minds in Western civilization, was fascinated by Bible prophecy (Science, August 15, 1997, p. 892).

The real God of Scripture literally defies others to predict the future accurately and bring it to pass. The prophet Isaiah quotes God as saying: “Present your case… Show the things that are to come hereafter, that we may know that you are gods… indeed you are nothing; he who chooses you is an abomination” (Isaiah 41:21–23). Those who study forecasting understand the folly of trying to predict future events in detail—especially in the volatile fields of political science and sociology—yet Scripture does this repeatedly with striking accuracy! Nearly 30 percent of the Bible is devoted to prophecy, yet this subject is rarely the topic of Sunday morning sermons in most churches. It is no wonder the powerful God of the Bible does not seem real today.

A striking example of fulfilled prophecy is found in the book of Ezekiel, which dates from about 600bc. Ezekiel records very different futures for two major Phoenician cities, Tyre and Sidon. This would be like predicting what will happen to San Francisco and Los Angeles, Toronto and Ottawa or London and Paris over the next 2,500 years! Sidon is promised to have a bloody history but to continue to exist (Ezekiel 28:22–23). By contrast, Ezekiel very specifically prophesied that many nations would come against Tyre like waves of the sea (26:3). Tyre would be scraped bare like the top of a rock (v. 4), the debris thrown into the sea (v. 12), never to be rebuilt (v. 14). This mighty city, the center of a great trading empire, would become an insignificant place where fishermen would spread their nets (v. 5). All this has happened—to the letter (see Evidence That Demands a Verdict,McDowell, 1979, vol. 1, pp. 274–281). A real God predicted the future in detail, and brought it to pass (see Isaiah 46:9–10).

Another series of remarkable prophecies concerns specific promises about the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. These prophecies were recordedmany centuries before Christ was born. The first two chapters of Matthew quote prophecies that Jesus was to be born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14), in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2). He would have to flee to Egypt (Hosea 11:1). Before His death, he would ride into Jerusalem on a donkey (Zechariah 9:9). In death, His hands and feet would be pierced (Psalm 22:16), and lots would be cast for His garments (Psalm 22:18). David prophesied that Christ would be resurrected (see Psalm 16:10). Here again, the real God of the Bible predicted specific future events and brought them to pass—to the letter!

Fulfilled prophecies, however, are not just limited to ancient history and long-vanished empires. Additional prophecies are being fulfilled today, as you read this booklet! The key to understanding prophecies that apply to our time is the identity of the modern Israelite nations. The God of the Bible promised Abraham that his descendants would become great and be a blessing to the peoples of the earth (Genesis 12:1–3). God foretold that they would eventually come to possess the gates of their enemies (Genesis 22:17; 24:60).

The modern Israelite nations are descendants of Jacob, Abraham’s grandson, whose name was changed by God to Israel (Genesis 32:28). Jacob had 12 sons including Judah—the father of the Jews. However, two of Jacob’s grandsons, Ephraim and Manasseh, were prophesied to become the primary inheritors of the birthright promises originally made to Abraham. Manasseh was to become a great nation, but Ephraim was to become a great company of nations (Genesis 48:14–20). The blessings promised to Manasseh and Ephraim have been inherited by the United States and the nations that made up the British Commonwealth. This amazing story and the sobering future that is prophesied for these birthright nations is described in our booklet, available free upon request, The United States and Great Britain in Prophecy.

The record of history, as well as of world events today, confirm the incredibly accurate prophecies recorded in the Word of God. The Bible is inspired by an all-powerful, supernatural God. Its prophecies are not merely the product of mortal men trying to formulate a philosophy or religion. Scripture’s fulfilled prophetic promises demand an explanation—they cannot simply be ignored or explained away! The God who inspired those prophecies and brought them to pass has to be real!

Proof 6 —

Answered Prayer

Another dramatic proof of God is that He fulfills His promises of answered prayer. For those who do not believe in God and have never prayed, this is merely a matter of doubt and skepticism. However, for individuals who believe in God and who do pray—which includes up to 90 percent of Americans—answered prayer is one of the most powerful personal proofs that God exists. To those who know their prayers have been answered, the doubts of skeptics are of little significance.

It is from the Bible, not naturalistic science, that we learn about prayer. Scripture abounds with examples of answered prayers. Solomon’s request for wisdom was granted with even additional blessings (1 Kings 3:5–13). We are told that “Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain” (James 5:17–18).

The New Testament records many examples of dramatic answers to prayers. Jesus prayed all night, asking God for guidance, before choosing the Twelve Apostles He would use to build His Church (Luke 6:12–13). Jesus had been praying during the hours before He came—walking on the water—to the disciples (Matthew 14:23–25). Lazarus was resurrected from the dead as the result of Jesus’ prayer to God (John 11:41–44). When the members of the fledgling New Testament Church prayed for boldness to preach the gospel, God acknowledged their request by shaking the building in which they were meeting (Acts 4:23–31).

The Bible also teaches us how to pray. Just as a child must learn how to talk, we must learn how to pray. Jesus was asked by His disciples, “Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1). Jesus gave us a model to follow (Matthew 6:5–15). We can see from this example that prayer is an earnest conversation with God about our needs and concerns—not just repeating some words and phrases over and over (v. 7). We are told that God hears the prayers of the righteous—individuals attempting to obey Him (1 Peter 3:12; 1 John 3:22). The Bible reveals that the prayers of the saints are pleasing to God—like sweet-smelling incense (Revelation 5:8).

Jesus encouraged His followers to “ask, and it will be given unto you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened unto you” (Matthew 7:7–12). One challenge in learning to pray is learning to ask in accord with God’s will (1 John 5:14). To understand God’s will, we must study Scripture—God’s instruction manual. Through prayer, we can talk to God about all our concerns.

If you have sensed a void in your life, if you feel cut off and alone, why not talk to God about it in prayer? If you can see the lack of meaning and purpose in our secular, materialistic world, why not get down on your knees in a private place and talk with your Father? If you have sensed the emptiness and irrelevance of organized religion, just share your feelings with your Creator, the real God of the universe! Ask Him to help you come to understand the Bible and the true meaning of life. Ask Him to guide you to where He is working through His Church. Ask Him to help you learn how to live life according to His instructions, so you can receive the rewards that are His to give. Follow the instructions of Jesus Christ that you read in Matthew 6:5–15 and Luke 11:1–4. Begin to pray!

You can experience the proof of answered prayer for yourself when you begin to ask according to God’s instructions. God does not change (Malachi 3:6). He has answered prayers in the past. He answers prayer today. He will answer prayers in the future. The Bible clearly states, “the eyes of God run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him” (2 Chronicles 16:9). Answered prayer is a powerful and personal proof that God is real!

Proof 7 —

A Way of Life That Works

The final proof that a real God exists and His Word is true is a sobering one. This proof may be more meaningful to individuals who have lived life and made a few mistakes. However, this can also be an important proof to anyone, young or old, who has “eyes to see and ears to hear”—who can learn by seeing what happens to others. This proof involves comparing the results of two contrasting ways of life.

The message that permeates our modern society is that whatever works is right for you—that there is no such thing as absolute right and wrong. The message God has recorded in the Bible is very different. Scripture shows that there is God’s way of life, and there is the world’s way, where we just do our own thing. And, as the old saying goes: “The proof of the pudding is in the eating.”

Scripture clearly outlines these two contrasting approaches to life. Moses explained God’s instructions to the ancient Israelites: “I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live” (Deuteronomy 30:15–20). Today, this is still one of the major challenges of life.

As human beings with free moral agency, we have the freedom to choose to obey God and experience His blessings, or to ignore and live contrary to His instructions (by following our own reasoning) and reap the consequences (Deuteronomy 28; Leviticus 26). Solomon recorded similar advice: “The way of the transgressor is hard,” yet “when a man’s ways please the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him” (Proverbs 13:15; 16:7). Jesus described these same choices—a narrow, challenging way that leads to life, and a wide easy way that most people choose that leads to destruction (Matthew 7:13–14).

The sad story of human history is that most people “go with the flow”—we do what seems right in our own minds. Instead of seeking to learn from our Creator how to live life according to His instructions, we seem to prefer doing things our own way. The result of this approach to life is sometimes called the “school of hard knocks.” If your life has been a series of difficulties, disappointments and blind alleys, why not try another approach? Look into the Word of your Creator, and begin to do things His way for a change. Let the “proof of the pudding be in the eating.” Live God’s way, and prove it for yourself!

Let us look briefly at the way of life that God recommends in Scripture, so that you can put His way to the test. Anciently at Mt. Sinai, God gave the Israelites His law (Exodus 20) which they agreed to follow (Exodus 19:5–8). God intended the Israelites to be an example to the whole world as they learned to live according to His divine instructions (Deuteronomy 4:1–10). However, they failed to live up to this agreement and went into captivity as a result of turning their backs on God’s instructions (see Ezekiel 20).

In the New Testament we are told that Jesus came to explain the law more fully for Christians (Matthew 5:17). He explained how to live by the spirit of the law, not just the letter (Matthew 5:21–28). Here again, it was God’s intent that those who choose to follow His instructions would become lights [examples] to the world, that God’s way works.

Jesus clearly stated that “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). He was definitely advocating a better way to live. The contrast between Jesus’ teaching and the ways of this world was likened to the difference between night and day (John 3:16–21). When His disciples began urging people to come out of this world and live according to the real teachings of Jesus (2 Corinthians 6:11–18) they were pelted with accusations that, “those who have turned the world upside down have come here, too” (Acts 17:5–6).

God’s way of life as outlined in the Bible is not some vague, nebulous, watered-down approach that people can take or leave and modify to suit themselves. God’s way is based upon His laws. It involves specific attitudes, behaviors and practices that not everyone is willing to follow and adhere to. We are told the truth of God will actually separate friends and families (Matthew 10:34–36), but it works and following it will bring certain rewards (Revelation 3:10–11).

One of the major reasons that mainstream Christianity is floundering today in western countries is that theologians have watered down the teachings of the Bible so much that religious beliefs have literally no impact on how people live their lives. One mainline denomination has been described as “an institution in free fall… with nothing to hold on to… no shared belief, no common assumptions, no agreed bottom line, no accepted definition” of what it means to belong to that church (The Empty Church, Reeves, 1996, p. 10). A chaplain in that denomination has declared that he “is not in the business of dispensing dogmatic answers about anything” (ibid., p. 24). This is simply not the same church, founded by Jesus Christ, that you read about in the pages of the New Testament! Compromising and watering down Scripture does not work. Churches die, spiritually, when they try to do that. This, too, is living proof that God’s way works—the way that seems right to the human mind does not (Proverbs 14:12). This is what the real God clearly states in His word.

Conclusion:

A Coming Judgment

Modern professing Christianity offers to the world a benign God who is nice, loving, forgiving and endlessly patient. He just lets people do pretty much what they want, and is happy if they pray once in a while and attend church a couple of times a year. However, this false idea of God—which is the product of the human imagination—is not relevant to the lives of most people today, as we have seen in this booklet.

The real God of the Bible, however, stands in striking contrast to mankind’s imaginings! The God that emerges from Scripture is a powerful creator, an intelligent designer, a life-giver and law-giver who intervenes in the course of history yet still answers the prayers of individuals. He has clearly outlined in His word two contrasting ways of life. Although loving and merciful, He is a God of justice and judgement who rewards us according to our works. He gives us the opportunity to make choices, and He lets us reap what we sow. This is why the God of the Bible commands His true servants to “cry aloud and show My people their sins” (Isaiah 58:1) and not just preach “smooth things” that deceive people (Isaiah 30:9–10). God wants human beings to understand what life is all about, so they will learn to make the right choices that bring the lasting rewards they desire—and that are His alone to give. The real God also forgives us when we repent—when we come to understand our mistakes (when we break His laws and sin—see 1 John 3:4). God is pleased when we begin to change our lives, and live as He has instructed.

The Bible reveals that God is working out a plan and purpose on this earth. The realGod is going to send Jesus Christ back to this earth to establish the soon coming Kingdom of God. This is literally the heart and core of the true gospel message. This is what Jesus taught and His disciples proclaimed (Mark 1:14–15; Luke 9:1–2; Acts 8:12; 28:23, 31). This same message will also be proclaimed to the world by God’s true Church just before the end of this age (Matthew 24:14).

At His return, Jesus Christ will literally change the course of human history in a very dramatic fashion. He will judge this earth in righteousness—according to His divine law (Psalm 96:13; Revelation 19:11). He is going to put an end to human suffering and human misrule. The Apostle John writes of this time when God takes His great power and reigns—rewarding His servants and destroying those who destroy [pollute and corrupt] the earth (Revelation 11:15–19). God will make a distinction between those who choose to do things His way and those intent on doing their own thing (Matthew 25:31–46), between those who know what the Bible plainly teaches and those who have been deceived by the false ideas of misguided teachers. That time of judgement appears to be just ahead of us.

Jesus Christ is going to reorient human societies toward real peace, justice and truth (Isaiah 9:6–7; Revelation 11:15–18) with the aid of His saints (Daniel 7:27). The prophet Micah relates: “He shall judge between many nations afar off; and rebuke strong nations; nations shall not lift up swords against nation, neither shall they learn war any more” (Micah 4:3). This all-powerful God reveals through the prophet Ezekiel: “I will make My holy name known in the midst of My people Israel, and I will not let them profane My name anymore. Then the nations shall know that I am the Lord, the Holy One in Israel. Surely it is coming, and it shall be done, says the Lord” (Ezekiel 39:7–8). The deception, doubt and skepticism about God that so permeate our society will be removed forever.

The real God of the Bible commanded His chosen people not to worship any other god or gods (Exodus 20:1–7). He warned His chosen people about the consequences of following other gods (Deuteronomy 8:11–20). The Apostle Paul told the church at Rome they would incite the wrath of God if they began creating ideas of God according to their own imagination (Romans 1:18–23). He warned the church in Corinth of the same thing (2 Corinthians 11:1–4). Yet all this has happened in our time today. Misguided theologians have chosen “to abandon so-called natural proofs for the existence of the Creator and emphasized personal faith and the presence of God in the human conscience” (Reeves, pp. 95–96). The unfortunate result of this modern, liberal approach is that many have been deceived about the real God.

As the end of this age approaches, do not let yourself be deceived. Jesus clearly warned about this possibility on several occasions (Matthew 7:15–20; 24:4–5, 11, 24). The Apostle Paul urged members of the early New Testament church to “prove all things; hold fast what is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21). You can prove that God exists; you do not need to just blindly “take it on faith.” You can have a real faith, based on real evidence, and a real relationship with your Creator! The God of the universe—the God who inspired the Bible—is real. The Creator, Designer and Sustainer of the cosmos is alive. He is going to bring to pass what He has prophesied in His word. Jesus Christ is going to return to this earth to establish the kingdom of God that will rule over all nations. This is what the gospel of the true God is all about. You can be part of this exciting future if you get to know the real God.

Booklet Category

Doctrine

God

Doctrine

Where Is God’s True Church Today?

Where Are God’s People?

Where Is God?

A “Comfortable” Church?

Do You “Need” to Attend Church?

The Church Jesus Built

Identifying “Signs”

1. The FEAR of God

The Foundation of TRUTH

Complete Surrender to Jesus Christ

2. The True Church Has God’s NAME

The Correct “Name” Is Listed Twelve Times

3. Growth in Grace and Knowledge

Who Really UNDERSTANDS?

4. The “SIGN” of God’s People

5. God’s Church Does the Real WORK of God

God’s Church Has All FIVE Identifying “SIGNS”

Different “Branches” of God’s Church

You Need to ACT!

Twelve Keys to Answered Prayer

Key #1—Pray Sincerely to the True God

Key #2—Study the Bible

Key #3—Deeply Repent of Your Sins

Key #4—Forgive Others

Key #5—God Often Hears the Unconverted

Key #6—Seek God’s Will

Key #7—Have Faith in God

Key #8—Be Persistent

Key #9—Pray Fervently

Key #10—Ask God to Fashion and Mold You

Key #11—Give Praise and Thanks to Almighty God

Key #12—Pray in the Name of Jesus Christ

Which Day Is The Christian Sabbath?

Which Day Is the Biblical Sabbath?

Sunday in the New Testament

The Test Commandment

Who Gave the Ten Commandments?

A Sign Between God and His People

Example of Jesus Christ

Christ and Disciples-Sabbath-Breakers?

Was Jesus Resurrected on Sunday?

Practice of the Original Apostles

Later Apostolic Teaching

THE FAITH OF OUR FATHERS

The Diabolical Transfer

Esteeming One Day Above Another?

The Right to Change the Day?

Saturday vs. Sunday

Statements from Other Churches

How to KEEP the Sabbath

True Christians OBEY The Fourth Commandment

Is Christmas Christian?

PREFACE THE REASON FOR THE SEASON?

CHAPTER 1 WHY DECEMBER 25?

CHAPTER 2 WHEN WAS JESUS BORN?

CHAPTER 3 DREAMING OF A COMMERCIAL CHRISTMAS?

CREDIT CARD DEBT—”THE GHOST OF CHRISTMAS PAST”

CHAPTER 4 SANTA CLAUS OR “HO, HO, HOAX”?

NO, VIRGINIA…

OLD MYTHS

NEW SANTA

CHAPTER 5 EVERGREENS AND OTHER CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS

WHY GIFT-GIVING?

WHY DO WE CALL IT “CHRISTMAS?”

CHAPTER 6 CAN CHRISTMAS “SANCTIFY THE PAGAN”?

WHO ADOPTED WHOM?

SANCTIFIED BY TRUTH!

CHAPTER 7 GOD OFFERS A BETTER WAY

WHAT MEMORIAL DID CHRIST COMMAND?

CHAPTER 8 MANY ARE OPTING OUT OF CHRISTMAS

The Filtering Power of Shellfish!

Easter: The Untold Story

THE NEGLECTED TRUTH

CHAPTER 1 WHAT’S IN A NAME?

What History Reveals

Easter and the Egg

CHAPTER 2 THE QUEEN OF HEAVEN

A Heavy Price to Pay

Cakes for the Queen

PREFACE
THE REASON FOR THE SEASON?

CHAPTER 1
WHY DECEMBER 25?

CHAPTER 2
WHEN WAS JESUS BORN?

CHAPTER 3
DREAMING OF A COMMERCIAL CHRISTMAS?

CHAPTER 4
SANTA CLAUS OR “HO, HO, HOAX”?

CHAPTER 5
EVERGREENS AND OTHER CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS

CHAPTER 6
CAN CHRISTMAS “SANCTIFY THE PAGAN”?

CHAPTER 7
GOD OFFERS A BETTER WAY

CHAPTER 8
MANY ARE OPTING OUT OF CHRISTMAS

CHAPTER 1
WHAT’S IN A NAME?

CHAPTER 2
THE QUEEN OF HEAVEN

CHAPTER 3
WORSHIPING CHRIST IN VAIN

CHAPTER 4
THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS

CHAPTER 5
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF PASSOVER?

CHAPTER 6
“FOR THAT SABBATH WAS A HIGH DAY”

CHAPTER 7
WHAT HAPPENED ON SUNDAY?