Unakaribia karibu na vitu ambavyo mtu ameifanya, machafuko zaidi, usawa, na ukamilifu unaoona. Kwa mfano, hata kipindi cha mwisho wa sentensi hii, ikiwa kuonekana chini ya microscope yenye nguvu,ingeonyesha kama mfululizo wa dots ndogo, baadhi wazi zaidi kuliko wengine; kivuli cha kawaida, cha kawaida cha splotches kwenye nyuzi mbaya ni karatasi iliyochapishwa. Lakini karibu unatazama kile Mungu anacho kufanyika katika asili, uzuri zaidi, zaidi ya usawa, ukamilifu zaidi.

Kuangalia petal ya maua, au mrengo wa ndege, au hata Masi muundo wa quartz chini ya darubini hiyo hiyo, na utaona ulinganifu, maelewano, uzuri, shirika lenye maana! Wajumbe wa kwanza wa kujitegemea alikuwa Shetani Ibilisi.

Sio kwamba Shetani alikuwa “kinyume” na shirika – pamoja naye ilikuwa tu suala la “Ambaye”? Vile vile ni sawa na wale wanaojishughulisha na “dini iliyoandaliwa” leo – kama kwamba wote Shughuli za kidini zinapaswa kuwa na muundo wowote; kujitegemea, kutengwa, anarchistic. Shetani alikataa nguvu za Mungu. Alikuwa na wivu wa Mungu kwa wivu. Alikasirika Sheria za Mungu, Serikali yake, sheria na kanuni zake. Baada ya vipindi vingi vya wakati, Shetani alikuwa amesababisha malaika wake kwa roho yake ya uovu, ya uasi. Hatimaye, Lucifer akamwambia kwamba wakati ulikuwa tayari kwa ajili ya kuchukua! Kristo alisema, “Nilimwona Shetani kama umeme umeme kutoka mbinguni” (Luka 10:17).

Kwa mfano, katika maono, Yohana aliona kitu kimoja: “Na kulikuwa na vita mbinguni: Michael na malaika wake wakapigana dhidi ya joka; na joka akapigana na wake malaika, “Na hakushinda; wala nafasi yao haikuonekana tena mbinguni.

“Na joka kubwa ikatupwa nje, nyoka wa zamani, aitwaye Ibilisi, na Shetani, ambayo hudanganya ulimwengu wote; akatupwa duniani, na malaika wake walitupwa nje naye “(Ufunuo 12: 7-9). Matokeo ya “nyota vita” kubwa zaBilioni za miaka iliyopita zimeonekana kwa urahisi leo. Wote kuhusu sisi, hadi sasa tunaweza kuonana teknolojia ya kisasa kama vile darubini ya Hubble, tunaona uharibifu.

Mkubwa, mawingu yenye sumu huwa katika dhoruba kali juu ya watu wanaotetewa “Jupiter.” Mabilioni ya miamba ya misshapen huumiza kwa njia zote kama meteors na asteroids. Uso wa mwamba, usio na mwamba wa Mars na mwezi wetu wenyewe unathibitishaathari nyingi za meteors kubwa. Wakati Mungu aliamua wakati ulikuja kuumba mtu, na kuanza mpango wake wa kujitengeneza Mwenyewe kwa njia ya aina ya binadamu, Alikuja ili kuona “tupu,tupu, taka, chaotic “dunia, iliyofunikwa na kutawanywa, bahari ya Stygiji, ambapo simwanga wa mwanga mmoja umeonyesha kwa pengine mamilioni au mabilioni ya miaka. Hii ndiyonguvu ya maneno ya Kiebrania “tohu na bohu”, kutafsiriwa “bila fomu, na tupu”au tupu.

Yote ilikuwa uchanganyiko. Kazi ya Shetani daima huelekea kuchanganyikiwa; machafuko;machafuko. Lakini “… Mungu sio mwandishi wa machafuko, bali ya amani, kama ilivyo kwa wotemakanisa ya watakatifu “(1 Wakorintho 14:33).

Mungu alianza RE-kuunda dunia, na alipomaliza, yote yalikuwa ya ajabu nzuri. Mtu aliumbwa; basi Hawa – wawili wanaojengwa kikamilifu na wenye umbo wanadamu, waliofanywa kwa mfano wa Mungu. Waliwekwa katikati ya wengi mahali pazuri bustani katika historia yote; mito na vivuli, mito na mito;

Vichaka vingi, miti ya kila aina; inayojaa maisha. Usifikiri Edeniilikuwa kama ekari chache za bustani iliyopandwa kwenye jarida la nyuma la baadhi ya kifaharimali. Hapana, huenda ikawa maili elfu kadhaa ya mraba -eneo la kupumua la uzuri wa ajabu.

Lakini Shetani alikuja pale, na kumdanganya Hawa. Mumewe akamfuatakatika mashaka yake ya Mungu, na wawili wao walivunja sheria za Mungu kwa kutamani baada yamatunda yaliyozuiliwa, kisha kuiba, na kwa kufanya hivyo kutotii mzazi wao pekee. NaKwa hivyo, walivunja Amri Kumi. Mara moja, laana kubwaakawajia, na juu ya asili yote. “Bwana Mungu akamwambia yule mwanamke,Nini hii uliyoyatenda? Mwanamke akasema, nyoka [Kiebrania:”Nachash,” maana yake “mtangazaji wa whispering”] alinidanganya, nami nikakula.

“Bwana Mungu akamwambia yule nyoka, kwa kuwa umefanya jambo hili, wewe ndiwe alilaaniwa juu ya wanyama wote, na juu ya kila mnyama wa shambani; juu ya
tumbo lako Uende, nawe utakula vumbi siku zote za uzima wako;Nami nitaweka chuki kati yako na mwanamke, na kati ya uzao wako nambegu yake; itauvunja kichwa chako, nawe utauvunja kisigino kisitulivu,au aina, ya ahadi ya “uzao” wa mwanamke, ambaye alikuwa Kristo, na Shetanisehemu katika kifo chake].

“Kwa huyo mwanamke alisema, nitazidisha sana huzuni yako na mimba yako; in huzuni utazaa watoto [Hawa alimwona mzaliwa wake wa kwanza akiua mwenyewe ndugu]; na tamaa yako itakuwa kwa mume wako, naye atakuwala.

“Naye akamwambia Adamu, Kwa sababu umesikiliza sauti ya mke wako,nawe umekula mti, niliokuamuru, ukawaambia, UsileHalafu ni ardhi kwa ajili yako; utakula kwa huzuni siku zoteya maisha yako;”Tutaleta miiba na maua; nawe utakula mimea yashamba;”Kwa jasho la uso wako utakula mkate, mpaka utakaporudi chini; kwaumechukuliwa kutoka kwao; kwa maana wewe ni udongo, na utarudi kwa udongo “(Mwanzo 3: 13-19).

Adamu na Hawa walifukuzwa kutoka bustani, kuishi maisha kama ilivyoelezwa hapo juu; kuwepo kwa bidii kwa jasho la brows zao, kutafuta kwamba asili yenyewe
walionekana kuwa wamegeuka dhidi yao. Hiyo ndiyo matokeo ya waasi mkuu wa kwanza;wa kwanza “huru” aliyejitenga dhidi ya Mungu.Neno “pandemonium” linafafanua vizuri maana ya maana gani: “yotemapepo, “au” mapepo kuachana kila mahali. “Ambapo hakuna amri; wapihakuna mfumo, hakuna sheria na kanuni, hakuna sheria, kuna machafuko -pandemonium.

Makanisa Yaliyogawanywa – Kondoo Waliogawanyika

Leo, maelfu ya watu wa Mungu wamegawanyika na kuchanganyikiwa. Wanastahili maelezo ya kondoo wa Mungu ambao wanatembea bila mchungaji: “Na neno la
Bwana akanijia, akasema, “Mwanadamu, unabii juu ya wachungaji wa Israeli, unabii, uambie nao, Bwana MUNGU asema hivi kwa wachungaji; Ole wao wachungaji wa Israeli wanaofanya wenyewe! Je! wachungaji hawapaswi kulisha makundi?

Ninyi mnala mafuta, na ninyi mnavaa na sufu, mnawaua wale wanaofanywa; lakini ninyi usifanye kundi.

“Wala hamkuimarisha wala hamkuponya yaliyomo wagonjwa, wala hamjifunga kile kilichovunjika, wala hamkuleta tena kile kilichofukuzwa, wala hamtautafuta kilichopotea; lakini kwa nguvu na kwa ukatili umewawala.

“Wakawanyika, kwa sababu hakuna mchungaji; nao wakawa nyama kwa wanyama wote wa shamba, walipopotea.

Kondoo zangu zilizunguka katika milima yote, na juu ya kila kilima cha juu: ndiyo, yangu kundi lilitangazwa juu ya uso wote wa dunia, na hakuna aliyefanya kutafuta
au kutafuta baada yao “(Ezekieli 34: 1-8).

Hofu na “wachungaji” wenye ukatili, au wamevunja moyo na udhaifu wa wanadamu wao viongozi, wengi hujumuisha pamoja katika makundi madogo.

Wafanyabiashara, kuona vikundi vilivyogawanyika, nia ya kuwakusanya pamoja. Wengine, wanatarajia kukata rufaa kwa kufadhaika na hofu zao, tarumbeta sauti ya “uhuru.” Wanashambulia kwa bidii “shirika” wote. Ghafla, shirika; sheria, utaratibu, kanuni, kanuni, ni za shetani, na si za Mungu. Sasa, wanasema kwamba Mungu ni Mwandishi, sio sheria na kanuni, lakini ya uhuru!

Si kwamba wao, wahubiri wa uhuru wanataka wafuasi wao kuwa “Kujitegemea” ya yao, viongozi – oh, hapana, bila shaka! Hapana, wanataka kuvutia zifuatazo.
Na wakati zifuatazo huanza kukutana na vile mtu, je, kutakuwa na ukosefu kamili wa sheria na kanuni zote?

Je! Watakutana pamoja? Lakini jinsi gani, kama kila mmoja wao ana wazo tofauti kuhusu kama kukutana mahali pa kwanza, siku gani, kwa wakati gani, na wapi? Na kama wao kutatua mipango yote hii muhimu, ambayo inahitaji shirika fulani, nani atasema? Wote? Wote mara moja? Ni nani anayeamua? Wanawake wanaweza kuhubiri?

Wanaweza? Au inapaswa kuwepo na utawala fulani, kulingana na Biblia, ambayo inakataza mambo kama hayo? Je! Wale wanaohudhuria wataketi, au kuzunguka na vikombe vya kahawa au bia (na kama hakuna utawala dhidi yake, ni nani atakayesema?) wakati wangependa kiongozi anajaribu kuwavutia?

Nani anapaswa kuwa na malipo? Je, wanapaswa kuingiza? Ikiwa ndivyo, ni lazima nani awe juu bodi? Ni nani atakayeandaa katiba na sheria?

Kuna wale ambao wanashambulia kwa nguvu mashirika. Wanasema kinyonge cha “Dini iliyoandaliwa.” Lakini Je! Yesu Kristo hakusema kwamba angejenga kanisa lake? Je! si Paulo anasema jinsi ya kupangwa?

Dunia Ya Kisasa Ya “Kikabila”

Kuna mamia ya makanisa ya kuchagua; kadhaa ya dini ndogo mashirika. Lazima wewe ni wa mmoja wao ili kuokolewa? Kulingana na baadhi ya viongozi wa mashirika haya, ikiwa sio wanachama wa “kanisa” lao, huwezi kuruhusiwa katika ufalme wa Mungu. Wengine hufanya madai ya ajabu kwamba wao, maana yao wenyewe kisheria na kisiasa shirika ni “kanisa la kweli” pekee. Wanahubiri kwamba isipokuwa wewe ni wa yao; kwa kundi lao, huwezi kuwa katika ufalme wa Mungu.

Katika miaka ya hivi karibuni, wachungaji wengine wamelalamika juu ya programu za kidini televisheni, akisema watu wengi pia wanaishi nyumbani wakiangalia televisheni wahubiri, na kuamini kwamba ndiyo dini yote wanayohitaji. Wanasema ni muhimu kuhudhuria kanisa ili kuokolewa. Je, hii ni kweli? Lakini, ikiwa unaamua “kujiunga na kanisa la uchaguzi wako, “unafanyaje uchaguzi huo? Kanisa lini ni haki Mona?

Kitabu cha Madhehebu cha Amerika kina orodha zaidi ya mia nne tofauti makanisa. Zaidi ya zaidi ya miongo miwili wakati Kanisa la Ulimwenguni Pote ya Mungu kuvunja katika makanisa mengi tofauti, inadaiwa kuwa zaidi ya mbili makundi mia tofauti tofauti hatimaye imeundwa. Kuna mengi ya kuchagua kutoka, hata miongoni mwa watunza Sabato.

Hata hivyo, kama unafikiri juu ya kundi ndogo la ushirika la tano au sita tu watu binafsi, au makanisa makubwa ya watu elfu kadhaa, kuna lazima iwe na baadhi aina ya shirika. Wale wanaohubiri dhidi ya shirika lolote ni wenyewe na hamu ya kuwa mkuu wa shirika jipya!

Unapofikiri juu yake, kanisa lolote; shirika lolote la kidini linalotakakuhubiri injili kwa ulimwengu, au ambayo hutafuta mchungaji mdogokutaniko la watu lazima, kwa kiasi fulani, kupangwa.

Je, kikundi hicho kinawezaje au kulipa jengo au ukumbi? Wanawezajekudumisha orodha ya uanachama rahisi? Wanawezaje kupoteza gharama zao kwavitu kama vile huduma, au vifaa vya usambazaji kwa wanachama wao, kama vile watotovitabu, vitabu vya nyimbo, au matangazo rahisi ya kila wiki yaliyochapishwa Wanawezajekudumisha akaunti ya benki, bila kujali jinsi ndogo, ili waweze kulipa wafanyakazi wao au mchungaji wao? Wangewezaje kushika jengo lao, au maji na kuandaa majanibila shahada fulani ya shirika? Nani atafanya hata rahisi zaidimaamuzi?

Je! Mungu ndiye Mwandishi wa vita; ya kila mtu kufanya chochote yeyehuchagua, bila kujali manufaa ya kawaida?

Hapana, Mungu ndiye Mwandishi wa kinyume kabisa na machafuko. Yeye ndiye Muumba waulimwengu, na ugumu wa ajabu wa mazingira yetu, ambayo ni ya
utaratibu, iliyopangwa, iliyopangwa kwa usahihi. Sio madhehebu kubwa wala mashirika madogo ya kidini yanawezakutekeleza madhumuni yao ya msingi bila kiwango fulani cha shirika. Ya mmojakitu, ikiwa ni kifedha kwa zaka za hiari na sadaka, na, kwa faida ya wafadhili wao, unataka kuwa na hali ya kisheria ya shirika la kidini lisilo la faida au kanisa, wanatakiwa kuweka kumbukumbu na taarifa kwa IRS. Kwa mwingine, kama wanataka kutangaza ujumbe wao juu ya redio au televisheni, na kutuma njematandiko au kanda, wanaweza kutaka orodha ya barua pepe. Jinsi ganiJe, watawajibu watu ambao wanajaribu kufikia? Je, ni vibaya? kuhubiri juu ya vyombo vya habari vya elektroniki; kuchapisha na kuchapisha injili; kutuma njefasihi au kanda; kujibu watu ambao wana njaa kwa kweli ya Mungu? Kwa wazi, kwa kuwa sio sahihi kufanya hivyo, inawezaje kufanywa bila kupangwajuhudi ? Inawezekana kufanywa na mtu mmoja tu, asiye na wafanyakazi; hakuna msaada wa aina yoyote?

Ni jambo moja kwa shirika ndogo ili kujitangaza yenyewe bila ya wengine makanisa. Ni mwingine kwa kampuni ndogo ya kudai sio “iliyoandaliwa”.

Kwa Nini Kristo Alijenga Kanisa Lake?

Kwa nini Yesu Kristo akasema, “Nitajenga kanisa langu …?” Kanisa linatakiwa kufanya? Je, ilikuwa kupangwa; imetengenezwa, au ilikuwa ni kikundi kilichohusishwa bila kujitegemeamakundi madogo ya kujitegemea au watu binafsi ambao waliepukwa kwa ujaribu jitihada yoyoteshirika?

Kila mwanafunzi mkubwa wa Biblia anajua Yesu Kristo aliwaagiza wanafunzi Wake kuhubiri Injili. Kila mwanafunzi wa Biblia pia anajua kwamba Kristo alimwamuru Yake wanafunzi kuwatunza wale ambao wataitii Injili; wale ambao watatubu,kuomba ubatizo, na kupokea Roho Mtakatifu wa Mungu. Yesu Kristo aliwaita, aliwafundisha na kuwaagiza wanafunzi Wake. Kisha akapanga wao katika mwili mdogo, kumi na wawili wa waumini; kiongozi wa mitume.

Kumi na mbili ni idadi ya Kibiblia kwa shirika, pamoja na idadiikimaanisha mwanzo ulioandaliwa! Ni namba kamili ya serikali, wakati uliotumiwana wakati tena na Mungu kuonyesha jinsi serikali yake ya utawala wa ulimwengu itawekwaup.

Mungu bima hapo kulikuwa na kabila kumi na mbili katika Israeli ya kale, iliyoandaliwa taifa na Mungu Mwenyewe. Kristo angeweza kuwaita na kufundisha kumi na moja tu wanafunzi, au kumi na tatu, au kumi na tisa. Lakini hakufanya hivyo. Aliwaita na kufundishahasa kumi na mbili. Aliwaahidi wanafunzi wake wangeketi juu ya viti kumi na viwili ndaniUfalme wake, uongozi wa kabila kumi na mbili za Israeli.

Kabla ya Kristo alipanda kwenda mbinguni mbele ya wanafunzi wake waliotetemeka, Yeyealiwaagiza wakisubiri Yerusalemu hadi walipokuwa wamejaa “nguvu” kutoka
juu. Alituma Roho Mtakatifu siku ya Pentekoste ili kuijenga Wakekanisa. Lakini kabla ya Pentekoste hiyo, Kristo alimfufua Petro kusimama katikakatikati ya wanafunzi na kuwaambia kwamba Roho Mtakatifu amefunulia katikamaandiko ambayo Yesu Kristo alitaka idadi fulani ya uhakika kuunda sura ya msingi ya uongozi katika kanisa lake: “Na siku hizo Petro alisimamakatikati ya wanafunzi, akasema, (idadi ya majina yalikuwa pamojamia ishirini [mara mara kumi na mbili]],”Ndugu na ndugu, maandiko haya lazima yatimizwe, ambayo MtakatifuRoho kwa kinywa cha Daudi alimwambia kabla ya Yuda, aliyeongozawale waliomchukua Yesu.

“Kwa kuwa alikuwa amehesabiwa [kuhesabiwa] na sisi, na alikuwa na sehemu ya huduma hii.

“Sasa mtu huyu alinunua shamba kwa malipo ya uovu; na kuanguka kichwa,Alipasuka katikati [akajifungia mwenyewe, na mwili ukawa sanailivunjika wakati kamba ikichoma, ikiruhusu kuanguka], na matumbo yake yote yakatupa nje.

“Na ikajulikana kwa wakazi wote huko Yerusalemu; kama uwanja huo nihuitwa kwa lugha yao sahihi, ‘Aceldema,’ yaani, ‘shamba la damu.'”Kwa maana imeandikwa katika kitabu cha Zaburi, ‘Nyumba yake iwe ukiwa, wala usiacheMtu anaa ndani yake; na bishop wake basi mwingine atoe.

“Kwa sababu ya watu hawa ambao wameungana nasi wakati wote Bwana wetu Yesu aliingia na nje kati yetu,”Kuanzia ubatizo wa Yohana, hata siku ile ile ambayo alichukuliwa juukutoka kwetu, lazima mmoja awekewa [moja, si mbili, au tatu, au kumi na nne zaidi kutokamia moja na ishirini na moja tu, hivyo mara moja tena kuwa na asili ya kumi na mbilimitume] kuwa shahidi na sisi wa ufufuo wake.

“Nao wakamchagua wawili, Yosefu aitwaye Barsaba, aliyeitwa Yusto, naMatthias “(Matendo 1: 15-23). Walitaka kuchagua moja tu. Hata hivyo, katika waomajadiliano, wakati wa kuzingatia sifa za wanaume wawili waliotajwa hapo juu,walikuwa sawa; hivyo sawa katika sifa zao, kwamba wanafunzi hawakuwezahatimaye kuamua wenyewe. Walitaka kuingilia kati kwa Mungu.

Angalia nini kilichotokea: “Na wakasali, wakasema: Wewe, Bwana, mnayejua mioyo ya wanadamu, onyesha ikiwa ni wawili kati ya hao waliochagua,”‘Ili aweze kushiriki katika huduma hii na utume, ambako Yuda alikuwaUhalifu ulianguka, ili aende mahali pake.

“Nao wakatoa kura zao; na kura ikaanguka juu ya Matthias; na alikuwawaliohesabiwa na mitume kumi na mmoja “(Matendo 1: 23-26). Kristo alikuwa amedhamiria kwamba kanisa lake litaanza kwa ukamilifu wa Mungu namba ya shirika; idadi ya “mwanzo mpya,” ambayo ni kumi na mbili.

Wanafunzi walikuwa wameagizwa kusubiri Yerusalemu mpaka walipokwishwa kwa nguvu za Mungu. Angalia tena kilichotokea: “Na wakati wa Pentekoste ilikuwa kamili, walikuwa wote kwa umoja katika sehemu moja.”Na ghafla akaja sauti kutoka mbinguni kama ya upepo mkali wa nguvu, nailijaza nyumba yote ambapo walikuwa wameketi.

“Na ikawaonekana kwao lugha zenye kama zile za moto [kuenea ‘lugha’ya moto, sawasawa kati yao], na ikawa juu ya kila mmoja wao.”Wote wakajazwa na Roho Mtakatifu, wakaanza kuzungumza na wenginelugha [lugha], kama Roho alivyowapa kauli “(Matendo 2: 1-4).

Kila mmoja, kwa upande wake mwenyewe, alianza kuzungumza na umati wa watu waliotetemeka. Hawakuwa wotekuanza kuzama mara moja. Kulikuwa na utaratibu hapa, sio mchanganyiko. Mungu anasema, “Kwa Mungusi Mwandishi wa machafuko [machafuko, machafuko], bali ya amani, kama katika makanisa yote yawatakatifu “(1 Wakorintho 14:33).

Pia, angalia kwamba zawadi za kiroho za manabii na mitume wa Mungu zinatii wao. “Na roho za manabii [zawadi za kiroho] zinatii manabii”(1 Wakorintho 14:32). Paulo aliwaagiza Wakorintho, ambao baadhi yao walikuwa na zawadiya kuzungumza na lugha zingine, ili kudhibiti zawadi hiyo kwa fadhili. Paulo aliweka sheria na kanuni kwa makanisa yaliyo chini ya huduma Yake. Alisema, “Kama mtu yeyote anaongea katika haijulikani [neno ni isalicized, inaonyesha kuwa imekuwa
hutolewa na watafsiri. Haiyo katika maandiko, tangu lughakuongea hakuwa “haijulikani”, lakini kueleweka kwa wazi na wale waliozaliwaLugha ilikuwa lugha), iwe na mbili, au zaidi na tatu, na kwakozi; na waache kutafsiri.

“Lakini ikiwa hakuna mkalimani, aache kimya kanisani; na basikujiambia mwenyewe, na kwa Mungu [anaweza kudhibiti zawadi kwa sababu na busara-haikuwa na uwezo wa kumdhibiti, kama kwa kupendeza kwa hisia kali!].”Wacha manabii waseme wawili au watatu, na waache mwingine ahukumu. “Ikiwa kitu chochote kinafunuliwa kwa mtu mwingine anayeketi, basi wa kwanza awe na amani.

“Kwa maana ninyi nyote mweza kuhubiri moja kwa moja [mmoja akizungumza wakati mmoja, ili wote wapate kujifunza,na wote wanaweza kufarijiwa “(1 Wakorintho 14: 27-31).

Kwa wazi, Paulo alikuwa akiweka maelekezo ya utaratibu kwa mwenendo wa amani huduma za ibada. Ili kuepuka machafuko; ili kuepuka kuruhusu kushindwa wageni wanafikiri wote walikuwa “wazimu” (soma sura nzima ya 14), Paulo alifanya hayakanuni.Kufuatia matukio ya ajabu katika Pentekoste, ambayo ilikuwa “siku ya kuzaliwa” yaKanisa Kristo alisema Yeye angejenga, maelfu walibatizwa na kuongezwa kwakanisa. Hii inahitajika shirika! Wakati watu wengi waliamua kubakiYerusalemu, kuuza mali ili kupoteza gharama zao, mitume aliamua kusambaza fedha kwa utaratibu ulioandaliwa, kwa utaratibu: “Na kwa uzuri nguvu aliwapa mitume ushahidi wa ufufuo wa Bwana Yesu: na kubwaneema ilikuwa juu yao yote.

“Hakuna hata mmoja kati yao aliyepoteza: kwa kuwa wengi walikuwa na mali ya ardhi au nyumba kuuuza, na kuleta bei ya vitu vilivyouzwa,na kuziweka katika miguu ya mtume: na usambazaji [mchakato wa utaratibu wautoaji wa kodi kulingana na kila mahitaji maalum) ilifanywa kwa kila mtu kwa vile alivyohitaji.

“Na Yoshua, ambaye kwa mitume aliitwa jina lake Barnabasi, (yaani, kuwaMwana wa faraja, Mlewi, na nchi ya Kupro,”Alikuwa na ardhi, akauuza, akaleta fedha, akaiweka kwa miguu ya mitume”(Matendo 4: 33-37).

Mtu alipaswa kuwajibika kwa kiasi hiki cha fedha. Uaminifu,uadilifu na haki zilihusika. Ili kuhakikisha kila familia imepata msaada “Kulingana na mahitaji yake,” kulikuwa na mtu aliyehusika; mtu mwenye kuwajibika kwa ujumla, nani anaweza kuamua jinsi wengine watafanya usambazaji wa haki. Kazi ya wajibu ilifanyika na mitume. Kama kanisa la kwanza lilikutana na kukua kwa ghafla na msukumo (Matendo 2:41,47; 5:14), kulikuwa na haja ya shirika zaidi. Somo la Matendo 6, ambako
tunajifunza jinsi gani wajane wengi walikuwa wamepuuzwa katika kuponda kwa shauku ya makundi. Yamitume waliuliza kwamba wengine wachagua wanaume saba “… ya ripoti ya uaminifu, kamili yaRoho Mtakatifu na hekima, ambaye tunaweza kumteua biashara hii “(Matendo 6: 3).

Hawa saba walichaguliwa kutoka kundi la watu mia na ishirini ambao walikuwa wamekuwapamoja na Yesu tangu ubatizo wake na Yohana, baadhi yao bila shaka walikuwa Yohanawanafunzi hapo awali. Kwa wazi, kulikuwa na majadiliano. Mapendekezo yalifanywa. Majina ya wanaume walikuwa tangaza. Mitume kumi na moja walipokea mapendekezo na kuangamiza pamoja,kujadili sifa, tabia na uwezo wa kila mmoja.

Hapa ilikuwa ili. Hapa kuliheshimiana. Hapa kulikuwa serikali katika Mungukanisa kwa vitendo, ili kuzuia kutopuuziwa kutokuwepo kwa wanawake wajane; kwakuzuia machafuko na machafuko.

Hivyo,”diakonate” (madikoni; maana “watumishi”)alichaguliwa, ambaye kazi yake ilikuwa ya kutunza huduma za kimwili zinazohitajikamikutano mikubwa sana (Matendo 6: 2).

Miaka michache baadaye, mzozo mkubwa uliondoka katika kanisa juu ya suala la kutahiriwa. Baadhi ya Wayahudi walioongoka (?), Wengi wao walikuwa Mafarisayo,
alianza kusisitiza kwamba watu wa mataifa mengine waliokuwa wakiongozwa lazima wawekutahiriwa.

Hivyo shauku na wasiwasi walikuwa wale wa kutahiriwa kuwa ikawamahitaji ya kwenda kwenye makao makuu ya kanisa la Mungu ili kukabiliana na jambo hilo.

Hapa kulikuwa na upinzani! Hapa kulikuwa na machafuko! Mitume walitambua kuwa ubaguzi wa rangi ulikuwahusika; kwamba mjadala wa “Myahudi-Mataifa” uliwashwa hadi watuchuki zilihusishwa. Walijua jambo kama hilo linaweza kugawanya kanisa!

“Wakati huo Paulo na Barnabus hawakuwa na ugomvi mdogo na mashindano na wao, waliamua kuwa Paulo na Barnabus, na wengine wao [waleakiwakilisha hatua tofauti ya mtazamo], anapaswa kwenda Yerusalemu hadimitume na wazee juu ya swali hili “(Matendo 15: 2). Soma nzima kumi na tano sura ya Matendo kwa ajili ya ufahamu huu wa kihistoria kuhusu jinsi serikali ya Mungu katika kweli Yakekanisa lilifanya kazi katika karne ya kwanza.

Kulikuwa na utaratibu. Kulikuwa na utaratibu wa utaratibu wa matukio ya utaratibu. Ya wapiganaji waliwasilisha kesi yao, na moja kwa moja mitume wakuu walikataa.

Yakobo, ambaye alikuwa waziwazi, alisubiri mpaka Petro amemalizakutafakari, na kisha akainuka kukabiliana na umati.Soma, katika Matendo 15: 13-21. Yakobo alisema, baada ya kurejesha maneno ya Petro, na kuongeza Nukuu zake mwenyewe kutoka kwa manabii wa Agano la Kale, “Kwa hiyo hukumu yangu ni kwamba hatuwatendei, ambao kati ya Mataifa hugeuka kwa Mungu… “(Matendo 15:19).

Changamoto hii kubwa kwa mafundisho na mazoezi ya kanisa yalifanyika kwa utaratibu,mtindo wa utaratibu. Ilihitajika, sio machafuko. Haikufanyika naidadi ya kujitegemea huru, isiyo na muundo, ya shaka, watu wenye hasiraambaye alikataa kuwa na chochote cha kufanya na “dini iliyopangwa!” Mara tu somo zima lilipitiwa na wale wenye mamlaka huko Yerusalemu, na mara moja Yakobo alikuwa “ametoa adhabu yake,” mitume kisha akazunguka kupitia miji na “… aliwapa maamuzi ya kuweka, yaliyowekwa rasmimitume [kumi na wawili wao] na wazee waliokuwa Yerusalemu “(Matendo 16: 4).

Matokeo ya mkutano huu wa Yerusalemuilikuwa nini? Ilikuwa nini matunda yake? Kumbuka, Kristo alisema “mtawajua kwa matunda yao” (Mathayo 7:16). “Na hivyo makanisa yalianzishwa katika imani, na kuongezeka kwa idadikila siku “(Matendo 16: 4).

Matunda yaliyozaliwa na mkutano wa Yerusalemu ilikuwa kutatua watu; ya ufumbuzi wa shida kubwa; kuanzishwa kwa mafundisho ya sauti ambayoilikuwa imefungwa na mitume wa kuongoza na kutoa kama amri. Matokeo yake,kanisa lilikua kila siku!

Yesu Kristo alikuwa akitimiza ahadi Yake, “Tazama, mimi nipo pamoja nawe daima!” Alikuwaakiwahimiza moja kwa moja mitume Wake katika kuandaa kazi aliyowapa kufanya kuhubiri injili ya ufalme wa Mungu kwa ulimwengu, na kulisha kundi ambao walikuja kanisani.

Ufalme Wa Mungu Utafanyika Kikamilifu

Yohana alipokuwa akiona maono Yerusalemu Mpya ukishuka kutoka mbinguni hadi duniani; Yerusalemu “takatifu” ambayo ni mfano wa “mke wa Mwana-Kondoo” (Ufunuo 2:9), Aliandika kuwa mji “… ulikuwa na ukuta mkubwa na wa juu, na ulikuwa na milango kumi na miwili, na saamalaika kumi na wawili, na majina yanayoandikwa, ambayo ni majina ya Bwanamakabila kumi na mawili ya wana wa Israeli;”Katika mashariki malango matatu; kaskazini milango mitatu; upande wa kusini milango mitatu; naupande wa magharibi milango mitatu.

“Na ukuta wa mji ulikuwa na misingi kumi na mbili, na ndani yao majina yamitume kumi na wawili wa Mwana-Kondoo “(Ufunuo 21: 12-14). Na jina lake lilikuwa nambarikumi na mbili? Matthias, si Yuda! Ilikuwa muhimu sana kwa Yesu Kristo na Mungu aBaba kuwa kuna mitume kumi na wawili katika shirika la Kristo la Wake kanisa! Kristo aliahidi kuwa wale mitume kumi na wawili watakaa katika viti vya enzi kumi na mbili;Ufalme kumi na wawili, utawala juu ya kabila kumi na mbili za Israeli wakati wa milenia!

Endelea, “Na yeye aliyeongea nami alikuwa na mwanzi wa dhahabu kupima mji, namalango yake, na ukuta wake. Na jiji limekuwa na uwiano, naurefu ni kubwa kama upana: na akaupima mji na mwanzi, kumi na wawili kilomita elfu moja. Urefu na upana na urefu wake ni sawa “(Ufunuo 21:15,16).Hii ni picha ya makao makuu ya ulimwengu; mji mtakatifu sana wa MunguMwenye nguvu, ambayo Kristo atatawala juu ya dunia nzima kwa elfu mojamiaka, na juu ya milele! Mungu ameamua kuwa na haya yote mengivipimo vya kumi na mbili!Sasa, angalia zaidi: “Na misingi ya ukuta wa jiji ilitengenezwana kila aina ya mawe ya thamani … “(Ufunuo 21:19). Kisha hufuata maelezo ya kinamaelezo ya mawe kumi na mawili ya thamani! Kisha Mungu anaelezea jinsi mlango kila ndanimji; Malango kumi na mawili, hufanywa kwa gorofa moja, na kufanya lulu kumi na mbili kwa wote: “Namilango kumi na miwili ilikuwa lulu kumi na mbili; lango lolote lilikuwa la lulu moja;mitaani ya mji [kuna mitaa kumi na mbili inayoongoza ndani yake kutoka kila mmojamilango kumi na miwili] ilikuwa dhahabu safi, kama kioo cha wazi “(Ufunuo 21: 18-21).

Angalia jinsi Mungu anavyoelezea “mto safi wa maji ya uzima” ambayo uliondoka chini ya kiti chake cha enzi (Ufunuo 22: 1,2). Mto huo ni ilivyoelezwa katika Ezekieli 47, ambayoinaonyesha jinsi Mungu atagawanya ardhi ambayo ina maji na mto mkubwa katika sehemu kumi na mbili, kugawanya sawa kati ya kabila kumi na mbili za Israeli (Ezek.47: 1-13).

Yohana aliona maono mti wa uhai katikati ya jiji: “Katikati yabarabara yake, na upande wowote wa mto, kulikuwa na mti wa uzima, ambayowakazaa matunda kumi na mawili, na kuzaa matunda yake kila mwezi [mara kumi na mbili kwa kilamwaka]; na majani ya mti yalikuwa ya uponyaji wa mataifa” (Ufunuo 22: 1,2).

Hiyo ni picha ya kushangaza, yenye kupumua ya Yerusalemu Mpya, Mji Mtakatifu, ambayo itakuwa makao makuu ya ufalme wa Kristo duniani. Ni vyema kubebana idadi ya kumi na mbili, ambayo inaashiria serikali kamili ya Mungu, namwanzo uliopangwa.

Kristo Ni Kichwa, Na Jiwe Kuu La Jiwe Kanisa

Kristo alimwambia Petro na mitume Yeye angejenga kanisa lake: alisema, “… wewe ni Petro [Kigiriki: “petros,” jiwe, au jiwe], na juu ya ROCK hii [Kigiriki: “petra,” mwamba mkubwa sana, kama monolith, au mlima wa jiwe] nitajenga Yangu kanisa, na milango ya kuzimu haitashinda.

“Na nitakupa funguo za ufalme wa mbinguni: na chochote utamfunga duniani utafungwa mbinguni; na chochote utakacho huru juu ya nchi itakuwa huru katika mbinguni “(Mathayo 16: 18,19).

Hizi ni maneno mazuri na ya kufikia mbali, yaliyotumwa na wanafunzi Wake karibu mbili miaka elfu iliyopita. Kwanza, kama unavyosoma hapo juu, ni muhimu kujua Mathayo Injili iliandikwa kwa lugha ya Kigiriki, na maneno ya Kigiriki yaliyotumiwa maana tofauti kuliko mtu anaweza kudhani, kusoma Kiingereza.

Yesu Kristo hakusema kwamba alikuwa akijenga kanisa lake juu ya Petro, kama Petro angekuwa mkuu wa kanisa, au “mtume mkuu.” Kristo waziwazi alisema Petro ilikuwa “jiwe,” lakini Yesu Kristo alikuwa akianzisha kanisa lake la kweli kwenye ROCK huyo alikuwa Kristo.

Angalia ushahidi wengi wa Biblia: “Nyieni uhuru kwa Mungu wetu. Yeye ndiye Mwamba, Kazi yake ni kamili … basi [Israeli] aliacha MWENYEZI MUNGU aliyemfanya, na kwa upole Umekuwa Mwamba wa wokovu wake … wa Mwamba aliyekuzaa wewe”(Kumbukumbu la Torati 32: 1-18).

Paulo alionyesha jinsi Israeli inavyotembea kupitia maji yaliyogawanyika ya Bahari ya Shamu ubatizo; jinsi Mungu alivyowapa kunywa na chakula kwa miaka arobaini. Metaphorically, alionyesha jinsi “Mwamba” ule ambao uliwafuata ni Yesu Kristo: “Na wote walikula nyama hiyo ya kiroho; na wote walinywa kileo cha kiroho; kwa maana wanywa ya Mwamba ule wa kiroho uliowafuata: na ule Mwamba alikuwa Kristo “(1 Wakorintho 10: 4).

Kristo alikuwa “Mwamba Mkuu wa Mawe,” Mwamba aliyotangulia kanisa Lake, si Petro “Alimfufua kutoka wafu, akamtia [Kristo] kwa mkono Wake wa kuume ndani ya maeneo ya mbinguni,Mbali juu ya utawala wote, na nguvu, na uwezo, na utawala, na kila jinaambayo inaitwa, si tu katika ulimwengu huu, bali pia katika kile kinachokuja.

“Naye ameweka vitu vyote chini ya miguu Yake, akampa awe kichwa juu ya yote vitu kwa kanisa,”Mwili wake ni nani, utimilifu wa Yeye anayejaza wote” (Waefeso 1: 20-23). YesuKristo ndiye Mkuu wa kanisa lake la kweli, sio Petro! Machapisho machache baadaye, Paulo anawaandikia Mataifa, “Sasa basi ninyi hamna tenawageni na wageni, lakini wenzake pamoja na watakatifu, na wa nyumbaniya Mungu;”Na hujengwa juu ya msingi wa mitume na manabii, Yesu Kristo Mwenyewe kuwa Mweke Mkuu wa Mawe; “Katika jengo lote jengo lolote limeandaliwa pamoja hupanda Hekalu takatifu ndani Mungu.

“Ninyi pia mnajengwa pamoja kwa ajili ya makao ya Mungu kwa njia yaRoho” (Waefeso 2: 19-22).Angalia lugha ya neno la Mungu. Kanisa la Mungu ni “limeandaliwa kwa pamoja,”sio ngumu ya kupigwa pamoja kama ikiwa ni tofauti, namna ya kupendeza.

Ikiwa ulibarikiwa kuwa na uwezo wa kujenga nyumba mpya, ungependa wale ambao iliandikwa na kumwaga msingi ili kufuata mipango ya mbunifu? Je! Wewewanataka wafereji, paaa, wafugaji na watunga baraza la mawaziri kwa sura nzuripamoja nyumba yako?

Je, nyumba yako ingekuwa mbaya, ya machafuko, na isiyoweza kukaa ikiwa itakuwa kama kila mfanyakazi alikataakushirikiana na wengine; kama kila mmoja alipiga bodi kwa namna yoyote inayofaayeye; ikiwa nyumba iliishia kuangalia kama ndoto ya milango isiyo ya kawaida namadirisha, kutetemeka, paa salama, na lumpy, barabara iliyopasuka! Kujenga nyumba inachukua mipango. Inachukua wataalamu wa kazi ngumu; wafuasi,finishers, saruji, paa, umeme na magurudumu, kufanya kazi pamoja, kushirikiana kikamilifu, kwa kuzingatia vizuri nyumba mpya!

Je, kanisa la Mungu linahitaji zaidi ushirikiano wa umoja, hivyo ni kujengwa ndani ya “hekalu takatifu kwa Bwana.” Wakati Paulo aliwakumbusha waongofuWatakatifu huko Kolosai kuhusu Uongozi wa Kristo juu ya kanisa Lake, aliwaambia kuwaKristo pia alikuwa Muumba wa vitu vyote, kama vile sura ya kwanza ya Yohana inaelezea: “KwaKwa Yeye vitu vyote viliumbwa vilivyo mbinguni [kwa usawamahali panapangwa sana], na ambavyo ni duniani [mazingira yaliyopangwa], inayoonekana na isiyoonekana, ikiwa ni viti vya enzi, au utawala, au viongozi, aunguvu: vitu vyote viliumbwa na Yeye, na kwa ajili Yake:”Na Yeye yuko kabla ya vitu vyote, na kwa Yeye vitu vyote vinajumuisha.

“Na Yeye ndiye Mkuu wa mwili, kanisa: Ni nani mwanzo, Mwana wa kwanzakutoka kwa wafu; ili katika vitu vyote awe na ustadi “(Wakolosai1: 16-18).

Mara kwa mara, Biblia inaonyesha kwamba Yesu Kristo ndiye Mkuu wa kanisa lake; kwamba yeye kamwe hakugeuka kichwa cha kanisa juu ya Petro, au mtu mwingine yeyote. Aliwaambia wanafunzi wake, “… na tazama, mimi nipo pamoja nanyi daima, mpaka mwisho waulimwengu “(Mathayo 28:20). Kusudi kuu la kitabu chote cha Waebrania ni kuonyeshakwamba Yesu Kristo ni Kuhani Mkuu Aliyeishi, ameketi mkono wa kuume wa Baba ndanimbinguni, kufanya maombezi ya kila siku kwa watakatifu wake; kuongoza, kuongoza, kutawala juuKanisa lake. Kwa ufahamu kamili wa haya na mengine muhimu alama, kuandika au kupiga simu (903) 561-7070 mara moja kwa nakala zako za bure za “wapiKanisa la Kweli? “Na,” Je! Petro Alikuwa na Ustadi? ”

Inasimama kabisa kutoka kwa kurasa za Biblia yako mwenyewe kwamba Yesu Kristo alishika Uongozi juu ya kanisa lake la kweli. Yeye hakutoa kamwe mikononi mwa Petro, au kiongozi mwingine yeyote wa kibinadamu.

Yesu Kristo aliandaa kanisa lake kwa kuimarisha kwa mitume kumi na wawili. Aliingilia kati wakati wale kumi na mmoja hawakuweza kuamua kati ya wawili waliyokuwa naoalichaguliwa, akionyesha chaguo lake lilikuwa Matthias. Kristo kisha aliwaongoza mitume Wake kwakuweka mfumo wa utaratibu ndani ya kanisa lake ili uwezekano mkubwa wa fedhausawa na usawa kusambazwa; hivyo wajane hawakupuuziwa; hivyo ni mashemoni inaweza kuchaguliwa na kuteuliwa; hivyo mitume Wake waliweza kwenda na kuhubiri Injili ya ufalme kwa ulimwengu.

Yesu Kristo ni nani? Yeye ndiye Muumba wa ulimwengu! Jifunze sura ya kwanza ya Yohanatena. Je! Ulimwengu umeandaliwa? Je, mfumo wetu wa jua umeandaliwa? Angalia yoteaina nyingi za maisha katika dunia hii; mazingira yetu ya ajabu-kutoka microscopic bakteria kwa tembo na nyangumi nzuri za bluu-unaona nini?

Unaona shirika lenye akili. Unakaribia karibu na kile ambacho mtu amefanya, ukamilifu zaidi unaoona. Unakaribia karibu na kile ambacho Mungu amefanya, a maelewano zaidi, ulinganifu, utaratibu, na shirika unazoona.

Moja ya analogies kuu inayotumiwa na neno la Mungu ili kutusaidia kuelewa kanisa lake ni ile ya mwili wa kibinadamu. Jifunze barua ya kwanza ya Paulo kwa kanisa la Korintho, sura kumi na mbili. Hapa, Paulo anaonyesha jinsi kila sehemu ya mwili wetu; jicho, sikio, pua,mkono au mguu, ni muhimu kwa kila sehemu nyingine.

Je! Mwili wako umeandaliwa? Ikiwa haikuwepo, huwezi kutembea, au kuzungumza, au kupeleka chakula kwa kinywa chako, au kumeza maji ya kunywa. Miili yetu ni ya kushangaza Kito cha uhandisi wa miujiza-kilichofanyika kwa mfano wa Mungu.

Ikiwa viungo vyetu vya muhimu vimefungwa, kama vile kushindwa kwa figo, au kushindwa kwa moyo, tutakuja hivi karibunikufa, bila msaada wa dharura, au muujiza kutoka kwa Mungu.

Mungu anasema sehemu zote za mwili zina hasira pamoja “… kwamba haipaswi kuwa na ubaguzi katika mwili; lakini wanachama wanapaswa kuwa na huduma sawa mwingine “(1 Wakorintho 12: 4-25). Hii ni mfano wa dhahiri kwa kanisa ambalo Kristo alipanga.

Paulo aliandika, “Na kama mjumbe mmoja ateseka, wanachama wote wanateseka pamoja nao; auMjumbe mmoja anaheshimiwa, wanachama wote hufurahi pamoja nao.

“Sasa ninyi ni mwili wa Kristo [mfano wa kanisa], na wanachama ndanihasa “(1 Wakorintho 12: 25,26). Je! Wanachama wa mwili wako wameunganishwakila mmoja? Bila shaka! Na hivyo lazima kila mwanachama wa kanisa la kweli la Mungu; kila mmoja mtu aliyebadilishwa, aliyebatizwa amefungwa kwa wanachama wengine wote!

Neno la Mungu linaonyesha kuwa kila mwanachama aliyeongoka wa kanisa lake la kweli ni sehemuwa “Mwili wa Kristo” wa kiroho. Ni mapenzi ya Mungu kuwa wanachama wote wawewalijiunga pamoja katika maelewano mazuri; iliyoandaliwa pamoja katika mwili mzuri wa kazi, ili kukamilisha kazi ya kanisa la Mungu duniani kote!

Wakati wewe au mimi kwa namna fulani kuharibu miili yetu; ama kwa njia ya mlo usiofaa aukumeza vitu vikali; iwe kwa njia ya kuambukizwa ugonjwa, au kuwakushiriki katika ajali, mwili wote unasumbuliwa. Ikiwa ni mojawapo ya viungo vyetu vya muhimu, muhimuhuacha kufanya kazi, mwili hufa!

Ikiwa umeongoka kweli, basi wewe ni moja kwa moja mjumbe wa kweli wa Mungu kanisa. Mungu anasema, “Kwa maana kwa Roho mmoja sisi sote tumebatizwa kwenye MODA Mmoja, iwe sisi ni Wayahudi au Wayahudi, tukiwa wafungwa au huru; na tumekwisha kufanywa kunywa katika Roho mmoja.

“Kwa maana mwili si mwanachama mmoja, lakini wengi” (1 Wakorintho 12:13,14). Ni kwa hakika ni upumbavu, na kinyume kabisa na mapenzi ya Mungu na neno lake lililoandikwa, kwa yeyote mtu kufikiri wataingia katika ufalme wa Mungu ikiwa ni “huru” ya mwili wa Kristo.Na kwa nini Kristo alijenga kanisa lake?

Kufanya kazi ya Mungu! Aliamuru Kanisa lake kuhubiri Injili ya Ufalme wa Mungu kwa ulimwengu kama shahidi! Andika au kupiga simu mara moja kwa nakala yako ya bure ya kijitabu chetu, “KWA NINI Kanisa?”

Sasa, Kristo Na Kanisa Lake Watawalaje?

Mataifa yote wakati wa utawala wa milenia ya Kristo? Kristo na Watakatifu Watatawalaje? Kanisa la Mungu linawakilisha wale “walioitwa” ambao watapata urithi wa
milele pamoja na Yesu Kristo; ambaye atatawala pamoja Naye kwa miaka elfu moja (Ufunuo 2:26; 3:21; 20: 4). Watatawalaje?

Je! Dunia hii itakuwa kama nini wakati wa milenia? Je! Kutakuwa na mamia ya serikali kama kuna leo? Je! Machafuko, vurugu, chuki, ubaguzi wa rangi, machafuko, na vita vinashinda? Hakika si! Kama tulivyoona, serikali kamili ya Mungu itakuwa kuanzishwa juu ya dunia hii, na Kristo, pamoja na mitume kumi na wawili, na labda mamilioni ya wengine ambao watakuwa wamezaliwa na Mungu kwa ufufuo au mabadiliko ya haraka kutoka kwa mwanadamu kwenda kwa roho (1 Wakorintho 15:50-52) utawala pamoja Yeye juu ya dunia nzima.

Mungu alifanyaje kutawala juu ya Israeli? Alianzisha utaratibu; Alianzisha serikali, pamoja na Musa kama mwakilishi wake, na kutoa sheria Israeli ilikuwa kutii kwa manufaa yao wenyewe.

Israeli ya kale ilikuwa Theocracy chini ya Mungu. Aliwapa amri, amri, na sheria za kusimamia kile kinachopaswa kuwa kikamilifu, amani, jamii yenye uzalishaji.

Lakini Israeli waliasi. Wakung’unika dhidi ya Musa na Mungu. Muda na wakati tena, Mungu alifanya adhabu ya kifo kwa wale waliomasi dhidi yake.

Kulikuwa na sheria nyingi zilizotolewa; sheria kuhusu afya ya kimwili ustawi wao, na wa watoto wao; sheria kuhusu ardhi; jinsi ya kuongeza ng’ombe zao na mazao bila uchafu, hivyo chakula chao kitakuwa na afya na lishe. Mungu aliwapa sheria kuhusu uaminifu na haki; sheria kuhusu mapenzi na urithi; kuhusu alama na uheshimu mali ya mtu mwingine; kuhusu jinsi ya kuleta watoto wao kuwa na furaha, afya, na utii.

Serikali ya Mungu iliandaliwa chini ya Musa na Haruni. Mungu alimfufua Yethro, Ndugu wa Musa, kumwambia Musa lazima aanzisha mfumo wa majaji wa kusikia malalamiko magumu, kwa sababu Musa hakuweza kushughulikia yote pekee.

Hivyo, Mungu alionyesha Musa jinsi alivyohitaji msaada katika kuongoza watu wengi; hiyo kunahitajika kuwa shirika. Katika kila nyanja ya theocracy ya Israeli; kutoka utaratibu wa maandamano (Hesabu 10: 1-10) kwa kuadhimisha siku za Mungu za Takatifu (Lala 23), kulikuwa na utaratibu, mfumo, shirika!

Kora akajaribu kumwangamiza Musa; kujitangaza mwenyewe sawa na Musa, na kuchukua nguvu na mamlaka ambayo Mungu hakuwapa, aliangamizwa pamoja na familia yake wote na washirika (Hesabu 16). Mungu aliadhibu sana roho mbaya ya uhuru kati ya Israeli wakati huo alimfufua kichwa chake kibaya, chaotic, kiasi. Alikuwa Mtawala, na Yeye alitaka hilo Israeli hutii sheria zake kwa manufaa yao (Deut 5: 29-33; 28:1-14).

Ufalme wa Mungu Utafanyika Nini?

Je, machafuko yatatawala wakati wa Ufalme wa Mungu duniani? Je, kuna mamilioni ya wale ambao wameingiza ndani ya familia ya Utawala wa Mungu ambayo itaendelea aina kubwa ya uhuru wa kiburi kutoka kwa ndugu zao walioumbwa na roho na dada?

Wakati wa ufalme wa Mungu, wajumbe wengi wa familia ya Mungu wanasema kila mmoja nyingine, “Sawa, sina shida kukusamehe, lakini sitaki kuwa na chochote zaidi ya kufanya nawe “?

Je! Kuna makumi ya maelfu, au mamilioni, wa wanachama wa kujitegemea kabisa wa familia ya Mungu mwenyewe, ambao wataacha kitu chochote cha kufanya na “shirika” katika milenia?

Bila shaka hapana! Hiyo itakuwa haiwezekani kabisa, kwa mpango mkuu wa Mungu na kusudi hapa chini ni kurejesha baada ya Aina Yake mwenyewe ili kuenea upendo Wake, mwenye huruma, kuunda Familia! Hakuna upendo mkubwa katika ulimwengu kuliko upendo iliyoshirikishwa na Yesu Kristo Mwana na Mungu Baba. Wakati Kristo atakapokuja ili kutawala ulimwengu huu kwa fimbo ya chuma, na kushiriki utawala huo na wake mwenyewe ndugu wapendwa na dada ambao watazaliwa na Mungu, kutakuwa na fantastic, maelewano mazuri; makubaliano, unanimity ya kusudi-kamili shirika.

Ufanisi zaidi, uliopangwa vizuri, unaofaa serikali katika historia ya ulimwengu itakuwa mahali hapa duniani. Ni tu wale ambao wamekuja kwa moyo wa moyo kwa Mungu katika toba ya roho ya kupoteza dhambi; ambao kwa sasa wamewasilisha utawala wa mungu katika maisha yao; ambao wamemwuliza Yesu Kristo kuwa Mheshimiwa wao, pamoja na Kuhani wao wa kila siku, na hivi karibuni? Mfalme anayekuja, ambaye atakuwa katika Ufalme wa Mungu!

Kama tulivyoona, kiti cha enzi cha Mungu, katikati ya mji wa mbinguni, Mpya Yerusalemu, itafanywa vizuri na vyombo mbalimbali, misingi na milango ambayo inawakilisha serikali kamili; shirika kamili; iliyoandaliwa mwanzo-nambari kumi na mbili.

Yesu Kristo atatawalaje? Utawala wake utawala wa randomness; ya machafuko na mkanganyiko? Unajua bora! Hapana, itakuwa utawala wa upendo, utaratibu, maelewano, na ya amani. Kila kitu kitaandaliwa kikamilifu katika milenia.

Fikiria sababu moja kuu kwa nini hii ni hivyo. Shetani shetani ni mwandishi wa mkanganyiko! Yeye ni mbunifu wa uharibifu; wa machafuko, uovu, wa kiburi, kiburi, roho huru ambayo huchukia serikali!

Ibilisi ni wajibu wa uharibifu tunaoona kwenye nyuso zisizo na uhai za mwezi wetu, na sayari. Alijaribu kuharibu uumbaji wa Mungu katika bustani ya Edeni. Yeye alimshawishi Kaini kumwua ndugu yake mwenyewe. Alitumia kimbunga, na majipu ya kutisha, kwa kuharibu familia zote za Ayubu na mali, na kumtesa Ayubu. Alikuwepo Kuzaliwa kwa Kristo, kumshawishi Herode kwa mauaji ya kikatili maelfu ya wanaume wasio na hatia watoto katika jaribio la kumwua Kristo! Alikuwepo ili kumjaribu Kristo katika Nyika; kumwomba kujiua! Aliingia binafsi ndani ya Yuda Iskarioti kumwua Kristo, kisha akaacha Yuda, ambaye, pamoja naye hatia mbaya na huzuni, Hung mwenyewe!

Ibilisi ni wa asili kabisa!

Shetani hakumtii Mungu. Hakutaka kubaki chini ya serikali ya Mungu pamoja na Michael na Gabriel, na mamilioni ya malaika wa haki. Badala yake, yeye kupanga na kupanga; alipanga na kuwashawishi malaika wake mpaka wakati huo alikuja wakati alijaribu kumwangamiza Mungu kutoka kiti chake cha enzi.

Shetani, ambaye alikuwa “Lusifa,” “nyota iliyoangaza mwangaza wa asubuhi,” au “kabuni,” hakuwa na kuridhika na kuwa msimamizi wa ulimwengu mzuri Mungu alimpa utawala. Hapana, alitaka kuinua juu ya kumtupa Mungu, na kuichukua yote ulimwengu!

Funza Isaya 14 na Ezekieli 28, ambayo hufunua jinsi Lucifer alikuwa katika “bustani ya Mungu “(Edeni) muda mrefu kabla ya uumbaji wa Adamu. Alienda kama “mfanyabiashara,” au kama mfanyabiashara, biashara katika mawazo yake yaliyopotoka aliyotumia kuimsha malaika chini yake. Biblia haitambui muda gani mchakato huu uliendelea. Shetani ana yake mwenyewe ajenda iliyopotoka. Ilimgusa kwamba Mungu alikuwa Mkuu; kwamba yeye, Lusifa, alikuwa na pekee dunia kutawala. Alipenda sana kumwangamiza Mungu.

Shetani amewashawishi mawazo ya maelfu ya watu wengi kupita chini historia ya kujaribu kitu kimoja. Vipande na kukata-kukabiliana; mapinduzi; vurugu kupinduliwa kwa serikali imetokea maelfu mengi ya nyakati kuanza rejea.

Hata kabla ya Biblia kukamilika, Yuda aliandika juu ya wanaume – watu ambao tumia mafundisho ya dini na siasa kupata nguvu: “Wapendwa, nilipowapa wote bidii kukuandikia wokovu wa kawaida, ilikuwa ni lazima kwangu nakuandikia, nawahimizeni mpigane kwa imani ambayo ilikuwa mara moja mikononi kwa watakatifu.

“Kwa maana kuna watu fulani wanaoingia bila kujua, ambao walikuwa kabla ya zamani kuteuliwa hukumu hii, watu wasiomcha Mungu, wanageuka neema ya Mungu wetu [neema yake msamaha-usiojali msamaha] katika chuki [leseni, au ruhusa ya kufanya uovu], na kumkana Bwana peke yake Mungu, na Bwana wetu Yesu Kristo … na malaika [wale waliomfuata Shetani] ambao hawakuweka mali yao ya kwanza, lakini waliondoka wao wenyewe makao [walijaribu kumwangamiza Mungu kutoka mbinguni], ameiweka minyororo milele chini ya giza mpaka hukumu ya siku kuu.

“Kama vile Sodoma na Gomora, na miji inayowazunguka, kwa namna hiyo kutoa wenyewe juu ya uasherati, na kufuata mwili wa ajabu, wamewekwa kwa ajili ya mfano, kuteseka kisasi cha moto wa milele “(Yuda 3-7).

Hapa, Yuda anawafananisha watu waovu na pepo waliomfuata Lusifa katika uasi wake. Malaika wameanguka malaika ambao wanalazimika kubaki duniani hapa mpaka wakati wa hukumu, wakati Shetani na washirika wake watafukuzwa mbali na dunia (Ufu. 20: 1-3).

Waabiloni wanatolewa kwa caprice; kwa machafuko, kuchanganyikiwa, na kupotosha. Mmoja ana tu kuangalia baadhi ya kile kinachojulikana kama “sanaa” ambacho  kimetolewa na pepo wanao “wasanii,” au kusikiliza baadhi ya kupendeza, kuomboleza, kuomboleza, wazimu kinachoitwa “muziki” kilichozalishwa na wale walioathirika sana kuona mfano wa hili.

Neno “pandemonium” lina maana machafuko na machafuko. Kiambishi awali “sufuria” ina maana, yote, au kila mahali. “Demoniamu” inamaanisha tu kile kinachosema – kiroho! Hivyo “Pandemonium” ina maana machafuko ya kiroho na machafuko! Bila utaratibu na shirika, iwe ukiangalia barbeque ya nyuma au kanisa huduma, pandemonium inaingia. Mungu hajakusudi kuwa kanisa lake lifanane na kituo cha huduma ya siku kwa wasio na kanuni watoto wadogo, wakimbia pande zote, wakipiga kelele, wakiongea, wakijihusisha bila kujifungia tabia.

Yuda anaendelea kuelezea wale wanaowachukia serikali ya Mungu; chukia sheria za Mungu; “Vivyo hivyo hao wapiga ndoto walio na uchafu hudharau mwili, wanadharau mamlaka, na kusema Uovu wa heshima … Ole wao! kwa maana wamekwenda njia ya Kaini [ambaye aliuawa ndugu yake mwenyewe kwa wivu], na akakimbia kwa hila baada ya kosa la Balaamu kwa malipo [mungu wao ni pesa; wao ni “kuuza” ili waweze kupata nyenzo utajiri katika ulimwengu huu], na waliangamia katika faida ya Core [Kora; kujifunza Hesabu 16].

“Hizi ni matangazo katika sikukuu za upendo wako [mapenzi ya upendo], wakati wanakula pamoja nawe, kujilisha wenyewe bila hofu; mawingu hawana maji, yamebekwa karibu upepo [imara, hauna maana, ifuata kila uvumi, kila “mafundisho” mapya]; miti ambaye matunda yake huzaa, bila matunda, amekufamara mbili, amevunjwa mizizi; “Maajabu ya baharini yaliyojaa [ndani, ni uchungu, hasira, hasira], yanayotupa nje aibu yao wenyewe: nyota za kutetemeka, ambao zimehifadhiwa giza la giza milele … hawa ni wanung’unika [wasiwasi, wasiwasi nyuma, wasikilizaji wa hadithi, uvumi, ambao kazi moja pekee katika maisha ni kupiga na kulalamika!], walalamikaji, wakifuata tamaa zao wenyewe; na kinywa chao husema maneno makuu ya kuvimba, kuwa na wanadamu watu katika pongezi kwa sababu ya faida “(Yuda 10-16).

Maelezo gani kamili ya wale ambao, wakiongozwa na Shetani, hutafuta tu wao wenyewe kupata; vifuniko, wao “siagi” wale walio katika nafasi za uongozi ili waweze “Pata faida.”

Sasa angalia mwisho wa onyo la ajabu la Yuda: “Lakini, wapendwa, kumbuka ninyi maneno yaliyosemwa kabla ya mitume wa Bwana wetu Yesu Kristo; “Jinsi walivyokuambia kuwa kuna wasiwasi wakati wa mwisho, ambao wanapaswa tembea kwa tamaa zao zisizo za kimungu.

“Hawa ndio wanaojitenga wenyewe [wao hutengana; huru!], kidunia [kihisia, kikiitikia tu kimwili; ya hisia za kimwili na hisia], bila kuwa na Roho.

“Lakini ninyi, wapendwa, jijengee juu ya imani yenu takatifu sana, mkiombea ndani ya Roho takatifu, “Jiweke katika upendo wa Mungu, mnatazamia huruma ya Bwana wetu Yesu Kristo kwenda uzima wa milele “(Yuda 20,21).

Yuda anawahimiza Wakristo walioongoka kujijenga katika kanisa la Mungu na ushirika-sio kuwa kama wale wanaojitenga wenyewe!

Tume Kubwa Kanisa la Kristo

Yesu Kristo hakuwaambia mitume Wake kila mmoja kwenda njia yake mwenyewe! Hakumkuta kanisa juu ya dhana ya machafuko, uasi, uhuru, na pandemonium! Kama tumeona, aliiona Kanisa lake la kweli litaanza Mitume kumi na wawili, idadi kamili ya serikali-idadi ya kupangwa Kwanzaa.

Kisha, aliwapa kazi muhimu sana kufanya. Kulikuwa na madhumuni ya wazi ya Yesu Kristo kumwambia Petro na wanafunzi kile alichofanya. Kufuatia ufufuo wake, na kuonekana kwake kwao,Yesu Kristo aliwaagiza wanafunzi Wake. “Yesu akaja, akawaambia,” Nimepewa nguvu zote mbingu na duniani.

“Basi, nendeni mkafundishe mataifa yote, mkiwabatiza kwa jina la Baba, na ya Mwana, na ya Roho Mtakatifu; “‘Wafundishe kufuata mambo yote niliyowaamuru; na tazama, Mimi nipo pamoja nawe kila wakati, hata mwisho wa ulimwengu [Kigiriki: “umri”]. Amina ‘” (Mathayo 28: 18-20).

Amri ya “enda” ilikuwa wazi! Kristo aliongeza juu ya amri hii kwa kubwa kwa kiasi kikubwa, bila kuacha shaka yoyote katika mawazo ya mwanafunzi wake kile alichomaanisha. Yeye maana yao kusafiri nchi za mbali za dunia; kwenda Yerusalemu, kufundisha na kuhubiri habari njema ya maisha ya Kristo; Kifo chake, kuzikwa na ufufuo, na habari njema ya Injili ya Ufalme Aliyofundisha wao.

Hii ilikuwa changamoto kubwa na ya kushangaza! Dunia nzima imeweka mbele yao; a dunia imejaa ujinga, ushirikina, umaskini, mchumba, magonjwa, uhalifu, na
vita! Leo, hali ni mbaya kuliko hapo awali! Wengi zaidi Inahitajika habari hii ulimwengu mgonjwa wa dhambi inaweza kusikia leo ni mpya mzuri kuhusu serikali ya Mungu ya hivi karibuni; utawala wa milenia wa Yesu Kristo, kuweka mwisho wa mateso ya wanadamu! Yesu Kristo alikuwa amewafundisha wanafunzi Wake kwa miaka mitatu na nusu.

Lakini wao walikuwa wa kimwili wakati huo; hawakuelewa kweli. Haikuwa mpaka Yeye aliwatokea mara kwa mara baada ya kufufuliwa kwake kwamba hatimaye walielewa ni nini walipaswa kufanya. Luka aliandika: “Kisha akafungua akili yao ili wapate kuelewa maandiko [maandiko “pekee” yaliyomo wakati huo yalikuwa maandiko ya Agano la Kale], “Naye akawaambia,”Imeandikwa hivi, na hivyo Kristo aliteseka, na kufufuka kutoka wafu siku ya tatu:

“Na kwamba toba na msamaha wa dhambi lazima zihubiriwe kwa jina lake kati ya mataifa yote yatoka Yerusalemu.Na ninyi ni mashahidi wa mambo haya ” (Luka 24: 45-47).

Sehemu ya kwanza ya Tume Kubwa Kristo aliwapa kundi lake la wale walioitwa ilikuwa kuhubiri Injili ya Ufalme wa Mungu kwa ulimwengu. Lakini kulikuwa na sehemu ya pili kwa Tume Kubwa, na sehemu hiyo ya pili, kama ya kwanza sehemu, itahitaji shirika. Katika kuonekana kwake kwa mwisho kwa wanafunzi Wake, Yesu alimwambia Petro mara tatu, “Kulisha Yangu kondoo! “(Yohana 21: 15-17). Petro alikuwa amekataa Kristo mara tatu, kama Yesu alivyotabiri angeweza. Kisha, Kristo alifanya Petro kurudia mara tatu jinsi angevyopenda kuwatunza kwa uaminifu wale watakaoongoka na kubatizwa: “Kwa hiyo walipokuwa na Yesu alimwambia Simoni Petro, “Simoni, mwana wa Yona, anipenda zaidi kuliko Huyu akamwambia, “Naam, Bwana, unajua ya kuwa nakupenda.” Anasema kumwambia, ‘Chakula kondoo wangu’ “(Yohana 21:15).

Kristo alisisitiza kwa Petro kwamba jukumu lake lilikuwa kutunza kundi la Kristo kumshazimisha Petro kurudia upendo wake kwa Yesu Kristo mara tatu. Kila wakati, Yesu aliiambia Petro kulisha kundi lake!

Tume Kubwa ya Yesu Kristo ilikuwa mara mbili. Sehemu moja ya tume kwa kawaida aliongoza kwa mwingine, kwa kuwa mitume walihubiri injili ya Kristo kwa dunia, ilikuwa haiwezekani Mungu angeita baadhi yao; kwamba angewavuta Yesu Kristo kwa Roho Wake.

Akaunti ya Injili ya Marko inasema, “Naye akawaambia, Nendeni ulimwenguni pote, na kuhubiri Injili kwa kila kiumbe. “Yeye anayeamini na kubatizwa ataokolewa; lakini asiyeamini atakuwa kuwa damned [hukumu; kuhukumiwa]”(Marko 16: 15,16).

Watu wanaposikia injili ya Kristo na wanahukumiwa na hayo, wanaongozwa kutubu, kupokea ubatizo, na kuokolewa. Si kwa nia ya Mungu kwamba wao lazima basi kutelekezwa na wahubiri sana ambao walitumiwa kama chombo katika mikono ya Mungu kuwaita kwanza!

Maneno ya mwisho ya Kristo kwa wanafunzi Wake yanaandikwa katika sura ya kwanza ya Matendo ya Mitume: “Sio kwa wewe kujua nyakati au majira, ambayo Baba ameweka katika uwezo wake mwenyewe. “Lakini mtapokea nguvu, Roho Mtakatifu atakapokujia, na ninyi watakuwa mashahidi wangu huko Yerusalemu, na Yudea yote, na Samaria, na mpaka mwisho wa dunia “(Matendo 1: 7,8).

Tena, Kristo aliweka wazi kuwa alitarajia wanafunzi Wake kwenda ulimwenguni pote, akihubiri habari njema ya ufufuo wake, na habari njema ya kuja Kwake ufalme. Hakika, kama alivyowaambia waziwazi, ujumbe wao wa furaha na matumaini; ujumbe wao ya ushahidi na onyo, ingeweza kusababisha wengine kutubu na kuomba ubatizo. Kama wewe ulikuwa mhubiri, na maelfu ya watu waliuliza ubatizo, ingekuwa hivyo unahitaji jitihada yoyote iliyopangwa kwa sehemu yako kuwabatiza, na kisha kuwatunza wao kama kanisa?

Bila shaka ingekuwa! Kwanza, ingehitaji nafasi kwa watu wapya walioongoka kukusanyika. Neno la Mungu linamuru watu wake kukusanyika pamoja kumwabudu; kusikia neno lake lihubiri; kwa ushirika. Mtu anahitaji kuwa na jukumu la kuanzisha mahali pa kanisa kukutana; Weka wakati huduma, na kupanga kwamba huduma za ibada zinafanyika kwa ufanisi, kwa utaratibu namna.

Kwa kawaida, muziki hufanya sehemu ya huduma, hivyo vitabu vya wimbo na wimbo wa nyimbo, pamoja na pianist au organist, pia lazima kuwa sasa. Je, ni muhimu kwa watu wanaohudhuria huduma za kanisa kusikia kile kinachosemwa? Hakika! Kwa hiyo, ikiwa mahali pa kukutana ni kubwa sana, njia za kisasa za mawasiliano, kama vile vipaza sauti na wasemaji, ingekuwa lazima iwe mahali. Yote hii itahitaji kiasi fulani cha shirika. Mtu anahitaji ama mwenyewe, au kodi, mahali pa kukutana. Mtu atalazimika kutoa vitabu vya nyimbo, piano au chombo. Mtu atalazimika kuwa na uhakika kuketi na huduma zingine, kama vituo vya kupumzika; Labda chumba cha wagonjwa, mama chumba, au kitalu. Inaweza kuwa muhimu kutoa kibatizi, au mahali kubatiza waumini wapya waliotubu.

Siku za sikukuu, wakati ndugu walioongoka huja pamoja kwa kusudi la kugawana katika unga “potluck”, inaweza kuhitaji jikoni ya kutosha ya ukubwa fulani kuwa zinazotolewa.

Fikiria kutaniko la mia moja au zaidi, ambayo ingejumuisha kadhaa watu wazee na watoto wadogo, ambao haujawahi mojawapo huduma. Wakuungana wapi? Wakaa wapi? Wangewezaje kusikia? Wangeweza kuimba bila vitabu vya wimbo, piano au chombo, na mtu ili kucheza?

Katika siku chache za kwanza na majuma ya kanisa la kwanza, mitume walipaswa kujifunza sehemu ya pili ya Tume Kubwa kwa kanisa inahitaji baadhi ya makini kupanga; shirika fulani.

Amri na Mfumo Katika Kanisa la Kwanza La Mungu

Angalia nini kilichotokea siku ya Pentekoste; siku ya kuzaliwa ya Kanisa la kweli [mkutano wa “walioitwa” “].

Kufuatia mahubiri yaliyompendeza ya mitume wengi, Petro alisema nguvu ya ufufuo wa Yesu Kristo. Baada ya umati mkubwa uliona miujiza ya taji za moto za moto  zilizopigwa vichwa vya mtume; alikuwa amesikia muujiza wa kila mmoja wa mitume akizungumza kwa labda kumi na tano tofauti lugha, walishangaa. Wengi wao walishindwa sana na hatia na hofu. Luka aliandika, “Basi walipopata habari hii, walichukuliwa ndani yao moyo, akamwambia Petro na wengine wa mitume, ‘Wanaume na Ndugu, tutafanya nini? “Kisha Petro akawaambia,” Tubuni, na kubatizwe kila mmoja wenu jina la Yesu Kristo kwa msamaha wa dhambi, na mtapokea zawadi ya Roho Mtakatifu ‘… Na kwa maneno mengine mengi aliihubiri na kuhimiza, akisema,’ Ila ninyi wenyewe kutoka kwa kizazi hiki kisicho. ”

“Basi wale waliopokea neno lake kwa furaha walibatizwa; na siku ile ile pale waliongezwa kwao juu ya roho elfu tatu … Na Bwana aliongeza kila siku kwa kanisa lililopaswa kuokolewa “(Matendo 2: 37-47).

Hii ilikuwa sehemu ya kwanza ya Tume Kubwa ya Kristo kwa vitendo. Tafadhali weka au Piga simu yako ya bure ya kijitabu “Miracle ya Pentekoste” kwa kina kuelewa matukio ya ajabu ya Siku hiyo ya Pentekoste.

Kwa muda fulani, wale waongofu wapya, wenye ujasiri walibakia huko Yerusalemu. Matendo 4 inatuambia jinsi walivyoanza kuteswa; kutishia kuhubiri katika Yesu jina lolote zaidi. Matendo 4:34 kwa Matendo 5 inatuambia jinsi walivyogawana fedha zao na mali, ili wote waweze kuendelea kusikia mitume; jinsi Anania na Safira alisaidia Roho Mtakatifu, na walipigwa wafu; jinsi hata kivuli cha Petro, kupita juu ya wagonjwa, mara moja akawaponya.

Mara nyingine tena, kutoka Matendo 5:17 mpaka mwisho wa sura, Mungu anatuambia jinsi mitume walikamatwa, kupigwa, na kutishiwa tena kuhubiri katika Yesu. jina.

Sasa, angalia kilichotokea: “Na katika siku hizo, wakati wa idadi ya wanafunzi iliongezeka, kuinung’unika kwa Wagiriki dhidi ya Waebrania, kwa sababu wajane wao walikuwa wamepuuzwa katika huduma ya kila siku “(Matendo 6: 1).

“Huduma ya kila siku” inamaanisha huduma ya kila siku. Kwa kushangaza walikuwa haya ndugu wapya walioongoka; kwa hamu walikuwa idadi kubwa ya wanafunzi kujifunza kutoka kwa mitume, walikutana kila siku! Hii ina maana kwamba walikuwa wakitumia masaa kadhaa kila siku katika mikutano mikubwa; katika ushirika; kusikiliza mbalimbali ya mitume akihubiri na kufundisha. Kwa kiasi kikubwa, kulikuwa na chakula kilichotolewa.

Luka anatuambia kilichotokea: “Kisha wale kumi na wawili wakawaita wingi wa wanafunzi, wakasema,” Ni sio sababu tunapaswa kuondoka neno la Mungu [kuachana na mahubiri yetu na kufundisha], na kutumikia meza “(Matendo 6:2). Jedwali lilikuwa la watu kutumia wamekaa kula chakula chao; kutembelea miongoni mwao; kusikiliza sauti mitume.

“Kwa hiyo, ndugu zangu, angalia kati yenu watu saba wenye taarifa kamili, wakiwa wamejaa Roho Mtakatifu na hekima, ambaye tunaweza kuteua biashara hii.

“Lakini tutajitoa daima kwa sala, na kwa huduma ya neno. “Na neno hilo likawavutia watu wote; wakamchagua Stefano, mtu mzima ya imani na ya Roho Mtakatifu, na Filipo, na Prochorus, na Nicanor, na Timoni, na Parmenas, na Nicolas, mto wa Antiokia; “Wao waliowaweka mbele ya mitume; na walipokuwa wameomba, wakawaweka mikono juu yao [hii ilikuwa utaratibu wa ofisi ya “dikoni;” ya awali “Diakonate” ya kanisa]. “Na neno la Mungu likaongezeka; na idadi ya wanafunzi ikaongezeka Yerusalemu sana; na kundi kubwa la makuhani waliitii imani” (Mdo. 6: 1-7).

Angalia kwa makini madhumuni ya kusanyiko ya wanaume saba. Kwa wazi, ni ilikuwa ya kuwajali wajane, na kusubiri kwenye meza. Tayari, tatizo limeondoka; hisia za kibinadamu zilihusika. Wagiriki walianza “Kunung’unika,” maana ya kukataa na kulalamika dhidi ya baadhi ya Wayahudi, kwa sababu waliona wajane wakiwa wamepuuzwa. Kusikia hayo, mitume waliitwa a mkutano wa kundi kubwa la takriban 120 (Matendo 1:15). Hakukuwa na maalum Andiko ambalo Petro angeweza kuelezea ambayo aliwaambia kuamuru watu saba kama madikoni.

Neno “dikoni” linamaanisha “mtumishi.” Petro na mitume walikabiliana na tatizo. Hisia zilihusishwa. Watu walikuwa wakiongea waziwazi kuhusu wajane kupuuzwa. Kuona haja, Petro na wengine walifikiria jinsi ya kukabiliana nayo hiyo. Waliamua nini? Hakika, lazima wanajua jinsi Jethro alivyomwambia Musa mzigo aliozaa alikuwa mzuri sana kwa ajili yake; jinsi Musa alivyowapa washauri kusaidia. Hakika walijua, kutokana na mfano wa hekalu yenyewe, kama vile wengi masinagogi ya ndani, kwamba kulikuwa na utaratibu wa kuchanganyikiwa; kwamba haikuwa njia ya Kristo kwa wajane wazee wachanga waachwe kujifanyia wenyewe katikati ya umati mkubwa wa watu wenye njaa.

Yesu Kristo alikuwa amewaambia waziwazi kuwa alikuwa amewapa uwezo wa kumfunga au kutoweka; ili kufanya maamuzi fulani ya kumfunga kwa mema ya kanisa (Mathayo 16:19; 18:18).

Kwa hiyo, kwa sababu kanisa lingine lilihitaji shirika na chini kuchanganyikiwa, Petro na mitume wengine walimteua madikoni saba kusaidia na huduma za kimwili kwenye mkutano wao – kusaidia wajane, wakiona wanavyo seti nzuri, na chakula cha kutosha. Mungu aliongeza zawadi za kiroho za ajabu angalau mbili ya awali ya “diakonate,” au madikoni. Shahidi wa Stephen, na mauaji yake kwa kupiga mawe, huwekwa nje katika Matendo 7. Mahubiri ya Filipo huko Samaria, na kukutana naye na Mtumwa wa Ethiopia anaelezea zaidi katika Matendo 8. Hata hivyo, ni wazi kwamba kusudi la utaratibu ulikuwa ni kuwajali wajane, na kusubiri kwenye meza. Mungu anaweza kumpa zawadi za kiroho kwa mtu yeyote, bila kujali uteuzi wowote.

Ilibakia kwa mtume Paulo, miaka mingi baadaye, kuorodhesha sifa za wale ambao watatumikia kanisa kama wazee na madikoni (1 Tim 3).

Kanisa Ni Mwili Wa Kristo

Neno la Mungu lina analogi nyingi kutusaidia kuelewa kile kanisa ni; kile kinachotakiwa kufanya. Kanisa linaitwa “Bibi arusi wa Kristo” (Ufunuo 19:7-9).

Inalinganishwa na “hekalu” (Waefeso 2:21). Inaitwa “jengo la Mungu” (1 Wakorintho 3: 9). Pia inafananishwa na mwili wa kimwili, na kuitwa, kwa mfano, “mwili wa Kristo “(1 Wakorintho 12:27). Kila moja ya analogi hizi, na wengine, kama vile “Ninyi ni wa Mungu ufugaji “(I Kor 3: 9), ni kuonyesha jinsi Yesu Kristo anakaa katika kanisa lake la kweli; jinsi anavyojali, kama Mchungaji.

Hakuna chombo kilichopangwa kikamilifu au kikamilifu kilichoundwa katika ulimwengu kuliko mwili wa binadamu. Kama viumba vya Mungu vilivyoumbwa, sisi ni viumbe hai vya kushangaza. Masomo yoyote makubwa katika physiolojia na anatomy; katika kazi ya ubongo wako, mfumo wako wa utumbo, macho yako, masikio yako, hisia zako za hisia, ladha na harufu, ni safari ya ajabu ya ugunduzi. Kweli, mwili wa binadamu ni miujiza uumbaji.

Je! Imeandaliwa? Ikiwa haikuwepo, huwezi kutembea. Huwezi kuchukua kijiko au uma, na kupeleka chakula kutoka sahani yako kwenye kinywa chako. Huwezi kufikiria, au majadiliano. Wakati magonjwa ya kutisha kama ugonjwa wa sclerosis nyingi au mgomo wa ugonjwa wa Parkinson miili ya wanadamu, wao husababishwa. Kwa kusikitisha, miujiza, uratibu mzuri wa utendaji wa akili na mwili hauwezi kuharibika.

Mungu hutumia kiburi chake cha ajabu cha uumbaji, mwili wa mwanadamu, kama mfano wa kanisa.

Paulo aliandika, “Kwa maana kama mwili ni mmoja, na una wanachama wengi [kama silaha zetu na miguu], na wanachama wote wa mwili huo, kuwa wengi, ni mwili mmoja: hivyo pia ni Kristo.

“Kwa Roho mmoja tulibatizwa kuwa mwili mmoja [kwa mfano, katika kanisa, kwa kanisa ni “mwili wa Kristo”], kama sisi ni wafungwa au huru; na uwe na Wote wamefanya kunywa katika Roho mmoja.

“Kwa maana mwili si mwanachama mmoja [bila kujitegemea wengine wote] lakini wengi. “Ikiwa mguu utasema, ‘Kwa kuwa mimi si mkono, mimi si wa mwili;’ ni Kwa hiyo sio wa mwili?

“Na kama sikio litasema, ‘Kwa kuwa mimi si jicho, mimi si wa mwili;’ ni Kwa hiyo sio wa mwili?

“Ikiwa mwili wote ulikuwa jicho, kusikia ilikuwa wapi? Ikiwa wote walikuwa kusikia, kulikuwa na harufu wapi?

“Lakini sasa Mungu ameweka viungo kila mmoja wao katika mwili, kama ilivyo kumdhirahisha Yeye.

“Na ikiwa walikuwa wanachama wote, mwili ulikuwa wapi?

“Lakini sasa ni wanachama wengi, lakini mwili mmoja” (1 Wakorintho 12:12-20). Kila mwanachama wa mwili wako ni mwanachama binafsi. Una mkono wa kuume, a jicho la kulia, na mguu wa kushoto. Lakini kila mwanachama ameunganishwa na mwili; huunga mkono mwili, hufanya mwili kuwa na viumbe vizuri.

Paulo akasema, “Na jicho haliwezi kusema mkono, ‘Mimi sihitaji kwako.’ wala tena kichwa kwa miguu, ‘Sina haja ya wewe.’ “Bali, zaidi ya wale wanachama wa mwili, ambao wanaonekana kuwa dhaifu zaidi, ni muhimu “(1 Wakorintho 12: 21-22).

Roho Mtakatifu alimwongoza Paulo kuandika maneno haya. Alikuwa akiwavutia Kanisa la Korintho kuwa kweli umoja, na si kugawanywa (1 Wakorintho 1:11-13). Ya Jambo la mwisho Paulo alitaka kanisa lilikuwa la aina mbalimbali za kuingiliwa na roho ya chama, chagua kiongozi wa kibinadamu, na uende mbali kwa njia tofauti, kujitegemea mwili. Kwa nini Yesu Kristo alitaka kanisa lake la kweli liwe na umoja wa kweli, na halikugawanyika vipande vipande?

Tumeisoma tayari. Yesu aliwaagiza mitume Wake kuhubiri Injili kila kiumbe, na kulisha kundi hilo litatengenezwa na kuokolewa kama Matokeo! Kwao kutimiza tume hii ya sehemu mbili, ilikuwa ni lazima kwao kupangwa!

Paulo aliandika, “Sasa ninyi ni mwili wa Kristo, na wanachama hasa. “Na Mungu (si mtu) ameweka katika kanisa, wa kwanza mitume, kwa pili manabii, tatu walimu, baada ya miujiza, basi zawadi za kuponya, husaidia,serikali, aina mbalimbali za lugha [lugha] “(1 Wakorintho 12: 27-29).

Mungu sio Mwandishi wa machafuko, bali ni amri. Uumbaji ni mahali penye utaratibu – ulimwengu na mfumo wa jua ni mfano wa kuogopa wa utaratibu, sio machafuko (1 Wakorintho 14:33).

Tunaposoma maneno kama “kwanza, pili, tatu,” kisha kusoma, “baada ya hayo,” na “basi,” tunasoma jinsi Paulo alisema Mungu aliweka zawadi na wito katika Wake kanisa kwa njia ya utaratibu. Kwamba hii sio lengo la kuonyesha “cheo,” lakini kazi,inafanywa wazi na mtume huyo katika barua yake kwa Efeso kanisa:

“Naye [Kristo] akawapa wengine, mitume; na wengine, manabii; na wengine, wainjilisti; na wengine, wachungaji na walimu “(Waefeso 4:11). Hapa, Paulo anaelezea sawa kazi tatu za huduma ya Kristo kama alivyofanya kwa Wakorintho, akiongeza neno “wachungaji” kwa neno “walimu.” Neno “mchungaji” linamaanisha “Mchungaji,” au mlezi. Sasa, kwa nini Mungu aliweka kazi hizi tofauti ndani ya kanisa? “Kwa ukamilifu wa watakatifu, kwa ajili ya kazi ya huduma, kwa kuimarisha mwili wa Kristo:

“Mpaka sote tupate umoja wa imani, na ujuzi wa Mwana wa Mungu, kwa mtu mkamilifu, kwa kipimo cha ukubwa wa utimilifu wa Kristo:

“Kwamba sisi sasa kuwa watoto tena [kiroho], kutupwa kwa kasi, na kufanyika karibu na hata upepo wa mafundisho, kwa upepo wa wanadamu, na ujanja hila, ambako wanalala katika kusubiri kudanganya “(Waefeso 4: 12-14).

Hii ni wito wa ufafanuzi wa umoja miongoni mwa uongozi na uungu wa kanisa. Pia inaelezea wazi kazi mbalimbali za huduma ya Kristo.

Ona kwamba Paulo aliiambia kanisa la Korintho kuwa Mungu ameweka “msaada,” na “Serikali” ndani ya kanisa.

Hizi sio maneno maelekezo ya uhuru, machafuko, na kuchanganyikiwa. Wanafanya si kutoa idhini kwa watu ambao hujishughulisha na ushirika na Mungu kanisa, kujivunia katika haki yao wenyewe ya haki. Hapana, wao huongozwa na Roho maelezo ya kanisa lililopangwa, na watumishi waliochaguliwa kutimiza kazi tofauti kwa madhumuni.

Je, Ungehubirije Injili Kwa Dunia?

Tuseme umehisi kuitwa kuhubiri Injili ya Yesu Kristo kwa umma. Ungependaje kuhusu hilo? Kuna njia kadhaa zinazoweza kutokea kwako. Ya kwanza, inayohitaji hapana “Shirika” la aina yoyote, ingekuwa tu kuwapa watu binafsi mitaani, na kuanza “kushuhudia” kwao, kujaribu kuwafanya kusimama na kusikiliza. Miongoni mwa kadhaa ambao wangependa kwa haraka kama hawakusikia; wale ambao wanaweza kumtemea, au kulaani, au kufanya ishara iliyosababishwa, au wale ambao wanaweza kulalamika polisi, tuseme mtu mmoja hatimaye alisimama kusikiliza. Halafu? Je, ni “Ujumbe ulifanyika” kwa siku? Lakini tuseme walikuwa masikini sana, na Alikuuliza chakula au nguo? Tuseme walisema walikuwa na watoto wenye njaa, na hakuwa na nyumba – je, utawaingiza? Nini kama sita, au kumi, au ishirini watu hao
aliitikia “shahidi” wako binafsi kwa siku moja tu? Je! Ungependa kutambua unahitaji msaada wowote wa kuwahudumia, ikiwa ni lengo lako? Kufikiri wewe pata mfadhili – hali isiyowezekana – na ukaanza kukusanya wenye njaa, wasio na makazi, watu wasiokuwa na maskini. Halafu? Unafanya nini kwao wiki ijayo, na mwezi ujao, na mwaka ujao?

Na ikiwa utafanikiwa katika kutunza watu wachache sana katika jiji kubwa la kadhaa milioni, je, umetimiza Tume Kubwa ya Yesu Kristo kuhubiri Habari njema ya Ufalme wa Mungu unaokuja ulimwenguni? Au wewe, badala yake, alifanya mchango mdogo sana miongoni mwa idadi ndogo tu ya watu katika kubwa idadi ya watu labda mamilioni? Haraka, mtu anaweza kugundua kwamba lengo la mtu la awali la “kuhubiri Injili ulimwengu “uliachwa, na kwamba mmoja alikuwa, badala yake, amekwisha kushindana na kadhaa ya mitaa, kata, serikali, mashirika ya shirikisho na serikali yenyewe, na mipango yake mbalimbali ya ustawi, bila kutaja makanisa mengi na misaada mashirika ambayo yameanzishwa kwa lengo hilo.

Kutunza watu wachache ingetimiza; charitable, kujali kitu cha kufanya, lakini bila kukamilisha lengo la kuhubiri injili kwa ulimwengu.

Njia nyingine ambayo mtu anaweza kutumia, ikiwa mtu aliamua kuepuka aina yoyote ya jitihada iliyopangwa, ni kwenda tu kwa nyumba kwa nyumba, kugonga milango, na kujaribu kuhubiri kwa wale walio ndani. Hii imefanywa, bila shaka, na makanisa mengi makubwa.

Hata hivyo, wao ni kupangwa, na “wamishonari,” au “mashahidi,” ni hutolewa na vitabu, na kuagizwa kwa mbinu. Mara nyingi, jaribio lolote litakabiliwa na kutojali kwa stolid; na hasira kwa kuingiliwa na kuongezeka. Milango ingekuwa imefungwa kwa nguvu funga. Wengine wanaweza kuwalaani wale ambao hawakuwaita bila kukubalika. Wengine wanaweza kimwili kushambulia yao. Mara nyingi, tunasikia kijana ambaye aligeuka karibu, akaendesha tamaduni ya kitongoji, na alipigwa kifo na kundi wanachama, ambao walimwona mgeni kama mvamizi wa wilaya yao.

Ili kuongeza watazamaji wa mtu, mtu anaweza kuunda gazeti au gazeti, na Piga kelele kwa wapita-kwa magari yao, au kwa miguu, kutoka kona ya barabara ya busy mitaani.

Je! Wangapi wanapakia kinyume cha sheria, toka nje ya gari yao, na kukaa chini kwa saa “Kusoma Biblia”? Tuseme kuwa mhubiri asiye na utaratibu, mhubiri mmoja aliamua kutumia baadhi vyombo vya habari ili kutoa ujumbe wake? Mara moja, anakabiliwa na matarajio ya uwezo wa kifedha. Matangazo katika magazeti yanatumia pesa. Kuchapisha hata ndogo, ukurasa mmoja vipeperushi kwa kuweka katika masanduku ya barua au chini ya windshield wipers katika gharama ya kura ya maegesho fedha.

Ikiwa mtu huyo alikuwa na pesa, je! Ujumbe wake ungekuwa na anwani? Je! anataka jibu kutoka kwa watu anajaribu kufikia? Nini kama angeweza kumudu kuchapisha vipeperushi elfu na kusambaza, na labda watu sita walijibu?

Wanashughulikia nini? Je, mtu wetu mmoja, mhubiri asiyetengenezwa tayari aliandika kitabu, au kijitabu; makala, au brosha kwamba yeye ni advertizing, matumaini watu wachache watashuhudia, na wanataka kuangalia ujumbe wake kidogo zaidi? Tena, ikiwa amekwenda jitihada hiyo, itakuwa na gharama fulani.

Ghafla, ana orodha ya barua pepe. Sasa, anakusanya majina na anwani. Yeye itabidi kufuatilia yao kwa namna fulani. Kompyuta binafsi, labda? A faili rahisi ya 3 × 5? Katika tukio lolote, fedha zinahusika. Na kitu zaidi. Shirika. Yeye labda angehitaji alphabetize faili yake; labda Tuma wahojiwa baadhi ya fasihi.

Mara nyingine tena, fedha zitatumika, kwa kuwa kompyuta zina gharama pesa; gharama za karatasi fedha; uchapishaji gharama ya pesa; postage gharama ya fedha.

Njia nyingine isiyo ya kawaida, mtu mmoja-kuwa mhubiri anayeweza kutumia ni kununua hema, pata kura wazi ambapo angeweza kupata kibali cha kuimarisha, kuweka saini mbele yake, na kushikilia kampeni ya uinjilisti wa usiku. Anaweza pia kutaka kubisha juu ya milango (kuhakikisha kuepuka aina mbaya za vitongoji), usambaze vipeperushi, au kuchukua tangazo katika magazeti ya ndani. Tena, fedha huhusishwa. Ya hema gharama ya fedha. Viti vilipoteza pesa. Taa zinapoteza pesa. Flyers na gharama za matangazo fedha.

Nini kama idadi ya watu itaonyeshwa, na mhubiri atakayekuwa akifanikiwa sana kwamba baadhi yao wanataka kubatizwa? Je, anawapeleka kwa Mbatizaji wa karibu
kanisa? Au ingewezekana kuwa yeye atawabatiza mwenyewe, na kisha kuchukua dhima ya huduma yao, kama Kristo aliwaamuru wanafunzi wake? Ikiwa yeye sasa ni mchungaji wa kundi ndogo, je! wana jina? Je, anataka kukutana nao mara kwa mara? Ikiwa wanataka kuchangia kazi yake, na ni dhahiri yeye ana idadi ya gharama za kupoteza, anapaswa kuweka kumbukumbu za jinsi gani Je, wao hutoa? Je! Anahitaji kuaripoti kwa mtu yeyote?

Je, mjumbe asiyetengenezwa, ingekuwa ni mhubiri anayeita wito “usioandaliwa” juhudi? “Independent, Unorganized, Unilateral, Unaligned, Wasiohusika, Kanisa la Anarchistic? ”

Tuseme mtu mwenye kujitegemea, asiye na muundo, atakuwa minjilisti anaamua kufikia mamia ya watu, au hata maelfu. Vituo vya redio na televisheni havipo tabia ya kusafisha wakati na kuuuza kwa raia binafsi bila ya ushirika utambulisho; hakuna msaada wa ushirika; hakuna hali ya kisheria. Wanahitaji tu-fide msaada wa shirika kwa wale ambao wanaruhusu kununua muda wa hewa, ikiwa ni lazima Malalamiko yanafanywa kwa FCC, kama vile madai ya “wakati sawa” kutoka wapinzani.

Aidha, wakati wa redio na televisheni ni ghali sana. Mwenye kujitegemea, bila mwelekeo, ingekuwa-mhubiri angegundua kuwa ingekuwa na gharama kadhaa dola elfu kununua saa moja tu kwenye kituo cha televisheni moja katika jiji kubwa. Chama cha Evangelistic lazima kilipe $ 4,500.00 kwa nusu saa moja WGN, Chicago wakati wa awali sana wa 6:00 asubuhi, asubuhi Jumatatu, ambayo ni saa 5:00 AM Kati – haiwezekani kwetu isipokuwa Eneo la Muda wa Mashariki. Sasa, kupitia redio na / au televisheni, mhubiri wetu anaweza kufikia maelfu ya watu. Same mtu, ujumbe huo! Lakini badala ya kumtia mtu mmoja kwa wakati mmoja, anaweza kuwa walioalikwa katika mazingira ya karibu ya maelfu ya vyumba vya kuishi kupitia redio au televisheni, na kuzungumza na watazamaji wengi wenye kiasi sawa cha juhudi!

Ni ipi inayofaa zaidi? Ambayo inakuja karibu na kutimiza Mkuu wa Kristo Tume kwa kanisa lake, ambalo lilikuwa “Nendeni ulimwenguni pote, na kuhubiri Injili kwa kila kiumbe?” Ni dhahiri, ni ufanisi zaidi kufikia watu wengi, badala ya moja mtu kwa wakati. Chini ya msingi ni kwamba kujitegemea kama hiyo, ingekuwa mhubiri angepata haraka sana kwamba alilazimika kuandaa, baada ya yote! Mara baada ya kufanya hivyo, yeye ni kiongozi wa shirika, kama neno linaomba yeye au la.

Je, Ni mwenye Dhambi Kuhusu Shirika?

Neno “shirika” linatokana na Kilatini “corpus,” ambayo ina maana “mwili.” A neno linalotakiwa ni “lililopo.” Kwa kawaida, neno hilo lina maana ya kikundi cha watu, kilichopangwa pamoja katika taasisi inayohusika na kisheria kutekeleza kusudi. Tunasema ya “Mashirika makuu” tunaposema watu kama vile General Motors, Ford, Boeing, au IBM. Kuna makumi ya maelfu ya wadogo, ikiwa ni pamoja na familia ambao wameingizwa ili kuendesha biashara za nyumbani.

Kutoka kwenye kituo chako cha haraka cha chakula cha haraka kwa kituo cha kujaza; kutoka ununuzi wako wa ndani maduka kwa MacDonalds, wewe ni kushughulika na mashirika. Hakuna ubaya, au sinister kuhusu mashirika au mashirika.

Hapa ni nini kamusi inasema juu ya neno “Corporate:” “Ya usawa; kufanya katika mwili. 1. a: sumu katika chama na kupewa kwa sheria na haki na madeni ya mtu binafsi; zinazohusiana na, au kuundwa kuwa mwili umoja wa watu binafsi; jamii. “Neno” Corporation “linaelezwa kama ifuatavyo:

“2: mwili uliofanywa na mamlaka ya sheria kutekeleza kama mtu mmoja ingawa yaliyoundwa na watu mmoja au zaidi na kwa kisheria iliyotolewa na haki mbalimbali na majukumu ikiwa ni pamoja na uwezo wa mfululizo “(Mtandao wa Kisa ya Webster ya Nane Dictionary, p. 292).

Kama vile mikono na miguu yenu, na “wanachama” mbalimbali wa mwili wako wa kimwili ni iliyoandaliwa katika chombo kimoja; binadamu, mwili, hivyo namba yoyote ya watu binafsi hujitengeneza wenyewe katika “shirika,” au mwili umoja, kwa utaratibu ili kukamilisha malengo na malengo yaliyoelezwa.

Maelfu ya makanisa ya ndani, huru yanaingizwa. Kwa nini? Kwa sababu wali hamu ya kushiriki umiliki wa pamoja wa jengo la kanisa lao, viti vyao, sauti mfumo, vifaa vya jikoni na kadhalika, badala ya kuruhusu kuwa inayomilikiwa na kudhibitiwa na mtu mmoja tu.

Kwa wazi, sababu ya msingi ya mashirika hayo yanaundwa ni masuala ya kifedha, kama vile kuweka rekodi ya makini ya zaka na sadaka, kudumisha udhibiti rasmi wa akaunti ya benki ya kampuni, na kuomba hali ya msamaha wa kodi kutoka kwa IRS.

Kanisa la Mungu la Intercontinental lilianzishwa awali kama shirika ndani Texas, mwaka wa 1998. ICG inajulikana kama kanisa la kibinafsi na ndani Huduma ya Mapato. Inaruhusiwa kununua na kujenga vifaa vya kimwili muhimu kutekeleza malengo yake ya msingi. Inasimamiwa na Bodi ya Wadhamini ambayo inasimamia majukumu ya kampuni ya kanisa. Malengo yake ya msingi ni imefanywa waziwazi katika Katiba na Sheria za Kati, ambazo zinaelezea mengi ya Tume ya sekondari ya Kristo – hiyo ya kulisha kundi la Mungu.

Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association, ambayo ilikuwa ya kwanza kuingizwa mwaka 1979, ipo tu ili kukamilisha Tume Kubwa ambayo Yesu Kristo alitoa Kanisa lake; kuhubiri injili ya ufalme wa Mungu ulimwenguni, na kulisha kundi.

Mashirika mawili ya kisheria ni ya kuunga mkono kila mmoja; fanya kazi umoja kamili na ushirikiano ili kukamilisha Tume ya sehemu mbili za Kristo.

Chama cha Evangelistic, kama matokeo ya zaka za uhuru na sadaka za uhuru wafanyakazi wenzake pamoja na Kristo na wanachama waaminifu wa kanisa,
wanaweza kununua muda kwenye vituo vya televisheni. Inatuma makumi ya maelfu ya vitabu, vijitabu, vipeperushi na kanda za mahubiri kila mwaka, pamoja na kuchapisha, mara kwa mara, “Kuangalia karne ya ishirini na moja,” na gazeti la kanisa lake, “The Habari za Intercontinental. ”
Makampuni mawili yanaendelea kila tovuti. Takribani elfu moja wageni kila siku wanatembelea tovuti ya Injili kwenye “garnertedarmstrong.org/.”

Makao makuu ya mashirika mawili iko katika jengo jipya letu, saa

The post Je, Unapaswa Kuepuka Wote “Ulioandaliwa Dini”? first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

Katika maelfu ya sherehe za mazishi, wachungaji kwa uhakika huwahakikishia waliokufa jamaa wapendwa wao tayari wame mbinguni, na imani ni indeliblyreinforced katika hali ya maumivu na hofu ya haijulikani. Lakini Biblia inafundisha Wakristo kwenda mbinguni wakati wa kufa?

Kwa nini hakuna mabwawa yaliyogawanyika?

Hajawahi kuonekana umeonyeshwa kwenye mawe ya kaburi ambalo baadhi ya miili iliyokuwa na sehemu za kimwili za roho ambazo sasa zinapiga kelele kwenye moto wa kuzimu!

Hata hivyo, vile ni imani ya mamilioni ambao kwa ujasiri wanadhani mafundisho ya a nyumba ya mbinguni, au kuzimu kuwaka.

Haijalishi jinsi walivyoondoka hivi karibuni walipokuwa wameishi, wengi wa mchungaji wanaweza kuwafariji wapendwao waliopoteza kwa mawazo ya kwamba, wakati wa mwisho sana, mzee wa zamani wa Cantankerous na mchanga, alifanya hivyo kwa njia ya malango!

Kwa zaidi ya miaka ishirini na minane, nimetoa hundi ya cashier kuthibitishwa kwa $ 10,000 kwa mtu yeyote ambaye anaweza kuja na maneno “roho isiyoweza kufa,””Tunapopata ghafla,” “Nitawaona mbinguni,” na “Tunakwenda mbinguni tunapokufa.”

Sio miaka yote ishirini na minane, na mamilioni ya kusikia maneno yangu, ina moja mtu ameweza kudai hundi ya cashier kuthibitishwa kwa $ 10,000!

Kwa nini isiwe hivyo?

Kwa sababu maneno hayo hayatakuwa katika Biblia!

Kumbuka, kuna chanzo kimoja tu cha kweli halisi kuhusu kile kinachotokea kifo.

Biblia ni kitabu cha Mungu kwa mwanadamu-ufunuo wa mtu mwenye ujuzi haukuweza vinginevyo ujifunze mwenyewe. Biblia ni ujuzi wazi!

Haielezei kuwa kitabu cha sayansi, hisabati, jiolojia, astronomy,biolojia, au fizikia. Hata hivyo, ni kwamba kitabu kimoja ambacho kila utafiti unapaswa kufikiwa.

Mungu hakupoteza nafasi katika Neno Lake kurudia kwa mwanadamu, milele, maelfu ya vitu ambavyo mtu angeweza kujisikia kwa urahisi mwenyewe.

Alifanya hivyo, hata hivyo, hufunua mioyo na akili za watu hao ambao hawana chuki kwa Neno la Mungu mfuko wa ujuzi wa thamani ambao hatuwezi kujipatia wenyewe! Biblia imeonekana kuwa Neno la Mungu lililofunuliwa na Mungu!

Paulo akasema, “Andiko lote limepewa uongozi wa Mungu [maana yake, ‘Mungu’), na ni faida kwa mafundisho, kwa kukataa, kwa kusahihisha, kwa kufundishwa kwa haki” (2 Timotheo 3:16).

Neno la Mungu lililofunuliwa na Mungu ni chanzo cha lazima ambacho tunapaswa kwenda kugundua ukweli halisi juu ya malipo ya kuokolewa, juu ya kile kinachotokea wakati wa kufa; kuhusu ahadi ya “mbinguni,” au tishio la “kuzimu.”

Je! Haionekani kuwa ni jambo lisilo na kwamba wewe kama mbinguni ni malipo ya kuokolewa; kwamba kama Jahannamu ni malipo ya wenye dhambi; kwamba ikiwa watakatifu wakichukuliwa kwenda mbinguni – kuna angalau kuwa na maandiko moja mahali fulani katika Biblia waziwazi kusema hivyo?

Je, ni jambo lisilo kwako kwako ya mafundisho yote ya Biblia, hizi kuu, mstari wa “mti” wa “mti” wa “kukwama,” au “kwenda mbinguni,” au “hofu inayowaka, “Lazima iwe mbali kabisa na Biblia?

Mamilioni wa waenda kanisani wameketi kanisa kusikilizwa maelezo ya mbinguni. Wamejisikia hadithi za kukata tamaa za kifo cha watu wazee wakiwa wazee; maono ya mbinguni, wakati wa mwisho wa kifo cha kitanda kifo, na hadithi za watu ambao wameangalia juu walipokufa na wakasema waliona Yesu akija!

Lakini kwa hii yote ya gingerbread na euphoria kote kando ya somo, haya watu wanaoenda kanisani hawajawahi katika maisha yao wakakaa katika kujifunza Biblia kwa muda mrefu au huduma ya kanisa ambako waliposikia waziri alipitia kupitia maandiko mengi katika Biblia akiahidi mbinguni kama tuzo la waliookolewa! Wamejisikia vikwazo visivyo wazi kutoka kwenye maandiko machache ambayo yana uwezo wa kutafsiri kadhaa!

Lakini hawajawahi kusikia mgonjwa, makini, kupangwa vizuri, mafunzo ya Biblia ya kina au mahubiri yanayoonyesha kutoka kwa Biblia kwamba mbinguni ni malipo ya waliookolewa!

Kwa nini hawajui?

Kwa sababu hawezi kuthibitishwa!

Kwa nini Kristo Alifundisha Ufufuo?

Kwa nini Yesu aliendelea kusema juu ya ufufuo? Akasema, “Kweli, nawaambieni, saa inakuja, na sasa, wakati wafu watasikia sauti ya Mwana wa Mungu; na wale wanaisikia wataishi” (Yohana 5:25).

Aliwaelezea wale waliokuwa ndani ya makaburi yao, waliokufa, hawajui chochote, wakati wa kuja kwa pili kwa Kristo. “Msifadhaike kwa hili: kwa maana wakati unakuja, ambapo wote waliokuwako kaburini wataisikia sauti yake, na watatoka; Wale waliotenda mema, kwa ufufuo wa uzima; na wale waliofanya mabaya, kwa ufufuo wa hukumu “[” hukumu, “margin] (Yohana 5: 28-29).

Maandiko haya yanaonyesha wazi tukio la baadaye. Yesu alisema juu ya ufufuo wa jumla kutoka kwa wafu, ambayo aliita ufufuo “wa uzima. “Yeye alisema wazi juu ya kinyume cha kifo. Alizungumza kuhusu maisha.

Neno la Mungu linasema “Wafu hawajui chochote,” na “Kumbukumbu lao ni wamesahau. “Daudi, katika Zaburi, anaelezea kwamba kifo ni hali isiyo na maana kabisa-ukosefu wa ujuzi na ufahamu.

Sulemani, mwana wa Daudi, alielezea kwamba wanaume hufa kifo kama vile wanyama (Mhubiri 3:19). Alisema “Ndio wote wana pumzi moja. “

Neno la Mungu linafunua kwamba wanadamu wanaishi kimwili, kimwili. Sisi ni vifo, muda mfupi, viumbe vya transitory; endelevu na mambo ya nyenzo ya uumbaji huu wa kimwili. Sisi ni kunywa maji, kupumua hewa, viumbe vya kuingiza chakula ambao maisha yao yanategemea tu damu yetu na vyakula (kama mafuta) tunayoingia katika mifumo yetu.

Tunapokufa, kuacha jumla ya kuwepo kwa kimwili, kimwili hutokea. Kifo ni ukosefu wa maisha. Biblia inaelezea wale wanaoingia kwenye makaburi yao kama kuwa kama amekufa kama mnyama wowote amekufa!

Lakini Yesu Kristo alizungumzia wakati ambao watafufuliwa kuishi! Angalia, Yeye alifanya si kuelezea “nafsi isiyokufa” inayohesabiwa kuwa imefungwa tena ndani ya wafu wa zamani,mwili uliooza!

Soma sura nzima ya kumi na tano ya 1 Wakorintho. Hii inaitwa “ufufuo sura. “Katika sehemu hii ya ajabu ya maandiko hupatikana baadhi ya wengi mafundisho muhimu na wazi zaidi ya Neno la Mungu. Sio tu ufufuo ilivyoelezwa kwa undani zaidi, lakini hata “maswali ya kipumbavu” yanajibu. Kisha,watu wanafikiri wamegundua swali ngumu sana hata kwa Mungu. Wataelezea, kwa ukali, uharibifu wa miili iliyokwazwa baharini na papa. Kisha wanaelezea jinsi papa huchukuliwa na wavuvi, na livers zao zinauzwa kwenye soko. Wanasema kwamba mtu mwingine anaye ini ya shark, na hivyo sehemu ya miili ya wafu, kwa kutoa mafuta kwa tumbo la shark, kuingizwa ndani ya mwili wake na kuwa sehemu ya ini, sasa inakuwa sehemu ya mwili wa mtu mwingine aliye hai! Hivyo Mungu anawezaje kutatua tatizo hilo, wanauliza?

Wao wataelezea kile kinachotokea wakati watu wanaingizwa katika kitu chochote katika mlipuko wa atomiki, wanachomwa moto na majivu yao waliotawanyika juu ya milima, hewa, au bahari; au hata puzzle bila kudumu juu ya kile kinachotokea kwa wale waliokufa karne nyingi zilizopita ambapo hata mifupa wenyewe yamegeuka kuwa kitu lakini vumbi.

Kwa mawazo kama hayo, inaonekana haiwezekani kwa Mungu “kumfufua” mwili uliokuwa. Mtume Paulo anaonyesha haya ni “maswali ya kipumbavu,” na huwajibu kabisa katika “sura ya ufufuo” maarufu wa 1 Wakorintho 15.

“Lakini mtu mwingine atasema, wafu wamefufuliwaje? Na kwa mwili gani wao kuja? Wewe mpumbavu, kile unachopanda haukufufuliwa isipokuwa kinakufa. Na kile unachopanda, hupanda mwili ambao utakuwa, lakini nafaka isiyo na mbegu, inaweza kuwa na nafasi ya ngano au nafaka nyingine. Lakini Mungu huipa mwili kama alivyompendeza, na kila mbegu mwili wake mwenyewe. Nyama zote si nyama sawa; lakini kuna aina moja ya mwili wa wanadamu, mwili mwingine wa wanyama, mwingine wa samaki, na mwingine wa ndege. Pia kuna miili ya mbinguni, na miili duniani: lakini utukufu wa mbinguni ni mmoja, na utukufu wa ardhi ni mwingine. Kuna utukufu mmoja wa jua, na utukufu mwingine wa mwezi, na utukufu mwingine wa nyota: kwa nyota moja inatofautiana na nyota mwingine katika utukufu. Kwa hiyo pia ni ufufuo wa wafu. Inafanywa katika uharibifu: hufufuliwa katika usioharibika: hupandwa katika aibu; hufufuliwa katika utukufu: hupandwa katika udhaifu: hufufuliwa kwa nguvu: hupandwa mwili wa asili; ni kufufuka mwili wa kiroho. Kuna mwili wa asili, na kuna mwili wa kiroho “(1 Wakorintho 15: 35-44). Angalia kwanza kwamba Mtume Paulo anaelezea mawazo ya mwanadamu kuhusu jinsi Mungu atakavyoleta mwili wa binadamu ulioharibika na uliooza kama swali lililopendekezwa na mpumbavu.

Kisha, anaonyesha kwamba kwa njia ya nguvu isiyo ya kikomo ya nguvu ya kufanya kazi ya Mungu ni mwili wa kawaida, unaosababishwa na uharibifu, ambao huweza kuachana tena na mambo ya dunia hii (“wewe ndio ufu, na utarudi kwa udongo”) ni kufufuka kama roho!

“Hata hivyo sio ya kwanza ambayo ni ya kiroho, bali ni ya asili; na baadaye kile kilicho kiroho … na kama tulivyobeba sanamu ya dunia, tutaweza pia kubeba mfano wa mbinguni. Ndugu zangu nasema hii, kwamba mwili na damu haziwezi kurithi Ufalme wa Mungu; wala uharibifu sio urithi usioharibika. Tazama, nakuonyesha siri; sisi hatutalala usingizi, lakini sisi wote tutabadilishwa, kwa dakika moja, kwa kupanuka kwa jicho, kwenye tarumbeta ya mwisho; kwa kuwa tarumbeta itapiga kelele, na wafu watafufuliwa wasioharibika, na tutabadilishwa. Kwa maana hii inayoharibika lazima iweke uharibifu, na huyu aliyekufa lazima amevaa kutokufa! “(1 Wakorintho 15: 46-53).

Unahitaji kusoma sura hii ya kufunua sana katika Biblia yako mwenyewe. Soma pole pole, kukubali juu ya thamani ya uso, kama ilivyo, na kuamini kama Neno la Mungu! Ikiwa utafanya, hutawahi kuchanganyikiwa tena kuhusu ufufuo wa wafu.

Sura hii inayofunua wazi inaonyesha kwamba, wakati wa kifo, miili yako ya kimwili, ya muda, imesimama katika kuwepo kwa kemikali na mambo ya asili ya dunia hii; chakula, maji, na hewa, huacha kikamilifu kufanya kazi, na kwamba upungufu wa jumla na matokeo ya kutosha! Sio tu kukomesha kabisa kwa maisha-kuna hasara ya jumla ya ufahamu!

Kisha, baada ya kifo, mwili wa mwili huanza kuoza.

Sura hii nzuri ya kumi na tano ya 1 Wakorintho inaeleza kwamba bila kujali jinsi gani haraka kwamba mchakato wa kuoza (ikiwa ni kupigwa kwa bits katika mlipuko wa atomiki au kuoza polepole katika kaburi la kawaida) Mungu anaweza kuunda upya kabisa maisha mapya ya roho, kumpa mtu mwili mpya wa roho! Mtume Paulo alikwenda kwa uchungu mkubwa kuelezea sio mwili wa zamani, uliooza, “ulioharibiwa” ambao umefufuliwa, lakini mwili wa kiroho. Kuna literally maandiko mengi katika Biblia ambayo inazungumzia ufufuo mkubwa.

Angalia mwingine wa muhimu zaidi. “Kisha nikaona viti vya enzi, wakakaa juu yao, wakapewa hukumu; nikaona roho za wale waliopunjwa kichwa kwa ushahidi wa Yesu, na kwa neno la Mungu, na wasiomwabudu yule mnyama, wala sanamu yake, wala hawakupata alama juu ya vipaji vyao, au kwa mikono yao; nao wakaishi na kutawala pamoja na Kristo miaka elfu. Lakini wengine wafu hawakuishi tena mpaka miaka elfu ikamalizika [hii ni ufufuo wa kwanza]. Heri na takatifu ni yeye aliye na sehemu katika ufufuo wa kwanza; kwa hiyo kifo cha pili hawana nguvu, lakini watakuwa makuhani wa Mungu na wa Kristo, nao watatawala pamoja naye miaka elfu “(Ufunuo 20: 4-6) .

Kama vile Yesu alivyosema juu ya ufufuo kwa “uzima” na ufufuo wa hukumu, “hivyo maandiko haya ya kufunua inaonyesha wafu katika Kristo kufufuliwa kwa pili kuja kwa Kristo, na kisha kutawala na Yesu Kristo kwa miaka elfu, wakati “Wengine waliokufa,” (wale ambao hawakuwahi kuongoka), bado hawajui kabisa kifungu hiki cha wakati mpaka baada ya miaka elfu!

Unaona, kuanzia mstari wa II hadi mwisho wa sura ya 20, picha ya “hukumu kuu ya kiti cha enzi nyeupe,” au ufufuo mkubwa wa siku za mwisho wa labda mabilioni ya wanadamu ambao watapewa fursa ya wokovu! Soma sura ya 37 ya Ezekieli katika mwanga wa sehemu ya mwisho ya Ufunuo 20.

“Mifupa ya kavu” maarufu ya unabii wa Ezekieli inasemekana kuwa “nyumba nzima wa Israeli “(mstari wa II) ambao watafufuliwa katika” kiti cha enzi “kikuu chenye nyeupe hukumu.”

Mungu asema “Tazama, enyi watu wangu, nitafungua makaburi yenu, na kukufanya uje kutoka katika makaburi yako, na kukuleta katika nchi ya Israeli. Nanyi mtajua kwamba mimi Mimi ni Milele wakati nimefungua makaburi yako, enyi watu wangu, na kukuleta nje ya makaburi yako. Nami nitaweka roho yangu ndani yenu, nanyi mtakuwa hai, nami nitakuwa Uweke katika nchi yako mwenyewe; basi utajua ya kuwa mimi wa Milele umesema,na kuifanya, asema wa Milele “(Ezekieli 37: 12-14).

Hapa tena, unaona mawili ya kupinga: kifo, ufahamu kamili-miili ya wanadamu na mamilioni ya kuoza, wamesahau katika makaburi yao – kinyume na ufufuo mkubwa wa ufufuo wa maisha hata baada ya utawala wa milenia wa Yesu Kristo! Wakati na tena, Biblia inazungumzia ufufuo wa kwanza kwa papo moja kwa moja ya kuja kwa pili kwa Kristo!

Katika suala hili, soma kwa uangalifu moja ya maandiko yenye thamani ambayo hutumiwa na wasaidizi ya “matumaini ya mbinguni” mafundisho. Tembelea 1 Wathesalonike 4, ukianza kusoma na mstari wa 13. “Lakini sitaki Ndugu zangu, msiwe na ufahamu juu ya wale waliolala, msiwe na huzuni, kama wengine wasio na matumaini. Kwa maana ikiwa tunaamini kwamba Yesu alikufa na kufufuliwa tena, ndivyo vile vile wale ambao wamelala katika Yesu Mungu ataletana naye.

Kwa hili tunawaambieni kwa neno la Bwana, kwamba sisi walio hai na kubaki mpaka kuja kwa Bwana hatutazuia wale ambao wamelala. Kwa maana Bwana mwenyewe atashuka kutoka mbinguni kwa sauti, na sauti ya malaika mkuu, na tarumbeta ya Mungu; na wafu katika Kristo watafufuliwa kwanza; basi sisi walio hai na kubaki watachukuliwa juu pamoja nao katika mawingu, kukutana na Bwana katika hewa: na hivyo tutawahi kuwa pamoja na Bwana. Kwa hiyo farihiana kwa maneno haya. “

Nakala hii hutumiwa mara kwa mara ili kumaanisha kuwa Wakristo wanakwenda mbinguni! Tafuta maandiko tena, hata hivyo, na utaona maandiko haya hayasema chochote kuhusu kwenda mbinguni!

Inasema nini?

Inasema wote “waliokufa ndani ya Kristo (ambao wamekufa kabisa, wasio na ufahamu, hawajui ya kifungu cha wakati katika makaburi yao) na Wakristo walio hai” watachukuliwa pamoja nao katika mawingu, kukutana na Bwana katika hewa… “Hii haina kusema” juu mbinguni! “Inasema” katika mawingu. “Mawingu ni sehemu kubwa ya dunia hii kama bahari, milima, au kitu kingine kingine kilichojumuisha jambo.

Ingawa unaweza kufikiri juu ya mawingu kama sio kuwa na suala la kweli, ikiwa hakuwa jambo la chembe, hawangeonekana, na huwezi kuwaona. Hata hivyo, hewa yenyewe ni, kwa kweli, “nyenzo,” maana yake inachukua nafasi, ina uzito, inakabiliwa na sheria fulani zisizo na imara, na linajumuisha gesi mbalimbali.

“Anga” yetu ni bahasha nyembamba ya gesi zinazosababisha maisha ambazo zinafanywa karibu kwa uso wa dunia kwa mvuto. Mimea hai huzalisha oksijeni, ambayo ni muhimu kwa maisha ya binadamu na wanyama. Mawingu ni mvuke tu, ambayo hutengenezwa na condensation na kutengeneza chembe ndogo za barafu wakati hali ya hewa ya unyevu inavyobadilishwa katika shinikizo na joto.

Safari nyingi za ndege za ndege ni vizuri zaidi ya mawingu mengi. Hakika, satelaiti zote za orbital ziko mbali zaidi ya mawingu, na bado zimefanyika katika mfano wa orbital juu ya dunia, imara na kuvuta mvuto.

Wakati Biblia inavyosema kuhusu Yesu Kristo kurudi hapa duniani inaonyesha waziwazi Yeye anakuja kurudi nyuma, kama alivyoondoka. Soma, katika sura ya kwanza ya Matendo, ujumbe wa kwanza kabisa wa kurudi kutoka mbinguni baada ya Yesu kupaa kwa Baba yake:

“Naye [Yesu] alipokwisha sema hayo, walipoona [wanafunzi] Alichukuliwa juu; na wingu likampokea mbele yao. Nao walipokuwa wanatazamia mbinguni akipokwenda, tazama, watu wawili wakasimama karibu nao nguo nyeupe; Ambayo pia alisema, ninyi wanaume wa Galilaya, kwa nini mnasimama mnatazamia mbinguni? Yesu huyu, ambaye amechukuliwa kutoka kwenu kwenda mbinguni, atakuja kama vile umemwona aende mbinguni “(Matendo 1: 9-11).

Walimwona Yesu akipandwa katika mawingu tu miguu mia chache juu ya vichwa vyao! Yesu angekuwa asiyeonekana kabisa kama alikuwa tu miguu elfu sana kutoka kwao! Andiko linaonyesha wazi kwamba alikuwa bado anaonekana hadi mawingu amficha Yeye kwa maoni yao. Hilo lilimaanisha mawingu ilipaswa kuwa chini sana kwenye tukio hili!

Biblia inasema atarudi hapa duniani, “kwa namna hiyo” kama walimwona aenda mbinguni! Kurudi kwa 1 Wathesalonike 4 na kusoma kifungu kilichotajwa tena. Angalia nini hausema. Haina kusema chochote kuhusu “kwenda mbinguni.” Haisema chochote kuhusu “nafsi isiyokufa”!

Badala yake, kwa waziwazi imethibitishwa na maandiko mengine mengi, inaonyesha ufufuo wa wafu ndani ya Kristo, na mabadiliko ya mara moja (1 Wakorintho 15: 50-52) ya wale “wanaoishi na wanaobakia,” kuwa hawakupata pamoja kama moja kundi “katika mawingu,” na hatimaye huhitimisha kwa kusema “… na hivyo tutawahi kuwa pamoja na Bwana. Na Bwana atakuwa wapi siku hiyo hiyo? Kumbuka, Yeye anarudi. Yeye sio kwenda tu “kutembelea jirani kwa ujumla” ya dunia, kuwatenga watakatifu katika kile kinachoitwa “kunyakuliwa” na kuwaondoa mbinguni!

Angalia ushahidi, kutoka kwa Biblia yako mwenyewe! Tazama, siku ya Bwana inakuja, na nyara zako zitagawanyika katikati yako. Kwa maana nitakusanya mataifa yote juu ya Yerusalemu kupigana vita; na mji utachukuliwa, na nyumba zimepigwa mbio, na wanawake wakashindwa; na nusu ya jiji litatoka mateka, na mabaki ya watu hawatachukuliwa mbali na mji. Kisha wa Milele atatoka, na kupigana na mataifa hayo, kama alipopigana siku ya vita. Na miguu yake itasimama siku hiyo juu ya Mlima wa Mizeituni, ulio mbele ya Yerusalemu upande wa mashariki; na Mlima wa Mizeituni utaunganishwa na mashariki na upande wa magharibi; na kutakuwa na bonde kubwa sana; na nusu ya mlima utaondoka kaskazini, na nusu yake kuelekea kusini “(Zekaria 14: 1-4).

Uwekaji wa unabii huu ni siku ya Bwana. Siku ya Bwana ni kipindi cha muda mara moja kufuatia ishara za mbinguni za Ufunuo 7, na “mihuri” mitano ya kwanza ya Ufunuo 6, au dhiki kuu iliyotabiriwa na Yesu katika Mathayo 24. Kusanyiko la mataifa yote dhidi ya Yerusalemu kupigana vita ni vita sawa sawa vinavyoonyeshwa katika Ufunuo 19: 11-21.

Hapa, Yohana anaona mbingu zilifunguliwa katika maono, na Yesu Kristo ameketi juu ya nyeupe farasi, ikifuatiwa na majeshi ya mbinguni, kurudi hapa duniani “kuwapiga mataifa” na “kuwadhibiti kwa fimbo ya chuma. “Katika maono, Yohana alisema” alimwona huyo mnyama, na wafalme wa dunia, na majeshi yao, wamekusanyika ili kupigana na yeye aliyeketi juu ya farasi, na juu ya jeshi lake. “Na inaelezea uharibifu wa wote wawili mnyama na nabii wa uongo siku ile ile ya kuja kwa pili kwa Yesu Kristo. Nini kitatokea baada ya wafu ndani ya Kristo na Wakristo wanaoishi wanapatiwa pamoja ili kukutana na Kristo anayerudi katika hewa?

Biblia inasema “Na miguu Yake itasimama siku hiyo juu ya Mlima wa Mizeituni! ”
Wao wamekusanywa kutoka mataifa yote, kuchukuliwa na malaika wenye nguvu ili kukutana na Yesu Kristo kama anarudi moja kwa moja kwenye Mlima wa Mizeituni, na kisha nishuka pamoja Naye kwenda Yerusalemu!

Angalia! “Kisha itaonekana ishara ya Mwana wa Adamu mbinguni; kisha kabila zote za dunia zitalia, na watamwona Mwana wa Mtu akija katika mawingu ya mbinguni kwa nguvu na utukufu mkubwa. Naye atawatuma malaika wake kwa sauti kubwa ya tarumbeta, na watawakusanya wateule kutoka kwa upepo nne, kutoka mwisho mmoja wa mbinguni hadi mwingine “(Mathayo 24: 30-3 1). Angalia tena maelezo ya Yesu Kristo kurudi hapa duniani!

Mafundisho ya uwongo ya Wakristo “kwenda mbinguni” yangefanya kabisa uhitaji wowote wa pili wa kuja kwa Kristo. Ikiwa “roho” walikuwa tayari “mbinguni” tangu walipokufa, basi kwa nini Kristo atakuja? Kwa nini “roho” hizo zichukuliwe kutoka mbinguni, zimewekwa ndani ya miili iliyoharibika, kufufuliwa, na kisha mchakato mzima wa kuamua wapi wameanza tena? Mafundisho ya uwongo ya “kutokufa kwa nafsi” na Wakristo “kwenda mbinguni” huondoa kuja kwa pili kwa Kristo-ambayo ndiyo matukio makubwa zaidi ya kinabii katika Biblia! Hapana, “roho” haziendi mbinguni-wala watu wala. Kristo anarudi hapa duniani. Yeye anakuja njia yote nyuma; kuja na mawingu, kuwatwaa wenye haki walioongoka kwenda hewa pamoja Naye, kuwapeleka kwenye mahali tu juu ya Yerusalemu, na kisha, “Miguu yake itasimama juu ya Mlima wa Mizeituni” siku hiyo hiyo! Ni dhahiri, ushahidi huu wa kibiblia wa kurudi kwa pili kwa Kristo kabisa kukataa mafundisho ya uwongo ya roho wanaoenda mbinguni.

Sasa, hebu angalia baadhi ya mifano ya Kristo kuhusu ufalme wake ujao; kuhusu ukweli utaanzishwa juu ya dunia hii halisi, na kuona baadhi ya unabii juu ya hali duniani wakati wa milenia.

Soma tena mfano wa pounds na talanta. Mfano mmoja unapatikana katika Mathayo 25: 14-30, na mwingine katika Luka 19: 12-27. Katika kila kesi, wale ambao wanashinda ni ahadi ya Yesu Kristo utawala juu ya miji!

Katika mfano wa talanta (Mathayo 25), Yesu anasema, “Umefanya vizuri, wewe mzuri na mtumishi mwaminifu: umekuwa mwaminifu juu ya mambo machache, nitawaweka uongozi juu ya vitu vingi; ingia katika furaha ya Bwana. “Katika mfano wa pounds (Luka 19) Yesu anasema,” Naam, wewe mtumishi mwema; kwa kuwa umekuwa mwaminifu katika kidogo sana, iwe na mamlaka juu ya miji kumi “(Luka 19:17).

Je! Maneno haya ya wazi ya Mwokozi wako “yanafaa” katika mafundisho ya jadi ambayo umewahi kusikia-labda tu yachukuliwa kwa nafasi? Kitu chochote kuhusu “mbingu” hapa? Hapana, lakini utawala wa miji, uliofanywa na wanadamu, wakati wa utawala wa miaka 1,000 wa Kristo duniani unapatikana kwa wale wanaoishi maisha ya kushinda-ya kufuzu kwa nafasi hizo!

Angalia! “Na yule atashinda na kushika kazi zangu mpaka mwisho, nitampa mamlaka juu ya mataifa; naye atawaongoza kwa fimbo ya chuma; kama vile vyombo vya mfinyanzi vitavyovunjika ili kutetemeka: kama nilivyopokea kwa Baba yangu “(Ufunuo 2:26, ​​27). Hakuna njia ya “kiroho” maneno haya wazi! Yesu Kristo inamaanisha kile anasema! Wale ambao wanaishi maisha ya kushinda vunzo na taks za asili ya kibinadamu; kazi za mwili (Wagalatia 5: 19-2 1) na ambao wanaostahili watapewa nguvu na mamlaka halisi juu ya miji, mabara, majimbo, na mataifa yote! Je! Unakumbuka kile Yesu alichowaambia wanafunzi Wake kabla ya kusulubiwa kwake? “… Kweli nawaambieni, ninyi mlionifuata, wakati wa kuzaliwa upya wakati Mwana wa Mtu atakayeketi katika kiti cha utukufu wake, ninyi pia mtakaa juu ya viti vya enzi kumi na mbili, na kuhukumu kabila kumi na mbili za Israeli! (Mathayo 19:28).

Yesu Kristo anasema kuwa hata wale wanaoishi katika siku hii wanaweza kuwa na fursa ya utawala wa ushirikiano katika serikali yake mpya ambayo itaanzishwa hapa duniani baada ya kuja kwake kwa pili! “Yeye atashinda nitampa kukaa pamoja nami katika kiti changu cha enzi, kama vile nilivyoshinda, nami nikaketi pamoja na Baba yangu katika kiti chake cha enzi” (Ufunuo 3:21).

Yesu Kristo anakuja kurithi kiti cha enzi halisi! Kiti cha enzi hicho ni juu ya dunia hii. Vipi watoto wengi wadogo wamekumbatia maneno yafuatayo katika “wakati wa Krismasi,” kurudia maneno ya malaika kwa Maria juu ya kuzaliwa kwa Yesu Kristo, na hawajui waliyosema? “Malaika akamwambia,” Usiogope Maria! Kwa maana umepata kibali cha Mungu.

Ndipo, taona, utakuwa mimba katika mimba yako, na kuzaa Mwana, na kumwita jina lake YESU. Yeye atakuwa mkuu, naye ataitwa Mwana wa Aliye Juu; na Bwana Mungu atampa kiti cha enzi cha Daudi babaye, naye atatawala juu ya nyumba ya Yakobo milele; na ufalme wake hautakuwa na mwisho! “(Luka 1:30-33).

Mungu alifanya agano la kumfunga na Daudi, akimwambia kwa sababu Daudi aliendelea kuwa mwaminifu kwa sheria na kanuni za Mungu ambazo hazikuweza kushindwa mbegu kutoka kwa familia ya Daudi mwenyewe kukaa juu ya kiti chake cha kimwili! Uamini au la, hiyo kiti cha enzi bado iko juu ya dunia hii!

Soma unabii wa sura ya pili ya Danieli, ambako unaona, baada ya kuelezea kwa falme nne za urithi wa ulimwengu wa mataifa mengine mfululizo, “jiwe lililokatwa bila mikono” ambalo linapiga picha kwenye miguu yake [vidole kumi viwakilishi wa wafalme kumi Ufunuo 17] na ambayo “inakuwa mlima mkubwa na kujaza dunia yote.” Kwa wazi, katika unabii huu, jiwe la mfano linawakilisha kurudi, kumshinda Kristo! Sura kubwa inawakilisha hatua za mfululizo wa falme za utawala wa ulimwengu, ambazo zinakabiliwa na BEAST iliyoonyeshwa katika Danieli 7, na Ufunuo 13 na 17. Wafalme kumi ambao wanapigana na Kristo wakati wa kuja kwake (Ufunuo 17) wanaonyeshwa na vidole kumi vya picha kubwa, iliyochanganywa na chuma na udongo wenye udongo.

“Mlima mkubwa” ni mfano wa Ufalme wa Mungu ambao utatawala juu ya ukamilifu wa dunia!

Ufalme wa Mungu Kuutawala Ulimwengu

Kuna ushahidi mkali katika Biblia kwamba Ufalme wa Mungu utawala juu ya dunia hii! Hebu angalia tu chache za ushahidi zaidi.

“Lakini katika siku za mwisho itakuwa, kwamba mlima wa Nyumba ya Milele utaanzishwa juu ya milima, na itainuliwa juu ya vilima; na watu [wanadamu wanaoendelea kuwa hai duniani wakati huo!] watapita kati yake. Na mataifa mengi atakuja, na kusema, Njoni, na tuende kwenye mlima wa Milele, na kwa Nyumba ya Mungu wa Yakobo na Yeye atatufundisha njia zake na tutembea katika njia zake; Sheria itatoka Sayuni, na Neno la Milele kutoka Yerusalemu. Naye atahukumu kati ya watu wengi, na kuwaadhibu mataifa yenye nguvu; nao watapiga mapanga yao kuwa magomo, na mikuki yao kuwa mikoba ya kupogoa; taifa halitainua upanga juu ya taifa, wala hawatajifunza vita tena. Bali kila mtu atakaa chini ya mzabibu wake na chini ya mtini wake; wala hakuna atakayewaogopa; kwa kuwa kinywa cha Waislamu wa milele umesema “(Mika 4:1-4).

Hapa, unaona ishara ya Ufalme wa Mungu imara juu ya mataifa mengine yote, kubwa na chini! Kisha unaweza kuona wawakilishi wawakilishi kutoka nchi zote duniani walikubaliana, hatimaye, kuja kwenye makao makuu ya Mungu ‘jiji la Yerusalemu, kujifunza njia za Mungu; kujifunza kuweka sheria zake, kujifunza kubadili silaha za vita katika zana za amani!

Hapa ni maelezo mafupi ya Mungu hatimaye kulazimisha wanadamu njia za amani, furaha, mafanikio, furaha kubwa! Mizinga mbaya, kifo cha kifo kitashushwa, na ikageuka kuwa zana za kilimo. Hakutakuwa na “vyuo vya vita,” au masomo ya kijeshi, kufundisha “sanaa” ya vita!

Angalia maandiko yanayofanana: “Na itakuwa katika siku za mwisho, kwamba mlima wa Nyumba ya Bwana utaanzishwa juu ya milima, na itainuliwa juu ya vilima; na mataifa yote yatapita kwao. Na watu wengi watakwenda na kusema, Njoni, na tuende juu ya mlima wa Bwana, kwa nyumba ya Mungu wa Yakobo; na atatufundisha njia zake, na tutatembea
katika njia zake; kwa maana Sayuni itatoka sheria na neno la Bwana kutoka Yerusalemu. Naye atahukumu kati ya mataifa, na atawaadhibu watu wengi; nao watapiga mapanga yao kuwa makomimine, na mikuki yao kuwa mavuno ndoano; taifa halitainua upanga juu ya taifa, wala hawatajifunza vita tena “(Isaya 2: 2-4).

Tena, tunaona ukarabati kamili wa dunia. Ni wakati wa “kurejesha” wa vitu vyote (Matendo 3:21). Wakati wa ujenzi, upya; wakati wa mapinduzi ya ulimwengu, wakati wale waliozaliwa na Mungu kwa kufufuliwa kutoka kwa wafu, hubadilishwa mara moja (kama ulivyojifunza katika 1 Wakorintho 15) na ambao wamekuwa wajumbe wa familia ya Mungu, wataungana na Yesu Kristo katika nafasi ya uongozi na utawala juu ya binadamu, mali ya kimwili ya holocaust kubwa duniani ambayo ni uhakika kuja! Lakini watu wataokoka! (Mathayo 24:21, 22).

Kristo atarudi kwenye dunia hii ya kimwili, na atapewa nafasi za wajibu na utawala kwa wale ambao wamestahili kweli kuwa wajumbe wa ufalme wake! Angalia maelezo ya hali zilizopo duniani baada ya Kristo kuanza kutawala:

“Lakini kwa haki atawahukumu masikini, na atakataa kwa haki watu wa upole wa dunia; naye ataua dunia kwa fimbo ya kinywa chake, na kwa roho ya midomo yake ataua waovu. Na uadilifu utakuwa banda la kiuno chake, na uaminifu ni mshipi wa mapigo yake. Mbwa mwitu pia utakaa pamoja na mwana-kondoo, na mbwe atalala pamoja na mtoto; na ndama na simba wa simba na mafuta pamoja; na mtoto mdogo atawaongoza. Na ng’ombe na dubu zitakula; Watoto wao watalala pamoja; Na simba hula majani kama ng’ombe. Na mtoto mchanga atacheza kwenye shimo la asp, na mtoto aliyeachwa ataweka mkono wake juu ya shimo la jogoo. Wala hawataumiza wala kuharibu katika mlima wangu wote mtakatifu; kwa maana dunia itajazwa na ujuzi wa Bwana, kama maji yanayofunika bahari. Na siku hiyo kutakuwa na mizizi ya Yese, ambayo itasimama kwa sura ya watu; Mataifa watafuta; na mapumziko yake yatakuwa ya utukufu. Na itakuwa siku hiyo, Bwana ataweka tena mkono wake mara ya pili kuwaokoa watu wake wa kusalia, ambao watasalia, kutoka Ashuru, na kutoka Misri, na Pathrosi, na Kushi, na kutoka Elamu, na kutoka Shinari, na kutoka Hamati, na kutoka visiwa vya bahari. Naye atawaweka taifa kwa ajili ya mataifa, naye atakusanya watu waliopotea wa Israeli, na kuwakusanya wagawanyiko wa Yuda kutoka pembe nne za dunia “(Isaya 11: 4-12).

Haiwezekani kufasiri au kutokuelewana vizuri maandiko haya wazi! Kwa wazi,”fimbo nje ya shina la Jesse” (Jesse alikuwa baba wa Daudi na hivyo wa uzao wa Kristo) na “Tawi” ambalo lilikua kutoka mizizi yake ni kumbukumbu ya kimapenzi kwa Yesu Kristo. Soma mstari wa 2, “Na roho ya Bwana itabaki juu yake, roho ya hekima na ufahamu, roho ya shauri na nguvu, roho ya ujuzi na ya hofu ya Milele.”

Kuanza na mstari wa 4, unaona maelezo ya hukumu za haki za Yesu Kristo kurudi hapa duniani kama Mfalme mwenye ushindi wa wafalme na Bwana wa mabwana (soma Ufunuo 19). Mara baada yafuatayo, unaona hali ambazo zitatokea juu ya dunia yote wakati wa utawala wa milenia wa Yesu Kristo!

Je, kuna mbwa mwitu, simba, ng’ombe na nyoka wenye sumu hadi mbinguni? Usivu!

Hapa, unaona maelezo ya “wakati wa kurejeshwa kwa vitu vyote” ambayo Petro alitabiri mara moja baada ya siku ya Pentekoste, na siku ya kuzaliwa ya Kanisa. Petro akasema, “Naye atamtuma Yesu Kristo [akifafanua kuja kwa pili kwa Yesu!], Ambayo hapo awali ilikuwa imehubiriwa kwenu: ambao mbinguni lazima waipokee hata wakati wa kurejeshwa kwa kila kitu [kilichorejesha kila kitu], ambacho Mungu amesema kwa kinywa cha manabii wake wote watakatifu tangu ulimwengu ulianza “(Matendo 3:20, 21).

Hali ya wanyama itakuwa iliyopita!

Soma kifungu nzima polepole na makini. Huna haja ya mtu “kutafsiri” kile kinachosema, au kujaribu kubadilisha maana yake! Kwa wazi, hii ni ufafanuzi wa hali ya kutosha juu ya dunia hii mara moja baada ya kuja kwa pili kwa Yesu Kristo, na katika miaka ya kwanza ya Ufalme Wake!

Hapa, wengi wa mataifa ya dunia, yaliyotambuliwa na majina yao ya zamani, ni zilizotajwa. Mungu anasema atawaunganisha mara ya pili watu wake wa mataifa kutoka duniani, na kutoka “visiwa [visiwa] vya bahari.”

Kustaafu Mbinguni, au Kazi Ngumu?

Je! Hufanya maana yoyote kwako? Nini kama vijana wetu tu waliingia jeshi, navy au marine, walipata wiki sita za mafunzo ya msingi, kisha miezi michache ya mafunzo ya ziada, kwa kweli kuwabadilisha kutoka kwa raia kuwa wanaume wa kijeshi, wenye ujuzi katika matumizi ya silaha za kisasa na vifaa vya kijeshi, tu kuwa na mwalimu wao wa kutembea atangaze kwao wakati wa mafunzo yao kutoka “kambi ya boot” au mafunzo ya msingi: “Naam, wanaume, ndivyo! Wote mmefanya kazi ya ajabu. Umekuwa na ujuzi kwa njia ya mazoezi ya mazoezi ya kimwili, utunzaji wa silaha, kuendesha kozi za kikwazo, kujifunza kuchimba karibu na Kitabu cha Silaha. Sasa, wewe ni wanaume wa kijeshi kamili! Sasa, ni wakati wa wewe wote kustaafu! “Inaelezea mno, wakati wa kuweka njia hiyo, sivyo?

Hata hivyo, Yesu alisema “Ni kwa shida nyingi tunapaswa kuingia katika Ufalme wa Mungu.” Na akaahidi watumishi Wake wa kweli “Katika ulimwengu mtakuwa na dhiki, lakini shangwe, nimeshinda ulimwengu! “(Yohana 16:33). Petro akasema kwa sauti, “Ikiwa wenye haki hawawaokolewa, mwisho wa wale wasioitii Injili ya Mungu” (1 Petro 4:17).

Katika mahubiri juu ya mlima, Yesu alielezea njia katika Ufalme Wake unaokuja hivi karibuni kama “shida,” maana ya njia ngumu! Njia inayoongoza kwenye uharibifu Alielezea kama njia pana, yenye mwanga mzuri na taa za kuangaza na vivutio vilivyovutia. Lakini njia ya kuingia katika Ufalme Wake aliielezea kama udongo, mwamba, mwembamba, upepo, na ngumu sana!

Mara kwa mara, Biblia inatumia mfano wa huduma ya kijeshi wakati wa kuzungumza Wakristo. Muhuri wa Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association inaonyesha kofia, kifua kifuani, na mapanga yaliyovuka, pamoja na nukuu kutoka kwa Waefeso 6: 11-18, ambayo inasema, kwa sehemu, “Weka silaha zote za Mungu … ukiwa na viuno vyako juu ya kwa kweli, na kuvaa kifua kifuani cha haki; na miguu yako imevaa maandalizi ya injili ya amani; juu ya yote, kuchukua ngao ya imani … kofia ya wokovu, na upanga wa roho, ambayo ni Neno la Mungu. “Mtume Paulo alimwomba Timotheo kufanya” kama askari mwema wa Yesu Kristo “(2 Timotheo 2: 3).

Katika tukio lingine, Paulo alisema, “Kwa maana silaha za vita vyetu si za kimwili, lakini wenye nguvu kwa njia ya Mungu kuondokana na ngome … “(2 Wakorintho 10:4).

Yesu akasema, “Kwa yule atashinda, na kushika kazi zangu mpaka mwisho, kwake Nitawapa mamlaka juu ya mataifa; Naye atawaongoza kwa fimbo ya chuma … “(Ufunuo 2:26, ​​27).

Mungu hutumia analogi hizi kuonyesha Wakristo kwamba wanahusika katika mafunzo, na katika namna ya vita, kama askari wa kitaaluma.

Mkristo ni mmoja ambaye anaendelea kushinda; kujifunza, kujifunza, kukua,
kupata hekima, ujuzi, uvumilivu, upendo, na unyenyekevu! Mkristo anapigana (1 Wakorintho 9:26), lakini anapigana na shetani shetani, na kupinga mvuto wa asili ya kibinadamu, si kupigana na maadui wa kimwili na bunduki na risasi!

Uhai huu wa kibinadamu ni msingi wa mafunzo kwa Ufalme wa Mungu! Ni “kambi ya boot” – mafunzo ya uandikishaji-kwa wale ambao hatimaye watahitimu katika Ufalme na Familia ya Mungu, ili waweze kustahili kuongoza ulimwengu na Yesu Kristo!

Uhai wa Kikristo una sababu kubwa! Mungu anafanya kazi hapa chini! Hata hivyo, mamilioni hawawezi kuona lengo hilo kubwa ambalo bado wanajui mpango wa Mungu katika maisha yao!

Hakuna mahali ambapo Biblia inahubiri “kustaafu kwa Kikristo”! Fikiria juu yake! Je, si mengi ya muziki, mahubiri mengi, na mpango mkubwa wa mafundisho ya “Kikristo” yanaonyesha uzima wa kudumu na urahisi; ya furaha nzuri na furaha ya kiburi?

Je! Sio “mbinguni” ya dhana ya dini nyingi za ulimwengu picha karibu kitu kimoja? Mtu anafikiri ya wimbo “Jua Lazy Ole pata nothing ‘kufanya lakini Panda Kote Mbinguni Siku Yote, “katika muktadha huu. Rejea kwa “Mwenyekiti wa rocking wa mbinguni” na “makao ya mbinguni” hufanywa kwa urahisi baadhi ya mafundisho ya mythological ya kudai Ukristo.

Lakini ukweli wa Mungu ni tofauti sana! Ukweli ni kwamba Mwenyezi Mungu anaita wito wa watu binafsi (na sio ulimwengu wote unaitwa sasa!) Kama wajumbe wa mapema wa Ufalme Wake ujao ujao! Kama vile Yesu Kristo alivyowaita wanafunzi kumi na wawili tu na akawaumba ndani ya kiini cha “kundi lake la walioitwa” au “kanisa” lake (ambalo linafaa zaidi kutafsiriwa “mkusanyiko” katika Kiingereza cha kisasa), ili YESU KRISTU akiita kikundi cha kuchagua ambacho anawaita “waliochaguliwa sana” (Mathayo 24:22) kwa ajili ya mazoezi mazuri ya kustahili kuwa wafuasi wa dunia na yeye!

Je, kuna mtu yeyote anayefahamu kabisa upana na upeo wa Mungu Mpango mzuri na kusudi? Makanisa hawana tu kufundisha! Kanisa lini linafundisha kwamba wanachama wake sasa wanahitimu kuwa mameneja wa jiji, meya, wajumbe, wakuu,Rais, Waziri Mkuu na Mawaziri Mkuu, wafalme katika ulimwengu ujao? Lakini mji mameneja, meya na wakuu na tofauti! Tofauti hiyo ni kuwa imejaa nguvu ya Mungu ya MUNGU MUNGU!

Viongozi wa baadaye katika Ufalme wa Kristo unaokuja hivi karibuni hawatazuiliwa na “tafiti” za miaka mingi kwa maslahi yaliyotolewa na watendaji wa serikali. Maamuzi yanayohusiana na usafi, usafiri, haki ya kiraia, mazingira, huduma ya wazee, nk, nk, haitakabiliwa na kufungwa na masomo ya kamati ya miaka, mikutano ya halmashauri ya jiji, kupiga kura na uchaguzi, majaribio ya mahakamani, kura za maoni na mashtaka ! Badala yake, wale watakaotawala pamoja na Yesu Kristo watakuwa na hekima kubwa kuliko ile ya Sulemani; upendo sana na huruma ya Yesu Kristo; ambayo wataweza kusimamia kwa nguvu, kwa haraka, kwa rehema na haki, lakini

kwa ukali na Nguvu wakati inahitajika!

Baada ya yote, iko hapa duniani ambako matatizo ni!

Hakuna “matatizo” ya kutatua mbinguni! Mungu Mwenye Nguvu haitai kundi liweke kwa mafunzo mazuri, kushinda na kukua katika ujuzi na upendo wa Yesu Kristo; kupigana wenyewe; kwa kuwa asili yao ya kibinadamu imebadilika kutoka kwa ile ya wivu, tamaa, avarice na tamaa kwa tabia ya Yesu Kristo ya upendo, wema, upole, huruma, wema na ufahamu, ili kustaafu!

Badala yake, Yesu Kristo ameahidi Mfalme Na YAKE! “Yeye atashinda nitampa kukaa pamoja nami katika kiti changu cha enzi, kama vile nilivyoshinda, na kukaa pamoja na Baba yangu katika kiti chake cha enzi!” (Ufunuo 3:21).

Yohana, katika maono, aliandika, “Nikaona, na tazama, Mwana-Kondoo [Kristo] alisimama juu ya Mlima Sayuni [iliyoko Yerusalemu, hapa duniani] na pamoja naye elfu na arobaini na nne elfu, akiwa na Baba yake jina lililoandikwa kwenye vipaji vyao … hawa waliokolewa kutoka kwa wanadamu, kuwa matunda ya kwanza kwa Mungu na kwa Mwana-Kondoo! “(Ufunuo 14: 1-4).

Je, inawezekana wewe unakuitwa, sasa, kuwa mmojawapo wa watu hao wachache? Je! Mungu, kwa kweli, anaweza kufanya muujiza wa ufunguzi wa akili yako kuona CHAKE?

Mamilioni karibu na wewe ni katika giza la kiroho. Makanisa makubwa na madhehebu makubwa hazifundishi ukweli huu rahisi kutoka Neno la Mungu!

Mamilioni wanaamini kwamba “wanakwenda mbinguni” wanapokufa; amini katika nafsi isiyoweza kufa, na kuzimu kuwaka!

The post Amini au Si… Biblia Ina Usiahidi “Mbinguni”! first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

“Twin Cessna seven zero five, five golf.” The call sign crackled in my ears from the speaker over my head, clearly heard over the drone of our engines. I reached for the hand-held microphone mounted beneath the control pedestal below my right knee, pressed the button, spoke into the mike, “Five, five golf—go ahead.”

“Five, five golf, it appears you’ll need to correct about, uh, thirty degrees to your left to make good a track for Dalhart; you’ve drifted south of course.”

“Five, five golf—roger.” The call was from Albuquerque Center, keeping track of our flight aboard a twin Cessna 421, a pressurized, cabin-class twin, as we flew our IFR (instrument flight rules) flight from Montrose, Colorado, to Tyler, Texas. We were cruising at twenty-five thousand feet, over four miles above the earth. On autopilot, I had been steering with the heading “bug” in our directional gyro, mounted in the exact center of the primary flight instruments on the panel.

Immediately above it was the artificial horizon, showing a field of blue representing the sky, and covering lines painted on dull brown representing the earth beneath, and the distant horizon. Superimposed on this interesting little portrayal of the physical elements were little orange slashes, representing our wings, and an orange dot, representing the fuselage. If they were out of line with the painted horizon, it meant we were in a bank. Below the horizon, and we were heading down; above, with only the blue of the painted sky showing beyond the artificial airplane in the instrument, and we were climbing. The degrees above and below the horizon were clearly marked.

To the left was my airspeed indicator, and to the right, the altimeter. The RMI (radio magnetic indicator), with its two needles, a fat one for my primary (number one) VOR (very high frequency, omnidirectional radio range), and a thin one for my ADF (automatic directional finder), was to the left of my DG, or directional gyro, and on the right was the instrument that told me, in the number of feet per minute, whether I was ascending or descending.

Scanning these and other instruments, like the electric “turn and bank” indicator (that most pilots call the “needle-ball” instrument), all appeared normal. Thirty degrees off course? But how could this be?

Mounted on the metal frame separating the two sections of windshield was our magnetic compass. This instrument, of all the others in the airplane, was the one absolutely incapable of lying to us; a “compass correction card” displays each individual compass’ peculiarities perhaps a degree or two of variation due to various factors; the metals in the airplane, position of mounting, or the instrument itself. But after these are established (before the airplane is sold), the only thing which can affect the compass is some irregularity in the mineral deposits in the earth. Charts far north, or over the Mesabi Iron Range, for example, have notices, “Compass readings unreliable in this area.”

How embarrassing.

Here I was, a pilot of nearly six thousand hours’ experience—having flown in about sixty-eight kinds of airplanes, and eleven kinds of jets—an instrument rating on my license saying I am qualified to fly in solid cloud or in stygian night, depending on my instruments alone to bring me safely to my destination. Yet, the anonymous voice from the controller, probably sitting hunched over a circular radar screen down there perhaps at Alamosa, Colorado, yet connected by his computers and cables to Albuquerque Center, the controlling facility along our assigned route of flight—had seen the tiny blue-green “blip” that was our twin engined airplane steadily progressing along a portion of the sky we had no business occupying. Thirty degrees. The longer we flew with that error, the wider the margin by which we missed our destination. Instead of Tyler, Texas, we would probably have made it to Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. A rather wide margin of error! But we would have run out of fuel far short of such a destination. It was comforting to know we were over land—if the rugged mountains of south-central Colorado—for if our destination was but a tiny dot on the chart, like it had been for me so many times when I crossed the Atlantic in the Falcon Jet, landing at Santa Maria in the Azores, or Tenerife, in the Canaries, such an error in steering would mean our last flight, if it went undetected, and uncorrected.

Obediently, I reached up, turned the heading bug to 070 degrees—begrudging the movement and subsequent banking of the airplane as the autopilot immediately sensed its new command and turned to the new heading—for the instrument before me now told me confidently we were heading twenty degrees north of east—and from our position in southern Colorado, that was hardly the route to Tyler, Texas.

And then, as Benny Sharp and I both scanned the instruments in the cockpit, we looked at the magnetic compass and again checked it with our directional gyro. They were thirty degrees off!

Chagrined, betrayed, I punched off the autopilot, hand-flew the airplane as I pushed in on the “caging” button on the directional gyro, spun it back around to conform to the magnetic compass. This was not possible, and would not be accurate, unless we were in level, steady flight. The compass requires time to settle down after each turn.

As I turned the directional gyro to conform to the magnetic compass, I watched the RMI spin obediently in the same direction.

“Something wrong with the slaving mechanism,” Benny muttered. The “slaving” mechanism is a feature of all flight director systems, whereby an electric signal is fed into the gyros serving the DG and RMI to immediately indicate the exact magnetic compass heading of the airplane when they spin themselves erect once energized.

Now that we had a suspect, we watched the slow creep of the gyro throughout the remainder of the flight. It was so slight that no discernible banking of the wings occurred. The “ball” in the turn and bank indicator remained in the exact center, so far as we could tell, and with autopilot engaged, and the yaw damper on, we supposed we were in steady, level flight. Yet, about every ten to fifteen minutes, our airplane would be heading five or six degrees to the south of our intended track. Toward the end of the flight, we suspected the malfunction was in the RMI. “We’ll have to squawk the RMI—have them pull it out and bench-check it,” we agreed. Tedium. Problem. No adequate avionics shop existed in Tyler. The problem meant “down time” for the airplane. It meant a flight back to Dallas where adequate service could be obtained to correct the problem. It meant money.

Far below us, as we flew, were thousands of creatures. Rabbits, snakes, frogs, armadillos. Birds—Aucks and geese—gabbled happily on tens of thousands of farm ponds dozens of rivers and lakes, or flew in their neat, V-shaped echelons, following their leader to some predetermined destination.

Poor creatures. They aren’t equipped with tens of thousands of dollar’s worth of electric and magnetic instruments. No gyros, or artificial horizons. No turn and bank indicators, no RMI’S, and no ADF’s or autopilots. or flight directors. No props. Their wings and props are the same thing.

Only difference was—they weren’t thirty degrees off. They knew exactly where they were.

The ludicrousness of fumbling human beings, dependent on various sophisticated directional devices reminds me of the inebriate who, staggering down a street in Brooklyn, encountered a small sapling. With his head pressed against the tiny tree, his hands grasping its slim trunk, he commenced to walk around and around the tree—keeping his nose pressed against the bark. At length, he slid to the pavement, still grasping the tree, and cried out, “LOSHT! Losht and alone in an impenetrable foresht!!”

Many is the student pilot—or supposedly professional one—who has been lost. Some of them become lost almost over their home fields, for, believe it or not (and this is especially true in the flatlands), everything begins to look the same when you’re high in the air.

How many grizzled instructors have tiredly calmed the fears, stopped the flow of clammy perspiration and the quaking of suddenly feeble knees by sourly pointing below and behind and saying, “It’s over there”?

A few years ago, a Cessna Citation (a small, corporate jet) landed at Gregg County Airport. A good friend, Royce Barnwell (“Barney” to his friends—Barney, who amassed more hours in B26’s than any living man) operates Gregg County Aviation. Sensing a possible fuel sale, he walked to the ramp, waved his arms, and indicated where the taxiing aircraft might park.

The engines’ scream became a tired whine and stopped. The door opened. Two Mexican nationals exited. One of them looked about, curiously, and said, “Donde esta’ Monterrey?”

I almost collapsed, laughing, when Barney told me the story. The two had been to Wichita to take delivery of a brand-new Citation. They were taking it to its proud owner in Monterrey, Mexico. Almost. Except they became lost, and landed in Gregg County, Texas, near Longview—only about sixty miles from Louisiana!

Finding Your Way

How good are you at directions? You probably fancy yourself a reasonably intelligent human being. Surely, you are infinitely smarter than, say, an albatross. But have you ever flown in a commercial airplane, looked out the window at the monotonous sameness of the terrain below, and wondered where you were? Ever landed in a strange airport at night, been taken to a hotel in a taxi, and awakened without the slightest concept of which way was north?

When you last packed the family car and set out on a cross-country trip, didn’t you have to consult a map often? Follow the marked road signs? Perhaps ask directions at gas stations?

We human beings may be intelligent in many ways. But we have no built-in sense of direction. Spin us around, convey us about in the dark, take us for a lengthy ride in the back seat of an automobile, and we may become hopelessly lost. Many are the chilling stories of disaster or barest survival from hunters, hikers, or seafarers who became disoriented.

Not so for the tiniest of birds. Not only are they perfectly equipped to do what they do—to build nests, obtain food; to survive—many of them migrate over vast distances, under the harshest of weather conditions, Out of sight of land! How? Can evolution explain it?

Bird Migration

Many species of birds migrate—some of them for only a few hundred miles, some of them for thousands of miles. Wilson’s petrel, for example, makes the trip from Antarctica to the North Atlantic every year, a one-way trip of nine thousand miles. The little Kirtland warbler flies each year from the Great Lakes region to the Bahamas, about 1,200 miles.

The golden plover manages an eight thousand mile trip; the bobolink seven thousand; the Arctic tern from fourteen to twenty-two thousand miles, round trip!

Surely, you have heard the mournful distant honking and calling of wild geese in flight. Each year, vast numbers of ducks and geese leave their summer feeding grounds far in the north, in Canada, or Alaska, and wing their way south. Millions of them winter in south Texas and other gulf-coast states. Many go on to Central or South America.

But, WHY?

Well, weather is the answer. It takes no great “scientific” observation to realize that, with winter arriving, the sun’s rays become longer. Shorter days, longer nights, and bitter cold invade the northern hemisphere.

In the hostile, winter environment, food would be unobtainable. The rivers, ponds, and lakes freeze over, so millions of waterfowl couldn’t dive for their aquatic food, or feed on water plants, small fish, and insects. The tundra freezes; heavy snowfalls cover even the mosses and lichens upon which some birds feed; the frozen north becomes a bleak, barren, frigid, silent, seemingly lifeless wasteland.

Yet, evolutionists cannot answer the mysteries of bird migration merely through observing that weather changes force the birds to look elsewhere for food. Why? For the simple reason that the birds begin their journey just when their food supplies are at an absolute peak—BEFORE the storms of winter begin to fall upon them!

Evolutionists speak of the “mystery” of bird migration. So much for that. “It’s just another one of those ‘mysteries,’ ” they say—and then go confidently ahead, teaching evolution. Unfortunately, the entirety of evolutionary thought is a “mystery”—and it is a mystery how any thinking, intelligent human being could believe it, when presented with the real facts.

The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Animal Life says, “There is no more fascinating way of arousing interest in flight than having your child catch sight of migrating birds—perhaps a flight of geese in military formation, or a close-massed flock of grackles racing like a dark, wind-blown cloud. Even after years of research and experiment, scientists speak of the ‘mystery’ of bird migration, for they still do not completely understand it” (Vol. 1, page 17, emphasis mine).

“. . . the real mystery is still unsolved,” says Robert Allen, in his book, Birds, page 9. “The greatest mystery about bird migration is the ability of many birds to move over the same route, year after year, arriving each spring in the same nesting locality and spending each winter in the same place”(emphasis mine).

Not only birds migrate. Such tiny creatures as ladybird beetles migrate. So do monarch butterflies, bats, eels, elephants, horseshoe crabs, king salmon, turtles, plankton, locusts, lemmings, frogs, whales, tuna, and dozens of other species!

But how? Why? When did the very first bird migration take place? What strange, built-in instinct, or compulsion, causes these creatures to know when it is time to depart? What guidance system leads them unerringly across featureless seas for thousands of miles in the darkness of night? How can a tiny insect, like a colorful ladybird beetle, with a “brain” virtually microscopic in size, migrate over vast (to him—or her!) distances?

Let’s turn to the prestigious book by Wesley Lanyon, called Biology of Birds. After all, it’s a collegiate-grade, well-done, thoroughly-researched textbook on bird biology. Whatever we want to know about birds, especially bird migration, we ought to find here! Pages 68, 69, the index says. Here it is. “One of the questions most frequently asked of an ornithologist is, ‘Why do birds migrate?’ “—Hey! GREAT! That is exactly the question WE wanted to ask when we turned to Lanyon’s book! His answer?

“WE CAN ONLY SPECULATE as to what these factors may have been, for it is IMPOSSIBLE to substantiate these theories with experimentation” (emphasis mine).

Well. So evolutionists aren’t going to be much help, after all. They only call it a “mystery,” say “We can only speculate,” or tell us they “do not completely understand it.”

Can Science “Explain”?

Some experimentation has been conducted. Unfortunately, the experiments only serve to further confuse the befuddle scientists, so long as they cling, stubbornly, to their evolutionary theories, their belief that there IS NO GOD who designed these myriad creatures and set within them these miraculous instincts!

It was found, for example, that young swallows, nesting on the European continent slightly south of the latitude of London, flew all the way to Africa to winter. But they flew only to the northern and equatorial parts—like Morrocco, Libya, Chad, etc. Yet, strangely, the exact same kind of birds, same species—same colorings, habits, nests, appearance; same kind of birds which were nesting in England—further north than their cousins in Europe, flew all the way to South Africa—distance TWICE AS FAR as their European counterparts.

WHY? Wouldn’t there have been enough food to go around in England?

Do all birds leave England each winter? No. Dozens and dozens of species stay in all winter. Especially the crows and sparrows! England may have bad winters—but surely they’re not all that bad. But the swallows migrate. Since evolutionists say it’s all a matter of the survival of the fittest, of strange compulsions having to do with food-getting, mating, nesting—you know, with SURVIVING—and since the sparrows survive quite nicely in England, why didn’t the swallows just swallow their pride, and decide to become sparrows? Why not just stay in England?

But no, they migrate—thousands and thousands of miles.

In one experiment, a migrating swallow was observed to return to build a nest on the same beam of a barn in Pennyslvania for three successive years.

There was an experiment involving the tiny, breathtakingly beautiful ruby-throated hummingbirds. We have them all around our house in Texas during the summers. They disappear every winter. I remember a neighbor lady cautioning others to “take down your feeding stations every winter, or the birds will stay around too long, and winter will catch them, and they’ll die.”

She need not have worried. Those plastic feeding stations you can hang outside your windows so you can watch the beautiful, tiny little creatures hover as they drink in the honey and water would never overcome the built-in migratory instincts of hummingbirds. They will leave just when their food supply is at the most abundant—whenever their built-in “migratory clock” tells them it’s time to go!

In the experiment, three tiny babies (about as big as your thumbnail) were banded by scientists. They grew up, fed around the neighborhood where their parents had nested, and disappeared with the other hummingbirds as fall drew on. They flew about five thousand miles, to the tropics of South America. Of course, no one saw them go—for within a moment of darting flight the little creatures are but a speck, and soon swallowed up in the distance. The next year, astoundingly, those same three birds, with the bands clearly in place on their tiny legs, were using the same feeding station their parents had used the year before. It was within thirty feet of where they had been hatched!

Hummingbirds have perhaps the most rapid metabolism among all living creatures, for their busy flight requires that they eat the equivalent of their own weight each day! Think of applying that kind of a diet to human beings, or elephants!

Ornithologists have determined that the tiny rubythroated hummingbirds fly completely cross the Gulf of Mexico to the Yucutan Peninsula, and down into southern Mexico and Central America for the winter.

Yet, the diminutive birds cannot find any food en route; not a single island, or branch of a tree upon which to rest. How do they suddenly leave their rich source of nectar in Texas, and, unable to eat the equivalent of their own body weight each day, sustain flight for many, many hours?

Some strange “genetic urge” begins to trigger the deposit of increased fat—like stored energy—in the bird’s bodies some weeks before they begin to migrate! But how? Remember, the very first migration from Texas to Central America had to be successful. But long, long ago, in the evolutionary scheme of things, when the very first ruby throated hummingbird “decided” to migrate across the vast, trackless waters of the Gulf, the little bird didn’t “know” that its body needed to begin collecting much more nectar than for daily sustenance. There was no “genetic urge” to begin depositing body fats around the breast muscle for long-range flight!

So when the very first hummingbirds attempted the very first migration, naturally, they “ran out of fuel” about twenty miles out over the Gulf, fell into the water, exhausted, and drowned. Therefore, since there was no hummingbirds left to “experience” the benefits of migration, there was no need to migrate. Since they all died, there are none left today.

But there are tiny rubythroats today, and they successfully migrate each winter.

Evolutionists might suppose, “Perhaps they tried to migrate, and failed, turning around just as they tired, and made it safely back to land.” Then, they might surmise, “perhaps succeeding generations attempted flights further and further, ‘gradually’ adding to their body fat to sustain prolonged flight without food supply.”

Why? Why, when not a single one of these increasingly prolonged flights netted a single drop of nectar? Are we to assume the tiny birds kept at it for thousands, perhaps millions of years, failing each time, until finally the first pair succeeded? And, since they had to turn back, and there were no flowers blooming during all those millions of winters, and they starved to death the very first winter, then there are no rubythroated hummingbirds in Texas.

But there are.

Confusing, isn’t it?

It is confusing if you cling to the concept of evolution to somehow explain the fabulous intricacy of God’s great creation; His amazing design of His creation; His awesome mind which thought out, planned, and brought into being each of His amazing living creatures.

The only way to understand the “strange genetic urge” which causes the little rubythroats to begin storing body fat instead of burning it up each day; which causes them to leave Texas just when their food supply is at its peak; which causes them to fly unerringly across the vast Gulf of Mexico, hundreds of miles, and navigate perfectly to their desired landfall, is to understand God built into them that instinct; God caused that genetic urge—they did not “evolve” it!

The Amazing Golden Plover

And then there is the marvelous story of the golden plovers. They nest along the coastlands of the Arctic Ocean—in the faraway land of permafrost, muskeg, seals, white whales and polar bears.

After raising their young, feeding them all through the summer until the young are able to fly with the parents, the golden plovers somehow feel a strange compulsion to leave the hospitable, friendly environment of their nests, where ample food supplies are readily available, and begin one of the most awe-inspiring migrations in the bird world.

Unerringly, they point their beaks southward, flying an elliptical course along routes only they seem to know, covering more than sixteen thousand miles!

Observers in Labrador, on the tip of Nova Scotia, see them flying through. They completely bypass the lower forty-eight states, winging their way over the trackless Atlantic, perhaps first sighting land again along the tip of Cuba or Haiti. Their next landfall is undoubtedly somewhere near Guyana or Venezuela. Across the famous rain forest of the Amazon, the “Matogrosso” of Brazil they fly, until arriving at their wintering area located in southern Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina.

There, while frigid winter storms howl across the frozen tundra they had departed, they happily feed and spend their days in the sunshine of summer in these southern latitudes.

Again, just as their food supply is at it’s peak, and before there is any discernible reason for them to depart, they begin a northward migration. But they do not retrace their mysterious track across the open Atlantic! Instead, they point their beaks northwest, cross the towering Andes range (with its peaks such as Aconcagua, higher than twenty-two thousand feet!), reach the Isthmus of Panama and Central America, fly across the Yucatan Peninsula and the Gulf, reaching a landfall somewhere around south Texas and Louisiana, wing their way up the Mississippi Valley, across the northern states flanking the Great Lakes region, into Canada, and onward to their home in the remote Arctic!

What a trip!

It would be a laborious, virtually impossible trip for me even if the Cessna 421 had an inexhaustible fuel supply without special over-the-water navigational equipment. It would be a comparatively easy trip in a modern, sophisticated jet aircraft with more than three thousand nautical mile range, equipped with inertial navigation systems.

However, even these super-sophisticated systems (the type computers which took men to the moon) may be as much as one-half mile off at the end of a three hour flight! They certainly could not take me to the same beam in an individual barn, or to the same gravelly bank along a tiny creek where a parent’s nest might be found!

Remember, the golden plovers leave their nesting area when their available food supply reaches its peak. All of their foods, tiny crustaceans, arctic plants, insects, etc., are in the greatest abundance at this time.

Evolution supposes there are various compulsions somehow built into these birds which cause them to go in search of greater food supply!

But how can evolution explain them leaving when their food supply is so adequate?

No, “weather” is not the compulsion which causes migration in every case.

Species after species leave Canada and the northern states in the contiguous forty-eight in mid-summer, in the HOTTEST time of the year, long before there is any hint of autumn, let alone winter!

By the way, there are many other cases of migration back and forth within the tropic zones, having nothing whatsoever to do with weather!

Can you believe it? Some have actually proposed that birds began migrating, anciently, in the face of “advancing glaciers” during the Pleistocene “ice age”! Think about it. Just how fast does a glacier advance? It may move a few feet, or even a few hundred yards in a year! But it moves far more ponderously and more slowly than a three-toed sloth, or than the proverbial molasses in January!

Further, there are penguins in Antarctica! Other birds depart, mysteriously, winging their way up across Africa, into Europe, or along South America up to the United States and Canada!

Yet, the penguins remain where they are!

Why didn’t the terns, anciently, simply turn into penguins? There they are, with the very richest oceans of the world all around them! Scientists know that the extremely cold seas around Antarctica are the feeding grounds of many species of the great whale; that many types of seals and other huge creatures are at the top of the food chain in this region. “Krill,” or plankton, crustaceans, small fish, and sea life are abundant in Antarctica!

This sea life is the basis of the penguin’s food supply!

Can evolution have it both ways?

Can they confidently tell us that the vast number of birds spending their summers on Antarctica but which mysteriously leave just when their food supply is at its peak do so because, anciently, some compulsion caused them to LEAVE Antarctica to go back to the north (where summer would soon be coming on) in order to SURVIVE? Then, are they going to tell us that the penguins GRADUALLY evolved their wings into flippers; evolved the sack into which to deposit their eggs so it could be incubated away from the cold; evolved their big, webbed feet, and powerful beaks for catching fish—evolved their thick, protective winter “Coats” and took to diving after krill in order to survive?

Stimulation for Change

Evolution tells us the stimuli for adaptation or survival are a wide variety of food-getting techniques, nest building, egg laying, feeding of the young, coloration and camouflage, protective armor (as in the case of porcupines and armadillos), etc., etc.

Thus, as you look closely at each creature, whether penguin, Arctic tern or golden plover, you see fully-formed perfectly-functioning methods for food getting, egg laying and incubation, feeding of the young; in short, astounding techniques for survival. BUT HOW? WHEN? In order for each of these species to have such intricately-functioning food getting and survival techniques, each species had to be successful on THE VERY FIRST TRY!

If not, if for some reason their food-getting and survival techniques were inferior—if they failed in the distant past, then they DIED! They didn’t survive. If they didn’t survive, then they aren’t here, today! But here they are, in all their amazing splendor, with their mind-boggling proclivities which science cannot explain.

The Arctic Tern

Most people, seeing an Arctic tern in flight, would believe they were looking at a seagull. The terns nest in the extreme north, along Hudson Bay, across the northern territories of Canada, and along the west coast of Greenland. Some may nest as far south as New England.

The annual migratory pattern of millions of these birds is so vast, so impossibly complex, that it presents a great MYSTERY to ornithologists and evolutionists.

For example, the terns nesting in the Cape Cod area (and this is the southern-most nesting area for the terns) depart just when their food supply is at its peak, fly across the Atlantic Ocean to offshore Spain, then continue along the west coast of Africa to cross the Atlantic again until they reach the easternmost tip of South America!

Then, they follow the South American coastline to Antarctica! Why? Some of the birds flying such a tortuous route actually cover as much as twenty-two thousand miles! Unerringly, they return from far away Antarctica back to the very same nest; the same rocky shore, inlet, creek, gravel bed or sand pit that they departed!

Scientists have speculated that the birds migrate by the stars.

Stellar Navigation

Some ornithologists have conducted experiments with captured birds, introducing “fake sunlight” or artificial stars into their environment, and have been amazed to see the birds line up in appropriate direction, according to the travel of these fake sources of light. In absolutely black, featureless “skies” the birds were completely disoriented. Some naturalists believe birds may be able to determine where they are from the slant of the sun exactly the way a navigator may take his noon sight with a sextant! According to one biologist, the calculations involved for a bird to do this are so enormous that they “involve so much mathematical calculation that you would think only an IBM machine on wings could get anywhere with such a shifting point of reference. Nevertheless he is convinced that the migrating and homing birds are equipped by instinct for such a feat” (Our Amazing World of Nature; Its Marvels and Mysteries, G.V.T. Matthews).

E.G.F. Sauer of the University of Freiburg, Germany, conducted an exhaustive study of warblers which migrate over vast distances—mostly at night. If you have ever been to a planetarium, you may have witnessed an artificial reproduction of the heavens, wherein one sits in a theater, and watches the movements of the heavenly bodies as the world rotates. Dr. Sauer placed the warblers under such a dome—where they could only see an artificial reproduction of the night sky. If he rotated the artificial sky in a wrong direction, the little birds were completely disoriented—that is, they aligned themselves according to the false position of stars in a fake environment! Yet, when he rotated the planetarium sky correctly thewarblers lined up exactly in accordance to the direction of their intended migration!

The Very First Migration

Since evolutionists claim we are the result of blind chance, of gradual evolutionary processes brought about by external stimuli (survival) over vast epochs of time, would it not be logical to assume that we, as the very PRODUCT of evolutionary processes, should be able to understand the processes by which we came to BE?

Why not apply, pragmatically, the presumptions of evolutionists to bird migration?

Let’s imagine an Arctic tern up in the extreme north of Canada, nearly to the Arctic ice cap, sitting on its nest. Never mind, for the moment, what the bird is doing there (we will have to remind ourselves again and again in this exercise not to ask embarrassing questions!)

Our beautiful black and white tern doesn’t know he is a tern. He is only a “creature” of some sort, surviving quite nicely as August and then September pass.

All around him, the Arctic tundra is rich with insects, crustaceans, soggy bogs and marshes wherein myriad aquatic forms thrive. The nearby bays and estuaries teem with tiny fish.

He walks along the bogs, pecking at insects and tiny crabs. He flies to the nearby shores, eating small fish.

The weather begins to chill. Winds howl, storms blow in. Snow begins falling, and one night in late September, the water in his favorite bog freezes.

He stretches out his wings, flaps them several times. Nothing. He flaps them again! What? He isn’t moving. He looks down in disgust. His feet are frozen in solid ice! All around him are other terrified terns, trying to tear their tiny toes from the freezing grip of the ice. But all are stuck fast. They mournfully call to each other as the next storm, and the next, descend with the madness of winter’s fury. All die. None survive. Terns do not exist. The first terns didn’t have the instinct to leave when their food supply was at its maximum—to avoid being trapped by winter. They waited until the weather forced them to leave, because they hadn’t yet “evolved” this amazing instinct, this sixth sense of timing—hadn’t yet passed it on, genetically, to their progeny. So they all died. None lived.

But we’ll suppose, somewhere, a few terns decided the first chilling nights signaled them they should leave. Of course, they knew nothing of the jet streams; they didn’t know that it could be warmer here, sometimes, than it could be in Florida! But they decided to go south, like any thoughtful tern.

The further south they flew, the colder it got. In Minnesota, they saw hundreds of species of small birds, hopping about on the snow. Some drilled their funny-looking beaks into tree trunks, shot out a long, barbed and sticky tongue, and ate larvae that attack trees. The terns decided to try this. Several died of a broken neck. One caught his beak in a crack, and was frozen solid, unable to move. Several flew dizzily around in circles, a powerful headache throbbing in their tiny brains. Others, not having “evolved” the ice-tong-like feet of a woodpecker, could only flap uselessly at the tree trunks, making a feeble peck here and there—bending their beaks, failing to penetrate the hard bark. But the woodpeckers kept on tattooing the trees—happily surviving.

Beneath, rustling about in the leaves from the autumn, were thrushes, larks, grackles, chickadees, and several other species. This appeared easier than banging their heads against bark, so the terns stayed in Minnesota, and gradually “terned” into tiny tanagers! So there aren’t any terns, today. But there are.

Well, let’s speculate that the first truly successful migrators simply flew out to sea, intending to cross the Atlantic (how did they know it was there? How did they know the world is round? How did they know they wouldn’t fly off the edge, be sucked into a terrible vortex of intergalactic wind, and have all their feathers stripped off?—but we’re not supposed to ask such questions!). They fly for a couple thousand miles, or so. Then, they begin to become disoriented. None of them had ever paid the slightest attention to the sky before. What are all those tiny, blue-white lights up above? They didn’t know. Oh, they might have wondered about the big, white disk that seemed to change shape as the months passed but you could never depend on it. It moved around crazily in the skies. It would be on one horizon, and then the other, looking like a sliver of white, or a big yellow orb, squatting on the horizon.

Now, they were flying along, two thousand, seven hundred miles south, southeast of Labrador—underneath an overcast. They flew in circles. Gradually (for everything always happens “gradually” in evolution), they ran out of gas—body fat, to the uninitiated.

You see, they can only remain in flight so long as they have energy to fly. But they are leaving the far north only because their food supply has been covered up under tons of snow and ice! We won’t wonder about how long they lost weight, tried to peck a hole in the ice and go ice fishing, or eat snow, or…

And so, as their body fat is used up, one by one they let out a squawk, drifted down in crazy, random (everything in evolution always happens randomly) patterns, and fell into the sea. None survive. Terns don’t exist.

But let’s imagine some few terns made it to the coast of Spain. There, in sunny Spain, were hundreds of bird species. All along the rocky coastlands over which they flew were gulls, cormorants, several species of ducks, falcons, pigeons—further inland were warblers, blackbirds, finches, Wrens, thrushes, sparrows; dozens of other species, including ravens! So they stayed in Spain, and evolved into sparrows! There aren’t any terns.

But there are!

Somehow. those first migrating birds who left at the exact moment; who didn’t become disoriented; who knew solar and stellar navigation; who had accumulated enough body fat, somehow knew they should pass by Spain—that they must not begin fishing in the rich waters of Portugal, or stop in the Canary Islands, and become a you-know-what!

On to the coast of Africa they flew.

Birds don’t sweat, or ooze, like their “closest living relatives—the crocodiles!” (That’s right! That’s what evolutionists believe!) But these birds were winging their way in the late September right along the equator! It was hot! Furthermore, in the jungles below them, in Senegal (they didn’t know it would someday be called that—but then they didn’t know this was Africa, either!) were millions of tasty creatures; small mice, rats, grubs, worms, beetles, bugs, moths, weird-looking fish, crustaceans; a veritable banquet of edible bird food. Did they stop? No way. No tern was going to “tern” into Africa and become a crocodile again—they had had it with crawling about on their stomachs in swamps. Nosiree! These terns were going first class—they were going to fly!

And so they flew out across the Atlantic again—and died in a tropical heat wave. Now, our nonexistent, non-surviving, completely lost, hopelessly confused, starving terns (which don’t exist, for they could never have survived—not knowing navigation, where they were, where they came from, where they were going), are really in trouble, for, ahead of them, lined up like so many huge medieval castles, are thunderstorms whose tops tower up to seventy thousand feet! But they don’t know this. They think these huge things are mashed potatoes, or heads of cauliflower. Or snow. So they fly to the edge of the first big thunderstorm, and try to land. They are at only six hundred feet. Suddenly, they are sucked up into a violent updraft that carries them to twenty-thousand feet! Around them are grapefruit-sized hailstones. Lightning flashes, thunder rolls. They all die from lack of oxygen. Some are pelleted to death. Others have every feather ripped off by the winds. Still others fight their way to lower altitudes, evolve a genetic distrust of thunderstorms (this being the first one they have experienced) and decide to pass on the information to their young—whenever they next nest.

The survivors (but there aren’t any) cross the Atlantic once again, arriving at the mouth of the Amazon. Below them are myriad birds; macaws, parrots, finches, warblers, red-winged blackbirds; the rivers are teeming with juicy bird food. In the tropics, hundreds of exciting-colored birds survive. They perch on branches above the ugly snouts of alligators. Some even pick insects from the backs of alligators. Some even evolved into alligator toothpicks, choosing to pick the teeth of alligators, who like to lie around in the sun, opening their mouths to tiny birds, who eat food scraps from the alligators’ mouths.

The thoughtful terns toss this tantalizing possibility around in their minds.

Nope. Better not. If they stopped here, could they be an “Arctic” tern? No. Like Benedict Arnold, they might be called a “terncoat”!

So, on to the south Atlantic they fly. Past Uruguay, with its teeming forests, rich rivers and lakes—over thousands and thousands of miles of rich foods, hundreds of other species, millions of fish—they fly. Why? Who knows? They just “do”! But, wasn’t their initial “instinct,” or whatever, because they needed food? And haven’t they disdained a billion tons of food—from the east coast of the USA to Spain and Portugal; from Africa to Brazil? Yes—but we’re not supposed to ask such questions, remember?

On to Antarctica they fly—arriving there in the Antarctic “summer.”

All around them are penguins. The penguins look, curiously, at the terns, who turn, tiredly, in tortuous circles, to land on rocks, sprawl in the sun, and die from exhaustion. Actually, none arrived—they all died much, much earlier.

But the penguins begin to discuss it.

They decide the terns are foolish. Much better to simply evolve into a penguin, and dive for krill.

But they didn’t. Instead, they remained there during the Antarctic “summer,” happily surviving on the available foods. But since they had not yet developed the genetic “clock” that would warn them to leave long before the Antarctic winter arrived; since they could look all about them at various species of gulls, penguins, and other creatures, like seals, who were merely lying about, sunning themselves as if they hadn’t a care in the world, the terns stayed where they were.

Hadn’t they battled the elements, died by the thousands, struggled in the snows of Minnesota, and fought the thunderstorms of the equator to get here?

And so the Antarctic winter howled upon them with sudden intensity, and they all died. None survived. There aren’t any terns.

But there are.

So here we go again. Now, we’ve got to “imagine” the terns somehow “knew” when it was time to depart—”knew” which route to take, “knew” they should fly over billions of tons of tantalizing tern food, disdaining to remain there and evolve into a macaw or a red-winged blackbird, and wing their way up to the far north once again.

And if you believe all this just “evolved,” then I’ve got some great lakefront property in the Sahara I’d like to tell you about…

Evolutionists are Mixed Up

Ever pick an evolutionary textbook off the library shelf? Ever look through the introductory material; the first chapter?

If you do, you will run across expressions such as these:

“Out of man’s grasp,” “said to be,” “mystery,” “according to the theory,” “other ornithologists believe,” “no single solution,” “other theories proposed,” and “no adequate answer.”

Speaking of the “mystery of bird migration,” one “authority” came up with a truly classic line, “All theories fail when offered as the one solution to all migration” (Science News Letter, p. 19 1, September, 1962, emphasis mine).

Remember, “natural selection” and “survival of the fittest” absolutely require that various food-getting techniques have proved successful—and that those very techniques have contributed to the development and “evolution” of the species!

But evolutionists are rendered dizzy by the study of terns, plovers, warblers, hummingbirds, or, for that matter, any migrating species, from tuna to turtles, and from ladybird beetles to monarch butterflies!

One evolutionist must not have known what he was saying when he wrote, “If natural selection has been responsible for the evolution of the adaptedness of behavior in an animal, then the way that animal is behaving right now must obviously contribute to its survival” (Animal Behavior, Niko Tinbergen, Life Nature Library, p. 174, emphasis mine).

And that is the whole point.

They survive today by doing what they do. And they migrate. So, they had to MIGRATE to SURVIVE! And the very first migration had to be successful!

Undaunted, this source completed the quote by saying, “This is why studies of the survival value of behavior are not only important in their own right but are also required for an understanding of evolution” (ibid).

Oh. So we must understand “evolution” by understanding the complete “mystery” they claim they cannot understand?

Evolutionists tell us that there was a time when birds did not exist—except as disgruntled reptiles.

Well, now, let’s suppose there were no birds? Could this earth survive? Let a scientist tell us.

“Today, a countryside without birds would be unimaginable. And this is as it should be, for without birds HUMANITY WOULD FACE DISASTER.

“We have only to note how many different kinds of injurious insects are being continuously and tirelessly destroyed by birds, to see what part the latter play in saving our field and orchard crops from destruction, as so many kinds of birds are entirely insectivores.

“Equally effective is the help of birds in man’s fight against moles, mice, rats and other rodents which not only destroy the harvest in the fields, but also constitute a danger to human health as carriers of infectious diseases. These are only a few of the helpful roles played by birds in maintaining NATURE’S EQUILIBRIUM” (Strange and Beautiful Birds, Josef Seget, page 5, emphasis mine).

But notice what scientists tell us about the arrival time of birds and insects.

“Flying insects became a reality about fifty million years BEFORE the reptiles and birds took to the air, and for those fifty million years the only flying creatures were insects” (Insects, Ross Hutchins, pages 3, 4, emphasis mine).

But could the earth survive?

Let’s say it was only fifty million years, perhaps twenty-five million years, maybe five million years of difference. How about a thousand years? Would you believe a hundred?

Let’s see what would happen to a “birdless” earth!

“The descendants of a PAIR of houseflies, if they all lived and did well from April to August, would total 190,000,000,000,000,000,000 individuals. Fortunately, the balance of nature, in the form of natural controls, limits such population explosions among insects just as it does among other animals and among plants” (Insects, Ross Hutchins, page 9, emphasis mine).

Granted that insects eat other insects. Perhaps the earth would not be covered with forty feet of insects in one year.

But be sure that the earth COULD NOT SURVIVE unless birds and insects were CREATED TOGETHER to form that fantastic balance in nature, that man is just coming to understand.

Why don’t evolutionists think about the ecological implications of their theories for a change?

No, evolution has no answer for bird migration or how birds came to be such awe-inspiring creatures—just as they have no answer for the origin of MATTER, or the origin of LIFE!

It’s time you saw the real fallacies of evolution—time you faced squarely the ONLY ALTERNATIVE, that God DOES EXIST, and you can prove it!

There are thousands of similar problems for evolution. Regardless of sensational articles of the new “Scope’s Trail” in Arkansas a few years ago; of claims by scientists that evolution is true, when you take a really close look at the theory; when you apply plain common sense to their claims, you can see great flaws.

It’s no wonder evolutionists suffer a migration headache when it comes to bird migration.

You may copy and distribute this information only to friends and family without changes, without charge and with full credit given to the author and publisher. You may not publish it for general audiences.

This publication is intended to be used as a personal study tool. Please know it is not wise to take any man’s word for anything, so prove all things for yourself from the pages of your own Bible.

The activities of the Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association are paid for by tithes, offerings and donations 
freely given by Christians and co-workers who are dedicated to preaching the gospel according to Jesus Christ.

The post A Migration Headache… For Evolutionists first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

Christ’s strange warning about an “abomination of desolation” means, literally, “the abomination of the desolater,” which all authorities generally agree meant an idol, or idolatrous apparatus, to be set up in the holy place by the individual who would destroy Jerusalem, or cause it to become “desolate.”

An “abomination” is something God detests, and comes from the Hebrew word shakaz, for an idol; something, or someone who is worshiped in place of the true God.

Christ specifically stated He was referring to the same thing written in the book of Daniel. Daniel’s prophecy mentions this “abomination” several times: Daniel 9:27; 11:31 12:2 are examples. These scriptures identify, in symbol, the perpetrator.

Of Daniel’s prophecy, Kitto says, “This appears to have been a prediction of the pollution of the temple by Antiochus Epiphanes, who caused an idolatrous altar to be built on the altar of burnt offerings, whereon unclean things were offered to Jupiter Olympius, to whom the temple itself was dedicated” (Encyclopedia of Biblical Literature, John Kitto, Vol. 1, p. 22).

Daniel wrote of a “little horn” coming up among the ten horns of the beast a symbol of a government, or ruler, who succeeds in overthrowing three successive kings, then holds sway over the final seven heads of the Holy Roman Empire. We shall see much more of this “little horn” later in this article.

Of the abomination of desolation and the one who puts it in place, Daniel wrote, “Yea, he magnified himself even to the prince of the host, and by him the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of the sanctuary was cast down” (Daniel 8:11).

The Critical and Experimental Commentary says, “Though robbed of its treasures, it was not strictly ‘cast down’ by Antiochus; so that a fuller accomplishment is future. Antiochus took away the daily sacrifice for a few years; the Romans, for many ages, and ‘cast down’ the temple; and Antichrist, in connection with Rome, the fourth kingdom, shall do so again, after the Jews in their own land, still unbelieving, shall have rebuilt the temple and restored the Mosaic ritual” (Faussett, Vol. 4, p. 427, emphasis mine).

Obviously, since Antiochus reigned hundreds of years before Christ, his desecration of the temple was only a forerunner of Daniel’s prophecy, which is referring to the time of the end (Daniel 12:4-11).

A second forerunner of this prophesied event took place shortly after Christ’s warning prophecy of Matthew 24:15, at the destruction of Jerusalem by the armies of Titus. “This may with probability be referred to the advance of the Roman army against the city with their image-crowned standards, to which idolatrous honours were paid, and which the Jews regarded as idols. The unexpected retreat and discomfiture of the Roman forces afforded such as were mindful of our Saviour’s prophecy an opportunity of obeying the injunction which it contained, (i.e., Christ’s warning {Mat. 24:16} that they should ‘flee to the mountains.’)” (Kitto, Vol. 1, pp. 22, 23).

There was another later and more specific abomination of the holy place accomplished by emperor Hadrian, who with “…studied insult to the Jews, set up the figure of a boar over the Bethlehem gate of the city which rose upon the site and ruins of Jerusalem (Euseb. Chron., 1, i. p. 45, ed. 1658), but he erected a temple to Jupiter upon the site of the Jewish temple and caused an image of himself to be set up in the part which answered to the most holy place” (ibid., Vol. 1, p. 23).

These abominations, which took place over a vast span of time in history, are not the fulfillment of Christ’s end-time prophecy! Notice again the time setting of Christ’s Olivet prophecy:

“When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation…stand in the holy place…then let them which be in Jerusalem flee into the mountains…for then shall be GREAT TRIBULATION such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.

“And except those days should be shortened [by Divine intervention God’s heavenly signs, plagues, and the Second Coming of Christ], there should no flesh be saved [alive], but for the elect’s sake, those days shall be shortened” (Matthew 24:15-22).

The warning concerning the final abomination to be set up in the “holy place” is directly connected to the beginning of the great tribulation, which has as one of its main features the horrible martyrdom of saints (Daniel 7:20-21; Matthew 24:9).

Notice! “All these are be beginning of sorrows [tribulation].”

What IS “The Great Tribulation”?

Christ said the tribulation would be a time unparalleled in all history. Notice what Daniel wrote: “And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book…” (Daniel 12:1).

There cannot be two such times, for each is the superlative the worst time of “trouble,” meaning droughts, famines, disease epidemics, the unleashing of horrifying, death-dealing weapons of destruction in war that has ever taken place since civilization began!

But wait. Daniel said, “And at that time…” (Daniel 12:1). At what time? The chapter break interrupts a flow of thought from Daniel 11:40. Read all five verses carefully, from Daniel 11:40 to 45.

The “king of the south” was, anciently, one of the Ptolemys of Egypt, a lesser dynasty of pharaohs who waged war with Syria. Syria and Egypt were but two of the four smaller kingdoms left after Alexander’s death (Daniel 11:4). The “king of the north” was, eventually, the same Antiochus Epiphanes who set up a typical abomination of desolation.

But the prophecy is specifically stated to be for a definite time in history “the TIME OF THE END” (Daniel 11:40).

Therefore, Ptolemy Soter and Antiochus Epiphanes are but types, historical representatives, of the two human leaders who will be used to fulfill this end-time prophecy.

Probably, the man who will fulfill the role of “king of the south” will be an Arab leader. He will “push at” the “king of the north,” who is the same personage as the beast of Bible prophecy, as we shall see. The expression “push at,” seems to fall short of armed aggression. Is it some political affront? Could it be an oil embargo, or threatened disruption of energy to Europe and the world? Because of Saddam Hussein’s occupation of Kuwait, and the resultant concentration of military forces and supplies from about thirty nations in the Persian Gulf region, many are tempted to assign Saddam the role of one of the two, either the “king of the north,” or the “king of the south.”

Certainly, Saddam Hussein is “pushing at” others. But is he “pushing at” someone called “the king of the north,” or any modern day political/military leader who is filling such a role?

No, Hussein is “pushing at” the United States, Britain, France, Germany, the Soviet Union, Israel, Japan, Saudi Arabia indeed, the whole world! The response to Saddam Hussein is not a sudden occupation of Israel, Egypt, and other nearby countries by some northern power, but the deployment of hundreds of thousands of troops into Saudi Arabia.

Notice that the reaction of the “king of the north” is not protracted economic embargo, or warfare in the Persian Gulf, but a lightning-like attack into Israel, and “many countries” in the region, including Egypt! (Daniel 11:40-42).

It is not Europe, or the United States threatening to invade Israel in this current crisis but Saddam Hussein of Iraq. Study Daniel 11:40-45 carefully, and do not be misled by those who would leap to impossible conclusions, or become hysterical about the nearness of “Armageddon.”

Israel and Egypt are both occupied by this “king of the north” at the end time. Daniel 11:40-45 absolutely precludes the possibility that the “king of the north” could be an Islamic leader, for Egypt is an Islamic nation, the largest in population of all Islam. Egypt is Arabic, and, though currently observing the Camp David accords, is nevertheless staunchly united religiously and emotionally with all other Arab nations in calling for the withdrawal of Israel from the “occupied territories.” No other Arab state would occupy Egypt. This is the final head of the “Holy Roman Empire” which was always a Germanic power! The king of the north is the final beast of prophecy.

Now, when does this northern military power come storming into Israel? “At the time of the end,” says Daniel. And then, reading on to Chapter 12, verse 1, we see Daniel’s prophecy that At that time” Michael stands up, and a time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation begins! In other words, the great tribulation. So the tribulation commences at the same time this king of the north invades Palestine.

Christ’s warning about the abomination of desolation included this invasion of Palestine by armies. Those forces are identified in Daniel 11:40-45 as being the forces of the king of the north. Christ said, “And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh” (Luke 21:20).

Upon Whom Does This Great Tribulation Descend?

Christ warned, “Then [when the abomination of desolation is set up] let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains…” He continues to say the flight is so urgent; so sudden, that one should not return to retrieve clothing, or household items even food! He warned, “Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take anything out of his house:

“Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes” (Matthew 24:16-18).

Those to whom this warning applies will not read of some impending attack in their weekly news magazines, or see it on nightly television for months at a time it will occur SUDDENLY, with shocking swiftness. The scene set by Christ is of a normal working day where a man might be in the fields, his wife on top of the roof, hanging up washing.

Yet, suddenly, when people least expect it, attacking military forces are seen around Jerusalem.

In the Jerusalem of Christ’s day, houses were set adjoining each other. Roofs were flat, with parapets, and were used for sitting and talking, hanging up washing, play areas for children, even sleeping at night in hot weather. Commonly, families would erect temporary shelters of fronds and branches, and move into these little booths during the Feast of Tabernacles.

The rabbis wrote of the “road of the roofs,” wherein one might walk across several adjoining rooftops, then descend to the street without having to go back inside one’s own house. Christ referred to this practice in His warning.

Daniel’s prophecy says the tribulation is the time when Michael stands up. Michael is identified as “Michael your prince” (Daniel 10:20-21) an archangel who is the prince of Israel. The 12th chapter says Michael is to stand “for the children of Israel,” the children of the people of Daniel, who was a noble of Israel.

Christ’s prophecy specifically pointed out events to take place in Jerusalem; the Middle East, and Palestine! But the Great Tribulation will be global in its effects, for Christ said, as did Daniel, that it will be a “time of trouble such as there has not been from the time there was a nation”! He also said that if God did not cut short this terrible time of global trouble, not a man, woman, or child would be left alive (Matthew 24:2l-22). Therefore, while events in Jerusalem provide a positive sign that the tribulation is beginning, the tribulation is not confined to Palestine, and the city of Jerusalem.

Yet, from Christ’s warnings, we see it is obvious the great tribulation begins in Jerusalem; in Palestine, by the setting up of an “abomination,” which causes desolation, or destruction. Specifically, the abomination is to be set up in the temple, but no temple exists as yet. The terrible loss of life depicted by Christ is to begin in Jerusalem and neighboring areas the modern nation called “Israel.” Christ’s stern warning, together with Daniel’s prophecies, show Jerusalem occupied by a northern military power.

But the Jews in “Israel” are but one tribe, with perhaps increments of two others Judah, together with some of Levi and Simeon. There were thirteen tribes in all, counting the two half-tribes of Joseph, Ephraim and Manasseh.

The northern ten tribes, with a separate dynasty of kings commencing from the time of Jereboam, and a separate national capitol, were carried away captive by Assyrian kings long prior to the captivity of Judah. The ten tribes disappeared into the bleak steppes between the Black and Caspean seas during the years 721 to 718 BC! It was not until 540 BC, about 178 years later, that Judah was taken captive into Babylon.

The bulk of those deported Israelites never returned to Palestine. They migrated along the river valleys into Europe, and into the British Isles!

Jacob, the grandson of Abraham, was renamed “Israel” after his tenacious encounter with God, which is detailed in the book mentioned above.

Jacob had twelve sons, each of whom became the eponymous ancestor of a large tribe of people. Jacob was called “Israel” from the time of his renaming. Judah, one of his sons, together with major portions of Simeon and Levi, came to be known as the “House of Judah,” while Manasseh, Ephraim, Gad, Asher, Dan, Naphtali, Benjamin, Reuben, Issachar and Zebulun became known as the “House of Israel.” The two are never synonymous in the Bible. There are four books of the Bible detailing the separate national histories of these two distinctly different nations; different dynasties of kings, different territories, different national capitols different languages, cultures, and religions!

The very first time the “nickname” for Judah, “Jew,” is ever used in the Bible, the Jews are at war against Israel!

Not Just the Jews in Israel to Suffer the Tribulation

Now, notice that the Great Tribulation comes not only upon the Jews in the modern nation called Israel, but upon the “House of Jacob,” or “The House of Israel,” as well!

“Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it [an unparalleled time exactly as described in Matthew 24:15 and Daniel 12:1 the same time of the Great Tribulation]: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble; but he shall be saved out of it” (Jeremiah 30:7).

What is the Great Tribulation? It is a time of horrible suffering; disease, famine, starvation, and the grisly death of millions as a result of terrible warfare featuring the ghastly weapons of modern technology which is to come on the United States, Britain, Canada, Australia, South Africa, and several of the democracies of northwestern Europe. It will especially impact the modern nation called “Israel,” the Jews in Palestine!

Titus Was a Forerunner

Read Christ’s somber Olivet Prophecy again. He said, referring to the temple and its great buildings and walls, “…See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, there shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down” (Matthew 24:2). Later, He said, “And this gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness [a witness AGAINST them] unto all nations and THEN shall the end come” (Matthew 24:14).

The Gospel was not preached to but a few prior to Christ’s death. He spoke in puzzling parables to the masses (Matthew 13:10-17), explaining to His disciples that it was not yet given to them to understand.

It was not until after His resurrection, and His appearance to His disciples (Acts. 1:7-8) that He told them to spread out from Palestine, to the “uttermost parts of the earth,” preaching the Gospel.

By 70 AD, only a comparative few had heard the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. It had by no means been preached as a witness to the world. Yet, Christ gave this as a major prerequisite to the setting up of the abomination of desolation. God will not leave this world without a witness.

God will not allow anyone to plaintively cry, “But you never told me!” Just as He sent several of His prophets to loudly proclaim the impending national punishments coming upon the ten-tribed House of Israel long before their destruction detailing their horrible sins; their stiff-necked, God-defying rebellion; their Sabbath-breaking and consequent idolatry; just as He sent several of His prophets to warn Judah of its impending destruction by the Babylonian armies; just as Christ warned His generation (Matthew 24) of the impending destruction of Jerusalem by Titus, SO GOD IS SENDING HIS WARNING AND WITNESS TO THIS WORLD, TODAY!

Most so-called evangelists respond to the cry from people, “preach smooth things; speak deceits!” (Isaiah 30:10). Where, on weekly television, in the thousands of pulpits across our lands, or in religious literature, do you find those who are solemnly telling their audiences that our nations are going to be brutally CONQUERED IN GLOBAL WARFARE unless we repent of our personal and collective sins?

Christ warned, “…except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish” (Luke 13:3,5).

When the armies of Titus destroyed the city of Jerusalem, tens of thousands of Jews were slaughtered.

Yet, countless ones among them had heard Christ’s warning, and the warnings of His faithful apostles and ministers in the years that followed! Instead of repenting, they rejected Christ, and soon began killing and throwing into jail His apostles!

Except for a few Jews who fled to Pella after the high priest allegedly heard an audible voice in the temple, telling him to flee (according to Josephus), the bulk of the population experienced a holocaust! Christ’s stern warning had come true!

The soldiers prized loose even the stones atop the walls of the temple. The temple was eventually destroyed. But Christ specifically stated that, immediately following the Great Tribulation, there would come spectacular heavenly signs.

“Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars [meteorites] shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heaven shall be shaken:

“And then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven: and then shall the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory” (Matthew 24:27-30).

Therefore, the prophecy in Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21 is dual; it has a typical, early fulfillment, and a literal, final end-time fulfillment! Jerusalem is destined to be destroyed again unless its inhabitants repent.

There were no heavenly signs at the destruction of Jerusalem by the armies of Titus; Christ did not come in the power of the Almighty God, shaking the heavens, causing the sun to become black as sackcloth of ashes!

Therefore, there is coming, yet, another destruction of Jerusalem! It will be signaled by the emplacement of the abomination that makes desolate.

Now, who is to set up this abomination?

The “Little Horn” of Daniel

The four great, successive world-dominating empires of Babylon, Persia, Graeco/Macedonia and Rome are depicted in both Daniel 2 and Daniel 7. At the conclusion of the description of the final one of these kingdoms, ROME, Daniel says, “But the saints of the Most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever” (Daniel 7:18).

Daniel then said, “Then I would know the truth of the fourth beast [Rome], which was diverse from all the others, exceeding dreadful, whose teeth were of iron, and his nails of brass; which devoured, brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with his feet;

“And of the ten horns that were in his head, and of the other [a separate, different “horn,” or government; a ruler] which came up, and before whom three fell” (Daniel 7:19-20).

This prophecy shows the ten “horns,” or governments, were successive, and not contemporaneous. That this “little horn” is not one of the successive ten is equally obvious, for it is “another” horn which was seen to arise.

Notice its description, “I considered the horns [ten of them], and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns [these probably were the Vandals, Ostragoths, and the Heruli] plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.

“I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow…a fiery stream issued and came forth from before Him: thousand thousands ministered unto Him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened” (Daniel 7:8-10).

This is obvious reference to the Second Coming of Christ, the beginning of His millennial reign, and the final judgment day! Yet, the prophecy commences with the emergence of the “little horn;” separate from the other ten; distinctly different, who succeeds in overthrowing, or uprooting, the first three “horns” or governments, of the fourth beast of Daniel 7.

Faussett says, “Antichrist rises after their rise, at first ‘little,’ (v. 8) but after destroying three of the ten he becomes greater than them all (vv. 20, 21). The three being gone, he is the eighth (cf. Rev. xvii. 11); a distinct head, and yet ‘of the seven’ (Critical and Experimental Commentary, Vol. IV. p. 422, emphasis mine).

Now, what of the “mouth speaking great things”?

Daniel says, “And of the ten horns that were in his head, and of the other which came up [the “little horn”], and before whom three [the first three, in succession] fell; even that horn that had eyes [of a man], and a mouth that spake great things, whose look was more stout than his fellows.

“I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them!” (Daniel 7:20-21). So much for the idea of “raptured” saints who are not on earth at the time of the tribulation, or special “saints” who are hiding out in caves. Notice that this applies literally to the final two witnesses, who are killed by the Antichrist power (Revelation 11:7), and also applies to the church (Revelation 13:7).

This “little horn” represents some kind of government which persecutes God’s true church!

Four separate times in Daniel’s seventh chapter, the prophecy commences with visions of the fourth beast (Rome), being controlled by a “little horn” which overthrows the first three successive governments of Rome, but which is still extant at the time of the end, persecuting the true church, to be finally destroyed by Christ Himself, at His Second Coming.

In other words, the Bible “dates” the time of the “little horn,” identifying it as a power, or government, which will be actively persecuting God’s people at the time of Christ’s return!

Now, who does this persecuting what power, or government, is responsible for the martyrdom of God’s true servants?

“And he [this same “little horn”] shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they [the saints] shall be given into his hand until a time [one year] and times [two more years] and the dividing of time [six months, or one half year; three and one half years in all].

“But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end” (Daniel 7:25-26). This shows a period of terrible persecutions and martyrdom of three and one-half years! And it is at the time of the end, from the beginning of the tribulation until the Second Coming of Christ!

This “little horn” symbolizes a human leader who sits in a position powerful enough to assay to change times and laws.

Daniel heard one angel ask another, “How long shall the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, and the transgression of desolation [the abomination of desolation], to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot?

“And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed” (Daniel 8:13-14).

John wrote, “And they worshipped the dragon [Satan] which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast [extreme nationalism state worship!], saying, ‘Who is able to make war with him?’

“And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies [the same mouth as that of the “little horn,” meaning Antichrist; the great false prophet!]; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months” (Revelation 13:4-5).

The Three and One-Half Years

When the Antichrist establishes himself, setting up the abomination, he will continue for three and one-half years.

Notice further: “And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.

“But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not, for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months” Revelation 11:1-2).

During this three-and-one-half year period, all organized preaching of the Gospel is impossible. God’s church is scattered, persecuted. (Amos 8:11). Some are to be martyred many are to be miraculously protected from the Antichrist.

God says, “And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child [the church], “And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle [symbolic of God’s miraculous protection. cf. Exodus 19:4], that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time [three and one-half years!] from the face of the serpent.

“And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.

“And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.

“And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ” (Revelation 12:13-17).

Some have seen the “flood” in historical terms; the entire period of the dominance of the “little horn” over the heads of the Holy Roman Empire, and the “flood” of lying doctrines, false charges, and propaganda spewed out of the mouth of the woman who rides the beast.

Some have thought it to be literal; a miracle brought about by Satan, from which God’s people are delivered, like a type of the Red Sea. Whatever its meaning, Satan fails in his attempt to destroy God’s church.

Nevertheless, God’s Word says the great false church, led by its “man of sin” who is Antichrist, will horribly persecute God’s saints. The Great Tribulation includes the martyrdom of many of God’s servants (Matthew 24:9; Revelation 13:7).

Not all of God’s people will be protected. For example, the two witnesses, two human beings who will be specially anointed to be God’s last two prophets warning the beast and false prophet, are to be killed by the Antichrist and the beast.

The work of the two witnesses takes place at the exact same period during which the abomination of desolation sits; the time of the “treading down of the sanctuary.”

“And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand, two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth…these have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.

“And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them” (Revelation 11:3-7).

Some have assumed the whole church will be “taken to a place of safety” for the three and one-half years. Obviously not. Are not these two witnesses members of God’s true church? Are they not converted, with God’s Holy Spirit, and therefore members of the spiritual “body of Christ,” which is the church?

Yet, God allows their martyrdom.

Even as God sent the plagues on Egypt while Israel was yet in the land of Goshen, making a “difference” between the Israelites and Egyptians; even as the death angel “passed over” the Israelitish houses and killed the firstborn of Egypt; so God promises, “A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand, but it shall not come nigh thee (Psalm 91:1-9).

God’s captive people Israel are pictured as crying out to Him in the time of their horrible tribulation: “Come, and let us return unto the Eternal: for He hath torn, and He will heal us; He hath smitten, and He will bind us up.

“After two days [two years? cf. Numbers 14:34; Ezekiel 4:6] will He revive us: in the third day [during the third year?] He will raise us up, and we shall live in His sight” (Hosea 6:1-2).

This prophecy is set in the midst of God’s stern warnings to ten-tribed Israel, especially the nation of Ephraim, identified by many indications as Britain.

God said, “Ephraim shall be desolate in the day of rebuke [tribulation]: among the tribes of Israel have I made known that which shall surely be…I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me early” (Hosea 5:9-15).

The Tribulation, Heavenly Signs (Revelation 6-7), and Day of the Lord all fall within the same three-and-one-half year period! Notice that the abomination of desolation is set up, and continues “until the consummation,” or three and one-half years! The two witnesses prophecy for three and one-half years, and are killed only days prior to Christ’s return! The sanctuary is “trodden down” for three and one-half years, and then “cleansed” by Christ’s return!

Now you can see how important it is to watch for the time when the abomination of desolation is set up; why Christ warned those in Judaea to flee when they see it coming! Who is this Antichrist? Who is this final “little horn” with the mouth of a man, speaking blasphemies?

He is the “false prophet” of prophecy the leader of a church!

The Woman Who Rides the Beast:

Symbol of a Great False Church

Now, notice John’s prophecy: “So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet colored beast, full of names of blasphemy…” (Revelation 17:3).

A woman is used as a symbol of a church. In this case, an apostate church; a church which is under the sway of Satan; a church depicted as wearing the colors of harlotry, full of names which are insults, blasphemous, to God! “…having seven heads and ten horns. And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication…” (Revelation 17:3-4).

This great false church, ruled by Satan, has concourse with the kings, presidents, premiers, prime ministers of the nations of this world; a political church, which seeks to impose its policies on many nations; many cultures. God calls such politics harlotry!

Continuing, “…And upon her forehead was a name written, ‘MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH’” (Revelation 17:5).

This is a great mother church, who has daughters which came out of her in protest! She wears the colors of whoredom, uses names and titles which are blasphemous, and teaches doctrines cloaked in mystery.

She holds the same old “mystery religion” that dates to ancient Babylon; to the time of Semiramis and Nimrod, the founders of the Babylonish mystery religion, and of organized cities and governments of man.

Her main trappings are the sun; bowing toward the rising sun in the east on the ancient day dedicated to “Ishtar” (Semiramis), pronounced “Easter,” today; worship on Sunday instead of God’s Holy Sabbath; sanctioning the use of purely pagan symbols of sexual reproduction and fecundity like orbs and bulbs, the “Ishtar” lily, phallic symbols, flies, eggs a seemingly endless array of the accouterments of ancient heathenism.

She has always fought God’s truth, and persecuted God’s converted servants. Countless thousands have been put to death for daring to cling to the Sabbath; to God’s sacred Passover, which was always held on the evening of the 14th of Nisan by Christ and His disciples. Notice more of this woman’s description:

And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration [astonishment, not approbation]” (Revelation 17:5-6).

Read the entire chapter, and you will see this great false church rides upon the beast, controlling it, influencing it. She will be instrumental in binding together the final ten nations comprising the beast. It is her influence and doctrine which provides the “clay” for the ten toes of Daniel’s second chapter; a weak bonding agent which is not mixed with the “iron” of the militarily powerful nation which will dominate the ten.

Now, notice how this great false church is the same entity as the second beast of Revelation 13!

“And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb [it appears Christ-like], and he spake as a dragon [as Satan: cf. Revelation 12:9].

“And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, [the first beast of Revelation 13 is the same beast as the fourth beast of Daniel 7; representing Imperial Rome from the time of the earliest Roman emperors, and Romulus who gave Rome its name, to the latter-day rulers of the “Holy Roman Empire”] and causeth the earth and them that dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed” (Revelation 13:11-12).

This deadly wound was the fall of Imperial Rome in 476. Its healing was in 554, when Belesarius, victorious in northern Africa, was instrumental in restoring the power of Rome. Notice that this false religious leader, the “little horn” who thought to change times and laws, who was full of names of blasphemy, and who martyred God’s saints is empowered by Satan to perform miracles.

“And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, and deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak [he has a “mouth speaking great things”] and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed” (Revelation 13:11-15).

Where do you find a great, global church whose leader claims infallibility; the authority to change “times and laws,” to establish dogma? Where is the great, multi-lingual, multi-national, universal church which conducts its religious ceremonies in mysteries, in mysterious symbolism, in elaborate rituals with various hidden meanings? Where is there a great church which is a powerful political organization, having vast influence over geopolitics; over political decisions like choice of government for masses of peoples in many different nations?

Where is the great church whose leaders dress in red and scarlet, the colors of harlotry? Where is the great church which boasts it is “eternal”?

Which city is the “eternal” city, according to lore; the city of “seven hills”? John’s vision continued, “The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sitteth” (Revelation 17:9). He went on to say, “And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth” (Revelation 17:18).

Which city can claim to have ruled over “the kings of the earth” down through history? Certainly not Washington, D.C., or London, or Berlin, or Tokyo, or Moscow. Which, then? Where is a church whose leader is courted by the most powerful political leaders in the world a church leader who has the power to incite massive demonstrations, strikes, rebellions which can unseat political systems and bring about revolutions in government?

This same great false church is mentioned by Isaiah.

Notice, “And thou saidst, I shall be a lady for ever: so that thou didst not lay these things to thy heart, neither didst remember the latter end of it.

“Therefore hear now this, thou that are given to pleasures, that dwellest carelessly, that sayest in thine heart, ‘I am [blasphemy! A name and title of God!], and none else beside me; I shall not sit as a widow, neither shall I know the loss of children:’” (Isaiah 47:7-8).

Which great church is called “mother” by all others? Which church has protesting daughters which came out of her, and which she confidently boasts she will bring back to the fold? (But her daughters will share her fate: Isaiah 47:9).

John’s prophecy shows how this great church uses the power of the state to carry out her wishes: “And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.

“And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand [symbolizing cooperation, agreement, willingness, commitment to work], or in their foreheads [symbolizing like-mindedness, cooperation, acceptance, agreement]: and that no man might buy or sell, save he had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

“Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man: and his number is Six hundred threescore and six” (Revelation 13:15-18).

The beast is Rome, from the time of Imperial Rome to the present to the end-time resurrection of the same old system in the heartland of Europe, dominated by one great religion, which will hold sway over all ten nations.

The “image” is the church which was designed and constructed along the same lines as Imperial Rome, with the diocese, the great diocese, a “collegia,” or “college of cardinals,” and an absolute ruler, claiming the “primacy of Peter” whose word is unquestioned!

The “image” of the beast is its length and shadow, its replica, its copy. Yet, it is a religious organization, having the appearance of a lamb, but speaking like a dragon, like Satan!

To obey it is to receive its identifying signs and symbols, or its mark.

The image of the beast is, therefore, a great false church organization, patterned after the political structure of ancient, Imperial Rome, with a human leader so revered that many attribute to him virtual divinity (Roman emperors claimed to be god; to be divine, in some instances); a church organization which cloaks many of its rituals and beliefs in mysteries, and a church organization having political influence concourse with governments of the world a church which is at once a state, having full political sovereignty like that of any other nation.

Now you can understand the vision of the ten-horned beast (the final resurrection of the same old system called the “Holy Roman Empire”) being ridden by the great fallen woman.

How the False Church Gained Control

From the very beginning of the New Testament church which Christ founded (Matthew 16:18), elements from both within and without (Acts 20:28-31) sought to rid God’s true church of everything remotely “Jewish.”

This came about as a result of massive numbers of Gentiles joyously embracing Christianity many of them wanting to cling to ancient, pagan traditions.

The New Testament, particularly Paul’s writings and the “letters to the churches” in Revelation 2 and 3, is a story of the erosion of the original faith; of attacks from Judaizers, who could not seem to shake the concept of circumcision, and who wished to impose the principles of Judaism, not Christianity, on new converts (1 Corinthians 7:18-19).

Continually, the fledgling New Testament church is seen struggling against persecutions from government; from the leaders of the Jewish religious sects; from apostasies within and from attacks without.

Paul’s letter to the Galatians marvels at how soon they had listened to “another Gospel,” and heard about “another Jesus” (Galatians 1:6-8). He rebukes the Corinthians, who, reverting to their pagan customs, had turned the Passover into a Bacchian night of revelry; who tolerated incest within their ranks. He continually defends himself against “false apostles” who parade their “Jewishness” to the people (2 Corinthians 11-12).

Jude, the next to the last book of the New Testament, appeals to true Christians to get back to the “faith once delivered,” showing how far the apostasy had progressed. Jude is a clear warning against false teachers who reverted to the pagan mysteries; used gluttony, revelry, sexual promiscuity in their religious services, exactly as heathen priestesses functioned as “temple prostitutes,” claiming that such activities were symbolic of concourse with the deity.

By the time John wrote the book of Revelation, probably about 91 or 92 AD, the apostasy was nearly complete.

In the second and third chapters, in the letters to the churches, you will see the churches plagued with false doctrines, false religious leaders, false practices a church shot through with paganism!

Acts 8 and other scriptures identify a man who may have risen to become the first major leader of this apostasy; a man who may well have masqueraded as the “Peter” of Rome, Simon the Magus, or Simon the Magician. His story would require book-length investigation. However, he passed into history, and is not relevant today, except as a forerunner of the final false prophet.

Paul wrote of the budding apostasy, and made it clear that a false prophet will rise in the last days just prior to the Second Coming of Christ!

“Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come [the Second Coming of Christ], except there come a falling away [apostasy!] first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;

“Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God [a temple which is yet to be constructed in Jerusalem!], shewing himself [claiming] that he is God.

“…And now ye know what witholdeth [withstands; resists. Paul is speaking of himself, as one who was “holding back” this growing apostasy] that he might be revealed in his time.

“For the mystery of iniquity [it was a “mystery” religion; one which condoned sin, or “iniquity”] doth already work; only he who now letteth [restrains] will let [continue to restrain], until he be taken out of the way” (2 Thessalonians 2:1-7).

Here we see a human religious leader who will ensconce himself inside the temple in Jerusalem and actually claim to be divine! claim to be God!

The expression, “be taken out of the way” is the subject of some contention. The Greek verb is ginomai, which carries the connotation “become to be.” The preferred reading may well be, “until he ‘become to be,’” or “become evident for who he is,” rather than a reference to Paul, as one who would be removed by death, or “taken out of the way.” Either way, the meaning is clear that Paul was one of the last restraining influences against virtual total apostasy in the early church; that following his death there would be no one left in the eastern world who withstood it.

Yet, Paul’s writing was also prophetic, for he referred to the end time, and not just the few years following his death.

Gradually, the visible church of the first and second centuries dramatically changed. Little by little purely pagan customs were adopted. Pagans coming into the church carried with them their superstitions, their various holidays and observances.

Liberal clergymen, ever desirous of more money and power, of larger followings, permitted these pagan customs, dressing them up in “Christian” trappings. Some of these power-hungry leaders gained control of the physical properties of the church through exercising autocratic authority over the people. John wrote of one “Diotrephes,” who coveted power, and who “put out” from that local congregation the true believers, retaining only those who had prostituted themselves, spiritually, to corrupt human power (3 John).

Easter finally replaced the Passover. Sunday replaced the Sabbath. Christmas obscured the time of Christ’s conception. By the time of the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD, true Christians were solemnly warned against “Judaizing” by continuing to obey God in observing His Sabbaths, or following Christ’s example of observing the Passover on the 14th of Nisan; instead, they were commanded to observe the purely pagan “Ishtar” festival, in honor of the pagan goddess of fecundity and sex; a springtime celebration featuring rapidly-reproducing rabbits, the symbols of eggs, and other “mystical” paraphernalia.

From that time to this, the professing “Christian” world has followed the great apostate church. Millions observe “Ishtar” (pronounced “Easter,” today) with bunnies and eggs; facing the rising sun in the east, and eating “hot cross buns” (from bous, or boun, meaning the symbol of Taurus, the bull Tammuz, or Nimrod), and reveling in a pagan celebration which has been dressed up in “Christian” clothing.

Eventually, the millions of adherents to this pagan “mystery” religion, now masquerading as “Christian,” would bring about the requirement for kings and emperors to acknowledge the power of the church, or suffer the consequences the sure loss of rulership, and perhaps the loss of their lives!

God’s True Church Never in Politics 

God solemnly warned His people never to be part of this Babylonish mystery religion; not to partake of its intrigues, its political goals, its wars, or its political systems.

“And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, ‘COME OUT OF HER, MY PEOPLE, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues,’ For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities” (Revelation 18:4-5).

The 18th chapter of Revelation details how the ten-nation beast power shall finally “hate the whore,” and utterly destroy this false church, putting to death countless thousands of its officials and its peoples. God will finally reward this hideous, waddling old madam of religion, this persecutor and torturer of God’s people, with the bitterest dregs of the cup of wrath! That is why God warns His people to forsake this mystery religion that they “receive not of her plagues.

Christ had instructed His disciples, “If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.

“If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you” (John 15:18-19).

He continued, in His prayer to the Father just before His death and resurrection, “I have given them thy word and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

“I pray not that Thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that Thou shouldest keep them from the evil.

“They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world” (John 17:14-18). But the false church is very much of this world. It is a political system, sending ambassadors to all nations, functioning as a government. Its leader has always courted favor with kings, premiers, presidents, emperors; has sought to be accepted and liked by them, and has sought to influence them.

But Jesus said, “My Kingdom is not of this world: if my Kingdom were of this world then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my Kingdom not from hence” (John 18:36).

John wrote, “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

“For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

“And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof…” (1 John 2:15-17).

The word “world” is cosmos, which means the civilization; the communal groupings; cities, governments of the world the society with all its customs, religious and philosophical concepts.

God’s servants are “citizens” of Christ’s soon-coming Heavenly Kingdom, the Government of God! They are like “sojourners” in this world (1 Peter 2:9-12), like “strangers and pilgrims,” as if travelers in a foreign country, having no indigenous citizenship.

Would an American, traveling in Iraq, fight in Iraq’s wars against Iran, or America? Would a Briton, traveling in Africa, vote in African elections, join African military organizations, or observe tribal witchcraft or voodoo?

So, God commands His true church to “submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake: whether it be to the king as supreme; “Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well” (1 Peter 2:13-14). So God’s servants are to be models in obedience to law, respect for authority; in thankfulness for the freedoms and blessings of the governments under which they live. They are to obey those governments in every case except where such civil government comes into conflict with the higher court of heaven!

In such a case, God’s servants must obey God first, and then humbly accept whatever punishment the civil government imposes.

Peter and the apostles said to the authorities during their day, “We ought to obey God rather than men!” (Acts 5:29).

Christ’s true church was never to become a great political system. It was never to fall under the absolute, dictatorial rule of one man, claiming to be the “direct representative” of Christ; claiming to have no peers on earth, but to be the sole human leader under Christ!

This is one of the many blasphemies of which the great false church is guilty. Any human being arrogating to himself such lofty powers is a stench in the nostrils of God, and will surely answer for the enormity of his folly!

Faucett says, “As Antiochus Epiphanes, the Antichrist of the third kingdom [Daniel 8], was the personal enemy of God; so the final Antichrist of the fourth kingdom [the final “beast” power], his antitype, shall be. The church has endured a pagan and a papal persecution; there remains for her an infidel persecution…He will not merely, as Popery, substitute himself for Christ in Christ’s name, but ‘Deny the Father and the Son,’ {1 John ii.22}. The persecution is to continue up to Christ’s second coming” (Critical and Experimental Commentary, Vol. IV, p. 422).

This false prophet claims absolute authority over his followers! They can have no direct access to Christ, and through Christ to the Father, according to his false doctrine! Only when his people stay in his good graces, remain subservient, unquestioning, blind followers of him can they be considered “in the body,” and considered as having a spiritual relationship with God.

Therefore, this false human leader thinks to usurp the very Priesthood of Christ Himself. He teaches that no man or woman can approach God directly through Christ! They must always be channeled through this one human leader! Finally, this blasphemous and pompous ego will swell to the point that this great false prophet will make the blasphemous claim that he “is God”!

Now, let’s notice how this great false church, the “image” of the beast, will be complicit in bringing about the Great Tribulation upon God’s elect.

The “Yoke” of the False Church

Isaiah’s prophecy identifies the great false church as a major perpetrator of the tribulation; the captivity of ten-tribed Israel: “I was wroth with my people, I have polluted mine inheritance, and given them into thine hand…” (Isaiah 47:6).

This is the fallen woman; the false church, who boasts that she is “lady of the kingdoms,” and will “not suffer the loss of children” who came out of her, in protest.

No “rapture” pictured here. Instead, just as Christ predicted; as all the prophecies clearly state, the tribulation is accompanied by a vast martyrdom of saints (Revelation 13:7; Matthew 24:9).

To continue, “…thou didst shew them no mercy; upon the ancient hast thou very heavily laid thy yoke” (Isaiah 47:6).

Remember, the beast and the false prophet are complicit in the martyrdom of God’s people, and in the captivity of ten-tribed Israel and Judah!

Notice it is not only the great false church who lays her yoke on God’s people! “O my people that dwellest in Zion, be not afraid of the Assyrian: he shall smite thee with a rod, and shall lift up his staff against thee, after the manner of Egypt…and it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing” (Isaiah 10:24-27).

The “anointing” refers to the Second Coming of Christ.

Isaiah says, “And it shall come to pass in that day [the time of the end; the time of Christ’s coming] that the Lord shall set His hand the second time to recover the remnant of His people, which shall be left, from Assyria…and there shall be an highway for the remnant of His people, which shall be left, from Assyria: LIKE AS IT WAS TO ISRAEL IN THE DAY HE CAME UP OUT OF THE LAND OF EGYPT” (Isaiah 11:11-16).

But when ten-tribed Israel was taken captive by Assyria in 721-718 BC, your Bible says none returned. There was never a miraculous EXODUS from ancient Assyria. Instead, when Babylon subjugated Assyria, the captive Israelites wandered with their former captors into Europe, and toward Scandinavia and the British Isles.

They disappeared, largely, from history. A few clues remain, and their identity can be discovered, but no such event as that described in Isaiah 11 has yet taken place. Clearly, this prophecy is set at the time of Christ’s return.

Where is modern Israel the House of Israel, not only the Jews? In captivity, under the yoke of both a modern nation who represents the ancient Assyrians, and the false church! In other words, Israel is under captivity to the beast power and the false prophet!

This false prophet is the “little horn” of Daniel the government which finally held sway over the final seven heads of the Roman Empire.

This “little horn” of Daniel’s prophecy is the papacy, which overthrew three kingdoms which had taken over Rome, generally believed to have been the Vandals (429-533 AD), the Heruli under Odoacer, from the fall of Rome in 476 to about 493, and the eastern Goths from 493 to 554 AD, when General Belesarius retook Carthage.

The influence of the papacy was instrumental in overthrowing these kingdoms, and establishing the “Imperial Restoration” of Rome in about 554.

Now, the “little horn,” speaking great things, thinking to “change times and laws” (establish the Sunday calendar, and issue dogmas), dominates the remaining seven heads of the “beast.” These were the successive heads of the so-called “Holy Roman Empire,” culminating in the weak revival of the same system under Hitler and Mussolini during World War II.

Mussolini called his government the re-establishment of the “Holy Roman Empire”! Faucett admits, “The Roman empire did not represent itself as a continuation of Alexander’s; but the Germanic Empire calls itself ‘the holy Roman empire’” (Critical and Experimental Commentary, Vol. IV, p. 419, emphasis mine). The “Holy Roman Empire” was Germanic, not Italian.

Even the first three kings, overthrown by the “little horn,” were “Teutonic” people.

John was told, “The beast that thou sawest was, and is not, and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit [a symbolic “abyss,” signifying satanic origin], and go into perdition [so it is the final beast which is ultimately destroyed by Christ’s return]” (Revelation 17:8).

The leader of this great false church is the FALSE PROPHET of Bible prophecy, the ANTICHRIST!

He is the “little horn” of Daniel. He is the “man of sin” of 2 Thessalonians 2. He is the “abomination of desolation” PERSONIFIED, for he is the one who actually will sit in the temple of God, making the blasphemous claim that he is God!

Remember how God says the image of the beast, the false church, will have satanic power to perform miracles to delude and deceive millions?

Notice! “And then shall that Wicked [“Wicked One,” margin] be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the Spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming:

“Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,

“And will all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish [are perishing]; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

“And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie…” (2 Thessalonians 2:8-11).

The false prophet will be seated in a temple. He will claim to be “divine.” He will perform such lying wonders, miracles, and mysterious “signs” that millions will be convinced. They will WORSHIP this man, revere him as if he is VERY GOD!

One of the first things Christ will accomplish immediately following His return to this earth is to destroy this great, lying, pompous, blasphemous false prophet. “And the beast was taken [arrested caught], and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone” (Revelation 19:19-21).

What to Watch For

In summary, then, Christ specifically said this great “Abomination to God that will cause terrible destruction and desolation,” will stand in the holy place, where it ought not!

The temple still stood when Christ uttered those words. His listeners knew exactly to which part of the temple He referred: the innermost part of the temple, called the “holy place,” which was the place of the priests’ daily offerings, and the “holy of holies,” behind the vail, into which the high priest entered only once each year, on the Day of Atonement.

Paul clearly said the “man of sin” would sit “in the temple of God.”

But today, there is no temple in Jerusalem.

Yet, major international tensions occur when enthusiastic Zionist Jews march to the temple walls, attempting to lay a symbolic corner stone for the building of another TEMPLE!

The virulent hatred of the Arabs toward the Jews is partly rooted in the intention of many right-wing Jewish sects to destroy the Dome of the Rock and the Al Aksa Mosque, to make way for the building of another Jewish temple.

When such a temple is built, you should be aware that the final events depicted in this article are VERY NEAR!

Consider: Such an event would probably unite the Arab nations as no other single event. A great war could break out in the Mideast a war in which chemical, and even nuclear weapons might be used, for the Arabs might have witnessed the destruction of two of their most revered mosques, holy places to all Islam.

They might unite, as never before, and their leader would probably be the “king of the south” of Daniel 11:40-45.

To “push at” the “king of the north,” who we believe to be the “beast” power, or a United Europe, this Arab leader might cut off all energy to Europe! This would bring an immediate military response as Daniel’s 11th chapter shows.

If you see a ten-nation combine in Europe, probably called “The United States of Europe,” shockingly, suddenly intervene in the Mideast; if you see the head of the great universal church declare that he is going to MOVE THE VATICAN TO JERUSALEM that the “one true church” is going to go back to its BIRTHPLACE; if you see him declaring that Jerusalem should become a corpus separatum, or open, internationalized city, exempt from military action, and then GO THERE HIMSELF TO INSURE IT; if you see miracles performed; major churches, including some state churches returning to the fold of their mother; if you see this man making great and pompous statements, accepting the acclamation of MILLIONS as the man WHO SAVED THE WORLD FROM NUCLEAR DESTRUCTION; if you see him revered almost like Christ, acclaimed as if he were “God,” then BE WARNED!

For, when you see such things happening you should know that the Great Tribulation IS BEGINNING!

Should a famous statue that millions have kissed a blackened bronze statue of a figure with a strangely Byzantine or Grecian cast, one who is supposedly the “Peter” of Rome be moved inside the temple; should this man himself ensconce himself inside the temple, then you will have seen the ABOMINATION SET IN PLACE; and horrifying, unimaginable DESTRUCTION will immediately follow!

The consequences of all this to Americans, Britons, Australians, Canadians, South Africans, the democracies of Northwestern Europe, are unimaginable!

May God help those whose minds are opened to understand, as Christ said. May God help you to call upon Him for the changes you KNOW you need to make in your life, to repent of sins, to call upon Christ as Savior, and to become a part of His own body, the spiritual organism that is His true church!

Christ said “many are called, but few are chosen.” Has God called you? Is it an accident you have read these words of witness and warning? Or is God Himself working in your life for a purpose? Think about it. Then, pray about it, while there is still time.

You may copy and distribute this information only to friends and family without changes, without charge and with full credit given to the author and publisher. You may not publish it for general audiences.

This publication is intended to be used as a personal study tool. Please know it is not wise to take any man’s word for anything, so prove all things for yourself from the pages of your own Bible.


The activities of the Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association are paid for by tithes, offerings and donations freely given by Christians and co-workers who are dedicated to preaching the gospel according to Jesus Christ.

The post Abomination of Desolation first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

One of the last things any Christian would want to believe is that he is “under the Law.” Surely any Christian person knows that “a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law” (Romans 3:28).

But does this mean Christians do not have to obey the Ten Commandments? Put another way, does it mean a Christian person may break any one of the Ten Commandments—having other gods before Him, coveting, lying, cheating, stealing or bowing down to “graven images”—and yet not be guilty of sin?

How many times have you heard people talking about their youth, cheerfully admitting they have at one time or another broken sufficient laws to have landed them in jail?

I remember many such occasions from speeches given by college students who were practicing their “ice breakers” to familiarize themselves with the methods of public speaking and casual dinner conversation.

Some of the most horrible tales have been confessions of having set fire to acres of pine trees, overturned numerous outhouses, damaged and destroyed automobiles and other property.

For some reason the statement “the devil made me do it” seems humorous today.

What is this evil part of human nature that makes us want to brag about lawlessness?

What is it about older people that makes them tend to be proud of some of their youthful days when they were “sowing their wild oats” and engaged in gangland activities, street fights, violent escapades involving vandalism, malicious mischief and high-speed flights away from uniformed policemen?

What is it in human nature that makes us resent authority?

Do all human beings, almost as if by nature, have secret inner compulsions which make them want to break laws?

A Lawless Age

With the dismantlement of the great colonial empires following World War II, the world has been dumfounded again and again at some of the macabre revelations of vast purges and genocide which have taken the lives of millions.

Increasingly, government leaders, like the biblical descriptions of “wild beasts” of the gentile nations, are becoming laws unto themselves, brutally ignoring human rights, due process and international law.

The rise of despotism—that is, the takeover by “strongman” dictators in nation after nation around the world continues with scarcely a whisper of protest heard in Washington or anywhere else.

“Human rights” are applied on a selective basis with the self righteous leaders in government decrying the lack of human rights in one country while cheerfully turning their backs on the grisly spectacle of mass murder in another part of the world.

In the United States we are edging closer to that dangerous period where even neighborhood arguments are often as not settled by shoot-outs.

Teenage gangs wage street war against one another with guns and grenades, and various ultra nationalistic or fascist organizations cache stockpiles of weapons and ammunition toward that day of revolution (or, as they usually preach, their last-ditch defense against the various real or imagined conspiracies, from Zionists to the “Illuminati,” communism or one of the councils of churches) they say is coming.

The world in which you live is a world of violence. Because of the many heartrending abuses of power, many Christian professing people tend to “throw out the baby with the bath water,” turning away from any and every kind of authority.

We have all seen the comedies portraying southern sheriffs as rednecks” who mercilessly pistol-whip itinerant blacks, the sadistic prison guard who beats a helpless inmate, the husky nurse who brutalizes the new patient in the state mental hospital.

Hardly a single issue of a daily newspaper is read but that another sensational revelation of such abuse of authority is exposed.

From the White House to the Congress, from state capitals to the prison systems, from the police to the churches, we know flagrant abuses of government, authority and position are common.

The automatic tendency on the part of those who feel they have just “escaped” such violations of government power is to reject all forms of government, all of officialdom.

In the midst of all of this, it is quite simple for any professing Christian person who embraces the gentle teachings of Jesus Christ of Nazareth concerning love, forgiveness, faith and mercy to abandon belief in day-to-day requirements and to live instead as a “free spirit” blissfully unaware of the requirement to obey the Ten Commandments!

It is no wonder, then, that millions believe “God is dead,” and other millions who may believe and accept that God is alive seem to imagine His law is dead.

It’s time you saw from your own Bible, with your own eyes, the real truth about the laws of God and your relationship to them.

What is Grace?

One of the terms most often used is “not under law but under GRACE.”

But what is grace? When one is “gracious,” it usually connotes being gentle, kind and good. Many a parent has named an infant daughter Grace, as one of the virtues of a meek and quiet spirit. But what is the meaning of the word as set forth in the Bible—especially with regard to “not under the law but under grace”?

First, does it mean permission to sin?

“Certainly not!” one might answer. But if it does not mean you have permission to sin, does it mean you do not need to keep God’s laws?

“Well-l-l… that is a different matter,” one might respond.

Perhaps it is time to go to Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary and find out just what grace is.

Grace is “favor, kindness, mercy, etc.” The ecclesiastical usage is “divine mercy or forgiveness.”

Then grace means more than just possessing a kind, good and gentle spirit; it connotes the favor and mercy of God—divine mercy or being forgiven.

But being forgiven of what?

Why, being forgiven of having sinned!

But, again, how about another definition? What is sin?

The Bible responds, “Sin is the transgression of the law” (1 John 3:4).

If that is what sin is—if sin is the breaking of God’s laws—sin is also failing to keep God’s laws!

Technically the word sin from the Hebrew language means “to miss the mark” or “to err.” There are sins of comission and sins of omission. A sin which is “committed” is an act of some sort which is directly contrary to the Ten Commandments of God or any of the greater magnifications of the Ten Commandments as illustrated by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount, as well as by His life and His teaching.

By omitting to do good, you may also be sinning without realizing it! God says, “To him that knoweth to do good and doeth it not, to him it is sin!”

Sin is not only the breaking of the law of God, but it is also failing to keep the law of God!

When one has broken the laws of God, he is said to be a “sinner.”

“All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

Every human being has broken God’s holy laws, the Ten Commandments. It is the breaking of these laws, then, as they are applied in principle and as they are magnified by Christ in the New Testament, that constitutes sin (1 John 3:4).

Every one of us has, as part of our basic nature, innate hostility toward God’s laws (Romans 8:7). We have been convicted by God’s law as being guilty of sin: the breaking of His Ten Commandments! When we do this, the penalty the law requires, which is death (Romans 6:23), is applied to us. We are looked upon, from the point of view of God, as being “blood guilty,” and our very lives are expected to be forfeited!

But Jesus Christ of Nazareth died to be a propitiation for our sins, so we don’t have to die and suffer the consequences of our own illegal and unlawful acts!

Grace is God’s mercy: the undeserved, unmerited, unearned pardon which God grants us upon our acceptance of the shed blood of Jesus Christ, our confession of our personal sins and our acceptance of Jesus as our personal Savior.

“In whom [Christ] we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace!” (Ephesians 1:7).

Grace, then, is God’s loving willingness to forgive us of having broken His Ten Commandments, having perpetrated sin!

This is very clear in Scripture. Yet millions remain confused.

Grace Becomes “Permission”

Even prior to the close of the New Testament writings, God inspired Jude to write, “Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write to you, and exhort you that you should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness [permission to do evil] and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ” (Jude 3,4).

In order to “turn the grace of God into lasciviousness,” the false deception must be perpetrated which implies that God’s goodness, greatness and forgiveness are so boundless as to virtually encourage a person to live carelessly—living, as it were, in a life of sin—but constantly dwelling on the greatness, goodness and mercy of God, believing in his heart that he will be forgiven no matter what!

This insidious teaching started before the Bible was even finished.

There were false teachers creeping into the ranks of some of the newly converted gentile converts in such cities as Thyatira, Corinth and Rome itself who began urging some of the newly converted heathens to revert back to some of their age-old customs which included sex practices as spiritual “rites” in the temple worship of some polytheistic gods, and telling these people that God would bless this activity, that it was not really a sin!

A prostitute named Jezebel was teaching the brethren of God’s true church in the city of Thyatira to commit fornication with her, calling it a “religious service.”

No doubt there were any number of people in that church congregation who were willing enough to believe this, for it appears Jezebel may have been, in fact, a beautiful and voluptuous woman.

Today there are millions and millions of “Christian folk” who, while they would abhor such practices, nevertheless believe in other, more subtle ways that one may live a life of disobedience to God’s perfect Ten Commandments and still be “Christian” in some loose or casual way.

Millions of professing Christians are convinced they should live a “righteous life.” But the guidelines of what constitutes this “righteous life” are usually the guidelines of their own particular part of society. That means their church, club, lodge, social group, immediate or extended family.

Most people are willing to be constrained by the social and religious parameters of life around them while living their lives blissfully unaware of any further requirements to obey God!

To these same people a “sinful life” would probably mean indulging in various “world” habits and interests such as going to too many or the wrong kind of movies, attending honkytonks, drinking, gambling, carousing or “cussing” a little too much.

Millions of individuals thus conceive in their own minds a whole way of life which they feel is “Christian,” and, living within the parameters of these social constraints, they feel they are under Christ’s “grace,” and such a state means they are not required to actually obey specific laws!

Most professing Christians who have had what they call a “born-again experience” would talk of “living for God,” which means living a good life rather than an evil one. It means, to them, thinking good thoughts rather than evil ones, being honest rather than being dishonest, striving to hold their head up in society, and being thought of by all their friends and constituents as “good.”

To many, grace becomes the “state of a Christian who is living for God”!

Thus grace has subtly been substituted in most people’s consciousness to imply a “condition of the individual,” rather than one of the qualities of the mind of God.

Instead of coming to understand the real meaning of the word grace as revealed in the Scriptures, many come to feel that grace is a vague biblical term which means a Christian is in a “saved condition.” It means God has smiled on such an individual, that he has been called and placed “under grace” and made into a Christian!

Not true!

Grace is the undeserved forgiveness Jesus Christ stands ready to lavish upon you if and when you repent of sin!

What is Repentance?

The apostle Peter, speaking on the Day of Pentecost before thousands in Jerusalem, said, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the Holy Spirit!” (Acts 2:38).

Later he said, “Repent ye therefore, and be converted!” (Acts 3:19).

Jesus began His ministry by commanding people to repent!

“From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, Repent: for the Kingdom of God is at hand!” (Matthew 4:17).

Any dictionary can tell you that repent means to be deeply sorry, to be broken up and ashamed of oneself for transgressions and sins! It is not only an emotional experience of contrition, of a state of being deeply sorrowful that a person has done wrong (sinned, erred, made mistakes and done evil), but the acceptance with the mind of a higher and a better way of life; repentance includes the resolve to do better in the future, not to sin any more!

When the apostle Peter said to “be converted,” he meant to “be changed”! This change of which the Bible speaks is not a vague or nebulous change, but a very definite change which God requires in each facet of your private life!

Jesus said, “Except you repent, you shall all likewise perish!”

When one repents and calls out to God for forgiveness of sins, he automatically tells God he intends obeying God’s law henceforth, for repentance means being deeply sorry you have sinned!

Sin is the breaking of God’s law. Repenting of sin means being sorry you have broken God’s law. If you are sorry, it means you do not intend breaking His law any further! Let’s illustrate it this way: You live in a society which must be regulated according to various laws. There are federal, state, county and local laws which regulate practically every act and deed. Whether we are speaking here of federal laws, civil codes or simply traffic laws, the same principle applies.

You are required in order to retain your freedom and your citizenship to obey the laws of our country. If you break some of them, it may only require a fine or a very small penalty, or even a warning, and you will be allowed to remain free.

Breaking others can be far more serious. Grand theft, larceny, arson, robbery, burglary, auto theft or murder could get you thrown behind bars (not withstanding the terrible laxity of the courts today).

Let’s suppose you have done precisely this.

Maybe, caught up in an emotional state with wrong companions, you perpetrate some act which is clearly against the law. Let’s assume you are arrested and in due time brought to trial. But, during the trial, just as the judge has imposed upon you a terrific fine which you would never be able to pay—say, a million dollars—a completely unknown stranger, your benefactor, stands and says, “Your honor, I believe this man is seriously contrite. I believe he got caught up in the emotion of the moment and was under the influence of some evil companions. I feel he is a man of integrity and wishes truly to mend his ways and live a better life.

“Therefore, I am willing to pay his fine myself so he can go free, and he doesn’t need to pay this penalty!”

Although it probably wouldn’t happen in our society, it does illustrate the point. The judge (as a type of God the Father) would say to the benefactor (who is a type of Jesus Christ and His sacrifice for our own sins), “That will be fine! You may step up and pay the court $1 million and we will write on the court records that the man who has been accused is free to go.”

Then the judge may look at you, the person who has been arrested, tried and sentenced, and say, “You are free to go. But don’t ever get caught up in that kind of a situation again!”

Do you see?

You are required, as a citizen of a free country, to obey its laws, or else!

In the case of God’s divine laws, you are required, whether you know about them or not (ignorance of the law is no excuse), whether you are a Christian, a professing Christian or whatever, to obey God’s Ten Commandments.

Though people by the millions freely break the Ten Commandments every single day, they are unknowingly coming under the penalty of the law, which is death! (Romans 6:23).

When you repent, you are saying to God you are deeply sorry you have broken His laws.

Jesus Christ of Nazareth as the counsel for the defense says to God, the Righteous Judge, that He believes in your profession of repentance and is willing to allow His own sacrifice to be applied in your case!

Then, just as Jesus said to the woman taken in the very act of adultery, God will say the same thing to you, “Neither do I condemn thee; go and sin no more!”

True repentance, then, means being deeply sorry you have broken God’s Ten Commandments, resolving through the power of God’s Holy Spirit and the help of Jesus Christ as your daily High Priest and Intercessor, not to break the Ten Commandments henceforth.

David experienced some of the depths of the feeling of repentance when he said, “Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy loving kindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.

“Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin” (Psalm 51:1,2).

When David pleaded for the mercy of God and His forgiveness, he also asked that he could be cleansed from the penalty of his sins, that his sins could be forgiven and set aside, and never mentioned to him again.

In this case, David was pleading for God’s grace and His mercy.

He said later, “O how love I thy law it is my meditation all the day” (Psalm 119:97).

Never forget that “sin is the transgression of the law” (1 John 3:4), and, when you totally repent of having sinned, you repent of having broken God’s law!

As Paul says, “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God … for sin shall not have dominion over you: for you are not under the law, but under grace” (Romans 6:12-14).

Do you see? A person who has truly repented is sorry he has sinned, meaning sorry he has broken God’s law, His Ten Commandments. He is, now determined that with God’s help he will not break those ten Commandments again! He knows sin will no longer “rule” over him, that the appetites of his own flesh, the wiles of Satan the devil and his influence, and the evil influence of this world all around him, will not make him live a life of sin any further! He knows that he is not “under the law” (meaning under the penalty of the law), but is under God’s unmerited grace and pardon!

Paul continues to answer a question which might arise in the mind of one who does not know the true meaning of the word grace.

He says, “What then? Shall we sin, [that is break the Ten Commandments] because we are not under the law but under grace? God forbid!” (Romans 6:15).

Can you see now? When the scripture speaks of being “under the law,” it means, by its very context, being under the “penalty” of the law!

To obey the law is to be “within the law,” but to sin is to come under the law.” But there is a simple difference which we can understand by applying the earlier analogy of the courtroom scene.

All of us as free citizens can “stand fast in the freedom wherewith our founding fathers have made us free,” but to do so it means we must continue to be “law-abiding citizens”!

And what is wrong with that? How many Americans or others do you see living in free nations (such as Britain, Canada, Australia, etc.) who go about complaining every single day concerning the many laws they must keep? I do not speak here of taxes or civil codes which from time to time may appear to be unjust, but the overriding laws which are not unlike the Ten Commandments. It is against the law to murder, to rape, to rob, to steal, pillage, burn or vandalize your neighbors property, and well it should be!

How many “law-abiding citizens” go about every single day shaking their heads in dismay, arguing in their minds against these constraints? A ridiculous question!

There’s nothing sinister or evil in being a “law-abiding citizen” when we apply it to a country. If you feel as I do, you prize very highly your freedoms granted you by those documents which are virtually on a sacred level called the Declaration of Independence, and the Constitution, with its amendments.

It is no different with God’s law. Why should any Christians feel as if they are under a horrible burden like a grinding, heavy weight to be constrained to obey God’s law?

This is tantamount to alleging that the citizens of a free nation such as the United States go about spending their time in doing nothing else except complaining about the terrible yoke of bondage which forces them to avoid burglarizing their neighbor’s apartment, stealing his automobile, raping his wife or murdering him!

What’s WRONG With God’s Law?

Can you find anything really wrong with God’s Ten Commandments? How long has it been since you have read the Ten Commandments? For a refreshing experience do the following: Turn in your own Bible to Exodus the 20th chapter and read the entire chapter slowly.

Read not only the Ten Commandments themselves, but even the context in which they were given. Read about the quaking mountain with the magnificent voice of God thundering out the greatest law ever devised to Moses (who was a mediator of the Old Covenant) and the people of Israel!

As you read slowly through the Ten Commandments, continually ask yourself, “What is wrong with these laws?”

Muse for a time on the practical application of the Ten Commandments if they were obeyed in a national sense! As an example, what would happen if the United States of America obeyed any one of the Ten Commandments perfectly?

What about the commandment against murder? It is easy to see if even this one commandment were obeyed, an enormous avalanche of crime would be eradicated from the American scene!

Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount equated hatred, bitter anger and murderous thoughts with murder itself! Therefore, anyone who is “angry with his brother without a cause,” and who would say “drop dead” or “you useless wretch,” has actually broken the spirit and intent of this commandment already!

To break the spirit or intent of the law is to come under the death penalty! Therefore, Jesus Christ, in magnifying the law and making it “honorable” in the New Testament, makes it far more binding than ever before!

Hence, even for a neighbor to be unreasonably angry with his brother means he has already broken God’s Ten Commandments! And to break one is to be guilty of all!

Remember, sin is the “transgression of the law” (or the breaking of the Ten Commandments).

Let your mind muse on the positive aspects of the keeping of the Ten Commandments. If that one commandment were being obeyed perfectly in the spirit as well as in the letter, then the United States of America would be a virtual utopia!

Remember, obeying the law against murder perfectly would mean the eradication of hatred. Hatred is an emotion very closely associated with fear, ego, vanity and jealousy.

Any nation whose citizens were in such control of their minds and emotions so as to be without hate would have the following great revolutionary blessings.

1. There would be no crime in the entire nation. Any people completely free from vanity, jealousy, fear, greed and hatred would be an honest people, a good and loving people.

2. There would be no racism. Prejudice produces hatred and vice versa. In eradicating hatred and supplanting it with love, which is an outgoing concern (the very opposite feeling from hatred), the nation would also eradicate the last vestige of racism. That would mean equal opportunities in the economy, in the government, in education, in religion and in every structure of the society.

This, in turn, would save billions of dollars in welfare; it would save hundreds of millions of dollars by canceling the riots, fires and looting that have pockmarked the face of America from the beginning of the struggles for civil rights; it would end the activities of such organizations as the Jewish Defense League, the Black Panthers, the Weathermen Underground, the John Birch Society, the Klu Klux Klan and many dozens of others. Without racism a wave of peace, love, goodwill and prosperity would sweep the country—all because a people obeyed just one of the Ten Commandments.

3. All entertainment would have to be revised. Books, papers, novels, magazines, motion pictures and television would be deeply affected; for, if there were no hatred, there could be no violence, and hence there would be peace. Without violence, television would have to be more informative, educational, and present a bright, hopeful, happy, buoyant, ebullient spirit—it would revolutionize the entire entertainment industry.

4. Religions would have to be totally revolutionized too. For without their vicious internecine hatreds of each other, without the contempt, the suspicion, the fear, the vituperation, the jealousy, the anger and the hatred various religious groups have for each other, all religion would be deeply changed!

Do you see? Think of the many other ways in which you could apply the keeping of just this one commandment to a modern society, and then think of the many ways in which that society could be improved!

You could apply the same lesson to any of the other commandments, including covetousness. This would wipe out materialism, the vain, egotistical and greedy search for wealth, ill-gotten gain, and the worshipful attitude of bowing down before “things”! People in our society tend to “use people and love things,” when they should “use things and love people”!

This same experiment could be applied to any one of the Ten Commandments.

But wait!

A commandment which plainly states you ought to keep holy the seventh-day Sabbath, beginning from Friday sunset until Saturday sunset Now that is another matter!

Frankly, if God had somehow “blue-penciled” His Ten Commandments and made them Nine Commandments with the fourth deleted, then the entire question of law and grace and all the other theological arguments which tend to obliterate the Ten Commandments of God would never have arisen in the first place!

When you come right down to it, it is the insistent rebellion against the requirement to “observe” a day as being a special holy day to God, sanctified in His sight, and for a spiritual and righteous purpose, that seems to gall so many human beings.

To “select” a day in their own minds and hearts, inventing and deriving their own religious customs and pursuits, is well and good. To be righteous enough to “decide” on their own, without any intervention from God, that it would be good for them to observe one day in seven makes many individuals feel quite self-satisfied and righteous in God’s sight.

Their reasoning goes something like this:

“It isn’t that I ‘mind’ keeping a day so much; I don’t mind doing it at all. It’s just that I want to keep a day because I love God, because it is my desire to serve and to love my God, and not keep a day because He tells me to!”

Though it may be expressed in many different ways, this is an underlying attitude that needs to be understood!

Many people seem to resent being given “orders” from God’s Word, and would like the Ten Commandments to be rewritten to become the “Ten Suggestions”!

If there were only suggestions from God as basic guidelines” which were “highly recommended,” many more people would probably attempt, haphazardly and halfheartedly, to follow a few of them from time to time.

But commandments? Orders? For God to order you to do something? Now, that is quite a different matter!

This is the crux of the whole problem!

God’s Word says, “For the carnal mind is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be!” (Romans 8:7),

God shows that by our very nature we are rebellious and hostile to God’s law. But there is nothing wrong with the Ten Commandments, for the apostle Paul said, “Wherefore, the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just and good” (Romans 7:12).

He said, “For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.

“For that which I do, I don’t want to do, and that which I want to do, I do not; and the thing which I hate, that I find myself doing; if then, I do those things I don’t want to do, I consent unto the law that it is good” (Romans 7:14-16, paraphrased).

No, there is nothing “wrong” with the Ten Commandments, but there is a great deal wrong with people which the Ten Commandments point out, and which, in turn, make many people feel guilty and uncomfortable. So, instead of facing the law clearly and repenting of what they are doing that is wrong, too many people turn from the mirror of God’s Ten Commandments (which exposes their own personal sins and faults) and go their own way, in their own self-righteousness, and refuse to repent!

What about you? Do you believe God’s law must be obeyed?

Perhaps you need to come to your own private decision as to what you will do with the following scriptures.

“…If you will enter into life, keep the commandments” (Matthew 19:17).

“For I delight in the law of God after the inward man” (Romans 7:22).

“I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin” (Romans 7:25).

“If you fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, ‘you shall love your neighbor as yourself,’ you do well: But, if you have respect to persons; you commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors. For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all” (James 2:8-10).

“And hereby do we know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that sayeth, I know him, and keepeth not his Commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him” (1 John 2:3,4).

Finally, notice the description of the end-time remnant of the true Church of God at the exact moment of their greatest persecutions, just prior to the second coming of Christ.

“And the dragon was wroth with the woman [the Church of God] and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ” (Revelation 12:17).

Don’t make the mistake of thinking that obedience to God’s law conflicts with grace! Because you are under grace, meaning forgiven (when and if you repent of having broken God’s law), you are rejoicing in the great liberty and freedom of having the penalty of death removed from you!

Jesus Christ of Nazareth has stepped forward and asked God the Father if He can shed His own life’s blood, giving His own back to the horrible, tearing lash for your sins!

He bore His cross through the jeering mob, allowed Himself to be bound, spat upon, brutally beaten within an inch of His life, and then staggered and fell under the weight of that huge stake until He felt the spikes driven through His hands and His feet and had Himself hoisted aloft to die for your sins and for mine!

He died because we had broken His law!

When we accept the fact of His death in our stead, it is the most shameful mockery of all of history to pervert the “grace of Jesus Christ” into lasciviousness by arguing we can now break the very law which took Jesus’ life!

No, once we have repented and accepted Christ’s shed blood, He will say to us just as He did the woman, “Go and sin no more”; that is “Go and don’t you ever break those Ten Commandments [in spirit] again!”

But even this is not the end of the story!

In spite of the best intentions of those who have become completely converted, trials and temptations will come. That’s why Jesus Christ of Nazareth didn’t stay dead!

He is our living Savior, making daily intercession for us. While, even though we are under Christ’s “grace,” we still need His daily intercession when we sin.

“If we say that we have no sin [that we haven’t broken His Ten Commandments] we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

“If we confess our sins [to Him, and to no other], he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:8,9).

You need to praise God that you can be under His grace, meaning that He will forgive and forget your sins if you sincerely repent of having broken God’s law!

The bumper sticker says, “Christians aren’t perfect, just forgiven!” And that is true, but remember that forgiveness, once you repent, means the removal of all guilt that is past!

There remains today and tomorrow and next year and the rest of your life. And what happens if you slip up? What happens if you weaken?

Satan would like many to believe that they are hopelessly lost because they have let down, dropped out and gone back into the ways of this world, even after they made an earlier attempt to live a Christian life.

Many of these people want to be forgiven; they want to be cleansed from their sins; they want salvation, eternal life! But they believe the devil’s lie that it is too late for them!

No! Jesus Christ is alive today. He is a merciful High Priest who knows your temptations and weaknesses—He overcame sin in the flesh, being tempted in every point like we are—He is able to turn to the Father and say, “Father, I understand. Please forgive this person!”

If you still want salvation, God the Father stands ready to give it to you. He is not willing that any should perish, and He wants to forgive you!

When you are forgiven, you still need Jesus Christ to help you on a daily basis! Grace means God’s loving pardon, not permission to live in a life of sin!

So repent of having broken God’s laws; think about those wonderful laws that would save nations if they were obeyed; and ask God’s help in keeping them and in making them a part of your daily life!

You may copy and distribute this information only to friends and family without changes, without charge and with full credit given to the author and publisher. You may not publish it for general audiences.

This publication is intended to be used as a personal study tool. Please know it is not wise to take any man’s word for anything, so prove all things for yourself from the pages of your own Bible.

The activities of the Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association are paid for by tithes, offerings and donations
freely given by Christians and co-workers who are dedicated to preaching the gospel according to Jesus Christ.

The post Are Christians “Under the Law”? first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

“O God, where are You when I need You?”

Each day, millions pray. In China, Japan, Southeast Asia, prayers are recited in Buddhist temples, Shintoist pagodas; prayer wheels turn in dozens of Nepalese streams. In Europe, Central and South America; across the United States and Canada, millions pray each day. What happens to all those prayers? Where do they go? Does anyone hear them? Are very many of them answered? Do you pray? Are your prayers answered?

During World War II, Catholic mothers in Germany and France prayed that their sons would be granted safety, and victory. Priests recited petitions in the same language (Latin) to the same God, asking for the same thing. But, during the German advance into France, those prayers went up to God from opposing sides. Wasn’t this a little confusing to God?

Each Sunday, tens of millions go to church; tens of millions more see religious programs on television. They pray. They engage in responsive readings; millions recite the “Lord’s Prayer” each week. How many of those prayers are answered—really answered, in a definitive, perhaps even a spectacular way?

What about you? Do you pray? Are your prayers answered in a tangible, positive way, leaving absolutely no doubt in your mind?

Sometimes, failing to receive an answer to prayer can prove frustrating, especially to children. For example, a young lad named Peter once wrote a letter to God. You’ve probably seen samples of such letters—national magazines have published them, and they have been the subject of humorous comment on TV talk shows. Little Peter had been taught about God. He believed God was good, kind—that He was all-powerful, and could do anything. He saw his parents pray at home and in church. Then, disaster struck. When his teacher asked him to write a letter to God about it, Peter wrote, “Dear God: My brother Tommy was hit by a car. My mother prayed to you—and so did I. We begged you to let him live, but you wouldn’t. He was only two years old, so he couldn’t have sinned that bad. You didn’t have to punish him that way … you could have saved my little brother, but you let him die. You broke my mother’s heart. How can I love you, God?”

Peter’s letter is exactly the way millions feel. Why does God hide Himself? Why is He so unreal to us? Why does God allow wars, sickness and disease, rape, murder, tragedy, accidents, death? For centuries, man has sought the answers to these painful questions. Where is God when you’re really in pain?

Philosophers and theologians alike fail to provide us with ready answers. As a newspaper columnist wrote, “Suffering of innocent people is something we cannot understand.”

“Surely, His ways are mysterious, and past finding out,” intones the theologian, quoting scripture.

Pastors have sought for generations to comfort the bereaved at funerals—trying to provide some insight into the bitter question WHY? Why this or that person—why now? And why that way? Why are children born malformed, deaf, blind, dumb? Why crib death? Are there any answers, or must we remain forever helplessly asking “why”?

We humans tend to blame God for our failures and congratulate ourselves for our successes. When we’re comfortable, successful, happy, we have no special need of God. But when we’re sick, frightened, poverty-stricken, or experiencing the loss of a loved one—we cry out to Him in anguish of soul. We think of so many ways in which it all seems so unfair, somehow.

One man professed to be an atheist because he couldn’t rationalize suffering and the goodness of an all-powerful God. He wrote, “If I had the power to fashion the universe and remake it nearer my heart’s desire, there would be no blind, no deaf, no dumb; there would be no crippled, and each child born would live free of disease and possess a mentality capable of withstanding all the rebuffs of life. There would be no deaths by accident. There would be no earthquakes, cyclones or tornadoes. Unless and until such a condition comes to pass, and we may live free from disease, sorrow and suffering, there is no God in this vast universe worthy of homage.” At first glance, this may sound like a logical enough position. But on second thought, what causes blindness, deafness, dumbness, endemic disease? What causes accidents—why do tragedies occur? The atheist didn’t consider the element of free moral agency. Since there is a God, and God has created we human beings with a mind; with free choice, He has given us personal control over our own lives.

Man has, in too many cases, invited God out of his life. God has cooperated. God does not produce “Monday-morning automobiles” (cars produced by assembly-line workers with Monday-morning hangovers) with twenty-five easily discernible factory defects—careless, hung-over workmen do. God does not force mothers to turn their attention to morning sitcoms or soaps while their children stray from the yard to dash into the street after a rolling ball; God does not produce careless, indifferent, slipshod workmanship in products which often betray their users. God is not the One who causes accidents—men are. Yet, when accidents occur, man is quick to call out to God for relief—sometimes bitterly indicting a seemingly uncaring Deity for aloofness.

But is it God who is aloof, or we humans who ignore Him, and His will in our lives? Would you want God interfering in your personal life on a daily basis? Think about it.

Are you a smoker? I smoked for about 8 years, and it was a terrible ordeal to quit. Finally, with God’s help, and by discontinuing some associations; quitting the bowling league, staying away from situations where I was tempted to smoke, I broke the two-pack-a-day habit I had during my years in the Navy. I quit in 1953. That was about two years before Dr. Cuyler Hammond released his report showing the correlation between cigarette smoking and lung cancer—and years before the explosion of filter tips, longer cigarettes, and all the advertisements about the amount of “tar” contained in each. Today, cigarette advertising is banned from television; a clear warning is required on each ad, or package, saying smoking causes lung cancer.

If you smoke, would you like God to prevent it?

Try to imagine the scene, if someone who smoked was not necessarily an atheist, but not devoutly religious, either. Perhaps our smoker believes God may exist, perhaps goes to church a time or two each year, watches a religious TV program now and then; thinks he has all the bases covered.

But, one day, he tries to reach for his shirt pocket to extract a cigarette. Suddenly, his hand is stopped short of his shirt by some invisible, powerful force. He is shocked, wondering if he is having seizure, a cramp, an epileptic fit. He tries with the other hand. Just as he is about to extract the pack, his arm is stopped in mid-air by a powerful, unseen force! He seizes the arm with his other hand, tries to guide it to his shirt pocket. Again, some compelling force stops him from reaching his cigarettes! He calls to a friend, and asks him to reach his cigarettes. His friend tries it—only to be stopped by some sort of seizure. They look at each other in dumbfounded amazement. The smoker bends over, shakes his shirt, and the cigarettes fall to the floor. He tries to reach them. He can’t. Some power prevents it. Sobbing in desperation, bewildered by what’s happening, he asks his friend to light up, and blow smoke in his face. The friend lights a cigarette, and tries to blow smoke into his face. But the smoke simply disappears as it comes out of his mouth! Our smoker, bewildered, frightened, angry, frustrated, throws himself to the ground in a mindless frenzy! Finally, he is carried to a padded cell, placed in a straight-jacket, so he can’t hurt himself, or commit suicide!

Unrealistic? Not when you think about it. Apply the same scene to a developing affair between a married person and a friend. What if their attempts at physical contact were somehow barred by the intervention of a powerful force—an invisible presence?

What if God prevented you from doing anything which was harmful to you? It might give you better health, prolong your life, prevent accidents—but it would also remove your free moral agency; it would take away volition; make you into a robot, an automaton. God is not interested in producing robots—He is interested in reproducing after His own kind; the family of God! And He wants the development of righteous, holy character, not the bovine acquiescence of a pre-programmed robot. The atheist was wrong. The very fact that we have free moral agency; the fact that God allows us to choose between good and evil proves there is a God.

Accidents, tragedies are heart-breaking, difficult to understand. But God does not cause them—He merely fails to prevent them, in the same fashion that He does not intrude into our lives in a forceful sense; does not prevent us from doing things that are harmful to us.

Is there a God? If SO, can you prove it? Is God a personal Being, who hears and answers prayers? Of course, such a question is deserving of a book, or several of them. But yes, there is a God, and you can prove it. How? By the laws of science; by history, archaeology, by logic, and by the Bible.

There are seven proofs God exists. Each is deserving of a book to thoroughly explain, but in brief, they are:

(1) CREATION. Matter exists. The universe exists. It is. Our own galaxy, and our vast solar system, with our “orange dwarf star,” the sun, positioned precisely where it needs to be to provide stored energy for our fossil fuels, daylight, our seasons; all this is but an infinitesimal part of what is actually there—the universe. Our own galaxy is said to consist of two hundred billion, billion stars—many of them much larger than our sun. The good, green earth is said to be like one speck of sand in all the seashores on earth, in comparison to its place in our galaxy. No one doubts the universe, we merely stand in awe of it—heart-stopping, mind-boggling, breathtaking awe. Matter exists. We exist. Creation—the incredible array of interdependent, symbiotic life forms—it is. Your logical mind demands a Creator for a creation.

(2) LAW. And what of the forces that act upon creation? What of the laws of thermodynamics; of the conservation of energy? What of the laws which uphold the nuclear reaction in our sun which gives us heat and light? Think of the irrevocable, immutable, absolute laws of physics, chemistry, of the physical sciences. What of the cleavage properties of minerals? The laws governing how they form, or are broken down? What of gravity, the magnetic field of earth, inertia? Science must work within such laws to invent, design, and produce the wondrous machines that can make life so abundant. Aerodynamics is a case in point. Aircraft are designed so as to overcome drag by devices such as jet or propeller-driven engines and airfoils, or wings, which produce lift. Bricks can’t fly—but airplanes can. Science must comply with existing laws, finding efficient means to obey principles and laws which are immutable, unchangeable, from creation. When those laws are broken, we suffer. Break the laws, and they break us. Get in harmony with them, obey them, and they bless us. Immutable laws— the laws governing the properties of creation itself—these require a great LAWGIVER.

(3) LIFE. You and I are alive. Billions of creatures, from man to huge blue whales; from micro-organisms to yellowfin tuna; from tiny shrews to elephants, we all share something we call “life.” Life is a true cycle. It is broken only by death, and its only beginning is through pre-existing life of the same kind.

Evolutionary thought proposes that randomness produced life. Do explosions in print shops produce dictionaries and encyclopedias? Think of the myriad forms of life—plant, animal, fish, bird, insect, micro-bacterial life. Does your logical mind believe life came from the not-living? No. It demands that life comes from life—just as you came from your parents, and they from their parents, and so on. Life requires a Great Life-giver! All life must come from a life SOURCE!

(4) DESIGN. Look around you at the incredible design of our universe, our solar system, the earth, and all of matter, all life forms.

Think of your own body; your mind. Our marvelously constructed bodies are an absolute miracle of design. Is anything superior, in the known universe, to the human hand? With it, we can perform fantastic feats; from concert violinist to skillful surgeon, from champion boxer to astronaut; from architect to artist—the human hand is a marvel of engineering design.

What of the eye? Have you ever bothered to renew the smorgasbord of knowledge you received during your years of formal education—to reacquaint yourself with the functions of your own body? Study an encyclopedia on the human eye; study our muscular, digestive, nervous, skeletal, circulatory systems. Study articles on our vital organs; glands that affect our growth, reproduction, physical health, digestion, mental ability. Think of the feather of a bird, the wing of a fly; the symbiotic relationship between blue whales and plankton, or krill. What of the food chain—the microorganisms that produce humus; soil that grows herbs, vegetables, and fruit; our digestive systems with bacteria that help us utilize our sustaining foods; our blood stream that carries life-giving oxygen and foods to our cells?

Wherever you look in nature, you see harmonious, intricate, breathtaking design. Such marvels of design require a Great DESIGNER! Intricate design is not the result of blind accident, of happenstance, any more than a Boeing 747 could grow like fungus in a field.

(5) SUSTAINER. What of the continual functioning of the universe itself? What of the controlled forces we see at work; from gravity to erosion—the exact place of the continental masses in relationship to each other; the earth’s tectonic plates, great oceans with their powerful currents, polar ice caps, weather systems?

What keeps it all going? Why is it so dependable, so constant? Again, laws. The sustaining of such laws—the seemingly guaranteed, aeons-long, continuous operation of forces and energies which, if they acted in capricious disarray, would eradicate man from this earth, are instead dependable, lawful, constantly predictable. Laws governing the conservation of energy; the continual intake of carbon 14 into living things from the sun; the gradual breakdown of radioactive carbon into lead; the deposition of rocks and forming of strata; the daily tides; the earth’s annual journey around the sun, the moon’s monthly journey around the earth; our weather and seasons—such laws operate like a finely-tuned Swiss watch. Why? How? All this requires a sustaining force—a Great SUSTAINER!

(6) FULFILLED PROPHECY. Another great proof God exists is found through studying the many examples of fulfilled prophecies in the Bible. There were many, many prophecies which portrayed the coming of Christ as Messiah; many others which were fulfilled in specific things He said, or did. The Gospels relate these—continual references are made as to how Christ fulfilled this or that prophecy, spoken or written centuries before.

Are you a doubter? Study the 11th chapter of Daniel with Rawlinson’s Ancient History and other profane sources to hand. In this remarkable chapter, you will see generations of kings; the Seleucidae of Syria and the lesser Pharoahs of Egypt, the Ptolmeys, locked in bitter struggle over Palestine. Hundreds of years before the fact, God’s prophet Daniel was given dreams and visions of what was to become history. He foretold the rise and fall of the ancient Babylonian Empire, the Persian Empire, the Greco-Macedonian Empire; the death of Alexander the Great and the division of his empire by his four generals; the rise and fall of the Roman Empire.

There are dozens of other examples. Theological libraries are filled with books attesting to the remarkable accuracy of the Prophets of old. Great city states and empires have come and gone—their emergence and destruction clearly set down in Bible prophecy centuries before it happened. Ancient Tyre, Sidon, Babylon, Rome all are mentioned, and in some cases, in fine detail. Bible prophecy and history cannot be separated.

Will skeptics deny history and archaeology? The monuments and ancient buildings of the near east and Mediterranean world bear silent testimony to many pages of fulfilled Bible prophecy. Rome itself was predicted to rise and fall—and experience successive revivals down into our time. Christ was the greatest of all prophets—and who can deny that He prophesied of our own time, when He warned that if God did not cut short the days, a time would come when all human life could be erased from the earth?

He said, “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved [alive], but for the elect’s sake, those days shall be shortened” (Matthew 24:21, 22). Clearly, Jesus spoke of a time in which the destruction of humanity would finally become possible—our time, now. Yet, He gives us glorious hope in the face of awesome weapons of destruction—for He reaffirms that God does exist; that He will cut short the days of global chaos; that He will intervene to save mankind from himself.

Not only are there hundreds of fulfilled prophecies of the past; those which are absolutely, corroborated by history and the spade of the archaeologist, but there are prophecies which apply to our modern times, as well. Fulfilled prophecy is surely a proof God exists.

(7) ANSWERED PRAYER. Now we come to the most personal proof—a proof God exists that is absolute, incontrovertible, to those of us who have received dramatic, undeniable answers to prayer. Atheists and skeptics will of course deny answered prayer, placing it on the level of a placebo. Arguing about the historical accounts concerning Christ’s miracles is useless, for there are no living witnesses, and, in any case, the skeptic would discount them as unreliable. But to the believer—the individual who has experienced, seen, felt, known the answer to prayer in a vivid, undeniable, personal experience, the existence of a loving, powerful God is clearly proved. I know God answers prayers—I know, by the same token, that there are many prayers He seems not to answer—or perhaps defers to answer.

A few days after I had begun writing this book, my wife and I enjoyed a visit from my sister, Beverly. She brought with her from California two letters she had received from an old friend of the family—letters written by my mother. One had been written from Astoria, Oregon, in 1927, almost three years before I was born. In it, my mother told of an absolutely dumbfounding, inspiring, miraculous answer to prayer. I read the letter for the first time never having known of its existence before, only the morning before writing these lines. My mother related how she had been bitten on the arm by an Airedale dog; a rather serious wound. She went to the doctor, who cleansed and bandaged it.

But a couple of days later, she drove a thorn from a rose bush deep into her little finger. It became infected, and she developed blood poisoning. Then, while under the doctor’s care for this development, she contracted a severe case of laryngitis. She wrote to her friend that it had developed into what they commonly called “quinsy” at that time. The doctor lanced the infection several times, but it refused to heal up. She had a terrible fever, but she finally seemed to stabilize.

The doctor visited her several times. Finally, he said he would have to open the finger to scrape the bone, in order to rid her of the infection. Then came the day when my mother’s jaw locked shut. She could neither eat nor drink; her body weight, a normal 102 or so, had gone down to 84! She was very near death, and the doctor plainly indicated such, not venturing how long she had. But a neighbor lady asked my father and my mother’s sister, my aunt Bertha, if the family believed in “divine healing,” or answers to prayer. My mother had been reared a Methodist, my father a Quaker. They said yes, they did. The neighbor lady told them of a “Christian family” who she said had “great faith,” and who believed in prayer. She asked if it would be all right if they came over to pray for my mother.

My mom’s letter, written so long ago, related how the man and his wife, together with the neighbor lady, joined my father and mother at Mom’s bedside. He began to pray in a quiet, sober manner, almost as if in conversation with God, reminding God of His promises to heal—quoting scriptures which confirmed those promises. He pulled out a small vial of olive oil and anointed her forehead with oil, laying his hands on her head. Then, he thanked God for having heard and answered the prayer—even before he got up from his knees! He sounded sure, as if they already had received the answer!

My mom’s letter related how she immediately sat up; her jaw loosened, she was able to drink something. Though it was winter, she got out of bed, put on her coat, and walked outside with my father, to take a brief stroll under the stars, thanking God. She had been confined to bed for so long, she felt she had to get up, and go outside.

She related how the large abscesses in her throat, swollen hugely both inside and out, had suddenly disappeared! The pain and fever left! She was immediately strengthened! She went back into the house, went to sleep—the first good, full night’s sleep in weeks, slept until almost noon the next day, and then got up and went about her household chores again. The doctor was dumbfounded—he openly admitted it was a miracle! A day or so later, my father’s brother and his wife came to see my mother, expecting to find her near death.

When she walked out of the house to meet their car in the driveway, they looked as if they had seen a ghost, my mother wrote.

I had heard my parents describe this miraculous healing many times while I was growing up—but to see my mother’s own handwriting in a letter she had written to a dear friend in Iowa; a letter which had been in the possession of her friend’s family all these years—a letter I didn’t know existed—and to read it now, well, I can’t help wondering if God wanted me to put it into this book as a source of inspiration and encouragement to many who desperately need an answer to prayer.

Miracles do happen. Prayers are answered. I know. I wouldn’t be here if they weren’t! I literally owe my life to my mother’s neighbor friends; to my mother’s faith, and to God.

But there is much more to it than mere need; even desperate need. There are certain conditions to prayer–some requirements on our part.

Few seem to understand that God has made answered prayer conditional. That is, there are keys to answered prayer; formulas. In this book, using the outline of the famous “ Lord’s Prayer,” we shall see what those formulas are. By the time you have finished this book, you will understand, as never before, why so many prayers seem to go unanswered–and you will understand how to receive an answer to your own personal, heartfelt prayers to God.

Hopefully, you will never again cry out, “O God, where are You when I need You?”

CHAPTER TWO

“Our Father…”

So begins the Lord’s Prayer. Hundreds of millions can recite it in many different languages. But what does it mean to all those people? What does it mean to you?

The title naturally conveys a familiar relationship. We are told to address the God to Whom Jesus referred as His “Father” as our Father. Why? Why not “mother” (as some may prefer), or “God,” or “Great One in the sky”? Why did Jesus tell us to use a family title, the name connoting fatherhood?

First, because God is the Author of all life. He is the ultimate Creator, even though Jesus Christ was the Divine Spokesman, or the Executive Member of the Godhead who did the creating—the Logos (Greek for “Spokesman”) who issued the command, “Let there be light” (Genesis 1:14; John 1:3). Therefore, God is the Father of all humankind. He is not “Big Brother,” or some anonymous “First Cause,” but the actual Progenitor of the human race. As we have seen, God is the Lifegiver of us all.

To most of us, our own fathers come immediately to mind when using the name “father.” Probably, in a subliminal way, our own fathers—the kind of persons they are, or were—subtly color our impressions of just Who, or What we are addressing in heaven.

Unfortunately, only about fifteen percent of American families are a true family unit, with parents and children in traditional roles. Millions of ill-prepared single parents strive to rear children (fifty percent of which are illegitimate) without a father figure in the home. As our society drifts further from the God ordained family unit—the building block of any normal society—millions of new citizens have no true father role model; have no prior knowledge of their father. Millions do not know who he was.

But for those who do, and they still represent the vast majority, it is quite possible that he shaped their concepts about God. What kind of a father is (or was) he? Was he mild-mannered, easy-going, tender; brusque, harsh, remote; a stern disciplinarian or a kind, loving provider? Unfortunately, there are no schools for training fathers; no “licenses” issued to those qualifying, nor certificates of merit, nor degrees. Today, children beget children; fathers are too often teenagers.

Since the impact of the title “father” is largely shaped by our own experiences, it is quite logical that most of us tend to grope for concepts which will help us understand this Divine Being, this hidden, unseen God who wishes to be called “Father,” in terms of our own human experiences. Either our own father, or some older role model; a father in the neighborhood, an uncle, a grandfather, may have shaped our concepts of what “father” is all about.

A father, of course, is merely any male who has procreated (produced children), whether a boy of sixteen, or a successful businessman of forty.

Has there ever lived a son or daughter who has not found, in at least some corner of their heart, a place for love of father? To be sure, there are far fewer “good” fathers than there should be, but because he is life-giver, the one who engendered us, gave us our being, we carry to our graves some of his hereditary traits; his genes, some of his physical characteristics like our height, weight, color and texture of skin, color of hair and eyes, perhaps even marked talents and abilities. We are a mixed copy of our fathers and mothers. No matter what, we are here because of them.

When we refer to God as our Father, we are not only addressing Him as our spiritual Life-giver; we are also ascribing to Him the title of Beginner, or Author of all life—ours included. “Father” is a common title.

Francis Asbury is known as the “Father of American Methodism,” while Aeschylus is called the “Father of Greek Tragedy.” Americans know George Washington as the “Father of his country,” and doctors refer to Hippocrates as the “Father of medicine.” The father of the constitution? James Madison.

Your father was somebody. Once, when Margaret had apparently been voicing some negative feelings, her father wrote to her, “Your dad will never be reckoned among the great. But you can be sure he did his level best and gave all he had to his country. There is an epitaph in Boothill Cemetery in Tombstone, Arizona, which reads, ‘Here lies Jack Williams; he done his damndest. What more can a person do?’ ” (Harry Truman).

Fathers can be anybody. At least, to other people. They can be alcoholics, drug-abusers, rapists, arsonists, murderers; they can be doctors, dentists, lawyers, politicians, truck drivers, busboys, senators, farmers, aeronautical engineers, pilots, assembly-line workers, clerks, technicians, deliverymen, scientists, morticians, astronauts, or generals.

Fathers can be kind, generous, humorous; or bitter, pecuniary, selfish. They can be gifted with a sense of humor, or possessed of a violent, uncontrollable temper. They can be good husbands, providers, protectors, breadwinners—or lazy, indolent, selfish failures. They can be ebullient, positive, happy, fulfilled; or self-pitying, despairing, resentful. They can be an amazingly complex mixture of many of the above.

Did your father beat you, molest you, abuse you? Did he love you, comfort you, encourage you? Did he never speak a single word against your mother in your hearing—or did he beat your mother, spitting epithets at her in the hearing of the children?

Theodore Hesburgh wrote, “The most important thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother.” How true. Any person fortunate enough to have been brought up by loving, traditional parents in proper roles will have a fairly easy time understanding God’s words about the Heavenly Father of us all; understanding God as a kind, loving, merciful Father who wants only the best for us.

The ancient Latin proverb, “Like father, like son,” acknowledges the powerful influences of heredity and environment on each of us, the significant influence of our human fathers in our lives . Like many old adages and sayings (where there’s smoke, there’s fire), it is not necessarily true, but it has a measure of truth. One quotation that is especially poignant for me is that of Samuel Johnson in his book Boswell’s Life, (July 14th, 1763), who said, “There must always be a struggle between a father and son, while one aims at power and the other at independence.”

Often, famous men have had famous fathers. A well-known case in point is that of General Douglas MacArthur whose father, military governor of the Philippines, was a role model for him. Douglas was to write, “By profession I am a soldier and take pride in that fact. But I am prouder—infinitely prouder—to be a father. A soldier destroys in order to build; the father only builds, never destroys. The one has the potentiality of death; the other embodies creation and life. And while the hordes of death are mighty, the battalions of life are mightier still. It is my hope that my son, when I am gone, will remember me not from the battle but in the home repeating with him our simple daily prayer, ‘Our Father, who art in heaven…’ ”

Harry S. Truman said, “My father was not a failure. After all, he was the father of the President of the United States!”

Other famous people have observed and commented on the relationship each had to his sire. Mozart, as a boy, was quoted as saying, “Directly after God in heaven comes Papa, “ and Margaret Trumbell wrote, “No man is responsible for his father. That is entirely his mother’s affair.”

With his usual acid wit, the well-known pessimist and satyrist, Sir Bertrand Russell, in Why I am not a Christian, wrote, “The place of the father in the modern suburban family is a very small one particularly if he plays golf, which he usually does.”

In a lighter vein, fathers are said to be “men who don’t practice birth control,” and “a man who has just missed being a bachelor by an heir.” Perhaps it was a disillusioned father who said of Father’s Day, “It’s the day to remember the forgotten man,” or “a holiday when your son lets you wear your new necktie first.”

My father was 38 years of age when I was born. A generation apart, we had virtually no father-son relationship such as those commonly enjoyed by most youngsters growing up. We never went camping, hunting, fishing together. By the time I was old enough to do such things, my father was middle-aged, and totally involved in the demanding, time-consuming work of his ministry. He was in the home only for eating and sleeping; then, off to the office, or another trip somewhere.

Strongly authoritarian, he ruled his family with an iron hand. How well my two sisters and I remember the state of impending doom when our mother would say, “I’m going to tell your father about this when he gets home.” The result was two very badly frightened little boys, my brother Dick and I, sweating out the hours until the punishment our mother was unwilling to dish out was systematically administered by our father.

I really don’t remember the first time I ever heard the Lord’s Prayer, or read it, for I was very young. However, the name “father” never failed to convey to my mind impressions of what “father” meant from my own childhood experiences. Not that all dad did was punish. Far from it.

There was also the Dad who would give us a quarter now and then, or who, sometimes grumpily, would heat the water to a boil, pour it over and into the radiator on our old Graham, manage to start the balky, cold engine during one of Oregon’s typical winter mornings, and take us to school after Mom had allowed us to oversleep.

I can remember the rough wool of his jacket, the faint smell of his after-shave when we climbed into his lap on a rare occasion to enjoy a session of his reading the Sunday funnies to us. How well I remember the night I awoke, screaming, after a neighbor boy had told me a gruesome story about a haunted hospital; an ancient, deserted old building with bloody knives, rusty needles, syringes, operating tables, and ghosts in the elevators. I was probably about five. My screams brought my parents, who promptly told me to come and get into the bed with them. There, I was safe—and if my father’s faint snoring kept me awake, it was not because it bothered me. Quite the contrary, it reassured me. Dad could deal with the knives and ghosts even if he had to haul out the ping pong paddle. Frightened little boys and girls always know everything will be all right if they are near their mother and father.

My human father was a man of great vision, passion, emotion; driving energy to succeed. He was generous to a fault—giving more of material things than of himself, but anxious to see the glow of enjoyment on the faces of his family or friends when he bestowed some gift or favor. Perhaps one of his worst faults was that of instantly leaping to wrong conclusions, failing to give his children (or anyone else) the benefit of the doubt. He was easily convinced by first impressions.

How many of us, whose fathers and mothers are no longer living, have so earnestly wished we could have expressed more love, more concern, more honor to them while they were alive? By the same token, what parent, if he loses a child, has not wished he could have expressed himself more deeply while the child was alive? Since we are seemingly so shy, so embarrassed, so remote in our feelings toward our human parents or children, can we learn the all-important lesson, before it is everlastingly too late, that God does not hear those who ignore Him in their daily lives? Do you thrive on love? Believe it or not, so does God! God wants our love! He wants our worship, our deep appreciation, our adoration! He does not respond to aloofness, to inattention!

Obviously, if you pray at all, you want God’s undivided attention! Fine. When does He have YOURS? The Bible shows us that once-in-a-while prayers—prayers only in times of emergency, prayers only a few times a year—are simply not heard.

Think of the following analogy: As a transmitter of prayer, you are a spiritual dynamo or a power source. However, like the incandescent lights in your home, you can only give out power as you receive it. As you know, electricity flows in a current. See the socket in the wall? Notice it has two holes in it, to establish both a positive and a negative contact so the current will flow in a continuous circuit. God is our Power source. When we are in constant touch with Him, we are imbued with spiritual power. Prayer is like a circuit. God gives us the spiritual power, and we communicate with Him on His “wave length,” called prayer.

Today, we enjoy a marvelous array of battery-operated mechanical devices, from portable telephones to tiny vacuum cleaners for our cars and boats. When we’re not using them, they are plugged in to a power source, or they finally run down and will not function. As a child of God, we need continual contact with Him, or we lose our spiritual energy, our spiritual power.

A desperate prayer every year or so has little chance of reception because the spiritual “batteries” that are operating the spiritual transmitter are too weak. Of course, we have to start someplace, so, even though terribly weak (from lack of prayer, lack of personal Bible study, lack of staying in communication with God), we can begin to pray again, and God will hear us. Naturally, analogies break down at some point, and the one above is not to suggest God will not hear us, even after years of lack of communication with Him, for He will! God will hear the most desperate sinner, if the sinner calls out to Him broken-heartedly, in deep contrition, and seeks contact with God. But “tired Christians” cannot expect dramatic answers to prayer if they seldom pray.

When you set yourself to really spend time with God in prayer, then you are “charging your spiritual batteries,” as surely as you are plugging in a portable electrical utensil of some kind to its power source. Those who pray only casually, perhaps once a year or so, should not really expect very dramatic results. Those who pray daily will probably tell you they get results— often!

Jesus said we are to address our Eternal Creator as if a personal Father, our Spiritual Progenitor. Is He listening? Is it difficult to talk to God? Is He so far away we can never hope to reach Him? Is prayer, after all, merely a spiritual placebo, a talisman we clutch in times of extremes? Or is God near enough that we can be heard?

Paul put it this way, “…for in Him we live, and move, and have our being” (Acts 17:28). The Bible insists that God is not far from us, that His ears are always open to our cries, that His eyes are upon us. We are told He is but a prayer away—as instantly available, nay, more so, than our closest friend over the telephone.

Jesus Christ instructed us to pray that we and our loved ones be accounted worthy to receive special, divine protection during calamitous wars, droughts, famines, natural disasters.

Speaking of frightening world conditions, the times in which we live, He said, “Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man” (Luke 21:36).

Of course it is a temptation to pray only selfishly. I remember the story about a man who, receiving counseling about prayer from his minister, was told he had a bad case of the “ gimmes.” It seems his prayers largely consisted of “Please gimme this, gimme that, gimme the other thing.” He was praying to receive more than he was praying for others.

Paul said many of our prayers should be directed away from self; should be concerned with others around us, those who affect our lives. He said, “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; for kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty … I will that men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands without wrath and doubting” (1 Timothy 2:1-8).

When we address God in heaven above as “Our Father,” we are coming to Him as His begotten child. Peter said we are to “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38). When we receive God’s Holy Spirit, after repentance and baptism, we are begotten as His child! Read 1 Corinthians 12:13, together with Romans 8:9-15.

Christ was Son of God, called the “First-begotten” and the “Firstborn from the dead” (Romans 8:29). John, the disciple closest to Jesus in a personal sense, wrote of Him, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made … He was in the world … and the world knew Him not. He came unto His own, and His own received Him not. But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name … and the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father), full of grace and truth” (John 1:1-14).

The genealogies or Matthew’s first and Luke’s fourth chapter clearly establish Christ as the Son of God. His life’s work, His preaching, His miracles, and especially the fact of His resurrection, add positive proof that He was who He said He was—the only begotten, the first begotten of God—the very Son of God.

Because Christ was God’s own Son, He referred to Him as “The Father.” As we shall see in the chapter concerning God’s names, He has many, many other titles, several names. Yet, when we pray, Christ says we must address Him as our spiritual Father.

Some doubt that Jesus was a real person. Many scoff at the miracles of Christ, say He could not have been the Son of God, and thus set aside the origins of the Christian religion. But men don’t willingly die for what they know to be an hoax, the perpetration of a myth. Yet, hundreds went to their deaths, refusing to disavow the miraculous things they had seen, refusing to impugn their personal experiences with Christ, choosing torture and death rather than defilement of Christian conscience.

That Jesus Christ lived, that He was an authentic historical figure, is one of the most substantiated facts in all history. His life, death, burial and resurrection are central to the entire concept of Christianity, and therefore to Western Civilization.

Jesus Christ was the First-begotten from the Father; the first time in all history a human being had been injected into the human race who was not merely human, but also of divine origins.

Christ wants us to pray to our Father in heaven in a child-like, innocent, humble, supplicatory manner; trusting, hopeful, anticipatory; devoid of pride or vanity. On one occasion, when the crowds surrounding Him attempted to present their little children to Him so that He might bless them, His disciples tried to discourage them, thinking Christ had no time for children. But He said, “Suffer [permit, be tolerant of] little children, and forbid them not, for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew 19:13-14).

On another occasion, His disciples were arguing about who should be the greatest in His Kingdom, and “…Jesus called a little child unto Him, and set him in the midst of them, and said, ‘Verily I say unto you, except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me’ ” (Matthew 18:1-5).

Notice well those words! Christ said we must become converted, changed, begotten of God as His children before we may enter His Kingdom. It is only those who approach God as converted, meek, humble little children—In child-like trust and innocent wonder, who are truly communicating with God.

Vanity, selfishness, pride, evil motives, these cancel communication with God as surely as if one dialed the wrong frequency on a radio transmitter. God simply does not listen unless we approach Him as an humble, trusting little child.

This is a vitally important key to answered prayer. Are you converted? Have you truly repented of your sins? Have you asked God for forgiveness? As we shall see, this continual seeking for daily forgiveness for our shortcomings is the quintessential element in successful prayer.

Is it only a coincidence that the name for “father” is the first word in the Hebrew language and the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet? “Father” in Hebrew is Awb. In English, we must progress to the sixth letter and through hundreds of words, until we come to “father” in a dictionary. Not so in Hebrew. It is first. Number one.

The Bible stresses the absolute primacy of God the Father. Jesus reveals that He and His Father, though One in spirit, purpose and mind, are nevertheless in a Father-Son relationship.

Christ said repeatedly He spoke not of and for Himself, but insisted the Father gave Him the messages He delivered; that the Father was the Supreme authority. How can one expect an answer to prayer unless one acknowledges the absolute supremacy of God in one’s life? Can you go to God with urgent requests unless you trust in Him absolutely? Can you trust Him without knowing Him, knowing His purpose in your life? If you are truly converted, the most natural way to address God is to simply call out to Him as an heavenly Father.

Paul put it this way: “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption [Greek, “son-ship”], whereby we cry, ‘Abba, Father!’ ” (Romans 8:14-15).

No human being can enter into the Kingdom of God without prayer. None of us can fulfill his personal destiny, the purpose for our existence, without discovering, and communicating with, the true God. Prayer is as essential to us spiritually as eating and drinking is essential physically. It is our spiritual sustenance, our life’s blood. Without prayer—answered prayer, two-way communication with God—we will shrivel and die spiritually as surely as flowers and shrubs will die without water.

Jesus instructed us to pray. He intended that we voice our innermost feelings; our guilt, our hopes, dreams, desires; our most personal frustrations and anxieties—that we come clean with God, baring our souls in the deepest, most private communication.

He also intended that our opening words of prayer establish contact with God. As a jet pilot, I am very familiar with the Air Traffic Controller system. Without it, flight operations in the United States at altitudes above 18,000 feet are impossible. See those wispy contrails of moisture in the sky from a passing jet? Each one of them is in constant communication with a ground controller in some nearby sector who sits before a radar screen upon which is a blip of light which represents that airplane.

Beside that light is a computer-generated readout obtained from the flight plan and the transponder code from the airplane, identifying the aircraft by number, giving its altitude, its ground speed, and other information.

When the jet has progressed to the point that another radar sector can better receive its electronic image, the controller issues a command, “United heavy 456, contact Albuquerque Center on 134.45.” The pilot (or, usually, the co-pilot) acknowledges the command, switches radio frequencies, and says into the microphone, “Albuquerque Center, this is United 456, level three seven zero.” The center acknowledges, and the crew knows the controller on the ground has identified the blip on his screen, sees it in clear relationship to all the other electronic blips, has heard audible confirmation that the transponder readout of the jet’s altitude is accurate, and can keep all the aircraft in his sector at their assigned altitudes, at appropriate distances from each other, avoiding disastrous collisions and loss of life. Ham radio operators use the same thing—certain frequencies—to contact other ham operators half a world away.

Opening a prayer with the humble words “Our Father,” is like establishing positive communication with a controller. We must be on the right “wave length” to communicate with God. Actually, our own spiritual state; whether or not we are willing to obey God, whether we are asking according to His will; our personal life’s current condition—our attitude—these are as highly significant in communicating to God as having the right frequency on a VHF radio transmitter.

Isn’t it more than mildly curious that Jesus did not say we should immediately state our own names, addresses, and social security numbers when we pray? But He didn’t. God’s great mind is vastly superior to the minds of all humans and all computers combined. When we establish contact with God, He instantly knows exactly who we are, where we are, what we are doing. So the expression “Our Father” is far more than a mere “religious” title of some sort; it establishes a contact with God; it acknowledges that we are His offspring. It is the way He wants to be addressed.

Jesus Christ intends we learn all there is to know about our Heavenly Father; get to really KNOW Him, through the scriptures, and through Christ’s own examples. Jesus Christ was the “stamped impress,” or the exact similitude, the “carbon copy” of the Father.

The apostle Paul wrote to the scattered Jews of the Diaspora, “God, who at different times and in various manners spoke unto the patriarchs by the prophets, has in these later times spoken unto us by His Son, who He has appointed Heir of all things, by Whom He made the Universe. Who, being the very brightness of His glory, and the express image [exact replica] of the Father’s Person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had, by Himself, purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high” (Hebrews 1:1-3 paraphrased).

The Greek word for the word “image” is karakter, from which we take our English word of similar spelling, with all it conveys. Paul was inspired to say that Jesus Christ was an exact replica of the Father; that His personality, His character, were as if a mirror image. The more you learn about Christ, His teachings, examples; His lifestyle, His miracles, His tenderness, compassion; His anger at posturing religionists; His feelings toward the sin-sick and afflicted, the more you learn about the Father in Heaven.

His own disciples were curious about this “Father” of whom He so frequently spoke. Once, overcome with curiosity about Jesus’ frequent references to His Father, one of His disciples asked, “Lord, show us the Father, and that will be sufficient for us.” But Jesus answered, “Have I been with you for so long a time, and yet you have not known me, Phillip? He that has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:8-9, paraphrased). Thus, we learn that God has “human” form, or, more to the point, that we human beings are made in the image of God.

The Bible says His eyes are upon those that seek after Him, speaks of His arm not being shortened that it cannot help in time of need, speaks of His face shining upon the just.

The Bible gives us many examples of men’s encounters with angels. They appear as human beings, as in the case of Christ’s appearance to Abraham, and the two angels who rescued Lot. So man-like did they appear that the citizens of perverted Sodom lusted after them (Genesis 19:1-5).

Moses, overcome by curiosity, asked God to show Himself. God declined, but, after insistent appeal, allowed Moses to see His hind parts as He passed by—saying, “No man can look on the face of God and live.” In the first chapter of Revelation, Christ is pictured in His resurrected glory as having head, torso, arms, legs, feet. God’s Word says He made man in the image of God, that God has the same shape and form as do we humans.

Unfortunately, the average person who recites the “Lord’s Prayer” may know little or nothing of Jesus’ examples, His teachings and instructions, His personality, His life’s record. He may not know, for example, that Christ was an ordinary-looking person, impossible to pick out of a crowd; that the Bible says He had “no form or comeliness, that when we see Him, we should desire Him” (Isaiah 53:2).

If we expect answers to prayer, we must come to know to Whom we are praying—really communicate with Him. How can we expect an answer to prayer if we are praying “vaguely,” as if in bluffed images? Can the jet pilot contact the ground controller by simply dialing any frequency out of the hundreds that are available? Can you call a friend by dialing random numbers on your telephone? Can you write to a relative by addressing your letter, “Dear Someone, somewhere”?

The key to answered prayer is to establish contact. Prayer is not empty ceremony, it is powerful, personal, private communication. It must be a two-way communication, or it is meaningless!

And remember, Jesus Christ didn’t say, “IF” you pray, He said, “WHEN” you pray! Jesus Christ set an example of prayer. He prayed for literally hours at a time, rising early in the morning to go to a private place, climbing a steep mountain to escape His disciples and the crowds, finding a place to be alone with His Heavenly Father in earnest prayer.

Christ prayed until He perspired with the effort, prayed with groans and cries, prayed aloud, or prayed within Himself, in His mind. The Gospels are replete with examples of His life of closeness to God—His life of prayer.

Christ made His prayers personal. On many an occasion, it was as if He interrupted a human conversation to speak to His Father in heaven.

At the tomb of Lazarus, Jesus had listened to the frantic weeping of Mary, and all of Lazarus’ family and friends. Because of their anguish, and because of His own pain upon seeing their lack of faith (not because of a sense of “loss” or pain on his own part for He knew what was to happen), Jesus simply “…lifted up His eyes, and said, ‘Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. And I knew that thou hearest me always; but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me.’ And when He thus had spoken, He cried with a loud voice, ‘LAZARUS, COME FORTH’ and he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, ‘Loose him, and let him go’ ” (John 11:41-44).

In this inspiring account, Jesus had been engaging in conversation with those surrounding Him; then, by merely shifting His gaze upward, began communicating with His heavenly Father.

A great miracle resulted.

Christ was in constant contact with God. He didn’t need to “work up” faith, or force Himself into a certain “mood” before talking with His Father. He merely addressed Him; began talking to HIM, instead of other humans nearby. He immediately established contact with God, because He thought of the specific Being with whom He had shared eternity; His mind was clear about what He meant when He addressed the “Father” in heaven; He was constantly in communication with Him through prayer, and not only prayer, but fasting with prayer. Christ met all the criteria for answered prayer; He was deeply imbued with the Spirit of God, He knew the Father, He was utterly selfless, and He was wholly trusting, faithful. Therefore, He was answered in dramatic, miraculous fashion. Christ understood how to pray.

God intends that we come to that same understanding; that we follow Christ’s example. God is not remote, aloof, impossible to know. On the contrary, He says He reveals Himself to us through His Son, through the pages of His written Word, so that we need not create a fantasy-figure, a vague, unreal “Someone” of our prayers, but pray to Him, personally!

To many of us, God has been like a “divinized” father-figure. Many speak of “The Man upstairs,” or “Somebody up there who likes me,” or the “Great Someone in the great somewhere. “Millions, of course, speak of God in slang and profane terms, cursing with His name, and that of Christ, as if in smug self-assurance there really is no God who stands behind His command, “Thou shalt not take the name of the Eternal thy God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh His name in vain.” Is there one out of a thousand who thinks of the true God, the Father of Jesus Christ, in an informed, intelligent manner, as he prays?

Prayer, after all, is the most private conversation possible. It is time for confidentialities, secrets, confessions, admissions, requests, urgent, heartfelt appeals. It is more intimate than writing in a diary, more personal than sharing secrets with a dear friend. Therefore, it is necessary to know Who we are addressing—really KNOW.

The next time you pray, go through a mental check list. Have you repented of your sins? Are you approaching God as a little child? Do you envision Him as the perfect kind of Father; the absolutely ideal, kind, generous, loving, forgiving, father you may never have had? Do you see Him, at the same time, as of awesome power and ability, able to punish and exact the consequences for sin, as well as able to be generous with His gifts? Do you hold Him in wondrous AWE, having that Godly fear (not terror) that a small child might have for a father who not only loves, but disciplines?

God expects you to claim His promises, to come to Him as His loving, humble child. If you truly believe that He is your Spiritual Father; if you are as eager to confide in Him as you were to crawl into your father’s arms as a little child—then go to Him—let Him know how you feel— call Him “Father” each time you pray, for that way, you’ll always know He is listening!

After all, He says, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For everyone that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye, then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give good things to them that ask Him?” (Matthew 7:7-11).

What father is it who has been able to refuse a trusting, sweet, obedient, loving child who comes with a petition? Are you a parent; a grandparent? Can you refuse your own flesh reasonable requests? Nonsense. No, we’re pretty much pushovers when our beloved children come to us in a moment of need. How many skinned knees, cut fingers, bruised lips have we tenderly dressed? How many times have we “kissed away the pain” of a crying child? How deeply have we hurt when our children are hurt, or sick? You cannot feel as deeply as your Heavenly Father feels toward you; human emotions simply fall short. So go ahead, claim God’s love, claim His promises. After all, God listens to His own kids first, doesn’t He?

CHAPTER THREE

“Who art in heaven…”

Where is heaven? An altogether familiar word to hundreds of millions, the term conjures visions of streets paved with gold, “heavenly mansions,” spirit beings playing on harps. Then there are the dozens of jokes about “St. Peter and the pearly gates.” Heaven is supposed to be the place where all our deceased loved ones, the “good” people, are.

She has a heavenly body—we had a heavenly time—it was a heavenly dish; we use the term in everyday conversation, and in slang. Many use heaven in supposedly mild forms of profanity, in spite of the fact that Jesus Christ said we are to “Swear not at all, neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne: nor by the earth, for it is God’s footstool” (Matthew 5:34-35).

All religions speak of some other-worldly paradise, whether it be a beautiful oasis, an island in the sky, or some utopian place of eternal bliss and happiness. Clearly, the Bible identifies “heaven” as the place of God’s throne. Yet, the word “place” is hardly applicable to our finite minds, for we are dealing with a spiritual realm of which we know only very little.

Most of us think of heaven as “up” there, somewhere. But “up” is a relative term, conveying the exact opposite meaning to Australians and Americans. The word “out” would be more correct. Out from our round sphere called earth in the midst of a solar system revolving about our orange dwarf star we call the sun.

Is the place of God’s heaven further away from earth than our own galaxy we call the Milky Way? Astronomers estimate there are two hundred billion, billion stars in our own galaxy, many of them larger than our sun. They tell us there are perhaps millions, or billions, of other galaxies.

To the layman, the most introductory study into the vastness of our universe is mind-boggling, incomprehensible. Yet, the God to Whom we pray is the Creator of all things, abides in heaven somewhere, and calls all those billions of stars and planets by name! Astronomers know where countless stars are. But where is heaven? No powerful telescopes, no space probes have captured the image of heaven on film, or transmitted it to earth stations on computer-enhanced images.

“I believe that Someone, in the great somewhere…” goes a line in the improperly named song, “I Believe.” (It should be called, “I Guess.”) The great “somewhere”? Is that where heaven is? Doesn’t the concept of heaven sound vastly far off, perhaps light years away – further than the other side of a black hole in the universe, when you stop to think about it?

When we were growing up, we were taught relative proportion. Remember the pictures and words about how far, how big, how long, how short, how tall? We studied pictures of mice and elephants together, of man and the great blue whale. We compared ants and the Statue of Liberty, an ocean liner and a locomotive, a bicycle and a 747. When Jesus gave us His outline for prayer, He said we should pray to our Father who is “in heaven”. He did not say this to confuse us, but rather to give us a sense of comparison, of proportion.

It is good for us to realize that we are on this good, green earth; that it is a round orb, endlessly making its annual journey about our sun; making its daily revolutions, the moon faithfully completing each monthly trip around our earth right on time. It is good for us to contemplate the vastness of our universe as a testimony to the work of the hands of God; a glittering, awesome, incomprehensible, mind boggling proof of His creation—His limitless power. The solar system and the universe give us a sense of proportion! Ever stand next to the General Sherman tree in Sequoia National Park? This forest giant dwarfs puny man—It contains enough wood to construct forty five room houses; was probably a little sprig of a tree just after the flood of Noah!

As the story goes, a lady aboard a 747 commented to her fellow passenger, “Oh, look at all those people down there—they look like ants!” To which her companion replied, “They are ants, my dear, we haven’t taken off yet. “ A flight in an airplane can give us a sense of proportion; we see huge buildings, whole cities, as but specks on the landscape. An ocean journey, especially if one encounters a storm, can quickly reduce us to our appropriate size. Prayer is like that. Jesus intended us to pray to our Father “who is in heaven,” as a reminder of proportion; of how GREAT is God, and how puny, how small, insignificant and temporal, is man.

However, most of us quickly lose this sense of proportion once outside astronomy class. Oh, we know, intellectually, that we live on a round earth. We know there are other human beings about 8,000 miles from us, straight through the planet. But we are not, in a daily sense, truly conscious of the fact. We speak of the sun “going down” or “coming up,” not of the earth rolling away from the sun, or rolling toward it. We awaken in the mornings utterly unaware we have just completed an 8,000 mile trip; that we are now about 8,000 miles distant from the place we were, relative to the stars, when we went to sleep.

We know astronomy has debunked the superstitions of the dark ages about a flat earth, that our daily weather satellites bring back incredibly detailed pictures of our entire planet, with the cloud formations clearly seen. Still, most of us live as if blissfully unaware of our temporal place on a planet that has been likened to but one grain of sand in all the seashores of earth in comparison to the number of celestial bodies in the Milky Way.

When we pray, Christ wants us to get our minds on God, on heaven—away from this earth with its mundane concerns. He wants us to project our thoughts out through space to the very place of God’s throne.

The Bible reveals there are three heavens. The first is identified as the mantle of air that cloaks the earth; our atmosphere.

The very first verse in the Bible says, “In the beginning, God [Hebrew: Elohim] created the heaven and the earth. “ The Hebrew word for “heaven” is shameh (pronounced shaw-meh’), meaning “to be lofty,” as the sky, or “aloft.” It means the visible arch in which the clouds move, as well as the higher part of our universe where the astral bodies revolve, and is also used to refer to the place of God’s throne.

The word has three different usages which are clear only from the context.

Notice a couple of examples: “And God called the firmament heaven” (Genesis 1:8). The Hebrew word “firmament” is raqiya which means “an expanse.” The Bible says, “And God said, let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years…” (Genesis 1:14). Obviously, the word shameh, translated “heaven,” is not here referring to the place of God’s throne, but at once to our earth’s atmosphere and to space—the physical universe.

Notice the usage of the word in relationship to our atmosphere: “In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven [shameh] were opened” (Genesis 7:11). There are many other examples. Genesis 8:3 speaks of the rain from heaven being restrained.

Most of the places in the Old Testament where the word heaven is used, it is shameh, and refers primarily to this earth’s atmosphere, or to our solar neighborhood. When Elijah was “taken up into heaven,” for example, he was transported into the sky, carried out of sight—not taken to the place of God’s throne.

This is obvious, in the light of Jesus’ positive statement, “And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but He that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven” (John 3:13). Also, speaking of Elijah, Paul wrote, “These all died in faith, not having received the promises” (Hebrews 11:13).

Not understanding the three usages of the Hebrew word for heaven, many have assumed Elijah was taken to the place of God’s throne; instead, he was transported to some other place on earth, there to live out his days in peace. The Bible says he died “in faith, not having received the promises.”

Three different meanings are possible from the Hebrew shameh. The first is our atmosphere, the air surrounding our earth where the birds fly, clouds form, and aircraft navigate. Air is matter, of course, composed of various gases, and is very much a part of our earth. The second is our solar neighborhood and outer space. The third usage is the heaven of God’s throne.

In order to determine which is meant, one must discern by the context. Notice: “Then hear thou in heaven [Hebrew: shameh] thy dwelling place, and forgive, and do, and give every man according to his ways, whose heart thou knowest … hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place… “ (1 Kings 8:39-43). So prayed Solomon at the dedication of the temple. He obviously refers to God’s throne, yet uses the identical Hebrew word for heaven which was used in connection with rain falling, or the heaven where the stars are, which is shameh.

Notice what Paul wrote: “…I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord. I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven. And I knew such a man… how that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter…” (2 Corinthians 12:1-4).

The language Paul heard may well have been the “new language” God will give the entire earth at the establishment of His Kingdom. He says, “For then I will turn to the people a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the Eternal, to serve Him with one consent” (Zephaniah 3:9). The words were “unspeakable” in a beatific, holy sense.

In vision, Paul said he was given a glimpse of heaven itself. He called it paradise, said the language was unknown to him. He calls this paradise, this place of God’s throne, “the third heaven.” Paul was obviously acquainted with the other usages of the word shameh, or he would not have specified “the third heaven” when speaking of the heaven of God’s throne.

Our heavenly Father is a Spirit Being. Jesus said, “But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship Him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth” (John 4:23-24).

God exists in another dimension from ours—the spirit world. The method of communication with God our Father, who is Spirit, must therefore be spiritual, not physical. Radio and television are physical. One could dial in any frequency known to man on powerful transmitters and never be heard of God. He is available only on spiritual wavelengths; He is instantly available when we meet those spiritual criteria. Addressing Him as our Father; acknowledging that He is in heaven—envisioning heaven; seeing, as clearly as we can, God’s surroundings, His majesty, His greatness; this is what Jesus intended.

We must communicate “in the spirit,” not via the air waves. God is composed of Spirit—he is not flesh and blood, and if we are to reach Him we must do so in a spiritual dimension—prayer!

Think of some physical analogies. Perhaps we perceive radio and television as mundane, since they are so commonplace. And yet, radio and television waves that travel through space can teach us a great deal about prayer.

Right now, wherever you are, you are being bombarded by hundreds, perhaps thousands of unheard waves of sound. You have only to turn on a portable transistor radio set to prove it. Your human ear cannot detect these sounds, for they are emitted on frequencies not available to normal human perception. Yet, they are constantly bombarding you, filling the room where you are sitting, the automobile in which you are riding. So it is with spiritual communication.

Somehow, we are able to project our thoughts through spiritual channels directly to God’s throne in heaven, directly to the great mind of God Himself, by being on the right spiritual wavelength.

Jesus did not use the analogy of radio to help us understand prayer. But if He had, He would probably have shown how each of us is like a powerful transmitter. He might have explained how we can select the right frequency with which to communicate our heartfelt thoughts to God—that conversion, baptism, the broken-hearted humility and contrition God desires in His children is prerequisite to establishing contact, as surely as selecting the correct frequency on a VHF radio.

Perhaps He might have shown how, when we are truly “in the Spirit”—that is, thinking spiritually, our minds attuned to the things of God, and not the mundane concerns of this life— we can communicate with God as surely as a space satellite can communicate with a ground station.

It is an apt analogy. The human brain is capable of much, much more than we suppose. Many of us operate at about ten percent of capacity. We all know about strange “psychic” powers, about ESP, and kinetic energy. We have marveled at true accounts of how, during World War II, a wife screamed out in anguish at the precise moment her husband was killed overseas; how twins seem to know when something wrong has occurred even though separated by a continent; how our minds are capable of some kind of little-understood “spiritual” kind of communication.

Never underestimate the power of our human minds. God says “there is a spirit in man” (Job 32:8; Proverbs 20:27; Romans 8:16), and reveals that when He begets us with His Spirit, He gives us a new kind of spiritual power, of spiritual perception. It is not difficult to “tune in” to God. He is instantly able to receive our signals. We have but to worship Him in spirit, ensuring we have followed His required criteria of repentance—then approach Him using the formula Christ gave, and, instantly, He is receiving—He is listening.

Light travels at the speed of 186,282 miles per second. Without light, we could not live. It is our source of energy from the sun, and light from the sun is the source of the stored energy of the earth—the fossil fuels, such as coal and oil, representing billions of creatures of the distant past whose lives, flora or fauna, depended upon energy from that same sun.

The visible light we see is but a fraction of the waves of energy with which science is familiar, however. Electromagnetic waves transmit energy in pulses, or waves, up to hundreds of miles long; or in short waves of less than a billionth of an inch.

A serious study of light—what it is, how it works, how it affects our lives—can give one a perception of how prayer might work. Though He does not say so directly, Jesus’ instructions on how we should pray seem to imply that each human mind is like a powerful transmitter, that we have only to tune in to the proper “wavelength”—in this case, a spiritual channel—and we can communicate with Almighty God in heaven. Of course, the properties of electromagnetic waves, from cosmic rays, gamma rays, X rays and ultraviolet rays to long wave radio frequencies are limited by our physical universe and known laws.

Is spiritual communication so limited? Or is there something beyond the properties of light and energy which belongs in another dimension from ours about which we know little?

Let’s take a look at that quotation from the apostle Paul again, in which he said to the doubting Areopagites, “God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that He is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; neither is worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needeth any thing, seeing He giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; and hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; that they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after Him, and find Him, though He be not far from every one of us: for in Him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring’ ” (Acts 17:24-28).

Notice Paul said God is “not far from every one of us,” that He is immediately available, approachable. When we pray to Him as our Father who is in heaven, we need not be intimidated by the vast distances of our universe. First, God’s heaven may be far closer to earth than we imagine; second, our human minds, together with God’s Holy Spirit, may be capable of communicating in an instant, in milliseconds, directly to the mind of God.

We ask, “What does heaven look like?” Is it really all golden streets, heavenly mansions, and pearly gates? Listen to this description: “After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me: which said, ‘Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.’ And immediately I was in the spirit; and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.

“And He that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine [sardonyx] stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald. And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.

“And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.

“And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts [Greek: zoon—”living creatures”] full of eyes before and behind” (Revelation 4:1-6). These living creatures are mentioned in greater detail in Ezekiel’s first and tenth chapter, where the throne of God was seen by God’s prophet Ezekiel.

He wrote, “Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month… as I was among the captives by the river Chebar [Kabour], that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God…” Notice the description of God’s throne: “And I looked, and, behold, a whirlwind came out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire unfolding itself [Hebrew: “flashing continually”] and a brightness was about it, and out of the midst thereof as the color of amber, out of the midst of the fire.

“Also out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance; they had the likeness of a man. And every one had four faces, and every one had four wings. And their feet were straight feet; and the sole of their feet was like the sole of a calf’s foot: and they sparkled like the color of burnished brass.

“And they had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides; and they four had their faces and their wings.

“Their wings were joined one to another; they turned not when they went; they went every one straight forward.

“As for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man, and the face of a lion, on the right side: and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four also had the face of an eagle…” (Ezekiel 1:1-10).

One must read this entire chapter for the whole description—for it is fascinating. That there is no doubt it is a description of the throne of God, even though Ezekiel was not allowed to look upon God’s face, is evident from the text. He said, “And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone; and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above it.

“And I saw as the color of amber, as the appearance of fire round about within it, from the appearance of His loins even upward, and from the appearance of His loins even downward, I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and it had brightness round about.

“As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Eternal. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of One that spake” (Ezekiel 1:26-28).

The Bible identifies the “four living creatures” as cherubim, created angelic beings who are at God’s throne, and who apparently accompany Him wherever He goes. The true cherub of the Bible is hardly a tiny naked baby with a bow and arrow, called “Cupid.” Rather, cherubim appear as huge creatures, having manlike characteristics, plus the faces of oxen, eagles, and lions.

These “host of the heaven” were worshiped anciently. They can be seen in form as the Sphinx, guarding the tombs of ancient Pharaohs; as the “Winged Bulls of Bashan,” and the winged bulls guarding the palaces of ancient Babylonian and Assyrian kings (replicas are in the Louvre, and the British museum). God placed a cherub to guard the way to the tree of life after Adam was ejected from Eden, no doubt giving rise to pre-flood tales of monsters guarding fabulous treasures, remnants of which tales are found in Jack and the beanstalk, St. George and the dragon, and other myths wherein a dragon-like creature, breathing fire, guards priceless treasures.

Apparently, there are dissimilarities between “seraphim” and “cherubim,” as will be seen from careful comparisons of Isaiah’s sixth chapter with Ezekiel 1 and 10.

God’s throne was also seen in vision by the apostle John, who, on the Isle of Patmos, received the prophecies of the Apocalypse. He says, “And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; saying with a loud voice, ‘Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing’ ” (Revelation 5:11-12).

What? No St. Peter standing at the pearly gates; no angels playing on harps? Instead, a throne seen as set upon a translucent “sea of glass,” perhaps like quartz, or onyx; a brilliantly-hued, super-bright Personage on the throne. At His right hand, Jesus Christ in His glorified state. Before Him, twenty-four “elders,” or wise spiritual counselors. All about Him, countless angels. The picture of God’s throne is a stunning, awesome one—replete with multitudes of angelic beings singing in inspiring tones about God’s magnificence. When we pray, we should address God our Father in His heavenly setting letting our minds picture, as near as we can, the glorious magnificence of His throne. We should pray directly to Him.

John prophesied that God’s throne will eventually come to be on this earth! He wrote, “And He shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb … the throne of God and the Lamb shall be in it; and His servants shall serve Him: and they shall see His face; and His name shall be in their foreheads. And there shall be no night there; … for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever” (Revelation 22:1-5).

There are more than five hundred references to heaven in the Bible. By studying descriptions of heaven, the details the Bible gives concerning the throne of God, we may indelibly impress upon our minds the true biblical picture of heaven, replacing the myth, superstition, and vague unrealities of the past. In doing so, we remove one more obstacle to prayer—open up one more important key of access to God.

The phrase, “Our Father, who art in heaven,” is meant to be much more than mere sanctimonious rote – it is an intelligent address, a method of communication with God. If you were to write to our president, you would probably address your letter, “The President of the United States, The White House, Washington, D.C.” Your mind would envision the stately mansion in which so many of our presidents have lived.

So it is with addressing your prayers to God. Jesus intended you retain in your mind a vivid picture of the setting in which God lives; that you see Him as if in a blaze of super-bright light, brighter than several suns, surrounded by billions of angels, with the twenty-four elders at His left hand and His right. Of supreme importance, we must realize that the risen Christ is sitting at the Father’s right hand, waiting for your prayers, eager to make daily intercession to His Father on your behalf.

The next time you pray, do so after looking up and reading for yourself several of the graphic descriptions of God’s heavenly throne. Pray intelligently, with understanding. When you do, expect answers to your prayers! Claim God’s promises boldly, as a trusting child goes to his father in perfect confidence his requests will be answered. Think on all you have learned in these few chapters, and use this knowledge!

CHAPTER FOUR

“Hallowed be Thy name…”

Do you know God’s name? Millions speak of “God,” either in prayer, or profanity. But “God” is not so much a name as it is a proper noun, connoting divinity. A dictionary definition is, “God, the Maker and Ruler of the universe; the One Supreme Being.” As we shall see, this definition, leaves much to be desired. Millions assume, when they speak of “God,” that they refer to the One Jesus called “Father,” the Creator, as they suppose, of the Old Testament; the giver of the Ten Commandments; the God with whom the ancients dealt. This is untrue. As we shall clearly see, the Bible demolishes cherished myths, casually assumed tradition. Much more is implied by the word “God” than we may have realized.

The first place in the Bible where we encounter the name “God” is in the very first verse of Genesis, the first chapter: “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth…”

The Hebrew word is Elohim, which occurs 2,700 times in the Bible. Its contextual connection is with the creation, and illustrates its primary meaning—that of the divine family of Beings who did the creating. Elohim is a plural word, and connotes more than one personage. Notice, “In the beginning was the Word [Greek: Logos, or “Spokesman”], and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made. In Him was life; and the life was the light of men … He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not. He came unto His own, and His own received Him not.

“But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name,…and the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth” (John 1:1-14).

This unmistakable reference to Jesus Christ plainly says that He, the member of the divine family called the Logos, or the “Spokesman” of the Elohim (more than one—a duality of persons) did the creating! It also tells us something else rather startling to familiar traditions and concepts: That, when Jesus tells us to pray to “Our Father,” He is not telling us to address the God of whom we generally read in the Old Testament Scriptures! For, as shocking as it may appear, the Bible is replete with proof it was the One who became Christ who is the God of the Old Testament!

Notice further proof: “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son, Whom He hath appointed Heir of all things, by whom He made the worlds [Greek: aion, or “ages”], Who being the brightness of His glory, and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high…” (Hebrews 1:1-3).

Therefore, the one personage of the dual name for God, Elohim, we see in the first verse of the Bible is that same One who was to come into this world: Jesus Christ of Nazareth! Remember, Christ said, “No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him” (John 1:18).

Christ came to reveal the Father to the world for the first time. He said, “All things are delivered unto me of my Father, and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal Him” (Matthew 11:27).

The name Elohim connotes the Son as very God; as the living Word, who did the creating. Notice, “In Whom we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins: Who is the image of the invisible God, the First-born of every creature; for by Him were all things created that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him, and for Him: and He is before all things, and by Him all things consist” (Colossians 1:14-17).

Notice contextual proof that Elohim means more than one person:

“And God [Elohim] said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness…” (Genesis

1:26).

The next name for God we encounter is Jehovah which is a name used in covenant relationship between God and His creation. The name means, “The Ever-living One; the Eternal; the One who was, and is, and is to come.”

The name Jehovah is combined with ten other words in the Bible, forming ten different “titles” for the divine personages.

They are: (1) Jehovah-Jireh, meaning God will see, or provide. Read Genesis 22:14 for an example. (2) Jehovah-Ropheka, meaning the God who heals us. See Exodus 15:26. (3) Jehovah-Nissi, meaning Jehovah my Banner, or Shield. See Exodus 17:15. (4) Jehovah McKaddishkem, meaning the God who sanctifies you, or sets you apart as holy. See Leviticus 20:8. (5) Jehovah-Shalom, meaning the God who sends peace. See Judges 6:24. (6) Jehovah-Sabaoth, Jehovah of hosts, or multitudes. See 1 Samuel 1:3. (7) Jehovah-Zidkenu, meaning God our Righteousness. See Jeremiah 33:16. (8) Jehovah-Shammah, meaning God is there, emphasizing the nearness of God. See Ezekiel 48:35. (9) Jehovah-Elyon, meaning the Most High God. See Psalms 7:17. (10) Jehovah-Roi, meaning Jehovah my Shepherd. See Psalms 23:1.

It is fascinating to see how David was inspired to use seven of these names and titles for God in His inspiring 23rd Psalm! Read it in your own Bible. In verse 1 you will see number (1), above; in verse 2 Jehovah Shalom, or number (5) above; in verse 3, both number (7) and number (2) are used; and in verse 4, number (8); finally, in the fifth verse, both Jehovah-Nissi (3), and Jehovah-McKaddishkem (4) appear. Thus, in this moving Psalm, very possibly the one on Christ’s lips as He died (see the Gospel accounts of the crucifixion, together with Psalms 22, which is obviously prophetic), seven names, or titles, for God appear!

There are many other names of God in the Bible: A few are, JAH, which is Jehovah in the special meaning of having become our Salvation; EL, which means “the Almighty, “ and ELOAH, which is God in connection with His will and purpose, used primarily as “the Living God,” in contrast to dead idols.

The word ADON is one of three additional titles, all of which are generally translated as “Lord,” but which convey special meanings. ADON is the Lord as Ruler in this earth; ADONAI, the Lord in relationship to this earth, and ADONIM means, generally, the Lord who rules His own.

Jesus Christ said we are to show honor, respect, even awe toward the name of God, by including in our prayer, “Hallowed be Thy Name.” He intended that we come to understand the many names and titles of both Himself and His Father; that we come to know the usage of His names and titles as they relate to various situations. For example, if one were to pray to God for healing, it would be altogether appropriate to remind God that one of His very names is Jehovah (or Yawveh) Ropheka, God our Healer.

Notice the annunciation concerning the name of Christ, “… and she shall bring forth a Son, and thou shalt call His name JESUS: for He shall save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21).

The name “Jesus” is a proper name, coming from the Hebrew Joshua, or Yashua. The two are perfectly interchangeable. The Je prefix in the name as translated into English is indicative of the Hebrew Jah, or Yah, together with the remainder of the word, and means “God our Savior,” or “God who is our Salvation.”

In this same passage, Isaiah 7:14 is quoted. Notice the verse from Isaiah, “Therefore the Lord [Hebrew: Adonai]Himself shall give you a sign; behold a virgin shall conceive, and bear a Son, and shall call His name ‘IMMANUEL.’ ” The name means the Lord as connected to, or in relationship with this earth, or “God with us.” It is so translated by Matthew, who writes, quoting Isaiah, “Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a Son, and they shall call His name IMMANUEL, which, being interpreted is, God with us” (Matthew 1:23).

It is fascinating to note that never, not once, during any personal conversations when the disciples of Christ were addressing Him directly, did they call Him “Jesus.” Always, it was “Master,” or “Teacher,” or “Lord,” as titles of great respect. Though they were to use the name Jesus in later writings, they never called Him by that name face to face.

The Third Commandment says, “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh His name in vain” (Exodus 20:7).

Obviously, using God’s name in profanity is a direct, flagrant violation of this command. Profanity turns God’s face away from us; it insults His divine integrity, deliberately hurls epithets, curses, vile utterances toward God. It is a capital crime exactly on a par with murder, according to God’s law, and will not go unpunished. God says the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). Using God’s name in profanity is a sin, just as it is sinful to use His name in monotonous repetition.

Man has found many devious methods of “pretending” not to swear, yet using similar sounding words and names, or using the first letters of “Jesus Christ” in profanity. Millions say “Jeepers, Creepers,” or “Jeeze.” They say “Jumpin’ Jimminy,” or “Jehosaphat,” which includes a tide of God. The slang words “Gee Whiz” and “Judas’ Priest” are references, albeit supposedly “indirect,” to Jesus Christ. People say “For the land’s sake,” or even use the name of the capitol city of ancient Judah, “Jerusalem” as a byword. Why? One wonders whether rebellious men have searched the Bible to see what God says don’t do, and then proceeded to do it. Want an example? Notice the following passage from the famous Sermon on the Mount:

“Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, ‘Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths:’ But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God’s throne: nor by the earth; for it is His footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King … let your communication be yea, yea; nay, nay, for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil” (Matthew 5:33-37).

Yet, how commonplace are such expressions as “merciful heavens!” or “heavens, no!” How many times have you heard people using various oaths to proclaim their honesty? Even our childhood nursery rhymes teach us to ignore Jesus’ commands; the little pigs, when refusing to allow the wolf into their house say, “Not by the hair on my chinny-chin-chin,” but Jesus said we are not to swear “…by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black” (Matthew 6:36).

Could it be many of us who plaintively cry, “O God, where are You when I need you,” have unknowingly severed contact with God as surely as if we had pulled the plug on our reading lamp? Could it be we are overlooking the biblical requirements to successful prayer, short- circuiting our communication with God—placing barriers between ourselves and our divine Father in heaven, so He will not listen?

He says, “Behold, the Eternal’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither His ear heavy, that it cannot hear: but your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you, that He will not hear” (Isaiah 59:1, 2). The remainder of the chapter is a powerful indictment against all who have not repented of sin, who have not come to God as a little child: “We grope for the wall like the blind, and we grope as if we had no eyes: we stumble at noon day as in the night; we are in desolate places as dead men. We roar like bears, and mourn sore like doves; we look for judgment, but there is none; for salvation, but it is far off from us. For our transgressions are multiplied before thee, and our sins testify against us: for our transgressions are with us; and as for our iniquities, we know them; in transgressing and lying against the Eternal, and departing away from our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood” (Isaiah 59:10-13).

God tells us any lack of communication is simply not His fault, but ours! He is there— waiting, listening, ready to receive our cries. Is He our Father? In other words, are we His begotten children, repentant, of contrite spirit and humble heart? Do we truly seek His will in our lives, as well as His special favor from time to time? When we acknowledge the awesome holiness of God’s name, praying “Hallowed be Thy Name,” we need to realize how truly great is God; to understand the limitless power which can be unleashed by His great name.

Great miracles were accomplished by Jesus Christ, and astounding miracles were performed for the apostles. In each case, it was through recognition of the awesome power inherent in God’s name! Jesus absolutely promised His disciples would accomplish even greater works than He did—through prayer, through faith, and through the powerful name of Jesus Christ!

Jesus said, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask anything in my name, I will do it!” (John 14:12-14).

“In my name” also connotes asking according to His will and purpose; asking according to His authority.

Striking examples of the veracity of this promise occurred in the first few years of the early church. For example, Peter and John, who recorded the words above, were entering into the temple only days after the resurrection of Christ when they saw a crippled beggar. Read the Bible account of what happened: “…and a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called ‘beautiful,’ to ask alms of them that entered into the temple.

“Who, seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, asked an alms. And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, ‘Look on us!’ And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them.

“Then Peter said, ‘Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have I give thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk! And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God” (Acts 3:1-9).

Notice that the cripple did not seem to know who Peter and John were—only that they were worshippers, about to enter the temple. Notice too that he did not expect to be healed; he looked expectantly at them, expecting “to receive something,” obviously a small amount of money. This miracle was performed for the purpose of evangelism as is clear by the following texts. The crowds were amazed; a great discussion arose. Peter then began another of his stirring messages, referring to the miracle they had seen.

Was there ever a greater way to gain the attention of a crowd? Peter said, “Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? Or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we made this man to walk?

“The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified His Son Jesus; whom ye delivered up … whom God raised from he dead. And His name through faith in His name hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know; yea, the faith which is by Him hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all” (Acts 3:12-16). Though we may only remember it from childhood Bible tales, the account of Moses’ calling; how He came into the presence of God at the burning bush is fascinating, stirring. Israel was in slavery. Moses, like all his compatriots, was a product of the Egyptian society; he had been raised by a daughter of the reigning Pharaoh. After fleeing for his life when it was discovered he had killed an Egyptian for mistreating one of his fellow slaves, Moses encountered God, who appeared to him in a bush which seemed to burn, yet was not consumed. The interesting story is found in Exodus, the third chapter.

After God instructed Moses to take off his shoes, He said, “ ‘I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God..” A few verses later Moses asked, “… behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, ‘The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you’; and they shall say to me, ‘What is His name?’ what shall I say unto them?’

“And God said unto Moses, ‘I AM THAT I AM;’ and He said, ‘Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.’ And God said moreover unto Moses, ‘Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations’ ” (Exodus 3:6-15).

The Hebrew for the expression “I AM THAT I AM” is ‘Ehyer ‘Asher ‘Ehyeh and means what it says, in the sense that God proclaims He is the One who is self-perpetuating, with life self-inherent within Himself; the One who was, who is, and who is to come.

A fascinating reference is made by Christ in the New Testament to this name of God, another obvious proof that the Member of Elohim who did the creating was the One who became Christ. Christ was confronted by the leaders of the synagogue following a sensational healing of a man born blind. The entire chapter is an incredible study in human bigotry, fear religion, how churchmen can sometimes keep their members in a constant state of concern over being “put out” of their church. Finally, the argument became so heated, the Pharisees accused Christ of being illegitimate. Jesus managed to raise their anger to white hot heat when He said, “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad.

“Then said the Jews unto Him, ‘Thou are not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham?’ Jesus said unto them, ‘Verily, verily, I say unto you, before Abraham was, I AM!’

“And they took up stones to cast at Him…” (John 8:53-59).

This is unmistakable reference to the same name used by the same personage of the God family to Moses. It enraged those who heard it, for they knew He was clearly stating He was God in the flesh.

To us today, it is another confirmation of the absolute divinity of Christ — His pre-human origins—that He was the God of the Old Testament, the One who dealt with the patriarchs and prophets, the One who appeared to Moses, the One who wrote the Ten Commandments with His own finger.

What’s in a name? Today, many prospective parents find names in books of names for babies; perhaps name their children after relatives, or others they have known and admired. Many are named for famous persons; many are named almost haphazardly. Humorous stories abound about families so large their frustrated parents began calling them “Al, A2, A3,” and so on. But God names things what they are. He called man Ish in Hebrew, merely meaning “Man.” “Woman” was Ishah, or the one who came from Ish. “Adam” meant, literally, “red clay.”

God’s names are meant to convey to us His many divine attributes; His love, mercy, patience; His kindness, gentleness, goodness; His magnificent power; His eternal character. In the Oxford Press edition of the King James Bible, with the concordance, there is a section under “Proper Names” devoted entirely to the many scriptural examples of the qualities of the divine family.

Is your name important to you? Do you know what it means? Are you proud of your name? The word “name” conveys reputation, and quality of character. When we speak of a man having a good name, we mean a good reputation. Surely, when you name your children, their names become who they are. When we speak a name, our minds instantly give us the complete understanding of who we mean, depending on (note this well!) how well we know that person. If it is your spouse, then your usage of his or her name conveys an immediate picture of the total person. That’s the way Jesus Christ wants us to address God. He wants us to come to know Him—to understand how thoroughly, how completely, God knows us!

David prayed, “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalms 139:23-24).

When we read the Psalms, like Psalms 51, David’s heartfelt prayer of repentance after the affair with Bathsheba, we come to understand why David was “a man after God’s own heart.” God simply loves a broken and contrite heart, a prayer of repentance, a deeply felt, sincere, personal prayer for forgiveness.

Constantly, David exulted in the name of God. He prayed, “Bless the Lord [Hebrew: Jehovah, or Yahveh, The Eternal] O my soul: and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the Eternal, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; Who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; Who crowneth thee with loving kindness and tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things…” (Psalm 103:1-4).

And again, “Praise ye The LORD, praise, O ye servants of the Lord. Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth and evermore” (Psalm 113:1-2). Here, the Hebrew expression is Hallelu-Jah. Psalms 111 through 113 are known as the “Hallelujah” Psalms. Each is a moving call to prayer, praising the great name of God. The 111th is an acrostic Psalm, and includes the phrase, “Holy and reverend is His name.” This is one reason I have never accepted the title “Reverend,” though I am an ordained minister. The Bible says His name is holy and reverend; I doubt that any man’s name is to be reverenced. There are dozens of references to God’s name in the Psalms; David continually praised the name of God; thought on His great qualities of character. David is the only man in history who earned the rich accolade, “A man after God’s Own Heart.” Was it because he was able to deeply repent when he had sinned; because He continually prayed to God, constructed dozens of poems set to music, praising His holy name?

When Jesus said we should pray “Hallowed be Thy Name,” He intended we know the great and holy names of God, and to know that those names and titles help us to understand God as our Father in heaven, to really come to know Him.

The first thing we usually say to someone when we meet for the first time is, “Hello, my name is…” We then call them by name. God wants us to know His great names, to appreciate their great significance. Perhaps, after reading this brief chapter, you will be much better equipped than before to put real meaning into your prayer the next time you say, “Hallowed be Thy Name…” You might want to remember that God is our Protector, our Provider, our Banner and Shield; that He is our Life-giver; that He is our Savior. Think on His names; pray to Him directly— by name. After all, He knows who you are!

CHAPTER FIVE

“Thy Kingdom come…”

When these words are recited in responsive readings in church, what comes to mind? For over thirty years in the ministry, I have noticed how many tend to “blank out” literal meaning of our language when it comes to “spiritual” sounding phrases, biblical language.

It is as if when biblical language is used, words suddenly take on an utterly meaningless, esoteric, “other-worldly” sense, like they don’t really convey the same sense to our minds that those same words might if spoken by the layman.

For example, if one were having a conversation with Prince Charles of Great Britain, and said to him, “I hope you are King, one day,” hastening to make sure he understands you wish no ill towards his mother, Queen Elizabeth, both would understand precisely what was meant. If one said, “I believe your reign will be the most magnificent in the history of Great Britain,” it would be equally understood, if a little pretentious.

But when we utter those same words toward God—asking that His prophesied Kingdom come to this earth, do we really know what we are asking?

Just what is the Kingdom of God? Is it merely a figurative phrase which means, in some vague “spiritual” sense, “heaven,” where God lives? Are we merely intoning an oft-repeated phrase which means something like “right on, Lord,” in the same way an Englishman might sing, “Rule Britannia?”

As the story goes, a little girl was being instructed by her Sunday school teacher about the three Hebrew children and the fiery furnace; how the astrologers came in before king Nebuchadnezzar and said, “O king, live forever.” The teacher asked, “And then what happened, Susan?” The child furrowed her brow, thought a moment and then with sudden inspiration said, “So right away, the king lived forever!” Is “Thy Kingdom come…” spoken like that? Like a childish fantasy, or a spiritual mystery?

Most professing Christians believe they go immediately to heaven when they die. Then why pray for God’s Kingdom to come to this earth, if that’s what we are really doing when using the Lord’s Prayer as our outline for prayer? Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of God” (Matthew 5:3). But why did He also say, virtually in the same breath, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5)?

Jesus spoke continually of His coming Kingdom. He uttered many parables about it, showing its character and nature. Many prophecies portray His coming Kingdom—some in fine detail, even to the point of answering such questions as “Will there be cities in God’s Kingdom” and, “What happens to those who remain alive, as human beings, when Christ comes”?

So, why not investigate this fascinating subject without preconceived ideas, traditions, or casually-assumed concepts? Let’s take a careful look at what the Bible actually says about this wondrous Kingdom of which Jesus spoke so often, the Kingdom He said we are to pray for!

John the Baptist was characterized as a type of Elijah, who was to “prepare the way” for the coming of the Messiah. John’s ministry was a great one, coming to the attention of tens of thousands. His preaching was fiery, impassioned, urgent. Thousands were moved to repentance, receiving baptism, calling out to God to forgive their sins. Notice what Matthew recorded, “In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, and saying, ‘Repent ye; for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.’ For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Isaias, saying, ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare ye the way of the Lord, make His paths straight’ ” (Matthew 3:1-3).

John’s message was about the Kingdom of God. He preached about the imminent appearance of the Messiah, saying the One who would follow Him was much greater than he; that he was “unworthy to loose the latchet of His shoes.” He said Christ would powerfully stir them, sifting the wheat from the chaff; bringing to light the innermost thoughts of the heart, calling upon God’s people to repent. John portrayed Jesus Christ as a coming King, who would one day rule over all the earth.

Christ’s message was also about the Kingdom of God. Millions have been taught to revere Christ; we have heard impassioned evangelists telling us to “receive” Christ. Many have supposed the “gospel” (which is merely a strange sounding “religious” word to most) is a story about Jesus Christ; mostly concerned with His person, what He did, His miracles, His parables, His examples; His life’s ministry, death, burial, and resurrection. The word “gospel” seems synonymous with “religion,” as in “gospel singers,” and “gospel music.” Many assume the Gospel is a “story about Jesus.”

But, notice, “And from that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, ‘Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!’ ” (Matthew 4:17). Jesus was a Preacher. His message? It was a good news announcement (the meaning of the word “gospel”) about the Kingdom of God. Notice again, “And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people” (Matthew 4:23).

Matthew’s account refers to Jesus’ message as the “Gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven,” while Luke’s parallel account calls it the message about “the Kingdom of God.” The two terms are interchangeable—the message was about God’s great government; His law-abiding, reigning Kingdom, which Christ prophesied would come to this earth. Is the Gospel, then, only a message about the person of Christ, or does it include much, much more? Make no mistake. The Gospel indeed includes a message about Christ. He is absolutely central to the Gospel; He is its focal point, the Messenger who brought this wondrous message to earth from His Father, and Who is its central character. Yet, there may be another aspect to the Gospel many have missed: the story about the Kingdom of God.

What is that Kingdom? We speak of the “Kingdom of Great Britain,” or this or that kingdom of history, and we know we speak of a political entity consisting of certain peoples ruled by a monarch. Each such kingdom must consist of at least four things: (1) a King, or Sovereign; (2) territory, over which that Sovereign reigns; (3) subjects, or citizens living within that territory; and (4) laws—a system of government through which the Sovereign rules.

Using the four main parts of every kingdom, let’s see some Bible examples which will help us obtain the meaning from the words, “Thy Kingdom come.”

No doubt, you are familiar with the annunciation of Christ’s impending birth. It is a favorite story at Christmas, recited in thousands of church services. “And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And the angel came in unto her and said, ‘Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord [The Eternal] is with thee: blessed art thou among women.’

“And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.

“And the angel said unto her, ‘Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favor with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a Son, and shalt call His name JESUS. He shall be Great, and shall be called The Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of His father David: And He shall reign over the House of Jacob for ever; and of His Kingdom there shall be no end’ ” (Luke 1:26-33).

Is this mere “spiritual salt and pepper” to flavor a verse in the Bible, or does this annunciation from a powerful archangel mean exactly what it says? David sat on the throne which God said would “never depart from Judah,” the throne promised to Abraham’s seed as an eternal inheritance resulting from His faith in God.

The throne of David was reconfirmed to David as a perpetual throne, which God said would never pass from this earth. The question concerning just where this throne may be today is one which should properly require a full book, or perhaps several, to explain. However, this has already been done in the past. Suffice it to say, God swore by Himself that David’s throne would remain in perpetuity, with a member of the same lineage—the seed of David himself seated upon that throne until Christ should return to this earth in glory, as King of kings.

A strange prophecy in the 22nd chapter of Isaiah about Shebna, the treasurer of Judah during the reign of Hezekiah, confirms this, as does the prophecy of Ezekiel 21:25-27 concerning the many “overturns” of this throne, until it would reside in a distant land far from its original setting, and there be “no more overturned,” until “He come whose right it is.”

The point is, the archangel said Christ would “inherit the throne of His father David, and of His Kingdom there would be no end.”

That Jesus Christ is prophesied to come back to this earth is absolutely cast in concrete, so far as Scripture is concerned. There are literally dozens of references to that fact. Notice the first message to ever come to earth when Jesus was taken up following His resurrection: “…Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven [the sky]? This same Jesus, Which is taken up from you into heaven [God’s throne], shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven” (Acts 1: 11).

Christ said, “For the Son of man shall come in the glory of His Father with His angels; and then He shall reward every man according to His works” (Matthew 16:27).

During His last supper, Jesus promised, “… I will come again, and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there ye may be also” (John 14:3). When Christ comes again, He is coming back to this earth. Notice a few striking proofs: “Behold, the Day of the LORD [Jehovah, or Yawveh] cometh… then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations… and His feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east … and the Lord my God shall come, and all the saints with thee…” (Zechariah 14:1-5).

John saw visions of the coming Kingdom of God on the Isle of Patmos, at the very end of the first century. His famous “Apocalypse” (Revelation) contains many references to Christ as King of the coming Kingdom. “And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse; and He that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He doth judge and make war … and the armies which were in heaven followed Him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of His mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it He should smite the nations: and He shall rule them with a rod of iron: and He treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He hath on His vesture and on His thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS” (Revelation 19:11-15).

One of the major promises Jesus Christ gives to those who become His fellow-servants is co-rulership over the nations of this earth during His one thousand year reign. He said, “And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers; even as I received of my Father” (Revelation 2:26). And again, “To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in His throne” (Revelation 3:21).

John also saw a vision of the millennium—the one thousand year reign of Christ—in which it was made clear that those who repent, who live lives of overcoming, as Christ said, shall join with Christ in administering God’s great government. He wrote, “And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them … and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years” (Revelation 20:4).

Jesus Christ came to this earth for many reasons. He came to bring a message from God the Father called the Gospel. The word Gospel merely means “good news” or “happy announcement.” The good news is that mankind will not perish from this earth in a thermonuclear blast, that God will step in to save mankind before that ultimate disaster occurs. The good news is, we can repent, beg forgiveness of our sins, turn to God’s way of life, live a life of overcoming, and have opportunity to share with Christ in setting aright the chaotic turmoil on this earth; to abolish from earth sickness and disease, poverty, squalor, crime, drug abuse, wars; every evil.

Christ also came to call and train His disciples, delivering the Gospel to them, commissioning them to carry on after His return to His Father; to preach the Good News of the coming Kingdom of God in all the earth as a witness unto all nations (Matthew 24:14).

He came to disqualify Satan as present evil world ruler (Ephesians 2:2; 2 Corinthians 4:4), and to qualify as future Ruler of earth (Revelation 3:21). Christ came to live a perfect life, condemning sin in the flesh, proving it is possible for humankind, with the power of God, to resist Satan, overcome the world, and conquer human nature. He came to die for the sins of the world, to become the Savior of mankind. He came to fulfill many Old Testament prophecies concerning His Messiahship, and to proclaim many prophecies concerning the end of the present world civilization (Matthew 24; Luke 21; Mark 13).

Jesus Christ of Nazareth is the soon-coming KING of God’s great Kingdom for which we are to pray.

The second main part of every kingdom is territory. We have already seen many biblical proofs that the territory of God’s coming Kingdom is on this earth, which is why Christ instructs us to pray, “Thy Kingdom come.” Notice several additional proofs:

“And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them, and be their God’ ” (Revelation 21:1-3).

Conditions to become extant on earth are described in vivid detail in Isaiah 11: “But with righteousness shall He judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and He shall smite the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips shall He slay the wicked … The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder’s den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Eternal, as the waters cover the sea” (Isaiah 11:4-9).

There is simply no mistaking the import of these verses. God’s Kingdom will rule on this earth. There are no bears, adders, poisonous snakes, lions, wolves, and goats in heaven. This passage plainly describes the conditions to prevail on earth after the beginning of the millennial reign of Christ.

Notice further, “The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain [biblical symbol for God’s government] of the Eternal’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains [over all other physical nations, great and small], and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.

“And many people shall go and say, ‘Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Eternal [Jehovah, or Yawveh], to the house of the God of Jacob; and He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths:’ for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Eternal from Jerusalem.

“And He shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and 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” (Isaiah 2:1-4).

Micah prophesied, “But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the Eternal shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills, and people shall flow unto it.

“And many nations shall say, ‘Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the house of the Eternal, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths:’ for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the Eternal from Jerusalem.

“And He shall judge among many people and shall rebuke strong nations afar off: and 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. But they shall sit every man under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the Eternal hath spoken it” (Micah 4:1-4).

Angels, as if voicing the exultation of the saints who are to inherit God’s Kingdom are heard to sing… “and hast made us unto our God kings and priests, and we shall reign on the earth” (Revelation 5: 10).

It is plain, then, that the Bible teaches the Kingdom of God will reign right here on this earth for one thousand years following the six thousand years allotted to mankind. Christ is the King of His Kingdom; the earth is His territory, where He will rule.

And the subjects of His Kingdom? First, those who are begotten of God’s Spirit; who are the children of God. Notice, “For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive, and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds [this earth’s atmosphere] to meet the Lord in the air [this earth’s atmosphere]: and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17). And we shall be with the Lord where the Lord will be, which is right here, on this earth.

Notice further, “But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the Firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s, at His coming” (1 Corinthians 15:20-23).

Notice again the scripture we read in Revelation, “And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment [rulership; power to reign as co-rulers with Christ] was given unto them, and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years” (Revelation 20:4).

Clearly, the citizens of God’s Kingdom are, first of all, the divine family of God; Jesus Christ, as the Author and Beginner of life, the KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. Under Christ, the saints of all history. He said, “And ye shall see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the Kingdom of God…” to the people of Palestine. Christ is called the “Firstborn among many brethren” (Romans 8:29), who shall also be resurrected to eternal life at His Second Coming. As we read in 1 Corinthians the 15th chapter, it will be “each man in his own order,” Christ, who is the Firstfruits, and “afterwards, those that are Christ’s at His coming.”

Those who are to be subjects of this great world-ruling Kingdom are the remnants of all nations on this earth—perhaps billions of human beings. Notice: “And the Eternal shall be King over all the earth: in that day shall there be One Lord, and His name One … and men shall dwell in it, and there shall be no more utter destruction, but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited” (Zechariah 14: 11).

Later, God says, “And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the Eternal of Hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles” (Zechariah 14:16).

Christ is the King; the earth is His territory, and the nations of this earth are His future subjects. Obviously, the nations are not subject to Christ today. This is not a world of God’s design. He has allowed mankind the free moral agency to select his own governmental systems, economies, religions. God is not the author of this world’s societies. But He will be, in the future.

The fourth part of every kingdom is the legal system by which it rules—its system of government, or the laws regulating such kingdom. As we have already seen in several scriptures, God says “The law shall go forth out of Zion.” God’s laws consist of the Ten Commandments as Christ magnified them, plus many other statutes and judgments.

The Bible is a book of law in one sense, a legal document proposing a covenant between God and ourselves. It spells out the great rewards for obedience; proposes that God become our God, and we become His people. It proposes eternal inheritance in His Kingdom for our willingness to humbly submit to His rule of law in our lives. Jesus Christ greatly enlarged upon the Ten Commandments, making them infinitely more binding, exalting the strict letter of the law to a spiritual plane, in His famous Sermon on the Mount. The laws of God are summarized in the great commandment, “Thou shalt love the Eternal thy God with all thy heart, and all thy mind, and with all thy soul, and thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.”

The “Golden Rule” is perhaps a hackneyed phrase to most. But it is, after all, the very basis of God’s system of law. We literally are expected to live by “every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” and not by bread alone (Matthew 4:4). It is God’s will in our lives that we should “do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

God’s perfect laws will be enforced during the millennial reign of Christ. And what a happy, joyous time that will be!

You see, God’s perfect laws are the laws and principles that produce everything we really want; success, happy marriages, healthy children; peace in our land, good weather, good health, long lives, thrills, excitement, enjoyment, fulfillment! When we break His laws, they break us. We don’t need to “know” about gravity and inertia in order to be severely punished if we are involved in a fall from heights, or an automobile crash. These inexorable laws take their toll whether we know of them or not. And so it is with God’s laws.

God’s spiritual laws are hidden, unseen. Few seem to know they are breaking God’s laws involving human relationships when their marriages fail, when true friends are turned away, when reputations are destroyed. Few seem to know we are breaking God’s laws involving our health, our physical well-being, when we eat fatty foods, accumulate too much cholesterol in our veins, and develop heart disease. Anciently, God commanded Israel “Thou shalt not eat the fat.” It has taken science thousands of years to begin telling us the same thing.

When we pray for God’s Kingdom to come, we should think on the marvelous world that will be in the future—the world of God’s love, His laws which are set in motion for our good. Think of a world without hunger, without disease, without war! Christ will impose His government over all this earth so there will be no such thing as crime, no more desertions of mates and abandonment of one’s own precious children; no more divorce and broken homes. No more drug addiction, no pornography! When you study the scriptures about God’s great Kingdom, contrasting it with conditions on this earth today, it becomes very meaningful to pray—and to really mean it when you pray, “Thy Kingdom come!”

We are familiar with such terms as “the plant kingdom” or the “animal kingdom.” We speak of the “kingdom of man.” The Kingdom of God is not only the coming government of God to be put in place on this earth under Christ as world ruler. It is also the governing, ruling family of God, for God is reproducing after His own kind, enlarging His family, begetting tens of thousands, ultimately millions, of additional children to be born into the family of God.

The nations of this earth are original families grown great, into nations. Many political entities are “melting pots” of various races, as America, Britain, and others, but it was not always so. Many of the nations of the “third world” still represent original tribes; family groups grown great into a political, geographical entity.

The Kingdom of God is not only futuristic, in the sense of Christ’s coming Kingdom to rule on this earth; it is also the growing FAMILY of God, into which Christ says we can be born.

Now do you see? There is a great deal implied when we pray for God’s Kingdom. Christ said “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17-23). He said, “Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye might be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man” (Luke 21:36).

And what a beautiful prayer! When we pray for God’s Kingdom, we are asking God to hasten an end to every possible evil; to hasten the glorious, utopian reign of Jesus Christ on this earth! We are showing God our earnest desire for world peace; for an end to war, human tragedy—for an end to death!

When we pray “Thy Kingdom come,” we are once again expressing our loyalty toward God, our trust in His promises, our belief in Jesus Christ as King of kings, our confidence He will return to this earth in triumphant glory, to bring world peace at last!

Finally, we are praying for God to hasten the day when we shall be given His ultimate promise—eternal life! The greatest event in all history will be the moment of the establishment of God’s glorious KINGDOM on this earth. No wonder Jesus said we should continually pray for that day!

CHAPTER SIX

“Thy will be done…”

It is easy to recite these words in a quick responsive reading. They certainly sound pious enough, unthreatening. After all, none of us consciously hopes to be out of step with God, deliberately opposed to the divine will—except perhaps atheists and agnostics. Even those not especially religious, who have no special interest in church-going, like to maintain a personal philosophy of a sort, comforting themselves in the thought they are not really a “bad” person, that they have a unique, comfortable relationship “with the Man upstairs.”

How often have I heard it? One will embarrassedly acknowledge, “Well, I ain’t been no saint—but I think the Lord will understand when the time comes…”

These plaintive gestures toward a God of convenience are undiluted human nature. It seems natural to forget God in our daily lives; then turn to Him in a sudden frenzy of need, calling out our self-pitying complaint, “O God, where are you when I’m in pain?” We do not deliberately intend to treat God as a piece of treasured bric-a-brac to be placed on the shelf to grace a breakfront, to be polished for display on special occasions. It is not that we plan to treat God as if He were our servant, instead of the other way around.

Many seem to believe God is like the Genie that startled Aladdin when he polished the ancient lamp. We have but to rub the lamp with the magical words, “Our Father who art in heaven…” or even an informal, “O God, help me!” and expect God to come trotting to our aid.

For centuries, man has asked, “Why does God allow wars? Why, if God says He is good and merciful, does He permit babies to be born blind, deformed?” A rather abrupt and perhaps slightly insensitive answer would be the analogy of homosexuals praying to God in self- righteous indignation, “O God, why AIDS?”

Why, indeed? Let God answer, “Wherefore God gave them up to [allowed them to have; permitted them to exercise their own wills] uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: who exchanged the truth of God into a lie [margin], and worshiped and served the creature [including man; themselves!] more than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature; and likewise the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another, men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was meet [fitting]” (Romans 1:24-27).

God allows the natural consequences of man’s actions to obtain. He has set in motion natural laws; forces, energies. God is the Creator of this universe, of earth, and all life upon it, including micro-bacterial life. When man breaks God’s laws, those laws come crashing down upon him, not only in a spiritual sense at the judgment, but here and now!

Men lust for power, covet the possessions of their neighbors; they harbor hatreds because of racial, linguistic, cultural differences. They are especially intolerant of the religious beliefs of others. In all this hatred is the disease of war. War stems from the lust for power, among other passions. God allows wars, accidents, sickness, because those things are the natural outcome of God permitting the free exercise of human nature. Is anything more pitiful than a newborn baby that is deformed, or blind? Have you ever seen a pregnant woman smoking, drinking, eating harmful foods? Widespread information is available today about the direct cause-and-effect relationship between alcohol and a developing fetus. And what about venereal disease? It is known that syphilis causes blindness in babies. God does not cause sexual promiscuity, remember. He has chosen not to prevent it. You see, the Ten Commandments are not preventive legislation. God commands. But He leaves the choice up to us.

Remember our scenario of the smoker who found God interfering with his habit? It is the same right across the gamut of all human activity contrary to the expressed will of God. We may cry out our complaints about the effects of certain causes, but we would be enraged if God forcibly removed our free volition—took away our freedom of action. In other words, we would be extremely upset if God removed from us the opportunity to commit the cause that produces the wrong effect!

To be brutally frank, we seem to want God to allow us to sin, but to remove the penalty!

What you are about to read from your own Bible may appear a little shocking at first. Yet, upon reflection, you will see the logic in what Jesus said. He had launched into a discussion of false prophets, as He did on many occasions. He said, “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.” He then gave the analogy of judging a religious leader in the same fashion as one would judge a tree, or vine—by the fruit it produces. Speaking of false prophets He said, “Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them” (Matthew 7:15-20).

Now, notice what may appear to be a startling statement at first reading: “Not every one that saith unto me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21).

Why startling? Because it is obvious the recognition of Christ as Savior, believing on Him, calling out to Him by name is not sufficient. Yet, millions have heard the strident voice of evangelists pleading, “Only believe!” Many seem to believe that they may be saved by merely “believing on the name of Jesus.” Not so. Christ said “…even the demons believe, and tremble.” No, God requires much more than lip service.

What are those requirements? Christ said, “For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother” (Matthew 12:50).

The Bible is the written will of God. It can be likened to the “handbook” about mankind. It is revealed knowledge, information we could find from no other source. God’s Word does not purport to be a text on science, engineering, chemistry, or architecture. It is a text, instead, which explains who and what God is, and all about mankind! It tells us why we were born, why we were put on this earth, what is the purpose and ultimate destiny of every human creature.

Doing the will of God is not threatening. It does not mean a life of asceticism, of abstinence, of “Don’t do this, and don’t do that.” The will of God toward us is that we live life to the full, that we meet with success, reward, happiness, fulfillment! Notice: “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health…” (3 John 2).

God is portrayed as a loving Father, One with vast resources, great wealth—not only in material things, but in great and good gifts which could never be purchased with money. However, like any loving Father, He wants only the best for His children. Because of His vast knowledge and experience, He knows we tend toward many things that are going to bring us the wrong results!

God knows there is a cause for every effect. If we would listen to Him, we could learn the cause of all the suffering, heartache, trauma, sickness and disease, failure, poverty, crime and wars which stalk this earth. There is a cause for lung cancer. Millions know one of the main causes—cigarette smoking. Yet, they persist in slowly polluting their lungs, perhaps robbing themselves of many years of life. Many cling to stories about various long-lived individuals (George Burns and his famous cigars are an example) who seem to sail merrily through their 80’s with no difficulty, and continue to smoke. Yet, when hundreds of thousands of Americans go to their deaths through the years, suffering the slow agonies of lung cancer, perhaps undergoing chemotherapy, radiation treatment, surgery, only to be followed by a lingering death under massive sedation, both they and their loved ones call out to God—sometimes in heartbroken desperation, asking Him to spare their lives.

There are causes for broken marriages, failed businesses, poor health, alienated children, group and tribal instincts which lead to political ferment; causes which produce wars! The protracted struggle in the Mid-East is an example of the centuries-long, implacable hatreds between two of the great religions, two separate racial groups. After a few decades, the hatreds wax so white hot no one remembers the first “incident” which triggered the constant acts of terrorism; interminable war.

By the same token, there is a cause for the right result. We know what causes good health: plenty of exercise, a good, balanced diet, and avoidance of harmful substances. But do we know the cause which will produce happy marriages, obedient children, successful lives? Those causes are set forth in God’s Word, which is His written will as expressed toward us.

God’s Word contains plenty of information concerning the state of marriage! Several of the Ten Commandments bear directly on the family. God says, “Honor thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be long on the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.” Could close family ties, honoring parents and grandparents—familial love and respect—be a cause for longevity? Gods Word says it is. He commands, “Thou shalt not commit adultery,” and “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife.” Unfaithfulness is probably the major cause of ruined marriages today; yet, virtually all entertainment—the motion pictures, television, magazines, books—tend to treat casual sex, and its effect, divorce, as something to be done, something virtually “natural.”

Millions of young people have “live-in” mates, with no true bonds of marriage, and upwards of fifty percent of babies born in our inner urban areas today are illegitimate.

The cause for all this chaos in the family unit—the building block of society—is that God’s laws are being broken. Broken laws mean broken lives. We break them, they break us—it’s just that simple.

God’s Word says much about rearing children. It portrays proper roles for father and mother, and strongly encourages the closest possible family ties. Christ said divorce is a sin, that it should be avoided! This is not to say God cannot forgive sin, for He can, and will, when we call out to Him in real repentance. But, when we repent, God wants us to quit sinning. He will not save us “in” our sins; He will only save us “from” our sins!

God’s will toward us is benevolent, kind, solicitous, loving, caring. David said over and over again, “For His mercy endureth forever.” There is nothing fearful or “bad” for us in the expressed will of God.

Too many have equated the will of God with one or another of the organized religions. Recoiling from offensive religionists, from this or that television evangelist they may feel is not exactly sincere, some make the mistake of throwing out the baby with the bath water. But we must not compare human beings to God, no matter how “religious” they may seem. Usually, the successful, well fed, second-martini-for-lunch-bunch have little time for God. That is, until they develop some terrible disease, or their business collapses, or their marriage is destroyed. Why? Why not go to God when times are good, and pray they’ll stay that way? God wants us to prosper. It is not His will that we suffer heartache, sickness, want. Like any loving Father, He wants us to be happy!

Many seem to feel God’s ways are drab, dull, uninteresting; that He gave us “Ten don’ts” by which we should live. They seem to believe “fun” and “sin” are synonymous. Not so. Christ said, “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10: 10).

What kind of a God is our “Father” in heaven to whom we should pray? Notice what He says, “For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and iniquities will I remember no more” (Hebrews 8:12).

Do you really want God’s will in your own life? Notice Jesus said we should pray, not for our will to be accomplished, but God’s. No one came face to face with this choice in a more bitter moment than our Savior, Jesus Christ.

After His lengthy final supper, His discourse to His disciples following the Passover, Christ and His disciples went out of the city to the Mount of Olives.

There, He went a distance away from His disciples and prayed in an agony of intensity. He knew the minutes were fleeting; He knew Judas Iscariot had fled the dinner a few hours earlier, that armed men were on the way to arrest Him. He knew what this dark night would bring. With perfect clarity, He could see His own body being ripped and torn by a cat o’ nine tails, a crown of thorns cruelly jammed down on His head, lacerating the scalp. He could picture the agonies awaiting Him as they pounded spikes through His hands and feet, hoisting Him into the air on a stake to die a slow, pain-wracked death for the sins of the world.

Did Christ merely toss off this horrible ordeal with some Godlike “macho,” some super human reserves of courage and bravado? Note well the biblical account: “And He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed, saying, ‘Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me…’ ”

Here, Christ was plainly asking His Father if there was some other way this fateful hour could be resolved. His total humanity comes clearly into focus; we see Him as lonely, forsaken— facing torture and death, praying with all His might that God could find some other solution. In asking this, Christ was clearly expressing His own will, His own point of view. But instantly, with no pause in His praying, He quickly said, “Nevertheless not my will, but Thine, be done!” Let’s read the rest of this stirring passage: “And being in an agony He prayed more earnestly; and His sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground” (Luke 22:41-44).

No wonder God’s Word says, “When He had, by Himself, purged our sins, [He] sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high” (Hebrews 1:3).

Probably, we tend to pray for our will to be accomplished without realizing it. After all, most don’t pray except in emergencies, tragedies, when we hurt, or when we are frightened because of the suffering of a loved one. By the time many get around to prayer, the die is already cast. They only pray in times of desperate need. They are surely going to be asking, “My will be done—my request be granted; my desires be fulfilled,” if they are only moved to pray in a dire emergency which stresses those needs.

It is not easy for those who rarely pray to ask for God’s will to be done. Actually, prayer and Bible study are inextricably linked. It is impossible to draw close to God in prayer without drinking in of His written Word. In that Word, we learn of His will toward us we learn how to ask “according to His will.”

Prayer, after all, is petition. It is not easy to get on our knees with hearts filled with urgent requests, and ask, instead, that God’s will be done—and not necessarily our own. It is especially difficult if His will in some matter proves to be the opposite of our own. Notice the experience of the apostle Paul: He had a terrible affliction. There is strong indication it was a disease of the eyes, perhaps cataracts. On one occasion he signed one of his letters in very large characters to attest to its authenticity (Galatians 6:11), leading to the assumption he had great difficulty in seeing.

He related how he had asked God to remove this affliction: “And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations [referring to the vision he had seen of heaven], there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And He said unto me, ‘My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness’ ” (2 Corinthians 12:7-9).

I know people whose strength is made perfect through weakness. Paraplegics, who spend their entire lives in motorized wheelchairs, can make those of us who have normal use of our limbs shrink in stature spiritually, when we see their courage and their faith. There are innumerable examples of incredibly courageous people who have found seemingly bottomless reservoirs of strength in terrible adversity. After knowing God’s will was different from his own, Paul meekly said, “Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong!” (2 Corinthians 12: 10).

What an incredible example! Yet, is there any more beautiful example than the one we read concerning Christ Himself.? This is the epitome of selfless prayer, of beseeching God for HIS will and purpose to be accomplished, subjecting our will entirely to His.

Let’s face it, most of our lives are taken up with pursuing our will and purpose. The vast majority of our waking hours are spent in three self-directed purposes: self preservation, self determination, self perpetuation.

We cannot ask that God’s will be done unless we are willing to submit to His will. What does He require of us? He tells us we must repent of our sins. And what is sin? God says, “Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law” (1 John 3:4). Paul wrote, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect WILL of God” (Romans 12:1-2).

God’s will toward us is that we come to Him as His children; that we ask forgiveness of our sins, receive baptism, and become a begotten child of God through receiving of His Holy Spirit. “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit,” said Peter to thousands on the Day of Pentecost following the resurrection of Christ (Acts 2:38).

Paul says, “Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death, that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk [live] in newness of life” (Romans 6:4). God says we can change, that we can start afresh, begin anew! He is willing to wipe clean the slate of our sins and mistakes, blot it all out as if it had never been, allow us to begin a new and different way of life as if a new-born child without a single bad mark against us. It is His will to give us of His Holy Spirit to help us overcome the trials and troubles that seem too big for us.

There is a story about the man who supposedly died, and, when confronted by Christ in His Kingdom, said, “Lord, I want to thank you for helping me through life. I looked back along the trail, and noticed two sets of footprints almost all the way, so you must have been right there beside me. But, tell me, Lord, why, when I got to those rocky, steep places did I see only one set of prints?” To which the Lord supposedly replies, “Because that’s when I had to pick you up and carry you.”

Each of us possesses a natural human mind prior to conversion. In other words, we are concerned about material things, those things that are of this mundane world—carnal, physical, natural. We have no spiritual perception if we have only a natural, or carnal, mind. Oh, we may be “good” people, the way this world would look at it—we may be trustworthy, faithful, hard- working; we may possess qualities of character which cause others to admire us. But, unless we have repented of sin, we still possess what God calls a “carnal” or fleshly mind. “Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be” (Romans 8:7).

It is impossible to ask for God’s will to be accomplished in our lives if we are not yielded to God’s laws, if we do not sincerely thirst for God’s purpose to be accomplished in our own personal life. Such a prayer cancels itself out immediately, for it is obviously insincere. We must not ask for something we do not truly desire, something we are not willing to receive. God is eager to answer the prayers of His children if we pray according to His will. We have only to sincerely want His will in our lives in place of our own.

It is peculiar to human nature that we want other nations to obey God’s will; we want our neighbors to obey God’s will, but, for some reason, we tend to avoid applying His will in our own lives. We wish with all our hearts that the Soviet Union would yield to God’s laws, that they would “beat their swords into plowshares,” dismantle their nuclear arsenals, and turn all those tanks into tractors so they could feed their population. We wish they would disband their multi-millions of Red Army soldiers, that they would immediately cancel their plan for world conquest, order all their spies home from nations around the world, and live at peace and harmony with all nations. We wish all child abusers, pornographers, dope dealers, rapists and murderers, would repent of their sins, turning their lives over to God in an agony of self- abhorrence for what they have been, and allow God to totally change their lives.

We could wish that others around us obeyed the golden rule, that our neighbors were kind, considerate, law-abiding; we could wish they were perfect examples of the will of God in daily action. It sure would be nice to live in a region where all our neighbors were in submission to the will of God, wouldn’t it?

Yes sir, what a world it could be if all our neighbors obeyed the will of God! What a world it could be if the Soviet Union turned to God with their whole heart—as a nation!

But, on the other hand, we have been talking mostly about us, you and me, in this chapter, haven’t we? Maybe we become frustrated over being unable to change the Soviet Union, or stop abortion, or crime, or prevent wars. But there is something important we can change, with God’s help. Us!

CHAPTER SEVEN

“On earth, as it is in heaven…”

Heaven is depicted to us as the most glorious, beautiful, peaceful, harmonious, fabulous, rapturous paradise possible to imagine. Adjectives fail to encompass the picture we see of God’s heaven in the Bible. God reigns supreme; He is the absolute Authority, but God is a benevolent, merciful, forgiving Monarch. In heaven, we see order instead of chaos, beauty instead of ugliness, system instead of confusion; the epitome of all that could possibly be desired in the most perfect state.

God is the supreme RULER in heaven. But His rule is not arbitrary; not selfish, egocentric— It is not rule for the satisfaction of the One doing the ruling, but government for the sake of the governed. God is the greatest possible expression of self-government, for He rules Himself! God is perfect character. There is no higher power which prevents God from making mistakes, sinning, falling short. God is self-ruled to perfection!

It is this perfect character God wishes us to attain. He is ruled best who is ruled least. This is a principle of God.

And what is perfect character? It is the ability to discern the difference between good and evil; discern right choices from wrong choices; to clearly perceive the end result of all human actions, and the will power to force oneself to choose the right!

God is reproducing after His own kind. He is engendering children on this earth who are to mature through overcoming every human challenge, to finally be inducted into the family of God. He seeks to make each of us into one of His children, to give us eternal life. We are but a physical prototype of what shall be, a clay model made in God’s image. It is our human destiny that we should become members of God’s family.

In order to produce perfect character in us, God knew it would require the free exercise of personal choice—free moral agency. Character is not created automatically, but developed through a lifetime of imposing self rule on one’s own human appetites, overcoming the downward pulls and tugs of the flesh, overcoming Satan and evils in society, through the powerful help of God’s Holy Spirit.

When we pray that God’s perfect will, His system of government come to this earth, we need to acknowledge this world’s societies and institutions are not, in the main, of God’s design. God has given mankind 6,000 years to learn the lesson that man cannot achieve utopia through his own carnal struggles, that he was made to need God in his life, and in his society. When we pray God’s will be implemented on this earth as it is in heaven, we need to pray with the fullest comprehension of the sharp contrast between the two; the awareness of just how far man’s societies have departed from the will of God.

Today, this world is in chaos. Enough nuclear explosives exist to destroy the world perhaps twenty times, and the big powers are building more. Proliferation of nuclear weapons continues at an alarming pace; nations such as India, China, Israel, South Africa, have the bomb. Dozens of smaller, third-world countries possess nuclear reactors which produce plutonium; many of them are nearing production of nuclear weapons.

If we were all the same color, spoke the same language, worshiped the same God; if there were no chauvinism, racism, nationalism, we would still face the greatest problem looming before mankind—that of overpopulation. As the sub-Sahara attests, millions die from malnutrition, starvation and disease each year. The population of the world will double a few years into the next century; double again about thirty-five years later. There is no way to avoid food wars from engulfing much of the impoverished third world.

America and Western Europe, together with Japan, find themselves in the first-class passenger compartment of our spaceship earth, with about 90 percent of the remaining passengers in the economy compartment, separated only by a flimsy drape. Will the suffering, hungry, squalid, diseased, angry billions of the third world long be content with their plight?

Overpopulation is the most sinister of all global problems, for it recognizes no racial, political bounds.

Global pollution continues apace; solid waste, air pollution, water pollution. Thor Heyerdhal reported that, during his epic voyage from Egypt to South America aboard a papyrus-reed raft, he was never out of sight of flotsam injected into the oceans by man. Not once, during his thousands of miles of drifting through the Mediterranean and across the central Atlantic, was he out of sight of garbage, cans, bottles, oil slicks, plastic wrappers—some evidence of pollution in our oceans. We are all familiar with the deadly canisters of toxic poisons dumped into the oceans following World War I; the nuclear wastes being dumped into the oceans today, supposedly safely encased in concrete; the daily pollution of our seas by the effluent from thousands of rivers and streams; the huge oil slicks from accidents involving super tankers; pollution from oil production accidents off shore. Globally, man pollutes his environment through nuclear accidents like Chernobyl, or destroys life in the rivers and seas as deadly hydrocarbons are leached into the streams and rivers, and into the seas from farms using oil-based herbicides, pesticides, fungicides and chemical fertilizers to raise crops.

The diminution of strategic materials is of great concern. World reserves of fossil fuels, germanium, molybdenum, aluminum, chromium, are being used up rapidly. Not only is the list of endangered species long and growing longer, but the rapid depletion of raw materials is also of grave concern.

No new fossil fuel is being formed. Perhaps billions of years ago, at the “great die off” of the dinosaurs, billions of tons of animal and vegetable material were buried deep beneath the surface of the earth in cataclysms unimaginable to the human mind. Oil, coal, natural gas—these are the relics of a bygone age, another world—the waste of a period of time on our earth when the continents (no doubt, in completely different configuration) teemed with life of a different kind. Each day, as we burn millions of gallons of this fossil fuel, we edge nearer that time when there will be none left. Our earth is finite, like a space capsule that carries its own fuel, oxygen, water and food. No new fossil fuels are being formed; no mass burials of billions of animals is occurring today. How many years are there before man depletes his energy supplies?

Of grave concern is nuclear war by accident. Can the big powers continue to play the deadly game of stockpiling ever more destructive nuclear weapons, the while making futile gestures at arms controls, living in that gray area between the peace which can seemingly never be achieved and the war which must never be fought? Many a novel has pictured a nuclear submarine captain going mad or a nuclear bomber hijacked; a conspiracy of generals to launch a nuclear war. Are each of these scenarios so far-fetched? In our war of nerves, there are human beings in those nuclear submarines, armed with enough missiles to wipe out many large population centers. Can human beings always be trusted to remain stable, even when placed under almost unimaginable strain?

The socioeconomic picture of our globe is not inviting. Hundreds of millions lack the basic necessities of life; food, clothing, shelter. Even among the industrialized nations, vast disparities exist between the privileged and the disenfranchised, the well-to-do and the poor, the majority and the minorities, the overstuffed and the hungry.

Clearly, the good green earth is not a place of great tranquility. Daily reports of the protracted wars raging—Iraq and Iran, the latest car bombing in Beirut, the latest terrorist incident in Europe, the latest airplane bombing or hijacking, the latest blast in Belfast. These and our daily crime reports tell us man has not learned to live alongside those with different color, different language, different religion.

But it was not always so. Once, this earth was a place of beauty, harmony, perfect peace. It looked like a vast garden from one pole to the other. The Bible proves there was an earlier creation, long before man—a pre-Adamic creation perhaps several billion years in the past. A great archangel was placed over the earth named Lucifer, which means “shining star of the dawn” or “light-bringer.” He is one of the three archangels mentioned in the Bible, along with Gabriel and Michael.

The Bible depicts the whole world like the “Garden of Eden,” with Lucifer and millions of angels given responsibility for the earth. Let’s see what happened:

“In the beginning God [Hebrew: Elohim] created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep” (Genesis 1: 1-2).

The Hebrew words for “without form and void,” or shapeless, in confusion, are tohu and bohu. Yet, the Bible tells us, “For God is not the Author of confusion…” (1 Corinthians 14:33). Also, notice Isaiah 45:18: “For thus saith the Eternal that created the heavens; God Himself that formed the earth and made it; He hath established it, He created it not in vain [Hebrew: tohu], He formed it to be inhabited.” God clearly says the picture we see in Genesis the first chapter of this earth completely submerged under the seas; a picture of chaos and confusion, darkness, lifelessness, was not the original condition of earth. God did not create it that way.

The key is found in the word “was” in the phrase, “The earth was without form.” The word should be translated, “The earth became without form.” The Critical and Experimental Commentary says “…Dr. McCaul has shown that the verb ‘was’ is, in some twenty places in this chapter, used as equivalent to ‘became,’ and that elsewhere it has the same significance…”

The Critical and Experimental Commentary article on this chapter contains three possible explanations for the reconciliation of Genesis 1: 1-2 with science. It says, “The third scheme of reconciliation supposes the intercalation of a long and indefinite period between the original creation and the state of things to which the second verse refers. An immense interval, of which no record has been preserved, succeeded, during which the earth passed through the various changes which geology has traced, accumulating the successive strata, with their entombed inhabitants, which its bowels contain; then, at some undescribed period in duration, it became the subject of a superficial catastrophe, by which it was thrown into general dislocation and disorder, overrun by an inundation of waters, and darkened, by an accumulation of thick, vapory mists” (Critical and Experimental Commentary, Jamieson, Vol. 1, p. 3).

But how, why? Geologists know this earth has been subjected to many ages of chaotic disarray. The majority of all rocks are sedimentary, or water-deposited. Fossilized ripple marks in stone, the evidence of ancient seashores, the aeons-long formation of coral atolls suggest that our earth was subjected to countless inundations; that monster storms ravaged the continents over millions of years. The movement of continental land masses along the tectonic plates of this earth is now fairly well-known. Anciently, our continents were in far different arrangement. How else did seabed fossils come to be easily visible in the tops of the Rocky Mountains; the Alps?

Somehow, from the early picture of absolute beauty, splendor and peace of which we read in the Bible, the earth was destroyed. But how?

Jesus said, “I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven” (Luke 10: 18). This was said in response to the joy His disciples evinced upon returning from their first evangelistic journeys. They were exulting because they discovered the name of Jesus Christ caused demons to obey them, that they had power over evil spirits through His name. When Christ said He saw the fall of Satan like a brilliant streak of light plummeting down to earth, comet-like, He was once again attesting to His pre-human existence with God the Father. He was showing He was present when a titanic struggle took place, and Satan, defeated, was cast down to earth. He was showing His disciples they had power over Satan’s cohorts through the use of Jesus’ name.

John wrote, “And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold, a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. And his tail drew a third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born” (Revelation 12:3-4). Later, John said, “And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not, neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him” (Revelation 12:7-9).

Study those words carefully. If they are to be understood literally, we may be looking at the answers to age-old questions about the chaotic condition of our solar system; the bleak, lifeless, pock-marked surfaces of Mars, Jupiter, and the other planets; the ravaged surfaces of their moons and our own.

We also see that heaven was not always the place of supreme tranquility it is today. There was a time when a battle took place so unimaginable, so gargantuan in scope that it defies the mind of the most inventive science-fiction writer.

We may be looking at evidence of the original “Star Wars!”

Now, let’s see what the Bible says about this event. Isaiah 14 is a chapter dealing with type and anti-type: Satan, and the king of Babylon. All the Bible commentaries and Bible handbooks acknowledge that the language of the middle verses of this chapter means Satan. Notice, “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! [Shining star of the dawn] How art thou cut down to the ground which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, ‘I will ascend unto heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars [symbol for angels] of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the MOST HIGH’ ” (Isaiah 14:12-14).

This verse reveals much about Satan’s origins. It tells us he was an archangel with a name which meant “shining star of the dawn,” and that he was on this earth, below the heights of the clouds. Notice further information in another chapter of the Bible dealing with type and anti-type, this time between Satan and the prince of Tyre: “Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. Thou hast been in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou was created.

“Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou was upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.

“Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee” (Ezekiel 28:12-15).

The Ark of the Covenant, carried by the Levites in the wilderness and later placed in the Holy of Holies in Solomon’s temple, was constructed with two angelic beings called “cherubim” whose outstretched wings almost touched over the “Mercy Seat.” This was a picture of God’s throne. As we have seen, there are “cherubim and seraphim” about God’s throne. The reference to Lucifer apparently shows an earlier position of great station, next to the throne of God. Then, we see he was assigned to this earth when the whole world was of beauty. Finally, we see the metamorphosis from wise and beautiful to jealous and scheming, the struggle of Lucifer to unseat God; his defeat, together with one third of the angels of heaven, and his violent expulsion from heaven. Lucifer was cast back down to this earth at the climax of a battle so titanic, so vast in its proportions, that the human mind cannot begin to imagine it.

Now, see what we have learned: The earth was originally not in chaotic disarray. The picture of the creation of Genesis 1 is not the original creation, but the re-creation of the physical surface of this earth and the creation of man, together with most known types of animals and fish of the present world.

Both the Bible and geology tell us there was an earlier creations time when this world teemed with life, when the frigid, northern areas of permafrost and frozen tundra were in fact semi-tropical (mastodons have been unearthed in Siberia; they were warm weather mammals), when weather patterns were completely different. Our present-day fossil fuels are derived from this ancient world of teeming life.

Space does not permit a thorough discussion of the deposition of coal beds, oil reserves; the graphic story of fossils in the rocks; how the dinosaurs, and vast numbers of other species suddenly disappeared, as if from some gargantuan catastrophe. One very possible theory has to do with a comet, or gigantic meteor smashing into the earth with the force of hundreds of multi-megaton H-bombs, spewing into earth’s atmosphere billions of cubic yards of pulverized rock and dust, bringing about an immediate ice age. The initial shock would have destroyed all life on earth, caused earthquakes of unimaginable intensity, brought about tidal waves thousands of feet high, literally rocked the earth in its orbit.

Is that how it happened? We cannot know for sure, but we do know that our solar system shows mute evidence of massive destruction in the past. No new craters hundreds of miles across are being formed on our moon. Was the earth impervious to these showers of asteroids and comets? Probably not.

Both astronomy and geology tell us of mind-boggling catastrophes in the past history of our solar system; of the explosion of stars, and the forming of new ones; of the coming into being of planets, and the destruction of planets. Radiocarbon dating of fossils generally concedes the earth to be about four and a half billion years old. Did God place Lucifer here, with about a third of the angels, in that distant age? Did their rebellion and the ensuing war in the spirit world result in the destruction we see? There is strong indication it did.

God’s Word shows Satan was expelled from heaven, that he was “cast down” to this earth. Here, he is called the “god of this world” (2 Corinthians 4:4), and the “prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2). He is called the “adversary,” the “accuser of the brethren,” and the “tempter.”

All of us are aware of stories about the devil. We eat “devil’s food” cakes, and take pictures of “the devil’s punch bowl” at the seashore. Most believe he appears as an evil-looking man with spade beard, pencil-thin mustache, smallish, wicked-looking horns, a red body stocking and a pointed tail. Not so. The Bible says he appears “as an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11: 13-15) and warns Christians about his subtle religious deceptions.

God’s Word reveals Satan is largely responsible for the chaos on this earth, that He influences nations of people, heads of state. Can anyone truly understand the mind of a totalitarian leader like Adolf Hitler apart from Satanic influence? Those close to him told of a mysterious power that seemed to emanate from him; of his towering, demonic rages. Somehow, he exercised a magnetic, evil influence over millions. His pogroms against the Jews, his incredibly inhuman “final solution” for millions in his death camps, his demoniacal military genius—these and other traits strongly suggest that Satan himself possessed Hitler’s mind.

Clearly, God’s will is not being accomplished on this earth today. The societal structures of man are not of God’s making; not pleasing to God. Man’s civilizations are based upon the human emotions of vanity, jealousy, lust and greed. They are wholly carnal, filled with competition, strife, avarice, cunning, vengeance, hatred. That is why God wants us to pray “Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven!” When we utter these words, we need to see the desperate plight of this war-weary, sin-sick world; to see it from God’s perspective!

God is able to hear the piteous wails of the starving; the crying of deserted, lonely and abused children; the screams of the wounded and dying in the bloody conflicts of man. God sees the inhumanity, the callused disregard for human rights and simple human decency by despotic human leaders. God sees and hears it all—those terrible things we see but glimpses of in our daily news.

God is working out a great purpose here on earth, a purpose in which your life figures prominently. He wants us to know that we’ll never escape this human experience alive, that we have a personal destiny to fulfill, that we were put on this earth to become something so wonderful, so beautiful, so powerful, that our minds cannot encompass it. We were made in God’s image as a physical prototype—to ultimately be born of God, to become His children, members of His own family! He wants us to see that there is the alternative of eternal life over eternal death, that we have only to repent of our sins, call out to a loving Father in heaven for His divine grace, and He will hear; He will induct us into His family if we surrender our wills to Him, and begin to apply His laws in our lives.

I doubt there has ever been a morning so beautiful a husband has turned to his wife and said, “Dear, isn’t this a lovely day to go out and shop for a casket and a burial plot?”

No, we tend not to think of such things , choosing to pretend, as it were, that we are rather permanent, impervious to the madness of human folly, accident and happenstance that demand the lives of others all around us. But any day—any day at all—is a good day to seek our God, to pray to Him. He says, “Is not this the fast [spiritual service] that I have chosen? To loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that you bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? When thou seest the naked, that you cover him; and hide not thyself from thine own flesh?

“Then shall thy light break forth as the morning and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the Eternal shall be thy reward. Then shalt thou call, and the Eternal shall answer; thou shalt cry, and He shall say ‘Here am I!’ ” (Isaiah 58:6-9).

Some day, in the not too distant future, God’s way of life will be imposed on this earth. What a great day it will be to read in the headlines how factories are progressing in converting guns to hoes and rakes, tanks to tractors, bullets and bombs to useful tools. God says, “And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them, and be their God.’ And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away” (Revelation 21:3-4).

Christ’s outline for successful prayer, the “Lord’s Prayer,” as we call it, instructs us to pray for that glorious day!

Pray for God’s perfect will to be accomplished in your own life first; then pray it will be accomplished in others! But you must really want what you pray for. You must learn to pray, as did Jesus Christ your Savior, “Nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done, right here on earth, here and now, just as your perfect will is always loyally and faithfully done in heaven above!” God loves prayers like that. Study David’s prayers, and you will quickly find why he was called “a man after God’s own heart.” What a description! How would you like it to be said of you? It’s possible.

CHAPTER EIGHT

“Give us this day our daily bread…”

Why pray for just barely enough to last the day? Why not pray for enough food to last a lifetime? What about security, comfort in our old age? Is it contrary to God’s will to be “survivalist” in our outlook; to store foods, emergency supplies, batteries, gasoline, water; to look out for ourselves so far as the future is concerned? Did Jesus really mean what He said about praying only that we receive, each day, enough for our daily needs?

Christ emphasized the importance of relative values. There is quite a contrast between those who have settled the big questions first, such as repentance, conversion, baptism—surrendering their will to God and making His kingdom their primary goal in life—and those who never truly get around to asking the big questions in the first place.

Christ knew most are concerned about purely material goals. He said, “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other: or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon” (Matthew 6:24).

Mammon is an Aramaic word, meaning “riches.”

Jesus Christ knew human nature right down to the core. He understood perfectly the driving forces which motivate most men: vanity, jealousy, lust, greed, vengeance; the purely materialistic goals which most strive to achieve. It was the abandonment of these false goals Christ urged; the acceptance of His example, teaching, and His sacrifice for our sins. Christ is not urging poverty. He is not saying it is a sin to be materially comfortable. God is not especially attracted to the poor over the rich; it is the other way around. The wealthy rarely have time or need for God; the poor recognize their need.

Is it God’s will that His people be poor? No, Christ said, “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10: 10). Many of the most famous men in the Bible were wealthy. Abraham was the owner of thousands of head of cattle and sheep. His household numbered many servants. Likewise, Isaac and Jacob, who inherited much of their wealth from their parent, and continued to prosper. David was king of Israel and Judah, lived in a palace for a fair part of his life; yet was a “man after God’s own heart,” because he never coveted wealth. He had not obtained the throne through political machinations, but was appointed by God because of his qualities of character.

God says, “A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children’s children…” (Proverbs 13:22). Not only does God expect His people to prosper, He expects them to build a significant enough estate that they leave an inheritance to their grandchildren.

The apostle John wrote to Gaius, a generous, apparently well-to-do member of the church, “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth” (3 John 2).

God is the owner of all wealth: “The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the Eternal of hosts” (Haggai 2:8). God is our multitrillionaire heavenly Father who owns the universe. He has set down principles, which, if they were industriously followed, would result in material success as well as moral and spiritual well-being. With God it is a matter of priorities. Which comes first: material gain, success in business, money, or God’s Kingdom?

I knew a multi-millionaire who had all the things money can buy: mansions, limousines, fabulous art collections. He made his money in mining, then branched out into the stock market and real estate. By the time of his death in the 1950’s, he was reputedly worth over 200 million dollars. I saw him from time to time in the last years before his death—lonely, reclusive, miserable. His only son had killed himself during a lawsuit between father and son over money. His wife had died several years earlier. During his last years, he was seen going into pawn shops, bargain basements, run down stores in the skid row section of Los Angeles, purchasing various things at random—old shoes, lamps, objects which he didn’t need, and couldn’t use. When he died, a lonely old man, his home was auctioned by the managers of the estate for less money than it had cost to build the iron grillwork fence and stone walls around it.

I knew some students who he hired to maintain his considerable grounds. Yet, even though they were only being paid $1.75 per hour, he refused to pay them after a week’s work for some petty complaint or other. When the mansion in which he lived was renovated in later years, it was discovered there was a huge tank in a basement room adjacent to an indoor swimming pool, and that the tank had been tapped directly into the city’s main water supply. He had received millions of gallons of unmetered city water over fifty years. He had money, the trappings of material success. But, like so many others, this was never enough. He could neither buy nor steal what he coveted the most: happiness. Contentment, fulfillment, satisfaction, these were denied him.

J. Paul Getty, one of the richest men in the world, was once quoted as saying he would give all his millions for just “one happy marriage.” Like many of the very wealthy, he discovered true friends are hard to find. Unfortunately, the wealthy must forever remain suspicious of the true motives of friends.

Yet, despite the countless examples of wealth coupled with misery, no matter how thoroughly documented, those lacking wealth cheerfully quip, “So let me be miserable in style!” It is impossible to convince those who have never possessed much money that it can be a powerful evil. They simply believe they know better. The lust for money is condemned in the Bible, and called a “root of all evils.” With this lust for money comes every assorted form of crime and violence known to man. It is the subject of countless novels, motion pictures, television shows. Those who write for the public know money, power, sex are what sells.

The most common form of idolatry in modern professing Christiandom is the lust for money. Sometimes, it seems money is the main thing on many television evangelist’s minds, much to the discomfort of many of their viewers. Personally, I have refused to follow the common tactics of fund-raising used by most; in more than thirty one years of radio and television evangelism, I have never asked for one cent over the air, in any personal-appearance campaigns, or even in our own church services. I sincerely feel the Gospel simply cannot be for sale. Yet, I recognize the right of others to ask. The desire for money, power, fame, importance, can become a powerful temptation. It is a subtle idolatry, not remotely realized by millions of churchgoers who would be shocked if Christ Himself were to point out their improper priorities.

A false god is whatever gets between you and the true God. What drives you? What motivates you? What really turns you on? The tables at Atlantic City and Las Vegas are garrulous testimony to the “get rich quick” philosophy of millions. Casino operators know as well as clergymen that gambling can become compulsive—a powerful lust that is as pervasive, as tenacious as drugs or alcoholism. Many a business has been destroyed, families broken, reputations sullied by inveterate gambling. Millions look for the fabled pot of gold at the end of the rainbow—that’s why many states have turned to lotteries in a desperate bid for infusing new life into sagging state economies.

Remember the account of the black janitor in New York who found the sack of money that had tumbled out the back of a Brink’s truck? An honest man, he immediately returned the bundle, which contained many hundreds of thousands of dollars. He was rewarded—a couple or three thousand, as I recall. The story made banner headlines all over the country—and then his miseries began. People began ringing his telephone, cursing him, calling him foul names, saying he was a “dumb s.o.b.” His wife was plagued continually while he was at work by similar calls. People began driving by his home, honking their horns and shouting gross obscenities out the window. His children were terribly ridiculed, persecuted in school. Finally, he had no recourse but to move to a different city, lose himself, change his life. His neighbors couldn’t understand that kind of honesty.

Of course, the ones who persecuted this gentle, decent, and honest man were viciously angry because they wished with all their hearts they had been the ones to discover the Brink’s sack. It would have been the stuff of their dreams. They hated the honest black janitor. They were jealous. They were also thieves at heart, consumed with avarice.

Millions worship at the altar of success. They drive themselves relentlessly, sometimes sacrificing personal health, mental tranquillity, friends, even marriages, in order to gain material success. Jesus’ command that we pray for God’s sustenance one day at a time has to do with the poison of idolatry; worshipping things, the things money can buy; worshipping power, success.

What is success? There was a newspaper story about a distraught, mentally disturbed man in New York who gulped down poison just after he had poured lighter fluid on himself, quickly slashed his wrists, then struck a match and jumped out a multi-storied building to his death. This man wanted to make sure he was successful—at suicide. But success is measured in this world by the size of one’s bank account, not the quality of one’s character. There are many filled wallets and empty lives.

Jesus spoke a parable concerning success. He told of “…a certain nobleman [who] went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds [a sum of money], and said unto them, ‘Occupy till I come.’

“But His citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, ‘We will not have this man to reign over us.’ And it came to pass, that when he was returned, having received the kingdom, then he commanded these servants to be called unto Him, to whom he had given the money, that He might know how much every man had gained by trading.

“Then came the first, saying, ‘Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds.’ And he said unto him, ‘Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities.’ And the second came, saying, ‘Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds.’ And he said likewise unto him, ‘Be thou also over five cities.’ And another came, saying, ‘Lord, behold, here is thy pound, which I have kept laid up in a napkin, for I feared thee, because thou art an austere man: thou takest up that thou layest not down, and reapest that thou didst not sow.’

“And he said unto him, ‘Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou knewest that I was an austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not sow: Wherefore then gavest not thou my money into the bank, that at my coming I might have required mine own with usury?

“And he said unto them that stood by, ‘Take from him the pound, and give it to him that hath ten pounds.’ (And they said unto him, ‘Lord he hath ten pounds,’) For I say unto you, That unto every one which hath shall be given; and from him that hath not, even that which he hath shall be taken away from him.

“But those mine enemies, which would not that I reign over them, bring hither, and slay before me” (Luke 19:12-27).

In a parallel analogy, the “Parable of the Talents” (Matthew 25:14-30), Christ said the money was given to each servant “according to his several ability.” The lesson is clear that Christ is speaking of Himself as the Nobleman. We are the servants, to whom Christ has given individual gifts—our own personalities, abilities, natural talents. Each of us is expected to produce according to our natural abilities. It matters not that one is more able than the other, the proportionate degree of success is the same! The servant who hid his talents like money in a mattress was the one who was chastised.

Those to whom Christ delivers the largest sums are expected to be busily occupied in becoming a success. Here, Christ is not impugning increase; He is not disparaging gain. No, He is encouraging it!

Notice the underlying approbation of the free enterprise system. The wealthy landowner has the perfect right to commission employees as he likes. He has the right to strike separate bargains, sign different contracts, deliver different commissions, according to his assessment of each man’s natural abilities.

Obviously, Christ is using successful enterprise as a type of building character; overcoming sin. Not everyone starts even. Some have inherently more natural ability than others. Still, their reward is the same, spiritually, if they overcome to the best of their natural ability. Christ is not disparaging money. He is using money as an example of Christian overcoming, showing it is a matter of priorities. Those who covet wealth are guilty of idolatry. Idolatry and covetousness are sins, which are punishable by eternal death, loss of God’s Kingdom! Learning how to handle material success, how to handle money wisely and generously is a powerful test of character, a measuring rule which is used by God to determine our fitness for His Kingdom.

Jesus Christ was not an ascetic. He did not enjoin upon us lives of abstinence, poverty, failure. God does not glory in the lack of accomplishment, inability, indolence, laziness; He is not impressed by the vanity of the poor. (Yes, even poor people can have vanity coupled with hatred of the wealthy, it is one of their main defenses against pangs of conscience, a method whereby they can convince themselves their plight is always someone else’s fault, which, in some cases, it is.) These two parables show Christ expects His servants to prosper. God does not automatically reject those who are successful.

David’s son, Solomon, became king over Israel. He expanded the Davidic kingdom; built a magnificent temple to God, palaces, public buildings. He had a throne of pure ivory carved for himself, imported peacocks and apes, exotic animals from India; imported metals from the British Isles. His kingdom was magnificent to the point of breathtaking splendor. Queen Hatshepsut of upper Egypt, most probably the “Queen of Sheba” of the Bible, related how her visit to Jerusalem had “taken her breath,” when she saw the beautiful buildings, balustraded, terraced gardens, flowing streams, reflective pools, fountains, the fabulous treasures of Solomon’s temple and palace.

Solomon was one of the wealthiest men of all time. He wrote of the entire experience of amassing his wealth. “I made me great works; I builded me houses; I planted me vineyards: I made me gardens and orchards, and I planted trees in them of all kind of fruits: I made me pools of water, to water therewith the wood that bringeth forth trees: I got me servants and maidens, and had servants born in my house; also I had great possessions of great and small cattle above all that were in Jerusalem before me: I gathered me also silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of kings and of the provinces: I gat me men singers and women singers, and the delights of the sons of men, as musical instruments, and that of all sorts.

“So I was great, and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem: also my wisdom remained with me. And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my labour … then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labor that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 2:1-11). The book of Ecclesiastes is an object lesson in priorities. Time and again, Solomon mused on the fact that “one event happeneth to both the wise and the fool,” meaning death; he pondered the final end of those who had spent their lives in amassing wealth, only to leave it to others, and to go down to the dust of earth in the same fashion as the poor. Finally, he said, “Therefore I hated life; because the work that is wrought under the sun is grievous unto me: for all is vanity and vexation of spirit” (Ecclesiastes 2:17).

Solomon almost became a candidate for suicide. But, as he continually said, his philosophical pursuits were governed by the retention of his unusual amount of wisdom which God had given him. Even though giving himself over to every sensual pleasure; drunkenness, sex, sumptuous banquets, concerts; the trappings and entertainment of kings; he retained his insightful wisdom. At the end of it all he wrote, “Let us hear the conclusion of the matter: fear God, and keep His commandments: for this is the whole of man.” (The words, “duty of” in the KJV are italicized, indicating translators added them later). When Solomon spoke of “vanity and vexation of spirit” he used an expression which means, literally, “striving after wind.” He knew the lifelong struggle for material wealth was like trying to seize a handful of air in one’s grasp.

Solomon came to see relative values. Since death is the common occurrence, recognizing no class, no position, no amount of material wealth, he came to understand that each individual should live to the very best of his ability; that the “whole man” was only attainable through the keeping of God’s commandments, study of God’s word; discovery of knowledge, understanding, and wisdom. Without understanding the purpose of human life, Solomon came to see, life was merely a “striving after a handful of wind.”

Yet, for all his wisdom, Solomon’s heart was turned away by his many wives and concubines during his old age (1 Kings 11:1-9).

Jesus Christ did not imply we should live in a state of uncertainty concerning our next meal, that any degree of material success, any accumulation of wealth, is inherently wrong. With Christ, it was all a matter of priorities, of emphasis. He gave the parable of “Lazarus and the Rich Man” to illustrate the sin of calloused disregard for the plight of the poor (Luke 16:19-31). Christ also spoke of the deceitfulness of riches in His famous parable of the sower. The seed that fell among thorns was analogous to “he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he become unfruitful” (Matthew 13:22).

Again, it is a matter of emphasis. Christ said, “Therefore I say unto you take no [anxious, worried] thought for your life; what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and body than raiment?” Then followed His examples of how God clothes the beautiful flowers of the field; how He feeds the fowl of the air. Christ asked, “Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?

“Therefore take no thought [the Greek word means “anxious thought” –conveys fear, worry, concern], saying ‘What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?’ (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

“Take therefore no [anxious] thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof”(Matthew 6:25-34). Notice Christ says God knows we have need of “all these things.” It is a matter of emphasis. Where are our hearts and minds? Are we so busily concentrating on making ends meet, earning a living, or attempting to amass wealth, that we have no time for the very purpose for our lives? God wants our priorities straight first, then He promises to supply our every need.

An outstanding example of wrong priorities occurred when Jesus offered a very wealthy young man a discipleship. The youth asked Christ, “Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? And He said unto him… ‘if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments!’ He saith unto Him, ‘Which?’ Jesus said, ‘Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.’ The young man saith unto Him, ‘All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?’ Jesus said unto him, ‘If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.’

“But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.

“Then said Jesus unto His disciples, ‘Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly [with great difficulty] enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of God.’ His disciples were dumbfounded at this saying, but Jesus said, ‘With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible’ ” (Matthew 19:16-26).

God does not say it is impossible for the rich to enter His Kingdom, He merely says it is extremely difficult. Why? Priorities. Christ warned, “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” How many truly secure rich people are there? How many are consumed with worry, anxiety? How much is enough? The sorrowful human examples are legion; history is replete with the common human tragedy of the utter devastation wrought in human lives through great wealth. How many “stars” have there been who have simply been unable to handle “stardom,” and whose lives were ruined as a result? Priorities. If we know and are busily fulfilling the purpose in our lives, no amount of wealth will corrupt us. But if we are pursuing success, glamour, fame, wealth; the things money can buy as ends in themselves, then we shrivel up inside; we become avaricious, cunning, deceitful, utterly selfish. These base human motives bespoil the beautiful character God wants to see developed in us as surely as a vial of acid will ruin a great painting. Again, it is a matter of priorities.

In a stinging condemnation, James indicts the indifference of the very rich toward the poor: “Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.

“Behold, the hire of the laborers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth [Lord of Hosts]. Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter. Ye have condemned the just; and he doth not resist you” (James 5:1-6).

Here, James cites fraud, murder, deliberate exploitation of labor as crimes which resulted in ill-gotten gain. This is not a general condemnation of anyone who happens to have material substance, but an indictment of those who cheat, steal, and murder to become rich. As such, it is a perfect indictment against organized crime, against those who become super-rich trafficking in drugs. This is wealth accumulated at any price, riches no matter what.

Christ’s instruction to pray for our sustenance “one day at a time” becomes much clearer in the light of James’ statement, “Go to now [Or, “come on, now,”], ye that say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain:’ Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, ‘If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this or that,’ but now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing [boasting of the future without regard to God] is evil” (James 4:13-16).

Priorities again. If the would-be businessman were to take God into His business as a partner, saying, “If it is God’s will, I will go to such and such a city, and buy and sell, and get gain,” and if he means he will conduct his business according to God’s will, as we saw in chapter five, then His priorities are straight; he is placing God and His Kingdom first in his life! Such a man will not profit illegally. He will not attempt to achieve success through cheating his neighbor. He will not evince calloused disregard for the poor.

When Christ says to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread,” He wants us to remember His vitally important statement, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). He wants us to remember the terrible fragility of our lives, our temporality. The prayer of the righteous thinks first of the needs of others, addresses the needs of the poor, the sick, the diseased, the crippled and helpless, the lonely, the injured and the dying. Then, the prayer of the righteous asks, “Give us only that of which we have need,” in a selfless, giving, sharing attitude of concern toward fellow man.

Here and there, we have been amazed at the examples of the super rich who seemingly could not give away their money fast enough. There are inspiring accounts of magnanimity, altruism almost beyond belief. Such examples prove it is possible to become very wealthy without allowing money to corrupt character.

It is not wrong to go to God with a request on our lips; to include the words, “Give us…” in our prayer. It’s all a matter of priorities.

There are not a few examples of extremely wealthy, successful men who retained sight of moral values; whose wealth, instead of corrupting them, made them great. Such a man was Andrew Carnegie.

Carnegie was born the son of a small businessman in Scotland; his father owned a handloom business. Unfortunately, the competition of steam power forced the Carnegies out of business in about 1848, and they decided to emigrate to the United States. Young Andrew was only 10 years old when he got a job as a bobbin boy in a cotton factory at 20 cents per day. He was a precocious lad; his keen mind brought him to the attention of a supervisor in the engine room where he learned how to be an engine tender. Next, his arithmetic and good penmanship earned a promotion to clerk. Then he got a job as a telegraph messenger, which, due to his curiosity about Morse and telegraphy, resulted in a job as telegraph operator. Meanwhile, he became a part-time newspaper reporter, specializing in the telegraphic end of the news.

That resulted in his appointment as telegraphic train dispatcher to the Pennsylvania Railroad. Later, he became personal secretary to the general superintendent of the railroad, Colonel Thomas A. Scott. When Scott became vice president of the line, he named Carnegie superintendent of the Pittsburgh division. Learning of the booming sales of the Pullman sleeping-car system, Carnegie shrewdly invested in the Woodruff Company, which held the original patents. His soaring dividends went into carefully selected oil lands around Oil City, PA. When the Civil War broke out, Carnegie was put in charge of eastern military railroads and telegraph lines.

Carnegie saw, in about 1862, that wooden bridges were going to be replaced with iron ones. He organized the Keystone Bridge Company, which constructed the first iron bridge across the Ohio River. Later, as a result of this experience, he left the railroad to construct the Union Iron Works, which included furnaces and rolling mills. By 1888 he had acquired a controlling interest in eight other steel works around Pittsburgh, mostly due to the practice of using slack periods to improve plants and purchase new equipment, so he was ready instantly when business picked up again. This placed him far ahead of his competitors. His profits soared, and by 1899 he consolidated all of them into one gigantic company, the Carnegie Steel Company. By 1901, Carnegie retired from business life and transferred his company, valued in 1901 dollars at $500 million, into the still larger United States Steel Corporation, formed by J. Pierpont Morgan.

Carnegie began to write; to travel. His book The Gospel of Wealth caused quite a stir on both sides of the Atlantic, for he had developed a philosophy which said, in brief, that the very wealthy should be governed by a sense of argent oblige; that the accumulation of material wealth and prosperity carried with it an obligation to use that wealth for the public good.

He set himself to give his money away wisely—realizing this was no easy task; that money is power, authority; that it can ruin lives as well as enhance them. Carnegie established institutes and foundations; the Carnegie Institute of Pittsburgh was originally endowed with $24 million, and included a museum of fine arts, a music hall, a museum of natural history, and an institute of technology with a library school. He established the Carnegie Institution of Washington to encourage scientific research; the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission to recognize heroic acts performed in every day life; the Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching; the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, with gifts of $22 million, $10 million, $15 million and $10 million, respectively.

He became a renowned and successful author, writing many books, including Triumphant Democracy, Problems of Today, and An American Four-in-Hand in Britain.

Carnegie died at the age of 84, having lived a life of success; of travel, study, creativity, energy, productivity, and generosity. He gave away huge sums of money, such as the $135 million he gave to establish the Carnegie Corporation of New York for the purpose of the “advancement and diffusion of knowledge and understanding.”

The accounts of fame and fortune corrupting we mortals are more plentiful than those relating largess, but Carnegie’s example proves it is possible. Christ does not smile on poverty for its own sake. It is not “righteous” to be poor, any more than it is automatically evil to be rich. Character is what counts.

It is a supreme test of character to get on your knees and pray, “…and give us this day our daily bread…” and really mean it!

CHAPTER NINE

“And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors…”

God wants us to pray for forgiveness. It is one of the most vital prerequisites to successful prayer; when we are repentant over our personal shortcomings, calling out to our heavenly Father for forgiveness, He is eager to listen. David said, “The Eternal is gracious and full of compassion” (Psalms 111: 4). One of God’s great qualities is that of mercy.

What response do we want from our children when they have committed some grievous error? Isn’t it deep contrition; genuine remorse? The attitude of broken-hearted repentance is something God almighty loves to see in His children. He says “…to this man will I look, even to him that is poor [Hebrew: “lowly, humble”] and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word” (Isaiah 66:2).

When Christ said we should pray for forgiveness, He specifically said “debts,” or “trespasses,” which mean, in a generic sense, “sins.” And what is sin? “… Sin is the transgression of the law” (1 John 3:4). Christ magnified the Ten Commandments by His famous “Sermon on the Mount,” and by all His teaching, and life’s example. He said though murder was a capital crime, carrying the penalty of death by stoning under the letter of the law; hatred in one’s heart toward any fellow human being was an equal sin; God counts it murder, and the penalty is death. Christ made the Ten Commandments much more binding, lifting the law to a spiritual plane.

It is a sin to break even what Christ called the “least” of His teachings. Sin is not a vague something that is “displeasing to God,” nor is it a list of taboos concerning personal tastes and life styles, any more than righteousness is turning around three times a second, sprinkling salt over one’s left shoulder, and mumbling a mantra while balancing on one leg. “Debts,” or “trespasses,” are infractions of God’s law as magnified by Christ. They are human actions stemming from human attitudes that are disrespectful toward God and harmful to fellow man. Some kinds of sins hurt in three ways: They hurt our relationship with God; they hurt our fellow man, and they hurt us as a natural consequence.

God’s laws are established for the good of mankind. They are not negative; rather, they are the formula for everything we really want; physical well-being, happiness, success, a long life!

When we break God’s laws, we incur a double penalty. “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). The death which is the penalty for sin is not the event which happens to us all, good or bad. God says, “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). Death is natural. It is the one great event common to all human beings, but this first death is not the penalty for sin. Yet, the Bible says the wages of sin is death. What is the answer?

Christ said, “Verily, verily I say unto you, he that heareth my word, and believeth on Him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life … the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.

“For as the Father hath life in Himself; so hath He given to the Son to have life in Himself; and hath given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of man. Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear His voice, and shall come forth: they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation” (John 5:24-29). The Greek word for “damnation” is better rendered “judgment.”

The resurrection from the dead is one of the most clearly and oftstated doctrines of God’s Word. The entire 15th chapter of 1 Corinthians deals with this important subject. Notice only a few excerpts: “Now if Christ be preached that He rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: and if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain. Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ: Whom He raised not up if so be that the dead rise not … but now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept … even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

“But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at His coming” (1 Corinthians 15:12-23). Toward the end of this chapter, Paul says, “Now this I say brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I shew you a mystery; we shall not all sleep [die the first death], but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed” (1 Corinthians 15:50-52).

The Bible says those who are the “dead in Christ” will rise to meet Christ at His coming, and shall reign with Him in His glorious Kingdom for 1,000 years. Notice: “And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them; … and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.”

But what about those who are non-Christian when they die? What about the third world countries: the billions of human beings in the Soviet Union, China, Southeast Asia, Africa, who have never heard the name of Jesus Christ? God’s Word says, “But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished” (Revelation 20:4-5).

The wages of sin is not the “first death” which happens naturally to every human being, including the finest people who have ever lived. No, the final payout for sin is described in the latter part of Revelation 20: “And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God: and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life, and the dead were judged out of those things written in the books, according to their works.

“And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell [Greek: hades, meaning the grave] delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell [hades] were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death” (Revelation 20:12-15).

The answer is, God Almighty has decreed there is coming a resurrection from the dead, both for the just and the unjust. The first resurrection we have seen described takes place at the second coming of Christ, and is the resurrection of the “dead in Christ.” Christ said, “Ye shall see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the Kingdom of God, and ye yourselves cast out” to those who plotted His murder. The second resurrection takes place at the end of the millennial reign of Christ, and is a great, general resurrection of all who have never heard the name of Christ; who have never had opportunity for salvation.

The metaphor, “death and the grave are cast into the lake of fire”, is grim warning of the final fate awaiting those who will not repent; who remain incorrigibly contrary to God’s will, His purpose in their lives, His holy laws.

It is given to all men once to die, but this is not the penalty for sin, per se. Though one may die as a direct result of sin (as murder, or suicide), the penalty for the perpetrator is not this first, physical death. The penalty for sins not repented of is death for all eternity, a most horrible death, final destruction in a lake of fire.

Notice the dead are said to be judged out of things “written in the books.” The Greek word for “books” is biblos and, transliterated, means “Bible.” How are we, this living generation, judged? God says, “The time is come that judgement must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin with us, what shall be the end of them that obey not the gospel of God?” (1 Peter 4:17). We are judged today according to the standard of God’s written Word. God will not change His method of judgment. He says He is the “same yesterday, and today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8) and “I change not…” (Malachi 3:6).

Remember, judgment is not synonymous with “sentencing.” The childhood picture we were given was as if there is some mysterious book, probably kept by angels, which contains every evil deed we have done; that, when we face “St. Peter at the pearly gates,” angels consult this terrible record of all our personal sins, and it is decided whether we “go up, or go down” to heaven or to hell. Not so. The Bible says Christians are judged over the period of their entire lives by those things written in the Biblos, meaning the Bible, the written standard of God. God does not change His method of judgment. Those coming up in the great, general resurrection will also be judged from the Bible, just as we are being judged today.

Furthermore, since Christ tells us to pray for forgiveness on a daily basis, that means we can have a daily “clean sheet” so far as any record of evil deeds is concerned! What is that worth to us? Of what value is it to know that Jesus Christ, as our Intercessor, sits at the right hand of the Father in heaven to make daily intercession on our behalf, turning to His Father and saying words to this effect: “Father, I understand that person; I understand those temptations, those sins—I ask you to forgive that person.” God says, “For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true [as the tabernacle in the wilderness], but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us” (Hebrews 9:24).

If you have little confidence in your own prayers, how much confidence can you place in the prayers of Christ Himself? He said, “Neither pray I for these alone [His disciples], but them also which shall believe on me through their word” (John 17:20). Jesus Christ is our personal Emissary in heaven; our own personal High Priest. He is there to make daily intercession on our behalf, if we will only call out to God the Father in His name. No wonder Christ wants us to repent of sin! Can any man, no matter how impassioned, no matter how eloquent, accurately portray for us the awful consequences of unrepentance, or portray for us the breathtaking splendor of God’s Kingdom as an opposite reward? Our personal shortcomings and sins are the most important obstacle to successful prayer! God says, “Behold, the Eternal’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither His ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities [sins] have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you, that He will not hear. For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered perverseness. None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth: they trust in vanity, and speak lies; they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity” (Isaiah 59:1-4).

God wants us to come to Him in a continual attitude of contrition for our human failings, always cognizant of our sins. John, writing to Christians, said, “If we [we, who are Christians] say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us” (1 John 1:8-10).

When we pray…. “and forgive us our debts [sins], as we forgive our debtors,” we are automatically acknowledging the conditions God has imposed on our own forgiveness. What are those conditions?

Peter asked, “ ‘Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Till seven times?’ Jesus saith unto him, ‘I say not unto thee until seven times: but, until seventy times seven!’ ” (Matthew 18:21-22). Christ immediately followed this rejoinder with a parable about forgiveness; how a king forgave a huge debt to a man, who, now relieved of his debt, discovered a friend who owed him money, and promptly had him jailed because he couldn’t pay. The result was that the king discovered the matter, and threw the first debtor into the dungeon. Christ concluded, “So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother’s trespasses” (Matthew 18:23-35).

When Christ gave His outline for prayer we call “The Lord’s Prayer,” He said, “For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will forgive your trespasses” (Matthew 6:14).

That’s pretty plain. When we forgive, God hears our prayers for forgiveness. If we harbor resentments, grudges, spites, petty hatreds, remembrances of carnal human hostilities between ourselves and any other fellow human being, it cancels out our prayers as surely as pulling the plug to our lamp. God simply does not hear us if we have the slightest resentment in our hearts, the slightest lack of forgiveness toward fellow man. The bulk of the lesson of the Sermon on the Mount, in which we find Christ’s outline for prayer, is taken up with the same subject.

Christ said, “Judge not [condemn not] that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, ‘Let me pull out the mote of thine eye:’ and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote of thy brother’s eye” (Matthew 7:1-5).

“Mote-casting” is a favorite pastime of many Christians. Somehow, we delight in gossiping about the frailties, mistakes, inadequacies, faults, poor taste, or lack of social graces we see in our own friends and neighbors. We tend to see with the sharpness of an eagle’s piercing vision the tiniest infractions committed by others. Yet, we tend to be blind to the same things in ourselves. It is this peculiarly carnal, human tendency to criticize our neighbor that God wants rooted out of our character. What if God were spiteful, petty, vindictive? None of us would be alive! But no, He is generous, kind, good, longsuffering, patient, tolerant, eager to forgive. If we are to be inducted into God’s own family, He wants us to be like He is!

Jesus Christ wants above all things for us to repent of our sins. He tells us to pray for forgiveness on a daily basis, for He knows we can only live life “one day at a time.” Even as He tells us to ask for our physical sustenance; protection from sickness, accident and disease on a daily basis, so He encourages us to remain in a daily state of contrition toward God.

We all know the biggest little word in the English language: “if.” Christ tells us we will be forgiven IF we are willing to forgive others. The key is in the phrase, “And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors!”

Peter said the three-fold key to salvation is, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38). Jesus said, “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand,” and, “Repent ye, and believe the gospel.”

David was a man after God’s own heart because He was repentant when he had sinned. Motion pictures have depicted David’s affair with Bathsheba; his calloused decision to send her husband, Uriah, to the front lines in an impending battle, sure to result in his death. A child was engendered as a result of his adultery, and God allowed the child to die. When God caused David to see clearly his great sins, adultery compounded by murder, David cried out in anguish of soul.

The 51st Psalm has come down to us as an example of repentance. David cried, “Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Thy loving kindness: … wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. Against thee, thee only, have I sinned and done this evil in thy sight: … purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow … hide thy face from my sins, and blot out mine iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me” (Psalm 51:1-10).

This entire Psalm should be read by any of us who seek God’s forgiveness, for it is a moving example of a truly repentant man, who had to come face to face with his own monstrous guilt, whose sins had so sickened him he felt self revulsion, anguish of heart over them, who cried out to God for forgiveness. No wonder God said David was a “man after God’s own heart.” God shows us He loves to see contrition in His children, even as we want repentance in our own child. We don’t punish to exact vengeance. We don’t punish, or take away privileges from children to “get even.” No, we are so solicitous of their welfare, we want the most salubrious possible result of necessary constraints—heartfelt contrition!

The apostle Paul was a man of great hatreds prior to his conversion. Armed with letters of authority from the chief priests, he was on a mission of hate, compelling Christians to blaspheme the name of God under torture. He was seeking to stamp out the new Christian religion through force of arms. Yet, when on the road to Damascus, he was suddenly stricken by a heavenly light; heard a thunderous voice saying, “Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?” Blinded, he could only grope for someone to assist him. God sent one of His servants, Ananias, to lay hands on him and say, “Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized … and straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God. But all that heard him were amazed, and said; is not this he that destroyed them which called on His name in Jerusalem, and came hither for the intent, that he might bring them bound unto the chief priests? But Saul increased the more in strength, and confounded the Jews which dwelt at Damascus, proving that this is very Christ (Acts 9:17-21).

Paul, as he came to be named, became one of the most dedicated, humble, hard-working Christians of whom we have record. He was used to write fourteen books of the Bible. But never once during his ministry did Paul forget who he had been, what he had done; he said, “And I punished them oft in every synagogue, and compelled them to blaspheme” (Acts 26: 11), and cried out, “For I am the least of the apostles, that I am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God” (1 Corinthians 15:9).

Paul never became forgetful of his old sins, even though he knew he had God’s forgiveness. He was a beautiful example of one who, though forgiven, never became intolerant of other men’s sins. He wrote, “For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that I do … now it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. For I know that in me, that is, in my flesh, dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good, I find not. O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” (Romans 7:14-24).

Paul wrote, “And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, Who hath enabled me, for that He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry; who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.

“This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on Him to life everlasting” (1 Timothy 1: 12-16).

Jesus Christ of Nazareth died to save each one of us. Paul knew his own life’s work was set forth as an example of Christ’s love and mercy; that we, today, can come to understand the depths of God’s forgiveness. We, you and I, are among those “which should hereafter believe on Him to life everlasting.”

We know, then, that God only forgives us as we forgive others. We also know He won’t hear us if we have a spirit of lack of forgiveness, or if our own sins have canceled out all communication with God.

How to receive an answer to prayer? First, repent of our sins; call out to God for forgiveness. Do as Peter said, to those who had been so stricken by what He said about Christ on the Day of Pentecost, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38). When you repent, go to God feeling deeply, with the clearest possible introspection, a genuine emotion of self-disgust, self-revulsion over what you have done, what you have become! A part of what we have been, as carnal human beings, is vindictive, spiteful, short-tempered; desiring vengeance! These motives are prominent among those of which we must repent. Once we have repented, then forgive! Forgive others from the heart, even as you want God to forgive you! Forgive!

Think of a few people you know—family members, business associates. Do you know anyone against whom you have certain hard feelings; old grudges, resentments, hostility? If so, get on your knees and ask God to help you come to an attitude of love and forgiveness toward them. Are you easily irritated? Do people make you angry in crowds, in restaurants, lanes of traffic, the check-out line in the supermarket? Are you easily tempted to sneer at the foibles of others?

Take a few moments to think introspectively about the kind of person you are. Do you tend to overlook the faults of others? Are you tolerant, not easily angered? Do you encourage those who make mistakes, such as your own children, or do you tend to criticize, saying, “You stupid child! Look what you have done! What am I going to do with you?” When you should have said, “That’s all right darling, I’ll help you clean it up, and then I’ll show you how not to make the same mistake next time!”

Can you honestly say you don’t hold anything against anyone? If so, you can go to your private place of prayer and pray in confidence, asking God to forgive you this day for your daily infractions against His perfect will; “as I am willing to forgive others,” and really mean it!

Remember, prayer is a time for secrets! You can confess things to God that cause the most bitter anguish of soul. He will keep your secrets. After all, He saw you when you committed that particular sin anyway—God, Christ, and several million angels—and they’ve never told anyone about them yet, have they? God knows our every act, hears our words, knows the thoughts of our hearts. So when you pray for forgiveness, get specific! At the same time, get specific about your forgiveness toward others. When you think about Mary, George, Helen, or John, think of specific things that might have irritated you; realize they are people made in God’s image just like you are; think of them as God does. Remember, Christ said He came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. Paul wrote, “But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

If God has loved us at our worst; allowed His own Son to die for our sins, what right have we to harbor feelings of anger toward any other human being?

When Jesus spoke of forgiving one’s brother, He likened it to bringing a gift to the temple. He said, “Therefore if thou bring thy gift before the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift” (Matthew 5:23-24).

Do you sincerely want to receive an answer to prayer? Then do as Jesus Christ says, “Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven” (Luke 6:37).

Want to make a new start, a new beginning? Then get in touch by letter, telephone, or in person with someone you love, but against whom you have had some bad feelings. Tell them you want to apologize. Tell them you’ve been wrong to be unforgiving. Ask them to forgive you; you’ll be surprised how quickly old wounds will heal! Then, go to God on your knees and ask Him for forgiveness as part of your prayer requests. God can’t turn away from His own children when they come in that attitude. He says so!

CHAPTER TEN

“And lead us not into temptation…”

The Greek word for temptation is pierasmos, which means adversity, a trying situation, putting to proof, discipline, provocation. Actually, the phrase would better be rendered into our modern English: “And allow us not to be led away of temptations.” God emphatically says He will not tempt us!

Notice what James, the Lord’s brother, wrote, “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love Him.

“Let no man say when he is tempted, ‘I am tempted of God,’ for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth He any man!

“But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

“Do not err, my beloved brethren [by thinking God tempts us] every good gift and perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variableness, neither shadow of turning” (James 1:12-17).

At first glance, it appears Christ is telling us to pray that God will not lead us into temptation; as if we would be tempted of God if we did not pray otherwise. But no, we find the Bible says God is neither tempted, nor will He deliberately tempt anyone.

Satan is called “the tempter.” He is called “the god of this world” (2 Corinthians 4:4) and the “prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2). Peter described Satan as a “roaring lion, walking about, seeking whom he may devour, whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world” (1 Peter 5:8-9). Satan is a very real being. He has destructive powers which he can use insofar as God allows (read the example of Job’s trials—how Satan caused the death of his family and servants), and is aided by literally millions of fallen angels called “demons.” These powerful spirit beings are able to influence, and sometimes even possess, human minds. There is simply no question whatever of the existence of these spirit cohorts of Satan.

Christ encountered many who were possessed of demons, and cast the demons out, restoring these afflicted humans to their normal, rational state.

God promises His children protection from Satan and his demons. He says, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). James also wrote, “Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the demons also believe, and tremble” (James 2:19). We need not be in fear of demons or Satan, but we do need to be aware of their power, of their evil influences. God says it is the demons who fear; that, in the presence of Christ and His Spirit, they must shrink away in fear.

There are three major sources of temptation of which we should be aware: Satan, society, and our own human natures.

Remember the Bible’s description of our natural, fleshly minds? We are “not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be” in our natural human state prior to conversion (Romans 8:7). Human nature contains vanity, jealousy, lust, greed, avarice, cunning, selfishness, and, now and then, beneficence, selflessness, and surprising humanitarian instincts. How many hundreds of books are there concerning the human mind; our ego, our psyche, our mental, psychological and spiritual makeup? Human nature is a mixture of good and evil. The most evil person who ever lived might contain certain good qualities; the finest may contain various evil qualities.

When we were born, we were an altogether sweet, precious, innocent, beautiful little life to our parents. They showered love and affection on us; showed us tender concern, the finest care. We did not learn how to reciprocate this outpouring of loving concern until many years later. Some never do. No, for all our innocence as a little child, we were mostly a collection of unbridled physical appetites.

As an adult, when we are uncomfortable, hurt, hungry, cold, or tired, we express ourselves in controlled ways. We may be vindictive toward one who has hurt us, or we may snap at someone, “For Pete’s sake, (why do we say that—why not “For John’s sake,” or “For Elmer’s sake?”) close the door, I’m freezing to death!” A spouse might snap at a mate, “Will you turn off that light, so I can get some sleep?” But normally, we don’t explode in mindless tantrums over minor discomforts. By adulthood, we’re supposed to have outgrown all that.

As a child, we simply yell. We fill our lungs with air, kick, wave our arms about, and scream out our hurt, frustration, anger, and self pity. What parent has not moved with compassion to see the lower lip of their tiny infant curl downward, the eyes fill with tears, the plaintive wail of absolute self pity, as if to say, “You must hate me terribly, to make me feel this way?” Babies have no sense of fairness. They wail as if their little hearts will break even as Mom is doing everything in her power to coddle and love them.

As a little child, we are completely unacceptable to normal society. We are blissfully unaware of all social graces. We cannot control our bodily processes. We drool, burp, spit up, urinate and defecate with gleeful abandon—and unless our parents are quick to clean us up, we will play in it all if they let us. We do all of this happily unaware that it is unacceptable behavior. Why? Because we are, at this stage, a collection of appetites and emotion. There is no character development as yet, only human functions and uncoordinated motor facility.

The first area of development is physical. Then, we begin to grow mentally. Like punching information into a computer, our little minds begin to absorb knowledge and experience like a sponge. The last way most people grow up is emotionally; some never do. The rarest maturation of all is to grow up spiritually, through repentance, and receiving God’s Spirit.

Everything we know; about history, philosophy, science, theology, was “programmed” into our mental computer by our teachers, parents, friends; by influential people around us and through experience. Many of us have never taken the time to study and think through our religious concepts; many merely inherited them through parents and friends. We tend to trust the “professionals” when we look for help in real estate, tax returns, or purchasing a car. It is the same in religion. Somehow, we have acquired a false concept about God; about just what it is He is supposed to be doing here below. That’s why we cry out “O God, where are You when I need You?” We tend to feel our troubles are somehow God’s responsibility, that He could do something about them if only He would.

As carnal humans, we do not really single out God in heaven above for our anger. At least, most of us don’t. But indirectly, in our self-pitying, self-conscious, egocentric plunge through life, we tend to lash out at God. “Why me?” “Why does everything bad happen to me?” In our petulance, it is as if the very elements have contrived to thwart us. All “Sunday hackers” in the golf world know this is so. They do not doubt for a moment that the weather, the ball manufacturer, the club-maker, the lie of the land, the root beneath their ball, or the fellow on the adjacent green who said something during their backswing all conspired to ruin their shot. They can be heard fervently cursing these and other factors, or making extremely harsh and repeated reference to divinity as they hook, slice, shank and skull the ball around the course. Few recognize the real problem—the loose nut on the end of the shaft!

Psychologists know most—that’s right, most human beings are afflicted with a vast inferiority complex. It is virtually axiomatic that some of the greatest achievers in society were those with the largest inferiority complexes; those who sought to prove to themselves and the world at large they were not as inferior as they believed themselves to be. Inferiority can be a driving force which produces boundless energy in some people, forcing them to struggle continually for success.

God’s Word shows this is not God’s society; this present world with all its evils is not of God’s making. He is not generally intervening in human lives today. It is only when we come to realize God is not a God of convenience; He is not a part-time “helpful Genie” to bail us out of trouble, but otherwise remain somnolent and avoid restraining us from our own self-willed choices; only when we understand that mankind has invited God out of its social structures that we finally see this present evil world in its true perspective. We are just “out here,” taking our chances like anyone else, unless and until we repent of our sins, and come to God the Father through Jesus Christ as our personal Savior. Then we can use the outline of the “Lord’s Prayer” in a daily sense, and we can expect dramatic results! Want to overcome temptations in your life? God will help you, as long as you are willing to do your part.

What are the temptations Christ says we should pray to avoid? We know the most obvious ones, surely; stealing, cheating, robbing, lying, plotting revenge or murder. But most of us are rarely “tempted” to commit a crime. The temptations most common are those of appetites. Our human appetites involve the senses of sight, hearing, smell, taste, and feel. As Solomon said, “All the labour of man is for his mouth, and yet the appetite is not filled” (Ecclesiastes 6:7). When are we truly “filled” with sated senses? Solomon wrote, “All things are full of labour; man cannot utter it: the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing” (Ecclesiastes 1:8).

The lust to see can become an obnoxious human passion in some cases. We’re all familiar with “rubber necking” motorists who cause horrible traffic snarls on the freeways when they go ever so slowly past an accident to see the jangled metal, bleeding bodies, and general chaos. The desire to see this or that distant place, beautiful scene, or smoking disaster, has led millions of humans like thundering herds of stampeding wildebeests to rush here and there in order to fulfill the desire of the eye, to see! “I want to see, Daddy!” we yelled as children, when standing in the third rank as the circus parade went by. Satisfying the desire to see is not a sin in itself, of course, any more than eating is a sin, or an inordinate temptation, so long as we eat those things which are healthful, and which do not harm us. God says He is the heavenly Father “…Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things” (Psalms 103:5). It is only when the desire to see becomes lust, when appetite leads to careless disregard for others, that the exercise of our physical senses becomes sinful.

The “desire of the eyes” becomes a sin when lust enters; when lust has conceived. It is this lust which supports a multi-billion dollar porno industry. The basest of all examples is the kind of under-the-counter home video or film which actually portrays a real murder which is committed during some orgiastic sex scene.

The desire to fulfill our appetites leads to an enormous host of sins, spiritual and physical. Drinking, smoking, overeating; these can cause lung cancer, heart disease, diabetes, cirrhosis of the liver, gout, kidney stones, a number of other diseases, and are directly linked to substances we ingest in order to satisfy sensual cravings.

And what is more tempting, to those possessing a “sweet tooth,” than a big, three-scoop banana split laced with syrupy sauces? What is more tempting to a voyeur than an X-rated book store or nude peep show? What is more tempting to an alcoholic than a bottle of Glen Livet Scotch? Physical temptations of the appetites are as commonplace as breathing. They come to us in a daily barrage of advertising, human contacts, and our own physical senses. As Freud understood, one of the most powerful appetites in the human creature is that of sexual fulfillment.

Two of the Ten Commandments deal directly with sex. One says, “Thou shalt not commit adultery,” and the other says, “Thou shalt not covet.” The breaking of God’s laws governing sexual behavior has led directly to the gradual destruction of our homes and families. Our nation is only as strong as our homes. When this essential institution is in chaotic disarray, our society itself is in deadly peril. As we learned earlier, only approximately fifteen percent of our homes in the United States are traditional, with father and mother in Godgiven roles. Much of entertainment, much of literature, seems aimed at satisfaction of the sensual pleasures of sex. The effect of all this is divorce, abandonment of children, desertion of mates, child stealing, millions of single parents, and soaring statistics concerning murders within the family. Homicide is increasingly “home-icide,” for police statistics tell us the most common murders are among family members.

If you sincerely desire to be in control of your own life; to make your own decisions, coolly, calmly, and rationally, then you need to sit down and make out a private list of your most acute temptations. Those you recognize, at least.

Are you overweight? What are your favorite foods? What substitutes are there? Have you read any of the many books available on eating right, altering your diet, starting an exercise program? Have you had a complete physical exam in the last year to determine your level of blood cholesterol? Millions of Americans seem to ignore the many warnings, and the body count of the dead from heart attacks continues to climb. Even young athletes, who outwardly appear to be in supreme physical condition, can drop dead of stroke or heart attack, because of our high fat diet. Anciently, God said, “You shall eat no manner of fat” (Leviticus 7:23). He knew what He was talking about.

Do you smoke? There are many Schick centers; help is only as far away as the yellow pages. There are many books and magazine articles on the subject. Do you sincerely want to break the habit? You can, with God’s intervention, plenty of will power, and some human help, as well.

Singling out one temptation at a time and overcoming it is an exhilarating experience. God loves an overcomer! Christ said, “To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in His throne” (Revelation 3:21).

One of the most frightening and ominous of all temptations common to Americans today is that of drugs. Does any of us need to be told about the enormity of the problem; of the new, purer form of cocaine called “crack” which has killed top young athletes, and which is powerfully addictive, probably from its very first use? Millions of Americans are hooked on drugs.

Are drugs part of your own problem? If so, the first step to overcoming it is to admit it. Many lie to themselves, play clever little games about how they are able to “handle it.” Reformed alcoholics and drug addicts can tell you about the clever little lies they uttered to their innermost psyche: “I can handle it.” Most go through protracted periods of denial. They deny they have a drinking problem. They deny they have a problem with drugs, telling themselves they are in complete control, that they can handle it.

Recognizing the lies, admitting you’re in trouble, can be the first major step toward overcoming such a powerful addiction. Of course, at the addiction state, we are far beyond what James talked about concerning temptations. He said a man is enticed of his lust, remember, and that when lust has become action, then sin ensues. And sin, says your Bible, “brings forth death!” Do you have certain temptations you hope with all your heart you can overcome?

It is important that we pray specifically about temptations. Single them out. Talk to God about them. Tell Him how badly you are “hooked” on this or that temptation in your life. You see, Jesus Christ of Nazareth was tempted too! Surprised? But why should you be? Christ was human; He was all man. Every common temptation of the appetites and senses was experienced by Christ. But with a difference! He overcame the temptations. They never became lust, and lust never conceived into sin. Yet, He experienced the tug and pull of appetite, of the temptations common to every one of us. Notice, “For verily He took not on Him the nature of angels; but He took on Him the seed of Abraham. Wherefore in all things it behooved Him to be made like unto His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. For in that He Himself hath suffered being tempted, He is able to succor them that are tempted” (Hebrews 2:16-18).

Jesus Christ had all the normal, robust appetites of any other 30-year-old Jewish man of His day. He could look on the beauty of young girls and experience powerful attraction—yes, temptation! He could see the hatred directed toward Him and be tempted to answer back in kind; He could see and smell foods He knew He should not eat; He could desire to sleep until late into the morning, when, instead, He would rise up early, go to a private place, and pray.

Whatever passions, emotions, sensory desires are common to us all—Jesus experienced. But He never sinned! Temptation never got the better of Him. It never became lust! Study the 4th chapter of Matthew, and the account of His temptations from Satan himself, during a time when Christ was at His very weakest physical condition, having fasted for forty days and forty nights! This is an account of a titanic battle being fought, a struggle of will, for the dominance of this earth. Christ met every villainous temptation and challenge of Satan; conquered Satan, by the power of God’s Holy Spirit, and Christ’s own Spirit of obedience to His Father in heaven.

Many fail to understand that God is not intervening in this world except in special cases; that He hears and answers prayers for those who obey Him; that answered prayer is not for everyone.

Have you ever known people who were bitter toward God? I have. I knew of a deeply religious young woman who lost a child at birth. She could not reconcile the loss of her child with the loving, kind, merciful God of whom she had heard. She felt betrayed; as if God had singled her out for especially harsh treatment. Beside herself with grief and agonizing loss, she screamed out against God. I heard later that she became so severely mentally disturbed she had to be institutionalized. A rare case? Perhaps. Yet, there are many of us who have difficulty reconciling personal tragedy with the concept of a God who is loving, kind and good.

Soldiers involved in the stinking carnage of warfare, shockingly and brutally brought face to face with the fact that war is not the way the movies portray it; that it is not glamorous or heroic; that it is only gnawing, mindless fear, the shrieks of wounded and dying buddies, the stench of death; many such men have completely lost all faith in God; many have denied His existence. Others have experienced the exact opposite effect. Many have found God on the battlefield. Many have been unable to account for their survival except through God’s help.

Why is it so difficult for some of us to see that God is not the Author of man’s sins? That God is allowing us free choice; He is not actively intervening in this world in any general sense; He is not preventing the wretched effects of the evil causes man sets in motion? Is it because we have somehow believed God is desperately trying to save this world, now? Many envision a spiritual “tug o’war” between God and Satan; they believe God is desperately trying to save as many souls as possible; that the Devil is trying to keep them “lost.” Impassioned evangelists paint vivid pictures of the pangs of hell, cry out for people to be saved as if the very next day would be too late. Perhaps all this religious hype has contributed to the very common assumption that this is God’s world, that He is actively involved in it, that He is trying very hard to save this world.

But the Bible says otherwise. Satan is described as having deceived all nations (Revelation 12:9). Christ said humanity is spiritually blinded of its own choice, and that God has allowed man to go his own way, apart from God. Humanity has invited God out of its societies, and God has cooperated.

Christ did not try to save all those He could during His human life span! When His disciples were puzzled because Christ spoke to the crowds in riddles, they asked, “Why speakest Thou unto them in parables? He answered and said unto them, ‘Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven, but to them it is not given … therefore I speak unto them in parables, because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaias, which saith by hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and not perceive: For this people’s heart is waxed gross and their ears are dull of hearing, LEST at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.’ ” (Matthew 13:10-15).

Christ also said, “None can come unto the Son, except the Spirit of the Father draw Him.” Although many have assumed Christ came to save everyone He could, He specifically stated He clouded and concealed the meaning of His words; “lest they be converted!” God has a time schedule; He is working out a master plan here below. It was not God’s intention that Christ attempt to save the world during His physical life; nor is it His intent to save this world now. The concept of a spiritual “tug o’war” between God and the devil is untrue. It pictures God as weak, ineffectual. If God wanted to save the world now, He would be doing it.

It is only when we understand God’s great master plan for salvation that many of the myths and superstitions melt away. The tendency for many to feel resentment toward God for seeming aloofness stems directly from their erroneous concept that God is actively intervening in this world now; that He is desperately trying to save it. But no, He is now inviting a few, here and there, who will hear His voice, and who will repent of their sins, receive baptism, and His Holy Spirit. He is not trying to save Japan, China, Russia, India, all of Africa and Southeast Asia nor any other nation, per se. The billions are deceived; believing in false religions, false gods. The Creator of heaven and earth is not trying to change that just yet. He will change it, in the not too distant future, probably in the lifetime of most of us living now.

God is not intervening to punish sinners, any more than He is intervening to save them. He is presently following man’s own choice, which is a “hands off” policy. It is only those who invite God into their lives who experience divine intervention. He seldom interferes, otherwise, except in major world events as He must, from time to time, to see to it His purpose is fulfilled.

Somehow, churchmen have instilled in us the concept that God “punishes” us for the slightest infraction; that, when some terrible thing happens, it is God, punishing us for our wrongdoing, sitting in His heavenly armchair zapping us with His lightning bolts of divine wrath.

Believing God is a God of convenience—that He is waiting, watching, to step in at the last possible second and save us from our own tragic mistakes—many turn on this “God” of their imagination, begin to scream out their indignation at the supposed slight. They cry out, “O God, where are You when I need You?” To which God might well reply, “The same place I am when you don’t seem to need me.”

Should we have a bit of religion; believe in God “just in case.” Many live their lives in complete ignorance of God and His laws they have never read the Bible, let alone studied it; they don’t have the slightest concept about the real Jesus Christ of the Bible. Then, when tragedy strikes, they suddenly call out to God, crying in desperation for His divine intervention. I have always wondered if there are any atheists suspended by one leg from a rope in a deep coal mine, or drifting helplessly on a life raft in the middle of the South Pacific. Most people, regardless of personal philosophies, seem to turn to God in prayer when terrible tragedy strikes.

Does God single out some for special punishment? Does God take out His wrath and vengeance on those who are especially wicked?

Jesus ran head on into such reasoning. He had been told of a couple of cases of mass death; one, a tragic accident, the other, mass murder.

Luke wrote, “There were present at that season some that told Him of the Galileans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answering said unto them, ‘Suppose ye that these Galileans were sinners above all the Galileans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish’ ” (Luke 13:1-3).

What did He mean? First, it is plain these unfortunate victims of Pilates’ soldiers were not “sinners above all the Galileans.” Jesus said so. But their deaths were meaningless. They died, not for some great cause; not as martyrs for a special purpose, but ignominiously, anonymously. We know nothing else of this incident except what we can glean from the sparse details. Here was a mass murder; yet Christ said God had nothing directly to do with it; God was not exacting vengeance because these were more evil than anyone else.

Christ gave another example: “Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish” (Luke 13:4-5). An accident had occurred. Perhaps ancient mortar had crumbled, and a cascade of stones came down; a section of wall from an ancient building buried eighteen men beneath tons of rubble, killing them. It was a well-known tragedy; Jesus speaks of it as a familiar event. Yet, many had been “supposing,” searching for answers, pondering the meaning of this mass death. Surely it was more than just bad luck? Surely, there must have been some terrible sinners among them? No doubt, there had been much gossip about supposed causes, suspicions concerning divine wrath.

But Jesus said God simply had nothing to do with it. These men were the victims of time, and chance, and circumstance. They died meaningless deaths; they were not Christ’s disciples, not converted, not yet begotten members of God’s own future family. Their deaths were tragedies, like so many thousands of tragedies down through the centuries. Did Jesus mean if we repent, we will not die? No. It is given to all men to die once; the Bible is a book about the deaths of its heroes, a book of martyrs for great causes. All the apostles died; many of them were martyrs. But we have no record whatever of any of them dying through accidents, or in purposeless, mindless slaughter. Paul was martyred. Tradition says Peter was crucified upside down. James was beheaded. Steven was stoned to death. These men stood for a great cause; lived lives of overcoming, hard work, and a powerful witness for Christ. They were allowed to die, yes. But their deaths were not random, happenstance, accidental.

Without God in our lives, we are just “out there,” taking our chances like anyone else. We are like so many faceless, anonymous human beings; a part of the mad rush for material goals; the massive tide of cursing, crying, bawling, complaining human beings struggling toward material goals, living our lives filled with short-range objectives; sometimes betrayed by our machines, or run over by our toys. When those things happen, it is not God “zapping” us because we are especially evil; it is merely time, chance, and circumstance. But Jesus says when we become converted God makes a difference between us and those who do not have God’s protection.

When Jesus says we are to pray “And lead us not into temptation,” He means we should ask God for special strength to resist the temptations that come to us every day. God will not lead us into such a situation, even if we do not pray to that effect, for God clearly says He will never tempt us.

God promises to help us overcome temptations. “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer [permit] you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it” (1 Corinthians 10: 13).

Are you tempted to sin in various ways, against God, against others, against your own mind and body? God understands. Christ sits at the Father’s right hand, turns to Him and says, “Father, I understand that temptation, for I experienced it.” In Christ, we have an experienced High Priest and Counselor, an Intercessor who is there to help us. Take your private, personal temptations to God in prayer. Christ said, “Pray that ye enter not into temptation” (Luke 22:40), and Peter wrote, “The Lord knoweth how to deliver the Godly out of temptations…” (11 Peter 2:9).

And remember, temptations are only the first step toward sin. After temptation comes lust. When lust has conceived, and some action takes place, it is sin. That’s why Christ says pray to avoid and overcome temptation because prevention, after all, really is the best cure.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

“For Thine is the Kingdom…”

At the conclusion of His sample outline for prayer, Christ said we should acknowledge the absolute supremacy of God in earth and in heaven. The beginning of this acknowledgement is the admission that the government of the whole universe is securely in God’s hands.

When we have reached the point of recapitulation in our prayers; we have prayed for forgiveness, we have forgiven others, we have made known our most urgent heartfelt needs— especially the needs of others first—we then begin saying, in effect, “Father, I know you can do this; I know you will do it, because you are in control. You have the absolute authority; you are the Ruler over all!” We acknowledge God is on His throne, that He is the Omnipotent God, that He is able to answer our prayers.

As we saw in chapter five, the Kingdom of God is very real; it is to be established on this earth at the second coming of Christ to rule for 1,000 years. We saw that God’s Kingdom consists of Christ as King; subjects, both human and spirit; territory, meaning this earth and the whole universe; and laws by which His Kingdom governs.

Why then, does Christ say we should begin the conclusion of our prayer with the seemingly repetitious statement, “For thine is the Kingdom?” Is this merely “spiritual salt and pepper,” some spiritual-sounding flavor to prayer? Far from it. As startling as it may sound, one of the great purposes in Christ’s sojourn on this earth in human flesh was to qualify as future World Ruler; to overcome the power of Satan who is the present evil ruler of this earth—now disqualified, but not yet removed!

You may not have realized that Christ’s encounter with Satan in the wilderness was, in fact, a struggle for rulership of the world!

Let’s notice what the Bible says: “Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He was afterward an hungered. And when the tempter came to Him, he said, ‘If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.’ But He answered and said, ‘It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.’

“Then the devil taketh Him up into the holy city, and setteth Him on a pinnacle of the temple, and saith unto Him, ‘If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down, for it is written, He shall give His angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.’ Jesus said unto him, ‘It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Eternal thy God.’ ”

Again, the devil taketh Him up into an exceeding high mountain, and shewed Him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; and saith unto Him, ‘All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.’ Then saith Jesus unto him, ‘Get thee hence, Satan;’ for it is written, ‘Thou shalt worship the Eternal thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve.’ Then the devil leaveth Him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto Him” (Matthew 4:1-11).

All of us have engaged in tests of physical strength at least a few times in our lives; perhaps athletic contests, lifting weights, arm wrestling, or some other test. Have you ever worked as a ditch-digger for eight straight hours? Ever been so physically exhausted you threw yourself into bed and slept for about nine hours without turning over? Long, arduous hours of hard labor can be exhausting. But mental struggles can be even more enervating! A battle of the will can leave you as physically weak as a test of physical strength! In Christ’s great struggle of mind and will power, He was pitted against the most subtle, wily, seductive spirit on earth. And this when Christ was at His weakest, near starvation.

This was a clash of wills. Christ could never have overcome Satan’s temptations without having fortified Himself with many hours of fervent prayer! By fasting coupled with prayer, Christ was extremely close to God; imbued with God’s Spirit. Yet, when He met Satan in this great contest for mastery of the earth, He did so with His spiritual reserves only; God did not Personally intervene; no angels came to force Satan to leave. Now, notice the variety of temptations, and notice Satan’s boast that he is presently in charge of the governments of this world. Satan first tried to probe into Christ’s mind, to see if the slightest bit of ego or vanity was there. He said, “IF You be the Son of God…” disdainfully, contemptuously. Have you ever had someone scorn you, ridicule you, attempt to “put you down”? Ever had someone act as if you are beneath contempt, completely unimportant? It rankles, doesn’t it?

What would be the response of most of us, especially if we occupied an important position? I am reminded of the story of the young recruit who had barely received his haircut and dungarees at the U.S. Naval Training Station in San Diego when he was put to work mopping and waxing the hallway in the Administration Building. The Commanding Officer of the Station, an Admiral, came down the hall, and the boot said, “Hey, buddy, gotta match?” The Admiral smiled, took out his lighter, and lit the recruit’s cigarette. Just then, a Lieutenant who had been hurrying down the hallway, and who had seen what had happened, shouted, “TenSHUN!” at which command the boot snapped to attention. “Why you stupid meathead!” raged the Lieutenant, “Don’t you realize this is the Commanding Officer? How dare you speak to an officer like that!” and proceeded to make exceedingly uncharitable references to the boy’s probable genealogy. The Admiral watched with a bemused smile, and as the boot stammered out a thoroughly frightened apology, said, “That’s all right son, just make sure you don’t ever do that to an Ensign!”

If you have traveled abroad very much, you may have run into the kind of pompous vanity that seems common among some men in uniform, such as customs officials, or military personnel of some third world countries. When you see their chests full of medals, especially if they are in a tiny country which has never been involved in a major war; when you see the large bands of gilt leaves on their caps, the gleaming epaulettes, doesn’t it make you wonder? What major campaigns, what great battles, what personal acts of heroism do all those medals represent? The “Battle of Ougadoogou Swamp?”

How well I remember a rumpled official in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, many years ago, who, to show his contempt for Americans, sent my Spanish professor and me to the back of a long line of those waiting to pass through customs control after we had arrived at the customs window first. His swaggering authority was hugely impressive—to him. It seems axiomatic that the less the authority, the more those carrying such authority tend to be impressed by it.

Make no mistake. Satan knows human nature pretty thoroughly. He is fully aware of the generous amount of ego and self importance that beats within many human hearts. The slightest lack of proper respect toward authority can bring surprising rebuke in many cases.

But one who possesses real authority does not find it necessary to continually prove it. Nor does he (or she) find it necessary to explain it or defend it. A strongly authoritarian person is usually filled with feelings of inferiority. True authority comes from within, comes from strength of character, from a cool assessment of ones own abilities. A person with large responsibilities, and therefore authority, does not need to continually display it.

Satan was attempting to bring about an angry, petulant retort when he said, “IF thou be the Son of God…” The carnal reaction would be “What do you mean, IF?” No doubt followed by a rebuke and an immediate reassertion of position, of authority. But Jesus Christ was utterly devoid of vanity and pride. He recognized Satan’s ploy instantly. He was not for an instant led away by the temptation to put this sly upstart “in his place,” as most might have been. No, instead, He quoted Scripture to him.

A word about Satan’s attempts to quote Scripture: At first blush, it almost appears that this is the classic “religious argument,” with two individuals each attempting to get the better of the other by quoting Scripture. One recites a text to prove a point; the other comes back with a different text which seems to knock out the first one. But is the Bible really capable of just any interpretation? Can we quote one scripture to destroy the meaning of another? No, far from it. The Bible is the most perfectly cohesive book that has ever been written; in it’s original languages, it is absolutely flawless.

When Satan quoted a section of one of the Psalms, trying to tempt Christ to throw Himself down, he deliberately twisted the meaning of the scripture promising God’s protection. Christ knew the devil was perverting the verse; for God will not protect anyone who deliberately casts himself down from an height. The verse is a promise to protect God’s own people from accidental falls, not to prevent them from deliberately tempting God!

Then came the moment when Satan told Christ he, the devil, was the master of all the kingdoms of this earth. Notice that Christ did not rebuke Satan for his statement, nor contest it. By His silence, we can see He took no issue with Satan’s claim that Satan had the power to give the governments of this world into another’s hands.

Satan is called “The god of this world” (2 Corinthians 4:4), and is described as a serpent who “deceiveth the whole world” (Revelation 12:9).

It was after this final test that Jesus issued a command! Previously, He had met the devil “on his own turf” so to speak. He was so hungry He must have been near death. Most of us would have had neither the physical stamina nor the mental and spiritual tranquillity necessary to endure forty days of fasting. But now, Christ issued an order, and the devil had no choice but to slink away in surly obedience.

Satan had no recourse. He clearly understood the magnificent display of character; of spiritual power Christ had illustrated. He was defeated, and he knew it! Christ had won this great struggle through the power of God’s Holy Spirit. The whole point of Christ’s fasting was to move all human, physical strength aside, to overcome Satan’s greatest temptations by the power of God’s Spirit, and not by any human feats of strength!

There are many interesting points to notice. First, the number forty is always used of a period of testing in the Bible. The Israelites wandered in the wilderness for forty years before entering the promised land which was a symbol of our life on this earth—a lifetime of tests and trials—prior to entering God’s Kingdom. There are details gleaned by carefully comparing Luke’s account of this event with that of Matthew which prove there were not necessarily only three temptations. Nor are we to assume these temptations took place over a period of brief moments—about the length of time it takes us to read the account in the Bible. This clash of wills may have lasted for many hours, or several days.

Notice that when the agonizing trial was over, “Angels came and ministered to Him.” Christ was exhausted. He needed water, food. Now that He had successfully passed every test, won the greatest battle of His life, did God actually perform for Him the very miracle Satan had so slyly suggested? We cannot know, of course, but when the Bible says angels ministered unto Him, it means they accomplished more than simply patting Him on the back! He needed water, and food. No doubt, they supplied it! Even as God miraculously sent manna from heaven to feed His infant nation Israel, so it may be that Christ ate “angel’s food!” But during the trial, God the Father did not personally intervene. No angelic help was given until after Christ had won the victory. Christ had fasted and prayed for forty days and forty nights! His spiritual strength was equal to the tremendous task before Him. When the test came, He had to face it with the spiritual reserves He had acquired through fasting and prayer! On one occasion, when His disciples could not cast the demon out of a child who was thrown violently to the ground, they asked Him why, and He retorted, “This kind cometh not out but by fasting and prayer.”

Perhaps it is time we saw Christ as more of a Hero, the Victor of great battles, the Overcomer of superhuman tests of strength, and not as a very nearly effeminate, soft, philosophical individual who seemingly walked through life with profound statements always on His lips, but who never got His hands dirty; never experienced the sweat, toil, exhaustion and near despair that is common to man. Many find it difficult to relate to the Christ Who is portrayed to them in the pictures commonly found in Bible book stores, or in the pages of illustrated Bibles. And no wonder—if they have not known of the real Jesus Christ, the One who is the Savior of all mankind.

It is easy to see how Sunday-school teachers can keep the attention of their little charges by graphic accounts of David versus Goliath, the stripling overcoming the giant with a slingshot; tales of Sampson’s prodigious strength; of Daniel, standing coolly courageous in the lion’s den; of Noah, building his ark, and collecting all the animals. But Jesus? Most little children are not particularly impressed by Jesus as He is typically portrayed. About the time they learn He tells them to “turn the other cheek,” and they think about the neighborhood bully, they begin to wonder about this “Jesus” of whom they are told.

But the real Jesus of Scripture was a Person of fabulous accomplishment; the bravest man who ever lived! This struggle against Satan was far tougher, of much greater duration, and carried consequences far beyond those of David’s battle with Goliath. Had Christ failed, He would have sinned, by giving in to Satan. He would have lost His spiritual destiny; to return to the right hand of God. He would have lost His crown as future King of the universe! We would have had no Savior! Victory for the allies in World War II meant the physical salvation for countless millions. It meant freedom for most of Europe, for Britain and the United States. Had we lost the war, we would have been enslaved. Millions died to save many millions more. The dropping of the atomic bombs at Hiroshima and Nagasaki was justified by Truman by determining that it shortened the war by several months, and, therefore, saved perhaps a million or more lives. But if Christ had failed His battle with Satan, it would have meant the loss of all mankind. Christ was struggling not only for reward; for the supremacy—He was fighting for survival!

Do we realize what terrible hunger can accomplish in we humans? Have you read about the Donner party? About the crew of the whaler, Essex, smashed and sunk by the frenzied charge of a great blue whale several hundred miles off the coast of Chile? Have you read about what some frenzied inmates of concentration camps did to their own fellows in order to survive? There have been many horrendous, gruesome cases of people resorting to cannibalism down through history. Extreme hunger is not some easily conquered appetite. It can literally turn a cultured person into an animal.

A vivid account of a family’s survival aboard a small boat in the South Pacific was written some years ago. The sailing vessel in which they were making a lengthy cruise caught fire, and they were forced to abandon ship. They drifted for weeks, living on what meager supplies they had quickly salvaged, and, finally, on a chance sea turtle or fish they caught now and then. They were nearing starvation. They related how they would spend hours discussing favorite restaurants; going into the most intricate details of food preparation, talking of the meals they would enjoy when they were finally rescued. They watched each other rapidly lose weight, become emaciated, nearing starvation. This particular story had a happy ending, for they were ultimately rescued after being adrift for several weeks, and so far as I know, the family did exactly as they had so longingly discussed—survived to enjoy those meals they had so yearned for. Have you ever been excruciatingly hungry? Ever fasted for three or four days at a time?

When Satan began describing bread to Christ, he no doubt gave glowing descriptions of food, not necessarily only a loaf of bread, but probably went into great detail, portraying in vivid, colorful words the tempting sight and smell of delicious foods of various kinds. Remember our discussion of appetites? Judging from the enormous number of us who are carrying entirely too much weight around for the good of our hearts, appetite can be quite a problem. The Bible says Christ was tempted in every point just like we are! Paul wrote, “For in that He Himself hath suffered being tempted, He is able to succor them that are tempted” (Hebrews 2:18). The suggestion to merely command stones to become bread was a deliberate, clever and powerful one; Satan tried to attack Christ in His most vulnerable areas.

But Jesus Christ immediately thought of how the life we live is much more than “meat,” more than continually imbibing the physical, chemical elements of matter in order to keep our bodies functioning. He knew the life of us all is centered in the spiritual portion of our human minds; that there is a spirit in man, and that the careful protection of that spiritual essence, nurturing it toward spiritual perfection, guarding it against pollutants of any kind, is far more important than maintaining and prolonging this physical life. He instantly quoted Scripture to Satan, saying, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God!”

As bread—food—gives us our physical life, so God’s Holy Word gives us true life! Life everlasting; life for all eternity! Christ plainly said so, yet His disciples and His persecutors all were puzzled, and some of His disciples left Him because of the seeming impossibility of what He said.

Christ portrayed Himself as the Living Word which must be ingested, imbibed. He said, “I am that bread of life. Your fathers ate manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world” (John 6:48-51).

This saying was so puzzling, so difficult for them to understand, that many of His own disciples forsook Him right then and there! It was not until the Last Supper, Christ’s final Passover, that they came to understand. Christ is the “Living Word,” meaning, metaphorically, that when we drink in of God’s living witness, the Bible, we are drinking in of the nature of Christ. Spiritual food sustains our spiritual growth, and is vastly more important than the temporary perpetuation of this physical life. Christ knew this, and it sustained Him. He was not susceptible to thoughts which would result in depravity, as some have been when resorting to ghastly acts in order to survive. Spiritual survival was more important to Christ!

Next time you pray, why not do so with an open Bible before you, referring to the words of the “Lord’s Prayer” as an outline for your prayer. As you progress through this rich outline; covering thoroughly each point, calling to mind what you have learned in preceding chapters, you will finally come to the concluding words. When you acknowledge, “For thine is the Kingdom…” think about what you are admitting! First; to Whom are you praying? Why, to God, the Father! Yet, it was Christ who conquered Satan; who qualified to receive the Kingdom of God on this earth, wasn’t it?

Notice the answer: “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward they that are Christ’s at His coming. Then cometh the end, when He shall have delivered up the Kingdom to God, even the Father; when He shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign, till He hath put all enemies under His feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death” (1 Corinthians 15:22-26). Yes, Christ qualified to become the future World Ruler. He disqualified Satan. But Christ is not yet on this earth, and Satan is not yet removed. Christ conquered through the power of God’s Spirit; He did so in fullest partnership with His Father; He did so to deliver the Kingdom to His Father in heaven. He wants us to acknowledge that the Kingdom of God is securely in the hands of the Father in heaven.

As a powerful article of faith, we acknowledge that God has the strength, the ability, the authority, to answer our prayers! We are saying, in effect, “Father, I know you are going to hear and answer this prayer, for you are the One in complete control; you are in charge; you are the Great Ruler; you sit on your throne over all governments, powers, authorities—the Kingdom is YOURS!

Suppose you had a loved one who had been wrongfully thrown into jail. Suppose you finally, after months of trying; writing to congressmen, senators, contacting attorneys, talking to the news media, writing letters to the warden, and writing to the White House, received a telephone call from the President of the United States. Suppose he said, “I have reviewed the entire situation, and I have called the governor of your state, who will call the warden. Your loved one will be released immediately!” Would you have faith it would be done? Yes, we can have faith in human powers and authorities. If you receive a government check if you have overpaid your income tax, do you doubt for one instant it will be good when you deposit it in your checking account?”

Faith is the evidence of things not seen. What is a government check? It is merely a piece of paper. It is a written promise. It has no intrinsic value. It is not silver, or gold, or even paper money. Yet, when you take it to the bank, you have perfect faith it is good; that it will be cashed, and you can purchase goods with the money. The Bible is like that. It is a written promissory note. You can depend on it! Paul wrote, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11: 1).

God answers our prayers when we pray in faith. But faith is nothing more than believing God is perfectly able to do what He promises, believing He is in charge! He will answer your prayers because He is in charge; He has the authority to do so!

Harry Emerson Fosdick said, “It is cynicism and fear that freeze life; it is faith that thaws it out, releases it, sets it free.” It is faith that releases your prayer, sets it free, sends it loud and clear to God. When you conclude your prayers with your acknowledgement that God is in control, then let go of your prayer. Don’t pick it apart, rethink it, or keep tagging on unessentials. Let it go. Give your concern to God. Have faith and He will answer!

CHAPTER TWELVE

“…and the power…”

We are all familiar with many applications of the term, “power.” Political power, military power; horsepower, electrical power, or the civil rights chant, “Power to the people!” Just as we acknowledge in our prayer that God is in complete control; that He rules in heaven above; that He is soon to rule this earth when we pray “For thine is the kingdom…” so we should realize the immensity of His limitless power.

As we shall see, knowing something about the power of God can be a vitally important item of faith. When you’re sure someone is capable of performing some act, you have confidence it will be done. Faith is confidence, assurance your prayer will be answered because God has power to perform mighty deeds. But unless we know what is the power of God, the repetition of the familiar words, “For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory,” sound more like spiritual poetry; as if we are merely intoning the required words with a group of the devout in church, insuring the commas are all in place, the emphasis is just right, the words uttered in proper cadence.

Do you know of examples of God’s power? When you say, “for thine is the power…” do specific concepts of God’s great power come to mind? Mostly, our minds conceptualize the power of man. We are impressed by displays of power. The marching of armed men; columns of tanks, armored vehicles, missile carriers; these are the trappings of military parades intended to impress and intimidate. No one understood the trappings of implied power better than Adolf Hitler. When we see the news photographs of the mighty 16-inch guns of a battleship firing; a flight of F-16 aircraft unleashing rocket attacks; or the launch of a Titan missile, we are suitably impressed. We know we are seeing frightening engines of destructive power.

I have been as impressed as anyone with military power. As a young sailor aboard an aircraft carrier during the Korean war, I shall never forget the moment I heard the captain announce over the ship’s loudspeakers that we had joined elements of the 7th fleet off Wonsan; how he advised all those not on duty to come topside when they could, to see the magnificent sight of all those American ships.

Thankfully, I was in the gunnery department; my duty station was only one deck below the flight deck, and my battle station was that of captain’s talker for the gunnery officer. I scrambled up just one ladder, out the hatch onto the starboard side of the flight deck, and took a look about me. There, only a few hundred yards away, were two other Essex class aircraft carriers just like the USS Antietam. The battleship Iowa was there, as were some heavy cruisers, several light cruisers, and a large number of destroyers. Ships were everywhere, extending over the horizon. I knew there were others, too distant to be seen. It was a mighty armada. Standing there with the wind in my face, seeing these mighty ships ploughing along through the steep gray swells of the South China Sea, I was exhilarated with a sense of pride, of belonging to a great nation, of being there, offshore Korea, for a noble cause.

The implied power in all those guns, in those dozens of aircraft with their bombs and rockets and machine guns, in the sleek gray shapes of those destroyers plunging along like so many watchdogs over their larger charges—it was heady wine.

Many times during my two years aboard ship, I stood just above the twin 5 inch/38 anti-aircraft guns while they were firing. Just above them and immediately below my station was a 40mm quad mount. The deafening blasts from those guns, the acrid smell of burnt cordite, the bits of charred cork that smudged my face as the winds blew their clouds of smoke toward me is still a poignant memory. That’s power, up close.

How well I remember my very first trip aboard a jet airliner in the winter of 1959. 1 was aboard the first nighttime flight from Los Angeles to New York by American Airlines after they had just taken delivery of their very first Boeing 707. Though I was a seasoned traveler by then—having flown all over the country, throughout Europe, Central and South America aboard everything from old DC3’s to DC7’s and Super Constellations—I was not prepared for the thrill of my first jet ride.

This was different! When we took off, I was not anticipating the incredibly steep deck angle, nor the surprising acceleration on the takeoff roll when the engines were brought to full power. I seemed to be pushed back into my seat by some invisible force; the aircraft lifted off and began to climb at what I thought was an impossible angle.

But this was nothing to compare with the many times I observed launches from Cape Kennedy. I covered the entire series of Gemini-Thor-Agena launches, and was on hand for the manned Apollo flights. The first time I was in the forward press stand for the launch of a huge Saturn 5 rocket, I could scarcely believe my eyes. Not so far distant from us was a huge rocket the size of a thirty-six story office building! Brilliant lights illuminating it in the predawn darkness revealed tendrils of vapor slowly rising from the rocket, hinting at the liquid fuels inside. I was to do a television program during the launch commencing with the final seconds of countdown, and continuing live, on camera, throughout the launch and the hoped-for successful aftermath.

As the countdown reached 0, and the instantaneous blast of bright flame and white smoke burst from beneath the rocket, we saw the huge missile begin to slowly rise. I had been giving the dimensions of the rocket, the names of the crew aboard, their mission. I had described to my viewers the incredible power of that gigantic missile—seven million pounds of thrust were to be generated from those Saturn 5 engines! Then, the blast of sound reached us. The ground shook under my feet. My ears were filled with a thunderous roar; it was the loudest sound I had ever experienced. We were buffeted by shock waves from the nearly instantaneous explosion of thousands of gallons of fuel. The change in my pocket jingled, and it felt as if two mighty hands were beating against my chest. It was impossible to keep my voice from trembling as I described the launch; the incredible courage of our astronauts who could calmly sit there in that capsule atop a massive bullet, going through their prescribed routines as if what they were doing was somehow routine, normal. Talk about power! I was witnessing mankind departing from the earth! Those men over there were going to the moon!

As a pilot, I have flown eleven different types of jet aircraft, over sixty different airplanes in all, including singles and twins, land and sea planes. I became familiar with the powerful thrust of their engines. Accumulating thousands of hours in the Dassault Falcon Jet, I crossed the Atlantic at the controls of the airplane nearly fifty times. The Falcon was a dream to fly, and I never tired of its safe, dependable, powerful performance. We would lift off at about 120 knots, get the landing gear and the flaps up, and accelerate to 200 knots (the fastest speed allowable in a control zone) in only a few moments. Our rate of climb fell off as we went higher into the thinner air, but we would generally climb at an initial rate of from four to six thousand feet each minute depending on our weight.

Once above 25,000 feet or so, it was a different story. The last 10 or 15 thousand feet of our climb had to be accomplished at a much reduced rate, so that our average climb to cruising altitude was about 1,000 feet per minute. We generally planned to get to our cruising altitude in about the same number of minutes as the altitude—37 minutes to 37,000 feet.

But when I flew the Grumman Gulfstream II, a larger, more powerful airplane, we could make it from a standing start at the end of the runway to 41,000 feet in just 14 minutes! The fuel aboard the GII weighed more than the combined weight of the Falcon, including 11 passengers with baggage.

But our modern jet fighters can lift off, pull straight up, and reach an altitude of over 50,000 feet in about three minutes! That’s power!

We’re all familiar with, and impressed by, the technology of man. The awesome power unleashed in the explosion of a hydrogen bomb looms ominously in the back of our minds. Who has not seen the photographs of that towering column of water, smoke, and debris from the explosion of the first hydrogen bomb at Bikini—the great ships of the U.S. Navy dwarfed by that gigantic, mushrooming cloud? That was the world’s most powerful explosion, ever.

But what about God’s power? Does God have power to compare with the thrust of a jet engine, the blast of a 360-foot long rocket, the explosion of a hydrogen bomb?

Have you ever heard evangelists talking about God’s power? I once saw a large advertisement in the Los Angeles Times, announcing an evangelistic meeting under a huge tent. The ad said great manifestations of God’s power were to be performed; that the sick were to be healed; the lame walk, the deaf hear, the blind see. This particular night was billed as “double portion night,” implying that the evangelist had the power to somehow control the production of miracles so that on the preceding night, only a “single portion” of God’s power would be available, but on this special night, a “double portion” would be evident. Forgive me, but I was skeptical of such a claim.

Since I had begun to study the Bible by this point in my life (it was about 1955), 1 spoke to my wife about it, and we decided to go to the meeting along with another young couple attending the same college. I wrote of that experience in my book, The Real Jesus. It was the only time I ever attended such a meeting in my life. It was quite an education. This is how I described it in my book:

“During one session of the meeting… the wildly-weaving, hoarse-voiced, colloquially-accented southern evangelist who claimed to be having almost daily communication with ‘The Lord,’ was calling upon personal testimonies from the audience. From time to time a person… would rise, wave both arms, and scream out some unintelligible utterance… it seemed to be both enjoyable and intelligible to many others in the crowd because it would usually bring forth shrieks and moans of ecstatic agreement.

“There was a group of teenagers sitting directly in front of us, and they seemed to be under the tutelage of an… older teenaged girl who was urging her younger brother, ‘Go ahead, you can do it, there’s nothing to it!’ and gave him an outpouring of… urgent instructions.

“On a moment’s sudden inspiration… adding to our growing and acute discomforture, because suddenly all eyes were turned in our direction, the girl jiggled herself into position, and, springing onto the seat of her chair with all the grace of a rhinoceros, began to wave her arms ecstatically in the air and shrieked a series of piercing testimonies, interrupted by breathless screams of ‘Bless You Jesus! Bless You, Jesus!’… then she said the name… over and over again…

“Even though those of us sitting immediately behind her knew that all this was a carefully contrived demonstration in which she hoped to encourage her younger brother to throw off whatever remaining constraints of propriety and etiquette he may have had… the wildly gesticulating figure came to the immediate attention of the… evangelist on the platform who then confidently affirmed… over his microphone that what was happening in our vicinity of the tent was in fact a ‘direct message from God!’

“…Soon, it came time for the taking up of an offering. This was my first and only experience with what I heard described as a ‘silent offering.’ The evangelist said he only wanted to hear the ‘whisper of bills.’ No vulgar, noisy, obscene jingling of change! He then gave a quick financial report which was delivered with the same fervor and intensity as portions of his sermon… it seemed that ‘the Lord’ had managed to send him head over heels in debt, and the evangelist then proceeded to enlighten us [as to] what the tent cost… what it cost for payments on his buses, trucks and other vehicles in the traveling caravan, and many other costs which soared up into the thousands of dollars.

“Then followed the promise of yet stranger miracles. But these miracles were the other edge of the sword. Many of the devout were warned with absolute assurance that if they held back their money, it was quite likely they would arrive home and find it in flames! They were threatened with head-on collisions at intersections, heart attacks, a telegram saying their mother had died, and everything from liver attacks to instant senility.

“It must have frightened the daylights out of enough of them that they parted with a surprising amount of their money, but even this was insufficient, because after what was apparently one of the quickest tabulations in all history of accounting procedures, the evangelist and his staff took up yet another collection… stating they were some $700 short, which meant the evangelist had to convince only seven people in this vast crowd of thousands that God had especially called and appointed them for the purpose of providing [this] required deliverance.

“I was beginning to get a clue as to what was meant by ‘Special Blessing Night,’ or ‘Double Portion Night’ or that we would ‘See Miracles.’ The evangelist was receiving very special blessings, double and triple portions, and it surely was a miracle the way those people parted with their money.”

I have never forgotten that experience. Of course, the traveling evangelistic campaigns of that particular man are over now, for he died many years ago, reportedly of acute alcoholism. I saw nothing I could remotely equate with God’s power. On one occasion, the evangelist seemed to become engaged in a fight with the devil and communists all at once. He shouted out his height and weight, whipped off his jacket, clenched his fists and professed willingness to do battle right there and then. The audience cheered. Most people in that tent seemed to really enjoy the show.

Were we witnessing the “Power of God” as billed? I do not doubt many of the faithful in that tent were positively thrilled with the meeting; that many experienced moving, emotional heights. Surely, the frequent applause; the tears of joy, the ecstatic moans of agreement were real enough. But somehow, our little group of four was not able to enter wholeheartedly into the proceedings. Maybe it was that the evangelist failed to recognize the wholly contrived demonstration of the young girl in front of us. Maybe it was because I could not equate the power of God with the volume of a loudspeaker, or truly believe the wetness on the evangelist’s hands was “holy oil” as he claimed.

Have you ever seen a demonstration of the “Power of God?” Surely the power of Almighty God is more than the power of loudspeakers and amplifiers. Surely, it is more than the sound of an evangelist’s voice? Where is the power of God when we hurt; when we’re involved in terrible tragedy?

God’s Word says a great deal about God’s power. The very first verse in the Bible says, “In the beginning God created…” What is “creation?” Remember the first proof there is a God? It is that creation demands a Creator. Creation means the universe and the solar system; every portion of matter, and the laws that act upon it. What does it take to create? To bring something into existence from nothing? God says He is the Creator of all things; that He created matter.

All matter is made up of atoms. Yet, man has never seen an atom. It is only within the last few decades that scientists have been able to demonstrate the existence of the atom, have been able to identify its various parts, and have been able to unleash energy from the very “building block” of the universe, the hydrogen atom.

You are composed of atoms. The air you are breathing, this book you are holding, the clothing you are wearing, is composed of atoms. Each atom contains a nucleus and many other components, such as neutrons, protons, and electrons. Electrons are negatively-charged particles which circle about the nucleus at a distance of about 10,000 times the diameter of the nucleus. There are many other atomic subparticles, some of which have a life span of only a couple of billionths of a second.

Each atom is like an infinitesimally minute solar system. It is as if the nucleus were the sun, and atomic particles were the planets with their moons, circling about the nucleus. It requires several atoms in composition to form molecules. A molecule is the smallest particle of matter containing chemical elements. Water as we know, is composed of H20, or, two hydrogen atoms combined with one atom of oxygen.

In a sense, all matter is merely stored energy. Atoms are like tiny dynamos; electrical energy in rapid motion. Yet, when they are grouped together in certain ways, they appear as “matter.”

Though it may sound strange, energy is matter, and matter is energy. Each atom is a tiny energy source. The closer we look into matter, the more difficult it is to see. A molecule of some substance or other would be visible only under powerful microscopes. But the atom is so tiny it remains completely invisible, even to the most powerful electron microscopes. Yet we know it is there! We know, through experiments in nuclear physics, of what it is composed, how it acts. But it is invisible!

No wonder God says “…that which may be known of God is evident to them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of Him are clearly understood by looking at what He has created; even His eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse” (Romans 1:19-20, paraphrased). If we see some huge structure, we marvel at the hands that made it. A trip to New York by someone who has lived all his life on a farm, or in a small village, brings exclamations of awe at the huge buildings—the Empire State, the World Trade Center. Millions stand at the foot of Mount Rushmore and marvel at the skill, artwork, and dangerous struggle it required to carve the faces of presidents out of solid stone. Men discover ancient monoliths in Tibet, or China, or in Iraq and Egypt, and marvel at the massive work it must have required. The great pyramids have astonished and impressed mankind for thousands of years.

Man’s great works impress us. But Who made the stone from which these marvelous structures were fashioned? Who created gravity, inertia, the laws of physics and chemistry that are immutable, powerful, eternal?

From ancient times, men have recognized the power of the sun. They have known it required the sun for their crops to grow; to provide daylight, warmth, the seasons. Instead of wondering about the Maker of the sun, they have worshiped the sun, itself. As God says, “Who changed [exchanged] the truth of God into a lie, and worshiped and served the creature [that which is created] more than the Creator, Who is blessed for ever. Amen” (Romans 1:25).

Perhaps it is no wonder the ancients, with no knowledge of physics, chemistry or astronomy worshiped the sun. All energy with which we are familiar comes ultimately from the sun. The sun is our solar system’s “furnace”; its power source. Talk about power! Think about our sun for a few moments:

The sun averages about 92 million miles away from earth, holding our entire solar system in its powerful gravitational field. Only about one hundred billionth of the sun’s expended energy reaches earth—all the rest is lost in space. Yet, with this minute portion of our sun’s energy, all man’s energy derives. All our fossil fuels; coal, oil, are stored energy—ancient life forms which received their sustenance from the sun.

How does the sun generate its energy? Our sun is like a gigantic nuclear furnace, with hydrogen fusion occurring in its core, sending violent gamma rays rushing toward the surface about 300,000 miles away. The sun is about 864,000 miles in diameter. Experiments with nuclear fission (the atom bomb) and nuclear fusion (the hydrogen bomb) have demonstrated to scientists that the process by which our earth receives its energy is exactly like that of the explosion of a hydrogen bomb. Hydrogen is fused into helium at a temperature of some 25 million degrees. A vast mantle, whose size is unknown, absorbs the powerful bombardment from deadly gamma rays, changing them into slower-moving forms like ultraviolet waves and x-rays. The next layer of the sun is called the “photosphere,” which is thought to be a turbulent region perhaps 80,000 miles thick. The chromosphere, the outer layer of the sun, is the portion we see. It is perhaps 10,000 miles in depth, and consists largely of hydrogen gas.

The outer atmosphere of the sun is called the “corona,” and is only visible near the surface of the sun, yet extends invisibly all the way to Mercury, about 36 million miles away.

The sun has been photographed many times by using powerful telescopes which obscure all but the outer layer of the chromosphere and the corona, or by photographing hydrogen’s red wave length. These photographs reveal the sun is exploding in continuous eruptions called “spicules.” These gaseous explosions are like volcanic eruptions; they extend out into space for several thousand miles, and last only a very few minutes. There are about 20,000 such “spicules” visible at any one time.

Huge eruptive loops, prominences, and arches have also been photographed. One of the largest ever recorded occurred in June, 1946, lasted about two hours, and extended nearly a million miles into space before it disappeared. Sometimes, these loops and arches appear to ignite in space, soaring back down to the sun’s surface. The average temperature of these surface storms appears to be 10,000 degrees F. Most are associated with interference of radio communication on earth, and are connected with “sun spots,” although not consistently.

The power of the sun staggers the imagination. Yet, the sun is but an “orange dwarf” star in comparison with many other stars in our galaxy. For example, if our sun were moved to the position of any of the stars in the “Big Dipper,” it would be invisible to the naked eye, for it is 14,000 times less luminous than any of those stars. If Betelgeuse, the super-giant in the belt of Orion, were moved into the position of our sun, its huge mass would absorb most of our entire solar system, with Earth, Venus, Mars, and Mercury orbiting within the chromosphere of that super-giant. Our sun is more than 100 times the diameter of the earth, but Betelgeuse is more than one million times larger than the sun.

Most of us live in blissful unawareness of our universe, of our solar system, and our position in it. We say the sun “rises” or “sets,” remaining largely unconscious of our daily journey. Few of us awaken in the morning aware that we have just completed about an 8,000 mile trip, that our relative position to the sun has changed by the rotation of our good, green spaceship. Our minds simply boggle at the distances, sizes, shapes, and measurements of the solar system, our galaxy, and the universe. Our planet is like but one speck of sand in all the seashores of the world in comparison to its place among the stars. The distances between stars is as if one were to change one cubic inch of water into steam, and then disperse it through 30 trillion cubic miles of space, each invisible droplet of steam representing a huge star.

One thing we can know. We can know the sun is a continuous, daily display of awesome, stupendous, mind-boggling power! Our Father in heaven and the member of the divine family known as Jesus Christ created all that! God says, “To whom then will ye liken me? or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high, and behold, who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: He calleth them all by names by the greatness of His might, for that He is strong in power; not one faileth. Why sayest thou,… ‘my way is hid from the Eternal, and my judgment is passed over from my God?’ [In other words, “O God, where are You when I need you?”] Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Eternal, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of His understanding” (Isaiah 40:25-28).

When God wanted Job to repent of his self-righteousness, He turned to creation. He said, “Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding. Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it?

“Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened, or who laid the cornerstone thereof? When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? Or who shut up the sea with doors, when it brake forth, as if it had issued out of the womb?

“When I made the cloud the garment thereof, and thick darkness as a swaddlingband for it. And brake up for it my decreed place, and set bars and doors, and said, ‘Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further: and here shall thy proud waves be stayed’? Hast thou commanded the morning since thy days; and caused the dayspring to know his place; that it might take hold of the ends of the earth, that the wicked might be shaken out of it?… hast thou entered into the springs of the sea? or hast thou walked in search of the depth? Have the gates of death been opened unto thee, or hast thou seen the doors of the shadow of death?

“Hast thou perceived the breadth of the earth? declare if thou knowest it all. Where is the way where light dwelleth? and as for darkness, where is the place thereof, that thou shouldst take it to the bound thereof [can we see to the “end” of the blackness of the universe?] … knowest thou it, because thou wast then born, or because the number of thy days is great?” (Job 38:1-21).

After God showed Job the greatness of His power; after Job came to see himself in true perspective for the first time in his life, Job said, “I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee. Wherefore, I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes” (Job 42:5-6).

How many of us are like Job? We have “heard” about this “God” of whom evangelists speak. We have a certain “belief” about God, a personal philosophy. We have certain vague, nebulous concepts about who, or what, God is. But have we ever really set our minds to study the work of God’s hands? Have we ever absorbed as much knowledge about our earth, all life upon it, our solar system, our galaxy, and our universe—and wondered in ever-increasing awe at the mighty hand that produced it all?

Newton didn’t invent gravity; he merely defined it. But what is gravity. Do you know? Why do stars like our sun hold planets securely in their “gravitational field”? What is magnetism? What is nuclear energy?

Whether we look out to the macrocosm (out into the blackness of space), or into the microcosm (inside an atom, which is mostly space), we see the same great pattern of creation. God is the great Creator of all things. He has all power!

When Christ commissioned His disciples to tell of His resurrection, He said “ALL POWER is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world [Greek: aion]. Amen” (Matthew 28:18-20).

Jesus Christ healed dozens of people instantly! Peter was inspired to say to a crippled man, “Rise and walk in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth,” and the man stood for the first time in his life. Christ raised Lazarus from the dead; Peter raised Dorcus from the dead. Startled, shocked onlookers saw deformed limbs suddenly made whole; the sickening sight of lepers, with their whitish, decaying skin instantly become as pink and fresh as a newborn baby’s skin. The disciples saw one stupendous-miracle after another. They were witnesses to Christ’s resurrection; they saw Him on many occasions in Jerusalem, in Galilee—and they believed. The apostles were told, “But ye shall receive power after that the Holy Spirit is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me… unto the uttermost parts of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

Startled thousands saw flickering crowns of real flame seem to settle on the apostles’ heads; glittering, fiery crowns, distributed equally among them, as each began to speak, one at a time, telling of the miraculous things they had seen. The miracle of understanding foreign languages was given to thousands; the apostles spoke miraculously, the people heard miraculously, and three thousand people were converted and baptized in only one day (Acts 2:41).

The apostles were believed because they believed! They knew what they had seen, heard, and experienced. They were eyewitnesses to the brutal murder of their Lord, and witnesses to His resurrection! Their faith was boundless—because they knew. You can come to know the power of God by learning about the things His hands have made, by drinking in of His written Word, by hearing His servants preach the truth from that Word, by fervent, private, prevailing prayer. You can tap the mighty power of God in your personal life!

Are there conditions to prayer? Certainly. But they are good, healthy, wholesome conditions. God says, “And whatsoever we ask, we receive of Him, because we keep His commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in His sight. And this is His commandment, that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as He gave us commandment” (1 John 3:22-23).

When the apostles prayed in the name of Jesus Christ, they knew that powerful name could unlock absolutely limitless power! Peter was not in doubt when he lifted the crippled man to his feet. He had not the slightest iota of fear or doubt. His mind was not on himself, thinking, “What if this doesn’t work? I’ll look like a fool.” He was filled with compassion for the crippled man. He was in instant communication with Christ. It was as if his mind’s eye could see Christ sitting on the right hand of God in heaven. He knew he was tapping the very power of the universe. The crippled man supposed Peter was about to give him some money, instead, Peter said, “Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have I give thee: in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth RISE up AND WALK!” And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God” (Acts 3:5-9).

Notice that the crippled man “expected to receive something” of them. He hadn’t the slightest inkling of what was to happen. When Peter stopped to look at him, he supposed Peter would give him money. This was a clear example of an apostle exercising the gift of healing; of the faith of Peter, irrespective of the faith or belief of the crippled man.

Does God heal today? I know He does. I have seen miracles with my own eyes. I would not be here, except God had miraculously healed my mother many years ago. When my wife was eight months along toward the birth of our second child, we were in Europe with my parents and my brother. One day, she felt severe pain, low, on her right side. She looked, frightened, and called me in to see. She had ruptured! There was a large purple and blue spot, with a portion of the intestine obviously protruding through the lower abdominal wall. I saw it and touched it. We asked my father to join me in prayer. James says, “Is any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: and the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he hath committed sins, they shall be forgiven him” (James 5:14).

We knelt by her bedside, and my father used a little bottle of oil like the one we both carried, placing a drop or two of olive oil on her head. We both laid our hands on her, and prayed earnestly for God to heal her. I thought how God is our Designer and Creator; how it was He who designed the female body to give birth to children; that it was ridiculous for the stress of carrying a child to cause a rupture; that God had the power to heal this wound, and close it up. We claimed God’s promises, saying we knew God would hear, and heal, because He could not deny His own promises; could not deny the sacrifice of His own Son.

A day or so later, we were in Switzerland. My wife excitedly called to me from the bedroom, and I rushed in. She said, “Honey, look! It’s gone!” Her abdomen was as smooth as before! It was as if the rupture, with the large, blue-black area of bruise, torn flesh and swelling had never occurred! We were moved to tears; we were ecstatic with joy, and rushed to tell my parents and my brother.

This was an absolute miracle. No one can ever tell me God does not exist, or that God cannot perform a miracle. There is no medical textbook ever written which can explain away what I saw with my own eyes, what I felt with my own hands. We knew she had ruptured. We knew God had miraculously healed her!

I have known of dozens and dozens of miraculous healings in my more than thirty-one years in Christ’s ministry. I have heard personal testimonials, read letters by the score of those who have experienced dramatic healings; those who have been blessed with new jobs, increased income, or been delivered out of terrible trials. I know all things are possible with God.

Are you personally familiar with the great power of God? You can read an article in an encyclopedia about the atom, about the sun, about nuclear energy; you can study the miraculous process of reproduction and human birth; you can study gravity, inertia, the cleavage properties of minerals, the formation of crystals; biology, chemistry. The more you know about matter, about our material universe, the more you know about God’s limitless power.

Christ said we should acknowledge, at the conclusion of our prayers, that God has the power to perform what He promises! We say to Him, “I know you can do this, Father, for you have all power; there is nothing you cannot do!” Christ’s outline for prayer, commonly called “The Lord’s Prayer,” urges us to think deeply about God’s great power; then to pray in faith, without the faintest shadow of a doubt, that God will answer our prayers!

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

“…and the glory, forever,”

The term “glory” is commonplace. We speak of a “glorious” sunset, a “glorious” morning. How many synonyms can you think of for “glory”? You might think of magnificent, beautiful, awesome, fine, sumptuous; of great praise and honor; of renown; a source of pride and joy; radiant beauty, brightness, splendor, brilliant, lovely, superb, excellent, great, super, terrific, bright, or perfect. Holy, righteous, hallowed, to be praised—how many expressions are there?

Shakespeare spoke of the “glorious planet sol,” referring to the sun. Something having glory is that which deserves fame, something of such magnificence that it virtually defies description.

Christ wants us to understand and appreciate the splendid magnificence of His heavenly Father; to understand that nothing on this earth—be it gold, silver or precious metals, the finest and rarest of diamonds, rubies and emeralds, the finest works of art, the most glorious sunsets or breathtaking scenery in nature—can compare with the awesome, stunning glory of God. Have you ever heard of religious people who speak of “glory”? Often, charismatics equate glory with “exultation,” or “joy.” During a particularly enjoyable charismatic meeting, one may be heard repeating, “Glory, glory, glory, glory…” until the sound loses all meaning to both the speaker and the listener. As a commonly-used religious expression, the term has become synonymous with “good,” or “praise.” One might say, “Well, glory be!” as a happy exclamation. Of course, we’re familiar with morning glories—the flowers—and who hasn’t known at least one girl named “Gloria?” But none of these meanings were intended by Christ in the outline for prayer, as we shall see.

I well remember an occurrence which illustrates a common misapplication of the term. Two friends of mine were conducting a tour, visiting and baptizing those who had written to the church requesting water baptism. Baptism was by immersion, just as practiced by Baptists, and many others. During one outdoor baptismal ceremony, the two men were standing hip deep in a small farm pond with a beaming, happy, black farmer’s wife who had just been baptized. As they turned to wade back to shore, a pickup truck slid to a stop in a cloud of dust, a man jumped out with a shotgun, and shouted to his wife in alarm. Obviously, she hadn’t told him of the event, thinking he would be away. He thought, for his part, that someone was trying to drown his wife. All he saw was two white strangers standing in the middle of his pond, dripping wet, with his wife between them. Seeing his anxiety, frightened over possible consequences, she happily shouted, waving both hands exultantly in the air, “It’s all right, honey! These men is from the church, and I is in my glory!”

It’s a common expression. “She is in her glory,” someone might say, referring to a debutante at a ball, or a bride at a wedding. I have related the true story about the farmer’s wife many times, and it never fails to bring a chuckle from the audience.

From time immemorial, men have attempted to depict the glories of God. The ceiling of the Cistine Chapel in the Vatican is a well-known example, with the magnificent painting by Michelangelo of the fantasized scene of The Creation. How many thousands of fine Belgian tapestries, beautiful paintings, frescoes, friezes, icons and sculptures are there which attempt to inspire concepts of the creation, or great religious events; of angels, Mary, Christ and God?

We all know western art traces its origins to religious works; attempts to convey to the mind of man the splendor of God; of creation, of the birth of Christ; His passion; His resurrection; imaginary concepts of heaven.

All of us enjoy gazing upon things which are inspiring, pleasing to the eye. Who cannot be moved by the spectacular scene of breakers crashing upon the rocks of a rugged seashore, the spray flung high into the air? Who is not inspired by fabulous landscapes; scenes of our National Parks like Yellowstone and Old Faithful; Yosemite; Mount Rushmore?

For millennia the pastime, and sometimes the business, of the very rich has been to collect breathtaking works of art; porcelain, glass; sculptures of marble and bronze; tapestries, works of gold and silver; jewelry, inlaid, skillfully-made furniture, intricate, hand-made instruments such as an Amati or a Stradivarius violin. There is something deeply satisfying, rewarding, inspiring, about being surrounded by things of fabulous quality; of breathtaking beauty.

The finest material things are made by the skilled hands of master craftsmen. We gasp in amazement at the intricately-carved ivory and jade of Chinese artists; at the minute stitchings of the finest Belgian lace; at a landscape by Bierstadt, or the stained glass windows of Notre Dame. I well remember a Louis XIV harpsichord owned by a multi-millionaire in Pasadena, California. The inside of the lid featured a magnificent hand painted scene of stylishly-dressed men and ladies of the King’s court; the case of the instrument was of the finest rare woods, bordered in gold. Such treasures are beyond price. Have you ever looked in awe at the British Crown Jewels in the Tower of London? Is anything more beautiful than the huge goose-egg sized diamonds in the crown, and the scepter?

Yet, for all the loveliness of man-made or man-shaped things, what can surpass the things we behold in nature itself? What can compare with the sight of a tiny ruby-throated hummingbird, hovering effortlessly over a bright red hibiscus, sipping of the nectar? I remember the story about a multi-millionaire owner of some of the big casino hotels in Las Vegas and South Lake Tahoe who, his fortune made, purchased a remote lodge in the most inaccessible part of the western mountains. He had to be flown in to the ranch in a small airplane, equipped with “STOL” (Short Take-off and Landing) equipment. There, he basked in the beauty of nature; fished for trout, observed the deer and elk which grazed in nearby meadows. There, he found peace—surrounded, not by the tapestries, objects of art, paintings and expensive furniture of his grand hotels or many mansions—but by God’s creation.

I have seen some of the most beautiful man-made buildings, works of art, jewelry: I have visited Versailles; The Vatican, with its famous museum and the huge, awe-inspiring basilica of St. Peters. Il Duomo in Milano is very impressive, as are the Houses of Parliament and Buckingham Palace in London; the Louvre, El Escorial, and the Taj Mahal. I have been inside Notre Dame, in Paris, a number of times. I have seen the palaces of kings; been inside many beautiful mansions, chateaus, country homes of the super-rich. As a guest of Princess Lillian of Belgium, the second wife of King Leopold, I stayed in their lovely chateau at Hinteriss, in the Austrian Alps just over the Bavarian border from Bad Tolz. The structure was an exact replica of centuries-old Tyrolian mountain homes; constructed without the use of a single nail. It was situated alongside a rushing river, surrounded by soaring peaks. The royal family of Belgium enjoyed their many visits there, in a family-owned game preserve about the size of Yosemite National Park. It was, in every sense of the word as we commonly use it, glorious.

And yet, what can compare with the glories of the sun; of the solar system; of the universe? Remember the description of the sun’s awesome power in the preceding chapter? Such splendor pales into insignificance the little things created by the hand of man. Just as we acknowledge that God has all power; that He is able to intervene in our lives, when we become obedient to Him, when we go to Him as His own little children with our requests; so Christ wants us to acknowledge His great glory.

The apostle Paul wrote of the glories of the universe; of earthly and celestial bodies. He said, “There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body … As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy; and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I show you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, [die] but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump; for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed” (1 Corinthians 15:40-52).

What a striking passage! Can we begin to comprehend it? Can we take it all in? God tells us we can actually become changed from human to divine, from flesh to spirit, from mortal to immortal, from earthy to heavenly. From a physical, mundane, temporal, fleshly body with our worries and concerns; our aches and pains, our physical debilities and limitations, we can become glorious, godly, spirit beings—inducted into the divine family of God—born into His glorious Kingdom!

It is always nice when a friend says, “My, you’re looking well!” Or, when someone comments on our physical appearance—complimenting us by saying we look younger than our years, or saying our skin seems to have such a healthy glow. All of us want to look well; to exude vitality, energy, well-being, health; to appear robust. But what a contrast between our frail human bodies and the glorious picture Paul gives of the resurrection! What if our bodies suddenly took on the shine of a billion diamonds, of burnished gold, of translucent pearls and onyx, of the dazzling brightness of the sun? That is what Paul said the resurrection is like!

As Isaiah wrote, “He giveth power to the faint: and to them that have no might He increaseth strength … they that wait upon the Eternal shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. “ And to the dead God will say, “Arise! Shine! for thy Light is come, and the glory of the Eternal is risen upon thee!” (Isaiah 40:29-3 1; 60:1).

The Bible tells us men have been perennially curious about the glory of God. They have wanted to see His splendor. However, Christ said, “Ye have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His shape” (John 5:37). He also said, “And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but He that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven” (John 3:13).

When God appeared to Moses in the burning bush, Moses was overcome by curiosity. After many encounters with this Divine Being, Moses could no longer contain himself. In a touching account, we read of how God understood, and partly relented, to satisfy a little of Moses’ acute longing.

“And it came to pass, as Moses entered into the tabernacle, the cloudy pillar descended, and stood at the door of the tabernacle, and the Lord [Yahveh] talked with Moses.

“And all the people saw the cloudy pillar stand at the tabernacle door: and all the people rose up and worshiped, every man at his tent door.

“And the Eternal spake unto Moses face to face [in a cloud—not literally; Moses could not see His face, as is proved in the context] as a man speaketh unto his friend. And he turned again into the camp; but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle.

“And Moses said unto the Eternal, ‘See, thou sayest unto me, Bring up this people: and thou hast not let me know whom thou wilt send with me. Yet thou hast said, I know thee by name, and thou hast also found grace in my sight.

“ ‘Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, shew me now thy way that I might know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy people.’

“And He said, ‘My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.’ And he said unto Him, ‘If thy presence go not with me, carry us up not hence. For wherein shall it be known here that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight? Is it not in that thou goest with us? So shall we be separated, I and thy people, from all the people that are on the face of the earth.’

“And the Eternal said unto Moses, ‘I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken: for thou hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee by name.’ And he said, ‘I beseech thee, shew me thy glory!’

“And He said, ‘I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the Eternal before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy.’

“And He said, ‘Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.’

“And the Eternal said, ‘Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock: And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by: And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen’” (Exodus 33:9-23).

What an inspiring account! Can you imagine it? Moses actually beheld the back of God Almighty! God would not allow Moses to see His face; but He understood, and tried to satisfy insofar as He could, Moses’ burning curiosity. It is a touching story, this interrelationship between God and His prophet Moses, a man unique among all other human beings, a man to whom God spoke “face to face,” out of a cloud, as if “to a friend.”

When Christ was about to be crucified, He prayed the real “Lord’s Prayer.” This is not an outline for prayer, as is the case with the words we have been studying, but the prayer Jesus prayed just before He was led away to be killed. Toward its conclusion, Jesus prayed, “Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; that they may all be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.

“And the glory which thou gavest me have I given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.

“Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am: that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovest me before the foundation of the world” (John 17:20-24).

Have you ever wanted to share some accomplishment, some ability, some performance, with a dear friend? Does an artist paint rare masterpieces only to be stored in the closet? Does a superb athlete perform only for the physical exercise? Does an operatic quality singer perform only in the shower?

How well I remember learning to swim, as a boy. My parents had been away, and I was spending the summer at my grandmother’s farm. When they left me there, I was unable to swim. When they came to pick me up, I was swimming, diving, enjoying outings in the Molalla River, in Oregon. I well remember my frustration when, piping shrilly to my parents to watch my new accomplishment, they seemed preoccupied. I called, “Look Mom! Look Dad! I can swim!” whereupon I dove through a big truck inner-tube, to come to the surface only to find my parents were engrossed in conversation with my uncle and grandmother on the shore. How badly I wanted to show off my newfound ability. It’s a common human desire. I find it very touching that Jesus Christ prayed to His Father that He could ultimately show His disciples His great glory He had shared with the Father from eternity; that He wanted them to really see Him, as He really is, in all the splendor of His Kingly office!

The Bible pictures Christ in His glorified state in metaphorical language. In the first chapter of Revelation, John describes how he was given a vivid vision of events to occur during the famous “Day of the Lord” of prophecy. He wrote, “I was in the spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, saying, ‘I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, what thou seest, write in a book,’ …And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; and in the midst of the seven candlesticks One like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.

“His head and His hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and His eyes were as a flame of fire; and His feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and His voice as the sound of many waters.

“And He had in His right hand seven stars: and out of His mouth went a sharp two edged sword: and His countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.

“And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. And He laid His hand upon me, saying unto me, ‘Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am He that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive forevermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell [Greek: hades, meaning “the grave”] and of death. Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter’ ”(Revelation 1: 10-19).

Can our minds picture such a radiant vision of glory and splendor? Christ appeared as if His face shone with the full strength of the sun; His eyes like leaping flames of fire; His head as white as snow; His feet as burnished brass. When He spoke, John thought His voice was as powerful as the roar at the foot of Niagra Falls. No wonder the vision was so overpowering, so awesome and magnificent that John fell down in a faint!

There is no more detailed picture in all the Bible of God’s throne than that of Revelation the 4th chapter. Let’s notice what it tells us. “After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, ‘Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.’

“And immediately I was in the spirit; and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and One sat on the throne.

“And He that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine [sardonyx] stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.

“And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.

“And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven spirits of God.

“And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne were four beasts [Greek: “living creatures”] full of eyes before and behind.

“And the first living creature was like a lion, and the second living creature was like a calf [an ox], and the third living creature had the face of a man, and the fourth living creature was like an eagle.

“And the four living creatures had each of them six wings about him: and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying ‘Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.’

“And when those living creatures give praise and honor and thanks to Him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever, the four and twenty elders fall down before Him that sat on the throne, and worship Him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, ‘For thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure [will] they are and were created” (Revelation 4th chapter).

The Bible reveals that cherubs, far from appearing as naked babies with bows and arrows, appear as a lion, an ox, an eagle, or a man. Study the apparition of God’s throne which appeared to Ezekiel (Ezekiel 1 and 10), how each creature had the four faces of a man, a lion, an eagle, or an ox. God placed two cherubim to guard the way to the tree of life after the expulsion of Adam. Remember, Adam lived almost one-sixth of earth’s recorded history until now. The garden was no doubt there until destroyed by the flood of Noah’s time, about ten centuries later.

Cherubim are pictured in the ancient monuments. In the British Museum and the Louvre are casts of the huge creatures carved from solid stone guarding the palaces of ancient Babylonian and Assyrian kings such as Sargon and Asherbannipal. Each features the huge bodies of lions or oxen, with the heads of men, wings of an eagle, and hooves of an ox or claws of an eagle. Various representations of these four creatures are found throughout the ancient Middle East. The Sphinx is a case in point, as are many other representatives of “the host of heaven” in ancient art and monuments.

From whence came the fabulous myths of the dragon (or the giant, or the beast) who guards castles filled with treasures—the fable of St. George and the Dragon, for example—but from the oft-told stories handed down through the generations of those intrepid adventurers hundreds of years after Adam’s expulsion who ventured too close to the entry of Eden, and were repulsed?

The Mexican aboriginals, the Aztecs and other races, worshiped a “winged flying serpent” they called Quetzalcoatl. Quetzal means flying creature, or bird; coatl means serpent. The Hebrew word for “serpent” in the account of the Garden of Eden is nachash which means, not so much a snake, as an upright, serpentine-like creature with wings, like an artists conception of a dragon. Satan is called a “dragon” in Revelation 12:9. He was called “the cherub that covereth” (Ezekiel 28:14) when in his pre-Satanic state, as “Lucifer,” or “Light Bringer.” As such, he was in close relationship with God’s throne. Cherubim appear to have four wings (as in Ezekiel 1), while seraphim (Isaiah 6) have six. Why the living creatures surrounding God’s throne in Revelation 4 have six wings, yet seem to evince the characteristics of cherubim, which usually have four, is puzzling. Perhaps they are cherubim of a different order which are not otherwise mentioned in the Bible. In any event, they are huge, powerful, spiritual creatures, after which families of fleshly creatures are patterned.

The cherubim surrounding God’s throne evince the characteristics of the four creatures supreme in their own domain: the eagle, as king of all flying creatures; the ox, as largest, most versatile and useful of all domestic animals; the lion, as king of beasts, and emblem of many nations; and man, under whose hands God has placed all other creatures.

Can our minds imagine it? We see the brilliance of a rainbow shining with bright, emerald-like hues, behind which are rolling clouds, lightning and thunder flashing and roaring. A dazzling throne with the brightness of several suns radiates from beneath the rainbow, upon which God is seated. A translucent, sparkling, clear, quartz-like “sea of glass” or large floor stretches toward the throne. Seated on each side are twelve (twenty-four in all) white-haired sages, or elders, wearing dazzling garments white as snow, their heads adorned with sparkling golden crowns. Guarding the throne are four huge cherubim, each with four different faces (hence, many “eyes”). Billions of angels are there; heavenly choruses singing, the elders fall to their faces, casting their crowns at the feet of Him that sits on the throne, and sing honor and praise and glory to Him. Such a breathtaking spectacle is simply too magnificent, too bright, too beautiful and overwhelming to imagine! Such is the GLORY of Almighty God!

To most of us, God is somehow remote, distant, unseen. Only by drinking in of these glorious scenes, thinking deeply about them, meditating profoundly over what we have read, can we begin to envision the magnificent glory and power of God. What a difference it makes when we talk to God in a personal sense directing our prayers to Him seated on His glorious throne, and not just some figment of our own imagination.

Jesus Christ prayed fervently that His disciples and “those that should believe on Him through their word, “ which includes us, you and me, could some day see His glory! For now, we must be content to envision it as the Bible portrays it. Yet, the time is coming, God says, when “We shall be like Him, for we shall SEE HIM AS HE IS !” (1 John 3:2). Paul said so! When we are resurrected, or physically changed, “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye,” we shall inherit God’s own glory! Then, our visage will no longer be mottled flesh. No more aches and pains. No more tears. No more physical limitations, sickness, debility. Then, boundless energy! Endless youth! Limitless vitality! Eternal life! And glory, beyond our ability to imagine! Yes, we must acknowledge God’s great glory when we address Him in our prayers. God loves our praise—He returns our love, many times over. So pray to Him, as Christ outlined we should. Pray in faith, believing!

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

“…Amen!”

We’re all familiar with the practice of saying “amen” at the end of a prayer. The word Jesus used is the Greek version of the Hebrew word, amen, which comes from a root word, aman, meaning “to build up or support: to foster, as a parent or a nurse: to render, be firm or faithful, to trust or believe, to be permanent or quiet; to be true or certain.” It connotes steadfastness, surety, verity, trust.

The word means “so be it,” or “so let it be done.” The first place the word is used in the Bible is Numbers 5:22, in connection with an oath administered by a priest to determine infidelity in marriage.

In Deuteronomy 27, the word is found 13 times in connection with a series of curses, or condemnations, recited by the Levites. An example: “And the Levites shall speak, and say unto all the men of Israel with a loud voice, ‘Cursed be the man that maketh any graven or molten image, an abomination unto the Eternal, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and putteth it in a secret place.’ And all the people shall answer and say, ‘Amen!’” (Deuteronomy 27:14-15).

This was solemn public acknowledgment and agreement. They were answering, “We agree, so let it be done—let it be accomplished exactly as stated.”

David wrote, “Blessed be the Eternal God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting. Amen, and Amen” (Psalm 41:13).

There are three uses of the word: (1) Initial amen, referring to the words of another speaker. See 1 Kings 1:36, where Benaiah said, “Amen: the Eternal God of my lord the king say so too.” (2) Secondary or detached Amen, the complimentary sentence being suppressed, as in Nehemiah 5:13: “Also I shook my lap, and said, ‘So God shake out every man from his house, and from his labour, that performeth not this promise, even thus be he shaken out, and emptied.’ And all the congregation said, ‘Amen’ and praised the Eternal. And the people did according to this promise.” (3) Final amen, the most common usage, as in the “Lord’s Prayer,” illustrated by the Apostle Paul when he wrote “…I will pray with the understanding… else… how shall he that occupieth the room of the unlearned say ‘Amen’ at thy giving of thanks…” (1 Corinthians 14:15- 16).

There is a further, deeper meaning. “Amen” is used as a name, or a description of Christ, and God. “These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true Witness; the Beginning [Beginner] of the creation of God” (Revelation 3:14). Since God has self-inherent eternal life the Perpetual, Eternal, Ever-living God—and since “amen” means “So be it,” and God introduced Himself to Moses as “I AM,” meaning the One Who was, and is, and is to come, it is natural that the Hebrew expression which connotes steadfastness, truth, positiveness, endurance, absoluteness, finality, surety, should be applied to the divine family.

Men have incorporated the names of God into their own names from time immemorial. My own middle name is a shortened form, or “nick name” for “Theodore” (although “Ted” is my legal name), which means “Gift of God.” A translator’s error in Genesis obscures the true meaning of the verse, which should read, “…then began men to call themselves by the name of the Eternal” (Genesis 4:26). This is said at the birth and naming of Enos, the first letter connoting El, or God. From that time forward, hundreds were named after the divine names and titles. “Elijah” means, “El,” He is “Jah,” or, “God, He is God.” Names like Elishiba, Elisha, Joel (Jah- El), Enoch, Jared, Joshua, and so many others include one of the names of God.

The concept of an “omen,” meaning a supernatural indication of some sort, whether evil or good, stems from ancient usages of the Hebrew word aman, from which “amen” derives. Ancient Pharaohs included this name in their titles. “Amenhotep” is one example.

Paul uses the word in expressing the truthfulness, verity, surety of the gospel and of Christ’s teachings. He wrote, “But as God is true, our word toward you was not yea and nay [or, vacillating, hesitant, ambiguous, unsure]. For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us, even by me and Silvanus and Timotheus [notice the Greek name for God, Theus, in the name], was not yea and nay, but in him was yea. For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.” (2 Corinthians 1:18-20).

What should go through your mind when you conclude a prayer with the expression, “Amen”?

Let me draw upon an analogy. The difference between many amateur golfers and professionals is that the professionals have a “grooved swing.” Through constant practice, careful attention to the fundamentals like grip, stance, takeaway, movement of their hips and legs in coordination with the upper body, keeping the head still, they learned long ago to make their swing constant, almost automatic. The amateur golfer, on the other hand, is continually “picking his swing apart.” He may stand over the ball, saying to himself “Keep your head down; check your grip, look at your stance, take away by, ‘curling under’ with the three fingers of the left hand, move the right elbow closer to the body,” and a host of other things. The result is a timid, erratic, sometimes wildly off center shot. Millions of amateur golfers are continually looking for the “secret” to a better golf game.

This continual search for perfection is why golf clubs and clothing and all associated paraphernalia are a multi-billion dollar business. It is why so many read the many golfing magazines, or purchase video tapes and recordings, and buy books and manuals hoping to improve their swing.

What they are doing is picking their swing apart. They stand over the ball, thinking anxiously of the things they should have long since committed to memory; long since made apart of them, until it became habit, automatic!

The professional doesn’t “pick his swing apart” any more. It’s a “natural” swing, because he has grooved it into his mind indelibly, with a tremendous amount of practice, not to say natural ability and athletic coordination.

What should occur to your mind when you conclude your prayer with “Amen” is that it is finished. It is accomplished. God has heard. It will be done. He has promised. It is conclusive, final. Once you have spent twenty or thirty minutes or even an hour on your knees with your heavenly Father, it finally comes time to give the prayer to God; to leave the results with Him. That’s when it’s time to say, “Amen,” which means, “So let it be done.” It means, “It is finished.” And it means something else! It should mean to you—In faith—that you are saying to God, “Father I know you have heard and I know you will answer.”

When you say “amen” you let go of your prayer. You don’t continue to “pick it apart,” worry over it, repeat it over and over again. Now, it’s time to leave the result with God.

Study the context in which Jesus gave the sample outline for prayer. You will be shocked! Do you know Jesus was condemning the practice of monotonous repetition? Do you know He was condemning the Pharisees for their “oft-speaking” and their repetitious prayers in public places, saying they “think they shall be heard through their much speaking”? Actually, the famous “Lord’s Prayer” is not a prayer at all, but an outline for meaningful prayer. Christ specifically forbade monotonous repetition! But what have many sincere but misinformed religious people done? They have memorized the outline and endlessly repeated it in public places; reciting it as if a talisman, believing this is somehow pleasing to God. Not so. Christ specifically condemned the practice of repeated, public prayers.

So now you know. Now, you know how to pray. Now, you know the conditions to answered prayer, as we saw them in Acts 2:38. It is my own fervent prayer that the writing of this book has proved to be inspiring, informative, encouraging, deeply rewarding to those who read it. I dare to hope, and make it my prayer to God in concluding these words, that this small book may change human lives for the better. If such occurs in only one instance, it will have been well worth the effort. For of what value, after all, is only one human being, inducted into the very family of God—glorified with Christ in His Kingdom? I would encourage you to read this book more than once, to look up, and read for yourself each scriptural reference. Most of all, I would encourage you to pray. As you have seen, we could spend an hour or more praying about each word or phrase of the so-called “Lord’s Prayer,” and even then, we would have just begun. As I related at the beginning, I know God answers prayers. I have seen miraculous answers within only moments; I have seen answers delayed for years; I have come to understand that sometimes the answer is either “no,” or, “not yet.” Paul besought God thrice, and knew the answer had been delivered—but the answer was “no.” No one has some magical formula which makes the Great, Awesome Creator of the whole universe jump to our whims, or hasten to satisfy every need. Certainly, I do not. I have known of those who have prayed for years for specific requests which have been denied them. Why? Is the answer somewhere hidden within the beautiful thing God is shaping of each of our lives? Does it have to do with faith, and with character?

On the other hand, I have known of those who have cried out to God in time of need, and have received dramatic, almost instantaneous answers. As a witness to miracles, I can say with Job, “I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that He shall stand at the latter day upon the earth” (Job 19:25).

Amen.

You may copy and distribute this information only to friends and family without changes, without charge and with full credit given to the author and publisher. You may not publish it for general audiences.

This publication is intended to be used as a personal study tool. Please know it is not wise to take any man’s word for anything, so prove all things for yourself from the pages of your own Bible.

The post ANSWER to Unanswered Prayer first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

Something so powerful, so gigantic, that it is worshipped because of its vast military power; something that assays to fight the returning, conquering Christ at His coming is obviously a political, economic, and military power which exists at the very time of the end! But who? Where? The prophet Daniel saw it first, a monster which “devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it” (Daniel 7:7). Then John saw it, at the end of the first century; a seven-headed, ten-horned monster rising from the sea, blaspheming God, and making “war against the saints.” What is the Beast? Where did it first plant its feet? Where did it go? Follow, now, from the annals of history and from the pages of Bible prophecy, the tracks of the Beast, and come to understand its frightening prophetic significance for our time!

The beast John saw in vision seemed to rise out of an ocean. It had seven heads and ten horns. The horns featured ten crowns, while the heads were decorated with names which are blasphemous in God’s sight.

What is the meaning of this seven-headed, ten-horned creature?

John said, “And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear [strange feet indeed, for a leopard-like creature!], and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority” (Revelation 13:2).

John wrote what he saw, without comprehending all the meaning. As a reporter, or a biographer, he was faithfully recounting what he saw in a vision. A strange creature, indeed; terrible in aspect, threatening, powerful. The power and authority from this many-headed, many-horned composite creature came from a dragon.

What is meant by a “dragon”?

Dragons, purely mythological creatures, remind one of serpentine monsters with huge, bat-like wings; fierce heads with blazing, snake-like eyes; heavy, clawed feet like those of a crocodile; and rows of wickedly gleaming, sharply pointed teeth, breathing roaring tongues of fire from their mouths.

But we need not speculate about what is meant by the dragon which empowers the beast, for the Bible plainly tells us what it is: “And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him” (Revelation 12:7-9).

The dragon is a symbol for Satan.

Jesus Christ said, “I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven” (Luke 10:18). Satan is the “prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now works in the children of disobedience” (Ephesians 2:2), and is “the god of this world” (2 Corinthians 4:4) who influences heads of state and leaders of false, counterfeit religions. He is “the accuser of the brethren” (Revelation 12:10), who, “as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8).

The many-headed, ten-horned beast is empowered and guided by Satan! As such, it is antichrist, against God, against His holy laws, His Sabbath days, and viciously, hatefully against His people, called the saints. It is against those who are performing the work of God on this earth.

Why did it look like a leopard? Why were its feet like those of a bear, and its head like that of a lion?

For centuries, Bible scholars have known that the prophecies of Daniel and those of John in the Apocalypse are inseparable; that one interprets the other.

To trace the tracks of the Beast from the time it first stood upon the earth until the time of the end, when it is said to “make war with the saints” and to fight Christ at His return, we must know what God revealed to Daniel.

Daniel, a Prophet Beloved of God

Daniel, together with three royal princes of the throne of Judah, were taken captive when Jerusalem fell to Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. Who is not familiar with the story of “Daniel In the Lion’s Den,” which we were told as children? The book of Daniel contains lengthy pronouncements from Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, who not only fulfilled the prophecy of the first beast, but is symbolic of the whole system of pagan, gentile kingdoms under Satan, called “Babylon the Great” (Revelation 17:5), which is pictured as in collusion with a great false religious system, called the “mother of harlots and abominations of the earth.”

Daniel’s prophecy also contains a lengthy announcement from a heavenly messenger in chapters eleven and twelve; actual first-person quotations from an archangel of God.

The first chapter relates Daniel’s capture and his condition in captivity, and informs us God had given Daniel and the three princes “knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom: and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams” (Daniel 1:17).

The second chapter tells us of Nebuchadnezzar dream.

Daniel not only interpreted the dream, but God gave him the secret of what it was Nebuchadnezzar had dreamed: “Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee: and the form thereof was terrible [awesome; overpowering]. This image’s head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay. Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth” (Daniel 2:31-35).

To Nebuchadnezzar, the image towered into the sky! The brilliant reflections of gold, silver, and brass were dazzling. Like a comet falling, a stone then smashed into the feet of mixed iron and clay. As the image collapsed, the iron, brass, silver, and gold seemed to completely disintegrate, forming a vast pile of metallic dust. The wind blew, and the particles of metal were whisked away. Then, Nebuchadnezzar’s astonished mind seemed to see the stone which had smashed into the feet begin to grow larger until it seemed to literally fill the whole earth!

No wonder this Babylonian king was astonished. No wonder he was overcome with eager curiosity to learn what such a vision could mean!

Daniel said, “This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king. Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory. And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold” (Daniel 2:36-38).

Notice several important points:

(1) It was the Great Creator RULER God who had allowed Nebuchadnezzar to become a “king of kings,” having subjugated many other surrounding nations; taking their peoples captive, and forcing other governments to bow to his will. Daniel told this Babylonian king that it was God who decided the course of world events; who set up or deposed rulers.

(2) Nebuchadnezzar was the first real world dictator, for Daniel acknowledged that he ruled over the known, inhabited earth.

(3) Nebuchadnezzar was the “head of gold,” which meant that, as king, he stood for and represented the Babylonian kingdom. Notice the proof: “And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth” (Daniel 2:39).

King and kingdom were synonymous.

(4) Babylon epitomizes the Beast power down through history. The Babylonish “mystery” religion, handed down from Nimrod and his mother/wife, Semiramus, continues down through history, masquerading as “the one true church,” which controls the political and military power of the end-time Beast.

(5) The Apocalypse predicts that the final union of church and state that will fight Christ at His coming will be like an end-time Babylon. The “woman,” or false church which sits on the beast, is called “MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.”

(6) Ancient Babylon was destroyed. Today, its ruins are a tourist attraction near Baghdad, Iraq. Yet, the Apocalypse says that the great city which represents the end-time Beast power and false church is nevertheless called Babylon. “I saw another angel come down from heaven…and he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils [demons], and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird…And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her….Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come” (Revelation 18:1-10).

When John received these prophecies, ancient Babylon had lain in utter ruin for approximately six hundred and thirty-nine years! This prophecy could not refer to ancient ruins, but to an end-time modern city which is called the “seat of the Beast,” or the capital city of the Beast power, which is ridden, or controlled, by the “mother of harlots,” arrayed in scarlet.

Thus, though Babylon, under Nebuchadnezzar, was the first of the four great world-ruling empires, the name of Babylon is permanently stamped upon the whole system, until the time of the Second Coming of Christ.

After predicting another kingdom, inferior to Babylon (the Medo-Persian Empire of history), and yet a third kingdom of brass (the Graeco-Macedonian Empire under Alexander), Daniel described the fourth kingdom, which was Rome: “And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise. And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters’ clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay. And as the toes of the feet were part of iron and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken [“weak”: margin]. And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay. And in the days of these kings [the final ten kings, as pictured by the toes, cf. Revelation 17:12-14] shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever” (Daniel 2:40-44).

Obviously, though uttered thousands of years ago, this prophecy shows that there will be an end-time combine of ten nations represented by the ten toes of the great image who will be smashed into oblivion by the returning, conquering Christ!

It is called “Babylon the great” in the Apocalypse, yet is the end-time resurrection of what became the “Holy Roman Empire,” which will consist of ten nations. The ten horns of Revelation 17:12 are the same as the ten toes of the great image.

Now, let’s come to understand Daniel’s important seventh chapter, with his depiction of these same world-ruling kingdoms as beasts; three of them known creatures, and the fourth a surrealistic, satanic-looking creature, like no living animal.

Four Great Beasts

These remarkable prophecies, including Daniel’s God-given interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar dream, were uttered and later written long prior to 538 B.C., the time of the collapse of the Babylonian Empire. As the decades and centuries passed, it became clear, as a result of the rise and fall of city-states, nations, and empires, what was meant by the kingdoms of silver, brass, and iron and clay.

First, God revealed to Daniel the meaning of the king’s dream. Later, God gave Daniel a dream, which he carefully wrote down, and which forms chapter 7. This was during Belshazzar’s reign, nearing the end of the Babylonian supremacy.

“In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel had a dream and visions of his head upon his bed: then he wrote the dream, and told the sum of the matters. Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of heaven strove upon the great sea. And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another. The first was like a lion, and had eagle’s wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man’s heart was given to it. And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh. After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast also had four heads, and dominion was given unto it. After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it: and it had ten horns” (Daniel 7:1-7).

As we shall see, the end-time Beast portrayed in Revelation 13:1,2 embodies all the strongest characteristics of these beasts, and represents the culmination of all the gentile world-ruling kingdoms; governments ruled by men with minds like those of wild animals.

The First Beast-Like a Lion

The first beast, like a lion with eagle’s wings, which was “made stand upon the feet as a man,” and which had “a man’s heart” given unto it, represented Nebuchadnezzar, at the head of the first world-ruling empire in all history, Babylon.

Details of the seven years of Nebuchadnezzar insanity are given in Daniel 4.

Nebuchadnezzar became completely insane. The Bible says, “And he was driven from men, and did eat grass as oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hairs were grown like eagles’ feathers, and his nails like birds’ claws” (Daniel 4:33).

For seven long years, this man who had been a powerful, war-making king, lived like a savage animal, his beard and hair no doubt matted with filth.

At the end of those seven years, his reason was returned to him by a miracle from God. “And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honored Him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His kingdom is from generation to generation: And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and He doeth according to His will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay His hand, or say unto Him, What doest thou? At the same time my reason returned unto me; and for the glory of my kingdom, mine honour and brightness returned unto me; and my counsellors and my lords sought unto me; and I was established in my kingdom, and excellent majesty was added unto me. Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and His ways judgment: and those that walk in pride He is able to abase” (Daniel 4:34-37).

Nebuchadnezzar’s insanity is a type of the infamous “times of the gentiles,” during which God would allow powerful pagan kingdoms to be ruled by men with minds like rapacious, wild, predatory beasts!

Dozens of infamous examples stand out in the history of gentile kingdoms: Atilla, Ghengis Khan, Alexander, the Caesars of Rome, Napoleon, Hitler, Stalin. There are dozens of other, lesser-known examples, like Antiochus Epiphanes, Laomedon, Ptolmey Soter, and Seleucus Nicator. Today, one thinks of despots like Saddam Hussein, Maomar Kadaffi, Pol Pot, Ho Chi Minh, and the late leader of North Korea, Kim Il Sung.

Such men implemented pogroms; committed mass murder and genocide; destroyed cities, villages, homes, and farms; deported helpless civilians. They raped and pillaged, burnt and destroyed, plundered and looted. As the Bible describes, they were more like “beasts” of the jungle than humane, civilized, caring human beings.

The first beast was Babylon, ruled by Nebuchadnezzar.

The Second Beast-Like a Bear

The Babylonian Empire was destroyed by Persian armies under Cyrus, probably in about October, 538 B.C. The second kingdom, represented by the chest and arms of silver in the great image, and by a bear (Daniel 7:5), ruled over the known world.

This was the kingdom of Medo-Persia, ruled by Cyrus “the Great.” Cyrus dated his years from 538 B.C., calling himself “king of Babylon and king of the countries,” meaning “king of the world.”

The remarkable prophecies of Isaiah 44 and 45 were written about 150 years before Cyrus was born, and yet mention him by name (Isaiah 45:1-6). In these two chapters, Cyrus was predicted to set the Jews free to rebuild the Temple, though the Temple had not yet been destroyed when Isaiah wrote the prophecies!

History positively confirms these astonishing prophecies, for it was Cyrus who allowed the captive Jews in Babylon, who had been taken there by Nebuchadnezzar, to return to Palestine.

Josephus, the famous and eminent Jewish historian, writes, “In the first year of the reign of Cyrus, which was the seventieth from the day that our people were removed out of their own land into Babylon, God commiserated the captivity and calamity of these poor people, according as he had foretold to them by Jeremiah the prophet, before the destruction of the city” (Antiquities of the Jews, 11.1.1).

Josephus then quotes a letter from Cyrus to Sisinnes and Sathrabizanes, in which we find preserved the statements of Cyrus himself: “I have given leave, to as many of the Jews as dwell in my country as please to return to their own country, and to rebuild their city, and to build the temple of God at Jerusalem, on the same place where it was before. I have also sent my treasurer Mithridates, and Zorobabel, the governor of the Jews, that they may lay the foundations of the temple, and may build it sixty cubits high, and of the same latitude, making three edifices of polished stones, and one of the wood of the country, and the same order extends to the altar, whereon they offer sacrifices to God” (Antiquities, 11.1.12,13).

Artaxerxes, who ruled over the Persian Empire after the death of Cyrus, issued two decrees using similar language during the days of Ezra and Nehemiah.

The decrees to rebuild Jerusalem and the Temple help explain the famous “seventy weeks” prophecy of Daniel. As Halley says, “The date from which the 70 weeks [70 weeks of years, or 70 sevens of years, or 490 years] was to be counted was the decree to rebuild Jerusalem. There were three decrees issued by Persian kings for this purpose….The principal one of these was 457 B.C.

“The 70 weeks is subdivided into 7 weeks, 62 weeks, and 1 week (Daniel 9:25-27). It is difficult to see the application of the ‘7 weeks’; but the 69 weeks (including the 7) equal 483 days, that is, on the year-day theory (Ezekiel 4:6), which is the commonly accepted interpretation, 483 years” (Halley’s Bible Handbook, p. 349).

Halley then makes the mistake of forgetting to add one year in his calculations, for there is no year labeled “0,” and, unless one adds a year to account for both 1 B.C. and A.D. 1, the arithmetic is erroneous. Coming forward from 457 B.C., subtracting 457 from 483 years, one has 26 years, or 26 B.C. But this is incorrect by one year, for there are two years labeled “1” in the arithmetic. Adding the missing year brings us to A.D. 27, the true date for the beginning of the ministry of the Messiah, or the coming of the “Anointed One.”

Halley goes on to say, “Further, within 3 1/2 years Jesus was crucified, that is, ‘in the midst of the one week’ ‘the Anointed One’ was ‘cut off,’ ‘purged away sin and brought in everlasting righteousness’” (ibid.).

To understand the correct date is vitally important, for it was only in A.D. 31, exactly three and one-half years after the beginning of Christ’s ministry in the autumn of 27, that the Passover of Nisan 14 fell on a Wednesday evening, with the first day of Unleavened Bread, the “high day” Sabbath (John 19:31) falling on our Thursday.

The Messiah was to be “cut off in the midst of the week.” He was in two senses: First, He was crucified on a Wednesday, not a Friday, and was to be precisely three days AND three nights in the tomb (Matthew 12:40). He was resurrected on a late Sabbath afternoon, which is why “while it was yet dark, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week,” Jesus’ tomb was already empty (Matthew 28:1).

Second, Christ was cut off after a three and one-half year ministry, out of a prophesied seven-year ministry. The second half of His ministry is waiting to be fulfilled (Isaiah 66:19).

Halley continues: “Thus Daniel foretold not only the Time at which the Messiah would appear, but also the Duration of His Public Ministry, and his Atoning Death for Human Sin” (ibid.).

One of the great proofs that there is a God is fulfilled prophecy. Daniel, who lived during the reigns of perhaps five Babylonian kings, was inspired to foretell the collapse of Babylon; the rise and fall of the Medo-Persian Empire, depicted by the breast and arms of silver, and by the bear-like beast of Daniel 7; the rise of the Graeco-Macedonian kingdom of Alexander the Great, and its disintegration into four separate kingdoms; then the rise of the Roman Empire, with its many successive kingdoms, down through history until our modern time!

Halley says, of the four beasts of Daniel 7, “This is a continuation of the prophecy of chapter 2, which was uttered 60 years earlier: ‘two aspects of one grand scheme of history’: Four World Empires, and then the Kingdom of God. In chapter 2 these are represented by an Image with a Head of Gold, a Breast of Silver, Thighs of Brass, and Feet of Iron, broken in pieces by a Stone. In this chapter [7] these same World Empires are represented as a Lion, a Bear, a Leopard and a Terrible Beast.

“These Four World Empires are commonly taken to be Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome…, representing the period from Daniel to Christ. These Beasts seem to form the basis of the imagery of the Seven-Headed, Ten-Horned Beast of Revelation 13” (ibid., p. 346).

The Third Beast-Like a Leopard

The third, leopard-like beast, which had “four wings of a fowl” on its back, represented Alexander’s Graeco-Macedonian Empire.

A tremendous amount of literature exists about the time of Alexander, who was a student of Aristotle. He was the son of Philip II of Macedon, and his mother, named Olympus, was reportedly a “woman of half-wild blood, weird, visionary and terrible.” A careful study of this infamous man’s life helps one understand, in part, what strange influences drove him to do what he did.

Alexander conquered the known world, leading his Greek, Macedonian, Spartan, and other troops into the faraway lands of modern-day Iraq and Iran, into India, through Palestine, and into Egypt (where the city now known as “Alexandria” was established by him). He was an absolutely fearless general, once leaping over the walls of an hostile village filled with barbarous forces with only three of his men, and suffering nearly fatal wounds as a result.

Alexander besieged Tyre for seven long months. When the city fell, after Alexander had built a causeway to breach its sea-bound walls, he utterly destroyed it, and “had the old Tyrian people scattered to the winds, 30,000 sold as slaves” (Encyclopedia Britannica, eleventh edition, vol. 1, p. 547).

Early in the siege of Tyre, Sanballat, Manasseh’s father-in-law, gathered seven thousand of his subjects in Samaria, who had earlier professed loyalty to Darius, and approached Alexander. He argued that it would be to Alexander’s advantage to have the strength of the Jews divided into two parts, and urged him to build a temple on Mount Gerizzim, the highest point in Samaria, near Schechem.

Alexander granted this request. After the fall of Tyre, Alexander marched on Gaza. Shortly, he turned toward Jerusalem.

The high priest in Jerusalem, Jaddua, was terrified. He ordered the people to make supplications and offer sacrifice to God so God would spare them and the city. After he had offered sacrifice, he had a vivid dream, in which he saw himself and the priests opening the city, decorating it, and advancing to meet the Macedonian general in their priestly robes.

They halted on a high prospect, where Alexander saw them. Josephus writes, “For Alexander, when he saw the multitude at a distance in white garments, while the priest stood clothed with fine linen, and the high priest in purple and scarlet clothing, with his mitre on his head, having the golden plate whereon the name of God was engraved, he approached by himself, and adored that name, and first saluted the high priest” (Antiquities of the Jews, 11.8.5).

Alexander’s army was displeased. Among them were Phoenicians and Chaldeans, as well as other races. Alexander’s highest officer and personal aide, Parmenio, approached him and asked, “How is it, that when all adore you, you adore the high priest of the Jews?”

Alexander replied, “I did not adore him, but that God who hath honored him with his high priesthood; for I saw this very person in a dream, in this very habit, when I was at Dios, in Macedonia, who, when I was considering with myself how I might obtain the dominion of Asia, exhorted me to make no delay, but boldly to pass over the sea thither, for that he would conduct my army, and would give me the dominion over the Persians; whence it is that, having seen no other in that habit, and now seeing this person in it, and remembering that vision, and the exhortation which I had in my dream, I believe that I bring this army under the divine conduct, and shall therewith conquer Darius, and destroy the power of the Persians, and that all things will succeed according to what is in my own mind” (ibid.).

Alexander triumphantly entered Jerusalem, accompanied by the high priest and his entire entourage. He offered sacrifice in the Temple.

This remarkable occurrence, wherein two separate dreams caused the city of Jerusalem to be spared, can only be understood as the divine intervention of God. Alexander treated the priests with “magnificence,” and, when the high priest had showed him how to sacrifice, he also showed him the book of Daniel, “wherein Daniel declared one of the Greeks should destroy the empire of the Persians, he supposed that himself was the person intended” (ibid.).

The prophecy of Daniel shown to Alexander was Daniel 8, in which Daniel saw “an he goat came from the west on the face of the whole earth, and touched not the ground: and the goat had a notable horn between his eyes. And he came to the ram that had two horns, which I had seen standing before the river, and ran unto him in the fury of his power. And I saw him come close to the ram, and he was moved with choler against him, and smote the ram, and brake his two horns: and there was no power in the ram to stand before him, but he cast him down to the ground, and stamped upon him: and there was none that could deliver the ram out of his hand” (Daniel 8:5-7).

Later, an archangel told Daniel the meaning of his dream: “Now as he was speaking with me, I was in a deep sleep on my face toward the ground: but he touched me, and set me upright. And he said, Behold, I will make thee know what shall be in the last end of the indignation: for at the time appointed the end shall be. The ram which thou sawest having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia. And the rough goat is the king of Grecia: and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king” (Daniel 8:18-21).

Thus, Alexander read a prophecy about himself that had been written two hundred years earlier. He was no doubt greatly encouraged by his dream and his encounter with the high priest, and having been shown the book of Daniel, he marched unopposed to meet Darius near Nineveh.

“Alexander came within sight of the Persian host without having met any opposition since he quitted Tyre. He had now to settle the most serious problem which had yet faced him, for in the plains the Persian army was formidable by sheer bulk” (Encyclopedia Britannica, eleventh edition, vol 1, p. 547).

But Alexander’s tactics proved too much for the ponderous Persian phalanx, wherein massed troops formed a human wedge, with shields, spears, and swords. Alexander’s horsemen and footmen launched attack after attack against the flanks and rear of the Persians, throwing them into confusion.

This was the famous battle named after Arbela, even though it was some sixty miles distant from the actual battlefield. Darius fled eastward into Media, and Alexander then marched on into Babylon, Susa, and Iran, discovering the treasure houses of the Persian Empire, and looting them.

In his overthrow of the Persian Empire, Alexander was aided by the chance (?) lunar eclipse of September 20, 331 B.C. “In the spring of 331 Alexander could at last leave the Mediterranean to strike into the heart of the Persian empire, for by his occupation of the coasts the Persian command of the sea had inevitably collapsed. Returning through Syria, and stopping at Tyre [from Gaza and Egypt] to make final arrangements for the conquered provinces, he traversed Mesopotamia and struck the Tigris some four marches above the site of Nineveh. It was near Nineveh that Darius [the Mede] was waiting with the immense host which a supreme effort could muster from all parts of the empire. The happy coincidence of a lunar eclipse gives us the 20th of September 331 as the exact day upon which the Macedonian army crossed the Tigris. Alexander came within sight of the Persian host without having met with any opposition since he quitted Tyre” (ibid., p. 547).

Like all despots, Alexander had many officers and governors throughout his kingdom who continually plotted against him. Little did he know that his kingdom would be divided up into four kingdoms even before his body was buried.

As Daniel foretold, “After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl: the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given unto it” (Daniel 7:6). True to this prophecy, Alexander’s kingdom was divided up into four kingdoms shortly after his death.

Always a man with vast and endless vision, Alexander wanted to discover whether there was a connection between the Caspian Sea and the Northern Ocean, and also determine whether there was a maritime route from Babylon (near modern Baghdad, Iraq) to Egypt, around Arabia.

He decided to build a vast fleet for his army to do just that. A great basin was dug at the confluence of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, near Babylon, which could contain 1,000 ships.

Finally, after many reorganizations and innovations which would improve his army, all was ready. Alexander intended embarking on the 20th of the month Daesius, with his vast fleet.

But on the 15th and 16th, he “caroused deep into the night at the house of the favourite Medius. On the 17th he developed fever; for a time he treated it as a momentary impediment to the expedition: but on the 27th his speech was gone, and the Macedonian army were suffered to pass man by man through his chamber to bid him farewell. On the 28th (? June 13) Alexander died” (Encyclopedia Britannica, eleventh edition, vol. 1, p. 549).

Alexander’s kingdom disintegrated immediately.

Josephus writes, “Now when Alexander, king of Macedon, had put an end to the dominion of the Persians, and had settled the affairs of Judea after the aforementioned manner, he ended his life; and as his government fell among many, Antigonus obtained Asia; Seleucus [Nicator] Babylon; and of the other nations which were there, Lysimachus governed the Hellespont, and Cassander possessed Macedonia; as did Ptolemy, the son of Lagus, seize upon Egypt” (Antiquities of the Jews, 12.1.1,2).

Then followed a period of protracted warfare between the Seleucid dynasty of Syria, and the Ptolemys of Egypt, a lesser dynasty of Pharaohs.

The Seleucid dynasty began with Seleucus Nicator, a Macedonian, who was one of Philip’s generals. When he was about twenty three, he accompanied Alexander into Asia (333 B.C.).

Daniel 11 is amazingly detailed, dealing with a protracted period of time, from the first year of Darius the Mede to the “time of the end” when the final “king of the north” will invade Palestine. Chapter 12 begins with the time of the Great Tribulation prophesied by Jesus Christ, and concludes with a prophecy of the setting up of the Abomination of Desolation.

Looking back at world history from our modern perspective, we need not indulge in idle speculation or fantastic prophetic scenarios. Instead, we can look at what actually happened from the time of ancient Babylon until the present.

World history proves that which practically all Bible scholars and commentaries agree upon; that Nebuchadnezzar’s visionary image represented the four successive world-dominating empires from Babylon to Rome. These facts are not open to argument or fanciful, imaginary interpretation.

Dozens of historical sources corroborate Daniel’s prophecies. The identity of the four successive world-ruling empires is utterly without question; substantiated by the great events of history. Never forget, then, that the fourth and final beast, which answers exactly to the feet and ten toes of the image, represents ROME, not some backward, impoverished, insignificant Middle Eastern country populated by Arabs. It was to continue down through history until an end-time “resurrection” of the Roman Empire occurred.

The Fourth Beast and the Time Setting of Daniel 7

Now, notice how Daniel’s prophecies of the fourth beast, which is identified as Rome, repeatedly culminate in the setting up of Christ’s kingdom, just as chapter 2 shows how the ten toes of the whole Babylonish system are smashed by the “stone cut out without hands,” which is the returning, conquering Christ:

After describing the dreadful fourth beast with iron teeth, Daniel wrote, “I considered the horns [ten horns], and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man [it depicts a human leader], and a mouth speaking great things. I beheld till the thrones were cast down [some scholars believe this should read “were placed,” referring to Christ’s kingdom (Revelation 20:4)], and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of His head like the pure wool: His throne was like the fiery flame, and His wheels as burning fire. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before Him: thousand thousands ministered unto Him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened” (Daniel 7:8-10).

Horns are symbols of human leaders of governments. Notice that Daniel describes the Ancient of Days almost exactly as does John, who saw the glorified Christ in vision: “And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and His eyes were as a flame of fire; And His feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and His voice as the sound of many waters” (Revelation 1:13-15).

Some commentaries think the Ancient of Days described in Daniel 7:8-10 is the Father, rather than Christ, because they see only the Father as conducting the Great White Throne Judgment (Revelation 20:11). Whether it refers to Christ or the Father, it is obvious it refers to the time of the setting up of the Kingdom of God on earth, after the “little horn” succeeds in overthrowing the first of the ten succeeding kingdoms. Daniel continued, “I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake: I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame” (Daniel 7:11).

When is the Beast slain?

“And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and He that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness doth He judge and make war….And He hath on His vesture and on His thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS….And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him that sat on the horse, and against His army. And the beast was taken [seized; arrested], and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone” (Revelation 19:11-20).

This passage, near the end of the Bible, graphically depicts the Second Coming of Christ. One of the very first things He will do is hurl the Beast and the False Prophet¯two evil, demoniacal, cruel human leaders¯into a lake of fire.

The False Prophet is the infamous Antichrist, the head of a great, false religious system, called Mystery, Babylon the Great (Revelation 17:5).

Now, notice how Daniel saw, again and again, how the dreadful fourth beast, which is Rome, and the little horn, which is the papacy, continue until the time of the Second Coming of Christ, and the establishment of the Kingdom of God on earth: “I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man [Christ] came with the clouds of heaven [cf. Matthew 24:30; 1 Thessalonians 4:17], and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought Him near before Him. And there was given Him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve Him: His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom that which shall not be destroyed” (Daniel 7:13,14).

For the second time in only five verses, Daniel 7, which depicts the four successive world-ruling empires, culminates in the Second Coming of Christ, and the setting up of Christ’s millennial reign on this earth.

Notice the next example: “These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth. But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever” (Daniel 7:17,18).

Daniel then wrote, “Then I would know the truth of the fourth beast, which was diverse from all the others, exceeding dreadful, whose teeth were of iron, and his nails of brass: which devoured, and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with his feet: And the ten horns that were in his head, and of the other which came up, and before whom three fell; even of that horn that had eyes [the little horn,], and a mouth that spake very great things, whose look was more stout than his fellows. I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them: Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom” (Daniel 7:19-22).

So the fourth beast is a continuing system, along with the little horn with eyes like a man, who speaks great things, and who persecutes God’s true church¯the saints! It continues, along with the little horn, until the setting up of God’s kingdom on earth (Isaiah 2; Micah 4; Isaiah 11; Revelation 20:4).

Now, we have seen three examples in this ancient prophecy, written before the rise of the Persian Empire, of how the prophecy continues until the time of the Second Coming of Christ.

Notice another: “Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces. And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall arise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings. And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time. But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end. And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey Him” (Daniel 7:23-27).

Again, here is absolute proof that the little horn which plucks up by the roots three of the first ten horns, continues until the time of the Second Coming of Christ and establishment of the Kingdom of God on earth.

These scriptures also demonstrate that the ten horns of Daniel 7 are ten successive governments¯ten revivals of the Beast system down through history. How remarkable that Daniel’s prophecies, written five hundred and thirty-eight years before the time of Christ, should be so specifically detailed, so accurate! Christ Himself referred to Daniel’s prophecies when He said, “When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place…Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains….For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be” (Matthew 24:15-21).

Who, or What, Is the “Little Horn”?

Now, what is the identity of the little horn which had eyes like a man, a mouth speaking great things, names of blasphemy, and which will think to change times and laws; a little horn that terribly persecutes God’s saints, makes war against them¯engaging in every kind of brutality and mass murder?

Referring to this little horn or the “other horn” of Daniel 7, Halley says, “The ‘Other Horn’ (8, 20, 24, 25), which should arise among the Ten Horns, is a combination of the Leopard Beast and Lamb Beast of Revelation 13. The ‘three kings’ which he displaced (8, 24), are thought to refer to Lombards, Ravenna and Rome, which were handed over to the Popes as the beginning of their Temporal Kingdom, (A.D. 754)…The ‘other horn’ (8, 20, 24, 25) possibly refers to Antichrist” (Halley’s Bible Handbook, pp 346-7, emphasis added).

There is much disagreement about which three governments were “plucked up by the roots” by the little horn, which is identified as the papacy. Some believe they were the Vandals, Ostragoths, and the Heruli. The important point is that this little horn, which is seen to have a “look stouter than its fellows,” and which specifically is identified as persecuting and making war against the saints of God, functions as a state. It is a government, with the power to overthrow other governments.

Writing of the little horn of Daniel 7, the Critical and Experimental Commentary by Jamieson, Faucett, and Brown, says, “And the ten horns¯answering to the ten ‘toes’ (ch. ii. 41). out of this kingdom¯it is out of the fourth kingdom that the ten others arise, whatever exterior territory any of them possess (Rev. xiii.1; xvii.12). and another shall arise after them…Antichrist rises after their rise, at first ‘little’ (v. 8): but after destroying three of the ten he becomes greater than them all (vv. 20,21). The three being gone, he is the eighth (cf. Rev. xvii.11); a distinct head, and yet ‘of the seven.’ As the previous world-kingdoms had their representative heads¯Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar; Persia, Cyrus; Greece, Alexander¯so the fourth kingdom and its Antichrists shall have their evil concentrated in the one final Antichrist” (vol. 4, p. 422).

Notice carefully that the time period of “time, times, and half a time” are mentioned in both Daniel 7:25, and Daniel 12:5-7. That a literal three and one-half years is meant is inescapable in the book of Revelation, since its setting is during the time of the end. Some have thought the persecutions of the saints would take place during 1,260 years, on the “day-year” theory (Ezekiel 4:6).

But there is no doubt whatever that a literal three and one-half years is the period of ascendancy for the latter day Beast and the “image of the Beast.”

John wrote, “And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy” (Revelation 13:1). It was only after the little horn had overthrown the first three of the ten, leaving seven, that the title “holy” was attached to the whole governmental system.

“And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard [its overall bodily characteristics were lithe, sinewy, powerful, like a leopard¯reference to Alexander’s kingdom], and his feet were as the feet of a bear [referring to the strongest characteristics of a bear; the powerful paws, which can roll over huge rocks, smash logs, or disembowel a large range animal; reference to Cyrus’ Medo-Persian empire], and his mouth as the mouth of a lion [reference to the huge head of a male lion; its powerful jaws¯depicting Nebuchadnezzar Babylonian kingdom]: and the dragon [Satan] gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.

“And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death [this was the collapse of the Roman Empire in A.D. 476]; and his deadly wound was healed [the restoration of the Roman Empire in A.D. 554]: and all the world wondered after the beast. And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? Who is able to make war with him? And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies: and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months [1,260 days, or three and one-half years]. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, and His tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations” (Revelation 13:1-7).

This is nothing short of state worship; a gigantic socio-economic, military, and industrial power which evokes awe and worship among its citizens; which rises to such power and prestige that it is a true world power.

Thus is the description of John, which he saw in vision of the final, end-time Beast, which embodies all the strongest characteristics of the first three beasts: Babylon, Persia, and Graeco-Macedonia.

But who is the “spokesman” for this system? Who is it who blasphemes God, and persecutes God’s people?

“And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon” (Revelation 13:11). Here is a government, which appears, outwardly, “Christ-like,” for it has lamb-like characteristics. Yet, it speaks as directly motivated by Satan. And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him…” (verse 12). So this lamb-like beast, which is counterfeit Christianity, utilizes the economic, industrial, and military power of the civil government; the first beast of Revelation 13, which is the end-time Beast which will fight Christ at His coming (Revelation 19:19,20).

“And causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed [this is state worship]. And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast: saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image [a replica; a copy; an exact counterpart] to the beast, which had the wound by the sword, and did live” (Revelation 13:11-14).

This is obviously an ecclesiastical government, under a human leader. It corresponds to the “mystery of iniquity” foreseen by the apostle Paul in his warning to the church in Thessalonica. He wrote, “For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth [restrains] will let [restrain], until he be taken out of the way [or: “until it arise in the midst,” or “become to be”]. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders” (2 Thessalonians 2:7-9).

So the image of the Beast is obviously an ecclesiastical government patterned after the Roman civil government, headed by a human leader who will eventually have satanic powers to produce awe-inspiring miracles, signs, and wonders¯thus deceiving countless millions.

This will be a combination of church and state, the two cooperating fully. “And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed” (Revelation 13:15).

The ancient Roman government was organized into political spheres called the great diocese and the diocese. There was the “collegia.” Which great universal church has the same governmental pattern today?

The little horn of Daniel 7 represents the papacy, as does the lamb-like beast of Revelation 13. The “man of sin” (2 Thessalonians 2:3-9) and the False Prophet of Revelation 19:20 are one and the same, commonly called the Antichrist.

Writing of the papacy, Halley says, “The Papacy is an Italian Institution. It arose on the ruins of the Roman Empire, in the name of Christ occupying the throne of the Caesars; a Revival of the Image of the Roman Empire inheriting the Spirit thereof; ‘the Ghost of the Roman Empire come to life in the garb of Christianity.’ The Popes have mostly been Italians.

“The Papacy’s Methods: It brought itself to power through the prestige of Rome, and the Name of Christ, and by shrewd political alliances, and by deception, and by armed force; and by Armed Force and Bloodshed has maintained itself in power.

“Papal Revenues: Through a large part of its history the Papacy, by the sale of ecclesiastical office, and its shameless traffic in Indulgences, has received vast revenues that enabled it to maintain, for much of the time the most luxurious Court in Europe” (Halley’s Bible Handbook, p. 783).

The lengthy article by Halley (pp. 757-804) is well worth reading, for it represents a brief synopsis of the gradual development of the Roman Catholic Church, lists all popes since the bishop of Rome began to assert his sole power over the church in about A.D. 500, and explores the Protestant Reformation.

The Roman Empire

The fourth beast with great iron teeth represents the Roman Empire from its founding until the time of the end when a final, ten-nation resurrection of the same system will fight Christ at His return.

Rome was founded, according to historical legend, by Romulus. Romulus’ name, when adding up the Roman numerical value of the letters, adds up to 666, as does “Lateinos,” which became the common language of the Roman Empire, and the language of the great universal church which has its seat in Rome.

Romulus was represented as the “son of Mars” by the Vestal Rhea Silvia, or Ilia, daughter of Numitor.
Romulus was the twin of Remus, born to Silvia. The legend has it they were placed in a trough and cast into the Tiber River by their grandfather. The trough then ground in the marshes under a wild fig tree, and the two children were, according to the myth, “suckled by a she-wolf” and “fed by a woodpecker.”

There is a massive amount of literature available about the Roman Empire, from the founding of the city of Rome through history until the present. Study the accompanying chart, and notice the names of the leaders of the Holy Roman Empire down through time.

Now, with the many prophecies of Daniel and Revelation 13 in mind, let’s understand the true meaning of the end-time Beast of the Apocalypse.

The Ten-Horned Beast of the Apocalypse

John saw a woman sitting astride a monstrous beast. Notice how he described what he saw: “And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials [of God’s wrath; see Revelation 16:1], and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters: With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication. So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet colored beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet color, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH” (Revelation 17:1-5).

The woman symbolizes a great false church; a church which rules over kings and governments; a church which has political intercourse with the civil governments of this world. She has daughters, which came from her, and are also called “harlots.”

As we saw in Daniel 7, the little horn was depicted as continually making war with the saints. Notice that her colors are purple and scarlet¯the colors, traditionally, of harlotry¯and that she is decked with splendor; gold, precious stones and pearls.

John wrote, “And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration [awe]” (Revelation 17:6).

Many, many books, such as Fox’s Book of Martyrs, and Hislop’s The Two Babylons, detail the sickening facts of centuries of murders and vast persecutions which have occurred.

Halley says, of Innocent III (1198-1216), “Most Powerful of all the Popes. Claimed to be ‘Vicar of Christ,’ ‘Vicar of God,’ ‘Supreme Sovereign over the Church and the World.’ Claimed the right to Depose Kings and Princes; and that ‘All things on earth and in heaven and in hell are subject to the Vicar of Christ.’

“He brought the church into Supreme Control of the State. The Kings of Germany, France, England, and practically all the Monarchs of Europe obeyed his will. He even brought the Byzantine Empire under his control. Never in history has any one man exerted more power.

“He ordered Two Crusades. Decreed Transubstantiation. Confirmed Auricular Confession. Declared that Peter’s successor ‘can never in any way depart from the Catholic faith.’ Papal Infallibility. Condemned the Magna Charta. Forbade the Reading of the Bible in vernacular. Ordered the Extermination of Heretics. Instituted the Inquisition. Ordered the Massacre of the Albigenses. More Blood was Shed under his direction, and that of his immediate successors, than in any other period of Church History, except in the Papacy’s effort to Crush the Reformation in the 16th and 17th centuries. One would think Nero, the Beast, had come to life in the Name of the Lamb” (Halley’s Bible Handbook, p. 776).

Writing of the infamous Inquisition, Halley states, “The Inquisition was the main agency in the Papacy’s effort to Crush the Reformation. It is stated that in the 30 years between 1540 and 1570 no fewer than 900,000 Protestants were put to death in the Pope’s war for the extermination of the Waldenses….

“Think of Monks and Priests, in holy garments, directing, with Heartless Cruelty and Inhuman Brutality, the work of Torturing and Burning alive Innocent Men and Women, and doing it in the Name of Christ, by the direct order of the ‘Vicar of Christ’” (ibid., p. 777).

Chillingly, as we shall soon see, God’s Word prophesied an end-time martyrdom of saints; a time in the future when the Abomination of Desolation will be seated in the “holy place” in Jerusalem; Jerusalem will be surrounded with armies, and the Great Tribulation will have begun. For a lengthy, in-depth understanding of the coming events, read our booklet “MIDEAST STRIFE—Will It Lead To ARMAGEDDON?“. It details many events occurring now on the world scene, including vitally important information about Jerusalem and the Middle East; about the potential for the construction of another temple there, and whether or not another major war is coming in the Middle East.

Many prophecies describe martyrdoms which are coming in the time of the end. Yet, millions of people believe there will be a rapture of the saints which will occur before the Great Tribulation, so there will be no martyrdoms! Which is right: Daniel 7, Revelation 13, and the prophecies of Christ Himself, or those who believe in a “rapture”?

John continued describing his vision, “And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns. The beast that thou sawest was, and is not: and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit [an “abyss”], and go into perdition [it will be the last “beast”; going into final destruction, or perdition]: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is” (Revelation 17:7,8).

What a remarkable prophecy! Right now, today, in our time, this prophecy is being fulfilled! Today, the successive “beasts” of history are simply gone! The beast “was,” in the past. It emerged time and time again, from the time of Nebuchadnezzar to Cyrus, to Alexander, to ancient Rome, to Constantine, to Otto the Great, to Bismark, and to Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini, and the Holy Roman Empire Mussolini declared during World War II.

But with the defeat of Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy in World War II, the Beast power descended into a figurative abyss. Today, there is no great visible coalition of ten powerful governments, situated where the Roman Empire and the Holy Roman Empire was always situated, in the heartland of Europe. Never before in history has there been a time when the prophecy of Revelation 17 was exactly current.

Why?

Daniel heard and saw incredible visions of the great beasts of prophecy. Yet, he did not understand. He wanted to know the meaning of all he saw and heard. He said, “And I heard, but I understood not: then said, I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things? And He said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end” (Daniel 12:8).

For centuries, men have tried to understand the mysterious symbols of Daniel and the Apocalypse. But the meaning eluded them. God had closed the prophecies; sealed them by “concluding them all in unbelief,” until the time of the end.

Notice further: “Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried: but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand” (Daniel 12:10).

Now is the time for the wise to understand the visions of Daniel and the Apocalypse; for God’s people to watch world events, and to be forewarned (Luke 21:36; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-3; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4).

When John was transported forward in time into our day, now, in vision, he wrote, “The Revelation [not the concealing, or the “mystery”] of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto Him to shew unto His servants those things which must shortly come to pass; and He sent and signified it by His angel unto His servant John” (Revelation 1:1).

It is astonishing, but true! We are living in the day, right now, when the great BEAST of the Apocalypse “was, and is not, and yet is” (Revelation 17:8). This prophecy could not have been understood in its current relevant sense even during World War II. It would not have been currently relevant at any time in history until our day, now!

Today, the final great Beast of the Apocalypse has not yet emerged. It is ready to form¯to come out of the bottomless pit, which is metaphor¯but it is not yet visible.

Europe has made many major steps toward uniting, as we have continually warned for decades! The pope has called for a “United Europe from the Urals to the Atlantic,” but no such complete political unity has yet been achieved.

Following the defeat of Nazi Germany and Italy, because of the threat of world communism and Red Russia, the United States adopted the Marshal Plan, to rebuild Germany.

For many decades, we warned of where this would eventually lead. We spoke of the reunification of Germany, and the creation of a “United States of Europe,” back in the 1950s, throughout the decades of the ‘60s and ‘70s. Germany would rise from the ashes of defeat, and once again become the dominant power in Europe, we said. That has happened!

Never in history has there been anything like the incredible collapse of the former Soviet Union, and the toppling of communist governments in East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Hungary, Rumania, and Bulgaria in rapid-fire succession, within only months!

It was a staggering series of events.

When I knew the Berlin Wall was coming down, I rushed to Germany to do special television programs. I began writing, from Berlin, a special edition for our magazine, which was published in January, 1990, entitled “New Order Coming In Germany.”

In that article, I reprinted over fifty quotations from our magazines and radio and television programs over the preceding years, demonstrating how consistently we had predicted the reunification of Germany and the rise, eventually, of a modern-day “Holy Roman Empire,” perhaps called “The United States of Europe.”

As the Western Allies began rebuilding Germany as a bulwark against world communism, the terrible years of the Cold War began. For many years I said, dozens of times, “the last chapter of European history has not been written.” Early on, Europeans began moving toward greater economic cooperation. First came the European Coal and Steel community; then Euromart, then the European Economic Union, which exists today. There is a European Parliament, and the ECU, a Common European Currency. But there are more than ten nations presently allied with the European Community, including Britain.

The final ten-nation Beast will not necessarily include some of the nations of the European Community of today. Likely, it will include mostly the Catholic countries of Europe, and not Britain, which is Anglican, or the Church of England.

As never before, in these increasingly troublous times in which you live, you need to be informed about the coming Great Tribulation; about where in the Bible our peoples in the English-speaking world are identified in prophecy; about what major events we should be alerted to which will mean the Tribulation is almost upon us.

The Beast power could arise and be visible in a matter of only weeks, or months, or a few years! There will be major stimuli which will bring it about; wars, especially another big war in the Middle East, which would threaten European oil supplies; a collapse of the global economic system, which would give rise to violent overthrow of present governments, and the rise of despotism¯dictatorships!

Today, Europe gets 46 percent of its precious oil supplies from the Persian Gulf. Japan gets 70 percent. The United States, while about 50 percent dependent on imported oil, receives 17 percent from the Gulf. A major war in that region would spell catastrophe for the big industrial powers. They would all become involved! They would have no other choice¯just as the Bush government, which put together a coalition of forces to drive Saddam Hussein out of Kuwait.

That war was about oil, as everyone knows. Another war in that region would be about the same thing. Be sure to read our major booklet entitled “MIDEAST STRIFE—Will It Lead To ARMAGEDDON?”  You simply must read this important booklet in order to understand!

Now, notice again John’s prophecies about the final, end-time Beast of the Apocalypse: “And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth. And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space. And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and of the seven, and goeth into perdition” (Revelation 17:9-11).

The little horn uprooted the first three of the ten horns, or ten governments, revealed in Daniel 7. That left seven. The one that is “yet to come” is the eighth system, yet is “of the seven,” or like them in every respect. The eighth consists of a final ten government system which will coalesce into the Beast power.

“And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast” (Revelation 17:12).

Writing of the seven heads and ten horns, Halley’s Bible Handbook has an interesting comment: “The Dragon had them (12:3). The Leopard-Lamb-Beast had them (13:1). And here the Harlot-Beast, Babylon, has them. They are understood to symbolize World-Government.

“‘Babylon’ is stated to be the great city reigning over the kings of the earth (17:18), which, at the time, was Rome. Rome is further identified in the expression, ‘The Seven Heads are Seven Mountains on which the Woman sits’ (17:9): for Rome, literally, was built on Seven Mountains, and was known as the ‘Seven-Hilled City’….

“‘An eighth is of the seven,’ (17:11). This looks like a Revival of the Beast, after the Seven Heads and Ten Horns have passed, perhaps pointing to the Final Form Antichrist will assume” (p. 731).

The Critical And Experimental Commentary says: “That a personal antichrist will head the anti-christian kingdom, is likely, from the analogy of Antiochus Epiphanes, the Old Testament antichrist, the ‘little horn’ (Dan. viii. 9-12); ‘the son of perdition’ (2 Thess. ii. 3-8), answers to ‘goeth into perdition,’ and is applied to an individual, Judas, in the only other passage where it occurs (John xvii. 12). He is a child of destruction, and has but a little time ascended out of the bottomless pit, when he ‘goes into perdition’ (vv. 8,11)….The eighth [beast] is not merely one of the seven….At the same time, there are not eight, but only seven heads, for the eighth is the embodiment of all the God-opposed features of the seven….He does not fall like the other seven (v. 10), but is destroyed, going to his own perdition, by the Lord in person” (Jameison, Faucet, and Brown, vol. VI, p. 712).

Remember, the woman, which is the great false church, over which Antichrist rules, rides upon, or controls the beast. It is a church-state union which is described by John; the False Prophet using the power of ten kings; meaning their economic and military power, for his own purposes.

Notice that the final ten-nation combine exists for a very short time, called “one hour,” and is the last beast, for it “goes into perdition.” It is the Beast power which will fight Christ at His return (Revelation 19:19,20).

John continued, “These have one mind [one overall strategy; one purpose, or plan they are in complete agreement], and shall give their power and strength unto the beast” (Revelation 17:13).

The power and strength of a king is the total power of his people, his economy, his industrial infrastructure, his raw materials, and his military. It is absolute, despotic power, not limited by the “checks and balances” of a democratic system of government.

“These [the final ten kings, or human leaders over governments] shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for He is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with Him [may God grant that this includes you and me!] are called, and chosen, and faithful” (Revelation 17:14).

As we have read in Daniel’s seventh chapter, the final great Beast power exists at the time of the Second Coming of Christ. It is this system, together with the False Prophet, which will perpetrate the Great Tribulation upon the United States, and the British Commonwealth of nations.

Now, think. If you knew absolutely nothing about the book of Daniel; if you knew nothing about the identity of the “Lost Ten Tribes”; if you knew nothing about any other scriptures in the entire Bible except three verses in Revelation 17, you would still know a great deal about major world events!

How so? Read Revelation 17:12-14 again, slowly. Ponder each and every word of this prophecy. Here is what you would come to understand, if you had no other information whatsoever:

(1) There are ten governments which are to receive absolute despotic power “as kings” for a short time with the Beast.

(2) They are in complete agreement, and give their power and strength to the Beast.

(3) They are the last beast of Bible prophecy and world history, for they will fight Christ at His coming, and will be utterly destroyed!

That these are the ten toes of Daniel 2 is simply indisputable.

Now, where on this earth would you look to find the successors to the historical Beast power of prophecy; the Beast power that held sway from the time of Christ, through the Middle Ages, down until the time of World War II?

Remember, you cannot find the answer anywhere in the oriental world. Why? Because the Beast is controlled by the great harlot woman, which is a false Christ! It is a counterfeit Christian system, not a Buddhist, or an Islamic, or an animistic system!

There are those who speculate wildly, imagining that an Arab leader is the Beast, or that perhaps even the United States government is the Beast. This is absolute nonsense, and will not stand the test of the truth of prophecy and history.

Always, from the time of the emergence of the fourth beast, which was Rome, the Beast power has been in Europe! In most of history it was a Germanic kingdom, as is clearly shown in the chart, and proven by history.

The Holy Roman Empire was never Islamic, or Buddhist!

It was always nominal “Christian,” under the popes of Rome.

Notice what the eminent Critical And Experimental Commentary says about the Beast of Revelation 17: “It seems that these ten kings of kingdoms are to be contemporaries with the beast in its last or eighth form, viz., antichrist. cf. Daniel ii. 34, 44, ‘the stone smote the image upon his feet’¯i.e., upon the ten toes, which are, in vv. 41-44, interpreted, ‘kings.’ The ten kingdoms are not, therefore, ten which arose in the overthrow of Rome (heathen), but are to rise out of the last state of the fourth kingdom under the eighth head. Three of the former ten, the fourth kingdom’s little horn, the papacy, starting subsequently, absorbed Daniel vii.8. But the last ten of the fourth kingdom, the ‘ten toes,’ shall tread down the earth as ten simultaneous kingdoms, subordinate to the beast” (vol. VI, p. 712).

It is the system of Anti-Christ, not Anti-Mohammed, or Anti-Buddha.

Remember, the great fallen woman dressed in scarlet is a false, counterfeit “Christian” system, it is not Islamic!

The Great Tribulation¯the Time of “Jacob’s Trouble”

The two most specific events which will indicate to God’s people that the Great Tribulation is about to begin were prophesied by Jesus Christ in His famous Olivet Prophecy.

He warned, “When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place (whoso readeth, let him understand:) Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains….For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened [by God’s intervention], there should no flesh be saved [alive]; but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened” (Matthew 24:15-22). Again, please read our in depth booklet, “MIDEAST STRIFE—Will It Lead To ARMAGEDDON?“.  It covers all the amazing signs Christ said would occur which would usher in the tribulation; droughts, famines, disease epidemics, earthquakes; you will learn how the nations have stockpiled deadly biological and chemical weapons; about nuclear proliferation; about the potential for another war in the Mideast, and European and American involvement.

The Abomination of Desolation has occurred several times in the past, as a type, or forerunner of the final fulfillment. Antiochus Ephipanes desecrated the Temple, dedicated it to Jupiter Olympus, and caused swine to be sacrificed in the holy place. Titus desecrated it when Jerusalem was destroyed in A.D. 70.

The second very specific sign for which Jesus said we are to watch is armies surrounding Jerusalem. “And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh” (Luke 21:20).

The final, end-time fulfillment of these prophecies will be brought about by the Beast power moving into Palestine, overflowing into many other countries in the region, including Egypt (Daniel 11:40-45).

For many years, we have shown how the pope has called for Jerusalem to become a “corpus separatum,” or “internationalized city,” open to people of all faiths, in order to remove it as a political capital for any nation.

The new Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, has said over and over again that Jerusalem will never again be a divided city; that it will remain, in perpetuity, as the capital of the Jewish state. Yet, Yassir Arafat and the PLO, backed by many other virulently anti-Israeli nations, including Syria, Iraq, and Iran, absolutely insist that Jerusalem must become the political capital of the Palestinian state.

As discussed thoroughly in our booklet, “MIDEAST STRIFE—Will It Lead To ARMAGEDDON?”  the policies of the new Israeli government could well spell an end to the tentative “peace process” in the Mideast. Be sure to read that lengthy and very informative booklet for the complete picture.

The next war in the Mideast could bring about massive intervention from Europe. That intervention could come in the form of the movement of vast military forces into Israel, surrounding Jerusalem! If masquerading as the “Prince of Peace,” the pope of Rome could then enter into the Temple, having the power to perform miracles before hundreds of millions over global satellite television! He could claim that the only true church, the universal church, is returning to the place of its birth, Jerusalem! Study 2 Thessalonians 2 in this regard, where the “man of sin” will sit in the Temple of God, claiming to be very God!

Now, the Abomination of Desolation, AND the surrounding of Jerusalem with armies, would be in place!

Meanwhile, the United States and the British Commonwealth countries will be deep into economic malaise; afflicted by shocking, record-breaking droughts in some places; floods in others. Disease will be taking a dreadful toll; starvation will take the lives of hundreds of thousands, as famines grip many countries. Earthquakes and volcanic eruptions will cause further, massive destruction.

The Time of Jacob’s Trouble

Make no mistake! In the event of a major war in the Mideast, the United States would be directly involved! So would Europe, and, if such a conflict threatened the oil supplies in the Gulf, so would Japan. These observations are not prophetic¯they are geopolitical; practical economics!

This is important, for many scoff at biblical history and Bible prophecy, which prove the Great Tribulation is to fall primarily on the lost ten tribes of Israel, as well as the Jewish state of Israel.

The Tribulation is to fall upon Britain, the United States, and all those countries which are a part of “Jacob” and “Judah.”

Jeremiah was given a prophecy about this time of terrible national suffering, “For thus saith the Eternal; We have heard a voice of trembling, of fear, and not of peace. Ask ye now, and see whether a man doth travail with child? wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned into paleness? Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble; but he shall be saved out of it” (Jeremiah 30:5-7).

This is exactly the same time described by Jesus Christ and Daniel¯a time without parallel in horror, in destruction and death; a time worse in disastrous events than there has been “since there was a nation until now”; a time greater than any other time “from the beginning of the world to that time, no, nor ever shall be.”

It is the time of Jacob’s trouble! Jacob’s name was changed to Israel. Israel had twelve children who are the eponymous ancestors of twelve tribes. But dying Israel crossed his hands, deliberately blessing the two sons of Joseph by laying his right hand on the head of Ephraim, who was the younger, and his left hand on the head of Manasseh, who was the elder. He said, “let MY NAME be named on them” (Genesis 48:13-21).

Ephraim was to become a company of nations and Manasseh was to become the greatest single nation on earth. This fascinating story is covered in great detail in the book mentioned above¯there is no space to repeat it all here. It is the story of how the Israelite nation was formed; how the house of Israel and the house of Judah are two distinctly different nations in history, with two separate histories; two separate dynasties of kings.

Israel was carried captive in 721-718 B.C. by Shalmanezer of Assyria. The bulk of them never returned. Judah continued in the land until being deported as slaves by Babylon. As you read earlier, Cyrus and Artaxerxes allowed them to return to Palestine and rebuild the Temple, during the time of Zerubbabel, Ezra, and Nehemiah.

But the vast majority of the tribes¯Gad, Asher, Reuben, Naphtali, Dan, Issachar, Ephraim, Manasseh, Benjamin, and large portions of Simeon and Levi (who had no inheritance in the land, and were disbursed among all the tribes, including Judah)¯overspread the valleys of Europe, eventually settling all of northwestern Europe and the British Isles.

God’s warning through Jeremiah said the Great Tribulation of the end time would come upon Jacob, meaning Israel. But the biblical term Israel does not mean the modern nation in Palestine by that name, who are predominantly Jews, and therefore of the house of Judah. Remember, the very first time the word Jew is ever used in the Bible, the Jews are at war against Israel (2 Kings 16:6).

Four whole books of the Bible, 1 and 2 Kings, and 1 and 2 Chronicles, are devoted to the separate histories, and the separate dynasties of kings of the two distinctly different kingdoms of the house of Judah, (the Jews) and the house of Israel (who were never called Jews).

Now, notice the time setting of Jeremiah’s prophecy: “For it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Eternal of hosts, that I will break his yoke from off thy neck, and will burst thy bonds, and strangers shall no more serve themselves of him: But they shall serve the Eternal [Jehovah, or JHVW] their God, and David their king, whom I will raise up unto them” (Jeremiah 30:8,9). Again, here is a prophecy which shows Israel in captivity until the time of the intervention of God, the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, and the resurrection of the dead!

Israel, meaning Jacob, or the so-called lost ten tribes, are pictured as in captivity until God Himself breaks their bonds. A foreign power, or powers, has laid a yoke upon them, as a man would yoke an ox. They are in bonds which Christ Himself will burst, to set them free.

Now, whose yoke is laid upon them?

God says, “O Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, and the staff in their hand is mine indignation. I will send him against an hypocritical nation, and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge, to take the spoil, and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets. Howbeit he meaneth not so, neither doth his heart think so; but it is in his heart to destroy and cut off nations not a few” (Isaiah 10:5-7). Study this entire chapter, for it is God’s prophecy that the northern ten tribes would be removed by the armies of Assyria. And they were, in waves of invading forces from 721 to 718 B.C. But they never returned to Palestine en masse.

Once again, notice the time setting of the prophecy: “And it shall come to pass in that day, that the remnant of Israel, and such as are escaped of the house of Jacob [Ephraim and Manasseh primarily], shall no more again stay upon him that smote them; but shall stay upon the Eternal, the Holy One of Israel, in truth. The remnant shall return [this has never yet happened in history!], even the remnant of Jacob, unto the mighty God….And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing” (Isaiah 10:20,21,27).

Time and time again, ten-tribed Israel is depicted as being in a wretched state of captivity, their proud nations having been destroyed and their populations having become slaves, like the millions of forced laborers in Germany and eastern Europe during World War II. When does the Bible picture this terrifying state of affairs?

Isaiah 11 answers this question. Here are a few brief excerpts: “And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse [Christ], which shall stand for an ensign for the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and His rest [His millennial kingdom] shall be glorious. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set His hand again the second time to recover the remnant of His people, which shall be left, from Assyria [this has never happened in history!]….And He shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah [notice two different peoples] from the four corners of the earth….And the Eternal shall utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian sea [the eastern Mediterranean and Nile Delta]: and with His mighty wind shall He shake His hand over the river, and shall smite it in the seven streams, and make men go over dry shod. And there shall be an highway for the remnant of His people, which shall be left, from Assyria; like as it was to Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt” (Isaiah 11:10-16).

Never has any such thing occurred in history. Here, modern-day Israel, which does not mean the nation by that name in Palestine, is scattered among many nations, primarily Assyria, which is a modern, super-powerful, industrialized nation.

Notice again that it was Assyria that is prophesied to place a yoke of slavery on God’s people Israel during the Great Tribulation.

Now, notice: “Come down, and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon, sit on the ground: there is no throne, O daughter of the Chaldeans: for thou shalt no more be called tender and delicate….Thy nakedness shall be uncovered, yea, thy shame shall be seen: I will take vengeance, and I will not meet thee as a man. As for our redeemer, the ETERNAL of hosts is His name, the Holy One of Israel. Sit thou silent, and get thee into darkness O daughter of the Chaldeans: for thou shalt no more be called, The lady of kingdoms. I was wroth with my people, I have polluted mine inheritance, and given them into thine hand: thou didst shew them no mercy; upon the ancient hast thou very heavily laid thy yoke” (Isaiah 47:1,3-6).

This is the great false church organization, the “image of the Beast,” which is a mystery religion, having its ancient roots in Chaldea. For astounding proof of the direct relationship between the ancient Chaldean mystery religion and modern-day Roman Catholicism, read The Two Babylons, by Alexander Hislop.

Notice, then, that it is both Assyria, the modern nation, and the great “lady of kingdoms,” or a false religious system, which lay their yoke of merciless captivity and persecution on God’s people Israel.

“And thou saidst, I shall be a lady for ever: so that thou didst not lay these things to thy heart, neither didst remember the latter end of it. Therefore hear now this, thou that art given to pleasures, that dwellest carelessly, that sayest in thine heart, I AM, and none else beside me [names and titles of GOD, which are ultimate blasphemies in God’s sight!]; I shall not sit as a widow [so she was metaphorically married], neither shall I know the loss of children [she has “daughters” which came out of her in protest]: But these two things shall come to thee in a moment in one day, the loss of children, and widowhood: they shall come upon thee in their perfection for the multitude of thy sorceries, and for the great abundance of thine enchantments” (Isaiah 47:7-9).

The Beast power is ridden by a scarlet-colored woman, called the “mother of harlots and abominations of the earth.” God will allow the ten-nation Beast power, at the behest of the False Prophet, over a great false church, to punish His people, who have utterly rejected His laws and His way of life.

But after the Beast power occupied Palestine and Egypt, “tidings out of the east and out of the north shall trouble him” (Daniel 11:44).

The sixth trumpet plague is described: “And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared. And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. They are the spirits of demons, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty….And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon [Har-Meggido, or the hill of Megiddo, about ninety miles north of Jerusalem]. And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done! And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great. And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath” (Revelation 16:12-19).

The Beast power will then turn upon the great false church and utterly destroy her!

There was a limerick many years ago which is hauntingly appropriate to the description of the woman who rides the beast, but who is ultimately destroyed by the Beast:

There once was a lady from Niger,
Who smiled as she rode on a tiger;
They returned from the ride
With the lady inside,
And a smile on the face of the tiger.

Notice: “And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire. For God hath put it in their hearts to fulfil His will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled. And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth” (Revelation 17:16-18).

The Critical And Experimental Commentary says, “As Jerusalem used the world-power to crucify her Saviour, and then was destroyed by that very power, Rome, so the Church, having apostatized to the world, shall have judgment executed upon her by the world-power, the beast and his allies” (vol. VI., p. 713).

Then follows Revelation 18, which details how the Beast shall “hate the whore” and make her desolate.

Here, she is once again characterized as “Babylon the great.”

God’s warning to the world, and His warning to you is, “Come out of her [the Babylonish “mystery” religion], my people that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues: for her sins have reached unto heaven” (Revelation 18:4).

Now you know who, and what, is the Beast of the Apocalypse! It is a ten-nation combine which will arise in Europe, most probably dominated by Germany, the “fatherland,” in cooperation with the “mother” church!

A “king of the south” will “push at” this huge European power (Daniel 11:40-45), which will precipitate a massive invasion of the Mideast, and the occupation of Palestine.

Perhaps prior to this time, a temple will be rebuilt in Jerusalem, or a cornerstone will be dedicated. If the Arab mosques of the Dome of the Rock and the Al Aqsa Mosque, which stand on the site of Solomon’s Temple, were to be destroyed, it would precipitate a massive war in the Mideast; such an act would unite otherwise bickering, disagreeing Arab states.

Any major threat to the precious oil supplies of Japan (70 percent dependent!), or Europe (46 percent dependent!), would bring about military intervention.

The stage would be set for a great religious leader to “sit in the temple of God, shewing that he is God,” by performing “miracles in the sight of the beast,” and bringing about massive persecution and martyrdom of God’s true people!

Never forget that the two most important events for which God’s people are to watch were pointed out by Jesus Christ Himself: “When ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet…stand in the holy place where it ought not,” and, “When ye see Jerusalem surrounded with armies then know that the destruction thereof is nigh.”

There are no “secrets” involved in any of these prophetic understandings. No chronologies, no numerology, no secret visions, no special dreams.

Today, geopolitics moves inexorably toward the very events Jesus Christ Himself described. But as evil and horrifying as the Great Tribulation is to be, Jesus Christ reassured His people by saying, “And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads: for your redemption draweth nigh” (Luke 21:28).

It is always darkest before the dawn. You and I live in terrible times. We are surrounded by senseless terrorist bombings, street crime, drug abuse, rape, arson, and murder. Daily, we hear of children murdering other children; of parents drowning or shooting their own children; of “drive-by” shootings. We hear of robbery, burglary, auto theft, and every form of violence. We hear of wars and conflagrations from Bosnia to Northern Ireland; from Burundi to Korea.

Our nations are being torn apart by divorce, and the destruction of the family. Like Sodom of old, major political influences now change legislation to permit “same sex” marriages. Millions of helpless, unborn human beings have been slaughtered, many in the ninth month, by the forces of “pro-choice,” who now represent a major political movement, absolutely critical in national elections!

For these, and myriad other sins, God Almighty says He will shortly allow the wrath of the mighty Beast of the Apocalypse, ridden by a scarlet-clad woman, to wreak terrible vengeance upon our peoples!

Speaking of the horrible droughts, famines, disease epidemics, earthquakes, and wars which will afflict us, Jesus Christ says to you and to me, “Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that you might be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man” (Luke 21:36).

As the “watchman” to Israel, Ezekiel cried out, “Turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?” (Ezekiel 33:11).

Finally, remember Jesus’ words: “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened [by divine intervention from God!], there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened!” (Matthew 24:21,22).

May God grant that you and I be a part of His very elect!

You may copy and distribute this information only to friends and family without changes, without charge and with full credit given to the author and publisher. You may not publish it for general audiences.

This publication is intended to be used as a personal study tool. Please know it is not wise to take any man’s word for anything, so prove all things for yourself from the pages of your own Bible.

 

The activities of the Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association are paid for by tithes, offerings and donations 
freely given by Christians and co-workers who are dedicated to preaching the gospel according to Jesus Christ.

The post The Beast of the Apocalypse: What Is It? first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

In thousands of funeral ceremonies, clergymen confidently assure bereaved relatives their loved ones are already in heaven, and the belief is indelibly reinforced in an atmosphere of pain and fear of the unknown. But does the Bible really teach Christians go to heaven when they die?

Why is it there are no segregated graveyards?

Never have you seen indicated on tombstones that some of the bodies there were only the physical relics of souls which are now screaming in hell fire!

Yet, such is the belief of millions who confidently assume the teaching of a heavenly home, or an ever-burning hell.

No matter how sinfully the recently departed might have lived, many a pastor seems able to comfort distraught loved ones with the thought that, at the very last moment, cantankerous and crusty old Uncle Claude somehow made it through the pearly gates!

For over twenty-eight years, I have offered a certified cashier’s check for $10,000 to anyone who can come up with the words “immortal soul,” “When we get to heaven,” “I will see you in heaven,” and “We go to heaven when we die.”

Not in all those twenty-eight years, with millions hearing my words, has a single person been able to claim the certified cashier’s check for $10,000!

Why not?

Simply because such words are not in the Bible!

Remember, there is only one source for the real truth about what happens at death.

The Bible is God’s handbook to man—the revelation of knowledge man could not otherwise discover for himself. The Bible is revealed knowledge!

It does not purport to be a textbook on science, mathematics, geology, astronomy, biology, or physics. However, it is that one book from which and through which all study should be approached.

God did not waste space in His Word repeating for man, endlessly, thousands of things man could easily discover for himself.

He did, however, reveal to the willing hearts and minds of those human beings who are not hostile to God’s Word a precious fund of knowledge which we could not discover for ourselves!

The Bible is proved to be the divinely-revealed Word of God!

Paul said, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God [meaning, ‘God-breathed‘], and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16).

The divinely-revealed Word of God is the ultimate source to which we must go to discover the real truth about the reward of the saved, about what happens at death; about the promise of “heaven,” or the threat of “hell.”

Wouldn’t it seem logical to you that if heaven is the reward of the saved; that if hell is the reward of sinners; that if the saints are raptured away to heaven—there would at least be one scripture somewhere in the Bible plainly saying so?

Is it logical to you that of all the doctrines of the Bible, these main-line, trunk-of-the-tree “doctrines” of a “rapture,” or “going to heaven,” or an “ever-burning hell,” should be totally absent from the Bible?

Millions of churchgoers have sat in church hearing graphic descriptions of heaven. They have heard tear-jerking stories of the death of saintly elderly persons; visions of heaven, last-moment death-bed repentances, and stories of people who have gazed upward as they died and said they saw Jesus coming!

But for all this gingerbread and euphoria around the edges of the subject, these same church-going people have never in their lives sat down at a lengthy Bible study or church service where they heard a minister wade through dozens of scriptures in the Bible promising heaven as the reward of the saved!

They have heard vague allusions from only a few scriptures which are capable of several interpretations!

But they have never heard a patient, careful, well-organized, thorough Bible study or sermon proving from the Bible that heaven is the reward of the saved!

Why haven’t they?

Simply because it cannot be proved!

Why Did Christ Teach the Resurrection?

Why did Jesus continually speak of a resurrection? He said,

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live” (John 5:25).

He described those who were in their graves, dead, knowing nothing, at the time of the second coming of Christ. “Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the grave shall hear His voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation” [“judgement,” margin] (John 5:28-29).

These scriptures plainly refer to a future event. Jesus spoke of a general resurrection from the dead, which He called a resurrection “of life. ” He clearly spoke of the opposite of death. He spoke of life.

God’s word says “The dead know not anything,” and “The memory of them is forgotten. ” David, in the Psalms, explains that death is a completely mindless state—an absence of knowledge and awareness.

Solomon, David’s son, explained that men die a death exactly as do beasts (Ecclesiastes 3:19). He said “Yea they all have one breath. “

God’s Word reveals that human beings live a physical, chemical existence. We are mortal, temporary, transitory creatures; sustained by the material elements of this physical creation. We are water-drinking, air-breathing, food-ingesting creatures whose life is dependent solely upon our bloodstream and the foods (as fuel) we take into our systems.

When we die, a total cessation of this physical, chemical existence occurs. Death is the absence of life. The Bible describes those who go down into their graves as being just as dead as any animal is dead!

But Jesus Christ spoke of a time when they will be raised up to life! Notice, He did not describe a supposed “immortal soul” being placed back into a formerly dead, decayed body!

Read the entire fifteenth chapter of 1 Corinthians. This is called the “resurrection chapter.” In this marvelous portion of scripture are found some of the most important and plainest doctrines of the Word of God. Not only is the resurrection described in great detail, but even “foolish questions” are answered. Continually, people think they have discovered a question too difficult even for God. They will relate, tiresomely, the devouring of bodies buried at sea by sharks. Then they describe how the sharks are finally

caught by a fisherman, and their livers sold in the market. They then say that some other human being eats the shark’s liver, and therefore a portion of the bodies of the dead, by providing fuel for a shark’s stomach, being absorbed into its body and becoming a part of its liver, now becomes a part of the body of another living person! So how does God solve the problem, they ask?

They will describe what happens when people are fused into nothingness in an atomic explosion, burnt in a crematorium and their ashes scattered over the mountains, in the air, or at sea; or even puzzle endlessly over what happens to those who died centuries ago where even the bones themselves have turned to nothing but dust.

To such questing minds, it seems impossible for God to “resurrect” the body that was. The Apostle Paul shows these are “foolish questions,” and answers them thoroughly in the famous “resurrection chapter” of 1 Corinthians 15.

“But some man will say, how are the dead raised up? And with what body do they come? Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die: And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or some other grain: But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased Him, and to every seed His own body. All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds. There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption: it is raised in incorruption: It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness: it is raised in power: It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body” (1 Corinthians 15:35-44).

Notice first that the Apostle Paul refers to carnal human reasonings about just how God is going to bring back an utterly corrupted and decayed human body as a question proposed by a fool.

Then, He shows that through the unlimited miracle working power of God a completely corrupt, dishonorable, natural body which can waste away to become fused once again with the elements of this earth (“dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return”) is to be resurrected as a spirit being!

“Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual … and as we have borne the image of the earthly, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Behold I show 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 trump; for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality! ” (1 Corinthians 15:46-53).

You need to read all of this marvelously revealing chapter in your own Bible. Read it slowly, accept it on face value, as it is, and believe it as the very Word of God!

If you do, you will never again be confused about the resurrection of the dead.

This revealing chapter plainly shows that, at death, your physical, temporal bodies, sustained in a chemical existence by the natural elements of this earth; food, water, and air, completely cease to function, and that total unconsciousness and oblivion results!

Not only is there a complete cessation of life—there is total loss of consciousness!

Then, within moments after death, the physical body begins to decay.

This beautiful fifteenth chapter of 1 Corinthians explains that no matter how rapidly that decaying process (whether being blown to bits in an atomic explosion or slowly decaying in a normal grave) God is capable of completely re-creating a new spirit life, giving the individual a brand-new spirit body!

The Apostle Paul went to great pains to explain it is not the old, decaying, “corrupted” body which is raised, but a spiritual body.

There are literally dozens of scriptures in the Bible which speak of a great resurrection.

Notice another of the most important. “And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the Word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished [this is the first resurrection]. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years” (Revelation 20:4-6).

Just as Jesus spoke of a resurrection to “life” and a resurrection to judgment,” so this revealing scripture shows the dead in Christ being resurrected at the second coming of Christ, and then reigning with Jesus Christ for a thousand years, while “the rest of the dead, ” (those who were never converted), remain totally oblivious to all this passage of time until after the thousand years are over!

You see, beginning in verse II to the end of chapter 20, the picture of the “great white throne judgment,” or the great latter-day resurrection of perhaps billions of human beings who will then be given an opportunity for salvation!

Read the 37th chapter of Ezekiel in the light of the last part of Revelation 20.

The famous “dry bones” of Ezekiel’s prophecy are stated to be “the whole house of Israel” (verse II) who are to be resurrected in this great “white throne judgment.”

God says “Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. And ye shall know that I am the Eternal when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves. And shall put my spirit in you, and you shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall you know that I the Eternal have spoken it, and performed it, saith the Eternal” (Ezekiel 37:12-14).

Here again, you see two opposites: death, complete unconsciousness—human bodies by the millions decaying, forgotten in their graves—In contrast to a great future resurrection to life even after the millennial reign of Jesus Christ!

Time and again, the Bible speaks of the first resurrection at the precise instant of the second coming of Christ!

In this regard, study carefully one of the cherished scriptures used by proponents of the “hope of heaven” doctrine.

Turn to 1 Thessalonians 4, commencing to read with verse 13. “But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent [precede] them which are asleep. For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words. ”

This text is used over and over again to imply that Christians go to heaven!

Search the scriptures again, however, and you will see this scripture says nothing about going to heaven!

What does it say?

It says both the “dead in Christ (who have been completely dead, oblivious, unconscious of the passage of time in their graves) and the living Christians will “be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air…”

This does not say “up in heaven!” It says “in the clouds.”

Clouds are as much a part of this earth as the oceans, the mountains, or anything else composed of matter.

While you may think of clouds as not being literally composed of matter, if they were not particulate matter, they would be invisible, and you could not see them. Even so, the air itself is, in practical fact, “material,” meaning it occupies space, has weight, is subjected to certain rigid and unalterable laws, and is composed of a wide variety of gases.

Our “atmosphere” is a thin envelope of life-supporting gases which are held close to the surface of the earth by gravity. Living plants produce oxygen, which is necessary for human and animal survival.

Clouds are merely vapor, formed by condensation and the forming of tiny ice particles when moisture-laden air is subjected to changes in pressure and temperature.

Most jet air travel is well above the majority of all clouds. Certainly, all of the orbital satellites are far above the clouds, and yet are held in an orbital pattern above the earth, established by the pull of gravity.

When the Bible speaks of Jesus Christ returning to this earth it plainly reveals He is coming all the way back down, just as He left.

Read, in the first chapter of Acts, of the very first message ever to come back down from heaven after Jesus ascended to His Father:

“And when He [Jesus] had spoken these things, while they [the disciples] beheld, He was taken up; and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; Which also said, ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as you have seen Him go into heaven” (Acts 1:9-11).

They watched Jesus being enveloped in the clouds only a very few hundred feet above their heads! Jesus would have been completely invisible if He were only a very few thousand feet from them! The scripture plainly shows He was still visible until clouds obscured Him from their view.

That meant the clouds had to be quite low on this occasion!

The Bible then says He will come back to this earth, “in like manner” as they saw Him go into heaven!

Turn back to 1 Thessalonians 4 and read the passage quoted again.

Notice what it does not say. It does not say anything whatsoever about “going to heaven.” It says nothing whatsoever about “an immortal soul”!

Rather, as plainly corroborated by many other scriptures, it shows the resurrection of the dead in Christ, and the instantaneous change (1 Corinthians 15:50-52) of those who are “alive and remain,” to be caught up together as one group “in the clouds,” and finally concludes by saying “… and so shall we ever be with the Lord. And where will the Lord be on that same day?

Remember, He is coming back. He is not merely going to “visit the general vicinity” of the earth, catching away saints in a so-called “rapture” and take them off to heaven!

Notice the proof, from your own Bible!

“Behold the day of the Lord cometh, and thy spoils shall be divided in the midst of thee. For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then shall the Eternal go forth, and fight against those nations, as when He fought in the day of battle. And His feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south” (Zechariah 14:1-4).

The setting of this prophecy is the day of the Lord. The day of the Lord is that period of time immediately following the heavenly signs of Revelation 7, and the first five “seals” of Revelation 6, or the great tribulation prophesied by Jesus in Matthew 24.

The gathering of all nations against Jerusalem to battle is the same great battle depicted in Revelation 19:11-21.

Here, John sees the heavens opened in vision, and Jesus Christ sitting on a white horse, followed by heavenly armies, returning to this earth to “smite the nations” and “rule them with a rod of iron. ”

In the vision, John said he “saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him that sat on the horse, and against His army.” And describes the destruction of both the beast and the false prophet on the very same day of the second coming of Jesus Christ.

What will happen after the dead in Christ and the living Christians are caught up together to meet the returning Christ in the air?

The Bible says “And His feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives! ”

They are gathered from all nations, taken by powerful angels to meet Jesus Christ as He returns directly to the Mount of Olives, and so descend with Him to Jerusalem!

Notice! “And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together the elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other” (Matthew 24:30-3 1).

Notice again the description of Jesus Christ returning to this earth!

The false doctrine of Christians “going to heaven” would make completely unnecessary any second coming of Christ. If “souls” were already “in heaven” from the time they died, then why should Christ come back? Why should such “souls” be taken from heaven, placed back into decayed bodies, resurrected, and then the whole process of deciding where they belong begun all over again?

The false doctrine of the “immortality of the soul” and Christians “going to heaven” does away with the second coming of Christ—which is the greatest prophesied event in the Bible!

No, “souls” do not go to heaven—neither do people. Christ is coming back to this earth. He is coming all the way back; coming with clouds, to catch the converted righteous up into the air with Him, take them to a place just above Jerusalem, and then, “His feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives” in that same day!

Obviously, these many biblical proofs of the second coming of Christ utterly negate the false doctrine of souls going to heaven.

Now, let’s notice some of Christ’s parables about His coming kingdom; about the fact it will be set up on this literal earth, and see some of the prophecies about conditions on the earth during the millennium.

Read again the parable of the pounds and the talents. One example is found in Matthew 25:14-30, and another in Luke 19:12-27.

In each case, those who overcome are promised of Jesus Christ rulership over cities!

In the parable of the talents (Matthew 25), Jesus says, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of the Lord.”

In the case of the parable of the pounds (Luke 19) Jesus says, “Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities” (Luke 19:17).

Do these plain words of your Savior “fit” into the traditional teaching you have always heard—perhaps just taken for granted? Anything about “heaven” here? No, but rulership over cities, occupied by human beings, during the 1,000- year reign of Christ on earth is offered to those who are living a life of overcoming—of qualifying for such positions!

Notice! “And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father” (Revelation 2:26, 27).

There is no way to “spiritualize” these plain words away! Jesus Christ means exactly what He says! Those who are living a life of overcoming the pulls and tugs of human nature; the works of the flesh (Galatians 5:19-2 1) and who qualify will be given actual power and authority over cities, counties, states, and whole nations! Do you remember what Jesus said to His disciples just prior to His crucifixion? “…Verily I say unto you, that ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of His glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel! (Matthew 19:28).

Jesus Christ says that even those who live in this day can have an opportunity for co-rulership in His new government which is to be set up on this earth after His second coming!

“To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in His throne” (Revelation 3:21).

Jesus Christ is coming to inherit a literal throne! That throne is on this earth. How many little children have memorized the following words at “Christmas-time,” repeating the enunciation by the angel to Mary concerning the birth of Jesus Christ, and not known what they said?

“And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favor with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a Son, and shalt call His name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of His father David;and He shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of His kingdom there shall be no end!” (Luke 1:30-33).

God made a binding covenant with David, telling him because David remained faithful to God’s laws and precepts that there would never fail seed from David’s own family to sit upon His physical throne! Believe it or not, that throne still exists on this earth!

Read the prophecy of Daniel’s second chapter, where you see, after the description of the four great successive world-ruling Gentile kingdoms, a “stone cut out without hands” which smites the image on its feet [the ten toes representing the ten kings of Revelation 17] and which then “becomes a great mountain and fills the whole earth.”

Clearly, in this prophecy, the figurative stone represents the returning, conquering Christ! The great image represents the successive stages of the Gentile world-ruling kingdoms, culminating in the BEAST depicted in Daniel 7, and Revelation 13 and 17.

The ten kings which fight Christ at His coming (Revelation 17) are represented by the ten toes of the great image, mixed with iron and miry clay.

The “great mountain” is symbolic of the Kingdom of God which will rule over the entirety of the earth!

God’s Kingdom to Rule on Earth

There is voluminous evidence in the Bible that the Kingdom of God will reign on this earth!

Let’s notice just a few of the more outstanding proofs.

“But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the House of the Eternal shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people [physical human beings will still be alive on the earth during that day!] shall flow unto it. And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Eternal, and to the House of the God of Jacob and He will teach us of His ways and we will walk in His paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the Word of the Eternal from Jerusalem. And He shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and 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. But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the Eternal of Hosts has spoken it” (Micah 4:1-4).

Here, you see the symbol of the Kingdom of God established over all the other nations, greater and lesser!

Then you see representative ambassadors from all countries on earth agreeing, finally, to come to God’s headquarters’ city in Jerusalem, learning of the ways of God; learning to keep His laws, learning to convert weapons of war into implements of peace!

Here is a graphic description of God finally forcing upon mankind the ways of peace, happiness, prosperity, bounteous joy!

Ugly, death-dealing tanks will be smelted down, and turned into farming implements. There will be no “war colleges,” or military academies, teaching the “art” of war!

Notice a parallel scripture: “And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord’s House shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the House of the God of Jacob; and He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law and the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And He shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and 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” (Isaiah 2:2-4).

Again, we see the complete rehabilitation of the earth. It is the time of “restitution” of all things (Acts 3:21). A time for reconstruction, reeducation; a time for global revolution, when those who are born of God by a resurrection from the dead, are changed instantaneously (as you learned in 1 Corinthians 15) and who have become members of the very family of God, will join Jesus Christ in positions of leadership and rulership over the human, physical remnants of the great global holocaust that is sure to come!

But mankind will survive! (Matthew 24:21, 22).

Christ will return to this physical earth, and will grant positions of responsibility and rulership to those who have truly qualified to be members of His kingdom! Notice a description of conditions extant on earth after Christ has begun to rule: “But with righteousness shall He judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and He shall smite the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips shall He slay the wicked. And righteousness shall be the girdle of His loins, and faithfulness the girdle of His reins. The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the suckling child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’ 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, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and His rest shall be glorious. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set His hand again the second time to recover the remnant of His people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. And He shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth” (Isaiah 11:4-12).

It is impossible to misinterpret or misunderstand this plain scripture! Obviously, the “rod out of the stem of Jesse” (Jesse was David’s father and therefore of the lineage of Christ) and a “Branch” which was to grow out of his roots is a metaphorical reference to Jesus Christ.

Read verse 2, “And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Eternal.”

Commencing with verse 4, you see the description of the righteous judgments of Jesus Christ returning to this earth as the conquering King of kings and Lord of lords (read Revelation 19).

Immediately following, you see the conditions which shall become extant over all the earth during the millennial reign of Jesus Christ!

Are there wolves, lions, oxen and poisonous snakes up in heaven? Nonsense!

Here, you see a description of the “time of restitution of all things” of which Peter prophesied immediately following the day of Pentecost, and the birthday of the Church. Peter said, “And He shall send Jesus Christ [predicting Jesus’ second coming!], which before was preached unto you: Whom the heaven must receive UNTIL the times of restitution of all things [the restoring of everything], which God hath spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began” (Acts 3:20, 21).

The very nature of animals shall be changed!

Read the entire passage slowly and carefully. You need no one to “interpret” what it says, or attempt to change its meaning! Clearly, this is a detailed description of conditions to become extant on this earth immediately after the second coming of Jesus Christ, and in the first years of His Kingdom!

Here, many of the nations of the earth, identified by their ancient names, are mentioned. God says He will regather the second time the remnant of His people from nations all over the earth, and from the “islands [coastlands] of the sea.”

Heavenly Retirement, or Hard Work?

Does it make any sense to you? What if our young men just entering the army, navy or marines, underwent six weeks of primary training, then several months of additional training, literally transforming them from civilians into military men, skilled in the use of modern weapons and military equipment, only to have their drill instructor announce to them on the moment of their graduation from “boot camp” or primary training: “Well, men, that’s it! You have all done a marvelous job. You have become skilled through the rigors of physical exercise, weapons handling, running obstacle courses, learning close-order drill and the Manual of Arms. Now, you are full-fledged military men! Now, it is time for all of you to retire! “

Sounds ludicrous, when put that way, doesn’t it?

Yet, Jesus said “It is through much tribulation we must enter the Kingdom of God.” And promised His true servants “In the world ye shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world! ” (John 16:33). Peter cried out, “If the righteous scarcely be saved, what shall be the end of them that obey not the gospel of God?” (1 Peter 4:17).

In the sermon on the mount, Jesus described the way into His soon-coming Kingdom as the “strait,” meaning difficult route! The way that leads to destruction He described as a broad, well-lit avenue with glittering lights and dazzling attractions. But the way into His Kingdom He described as rutty, rocky, narrow, winding, and extremely difficult!

Frequently, the Bible uses the analogy of military service when speaking of Christians. The seal of the Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association shows a helmet, breastplate, and crossed swords, with a quotation from Ephesians 6:11-18, which says, in part, “Put on the whole armour of God … having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith … the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the spirit, which is the Word of God.”

The Apostle Paul urged Timothy to perform “as a good soldier of Jesus Christ” (2 Timothy 2:3).

On another occasion, Paul said, “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds… ” (2 Corinthians 10:4).

Jesus said, “To him that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: And he shall rule them with a rod of iron… ” (Revelation 2:26, 27).

God uses these analogies to show Christians that they are involved in training, and in a kind of warfare, as if professional soldiers.

A Christian is one who is continually overcoming; learning, studying, growing, gaining wisdom, knowledge, patience, love, and humility! A Christian is fighting (1 Corinthians 9:26), but fighting Satan the devil, and resisting the pulls of human nature, not fighting physical enemies with guns and bullets!

This human life is a vast training ground for the Kingdom of God!

It is “boot camp”—primary training—for those who are to finally graduate into the very Kingdom and Family of God, to become qualified to RULE the world with Jesus Christ!

The Christian life has great PURPOSE! God is working out a PLAN here below! Yet, millions fail to see that great purpose they remain ignorant of God’s plan in their lives!

Nowhere does the Bible preach “Christian retirement”! Think of it! Does not much of the music, many of the sermons, and a great deal of so-called “Christian” teaching portray an eternity of idleness and ease; of beatific bliss and indolent delight?

Do not the envisionary “heavens” of many of the other religions of the world picture virtually the same thing? One thinks of the song “The Lazy Ole Sun Got Nothin’ to do But Roll Around Heaven All Day,” in this context. Reference to the “heavenly rocking chair” and “heavenly mansions” are liberally sprinkled through some of the mythological teachings of professing Christianity.

But the truth of God is far different!

The truth is that Almighty God is calling a cadre of individuals (and not all the world is being called NOW!) as the advance emissaries of His soon-coming Kingdom! Even as Jesus Christ called only twelve disciples and formed them into the nucleus of His “group of called-out ones” or His “church” (which more properly should be translated “assembly” in modern English), so that SAME Jesus Christ is calling out a select group whom He calls “the very elect” (Matthew 24:22) for rigorous training to qualify to become future WORLD RULERS with Him!

Does anyone really comprehend the awe-inspiring breadth and scope of God’s great plan and purpose?

The churches simply do not teach it! What church teaches that its members are now qualifying to become city managers, mayors, ambassadors, princes, presidents, premiers and prime ministers, KINGS in the world to come? But city managers, mayors and premiers with a difference! That difference is being imbued with a divine power of ALMIGHTY GOD!

Future leaders in Christ’s soon-coming Kingdom will not be hampered by years-long “studies” by vested interests and government-paid bureaucrats. Decisions involving hygiene, transportation, civil justice, the environment, care for the elderly, etc., etc., will not be hampered and bogged down by years of committee studies, city council meetings, voting and elections, court trials, referendums and lawsuits! Rather, those who will rule with Jesus Christ will have wisdom far exceeding that of Solomon; the very love and mercy of Jesus Christ; with which they will be able to rule forcibly, swiftly, in mercy and righteousness, but with sternness and POWER where necessary!

After all, it is here on earth where the problems are!

There are no “problems” to solve in heaven! Almighty God is not calling a group to be put through rigorous training, overcoming and growing in the knowledge and love of Jesus Christ; fighting themselves; having their very human nature changed from that of jealousy, lust, avarice and greed to the character of Jesus Christ of love, goodness, meekness, mercy, kindness and understanding, in order to retire!

Instead, Jesus Christ promises CO-RULERSHIP WITH HIM!

“To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in His throne!” (Revelation 3:21).

John, in vision, wrote, “And I looked, and lo, a Lamb [Christ] stood on the Mount Zion [which is in Jerusalem, on this earth!] and with Him an hundred and forty and four thousand, having His Father’s name written in their foreheads … these were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb! ” (Revelation 14:1-4).

Is it possible YOU are being called, now, to become one of those comparatively few individuals? Could God, actually, be performing the miracle of opening your mind to see His TRUTH?

Millions around you are in spiritual darkness. The big churches and major denominations do not teach these simple truths from the Word of God! The millions believe they are “going to heaven” when they die; believe in an immortal soul, and an ever-burning hell!

You may copy and distribute this information only to friends and family without changes, without charge and with full credit given to the author and publisher. You may not publish it for general audiences.

This publication is intended to be used as a personal study tool. Please know it is not wise to take any man’s word for anything, so prove all things for yourself from the pages of your own Bible.

The activities of the Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association are paid for by tithes, offerings and donations
freely given by Christians and co-workers who are dedicated to preaching the gospel according to Jesus Christ.

The post Believe it or Not… The Bible Does NOT Promise “Heaven”! first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

Believe it or not, there is no biblical commandment to celebrate the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ! Instead, there are many commands to solemnly celebrate his death!

Most professing Christians are completely ignorant of this fact.

To hundreds of millions of professing Christians all over the world, “Easter” is either the MOST important “Christian” holiday, or second, behind “Christmas.” Few have ever researched the origins of either celebration. Few know that both are laden with paganism; customs derived from heathens who were sun worshipers, and not from the Bible, or the apostles of Christ.

Jesus Christ would never have allowed His chosen disciples to worship Him by using symbols of sex and fertility, such as rabbits, eggs, mistletoe, little green trees, holly wreaths and the like. Certainly, He would have soundly CON­DEMNED the practice of a “religious” service conducted at SUNRISE, facing the SUN! Such is utterly pagan, and Jesus Christ, in His pre-human state, inspired Jeremiah to write, “LEARN NOT THE WAY OF THE HEATHEN,” while He described the Christmas tree (Jeremiah 10:1-4).

Make no mistake! The resurrection of Jesus Christ was a GREAT EVENT! The fact of Christ’s resurrection represents the very cornerstone of the faith of the apostles; the reason for their deep conviction and conversion; the wellspring of their courage in the face of martyrdom! It was the proof of Christ’s resurrection which caused them to assemble in Jerusalem for that first great moment on Pentecost when God sent audible and visual evidence of His Holy Spirit!

Yet, for all the stupendous significance of the resurrection, there is not one scripture in all the Bible which sets apart the DAY of the resurrection as a day to be appointed for worship; not one “thus saith the Lord” which commands Christians to gather for worship on that day!

In spite of this, the entire “Sunday – Saturday” controversy is based on Catholic doctrine (adopted by almost all Protestants) which states that “Our Lord rose from the dead on the first day of the week.”

Professing Christians know there is no command in the Bible to observe Sunday. They say they are doing it in “commemoration of the resurrection.” But the resurrection was NOT ON SUNDAY.

The Bible Commands Us To Celebrate Christ’s Death

While there are no scriptures commanding Christians to celebrate the moment of Christ’s resurrection, there are many plain ones commanding us to observe, in solemn ceremony, His DEATH on the “tree.”

Paul wrote to the Gentile Christians in Corinth, “For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread:

“And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.

“After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.

“For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord’s death till he come” (1 Corinthians 11:23-26).

This was not the age-old celebration of the PASSOVER, but a supper held as the nighttime of the fourteenth began, with new and different symbols which Christ had instituted, conducted from 17 to 24 hours prior to the “Feast.” The Feast of the Passover was eaten in the NIGHT at the beginning of the fifteenth of Abib, or Nisan. The lamb, which pictured Christ, was killed in the afternoon of the fourteenth!

Christ CHANGED the symbols of the Passover, setting His disciples an example of a NEW Testament observance Paul later referred to as “The Lord’s Supper.” In ancient Israel, the roast lamb, eaten on the night of the Feast with their shoes on their feet, their staffs in their hands, in haste, symbolized Jesus Christ, the “Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” The lamb was slain by shedding its blood. The unleavened bread, or the “bread of haste” symbolized getting rid of SIN. These shadows led to Christ. Once the reality had come; once the very Son of God was now about to become the sacrifice for the sins of all mankind, there was no further need to follow shadows. The shadow LED to the stake upon which Christ died. Now, the Savior of all mankind instituted a NEW ceremony. The ancient Israelites did not engage in a foot washing ceremony; did not partake of only a small piece of unleavened bread, or drink a sip of wine. Instead, they ate an entire meal of roast lamb!

When Christ instituted the NEW Testament symbols of the foot washing, the bread and the wine, He commanded His disciples, “For I have given you an example, that you should DO, as I have done unto you!” (John 13:15).

For centuries, God’s called and chosen servants continued to faithfully observe the “Lord’s Supper” (which many continued to call “The Passover”) ON THE FOURTEENTH OF NISAN.

When an APOSTATE church began to IMPOSE the ancient custom of Ishtar (the “h” is silent, so the pronunciation is “Easter”), and command Christians to cease and desist from observing the Lord’s Supper on the fourteenth of Nisan, many thousands continued to do so in defiance of the “Council of Nicaea.”

For centuries, these believing people, faithful to Christ’s commands and His example, were sought out, persecuted, and murdered. The “Quartodeciman Controversy” is documented through many centuries of history; “Quartodeciman” meaning “Fourteenth.”

Thus, God’s true Church continued to follow Christ’s example by observing the symbols of His DEATH. NEVER did the apostles celebrate a sunrise service! NEVER did they observe the dawning of the first day of the week in “celebration of the resurrection.” NEVER did they revel amid symbols of fertility, such as colored eggs and rabbits!

Instead, they gathered to rehearse Christ’s instructions just as he gave them on the “night in which he was betrayed,” reminding themselves, year by year, of the DEATH of the Lord and Savior of all mankind!

The ONLY SIGN That Christ Was The Messiah

The murder-plotting, posturing Pharisees, like many professing Christians today, wanted to see some kind of supernatural “sign,” as proof of Christ’s credentials. Matthew recorded it: “Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee.

“But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas:

“For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (Matthew 12:38-40).

The significance of the sign was the precise LENGTH OF TIME Christ would be in the tomb! Think of what this means! Christ was NOT saying that the SIGN of His Messiahship would be the fact of the resurrection, but, instead, the length of time He would be dead, IN THE TOMB!” 

This has caused tremendous controversy, and no end of devious circumventions, human reasonings, evasions, convoluted explanations and outright falsehoods among the so-called “higher critics” and would-be Bible “scholars.” Why? Simply because steeped in the traditions of men, they have clung to their fables surrounding “Easter,” and REJECTED the ONLY SIGN Jesus gave as PROOF that He was, in fact, the Son of God!

None of these would-be scholars will admit he is REJECTING CHRIST! Oh, no, he will use every excuse, every argument, to GET AROUND the plain statement of Christ Himself, and, without knowing it, cling to a FALSE “Christ” of his own imagination, REJECTING the real Jesus Christ of Nazareth.

How do they do this? What reasons do they put forth to get around Christ’s statements?

First, it is obvious that “Good Friday” to “Easter Sunday Morning” cannot fit into Christ’s plain statement that He would be in the tomb for “three days and three nights.”

For, if He was entombed late on “Good Friday,” then Friday sunset to Sabbath sunset is one night and one day; Sabbath sunset to Sunday sunset is two nights and two days, and Sunday sunset to Monday sunset is THREE NIGHTS AND THREE DAYS!

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that something is wrong here!

So, they have decided to say that Christ’s statement was in the Greek language, and that He used a Greek idiom, which meant only “part” of three days and “part” of three nights, or, in other words, just TWO nights, and ONE DAY! Thus, since they claim Christ was buried on “Good Friday” just before sunset, He would have been in the tomb only all night Friday night (which is really not “Friday” at all, but “the Sabbath,” since the days began at sunset), all day “Saturday,” all night “Saturday night” and would have arisen AT SUNRISE on “Easter Sunday Morning!”

But Jesus Christ would not have spoken in Greek to His disciples, who were Galileans; hill-country folk, who spoke Aramaic, a dialect of the Hebrew language which had developed among Jewish captives during the Babylonian captivity!

Also, Jesus said specifically that He would be in the tomb “…AS JONAH WAS three days and three nights!” The book of Jonah was written in HEBREW, not in Greek! The only scriptures extant during the days of Christ and the disciples were the Hebrew scriptures of the Old Testament! The first book of the New Testament — the very book containing Christ’s words about the sign of Jonah, Matthew, was not written until almost twenty long years later; about 55 AD!

There is no “Greek idiom” contained in Jonah!

Did not Christ know the difference between a day and a night? When He presented the ONLY SIGN which He would leave as a perpetual sign of His Divine origins; His Messiahship, would He have used confusing language?

Jesus said, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because heseeth the light of this world.

“But if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there is no light in him” (John 11:9, 10). Clearly, Jesus stated there are twelve hours of daylight, and an equal time of darkness! He was using a spiritual analogy, of course, but it is absolutely PROVED that when Jesus Christ said “three DAYS” He meant three periods of twelve hour daylight, and three periods of equal darkness — three days and three nights!

There are not three periods of twelve hours of daylight between “Good Friday” at sunset and Ishtar(pronounced “Easter” today) Sunday morning! Instead, there are only TWELVE HOURS of daylight — ONE twelve-hour day —the day we call by its pagan name, “Saturday!”

The so-called “higher critics” admit that Jonah was in the belly of the great fish for seventy-two hours. Jesus said He would be in the tomb for the exact same amount of time! WHY?

For the very important reason that to remain in the tomb for such a protracted period of time would remove any last vestige of doubt about whether Christ had truly DIED or not! When Jesus resurrected Lazarus, He was warned that Lazarus had been in the grave for four days and nights, and warned that there would be a terrible odor, for his body would have begun to decompose by this time!

Notice the account. Christ had arrived at the tomb where Lazarus had been buried when “Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days” (John 11:39).

All knew that Jesus Christ had been mercilessly, horribly beaten with a “scourge,” like a “cat o’ nine tails,” or a lash with bits of stone or metal woven into the tips! His flesh had been ripped and torn! God’s Word says, “Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high.

“As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men [so much so that He didn’t look human!]

“So shall he sprinkle many nations [from the blood dripping out of many wounds!]; the kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider” (Isaiah 52:13-15).

In the moving prophecy about Christ’s sufferings found in Psalms 22, it says, “My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death.

“For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have enclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.

“I may tell [count] all my bones [they had flayed His flesh from His ribs!]: they look and stare upon me.

“They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.

“But be not thou far from me, O LORD: O my strength, haste thee to help me” (Psalms 22:15- 19). A Roman soldier jammed a spear into Christ’s side, at which time He cried out, and died! Christ died by the shedding of His blood from multiple lash wounds and a spear thrust!

It was critical for ABSOLUTE PROOF that He was the Son of God that He remain in the “heart of the earth,” for exactly three days and three nights! Jesus Christ said so!

The Bible Definition Of Days and Nights

Jesus Christ told His disciples that He would “rise the THIRD DAY!” Now, what is the Bible definition of that third day?

“And God [Elohim; more than one. See John 1:1-10] said, Let there be light: and there was light.

“And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.

“And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening [darkness] and the morning [light] were [together!] the first day” (Genesis 1:3-5). The Hebrew word for “day” is Yom. It means a normal twenty-four hour day, commencing with sunset, with approximately twelve hours of darkness, and twelve hours of light.

Notice further biblical proof about the meaning of “days” in the only scriptures extant when Christ made His prediction from the book of Jonah. Esther asked all the Jews to fast for “three days.” Notice what she said: “Then Esther bade them return Mordecai this answer,

“Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish.

“So Mordecai went his way, and did according to all that Esther had commanded him.

“Now it came to pass on the third day, that Esther put on her royal apparel, and stood in the inner court of the king’s house, over against the king’s house: and the king sat upon his royal throne in the royal house, over against the gate of the house” (Esther 4:16-17; 5:1).

Just as in Christ’s day, the expression “on the third day” meant when the full period of three days and three nights had been completed!

Now you have the BIBLE definition of the meaning of three days and three nights!

Even a little child in the first few grades of primary school can understand this!

Christ had said, “After three days I will rise again!” When His murderers reminded the Roman authorities of this statement, His tomb was not only sealed, but an armed guard was required to remain there! “Now the next day, that followed the day of the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate,

“Saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again.

“Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead: so the last error shall be worse than the first.

“Pilate said unto them, Ye have a watch: go your way, make it as sure as ye can.

“So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch” (Matthew 27:62-66).Notice that statement carefully! It was the DAY AFTER THE PREPARATION, which some have mistakenly assumed was the weekly Sabbath! As you shall see, it was NOT the preparation day for the weekly Sabbath, but the preparation day prior to the ANNUAL Sabbath of the FIRST DAY OF UNLEAVENED BREAD; an“high day Sabbath!” Your Bible says so!

Jesus had also said, “Destroy this temple [referring to His body], and IN THREE DAYS I will raise it up … But He spake of the temple of His body” (John 2:19-21).

Obviously, from several absolute proofs, the expression “in three days” does NOT mean AFTER ONLY TWO DAYS, but during a part of the third day. No, it means “after three full days” as we have seen!

The so-called “higher critics” make no mention of the appeal by the Jews to Pilate! WHY? Simply because they did not ask that the sepulchre be made sure for only “part of three days and three nights!” Nor did they speak using a “Greek idiom!” No, they remembered that Christ had specifically stated that He would be three days and three nights in the tomb!

What Was The TIME OF DAY When Christ Was Buried?

Can we know the time of day when Christ was entombed? For if we can determine the time of day, all we need do is count seventy two hours from that time to determine the exact time of the resurrection!

We have seen, from Christ’s own words; from the Bible definition of the number of hours in a day; from The Jews’ own fears and determination to set a watch for three days over the tomb that Christ did NOT say He would be only TWO NIGHTS AND ONE DAY in the tomb, but THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS!

Anyone who refuses to accept this ONLY SIGN of His true Messiahship is REJECTING THE REAL JESUS CHRIST OF NAZARETH and accepting a false “Christ,” who never existed; a myth!

Now, notice what Mark wrote: “For he taught his disciples, and said unto them, The Son of man is delivered into the hands of men, and they shall kill him; and after that he is killed, he shall rise the third day” (Mark 9:31). The duration of time Christ expressed could not be one second PAST 72 hours for Christ to rise from the dead “the third day!” Therefore, it could not have been from Friday sunset to “Easter” sunrise, which would be only 36 hours; two nights, and one day!

Christ was quoted by the Jews [who were speaking HEBREW, not in idiomatic Greek!] as having said, “After three days I will rise again!”

This cannot possibly be figured in less than 72 hours!

John wrote, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.

“Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days?

“But he spake of the temple of his body.

“When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this unto them; and they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said” (John 2:19-22). This conversation was in Hebrew; the Aramaic dialect, NOT in “Greek idiom!”

Unlike the “higher critics” today, the disciples REMEMBERED exactly what Jesus had said, and it was because of this, and His many appearances to them that “they BELIEVED.”

To be raised up IN three days cannot be MORE than 72 hours. Therefore, the length of time Christ was in the tomb could not have been LESS than 72 hours, and it could not have been MORE than 72 hours! It had to be 72 hours, EXACTLY!

Now, THINK! For the resurrection to have been AT SUNRISE, then the BURIAL had to be AT SUNRISE, 72 hours earlier!

But Christ was NOT buried at sunrise, but just before SUNSET on the day called “the preparation,” (Matthew 27:62; Mark 15:42; Luke 23:54).

It was soon after the “ninth hour,” or at about three o’clock in the afternoon when Jesus “cried out” loudly (Matthew 27:46-50; Mark 15:34-37; Luke 23:44-46). The preparation day would end at sunset, according to Bible reckoning (Leviticus 23:32).

Joseph of Aramathaea came to claim the body of Jesus and accomplish the burial at some time after 3:00 PM, but before sunset on that “preparation” day, which was the day before a Sabbath!

“When the even was come, there came a rich man of Aramathaea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus’ disciple:

“He went to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered.

“And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth,

“And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed.

“And there was Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary, sitting over against the sepulchre.

“Now the next day, that followed the day of the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate,

“Saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again” (Matthew 27:57-63).

Now notice the parallel account in Luke’s chronology: “This man went unto Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus.

“And he took it down, and wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a sepulchre that was hewn in stone, wherein never man before was laid.

“And that day was the preparation, and the Sabbath drew on.

“And the women also, which came with him from Galilee, followed after, and beheld the sepulchre, and how his body was laid.

“And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the Sabbath day according to the commandment” (Luke 23:52-56).

The laws required the Jews to bury a dead body BEFORE A SABBATH DAY began! Therefore, haste was made to bury the body of Jesus BEFORE SUNSET on that preparation day. John wrote, “There laid they Jesus therefore because of the Jews’ preparation day; for the sepulchre was nigh at hand” (John 19:42).

Jesus Christ was buried before sunset on the same day He died, in a tomb very near to the “place of the skull” called “Golgotha.”

Since the burial of Jesus Christ occurred some time after 3:00 P.M., and before sunset on this “preparation day,” it follows that He was resurrected at the SAME TIME OF DAY exactly 72 hours later!

IF He was buried on a “Friday,” (which He was not, as we shall soon see) then He would have remained in the tomb all of Friday night, all of Saturday daytime, all of Saturday night, all of Sunday daytime, all of Sunday night, until late in the afternoon on a MONDAY!

But Christ did not remain in the tomb until Monday!

Clearly, the tomb was EMPTY when the disciples came to see it while it was YET DARK, “as it BEGAN TO DAWN toward the first day of the week!”

Notice Luke’s account of the resurrection: “Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them.

“And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre.

“And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus.

“And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments:

“And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead?

“He is not here, but is risen [obviously, this is past tense; He had already risen!]: remember how he spakeunto you when he was yet in Galilee,

“Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again” (Luke 24:1-7).

It was in the pre-dawn darkness when Christ’s followers first approached the empty tomb! It was not at sunrise! Notice John’s account: “The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre.

“Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him.

“Peter therefore went forth, and that other disciple, and came to the sepulchre.

“So they ran both together: and the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre.

“And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in.

“Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes lie,

“And the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself.

“Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw, and believed.

“For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead” (John 20:1-9).

Since Christ was buried on a late afternoon, some time just prior to sunset on a “preparation” day, and since He plainly staked His claim to divine office; His very Messiahship, on the precise length of time He would be in the tomb, and since He HAD ALREADY RISEN prior to the time the disciples came to the empty tomb while it was yet dark, then Jesus Christ MUST have been placed in the tomb on a WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON!

But wait! How is this possible?

Haven’t we read, time and again, that it was the “preparation” day? And isn’t the “preparation” day the day before the SABBATH? And does not the Sabbath correspond to our weekly “Satur­day?”

The answer is found in the fact that God also instituted seven annual Sabbaths, or “high days,” to picture His plan of salvation. All seven are laid out in Leviticus 23. Notice what God’s Word says about these feast days of God: “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

“Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts.

“Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the Sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the Sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings.

“These are the feasts of the LORD, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons.

“In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the Lord’s Passover.

“And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the LORD: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread.

“In the first day ye shall have an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein” (Leviticus 23:1-7). This holy day could fall on whichever day of the week happened to be the fifteenth day of the month called “Abib,” whether or not it was the seventh day, or the weekly Sabbath. It was called one of God’s “Sabbaths,” and was celebrated as a special “high day” Sabbath.

Notice another example: “Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a Sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation” (Leviticus 23:24).

Regardless as to which day of the week upon which the first day of the seventh month fell; whether a Monday or a Thursday, it was called a “Sabbath!”

Christ Our Passover Is Sacrificed For Us

For centuries, God’s people had observed the annual Passover and Days of Unleavened Bread. The paschal lamb, which typified Christ, was sacrificed in the afternoon, which was on the “preparation” day for the FEAST, which was (and is) the first day of Unleavened Bread!

This annual high day Sabbath is the first annual holy day of the year, immediately following the Passover. Christ was killed by a spear’s thrust, following a horrible beating, in which skin and flesh was flayed from His body! He died at the same moment the High Priest slaughtered the first sacrificial lamb! From the time of the Exodus, (Exodus 12) this ceremony had been accomplished on the fourteenth of Abib “at even,” meaning just before sunset “at the going away of the sun.” The lamb was then roasted, and the FEAST was eaten in the nighttime of the fifteenth of Abib.

God commanded Moses, “Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats:

“And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening.

“And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it.

“And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.

“Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof.

“And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; and that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire” (Exodus 12:5- 10).

Millions of people who observe pagan Ishtar (pronounced “Easter”) are absolutely IGNORANT of the events surrounding the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. They know NOTHING about the Days of Unleavened Bread which immediately followed!

Because of this, they do not know that the “Sabbath” which was coming on and the “preparation” day on which Christ died which caused the haste with which He was buried occurred on Wednesday and Thursday!

That Thursday was the first annual Sabbath of the year; the FEAST day of Unleavened Bread after the Jews slaughtered the lambs and kids in the ancient Passover ceremony! The lambs and kids were slaughtered in the afternoon of the FOURTEENTH of the first month!

Now, notice John’s eyewitness account of which day of the week it was when Christ was slain: “When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost [exhaled; breathed His last].

“The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the Sabbath day, (for that Sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away” (John 19:30,31). Of course! This HIGH day Sabbath was the ANNUAL Sabbath; the first day of Unleavened Bread! It was followed by the day we call “Friday,” then “Saturday,” or the WEEKLY Sabbath!

Count back from the time of Christ’s resurrection, late on a weekly Sabbath afternoon, and you come to late Wednesday afternoon! Wednesday was the “preparation day” prior to the FEAST day on that Thursday, which was the fifteenth of Nisan, or Abib!

The calendar proves that the only year in a sequence of years when the first day of Unleavened Bread fell on a Thursday was in 31 AD! But the so-called “scholars” WILL NOT ever choose 31 AD, even though it is the ONLY year in which all the parameters FIT!

Instead, they will choose the years 29, 30, 32 or 33, deliberately avoiding 31 AD!

A little simple research proves that Christ was born in “4 BC” according to the flawed Roman calendar. He was exactly 33 1/2 when He was killed. He was thirty when His public ministry began. The prophecies stated He was to perform a seven year ministry, and was to be “cut off in the middle of the week!” Thus, not only was He cut off in the exact middle of His seven year ministry, leaving another three and one half years to be fulfilled AFTER His second coming (See Isaiah 66:19-23), and He was also cut off in the MIDDLE OF THE WEEK!

The prophecy says, “And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate” (Daniel 9:27). The sacrifices and oblations CEASED for Christians when Christ rose from the dead, for now the reality which had cast the shadow had come. There was no longer any need for a “schoolmas­ter” to lead toward Christ, for Christ had now come in the flesh!

Christ came to “confirm the covenant” by preaching repentance and salvation; the terms and conditions of the NEW covenant (Jeremiah 31:31) for three and one half years.

Notice what Dr. Bullinger says in his Appendix concerning the events surrounding the crucifix­ion: “That Sabbath and the high day of John 19:31, was the ‘holy convocation,’ the first day of the feast, which quite overshadowed the ordinary weekly Sabbath … this great Sabbath, having been mistaken from the earliest times for the weekly Sabbath, has led to all the confusion … We have therefore the following facts furnished for our sure guidance:

“1. The ‘high day’ of John 19:31 was the first day of the feast.

“2. The ‘first day of the feast’ was on the 15^th day of Nisan.

“3. The 15^th day of Nisan commenced at sunset on what we should call the 14^th.

“4. ‘Six days before the Passover’ [John 12:1] takes us back to the 9^th day of Nisan.

“5. After two days is the Passover’ [Matt. 26:2; Mark 14:1] takes us to the 13^th day of Nisan.

“6. ‘The first day of the week,’ was the day of the resurrection [Matt. 28:1, &c.], was from our Saturday sunset to our Sunday sunset. This fixes the days of the week, just as the above fix the days of the month, for,

“7. Reckoning back from this, ‘three days and three nights’ [Matt. 12:40], we arrive at the day of the burial, which must have been before sunset, on the 14^th of Nisan; i.e. before our Wednesday sunset.

“Therefore Wednesday, Nisan 14^th [commenc­ing on the Tuesday at sunset], was ‘the preparation day’, on which the crucifixion took place: for all four Gospels definitely say that this was the day on which the Lord was buried [before our Wednesday sunset], because it was the preparation [day] that the bodies should not remain on the cross [Greek: Stauro, meaning an upright pale] on the Sabbath day, ‘for that Sabbath day was a high day,’ and, therefore, not the ordinary seventh day, or weekly Sabbath. See John 19:31” (The Companion Bible, Bullinger, Appendix 156, p. 180).

It is because people have blindly assumed that the “preparation day” was a Friday that they thought Christ was not buried until late on a Friday, and thus remained in the tomb only two nights and one daylight period!

Did Jesus Christ Fulfill His Sign?

Unless Jesus Christ was EXACTLY the length of time in the tomb He said he would be, you have no Savior!Jesus staked His Messiahship on being exactly three days and three nights in the tomb!

For centuries, because fallible men, many of  whom were bitten with antisemitism, and who desperately wanted to rid the apostate church of all things “Jewish,” claimed they were worship­ing on SUNDAY in “honor of the resurrection!”

But Christ DID NOT RISE ON SUNDAY! The angels told the two Marys, “He is NOT HERE!” They said “HE IS RISEN!” They did not use the present tense that He was just then “rising,” but the past tense, saying He had already risen!

There is simply no question about the days of the month, the days of the week, or the hours of those days in which these MOST IMPORTANT events occurred!

Paul wrote, “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;

“By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.

“For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;

“And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

“And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve:

“After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.

“After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles.

“And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time” (1 Corinthians 15:1-8).

Paul said “…according to the scriptures.”

Paul MAY have known about the earliest gospels, but remember, the only “scriptures” extant during Paul’s day were those of the “Old Testament.” Paul had to be including Christ’s reference to Jonah, and the fact that he was exactly “three days and three nights” in the belly of the great fish, as well as referring to Christ’s statements which were faithfully recorded by the apostles.

The apostles believed because they saw the living proof, Jesus Christ of Nazareth, now GLORIFIED; able to appear and disappear at will; able to materialize within a room enclosed by stone walls! They were so CONVICTED by the proofs they saw that many of them were martyred for their faith! Men do not go willingly to their deaths by crucifixion, burning, or beheading because they believe in a hoax!

Now, notice one final proof! Only the Fenton translation of the English from the Greek takes note of the fact that the word for “Sabbath” in Matthew 28:1 is in the plural! In a footnote to this text in his translation, he says, “The Greek original is in the plural; Sabbaths!”

Of course! There were TWO Sabbaths that week; the annual HIGH day Sabbath, the FEAST, which fell on Thursday, and the regular weekly Sabbath, which fell on the day we call “Saturday.”

Yes, believe it or not, the plain truth is the resurrection was NOT on Sunday!

Jesus Christ commanded His disciples, and He commands US, today, to observe the symbols of His DEATH each year (1 Corinthians 11:23-30) at the “Lord’s Supper.” He told His disciples, “HAPPY are ye if ye do these things.”

You may copy and distribute this information only to friends and family without changes, without charge and with full credit given to the author and publisher. You may not publish it for general audiences.

This publication is intended to be used as a personal study tool. Please know it is not wise to take any man’s word for anything, so prove all things for yourself from the pages of your own Bible.

The activities of the Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association are paid for by tithes, offerings and donations freely given by Christians and co-workers who are dedicated to preaching the gospel according to Jesus Christ.

The post Believe It or Not-The Resurrection Was NOT on Sunday! first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

The world in which you and I live is a God-rejecting, God-defying world. It is a world of hundreds of “religions,” yet a world of chaos, violence, disease and war.

Paradoxically, some of those nations whose religions permeate all facets of life seem to be among the most impoverished, millions of their citizens living in squalor beyond comprehension. Some humans still worship cows, just as rebellious Israel made a golden calf in Sinai, believing, from their experience in Egypt, that God looked like a cow.

The world is not “at one” with God. It does not acknowledge the one true God, nor His Son who died for the sins of all mankind, Jesus Christ.

In the so-called “Christian” world, millions profess the name of Jesus Christ, yet refuse to follow His example, or to do what He plainly commanded. “Why call ye me, ‘Lord, Lord,”‘ cried Jesus, “and do not the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46).

“In vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men” (Matthew 15:9). Millions profess to worship Jesus Christ. They call Him “Lord,” and claim to have “accepted” Him as their Savior. Yet, they refuse to obey Him! They will not follow His example. Peter wrote……. Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow His steps: Who did no sin [He kept His Father’s laws perfectly], neither was guile found in His mouth” (1 Peter 2:21,22).

Paul described our world as being filled with those who are “…Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those who are good, traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of Godliness [man-made religions; religious creeds, rituals, ceremonies], but denying the power thereof'” (2 Timothy 3:3-5).

Mankind does not accept God as RULER. They refuse to surrender to God in abject repentance for sin, which is the transgression of God’s perfect law (1 John 3:4).

The nations of this world are far from being “at one” with God. Instead, they are in opposition!

This is Satan’s world, not God’s.

The governments of this world are neither of God’s choice, nor of His design. God is not the Author of this world’s commerce and industry, of its science or education, of its institutions or its religions.

Can anyone doubt this?

This world’s governments are not capable of bringing peace and prosperity to their citizens. Instead, the teeming billions of human beings in all their hundreds of countries are in the grip of poverty, squalor, disease, malnutrition. Chaos, confusion, anarchy, rampant crime reign supreme.

Your news tells you of massacres–wholesale murder all over the world. In Brazil, lustful would-be gold miners brutally massacred virtually an entire tribe of “stone-age” Indians–covetous of their land, and corrupt police “death squads” massacred unarmed civilians, including children, in a slum in Rio De Janiero. In former Yugoslavia, so-called “Christians,” either Roman Catholics or Greek Orthodox, slaughter Muslims. In Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Libya, and many other Arab countries, more than a dozen Arab terrorist groups of varying sizes continually plot the overthrow of their own governments, or plot how to launch terrorist attacks against Israelis and Americans all over the world. As the PLO and Israel search for peace and Palestinian autonomy, rival Palestinian terrorist groups murder, riot, and threaten assassinations. Israel launches attacks into Lebanon in what amounts to full-scale war in retaliation for the most recent wave of terrorist murders of its citizens. If these events fade quickly in the past by the time you read this booklet, rest assured they will be replaced by equally vicious crimes.

Look at your own local news, no matter where you live. Continually, you read of violence, mayhem, drugs, child abuse, kidnappings, robbery and murder. Today, many European tourists are becoming fearful of visiting Florida because of vicious murders there; youths targeting tourists because they believe they are carrying large amounts of money. The murderers are usually teenagers, out on parole. One had a list of arrests several pages long.

Earlier, I had wanted to visit our brethren in the Philippines during 1993. However, because of several kidnappings of Americans by communist terrorist groups, I was advised against going. From Britain, where Mr. Ronald Dart described hearing an IRA bomb exploding nearby, to Germany, where “skinheads” in a Neo-Nazi group are murdering Turks and other foreigners, it is the same. Violence and murder reign. Chaos and confusion prevail. There is no fear of God in our lands, no respect for human rights and decency, and no remorse.

Suddenly, following the end of the cold war, the whole world seems to have erupted in a satanic frenzy of ethnic and racial hatreds, in political strife and confusion, in economic duress.

As if to match this turbulence among nations, world-wide weather has been convulsing in violent cataclysms. Destructive hurricanes have smashed into south Florida, Bangladesh, the Philippines, Japan, and other countries. Massive earthquakes have taken terrible tolls in life and property from San Francisco to northern Japan. Record-breaking floods have cost countless billions in America’s heartland. Drought grips part of America, while massive floods soak other parts.

Need I go on? All you need do is to watch morning news on CNN, or one of the other news stations.

What is going on? Will we look back some day and surmise that the prophesied GREAT TRIBULATION (Matthew 24:21,22) really began to gradually come upon us in the mid 1990s?

Are we living in the time prophesied in God’s Word when “…the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time” (Revelation 12:12)?

Satan is the “God” of This World

God says Satan the devil is that arch-demon who “deceiveth the whole world” (Revelation 12:9). That deception began with the beginning of human history, in the Garden of Eden, and the first lie, spoken to our first parents.

God had said Adam and Eve would suffer the penalty of death if they disobeyed God, and partook of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Satan said, in effect, “God knows better than that. Why, that fruit is to be desired to make you wise like He is. You will not surely die.” (See Genesis 3:4,5). He hinted that man has an “immortal soul,” that there is something eternal within man.

The Bible is replete with examples of how Satan has continually conducted his campaign of attempting to overthrow God. Study Ezekiel 28 and Isaiah 14, which give insights into Satan’s earliest origins, his expulsion from heaven to this earth.

From the beginning, Satan has appeared at the most crucial moments in man’s history. He was present in Eden, to deceive our first parents through Eve, bringing about original sin. He was allowed to appear before God to chide Him about Job (Job. 2:1-7). He was present at the birth of Christ to inspire Herod to kill thousands of innocent children (Matthew 2:16). He was present to tempt Jesus Christ shortly after His baptism (Matthew 4:1-11). He entered personally into Judas Iscariot to betray Christ to be murdered (John 13:27). He continually attempted to influence Peter, and it was only through Christ’s own prayers his hand was stayed (Luke 22:31,32).

Peter wrote, “Be sober [notice! Combating Satan requires sobriety; solemnity, not rejoicing], be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

“Whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world” (1 Peter 5:8,9).

Satan is described as “the god of this world.” Listen! “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: in whom the god of this world [this age, this time, this society] hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, Who is the image of God, should shine unto them” (2 Corinthians 4:3,4).

He is also the “prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2). God actually allowed Satan limited power over the weather in the case of Job, when Satan caused a tornado to destroy Job’s house and family.

From Genesis to Revelation, Satan the devil appears continually as the “accuser of the brethren,” as the “adversary,” as a “roaring lion,” as “the tempter,” as a “serpent,” or whispering enchanter, as a rebel against God, as a dragon. He is called Abaddon, and Apollyon in the Greek.

Throughout the seasonal pattern of God’s plan as revealed in His annual holy days, Satan’s evil dimension is noted.

In the typology of the Passover, for example, Pharaoh is a type of Satan, while Egypt is a type of sin, under Satan’s domain. The name of the wilderness (a type of trial and testing during the Christian life) was “Sin.”

Leaven, which is not to be eaten for seven days during the Days of Unleavened Bread, is a type of sin, of which Satan is the author. He is the first sinner in the history of the creation.

Satan, the present evil world ruler, has held sway over the minds and hearts of men for thousands of years. Here and there, God has called a few men and women to receive the gift of repentance. He has opened the minds of a few rare individuals who have chosen to obey God; to surrender to God in heartbroken repentance, be baptized, and receive God’s Holy Spirit.

But those who have answered God’s call are in a tiny, insignificant minority. Never did God’s Word prophesy that the church Jesus built (Matthew 16:18) would become a large, visible, politically active, wealthy religious organization which would be a part of this world; involved in various community, county, state, or national causes; trying to make this evil world a better place!

Nor would Christ’s church attempt to win the favor of those lost in Satan’s world. “Woe be unto you when men speak well of you,” He warned. Never would God’s church seek approval from the world, or from its religious organizations. Never would it compromise God’s truth in order to win favor with man and their worldly churches and organizations. Never would it compromise God’s Word in order to avoid persecution!

Jesus said, “Fear not, little flock, it is my Father’s pleasure to give you the kingdom.” Everywhere in prophecy, the true church is described as a persecuted few; a small, scattered, weak church, consisting of those individuals who “have not denied [Christ’s] name,” and who “…keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ” (Revelation 3:8; 12:17).

God is Not Intervening in This World Today

This world is completely opposed to God. Its governments, institutions, societies and its religions are not of God, but are, instead, influenced by Satan.

Do you fully realize what you have been reading? Do you know that advancing this very truth nearly resulted in Christ’s murder at the very beginning of His public ministry? Satan’s religious leaders were VIOLENTLY OUTRAGED when Jesus told them this obvious truth, and immediately attempted to murder Him!

Notice it, in your own Bible.

Jesus Christ was invited to read from the scroll of Isaiah in the synagogue in Nazareth, where He had spent His youth……. and, as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up for to read.

“And there was delivered unto Him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when He had opened the book [scroll], He found the place where it was written:

“’The Spirit of the LORD is upon me, because He hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; He hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,

“To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.’

“And He closed the book, and He gave again to the minister, and sat down.

“And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on Him.

“And He began to say unto them, ‘This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.’

“And all bare Him witness [listened intently], and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth. And they said, ‘Is not this Joseph’s son?”‘ (Luke 4:16-22).

Put yourself into the picture. Try to understand what was happening here. The Pharisees (“Apartists,” or “Separatists”) and the Sadducees (a more “liberal” religious sect, which had charge of the temple in Jerusalem) were the “spiritual” leaders. Their proud history stretched back to the days of the Maccabees–to the time just following the Jewish return from Babylonian captivity during the time of Ezra, Nehemiah, and Zerubbabel, and the rebuilding of the temple.

To the Pharisees, just as in the case of millions of Americans, Britons, Australians, South Africans, and Canadians, they lived in “God’s country.” Theirs was the “true religion,” they thought. Whatever God was doing, He was doing it there!

Just like many an American “evangelist,” they no doubt claimed, “God is moving mightily among us just now!” They pointed to acts of charity, or demons cast out, or real or imagined hearings, and spoke of how “God is working miracles” here among us!

Their proud history was all GOD-CENTERED, so far as they were concerned. From their clothing styles to their fastings; from their alms-givings and tithing to their many meetings and special “love feasts” for the poor–they were involved deeply in doing God’s work, so far as they were concerned. They were “God’s people” doing “God’s will,” and having “God’s authority.”

It was the pagan world around them that was in darkness. They dwelt in the light! They were the “chosen ones,” dwelling in “God’s country.” All around was Gentile heathenism. In their synagogues, and in their streets; in their private meetings and public assemblies; in their banquets and feasts, and in their temple was GOD, and HIS TRUE RELIGION! They were GOD’S OWN MINISTERS!

Or so they believed.

But here was Jesus Christ, saying to them He had been sent to preach the gospel to the “poor.” He had been sent to “heal the brokenhearted” who were right there, seated in that synagogue, under the “spiritual” leadership of those rabbis, in that city, Nazareth, on that day! He had been sent to set spiritual captives free–captives who were seated there, in that synagogue, in that city, right then!

He had been sent to give the spiritually blind the ability to see; to set at liberty those who were being “bruised,” and exploited! He boldly proclaimed that this prophecy was being fulfilled right there and then in that synagogue.

Immediately, the Jewish leaders were furious!

This was preposterous to them! “Spiritual captives” THERE, in their own synagogue? Ridiculous! Were they not the spiritual leaders of their docile, obedient congregation? How dare this young upstart say such outrageous things? He might as well have accused them of being under Satan’s influence, deceiving their people, placing grievous burdens upon them, exploiting them!

As is always the case, when a carnal human mind is confronted with the Word of God, which is sharp, like a two-edged sword, and whichcuts and stings when it is wielded; when the carnal mind refuses to look into that spiritual looking glass and repent, it instead resorts to personal denigration, personal attack!

They scathingly said, “Wait a minute! Isn’t this just a local boy? Isn’t this old Joseph’s son?”

This ridiculous charge bears studious contemplation. As Christ Himself said, a prophet has no honor in his own country, or among his own kin. Familiarity breeds contempt. This is a Satanic emotion, not a Godly one.

The greatest respect, the greatest love displayed in all the universe, is the love between God the Father and Christ the Son of God. No contempt here, in spite of countless billions of years through endless eternity of familiarity.

But the carnal mind, influenced by Satan, is a mind of vanity, jealousy, lust and greed. It is a mind which is also afflicted with a sizable case of inferiority.

Those who accuse, “He is one of us,” as if such a statement discredits a person, do not realize how they are indicting themselves with their ridiculous accusations.

Many years ago, I read some cheap religious tracts which accused my father, Herbert W. Armstrong, of having been “one of us,” meaning the denomination which published the tract. To these vain, accusative religious bigots, the worst thing they could say about my father was that he had supposedly once been one of their own number. He never was. He had never darkened the door of one of their churches, to my certain knowledge. He had never met with their ministry, never attended a single one of their meetings.

These religious zealots, in their eagerness to attack and ridicule, were either deliberately lying, or simply didn’t know what they were saying. Think about it. What was it about them which was so discrediting, so evil, so utterly contemptuous, that association with them automatically discredited anyone who had once fellowshipped with them?

Human nature seems to say, “If I know him, he can’t be anybody worthwhile, or important. “What is unsaid is, “If I know him, since Iam of no worth or importance, he must really be a no-account.”

The Pharisees likewise didn’t understand what they were accusing. To them, it would have been impossible for anyone of any importance to have come from their town of Nazareth. They didn’t realize their accusations were actually directed at themselves; that they were saying, “We can’t be of any importance or account.”

Their anger deepened to murderous rage when Jesus said, “Ye will surely say unto me this proverb: ‘Physician, heal thyself: Whatsoever we have heard done in Capemaum, do also here in thy country.’

“And He said, ‘Verily I say unto you, no prophet is accepted in his own country.

“But I tell you of a truth, [note this well!] many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land; but unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon [this was in modem-day Lebanon, a city then populated by Gentiles, not Jews], unto a woman that was a widow.

“And many lepers were in Israel in the days of Eliseus [Elishal the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman, the Syrian” (Luke 4:23-27).

Do you understand what Jesus was saying?

He was telling them that God was not working among the nation of Israel or Judah to heal, or to perform miracles, during the powerful ministry of witness and warning of Elijah or Elisha! Instead, God did not intervene in the case of destitute widows, or those starving due todrought sent as a national punishment. He intervened only in the case of the Gentile widow in Sidon, and a Syrian king!

This was historically true, and they knew it!

Yet, because it stung them and plainly showed how God had rejected their forefathers because of their sins, they were outraged! Jesus used these examples to back up His bold statement that, at last, God had sent His Son to release spiritual captives right there, in Nazareth–that God had not been working there previously!

Jesus was shattering all their carefully-arranged hierarchical pomp and religious pretense! He was plainly telling them God has not been among you! He has not been working here until NOW, THIS DAY, THROUGH ME!”

Notice: “And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath.

“And rose up, and thrust Him out of the city, and led Him unto the brow of the hill whereupon their city was built, that they might cast Him down headlong.

“But He, passing through the midst of them went His way,

“And came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and taught them on the Sabbath days” (Luke 4:28-3 1).

Imagine this! From the middle of a religious service on the Sabbath day to a raging, hate-filled mob in only moments of time, this group of venomous, pompous, vain, self-righteous religious bigots sought to do murder, with no hearing, no trial, no appeal! They were rendered so insanely furious with the indictment Jesus Christ had hurled at them they wanted to kill Him right then and there!

Jesus Christ looked very average. No doubt, in the melee, some of His disciples managed to gather around Him. He could have pulled his hooded cloak around him, and, as those in the front ranks milled about, pushing and shoving, shouting, throwing dust in the air, and falling down, He made good his escape, not being recognized in the confusion.

Fascinating piece of history, isn’t it?

Ironically, there are thousands of professing “Christian” ministers who would be rendered just as furiously angry TODAY if a true servant of God told them plainly that GOD HAS NOT BEEN WORKING AMONG YOU!

To be told this is not God’s world seems so strange to so many! To be informed that this is a world under the sway of Satan seems preposterous!

Yet, this is precisely what your Bible says!

The nations are deceived! Millions, who profess Christ, refuse to surrender to Him, refuse to obey Him!

Christ said, “Why call ye me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46).

He said, “Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, ‘This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoreth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.

“But IN VAIN THEY DO WORSHIP ME, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men” (Matthew 15:7-9).

Paul wrote, “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.

“For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;

“Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away” (2 Timothy 3:1-5).

Obviously, there are those who are involved in a “form of godliness,” in “organized religion,” but who possess all the evil attributes of Satan so thoroughly described in the preceding verses!

Strangely, one sees more of the abominable, hateful, Satanic attitudes of vengeance and hedonism among “religious” organizations than in the public at large!

This is not God’s world! It is AT-ODDS with God, contrary to God, in rebellion against God.

It is a world lost in a Babylon of religious, political and ethnic hatred and confusion!

God says, “Come out of her [spiritual Babylon!], my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues” (Revelation 18:4).

Now, perhaps we can see more clearly WHY God revealed to His people Israel all the important typology of the somber, holy Day of Atonement. “Atonement” means “at-one-ment.” It pictures the human condition, under Satan’s influence, as being lost in sin; being in opposition to God, desperately needing reconciliation and forgiveness. More, it pictures the ultimate cause of sin, the first sinner, and the “father of liars,” being put away to never more influence mankind!

Rejection and Betrayal

Have you ever experienced rejection from someone you loved? Have you ever been deserted by dear friends? Have you experienced the trauma of divorce, or abandonment? As I write, it is now more than twenty long years since I was completely rejected and abandoned by some I counted among the very closest friends I ever had. Friends with whom I shared hundreds of thousands of miles of travel, hundreds of dinners, hunting expeditions, fishing, sports-countless hours of close contact. Furthermore, some of these former “friends” were ordained into the ministry! Not only dear friends, but my own human father!

To this very moment, I have never received a letter or a telephone call from them.

If you have been divorced, you know how horribly painful such an experience truly is, most especially if you were the one who was rejected.

Your Father in Heaven, and Jesus Christ of Nazareth, know the feelings of rejection and betrayal!

In the very beginning of our physical universe, the divine creating Family, Elohim, (which we refer to as “God”) created a fabulously beautiful, perfect universe, a perfect world. Millions do not know that there is a completely misleading mistranslation in the second verse of Genesis 1.

Notice: “In the beginning God [Elohim, a plural noun] created the heaven and the earth.

“And the earth was without form, and void: and darkness was upon the face of the deep” (Genesis 1:1,2). As you read the remainder of the chapter, you are left with the impression that God created the world in blackness, with tossing waves completely covering the land surface; that all was chaotic, and in confusion.

The Hebrew words for “without form, and void” are tohu and bohu. Here is what Dr. Builinger says in his notes on Genesis 1:2: “Without form = waste. Heb. tohu va bohu. Fig. Paronomasia. Ap. 6. Not created tohu (Isa. 45:18), but became tohu (Gen. 1:2. 2 Pet. 3:5,6). “An enemy hath done this” (Matt. 13:25,28,39. Cp. 1 Cor. 14:33). See Ap. 8″

Isaiah 45:18 plainly says, “For thus saith the Eternal that created the heavens; God Himself that formed the earth and made it; He hath established it, He created it not in vain [Heb. tohu], He formed it to be inhabited: ‘I am the Eternal.”‘

The Companion Bible note on this phrase: “In vain = tohu. The same word as in Gen. 1.2 (“without form”). Therefore it must have become tohu: which is exactly what Gen. 1:2 declares.”

Now, HOW did God’s original, beautiful, flawlessly PERFECT creation become a chaotic scene of death and destruction; of stygian blackness covering a raging sea; of continents submerged beneath the water?

To read of the original condition of earth, turn to Ezekiel 28:12, where the “king of Tyrus” is used as a type of Satan, the devil (see Bullinger’s marginal notes, or any commentary): “…thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets [drums] and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.

“Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou was upon the holy mountain of God: thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.

“Thou was perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity [sin; lawlessness] was found in thee.

“By the multitude of thy merchandise [your trafficking, or going about from here to there; your “busyness,” which means “calumniator, or slanderer,” as one who slanders and gossips in a moral sense] they [these many occasions of sin] have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, 0 covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.

“Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness [splendor]…” (Ezekiel 28:12-17).

Lucifer was breathtakingly beautiful. His name meant “Shining Star of the Dawn,” or “Lightbringer.” This description of Lucifer’s original condition bears very careful inspection; careful meditation.

For comparison, and a few additional details, notice Isaiah’s description: “How art thou fallen from heaven, 0 Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!

“For thou hast said in thine heart, ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides [recesses] of the north:

“‘I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the MOST HIGH [Hebrew: Elyon, which is from El, and Elohim, as the “Possessor of heaven and earth.”]”‘ (Isaiah 14:12-14).

Here was a splendid, bright, shining, beautiful creature, an archangel, whose very name connoted his shining countenance. He was given command of this earth. He walked up and down in a land called “Eden” which existed perhaps billions of years ago, not the “Eden” of the recreation of earth long after its destruction, but the original “holymountain of God,” probably located somewhere in what is today the “Middle East.” This was a land of fabulous jewels; sparkling emeralds, topaz, diamonds, were everywhere about. Gold was common.

We are not told how long Lucifer ruled over the earth, nor how much power God allowed him during that period. One thousand years is to God like only one day to you and me. How long did God enjoy the beauty, the charm, the magnetism, the friendship, loyalty, and easy-going camaraderie of Lucifer?

God says he was a perfect creature in all aspects. Could not God have enjoyed His association with Lucifer, originally?

We are told, however, that Lucifer began “merchandising.” That is, he began to talk to the countless angels under his control, and perhaps to others who were under Gabriel or Michael. He began to allow jealousy of God’s supreme position of authority to eat on him. He began to see God in an unfavorable comparison with himself.

His reasoning is extant in billions of humans. “I am better than you are,” reason many. Vanity consumed Lucifer. Like most vain people, he suffered from a deep-seated inferiority complex, for he knew, deep within himself, that he was inferior to God; that God was more powerful. As Lucifer contemplated all that God controlled, envy and covetousness crept in. Lucifer began to become dissatisfied with his fabulously beautiful portion of God’s realm. Now, the jewels and gold seemed commonplace. The earth, down here under the clouds, was truly ,’mundane.”

He began to exacerbate the situation, continually gossiping, talking, excusing and justifying himself, dropping innuendoes and hints that God was somehow not fair. The more he engaged in this “trafficking,” the more corrupt he became, morally and spiritually.

Finally, he betrayed God, and, taking his angels (all of whom had been completely subverted by his charm, and his charismatic personality), he attempted to attack God on His throne and overthrow Him! He attempted the very first palace coup in all the history of the universe.

We cannot even begin to imagine the titanic struggle that took place. It was the original, primeval, “star wars” that ensued; planets and stars collided, were hurled out of their orbits. The earth’s surface was wrecked, utterly destroyed.

Today, when we gaze into space, we can see the results of this titanic struggle for control of the universe. The lifeless, pock-marked hulks that are the moon, or Mars and many other planets with their ugly, misshapen moons; the poisonous Venusian atmosphere; billions of meteorites, which are just so much space debris from explosions; all present mute testimony to us of vast events in the ancient past which caused all this wreckage.

Evolutionists speak of their pet theory about the “big bang,” as if it were a mindless act of “nature,” which was the original creation. It was not. The debris they see is the result of the destruction of an earlier, perfect creation.

Did Lucifer’s betrayal and attack upon God affect God’s attitude at all? God is love, according to His Word. He is gentle, kind, good, giving, merciful, longsuffering, and forgiving. Since God’s very nature is love, and since God desires man’s love in return, was it not painful and deeply disappointing to God to see the most beautiful creature of His handiwork, Lucifer, turn into a vicious, hating, lying, spiteful rebel, trying to overthrow his own Creator?

Do you see? The very first estrangement, the first time there was OPPOSITION, the first time there was betrayal, rejection, and war against God came perhaps billions of years before Adam!

The Rejection and Betrayal of Christ

Jesus Christ was the Son of God. He was God in the flesh, the original “Spokesman” of the Godhead, who did the creating!

“In the beginning was the Word [Greek: Logos, meaning “Spokesman”], and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

“The same was in the beginning with God.

“All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made.

“In Him was life; and the life was the light of men.

“And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehendeth it

not.

“There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.

“The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.

“He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.

“That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.

“He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world

knew Him not.

“He came unto His own, and His own received Him not…” (John 1:1-11). Here is irrefutable proof that the One who became our Savior, the Member of the Godhead who was born Jesus of Nazareth, is the Divine Member of the Godhead who did the creating! He is the One who said, “Let US make man in OUR image” (Genesis 2:26), who dealt with Abraham, who parted the Red Sea, who gave Moses the law at Sinai.

Notice that He was with God, the Father, and yet “was God.” Our English word “God” is often taken to mean “God, the Father,” though it actually comes from any number of divine titles, and must be understood from the original languages, such as Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. Jesus Christ plainly spoke of His “Father” in heaven. He said He had come to reveal the Father. He prayed to His Father, talked to Him, and said He spoke not of and by Himself, but that “The Father hath given me a commandment; what I should say and what I should speak.”

Those who espouse the nonsensical “Jesus Only” theory ignorantly deny dozens of plain scriptures which proves the duality of the Divine Family.

Notice that the Creator, now in the human form of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, “came unto His OWN.” He was born into the Jewish race.

Paul wrote, “For it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Juda; of which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning priesthood” (Hebrews 7:12). The Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well asked, “How is it that thou, being a Jew, asked drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? (for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans)” (John 4:9).

In both Matthew’s and Luke’s genealogies, Jesus’ legal human ancestry is plainly traced back to His eponymous ancestor, Judah, whose name “Judahite,” or “Yehudi,” became shortened to “Jew.” Those antisemitic bigots who refuse to accept Jesus Christ’s Jewish ancestry show themselves to be exactly what they are-racist, hate-filled, prejudiced, arrogant, and completely ignorant of the Scriptures.

Christ came unto His own people, His own race, His own tribe! He was to say, on various occasions, “A prophet hath no honor in His own country, or among His own kin.”

Notice Isaiah’s inspired prophecy: “For He shall grow up before Him [Jehovah is implied] as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground: He hath no form nor comeliness: and when we shall see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him.

“He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from Him; He was despised and we esteemed Him not” (Isaiah 53:2,3).

Jesus Christ knew rejection. Though He was perfect, though He preached love and forgiveness, He was hated by the Jewish religious leaders, rejected by His own family and near kindred.

Satan, the original traitor, appeared immediately at Jesus’ birth, and, through Herod’s pogrom against thousands of innocent little babies, sought to destroy Him. Satan appeared to Jesus at His testing in the wilderness, during a forty day fast, attempting to overthrow His faith; attempting to charm, enchant, persuade, influence–trying his best to get Christ to worship Satan.

Christ passed each grueling test, finally commanding the devil to leave, and then, exhausted, received succor from angels (Matthew 4:11).

All during Christ’s ministry, Satan was present. He attempted to deceive Peter (Luke 22:3 1). He did deceive, heavily influence, and finally enter personally into Judas Iscariot. Satan, through Judas, continually attempted to influence the other disciples against Christ, just as Lucifer had originally become corrupted by his “trafficking,” or his “merchandising”–talking, accusing, influencing, justifying, attempting to persuade other beings against God and His authority (see John 12:4 with Mark 14:5 and Matthew 26:8,9).

Finally, Satan entered into Judas at the last supper (John 13:27) and betrayed Christ to the Sanhedrin, leading to His murder.

Satan, the great traitor toward God, was continually present at every great and momentous event concerning God’s plan of redemption and salvation, attempting to wreck God’s works; derail the plan of salvation.

Notice that Christ was a “man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.” Do you know what it is to have beloved friends, even close family members, “hide their faces” from you, cut you off, refuse to see you, or even talk, or write? I do. If you have, you know there is no physical pain which is equal to this decades-long mental and emotional pain of rejection–knowing others despise you!

The estrangement of this world against God is a total alienation. It is complete.

As they rejected Christ, so did the world reject His disciples, as He prophesied: “They shall put you out of the synagogues; yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God a service.

“And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father nor me” (John 16:2,3).

Now do you understand how complete, how total is the spiritual darkness and Satanic confusion that grips this world–yes, including the world of religion?

There is need for the world and the very solar system itself to be restored to a condition of being “AT ONE” WITH GOD!

Because the process of alienation has been so painful, the holy day which pictures the reconciliation and final removal of all the sources of hostility, rejection, and hatred also features something painful: an”affliction” of our lives, through fasting!

A “Feast” of Fasting

Now, let’s come to understand the symbolism and typology of the somber Day of Atonement.

“And the Eternal spake unto Moses, saying, ‘Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement: it shall be an holy convocation [a commanded assembly] unto you; and ye shallafflict your souls … and ye shall do no work in that same day: for it is a day of atonement, to make an atonement for you before the Eternal your God.

“For whatsoever soul [person] it be that shall not be afflicted in that same day, he shall be cut off from among His people” (Leviticus 23:27-29).

That “afflicting your souls” means fasting; abstaining from food and water during that entire twenty-four hour day, is crystal clear from the Scriptures.

For example, fasting for the wrong reasons is depicted by the prophet Isaiah: “‘Wherefore have we fasted?’ say they, ‘and Thou seest not? Wherefore have we afflicted our soul and Thou takest no knowledge?’ Behold, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure, and exact all your labors.

“Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high…” (Isaiah 58:2-4).

Fasting for the wrong reason is merely going hungry. Christ showed how the spiritually proud Pharisees did this: “Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure [contort; twist] their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward.

“But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head [wash and comb your hair-this is not a “spiritual” ritual, but instructions to appear properly groomed], and wash thine face; that thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly” (Matthew 6:16-18).

Fasting means completely abstaining from food and drink for the period of the fast. Notice how the Assyrian king of ancient Nineveh, at the warning from Jonah, proclaimed a fast: “…and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.

“And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, ‘Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste any thing: let them not feed, nor drink water:

“‘But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands.

“‘Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from His fierce anger, that we perish not?’

“And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that He had said that He would do unto them; and He did it not” (Jonah 3:6 -1 0).

Notice it was not the fasting which moved God to change His mind. The fasting moved the people of Nineveh to change THEIR EVIL WAYS. It was the fact that they repented, that they turned from their evil way of life, from violence and crime, that moved God.

Fasting is not for the purpose of “getting God’s attention.” It is, instead, for getting our attention on God.

Fasting is temporary rejection of, and control over, our human, physical appetites. Hunger is a powerful feeling.

Millions of people, especially in the Western world of affluence, are terribly overweight. Millions are accustomed to satisfying every whim of appetite; greasy, fat-laden, poor quality quick foods; candies, ice cream, desserts. Millions “snack” at the first little twinge of hunger, devouring grease-laden potato chips, Fritos, “snacks” of all kinds, laden with chemicals, artificial flavorings and colorings, sodium and salt. Go to any good book store, and purchase a good book on nutrition, and learn of the incredibly debilitating eating and drinking habits of millions of our people. Then, you will come to understand much more about such terrible diseases as cancer, heart disease, emphysema, diabetes, and so many more, and why it is that “health care” is such a major economic and political issue in our time!

Millions are eating themselves to death without realizing it! Millions never allow themselves to experience hunger, while, in the “third world,” hundreds of thousands are dying of starvation.

The Christian life of overcoming is one of controlling our physical appetites! Solomon wrote, “Be not among winebibbers [excessive drinkers]; among riotous eaters of flesh [selfish, gluttonous eaters]:

“For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty” (Proverbs 23:20,21).

Jesus Christ said “…when ye fast” not, “if” ye fast. When the disciples of John, the Baptist, complained about Jesus’ disciples ignoring weekly, ritualistic “fasts” like those of the Pharisees, they asked, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but thy disciples fast not?

“And Jesus said unto them, ‘Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast”‘ (Matthew 9:14,15).

He was referring to his being killed, resurrected, and assumed into heaven, saying after His departure His true disciples would fast.

Fasting, controlling the human physical appetites, and drawing close to God in prayer is part of the Christian life. Are there those who fast only one day in the year? Probably.

Strangely, there are those “spiritual liberals” who like to deceive themselves into rationalizing away the requirement to fast on the Day of Atonement! Others, completely captive to their own stomachs and physical appetites, like to argue that they can “fast” but merely drink water during the Day of Atonement.

Such people are plainly carnal, “of the flesh,” concerned with physical, fleshly appetites! To them, it is “unfair” that they should go as much as a single day of their lives without food and water! They want to “argue” and “reason” their way around God’s commands, allowing their stomachs to rule their minds, instead of the other way around. Like Esau, many are willing to miss out on the Kingdom of God for a mess of pottage!

But God says that those who do not fast shall be cut off from God, and His people!

No so-called “Christian” can argue that Jesus did not enjoin fasting upon His church! The Bible is replete with examples. Christ chided His disciples on one occasion when they attempted to cast out a demon, and could not. Christ told them that “this kind cometh not out, but by prayer and fasting!” (Matthew 17:21).

Since every converted member of God’s church is commanded to fastfrom time to time, WHAT BETTER DAY TO DO IT–TOGETHER, AS A CHURCH–THAN ON THE HOLY DAY OF ATONEMENT?

Luke, the historian, notes how the “fast,” which is the Day of Atonement, was so prominent in their seasonal reckoning that it was commonly used as the point in the Autumn when the winter storms would begin in the Mediterranean.

He wrote, “Now when much time was spent, and when sailing was now dangerous, because the fast was already past, Paul admonished them…” (Acts 27:9). The Companion Bible accompanying note says, “i.e., the tenth day of the seventh month, the day of Atonement, about Oct. 1st.”

Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance explains the Greek word used for “fast,” which is nesteia, to mean, “abstinence (from lack of food or voluntary and religious); spec. the fast of the Day of Atonement.”

Luke wrote between 59 and 61 A.D., or about thirty years after the resurrection of Christ! Everything that had supposedly been “nailed to the cross” had disappeared thirty years before. Yet, here was Luke, one of Christ’s close confidants and a writer of the account detailing the events in the life of Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles, and casually using one of God’s annual holy days as an important point in the seasons!

Notice how God’s prophet Joel said the time would come when, during the Great Tribulation, just before the terrible Day of the Lord, the leaders of the nation should call fasts for His people: “Sanctify ye a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the Eternal your God, and cry unto the Eternal,

“Alas for the day! for the day of the Eternal is at hand, and as a destruction from the ALMIGHTY [El Shaddai] shall it come…” (Joel 1:14,15). In the next chapter, Joel wrote, “Therefore also now, saith the Eternal, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mouming:

“And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Eternal your God: for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth Him of the evil.

“Who knoweth if He will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind Him; even a meat offering and a drink offering unto the Eternal your God?

“Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly…” (Joel 2:12-15).

Since God’s Word commands us not to “forsake the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more as ye see the day approaching,” (Hebrews 10:25), it behooves God’s church to obey God in observing His holy days; to obey Him in fasting and prayers, as He commands, on the solemn, meaningful, somber, most holy DAY OF ATONEMENT.

Notice carefully how God has arranged His holy days so they reveal, progressively, His great PLAN of redemption and salvation.

The Day of Atonement falls between the Feast of Trumpets and the Feast of Tabernacles. Just as the book of Revelation reveals, Satan is bound and hurled away from the earth after the Second Coming of Christ (which Trumpets foreshadows), and before the beginning of Christ’s 1,000 year reign, foreshadowed by the Feast of Tabernacles.

Very briefly, the Passover depicts the first step in the plan of redemption; the slaying of the lamb pictures Christ’s sacrifice and our acceptance of it. The Feast of Unleavened Bread pictures Christ becoming part of us, through the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. Christ said He was that “Bread of Life” that was come down from heaven, and said, “He that eateth of me shall never die.” Not only does eating unleavened bread show we are partaking of a sinless life, but the unleavened bread pictures Christ.

Next comes Pentecost, or the “Feast of Weeks,” or “Feast of the Firstfruits.” The word Pentecost is from the Greek, which merely means “fiftieth.” God told His Levites to count from the morrow after the Sabbath during the Days of Unleavened Bread seven weeks (seven meaning perfection, completion). On the morrow after the seventh Sabbath was the “Feast of Sabbaths,” or “Firstfruits.”

On this day, Christ sent the Holy Spirit upon His apostles (Acts 2). This is the “birthday” of the church–the first time in all history when God made His Holy Spirit available, freely, to all who would repent. Christ is the FIRST of the “firstfruits” of mankind. He is called “…the Firstborn among many brethren,” and “…the Firstfruits of them that slept” (Romans 8:29; 1 Corinthians 15:20). This important holy day shows the incredible truth we have been discussing previously; how only a very rare, tiny minority are being called now; that God is NOT TRYING TO “SAVE” THIS WORLD NOW; that only a small firstfruits for God’s kingdom has been converted, and called into God’s true church.

Next comes The Feast of Trumpets, which pictures the announcement from heaven of God’s intervention in human affairs. Not only does it look forward to the great final trumpet (Matthew 24:31; 1 Corinthians 15:50-52; Revelation 11:15), but it represents all of God’s continual witness and warning down through the centuries. Isaiah said, “Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins” (Isaiah 58:1). The ultimate meaning of the Feast of Trumpets is the Second Coming of Jesus Christ to this earth, after God has caused the Gospel of the Kingdom of God, which is the good news of Christ’s soon coming to RULE this world, to be preached among all nations.

The method of mass communication used in ancient Israel was the trumpet call, or the blowing on the horn of a ram, called the “shofar.” There were various sounds for the calling of assemblies, for marching orders, for the announcement of holy days, and for warning of approaching enemies.

God promised He would not leave this world without a witness; thatthe world would be warned of impending punishments for sin; of disease, economic collapse, and war. Throughout history, God has sent His special messengers; first, the prophets, then Jesus Christ, then His apostles, and finally His church, to blow the trumpet of witness and warning, as watchmen (Ezekiel 33) to inform people of what was to come!

Eventually, the whole world will hear the blast of the trumpet of God (Matthew 24:3 1), announcing Christ’s return.

But when Christ comes back to this earth, the world will not immediately accept Him. Peace will not immediately prevail. Instead, Christ will administer, personally, the immediate punishment for sin upon the “beast” and “false prophet,” and then God will send a powerful angel to hurl Satan away from this earth and BIND him for one thousand years so he can no longer influence mankind.

Notice one of the very first acts to be accomplished by Jesus Christ when He returns to this earth in power and glory: “And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse; and He that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He doth judge and make war.

“His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns; and He had a name written; that no man knew, but He himself.

“And He was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and His name is called The Word of God.

“And the armies which were in heaven followed Him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.

“And out of His mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it He should smite the nations: and He shall RULE them with a rod of iron [see Revelation 2:26]: and He treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.

“And He hath on His vesture and on His thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS … and I saw the beast [the coming military leader of the “beast power,” a ten-nation combine which will fight Christ at His coming (see Revelation 17:12-14)], and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him that sat on the horse, and against His army.

“And the beast was taken [captured; arrested], and with him the false prophet [see 2 Thessalonians 2:3-10 with Revelation 13:11-18] that wrought miracles before him, with which he had deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.

“And the remnant were slain with the sword of Him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of His mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.

“And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit [abyss, a metaphor for “the blackness of darkness forever” (Jude 13)] and a great chain in his hand.

“And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years.

“And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season” (Revelation 19:11-21; 20:1-3).

Men divided the manuscripts into chapters. The original scrolls had no such divisions. Here, the thought flow continues, uninterrupted, from the Second Coming of Christ to the binding of Satan.

First, then, Christ administers the death penalty–death by fire to the vicious, mass-murderers, the beast and his religious cohort, the false prophet. The very next event is the binding of Satan, and removal of him from the earth into some far off “black hole” in the universe pictured as an “abyss,” where he is to remain alive, yet completely powerless to influence the world, for the entire millennial reign of Christ with His saints.

With this information in mind, turn to and study Leviticus, the 16th chapter, and come to understand the interesting typology.

Types and Shadows of Things to Come

Only once each year was the high priest to come into the “holy of holies” inside the tabernacle (later, the temple). Read carefully through Hebrews 8 and 9 for a fuller understanding.

“And the Eternal said unto Moses, ‘Speak unto Aaron thy brother, that he come not at all times into the holy place within the veil before the mercy seat [a type of the throne of God], which is upon the ark; that he die not: for I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy seat.

“Thus shall Aaron come into the holy place: with a young bullock for a sin offering, and a ram for a burnt offering” (Leviticus 16:2,3). Verse six explains that the young bullock for a sin offering is for Aaron and his family to make an “atonement” for himself and them. The ram for the burnt offering was on behalf of the congregation of Israel (verse 15).

“And he shall take of the congregation of the children of Israel two kids of the goats for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt offering. And Aaron shall offer his bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and for his house. And he shall take the two goats, and present them before the Eternal at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

“And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the Eternal, and the other lot for the scapegoat” (Leviticus 16:6-8).

Notice that the first lot is “FOR THE ETERNAL.” It follows that the second lot, the goat which is called an “azazel” in Hebrew, falsely translated “scapegoat” into the English, is NOT FOR THE ETERNAL, but for some other representation.

Hastings says, “The living goat was then brought near; and the high priest, having placed both hands upon its head, confessed over it all the sins and offences of the Israelites; after which the goat was led away by a man standing in readiness, into the wilderness for ‘Azazel,’ that it might bear the iniquities to a land ‘cut off,’ i.e., to one remote from human habitations, from which there was no chance of its bringing back its burden of guilt” (Dictionary of the Bible, James Hastings, Vol. 1, p. 199).

Here, the sins are not forgiven, not expiated by the shedding of blood, but instead are still alive, the guilt still remaining upon the head of the live goat, which is led by a man specially selected for the task into a remote wilderness, from which it will never return.

This is a perfect type of what you read in Revelation 20:1-3: “And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit [metaphor for an “abyss,” or an empty void, without human habitation] and a great chain in his hand.

“And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,

“And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that that he should deceive the nations no more…”

When does the binding of Satan occur?

Immediately after the Second Coming of Christ and following Christ having thrown the beast and false prophet into a lake of fire!

Note this sequence of events well! Satan is bound after Christ’s coming, which is pictured by the Feast of Trumpets, yet before the beginning of the Millennium, which is foreshadowed, in part, by the Feast of Tabernacles. Which holy day comes between Trumpets and Tabernacles? The Day of Atonement.

The forgiveness of sin requires the shedding of blood.”…. without shedding of blood there is no remission” (Hebrews 9:22). The Passover lamb, the daily and special sacrifices; the slaying of the bullock for Aaron and his family, and the slaying of the goat “for the Eternal” all picture CHRIST’S SHED BLOOD for the sins of mankind. But the second goat, the “Azazel,” is NOT FOR THE ETERNAL, but is for the purpose of remaining alive to bear the sins and guilt of Israel far, far away into a distant, uninhabited wilderness.

This does not picture forgiveness of sin, for no blood is shed. Therefore, the theory that the live goat, or “Azazel,” which is sent into a desolate, uninhabited wilderness pictures “forgiveness of sins” is utterly impossible. Instead, it pictures how Satan, who will remain alive for eternity, will be burdened with memories of his iniquities and sins for ever and ever.

Think of it! Laying upon the head of the live goat, like virulent bacteria and viruses, all the sins of the world, the goat is sent into a remote, desolate wilderness. The wilderness, or “Arabah” was always used as a type of sin.

While God will forgive and forget our sins, Satan the Devil has no capacity for remorse or forgiveness and will NEVER FORGET. He will remain alive, REMEMBERING!

Therefore, though God, our Creator, completely forgives and forgets your sins and mine, our “partner in sin,” the original sinner, the one who influenced us to sin, will remain alive, continually remembering! He will be alone. There will be no light to see. There will be no companionship. He will remain alone with his torturous thoughts, his bitter memories, for all eternity.

Many of the major religious beliefs of this world have been subtly implanted by Satan–doctrines that picture him, his state of being, and his future, rather than the plan of God.

Satan has deceived the world into believing God is part of a great spiritual triumvirate, while Satan, himself, is one of only three archangels mentioned in the Bible. The Divine Family of God consists of Father and Son. DUALITY is seen throughout nature: two magnetic poles, two sexes; man has two eyes, two hands, two arms, two feet, two ears, two legs. There is the “first man Adam” and the “second man Adam” (referring to our first parent and our spiritual Savior–1 Corinthians 15:45-49). The Bible has the Old Testament and the New Testament. There is the physical and the spiritual. Everywhere, God has placed duality throughout creation. Electricity has a positive and a negative charge, and there are many other examples in the physical creation to illustrate duality. Yet, millions believe in the false doctrine that God consists of a “Trinity” of Persons.

Satan has also deceived mankind into believing man has an “immortal soul.” But Satan has been created as an immortal spirit, who will live forever. Satan has convinced mankind that sin is punished by eternal punishing, not eternal punishment. Yet, Satan will be punished for all eternity in the “blackness of darkness forever” (Jude 13).

Thus, the live goat, with all the sins of Israel laid upon him, represents Satan, remaining alive, with the bitter memories of his betrayal, his rebellion, his unceasing sins.

Betrayal, Estrangement, and Atonement

Previously, I asked if you had ever been rejected, perhaps divorced–whether you had ever been despised by someone you loved. Now, think of that person. How painful would it be if, even at this late state, a complete reconciliation could occur?

It is much easier to ask forgiveness than it is to give it! The penitent one is emotionally moved; ashamed, disgusted with himself. When true repentance occurs, it is a natural desire to ask to be forgiven, to shed the painful feelings of guilt that weigh like a terrible burden on the mind.

The one who is wronged, however, experiences far different feelings. Because it is so difficult to forgive; much more difficult than to ask for forgiveness, Jesus instructed His disciples about forgiveness. Peter had asked, “Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? ‘Till seven times?

“Jesus saith unto him, ‘I say not unto thee, until seven times: but, until seventy times seven” (Matthew 18:21,22). Then Christ instructed them about the parable of the unjust servant, who, when forgiven a huge debt, turned about and had a man who owed him but little thrown into jail.

The landowner who had originally forgiven his servant the large debt heard of it, had him arrested, and thrown into prison.

Jesus said, “So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses” (Matthew 18:35).

Continually, Jesus Christ stressed forgiveness as a part of the character of a Christian! Why? Because it is contrary to human nature to forgive! Instead, the one wronged is prone to demand far more display of contrition; far more restitution than the repentant one is able to give.

How many times have we heard the terms, “I will never forgive him for that”? Or, “That is absolutely unforgivable”? Jesus said……. if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:

“But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Matthew 6:14,15).

It is part of God’s nature to be a FORGIVING God. He had said, “For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and iniquities will I remember no more” (Hebrews 8:12).

As we have seen, God was betrayed by one of the most beautiful creatures in all the universe, Lucifer, who became twisted and perverted into the embodiment of hatred, spite, contempt, bitterness, sin and evil!

Does God have no feelings? Did not this grieve our Heavenly Father, and the “Logos,” or the One who became our Savior? Of course it did!

Did it not grieve Christ to see all His disciples forsake Him as He suffered on the stake? God commands us: “…grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption” (Ephesians 4:30).

It is because both parties feel affliction when a reconciliation occurs; because BOTH parties have been grieved–especially the one who was wronged–that removing the wrong, assuaging the guilt, becoming “at-ONE” again is so painful!

Joyous at the end, the process of repentance, and being forgiven is painful while it occurs.

Perhaps now we can see, as never before, why our Heavenly Father commands us “…ye shall afflict your souls” during the somber Day of At-One-Ment!

David cried out, “Before I was afflicted I went astray: But now have I kept thy word” (Psalm 119:67).

When we abstain from food and drink from sunset to sunset during the holy Day of Atonement, we should not think about how pitiful we are, how hungry we are, how we desire food! This defeats the purpose of Atonement.

Rather, we should get our minds off physical things, and think only of spiritual things. We should think, again, of how much God has suffered for mankind! How God was betrayed by Lucifer; how Satan destroyed the original creation; how Satan deceived our first parents; how he attacked Job; how he influenced Herod to kill thousands of innocent babies; how he tempted Christ; how he influenced Judas to betray Christ; and how he is our adversary, “accusing” us before God, day and night!

We should realize that we have had an evil partner in sin! We should soberly contemplate how GREAT is God’s mercy toward us, that He should say He will “remove our sins from us as far as the East is removed from the West,” realizing how Satan, laden with his share of our guilt, will be hurled into the “blackness of darkness for all eternity”!

Only when all this is accomplished will this world, under the righteous reign of Jesus Christ, become once again truly “at one” with God!

How fervently we should pray, “Thy Kingdom Come…”

You may copy and distribute this information only to friends and family without changes, without charge and with full credit given to the author and publisher. You may not publish it for general audiences.

This publication is intended to be used as a personal study tool. Please know it is not wise to take any man’s word for anything, so prove all things for yourself from the pages of your own Bible.

The activities of the Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association are paid for by tithes, offerings and donations 
freely given by Christians and co-workers who are dedicated to preaching the gospel according to Jesus Christ.

The post Betrayal and Forgiveness first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.