First of all, let us look at this phrase. From Wikipedia we can glean this interesting information: “‘In God We Trust’ is the official motto of the United States of America, Nicaragua, and of the U.S. state of Florida. It was adopted as the United States’ motto in 1956 as a replacement or alternative to the unofficial motto of E pluribus unum, which was adopted when the Great Seal of the United States was created and adopted in 1782. ‘In God We Trust’ first appeared on the two-cent piece in 1864 and has appeared on paper currency since 1957.”

It is an interesting question to ask if this would be permitted today.   And even if it were, would it be embraced with the same deep intended meaning? You just have to wonder as the USA, as well as many other nations around the world, have become much more secular and permissive societies. 

As ever, there are those who, not having any religious affiliation or affinity, object to the use of this phrase.   Wikipedia continues:

“Some groups and people have expressed objections to its use, contending that its religious reference violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. These groups believe the phrase should be removed from currency and public property.  In lawsuits, this argument has so far not overcome the interpretational doctrine of accommodationism, which allows government to endorse religious establishments as long as they are all treated equally. According to a 2003 joint poll by USA Today, CNN, and Gallup, 90% of Americans support the inscription ‘In God We Trust’ on U.S. coins.”

In an article by Dr. Elizabeth Mitchell on May 7, 2013, she wrote: “Following the April 29 (2013) opening of their documentary The Unbelievers at Toronto’s Hot Docs Film Festival, outspoken atheists Richard Dawkins and Lawrence Krauss discussed the merits of their approaches to ‘ridding the world of religion.’ In a recent interview with Steve Paikin, they made it clear that, despite their sometimes different personas, they have the same agenda—getting people to get rid of their belief in God. Yet they both say that Christians should not feel ‘threatened’ by their efforts to expunge religion from human history.”  

That is the society that we live in today, where trust in God is belittled, undermined and scoffed at, and this background should give us the extra urgency and energy to trust in God for all our needs.

And so, back to the question. This phrase is not found verbatim in the Word of God but there are many verses that give the same meaning and understanding. 

In Psalm 91:2 we read: “I will say of the LORD, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.’”

There are many other verses that say much the same thing, for example:

Psalm 18:2: “The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”

Proverbs 3:5-6: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.”

Nahum 1:7: “The LORD is good, A stronghold in the day of trouble; And He knows those who trust in Him.”

Psalm 40:3: “He has put a new song in my mouth— Praise to our God; Many will see it and fear, And will trust in the LORD.”

Psalm 73:28: “But it is good for me to draw near to God; I have put my trust in the LORD GOD, That I may declare all Your works.”

Proverbs 29:25: “The fear of man brings a snare, But whoever trusts in the LORD shall be safe.”

Jeremiah 17:7-8: “Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, And whose hope is the Lord. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, Which spreads out its roots by the river, And will not fear when heat comes; But its leaf will be green, And will not be anxious in the year of drought, Nor will cease from yielding fruit.”

These are but a few verses that show us where our trust should be.

As we know, times have changed drastically over the last several decades. There was a time when most people had a belief in God but, in more recent times, as the world has become more and more secular, that belief and acceptance have dwindled, been questioned, dismissed and even ridiculed by many as being outdated and unnecessary.   There are those who wonder why the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord will be necessary, and even as severe as they will surely be but, even a cursory review of how society today thinks and behaves should give more than a clue as to why “there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be” (Matthew 24:21).   It will be the only way of getting man’s full attention.

Dismissing trust in God, along with many other sins, will lead to much trouble and suffering for mankind.

Unfortunately, as so often happens, this phrase has been misappropriated by those who seem to know no better.   For example, an increasing trend with football (soccer) supporters in the UK can be seen when showing banners at matches with God’s Name being replaced by the manager or a star player.   Instead of “In God We Trust” it becomes “In (name of person) We Trust”.   In a way, that is hardly surprising, as football in the UK (and in many other countries) has become a religion.   This phrase with a human being’s name inserted, can also be heard in conversation and it is indeed a godless and unwelcome trend where a human being is seen as more important than God.   Regrettably, that means nothing to those who are so involved but they will see, one day, how ridiculous such assertions were.

We are told not to trust in man.   In Psalm 118:8-9 we read: “It is better to trust in the LORD Than to put confidence in man.  It is better to trust in the Lord Than to put confidence in princes.”

Also, Psalm 146:3: “Do not put your trust in princes, Nor in a son of man, in whom there is no help.”

And in Jeremiah 17:5: “Thus says the LORD: ‘Cursed is the man who trusts in man And makes flesh his strength, Whose heart departs from the LORD.’”

It is quite clear that trust is not to be in mortal man but in the great Creator and Eternal God.  Those in the true Church of God today, do trust God.   In 2 Samuel 22:2-3, David, when giving praise for God’s deliverance said:

“The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; The God of my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, My stronghold and my refuge; My Savior, You save me from violence.”

A stronghold is a “fortified place, a place of security or survival,” and that is what God should be to us.   In God we trust, not in any man, and while this exact phrase cannot be found verbatim in the Word of God, the principle is seen throughout the Bible.

Let us, as the people of God, never forget where our trust should be and make our motto “In God We Trust.”

Lead Writer: Brian Gale (United Kingdom)

With all that is going on in the world at present, war is on many people’s minds. War is a terrible thing, showing the worst excesses of sinful man.   On the website worldpopulationreview.com, we read that there are currently 12 different countries involved in war, civil war, drug wars and terrorist insurgencies.

We have a 78-page booklet entitled, “Should You Fight in War?” This is a thorough exposition well worth reading, or re-reading, showing that it is not the way that man should behave, ever!   On pages 17 and 20, we read under the heading “THE CHRISTIAN DUTY—TODAY!” the following:

“True Christians need to understand that they must already have God’s attitude toward peace and war, knowing that PEACE, not WAR, will be the reality of the future world under God’s rule. They must lead by their good example TODAY, showing others that we can live the way to peace and avoid the way to war. 

“Clearly, we cannot participate in war—neither in a literal sense, nor in the sense of advocating war with our lips, or even entertaining thoughts of war. Rather, we have to bring ‘every thought’ into captivity to the obedience of Christ (compare 2 Corinthians 10:5). That is, we must be sure that our thoughts conform to Christ’s thoughts, and if we think thoughts of war, rather than peace, we must eradicate those thoughts from our minds.”

There is also a section in the same booklet, titled, “Killing in War Breaks the Ten Commandments,” which should be pretty obvious to a true Christian.   Unfortunately, there are those in mainstream Christianity who think otherwise; for example, a lay Anglican theologian and Associate Tutor in Doctrine wrote:

“Because the cause of war is sin it is never legitimate for Christians to precipitate warfare. It is not right for Christians to attack other people, or other nations, as part of an army out of a desire to kill them or to take what they possess. Down the centuries there have been Christians who would go further than this and say that Christians must never go to war for any cause at all. However, this has not been the majority Christian view. The majority view has been that although Christians may not start a war as a result of sinful desire, they may nevertheless engage in warfare. As Article XXXVII of the Church of England’s Thirty-Nine Articles puts it, ‘It is lawful for Christian men, at the command of the Magistrate, to wear weapons, and to serve in the wars’” (our emphasis by underlining).

In Matthew 26:51-52 we read:

^“And suddenly, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword, struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear.But Jesus said to him, ‘Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword.’”

Here, Jesus, as He was being arrested, made the telling comment that “all who take the sword will perish by the sword,” which certainly rules out fighting in war.

From the earliest dawn of civilization, men have fought and waged war.   The Bible is replete with example after example of such conflicts.   And, of course, it shows no sign of diminishing.   How seriously do we take our calling?   Is our Christian faith just a hobby or a Way of Life to which we are fully committed?   

Older members may well recall that Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong (the late Pastor-General of the now defunct Worldwide Church of God) stated a number of times that he wondered whether even 50% of the Church “got it” (that is, thoroughly understand and live by every Word of God supporting the Church in its God-given responsibilities).   Some used to be amazed that he would say that.  They thought that he had made a mistake by saying that.   In a sense, he did, as it appears from what has happened since his death in 1986 that not even 50% “got it”.   A much smaller percentage, it seems, have stayed with the Truth.   But there will still be tares growing with the wheat in the Church of God today as the Bible reveals.

However, the point of this Q&A is a reminder that the war that true Christians ARE currently involved in is very real!   It is not with physical weapons, military operations or armed struggles that we contend with as our focus, but spiritual warfare that will decide our eternal future.

This warfare is spiritual.   We have been warned about this over many decades and many reading this Q&A will be very familiar with the knowledge of the forthcoming persecution that will increase in intensity the nearer we get to the time of trouble as set out in Matthew 24:21:

^“For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.”

From what is happening in the world today, it must be obvious for those with eyes to see that we are rapidly heading towards the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord and the return of Jesus Christ, and it will happen with God’s perfect timing.

Jesus revealed to His disciples that persecutions would be coming, as they were then, and will be in the near future, as Matthew 10:22 shows:

“And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved.”

There may be those in the Church who may think or say that we’ve heard all this before, but history shows us that some did not make it to the end.   Therefore, we all still have to be on our spiritual toes to make completely sure to God that we will stay loyal and faithful to Him and to our Calling.   Some won’t make it, and let us ensure that we are not among that number.  

1 Corinthians 10:12 is very instructive: “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.” 

This is talking about vigilance and ongoing self-examination, and all of us have to be careful that we stay on the straight and narrow path without deviation.   We are to have a continuous, active watchfulness about the Way of Life we have chosen and must not be shaken or moved away from God’s Way.    

Psalm 16:8 sums this up perfectly: ”I have set the LORD always before me; Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved.”

And Philippians 1:6 complements this view: “… being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Christ Jesus.”

Matthew 24:13 gives us knowledge of what it will take to be in the Kingdom of God: “But he who endures to the end shall be saved.”

The forces that we are to be well aware of are shown in Ephesians 6:12:

“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

Our enemies, the ones that we are at war with, are the dark, demonic forces of Satan and His demons as they influence this world with their evil manipulative powers.

We read further about the source of our problems in 1 Peter 5:8-9:

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.”

Jesus told the Jews the Truth about Satan the devil in John 8:44:

“You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.”

On the other hand, Titus 1:2 explains: “… in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began.”

The difference on just this one issue of Truth between God and Satan is stark.

We read in 2 Corinthians 10:4: “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds…”

When the apostle Paul mentions “the weapons of our warfare,” he doesn’t point to the usual normal physical items that they would have had at their disposal 2,000 years ago but the spiritual sources that God makes available to His people – “divine tools that have the strength to break down barriers and strongholds,” as one commentator put it.   Carnal signifies the ways of man but the people of God rely on God Himself Who will help and guide us through the most difficult of times.

We don’t want to be in the position that Jesus outlined in Matthew 7:23: “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’”

What is the answer?   How do we succeed?

We know that in the Millennium, there will not be war as we read in Isaiah 2:4: “He shall judge between the nations, And rebuke many people; They shall beat their swords into plowshares, And their spears into pruning hooks; Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, Neither shall they learn war anymore.”

That is the future to look forward to, but in the meantime, what do we do?   We touched on Ephesians 6:12 showing who we are fighting against but the whole passage of Ephesians 6:10-18 reveals the whole armor of God which is for our protection:

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

^“Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints…”

We know that at this time, the broadcasting of Satan will be increasing as he sees his time is running out.   Many members have illness, sickness, serious health concerns and these can lead to discouragement and depression, maybe even questioning our calling at times.   We have to hang on to our love of God the Father and Jesus Christ, keeping them at the centre of our lives, pray, study and trust in Him Who is able to bring us through our own individual problems and concerns.

Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong made these comments about true spirituality, which is a state that we must be seeking unless our religion is a hobby. If it is a hobby, these words won’t count, but if our Christianity is a Way of Life, these words should remind us of our commitment.   He said, as stated in The Good News, in the June/July 84 edition:

“The spiritual mind is the surrendered, yielded mind.   It is the mind that has given up all wanting its own way.   It is the mind that has been conquered in its rebellion against God.

“It is the mind that, henceforth, is willing to obey God no matter what the cost, and that continually studies God’s Word, not to argue and strive and corner others, but to learn more of God’s will, and to walk in it!”

Our baptism was symbolic of our decision to put God first in our lives, no matter what the circumstances.   For those of us who have been Church members for many years, do we still feel the same today?   We accepted the condition to love God more than anyone or anything else – with all of our heart, with all our soul and with all of our mind.   This is the greatest commandment of all.   Does it have first priority in our lives?   And after that, does the second great commandment – loving neighbour as ourselves – have priority in our lives?

The good news, which must now be just around the corner, can be found in Revelation 12:12 where we read: “Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.”   This shows a time, possibly yet future, when Satan will be cast out of heaven to the earth and when he will persecute the Church as we read in verses 13-17.   However, the Church will be protected and we may very well be near that time now.

Finally, and most importantly, we must stress that in spite of all the messages in magazines, booklets, Q&A’s, sermons and sermonettes that have been made available over many decades, many have fallen away and detached themselves from the One Who is able to protect and provide for us.

We read in 2 Thessalonians 2:3:  “Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition…”

There is a falling away to come; the Bible says so, and so it will happen.   Let us not be among that number and let us take heed of the fact that Satan is at war with all of God’s people, trying to deny them a position in the Family of God for eternity.

We have been warned many times about this, and this is the latest admonition in a long line of previous warnings.

The question asked in this Q&A was: “Are Christians currently involved in war?” We hope that we have answered that question.   We are at war spiritually which will affect our future eternal life.   Let us make the most of this incredible opportunity that God has afforded us and win this war!

Lead Writer: Brian Gale (United Kingdom)

In the first part of this Q&A, we ascertained that the fundamental idea of Christian universalism is that ALL human beings will eventually receive salvation.   We looked at a number of biblical references which refute this assertion, and we will now continue to show from the pages of the Bible, that this belief is void of any Scriptural approval.

Universalism seems to ignore the fact that some will commit the unpardonable sin. In our free booklet “Do We Have an Immortal Soul?” we find this information:

“What is the Unpardonable Sin?

“From other Scriptures we know that there are at least two ways in which the unpardonable sin can be committed.

“Jesus warns us in Mark 3:28–29, not to ‘blaspheme’ the Holy Spirit, regardless of whether we are converted or not. If we do, we reject the only power that can convert and change us. And if we continue with that course of action of resisting God and refusing to repent, then we might reach a point when it will become impossible for us to repent. We will then have made the final, irrevocable decision never to repent and to change. Such an attitude will lead to actual hate and resentment for God and His way. You see, if we don’t want to repent, God will not grant us repentance. And without repentance, there can be no forgiveness. That is why a sin which we refuse to repent of, will not be forgiven.

“In addition, converted people who have received the gift of God’s Holy Spirit, can commit the unpardonable sin, if and when they later fall away and irrevocably reject God’s way of life (cp. Hebrews 6:4–6; Hebrews 10:26–29).”

We have already seen how wrong this “Universalist” concept is and how it can lead on to, or incorporate, other false ideas which we will now address.

The mainstream Christian teaching of going to heaven and hell is mentioned in the context of universalism.   In our Q&A entitled, “Do the Wicked Go to Hell?”, the first paragraph states that: “The concept that the wicked go to an ever-burning hell after their death is nowhere taught in Scripture. In fact, the Bible does not even teach the existence of an ever-burning hell, torturing wicked souls of departed ones for their evil deeds.”

In a further Q&A, “Would you please explain Revelation 14:11? Does this Scripture teach that the wicked will be forever tormented in hell fire?,” we read the following:

“The unrepentant wicked will ultimately be burned up. That will happen after the Millennium and the Great White Throne Judgment. However, the passage in Revelation 14:11 does not address that time period. It merely serves as a forerunner and a warning. Most people who will worship the false political and religious system of Babylon, as well as its human representatives, won’t fully comprehend what they will be doing — they will not commit the unpardonable sin leading to the second death, from which there will be no resurrection (Revelation 20:14-15; 21:8). Rather, God will bring them back to life in a Second Resurrection, when the gravity of their wrong conduct will be revealed to them, and when they will be given an opportunity to repent and accept God’s Way of Life.”

In another Q&A, entitled “What are the biblical proofs that we do not go to heaven when we die?”, we read:

“The idea that we will go to heaven after death is an entirely unbiblical concept. It is derived from paganism.  

“The biblical understanding is not complicated, but pure and simple, and very easy to comprehend: When a man dies, he is dead, but he will live again through the resurrection from the dead. Until then, he will sleep a dreamless sleep, without any consciousness. He will not go to heaven when he dies, nor will he suffer in a purgatory or ‘hell.’ Rather, he is asleep, until Christ awakes him out of his sleep. And He will, because as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all will be made alive (1 Corinthians 15:22).” 

Now let us briefly address the Lake of Fire.  In our Q&A, “Will There Be Punishment in the Third Resurrection? (Part 1)”, we read:

“Sadly, there are those who have had their opportunity. They have committed the ‘unpardonable sin.’ They knew and understood perfectly well that they had to submit to Christ, but they refused to do so. They became bitter, hateful, resentful and malicious. They made the unchangeable decision NEVER to repent. If a person has reached that stage that he CANNOT repent, because he has made the final decision NOT to WANT to repent, then God will not force repentance on such a person. God grants repentance, but a person must want to receive it. A person, though, who maliciously rejects Christ would only continue to live in misery and pain–and that is why God will save such a person from eternal misery, by DESTROYING him or her in a lake of fire.

“The Third Resurrection describes those sinners who have made the final and irrevocable decision to rebel against God. They have refused to ever obey God, and they have developed a hostile attitude towards Him, filled with hatred and contempt, which prevents them from ever repenting of their terrible sinful conduct and nature. They will be raised to physical life to be burned up and destroyed in the lake of fire.”

It is impossible to refute Revelation 21:8 which reads: “But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”   The wicked will be destroyed.

We say in our Q&A, “Do the wicked go to hell?”

“It is true that the New Testament speaks about a fiery place, which is translated in some English Bibles as, ‘hell.’ The Greek word for this place is ‘gehenna.’ It does not, however, describe an ever-burning hell, as commonly understood by many… Please note the following excerpts from our free booklet, “Do You Have an Immortal Soul?”, addressing the concept of a fiery hell:

“The word ‘gehenna’ and the very concept of it are derived from the Valley of Hinnom outside Jerusalem in which the corpses of dead people, mainly criminals, would be burned up. It is another expression for the ‘lake of fire’ in Revelation 20:15, in which all who have acted wickedly, and who have refused to repent, will be thrown into, to be burned up or ‘devoured.’ (Remember that Hebrews 10:27… tells us that the wicked wait for God’s fiery indignation that will ‘devour’ them.). That is the ‘hell’ or the ‘gehenna’ fire that Christ is talking about…-‘the second death’ from which there will be no resurrection.

“Those who sin deliberately, willfully and maliciously, God will resurrect to physical life [please note that they were dead — not in heaven, hell, limbo or purgatory — and that they had to be brought back from death to physical life] to throw them-their physical body and their soul or their ‘life’-into ‘gehenna’ or the lake of fire (Revelation 20:13-15; 21:8). They won’t burn there forever-rather, they will be burned up. They are the ‘chaff,’ that will be ‘burned up’ with unquenchable fire (Matthew 3:12)-that is, no human can quench it. Notice that this fire will ultimately even burn up or bring to dissolution ‘heaven and earth,’ so that a ‘new heaven and a new earth’ can be created by God (2 Peter 3:10-13).

“The wicked, such as the rich man in Christ’s parable in Luke 16, will not burn forever and ever, for all eternity, in an everlasting hell fire, but they will be ‘burned up’ (cp. again Matthew 3:12). The Greek word for ‘burned up’ is ‘katakaio’-conveying the meaning that nothing of what is burned up will remain. We read in Revelation 18:8 that modern Babylon ‘shall be utterly burned with fire.’ The word for ‘utterly burned’ is, again, ‘katakaio’ in the Greek. And we are told that ‘that great city Babylon [will] be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.’ (Revelation 18:21).

“In the same way, the wicked, such as the rich man in Luke 16, that are [brought back to life from the dead and then] thrown into ‘gehenna’ or the lake of fire [called the SECOND death!], will be ‘burnt up’-they ‘shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up… that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.’ (Malachi 4:1). They will become ashes under the feet of the righteous (Malachi 4:3); it will be as if they had never existed (Obadiah 16).”

In Romans 11:26-27 we read the following: “And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: “The Deliverer will come out of Zion, And He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; For this is My covenant with them, When I take away their sins.”

If all of Israel, every last one, was going to be saved, all of the Scriptures that we’ve looked at would be null and void and that cannot be so, as the Scripture cannot be broken or contain contradictions (John 10:35).

The statement that “all Israel” will be saved must not be misunderstood. We say the following in our Q&A, “I have heard it said that the Biblical terms “all” or “every” [such as, “every person” or “every thing”] do not necessarily have to mean, “without any exception.” Is this correct?”:

“… the concept that Christ is the Savior of ALL men does not rule out the fact that some will NOT be saved. Here, the word ‘ALL’ is NOT used in an all-inclusive sense. Some WILL commit the unpardonable sin and be destroyed and burned up in the lake of fire (Hebrews 6:4-8; Revelation 20:13-15). Still, we read that ‘ALL Israel will be saved’ (Romans 11:26). As stated, this might give the impression that every last Israelite will inherit salvation. But this is not true, as there will be some who will reject salvation. For instance, Christ warned the Pharisees that they were walking on very thin ice, heading towards committing the unpardonable sin (compare Mark 3:28-30 and Matthew 9:34).

“Paul continues in Romans 11:32 that God, in His dealings with Israel, ‘has committed them ALL to disobedience, that He might have mercy on ALL.’ In both cases, the word ‘all’ is not used to teach all-inclusiveness, without any exceptions. Not every last Israelite will repent, and not every Israelite–even at the time of Paul–was disobedient. The early Church of God consisted at first exclusively of Israelites who had become obedient to the faith.

“We also read in Romans 14:11 that ‘EVERY tongue shall confess’ to God. But again, this does not include every last person, as some will not confess to God, but instead, they will be destroyed in the lake of fire–they will die the second death–in utter rebellion to God.

“There are additional examples where the words ‘all’ or ‘every’ are not to be understood in an all-inclusive sense…

“In Matthew 23:3, Christ told the Jews to ‘obey ALL’ (Authorized Version) what the scribes and Pharisees commanded them to do. In Ephesians 5:24, Paul says that women are to be submissive to their husbands in EVERYTHING. And Peter says in 1 Peter 2:13 that we are to submit ourselves to EVERY ordinance of man. However, these passages are not all-inclusive and allow–yes, DEMAND–an exception. This exception is found in Acts 5:27-32, where Peter makes it clear that we must obey God rather than man, and that we must DISOBEY man if we would otherwise disobey God.

“We also read that the gospel of the Kingdom of God will be preached in all the world as a witness, and then the end will come (Matthew 24:14). This does not mean that every last person on earth will hear the gospel just prior to Christ’s return. There will be those alive at the beginning of the Millennium who never heard Christ’s gospel message (compare Isaiah 66:19). This is why Matthew 24:14 must be read together with Scriptures such as Mark 13:10 and Luke 24:47, stating that the gospel will be preached “among” all nations…

“In Luke 6:30, Christ tells us that we are to give to EVERYONE who asks of us and wants to borrow from us. Again, this is not an all-inclusive command, as Paul says, for example, that we must work to make a living, and if we are unwilling to work, we should not eat (2 Thessalonians 3:10). So, Christ was not telling us that we must give to just EVERYONE who wants to eat, even though he is unwilling to work…

“Finally, we read in 1 Timothy 4:1-5 that ‘EVERY creature of God’ is good for food. Some use this passage to claim that we are therefore no longer obligated to refrain from eating UNCLEAN meat. However, we also read in Genesis 9:3 that ‘EVERY moving thing that lives shall be food for you. I have given you ALL things, even as the green herbs.’ It goes without saying that we must not eat POISONOUS green herbs–even though ‘all things’ were given to us for food–and we therefore must not eat meat which was not created for food (Compare again 1 Timothy 4:4, stating that those who believe and know the truth of God’s Word, as revealed in Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14, understand WHICH animals God has created FOR FOOD). We see, therefore, that these passages are not all-inclusive, but must be understood in context.

When Paul speaks about the concept that “all Israel shall be saved,” he does not mean, every last one of the Israelites. Matthew Poole’s Commentary agrees, stating: “all Israel is not meant every individual Israelite, but many, or (it may be) the greatest part of them. So ‘all’ is to be taken in Scripture: see John 6:45; 1 Timothy 2:6, and elsewhere.”

In conclusion, the belief in universalism is not taught in the Bible.   We have looked at the fact that our behavior now does matter for those who have been called and chosen by God.   We have reviewed the unpardonable sin and have also looked very briefly at the fact that people don’t go to heaven or hell when they die and why the Lake of Fire is necessary.  

There are also many Scriptures about not staying with our calling until the end and that we have to be careful that no one takes our crown.   Matthew 24:13 quite simply states: “But he who endures to the end shall be saved.”

None of the information given in this Q&A gives even the slightest impression that universalism – that of all people being eventually saved – is an accurate statement that the Bible teaches.  Quite the reverse, and this teaching should be completely rejected.  And the further danger is that it can lead to further incorrect biblical understanding.

The apostle Paul wrote: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing” (2 Timothy 4:7-8).

Finally, we read in James 1:12: “Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.”

Universalism is yet another deceptive offshoot of mainstream Christianity and runs contrary to the teachings of the Word of God!

Lead Writers: Brian Gale (United Kingdom) and Norbert Link

In order to address this question, we need to know what a universalist is.

Wikipedia states the following: “The fundamental idea of Christian universalism is universal reconciliation – that all humans will eventually receive salvation. They will eventually enter God’s kingdom in Heaven, through the grace and works of the Lord Jesus Christ.”   They also have this reference:

“Otis Ainsworth Skinner (1807-1861), A Series of Sermons in Defense of the Doctrine of Universal Salvation, Page 209, [points out that universalism] is not part of mainline Christian doctrine either Catholic or Protestant. [He writes that] ‘Repentance is a means by which all men are brought into the enjoyment of religion, and we do expect any man will be saved while he continues in sin. However, Unitarian Universalism holds a universal salvation, because… ‘we expect all men will repent.’”

The Free Dictionary similarly defines universalism as “the doctrine held especially by some Christian groups, that all people will eventually be saved.”

On the website universalist.org under the heading “Who Are We?,” we read:

“We are a liberal, Universalist Christian church–liberal in that we have no creedal test for membership, Universalist in our belief in the final harmony of all souls with God, and Christian in that our mission is to create a loving community for worship and service in the spirit of Jesus Christ. We are a member congregation of the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA).”

We learn from Learn Religions.com that “Some universalists believe that after a certain cleansing period, God will free the inhabitants of hell and reconcile them to himself. Others say that after death, people will have another opportunity to choose God. For some who adhere to universalism, the doctrine also implies that there are many ways to get into heaven.”

On the website britannica.com, we read the following:

“From the beginning, Universalists have differed widely in matters of belief. Attempts to write statements of faith, one as late as 1935, met with only partial success. Liberalism, freedom of individual interpretation, tolerance of diversity, agreement on methods of approaching theological and church issues, and belief in the inherent dignity of each person have been the strongest elements keeping the movement together. Universalists generally stress the use of reason in religion and modification of belief in the light of the discoveries of science. Thus, the miraculous elements of traditional Christianity are rejected as incompatible with modern knowledge. Jesus is considered a great teacher and an example worthy of imitation, but he is not held to be divine. A broader conception of Universalism began to emerge in the 20th century. Although stressing their ties to the Christian tradition, Universalists were exploring the universal elements of religion and seeking closer relationships with non-Christian religions.”

There are many issues to be addressed from all of the above information.  Let us firstly address the belief that all humans will eventually receive salvation.

If everyone will eventually receive salvation (as it was stated by the Free Dictionary, quoted above), it simply does not matter, nor does it make any difference, how we live our lives.   The word “eventually” is interesting as it can give the impression that someone who may have lived an evil life may have to go through some “hoops” in order to finally receive their salvation.   If that was correct, it would be against all that the Bible teaches.

Let us review a few Scriptures that show behavior really does matter.

We read in 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 with our emphasis underlined:

“Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God?   Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.  And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.”

We read here that some used to behave in a wrong and sinful manner, before they became converted and members of the church of God,  but we also read in Proverbs 26:11:

“As a dog returns to his vomit, so a fool repeats his folly,” meaning that some Church members could turn back to their former life. Therefore, anyone who has gone off the straight and narrow way and has not repented and got back on track will not be in the Kingdom of God.

Further, in 1 Corinthians 15:1-2, we read:

“Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.” Paul says they have to hold fast to that which he preached to them.

Hebrews 10:26 is also instructive:

“For if we sin wilfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins.” So again, anyone who has been converted can still go off track and sin wilfully and will not be continuing in the Truth. For such a person, the consequences are dire.

We further read in 2 Peter 2:20-22:

“For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning. For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them. But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: ‘A dog returns to his own vomit,’ and, ‘a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire.’”

We know that at the end time, the love of many will grow cold.   We read in Matthew 24:12:

“And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.” The love mentioned here is “agape” which is godly love and applies to Church members.  Unconverted people of this world do not have godly love within them and, because of lawlessness, the love of many in the Church will grow cold. When that happens, those who lose this godly love will not make it into the Kingdom of God unless they repent quickly of this and return to fully following the Way of God.

We also know that there will be a falling away from the Truth at the end of the age, as we read in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-3:

“Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition.”

The time frame is obviously the end time as it talks about the man of sin or the false prophet, and verse 10 is very telling in the context of the “once saved, always saved” belief of some.  It states: “… and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.” The love of the Truth is vital to our salvation; without it, we will lose out!

1 Timothy 4:1 is also a revealing piece of Scripture:

“Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons.” Departing from the faith, for whatever reason, will be a terrible position to be in unless there is true repentance.

And in Hebrews 6:4-6, we read:

“For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame.”

Can true Christians lose their salvation? Yes!  Once saved, always saved? The Bible gives an emphatic NO to that question also.  If we’re saved now and we can’t lose out whatever we do, where’s the motivation? Why continue to grow and overcome? There would be no need, as the matter would be unchangeable, irrespective of our future behavior. However, the Scriptures clearly tell us that we must grow and overcome AND endure to the end.   We are instructed in 2 Peter 3:18 to “Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.”

We read in Revelation 3:11:

“Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown,” which clearly indicates that we could lose out.   The crown referred to is the crown of righteousness which we read about in 1 Corinthians 9:24-27: “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.”

And so, according to the above reference, the apostle Paul understood that he could be disqualified and not receive his crown.   That goes against the teaching that we have been reviewing.

(To be continued)

Lead Writer: Brian Gale (United Kingdom)

The Christian Post reported on September 15^th 2024 what the Pope (Pope Francis at that time) had said during a visit to Singapore.  It read as follows:

“During a three-day visit to Singapore, Pope Francis declared that ‘all religions are a path to God,’ sparking backlash among religious leaders in the U.S.  The statement was made at an interreligious meeting with young people at a Catholic junior college shortly before his departure back to Rome. Departing from his prepared remarks, Francis spoke off the cuff, stating that different religions are like ‘different languages to reach God. During his 2022 trip to Kazakhstan, he made similar statements. Auxiliary Bishop Athanasius Schneider of Astana, a frequent critic, had then commented on the risk of creating a ‘supermarket of religions.’”

The chaplain and Theology Department Chair at St. John XXIII College Preparatory in Katy, Texas, stated that: “Unsurprisingly, the pope’s remarks have drawn criticism, but what he said is not substantially different from things said by his immediate predecessors. Pope St. John Paul II was often criticized for his participation in interfaith prayer and dialogue. He said at a general audience in 1998 that other religions are ‘different routes’ that attempt to answer the same human desire for communion with God.”

The headline in the publication Christian Today in May 2018 was “Why Jesus is no longer the one way to heaven for many American Christians,” and this remark was made by a minister from the First Corinthian Baptist Church: “People take many paths to God, he argued, noting that he personally celebrates the paths others take in finding Him — even if that path does not involve faith in Jesus.  And so the key is you believe in God. And whatever your path is to God I celebrate that. Personally, I celebrate that.”

One writer, decrying the Pope’s comment, said: “Jesus is still the only way to heaven.”   This was correctly decrying a wrong concept and, then, mentioning another wrong concept about going to heaven at death which we have disproved time and time again.

vaticanfiles.org stated that “On April 15th, 2018 Pope Francis claimed that atheists go to Heaven thus reinforcing the impression that his opinions on the afterlife are somewhat clumsy when compared to standard biblical views.” 

In 2008, a Pew Research Center Study found that more than half of all American Christians believe that at least some non-Christian faiths can lead to salvation. Nearly a decade later, a new study has shown that even among the most traditional Christian groups, significant minorities are also rejecting God as described in the Bible.

We may recall that when the Israelites were in Egypt, that land had so many different gods.  Wikipedia writes that “gods and goddesses appear in virtually every aspect of ancient civilization, and more than 1,500 of them are known by name. Taking the Pope’s recent remarks, would any of the ancient Egyptians find the true God by worshipping these fake gods?”

It was interesting to read the following comments in the Christian Post in October 2021 with the heading “Nearly 70% of born-again Christians say other religions can lead to Heaven: study”:

“Nearly 70% of born-again Christians disagree with the biblical position that Jesus is the only way to God, according to a new survey from Probe Ministries.  The survey, which looked at religious beliefs and attitudes toward cultural behaviors, polled 3,106 Americans ages 18 to 55 from all religious groups, including 717 respondents who identified as born-again Christians.”

One other author wrote, “The very claim that there are many ways to God, assumes that some religions are wrong, because not all religions are trying to get to God.  I would like to humbly suggest that there are good reasons to think that the Christian position is true and hence, I am not angry that God has only provided one way to Him in the person of Jesus. Rather, I am grateful that, although I didn’t deserve it, God lovingly provided the way for me (and, indeed, for everyone who believes—c.f.  John 14:6.”

John 14:6 reads: “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’”

And that is correct! The Bible says that there is no other way other than through Christ!   And yet the Catholic Church themselves state: “In its own authoritative text on the ‘unicity and universality of the salvific mystery of Jesus Christ,’ the Vatican cites the Acts of the Apostles: ‘There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved’‌ (Acts 4:12).”   You have to wonder how the Popes reconcile their views that atheists get to heaven (a wrong concept anyway) when their church quotes Acts 4:12.

Perhaps the Popes ought to preach and teach according to the beliefs that the Catholic Church has; otherwise, it is hypocrisy!

Christianity is a unique and exclusive faith, the One True God as outlined in His Word, the Holy Bible.  Along with John 14:6 and Acts 4:12 which clearly reveal this, we ought also to consider Matthew 7:13-14: “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.”

True Christianity, as we have written and said many times, is the narrow gate and involves much more than just “giving your heart to the Lord”.

In our booklet: “Many Are Called, But Few Are Chosen,” this shows that you cannot just join the Church of God.   We read on page 6 the following:

“Jesus called His disciples a ‘little flock’ (Luke 12:32), and history has certainly proven that very few people have ever been a part of the Church of God. Paul explained to the brethren in Corinth about whom God has chosen to call:

“‘For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence’ (1 Corinthians 1:26–29).”

True Christianity is the only Way to God today, and very few people have been called by God at this point in time!   The Conclusion in this booklet on page 65 reads as follows:

“What we have described and what you have learned in this booklet should prove the magnificent aspect of God’s incredible and awesome master plan for ALL of mankind. But it is YOU whom God might have predestined before time began to be called for salvation in this day and age. 

“If you understand and act upon the information contained in this booklet, as revealed in the Bible, there is every reason to conclude that YOU are one of the few—the firstfruits—who are called today with the potential to inherit eternal life and enter the Kingdom and Family of God when Christ returns.

“This means, then, that you would have a responsibility, because today would be YOUR day of salvation. It is up to you, with God’s help, to make your calling and election sure, and not to neglect such a great salvation offered to you. God is confident and convinced that you, whom He knew and predestined long before your birth to be called now, will make it into His Kingdom. Please, share His conviction in you, and act accordingly.”

The Bible is clear and unequivocal.   There is only one Way to the true God, and true Christianity is unique among all of the false religions of this world.

Lead Writer: Brian Gale (United Kingdom)

In part one of this two-part series, we looked at the assertion by some, maybe many in mainstream Christianity, who believe that Jesus’ resurrected body was physical and that this same, physical Jesus ascended to Heaven, from where He will one day return to Earth.

Let us continue to look at evidence that proves otherwise.

We read Christ’s words and action in Luke 24:39:

“‘Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.’”

As we said in the previous instalment, the Roman Catholic Church “explains”: “Christ makes it plain to His disciples that He does have a physical body; He is not a disembodied spirit.” 

Again, as pointed out before, this “explanation” overlooks that Spirit beings do have form and shape—they are not “disembodied” spirits, but their bodies are composed of Spirit.

There is plenty of evidence of angels taking on the form of a human being so that they could be seen, as we know that a flesh and blood human being can’t see a Spirit being unless it materialises itself.   The question has been asked and answered as to “How many times do angels appear in the Bible? More than a dozen times in the New Testament, and a dozen or so other times in the Old Testament.”  

Jesus was raised up at the resurrection with a spirit body which the disciples and humanity could not see unless He materialised Himself as He did on a number of occasions. How could Jesus appear in the midst of the disciples if He was physical?  In John 20:24-29, we have the account of doubting Thomas.   We read in verses 26-28:

^“And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, ‘Peace to you!’ Then He said to Thomas, ‘Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.’ And Thomas answered and said to Him, ‘My Lord and my God!’”

We can see that Jesus entered the room while the doors were shut and suddenly He appeared in their midst, and said, “Peace to you!” After Thomas saw Jesus, he was convinced that Jesus had been resurrected.   As a Spirit being, Jesus was able to go through closed doors and be wherever He chose, irrespective of any physical obstacles that could be in the way.   In modern scientific terminology, the glorified body is not subject to the forces and laws of physics and chemistry.

How could Jesus appear in the midst of the disciples if He still had a physical body?  If this assertion was correct, He would not be able to go through walls and other physical barriers and instantly appear before the disciples.  In addition, Jesus would be the only physical being in Heaven and we should know that that cannot be the case as everything in the Third Heaven is spiritual, man’s doubting and misunderstanding or misapplying Scripture notwithstanding!

Romans 6:4-5 is instructive in this regard:

^“Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection,’

In Philippians 3:21, we read that Christ “will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.”

Jesus’ resurrection body is the pattern for our resurrection body, and we read the following in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17:

“For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.”

Jesus is now a Spirit being in heaven. He will return to earth to set up the Kingdom of God, and His people will be caught up in the air to meet Him in the clouds.

In our two-part Q&A “Who and What is in Heaven?” we showed that “In heaven, there is God the Father, Jesus Christ the Word, and innumerable angels” and no physical beings are there.   In John 4:24 we read: “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”   God the Father and Jesus Christ, the two members of the God Family at this time are composed of Spirit, as will be the born-again members of God’s Church at the resurrection when Jesus returns to this earth.   We must remember that in Mark 16:19 we read: “So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God.”  And He would have been a Spirit Being to have been in such a position next to the Spiritual Father and all the other Spirit beings that live in the Third Heaven.

In our booklet, “Angels, Demons and the Spirit World,” we read the following on page 17:

“Christ did not appear to His disciples in His glorified state. He did not appear, prior to His ascension to heaven, with all His power and glory that He has today. We can find a description of His glorious appearance in Revelation 1:10, 12–17. We also find a description of His glory, prior to His human birth, in Ezekiel 1:26–28. When He appeared to His disciples after His resurrection, He appeared just as an ordinary man, so much so that they did not recognize Him. Accounts of His appearances can be found in John 20:14–16 and John 21:4–7. They only came to recognize Him after He spoke a certain way or performed a certain miracle that He had performed earlier before His death.

“We read that the disciples on the road to Emmaus did not recognize the resurrected Christ until He ‘…took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight’ (Luke 24:30–31). The reason that they did not recognize Him earlier is explained in Mark 16:12: ‘After that, He appeared in another form to two of them as they walked and went into the country.’”

A good question to ask is how a physical body could just vanish from their sight, as it states in Luke 24:31? 

In the same booklet on pages 44-45, we explain the misunderstood passage in Luke 24:39:

“Christ manifested Himself to the disciples as a being with flesh and bones. He even ate food in their presence to convince the disciples that it was He, not a spirit or a demon. The Greek word for ‘spirit’ is ‘pneuma’ and can refer to demons (compare Matthew 8:16; 10:1; 12:43, 45; Luke 4:33, 36; 6:18; 7:21, etc.). We understand, of course, that Christ is not a being with flesh and bones. Rather, at His resurrection He received a spiritual body and became a life-giving Spirit (1 Corinthians 15:44–45, 50). He was able to manifest Himself, however, as a person with flesh and bones. We saw earlier that angels can manifest themselves as human beings as well. Demons cannot. Christ used this opportunity to show His disciples that He was not a spirit or a demon, because demons cannot manifest themselves as human beings with flesh and bones.”

It is emphasized above that Christ became a life-giving SPIRIT… not, as we quoted the following false assertion in the first instalment and repeat it again below,  a physical human being with a “physical body” which is “designed with eternity in view.”

In our Q&A entitled: “We read in Matthew 27:52 that many saints were raised at the time of Christ’s death. How can Christ then be called the firstborn from the dead (Colossians 1:18)?,” We make these observations:

“Christ… became born again when He was resurrected to Spirit. It was at that time that He became the firstborn among many brethren. Romans 8:29 tells us that we are to be ‘conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.’ We also read in Colossians 1:15, 18: ‘He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation… And He is… the beginning, the firstborn from the dead.’

“Christ was the first human who became born again as a Spirit being. The Greek word for ‘firstborn,’ ‘prototokos,’ designates the person who is born first. It can refer to the firstborn Son of the spiritual Family of God, and it can also refer to the firstborn son in a physical family. We read, for example, in Hebrews 11:28 that Moses kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood by faith, ‘lest he who destroyed the firstborn should touch them.’ Christ was also, quite literally, Mary’s firstborn Son (Compare Matthew 1:25; Luke 2:7. The Greek word, ‘prototokos,’ used here does not mean ‘only’ or ‘only begotten’ son. That concept is conveyed by the Greek word ‘monogenes’…). Since Christ was Mary’s firstborn Son, it goes without saying that Christ as a human being had younger brothers. In fact, He also had sisters (compare Matthew 13:53-58).

“The same Greek word, ‘prototokos,’ is also used in Revelation 1:5. The New King James Bible translates the entire passage quite accurately in this way: ‘…and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth.’ (The Authorized Version’s rendition, ‘first begotten of the dead,’ is clearly wrong. The context here is the resurrection from the dead. The Ryrie Study Bible comments that ‘Christ was the first [man] to receive a resurrection [glorified] body which is immortal’).” (our emphasis).

As we mentioned earlier, there is the invention of a new description of Jesus “who has a physical body, with a difference. His resurrected body is designed with eternity in view.”   Why would anyone make up something that the Bible certainly doesn’t say?  Jesus’ resurrected body was a Spiritual body—a body with form and shape, but composed of Spirit—and He is now in Heaven, seated at the right hand of God the Father where all around them are Spiritual beings and Spiritual things.  

It would be ridiculous to think that God the Father and all the angels in heaven are all spiritual, but Jesus is the odd one out having a physical body!

In His resurrection, Jesus did not and does not have a physical body. Neither will we. His physical body was in the grave for three days and three nights, but when He was raised from the dead, His physical body was changed into a spiritual body, which is the same that will happen to us, when we, who are still alive, will be changed.

We asked the question: “Is Jesus Christ a Spirit Being Today?,” and the answer, as we have shown in this Q&A, is an unequivocal YES!

Lead Writers: Brian Gale and Norbert Link