Many of us may have favorite Scriptures for a variety of reasons. One of mine is Ecclesiastes 8:11: “Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.”

Former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein was captured by U.S. soldiers in a raid on December 13, 2003, after he had spent nine months on the run. The once-defiant Iraqi leader was apprehended, without a shot being fired, near a compound of ramshackle buildings outside his ancestral hometown of Tikrit. Now, nearly two years later, he is still held in custody.

On July 7, 2005, a series of four bomb attacks struck London’s public transport system during the morning rush hour. The bombings caused a number of deaths and a severe, day-long disruption of the city’s transport and telecommunication infrastructure. Subsequently, suspects have appeared in court and have been remanded in custody until November 2005.

These are just two of so many examples of Ecclesiastes 8:11 being totally ignored. Why does God, in His revealed Word, give such instruction?

Since sentence against evil works is not executed speedily, the criminal fraternity may think that it will never be executed, and therefore they can treat the law with utter contempt. There is no concentration of the mind about the law exacting its full toll because it is a “given” that the law grinds exceedingly slowly. In addition, it sends out the wrong signals to others who may themselves be encouraged to act in a similar manner.

The passage in Ecclesiastes 8:11 contains so much wisdom that, if implemented correctly, it would send out completely different signals to those intent on mischief. The Bible is replete with such advice. For instance, the book of Proverbs is a storehouse of wisdom. But as society “moves on,” any reference to God’s Word becomes more and more a rarity. Instead of man learning from the One who created us all and gave an instruction manual for our benefit, he makes up his own mind and develops his own ideas and systems–usually at great cost to society. Proverbs 1:7 sums this up very eloquently: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction.” That is the motto of the book of Proverbs.

If we engage a lawyer, an accountant or any other professional, we invariably take note of what they say. After all, they know or should know their job, and we pay them to provide us with advice. In God’s Word, our Creator has all the answers, and He provides us with the best possible advice.

Whenever we see the many different ways of society, it is a wise thing to try and look at them from God’s point of view. What does His Word say on this, that or the other subject? When applying the Word of God, we will usually find that the approach of man is rarely in accord with divine instruction. But we should be different.

Let us all be properly advised!

The UK was recently hit with terrorist bombs in London when many were killed and hundreds were injured. Two weeks later, further attempts were made to repeat the exercise by those intent on causing maximum mayhem, having no regard whatsoever for innocent lives. Similarly, bombs have recently exploded in both Turkey and Egypt where tourist resorts were targeted. And yet these instances pale into insignificance with the daily bombs that have become a way of life in Iraq. It seems that not a day passes without a news report of further blasts resulting in death and injury.

The politicians and the police in the UK have been doing everything they can to both look at legislation and implement existing laws in order to apprehend the culprits and negate any future attacks. So many of these terrorists have no regard for the lives of others or for their own. They have a mistaken view that by taking such action they will end up in “Paradise.” Nothing could be further from the truth as God’s Word clearly shows.

Interviews with members of the public reveal an anxiety for their own safety and for those around them. When one suspect was rounded up, a neighbor indicated that these events had become real to him because it was no longer elsewhere that it happened, but had arrived on his own doorstep.

But what about the people of God who live in these troubling times? While we may appreciate the efforts of those empowered to look after our welfare, our true security is in the Creator God. One of our elderly members, a Japanese prisoner of war in the 2nd World War, states it very simply when he says that he keeps faith in God. And so should we.

The Bible is replete with information on our need to trust in God for safety and security. Proverbs 1:33 states: “But whoever listens to me will dwell safely, And will be secure, without fear of evil.” Two chapters further on, in Proverbs 3:24, it states: “When you lie down, you will not be afraid; Yes, you will lie down and your sleep will be sweet.” In Hebrews 13:6, Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, writes: “So we may boldly say: ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What man can do to me?'” This is paraphrasing Psalm 118:6.

We need to keep our faith in God irrespective of the circumstances in which we find ourselves. Terrible times are ahead, and we are instructed to “Watch therefore (both world events and our own spiritual condition), and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man” (Luke 21:36). This is primarily talking about end-time events but the principle surely applies now, as well. And, most importantly, as we pray for God’s Kingdom to come (Matthew 6:10), we can be assured that when that joyful day arrives and Christ sets up the Kingdom of God on earth, no more suicide bombers and terrorists will be permitted to operate. We have hope in the veracity of God’s Word; therefore, we can look forward to that day when everyone will be safe from the sort of atrocities that have become all too commonplace in the world today. God speed that day!

Over the years in the Church of God, mountains of information have been produced in the form of magazines, books, booklets, reprint articles, questions and answers, lectures, Bible studies, sermons (live and on audio, video and DVD) and information on web sites. This has all taken much work and effort and has been provided to help, instruct and edify church members in their journey towards the Kingdom of God.

History has told us that many have not listened, or if they have, it was either only for a period of time or they were never really interested anyway. Of course, some who may have shown some initial interest may not have been called at that time, but for those who were called and baptized and fully embraced the new way of life, failure to listen could prove disastrous to their long term future!

Spiritual deafness can be caused by a lack of conviction in the first place (Ezekiel 33:31-33), disobedience (Matthew 7:26-27), shallowness (Matthew 13:18-21), hardness of heart (Luke 16:27-31), forgetfulness (James 1:22-24), indifference (Matthew 22:1-5) and rebellion (Ezekiel 12:1-2).

But while we may not always listen to God through His Word and His ministry, God always listens to us, except, when we rebel against Him and refuse to repent. Then, we are told, God will not listen to us, Isaiah 59:1-2. But barring this, God is available every second of every day and will not turn a deaf ear to His people. Prayer is the way we communicate with our Creator, and we see that our prayers are important to God (Revelation 5:8).

It is also very important that church members listen to each other and even to good advice from those “outside” the church. There is a classic Biblical case of someone listening to instruction. Moses’ father-in-law, Jethro, saw that Moses dealt with the people from morning to night, and he offered him some very wise advice (Exodus 18:17-24). By heeding that wise counsel, Moses, who was the leader of the nation and not too proud to heed advice, was able to benefit, as was the nation of Israel. He had a humble and approachable attitude and one that we can learn from. Too often, some have not only discounted advice from those who may have seen them heading in a wrong direction, but have refused to listen at all. Being easily entreated is a splendid Biblical principle that we can all benefit from.

Do we listen? Hopefully the answer is yes — and on an ongoing basis. We are to listen to God through His Word and His ministry, and to each other, as we help and encourage each other in our mutual journey towards eternal life. And in the meantime, we can take a lesson from the way that God works — He listens attentively to us. That’s the finest example we could possibly have.

After much argument and debate with politicians of every persuasion filling television screens, radio airwaves and newsprint, we have seen a Labour government in the UK elected for a third time. Multiple millions of pounds have been spent on posters, advertisements, meetings, travel and manifestos by the parties and their candidates, as part of the process to persuade a somewhat reluctant and skeptical general British public to vote for them. Each party promised better things in many areas including, among others, the economy, education, health care, crime, law and order, and immigration. The war in Iraq was a negative factor for the government, but they managed to win power in spite of the concerns of many people.

We have long understood that true Christians should not be involved in the political process and should not vote in governmental elections (see Update 76, January 2004), irrespective of circumstances.

We only need to look at any candidate standing in any constituency for any party at any election at any time, and ask ourselves whether they are promoting the true Christian message? Ever since we have been having political elections, it has never happened anywhere, in any age, in any country and at any time. There never seems to be the approach of esteeming others better than self and promoting peace and harmony between candidates. The process is one of employing whatever means possible, including at times an assortment of dirty tricks, to ensure the acquisition of power. And when in power, in spite of their best attempts, not one politician has all the answers to the seemingly insurmountable problems that confront them.

The only solution is the soon coming Kingdom of God, when political election processes will not be an issue any longer. We won’t see any more voting, arguments and counter arguments with fallible human beings in charge of their nations’ affairs. Rather, we will experience an all powerful Jesus Christ ruling in an autocratic but loving way in the best interests of all of earth’s inhabitants.

Mr. Herbert Armstrong summed it up best, when he wrote in his book, “Tomorrow …What It Will Be Like,” on pages 101/102:

“Christ, the King of kings. Perfect in character, absolute in honesty, integrity, faithfulness and trust; filled with outgoing concern for the governed – their welfare and salvation; total knowledge, understanding, wisdom. Complete love, mercy, patience, kindness, compassion, forgiveness. Yet, possessing total power, and never compromising one millionth of an inch with His perfect law – which is the way of love. He will enforce God’s Law – God’s government on earth. He will compel haughty, carnal, rebellious humans to yield in complete submission to God’s government.”

The difference between what is practiced today and what will be the norm in the Kingdom of God is incalculable. And we should be eternally grateful that fallible human beings, however genuine their intentions, will no longer be responsible for any governmental responsibilities. God speed that day!

Over the last several decades, the institution of marriage has come under intense pressure as more and more people, both young and old alike, have opted for co-habiting. My wife and I have just celebrated our ruby (40th) wedding anniversary. Over the years of our marriage we have seen the unfortunate changes in society where a more selfish and ungodly approach has become the norm. Unfortunately, many who do get married don’t remain in that God-ordained union.

At present, most of Britain’s 42 million adults are married, but the Government Actuary’s Department predicts that the British society will change significantly over the next two decades. By 2011, just 46% of women and 48% of men will be married in Britain.

Divorce statistics are very revealing. In the UK in 1961, there were 27,000 divorces and yet, 41 years later, in 2002, the figure has risen to 160,000. In the United States, in 1999 there were 8.4 marriages and 4.2 divorces per 1,000 total population, and in the year 2000, there were 21 million divorces. And now, according to one web site, divorce statistics are no longer collated in America. The rest of the world tends to follow, to one degree or another, these unfortunate trends. These statistics cannot possibly relate the sum total of human suffering that is generated by divorce. Perhaps that is a significant factor, but certainly not the only one, for those opting for co-habitation. A senior counselor at Relate, a UK relationship charity, said that many people cannot see the point of marriage since the loss of tax breaks and better rights for unmarried fathers make co-habitation “more appealing.” And, of course, the religious aspect of marriage no longer seems relevant in an increasingly secular society.

Right at the dawn of civilization, God instructed that “a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife” (Genesis 2:24). There was no instruction for, or acceptance of, co-habitation, which is a state where there is no real evidence of marital commitment and where therefore fornication takes place. We are told to flee fornication (1 Corinthians 6:18).

When my wife and I were married in 1965, we expected our marriage to last until “death do us part” and we still do believe in this. Unfortunately today, it seems that marriage only lasts until the first sign of trouble. Divorce has been made relatively easy and so many don’t seem to want to work through their problems, instead taking what they think is the easier option.

The spiritual application of marriage is totally lost on an ungodly society which simply has little or no interest in the Creator. In Ephesians 5:22-33 we see that the Christian marriage of a husband and wife has a spiritual application to Christ and the Church. This is further confirmed in Revelation 19:7 where we are told that the marriage of the Lamb (Christ) has come and His wife (the Church) has made herself ready.

How sad that humans (seemingly) think that they know better than the One Who created them. As a consequence, they have to endure all of the misery and suffering that is the legacy of ignoring the wise advice freely available in the Bible. Irrespective of changes in society and the development of new cultural norms and attitudes, the institution of marriage between a man and a woman is holy and was created by God.

Everything else is just an ungodly counterfeit.

When God decided to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah because of its depravity (compare Genesis 18 and 19), Lot lingered (Genesis 19:16), rather than fleeing from such an ungodly place. But eventually sanity prevailed, and Lot, his wife and his daughters escaped from the scene of such ungodliness. Lot’s wife, however, “looked back” and died (Genesis 19:26). While there are a number of aspects of this story that could be discussed, I want to just briefly mention two of them in this editorial.

First, it seemed that Lot and his family had become so accustomed to wrong behavior and a society that had strayed so far from the way of God, that escaping from such a place seemed madness, so much so, that Lot’s sons-in-law thought he was joking (Genesis 19:14). Apparently, even righteous Lot did not think that God would actually DESTROY the place. So, why should they flee? For example, today homosexuality is considered an alternative life style rather than the perversion and the abomination that the Bible describes. No doubt, many of the attitudes displayed today are a reflection of the same sort of attitudes that prevailed around 4,000 years ago in Sodom and Gomorrah. Nothing, it would appear, seems to change! But the place was obviously a hotbed of sin of all descriptions. Lot and his family were to forsake the city emotionally as well as physically, and were to loathe it as God loathed it. Do we feel the same about the Sodom and Gomorrah-type-society that we live in, and loathe its many sins?

Second, it is obvious that such reluctance to flee the place was because they accepted the society which afforded them a pleasant life and a comfortable standard of living. Even though Lot “tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds” (2 Peter 2:8), he still had chosen to dwell and stay there (same verse), because of the wealth it had to offer (compare Genesis 13:9-11). As an Englishman abroad at present, currently in southern California for the Church conference, I have, yet again, been reminded that this is truly a land flowing with milk and honey, probably much greater than that promised to ancient Israel (compare Deuteronomy 6:3). There is a super abundance of everything which just seems to be taken for granted by so many. But, do we trust in our riches and have we set our hearts on them, so much so, that we would be unwilling to leave them behind, if God were to require it?

Let us remember these two important lessons that can easily be forgotten:

(1) We must not accept ungodly behavior, irrespective of what is happening around us and what society deems to be acceptable.

(2) While we must never take for granted the many blessings that God constantly gives to us all, we must never set our hearts on physical things. A godly attitude in every aspect of our life will enable us to obey God and to cope with whatever faces us in the future. Failure to trust God as we should will prove to be a recipe for disaster.

1 Corinthians 10:11 sums it up perfectly: “Now all these things happened to them as examples and were written for our admonition….” Let us be among those who learn from history, which is something that rarely seems to happen.