We are appearing before God to celebrate His blessings in our lives. This includes rehearsing the meaning of the Feast of Tabernacles—how it started, how it continues and how it will find new relevance in the future.
Dave Harris
Atonement: Life for Life
For the Israelites of old, this Day was governed by priestly activities—with sacrifices and ceremonial functions, first in the Tabernacle and then the Temple of God. But what does the Day of Atonement mean for us? How do we observe this time—is there more to it than going without food and water?
The Small Things
Most of us are unaware of the small things which govern our lives—those critical elements which effect our physical well-being. This is also true when it comes to how we live as Christians. Paying attention to the small things is a lesson that is emphasized over and over in the Bible, and it is a vital key to spiritual growth.
“With Fervent Desire”
We—through the Holy Days of God—are able to get a sense of what God has done and will do in His dealings with mankind. I am struck by something Jesus said about His own anticipation in fulfilling the Passover meal with His disciples:
“Then He said to them, ‘With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer…’” (Luke 22:15).
Knowing explicitly that He would suffer during the hours following this Passover and die, Jesus nonetheless focused on the bigger picture, for He understood that His actions would open up salvation to the world. This had been His message from the start of His earthly ministry:
“‘For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved’” (John 3:15-17).
But there is more to what Jesus revealed, and this has to do very directly with the Feast of Tabernacles—a time that pictures His return and the establishment of the Kingdom of God on earth. Recall that Jesus taught that we should pray, “‘Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven’” (Matthew 6:10).
Note how Jesus also emphasized another event during that Passover with His disciples and this one will take place in the future:
“‘[F]or I say to you, I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God’” (Luke 22:16); “‘for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes’” (Luke 22:18).
There is a time ahead when the reality of what we are about to observe at the Feast of Tabernacles will come! Indeed, all that Jesus Christ spoke of will be fulfilled!
As we keep this year’s Feast of Tabernacles and Last Great Day, let us also do so with fervent desire for the ultimate fulfillment of God’s marvelous plan—eternal life in the Family of God!
Wait for God
From the beginning, people have refused to patiently obey God, and the consequences for such rebellion have proven to be very tragic! How can we take these lessons to heart and learn to wait for God?
Set Your Hope in God
When we face an uncertain future filled with potential trials—or when great opportunities lie before us, what should we do? There are astounding promises in the Word of God for Christians, and we can confidently turn to Him as we fulfill our calling to salvation.
Before It’s Too Late!
There are times in the march of biblical history when the actions of individuals, nations and even the world itself have brought about the direct intervention of God. Rather than receiving His blessings, people have suffered God’s punishment for their unrestrained and shameless rebellion against Him.
One such fateful instance culminated in the fall of the House of Judah and national captivity by the Chaldeans:
“And the Lord God of their fathers sent warnings to them by His messengers, rising up early and sending them, because He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place. But they mocked the messengers of God, despised His words, and scoffed at His prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against His people, till there was no remedy” (2 Chronicles 36:15-16).
They went too far to escape their punishment!
Now, the modern descendants of the House of Israel—especially, the United Kingdom (Ephraim), the United States of America (Manasseh) and the State of Israel (Judah)—parade their defiance against the righteous laws of God, refuse to be governed by His precepts found in His written Word, the Bible, and day-by-day embrace every unspeakable evil!
Recently, in America, videos surfaced detailing the practices of abortion as sponsored by an organization called, “Planned Parenthood.” The vileness of what was revealed is shocking, but the cavalier statements about the murder and treatment of human fetuses represent an evil from the depths of darkness and depravity!
Violence brought about God’s punishment in the Flood; sexual depravity caused God to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah; rebellion led to God’s rejection of the ten tribes of Israel and, subsequently, of Jerusalem and Judah; again, just a few decades following the appearance of Jesus Christ, Rome destroyed the nation of Judah and the City of Jerusalem!
Look around you—these sins are rampant, today! In fact, they are growing by leaps and bounds! There seems to be no turning away from evil, and the might and authority of God are not even considered as possible solutions!
America has been occupying the world stage as a world power—a leader among nations. Before, the United Kingdom held that position. In both cases, these nations bore responsibility to God for reflecting a biblical morality, but even though their conduct always fell “short of the glory of God,” it has reached an abominable level today. Our nations don’t even know the true God of the Bible!
It seems to be far too late for the nation of America to escape punishment from God! Indeed, the spiritual sun has set on the British Empire, and the State of Israel is repeating the sins that led to its destruction in times past!
Weighing the national sins of our people against those found in the biblical record, can we recognize the urgency we face? It is time for anyone who understands to repent, to turn to God and to seek His mercy and protection—before it is too late!
“‘I will punish the world for its evil, And the wicked for their iniquity; I will halt the arrogance of the proud, And will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible’” (Isaiah 13:11).
By the Book
Recent events in the Church of God have given rise to people who all claim that they are following God’s lead—that they are going by the book, the Bible. Really?
How Can You Believe the Bible?
(Español: ¿Cómo se puede creer en la Biblia?)
We recently received the following question:
“I have a very important question. Obviously there are many mistakes and things which contradict each other in the common Bible translations. So what is the true one without any mistakes? I mean there must be one. Otherwise, there would be no reason to believe in the whole thing. I hope you can answer my question.”
First, and foremost, let’s understand that no one has in their possession the original manuscripts upon which the Bible is based. Everything is either a copy or a translation. Does that fact invalidate the Bible? Not at all! The Bible, itself, is its own greatest witness for the proof that God inspired men to write down and then to preserve words from Him. Let’s begin with some Bible basics.
Among men, Jesus Christ, alone, has seen God. The Bible makes this point:
“No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him” (John 1:18).
Now consider what Jesus said of God—the One Who is called “the Father”:
“‘And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form’” (John 5:37).
God is Spirit (John 4:24); God is invisible (Colossians 1:15; 1 Timothy 1:17; Hebrews 11:27); God is eternal (Deuteronomy 33:27; Revelation 4:9; Romans 16:26).
Some might conclude that these Scriptures contradict other statements in the Bible in which it is said that men heard the voice of God and some actually saw His form. A direct example is found concerning the children of Israel during their exodus from Egypt, as they went to the Promised Land. Note:
“Then Moses went up, also Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and they saw the God of Israel. And there was under His feet as it were a paved work of sapphire stone, and it was like the very heavens in its clarity” (Exodus 24:9-10).
Other Scriptures reveal that the God seen by these men was Jesus Christ—before He came as a flesh and blood human (compare 1 Corinthians 10:4; John 1:18). The remarkable truth we find here is that two individuals are revealed as God in the Bible, the Father and the Son.
Now this is an example to show that there are explanations contained within the pages of the Bible concerning so-called contradictions. But one must realize that understanding the Word of God requires a willing attitude on our part, and we find how this approach was used by people who heard the gospel being preached:
“Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. Therefore many of them believed, and also not a few of the Greeks, prominent women as well as men” (Acts 17:10-12).
Even to Timothy, a minister, Paul said, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15, Authorized Version). Paul also gave Timothy these instructions:
“But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:14-17).
Paul was addressing the value of what we call the “Old Testament.” Jesus also referred to “‘the Scriptures’” (John 5:39); “‘the writings’” (John 5:47); and “‘the Law and the Prophets’” (Matthew 7:12; 22:40; compare also Luke 16:16)—all terms identifying the authority of the Old Testament!
Jesus Christ believed the Bible—as did His disciples who were led to establish the Church of God based on the very Word of God!
The Bible is not an accidental accumulation of various scrolls and letters which have somehow been preserved until our day. In fact, the Bible contains prophecies written specifically for our time! These particular writings were not even understood by those who wrote them.
Jacob’s revelation to his twelve sons was for “‘the last days’” (Genesis 49:1); Daniel wanted to know the meaning of the prophecies he was given, but was told, “‘the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end’” (Daniel 12:9); Habakkuk was told to write a vision which “‘at the end… will speak’” (Habakkuk 2:3); and Jesus Christ answered questions from His disciples about the end of the age by revealing signs and events which would coincide and culminate with His return to the earth!
You can believe the Bible based on prophecy—both the ones already fulfilled and those that are coming to pass even now.
Another test you can apply is to begin to seek God through reading the Bible and doing those things God instructs—get to know God through His written Word! King David used this as a key for himself:
“Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day. You, through Your commandments, make me wiser than my enemies; For they are ever with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers, For Your testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the ancients, Because I keep Your precepts” (Psalm 119:97-100).
Consider that Jesus Christ’s sinless life was based on His obedience to God’s laws found in the Word of God:
“Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come–In the volume of the book it is written of Me–To do Your will, O God’” (Hebrews 10:7; compare also John 15:9-10).
Jesus was asked by His disciples why it was that He spoke in parables. This is His answer:
“And He said, ‘To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that “Seeing they may not see, And hearing they may not understand”’” (Luke 8:10).
For you to believe the Bible, help from God is needed—you simply can’t open up the scriptures by yourself. The reason for this is that the Bible is a spiritual document which requires God’s revelation through His Holy Spirit:
“But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14).
So what do you do, now? Do what the apostle Peter instructed:
“Then Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit’” (Acts 2:38).
As to your concern about various translations of the Bible, take the first steps to begin to study and ask God to guide you. There are, of course, versions which more accurately reflect the original, and these are those which translate on a word-for-word basis into the language at hand. Understand, as well, that on the Day of Pentecost, when the Church of God was founded, those hearing the disciples preach were astounded and said, “‘And how is it that we hear, each in our own language in which we were born?’” (Acts 2:8).
They did not have to hear the message of salvation in a language they did not understand! So it is, today!
And, yes, your question is indeed an important one. For although there may be some minor difficulties in modern Bible translations, the truth of God IS contained in His written Word. BELIEVE THAT as a starting point!
“But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6).
Lead Writer: Dave Harris
Easy Prey
Over the decades I have had close contact with literally thousands of members in the Church of God. The beginning for me was hearing The World Tomorrow broadcast at age fifteen. A couple of years later, I met someone who was part of what was then called the Radio Church of God. That was followed by my attending Church services in Springfield, Missouri, and then being accepted to Ambassador College in the fall of 1964.
In those years of 1960’s and 1970’s, there was tremendous growth. Every aspect of the work of the Church flourished. There was inspiring unity, a kind of singleness of heart among the majority of people. Occasionally, however, some left the Church even when it was at its strongest. The reasons were varied, but those who remained carried on. The prevailing attitude was that this would only happen to the few, but just the opposite has proven to be the case!
Now, in May of 2015, tens of thousands of members who were once in the Worldwide Church of God have faded into a dizzying array of groups. While some struggle to remain faithful to God, most have allowed themselves to be reabsorbed into the society they once rejected!
My reflection on what has transpired is something we should know all too well. But this isn’t just history—it is our struggle of this time, and it will be true in the days ahead. It is because Satan seeks to stamp out anyone and everyone who is a member in the Church of God.
Looking back, it seems that we were easy prey for Satan. Our mistake in times past was that we didn’t really take precautions—we didn’t heed the warnings we all heard! But know this, while we can learn from what has happened in recent years, the real test remains—to finish!
Jesus outlined the challenge set before us:
“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and THERE ARE FEW WHO FIND IT” (Matthew 7:13-14)