The year 2004 was quite an interesting one in regard to pre-Tribulation events spoken of by Christ for the end-time. We experienced flooding in the Philippines, droughts in parts of the United States and Africa, starvation and genocide in the Sudan, hurricanes in Florida, earthquakes in diverse places, and — to top off the year — a huge earthquake and subsequent tsunamis causing over 150,000 fatalities in South-East Asia. We also heard of continual conflicts, terrorist attacks and bombings in Israel, Iraq, and other parts of the world.

What can we expect for 2005? Unfortunately, more of the same, according to what the Bible says, and possibly even in increasing and progressively worse proportions, as we approach the final stages of Satan’s rule over this earth.

We must always bear in mind the truth and reality that Satan is the present ruler over this world. As outlined in Matthew 4:8-9, Satan offered the kingdoms of this world to Christ, if He would bow down and worship him. He could not have offered them to Christ, if they were not his to give. You will notice that Christ did not challenge this issue. We also know that Satan deceives the whole world (Revelation 12:9) — that is the reason why most don’t recognize the fact about who really rules over this earth.

Unfortunately, all those curses which we experienced in 2004 are the result of disobedience to God and His laws. They are the direct result of sin.

The recent earthquake in Asia is nothing compared to what we will encounter going forward. Yet, man’s general attitude will continue to be one of defiance. Let us notice this prophecy in Revelation 6:12-14: “I looked when he opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake… Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place.”

It is hard for us to imagine the magnitude of an earthquake that will move every mountain and island out of its place. Still, we don’t find that man will repent. Rather, they will try to hide themselves from God (verses 15-16), as Adam and Eve tried to do, after they had sinned.

Further events are described in Revelation 16:18-21, talking about another great earthquake; in fact, it will be such “a mighty and great earthquake as had not occurred since men were on the earth” (verse 18). We read that “the great city [modern Babylon or Rome] was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell” (verse 19). In addition, “every island fled away, and the mountains were not found” (verse 20). This unprecedented earthquake will be so powerful that islands will disappear and great mountains will become small hills. We cannot really imagine such an event. In addition, we are told that “great hail from heaven fell upon men” (verse 21). Still, man won’t repent. Rather, we read in the same verse that “Men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, since the plague was exceedingly great.”

However, we do read, in Revelation 11:13, about another “great earthquake, and a tenth of the city [of Jerusalem] fell. In the earthquake seven thousand people were killed, and the rest were afraid and gave glory to the God of heaven.” While most people won’t repent, some will, as these terrible tragedies continue to strike.

Christ told us that these things, which we are experiencing right now, are just the “beginning of sorrows” (Matthew 24:8). It will get much worse. It is critical that we are maintaining a close relationship with God, so that we can be protected by Him in the years ahead.

Christmas has come and gone, but now the world will have its New Year celebrations. Here in the UK, as in many other parts around the world, parties will abound on December 31, 2004, and January 1, 2005. The Scots have a special long rich heritage associated with this event. They have their own name for it — “Hogmanay.”

One of the websites, which gives the background to Hogmanay, states the following: “And it is worth remembering that January 2nd is a holiday in Scotland as well as the first day of the year — to give us all time to recover from a week of merry-making and celebration, all part of Scotland’s fascinating cultural legacy of ancient customs and traditions surrounding the pagan festival of Hogmanay.”

Did you catch it? The pagan festival of Hogmanay! There was a time when the mention of paganism brought about a gasp of shock and horror, but no longer. Paganism, in all its many ways, is in its most simplistic form the antithesis of true reverence and acceptance of the one true God. It is now paraded as an acceptable form of worship, and, like so many other things, resistance to that which God clearly condemns in His Word, is seen as intolerance.

While Christmas is viewed by many people in today’s society as having a Christian connection, however loosely (although it really does not have one), New Year’s celebrations are a time when no church attendance is required in many “Christian” nations. It is just a time of unabashed personal indulgence.

But what is “New Year’s Day”? In simplistic terms, it is merely the passing of one day and the dawning of another. It is also based on the Roman calendar — a human invention — and not on God’s Calendar, as used in Scripture. But “New Year’s Day” seems to have “magical” qualities to many –“qualities” that will not be championed by those who know God’s Word. The Bible clearly reveals what days are to be kept holy. Neither December 25th nor January 1st fall into that category. If you are unsure about such matters, please read our booklet, “God’s Commanded Holy Days.” This booklet reveals God’s truth — unlike the pagan observances of this world.

It really does matter – to God – which days we keep holy. Christmas and New Year’s Day are not among them. God, who clearly reveals in His Word the days we are to keep (see Leviticus 23), is the source of all knowledge and the One whom we should obey. No other course of action is acceptable in His sight.

Most “Christians” would like to think that they are currently worshipping God in the right and true way. But the reality is quite the opposite.

Take, for example, the custom of Christmas. There are many resources, readily available, which attest to the fact that Christmas had its roots in paganism long before the birth of Christ. The Bible itself condemns these practices (ones still observed today) as they were extant in Old Testament times. Also, nowhere in the Bible will you find Christians celebrating Christmas. The fact that Christmas is not of Christian origins is not in dispute here.

In fact, many openly admit that Christ was not born on or near December 25th, and that it is indeed a day that originates in paganism. So, it really stands to reason that it is one of the highest forms of hypocrisy to say that we are worshipping God by taking on an irreligious observance such as Christmas. If we take a contrivance of ungodly inception and say that we are doing this in honor of God, can we not see how little this makes sense? (Compare Matthew 15:7-9)

In John 4:24 we are admonished to worship God in TRUTH. In the previous verse it states that the TRUE worshippers of God will worship Him this way. God has written down for us this way and TRUTH in the pages of our Bible. We will not find “THE TRUTH” in the teachings of man or, worse yet, of Satan. It is important to God that we study the Scriptures (2 Timothy 2:15) and give all diligence to them in order that we succeed (2 Peter 1:10) in doing God’s will, the right and TRUE way.

Christmas is not the way that God wants us to glorify and honor Him. He has set aside His own holy days for a special reason. For a more in-depth look at these subjects, please read our booklets, “Don’t Keep Christmas,” and “God’s Commanded Holy Days.” In addition to the articles on Christmas, published in this Update, you may also want to review our special Update #122 on Christmas, which was published on December 19, 2003.

If you want to understand what it means to be grateful, consider the aliens–both the illegal and legal–who immigrate to a wealthy country such as Great Britain, Germany, France, Spain and other EU countries along with Canada and the U.S.

These immigrants don’t take for granted the abundance and blessings of freedom to establish one’s family, to work or to live with true hope for the future!

By contrast, the citizens who were born into and have grown up with this unparalleled abundance are not always so attuned to what they have. If fact, so familiar are most of us with all these things, that we simply take them for granted.

In the scope of history, only the last several decades have witnessed a world and a time in which so many nations have flourished so remarkably!

There is a danger in times such as these. Jesus Christ clearly prophesied of a complacent, sleepy-eyed time when people would be so self-absorbed that they just wouldn’t see things realistically: “‘But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be'” (Matthew 24:37-39).

Paul strongly warns all of us who claim to be Christians against the ever-present danger of just taking things for granted: “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall” (1 Corinthians 10:12).

We can test ourselves in this regard. Do we take our calling for granted, or are we maintaining an attitude of “first love” (compare Revelation 2:4)? Do we remember the time when we met and then married our mates–and do we still reflect that incredibly special relationship (compare Malachi 2:13-16)? When our children were born, we cared for them at great personal sacrifice–do we, as parents, continue in that selfless love for our own (compare Luke 15:31)? Do we remember what a tremendous discovery it was to meet brethren who believed as we did (compare Luke 15:7)?

We must not take what we have for granted! Jesus Christ certainly did not! Rather, He established and maintained a constant relationship with God. He viewed everything through the will of God. We find His own testimony in this regard: “‘I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me'” (John 5:30).

For all of us who have been called to God’s way and who have been given the knowledge of the truth, there looms the peril of becoming lackadaisical and a bit too familiar–especially in times and circumstances of physical abundance. However, we must not allow this approach in our own lives. We must become fervent in seeking God’s will, and a first step in this process is to no longer take things for granted!

Jesus Christ cautions His Church in Matthew 24 that there would come a time when loyalty would become a real problem for many who have been called to God’s Way of life. He noted that “…many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another” (Matthew 24:10). This potential problem for many in the Church is a matter all of God’s people need to be aware of. We all must be careful that we do not get caught up in this problem.

When we examine the life of David, we observe a wonderful example of loyalty on David’s part in his relationship with Saul and with God, as described in the books of 1st and 2nd Samuel. We see the details of this example of loyalty described in 1 Samuel 24:6-10 and 26:6-16, and in 2 Samuel 1:14. Yet Saul, by his example, did not demonstrate that he was one deserving of this loyalty and devotion on the part of David.

The Scriptures noted also reveal David’s loyalty to the position of authority God had given to Saul as king of Israel. David reveals his subjection with the words whereby he states: “The LORD forbid that I should stretch out my hand against the LORD’s anointed.”

This loyalty on the part of David may well have inspired some of his own men, at a later time, to demonstrate similar loyalty and devotion to David. We read of this example in 2nd Samuel 23:15-17, where we see three of David’s men willing to sacrifice their lives for David.

We each need to be cognizant of those who deserve loyalty and we need to take every opportunity to be faithful in such loyalties. First and foremost, we must be loyal to our God, Who has revealed Himself and His Way of life to us. Christ explains the principles in Matthew 10:22-41.

Second, we must all be loyal to our brethren in the Way to which we have been called. The principles for such loyalties are described in Galatians 6:10, which admonishes us as follows: “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially those who are of the household of faith.”

Third, while we may not think about this often, we must have certain loyalties to those that rule over us in the various governmental jurisdictions within which we live. The basic principles are outlined in Jude, verses 8 and 9, and in 2nd Peter 2:9-11, clearly revealing our responsibility in this area. While we do understand that Satan is in charge of this world’s systems at the present time; Romans 13:1-2 clearly reveals that: “…there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves.” In 1 Peter 2:13-15 we are instructed to: “…submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme, or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good. For this is the will of God…”

We must, therefore, follow the rules of these governing authorities, as long as those rules do not come in conflict with the laws of God. As much as is possible, within God’s established rules, we are to follow the laws of the land. As Paul notes in Romans 12:18: “If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.”

Noted last here, but certainly not least, next to our loyalty to God and to His Work, He holds us particularly responsible for our loyalties to our mates and to our children, whom God has given to us for our personal care. In the process, we need to teach loyalty as an integral part of the training of our children. Husbands must demonstrate love and concern for their wives, and wives are to be submissive to their husbands.

Of course, the most positive method of instruction relative to our families, as well as to all others we come in contact with, is our own personal example of loyalty, as we live our lives according to the ways of God. If we husbands expect our children and our mates to follow in God’s Way, we must be walking in God’s Way as living examples to them of our approach to His Way of life!

Thus, loyalty is an important part of the Christian character which must be developed if we are to be pleasing to our God as we walk in His Way!

How can we be recognized as Christ’s disciples? Many thoughts may come to mind, but let us consider Christ’s clear and unambiguous answer, as recorded in John 13:35: “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” Christ was talking about godly love, “agape” in Greek. This kind of love is not a sentimental, temporary fleeting emotion — it is the enduring outgoing concern for the welfare, benefit, enrichment and happiness of our spiritual brothers and sisters.

How about us? Do we have this kind of love for one another?

Paul describes godly love (“charity” in the Authorized Version, “agape” in Greek) in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7. Let us look at the Living Bible’s interpretation of this passage:

“Love is very patient and kind, never jealous or envious, never boastful or proud, never haughty or selfish or rude. Love does not demand its own way. It is not irritable or touchy. It does not hold grudges and will hardly even notice when others do it wrong. It is never glad about injustice, but rejoices whenever truth wins out. If you love someone you will be loyal to him no matter what the cost. You will always believe in him, always expect the best of him, and always stand your ground in defending him.”

God’s love fulfills His Law (Romans 13:10). Christ kept the Law perfectly, since He loved God perfectly. Since love is the fulfillment of the Law, and sin is the transgression of the Law (1 John 3:4, AV), we don’t love God perfectly, when we sin. To put it differently, if we had perfect love for God, we would not sin, by transgressing His Law. God’s Law defines HOW to love Him and our neighbor. Do you have this kind of love — a love which manifests and proves itself by conduct — how we act? 1 John 3:18 tells us: “My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.”

If we truly love our neighbor, we won’t speak evil of him or judge him (James 4:11). We won’t hate (compare 1 John 3:10-15) or ignore him, acting indifferently toward him. Rather, this is what we will do, as clearly explained in Matthew 25:34-40: “Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave ME food; I was thirsty and you gave ME drink; I was a stranger and you took ME in; I was naked and you clothed ME; I was sick and you visited ME; I was in prison and you came to ME.’ Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see YOU hungry and feed YOU, or thirsty and give YOU drink? When did we see YOU a stranger and take YOU in, or naked and clothe YOU? Or when did we see YOU sick, or in prison, and come to YOU?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these MY BRETHREN, you did it to ME.'”

How often have we heard or read those meaningful words? But, how often have we FAILED to apply them? Our love must be “without hypocrisy” or partiality (Romans 12:9). Rather, we are to be “kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another, not lagging in DILIGENCE, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord… distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality” (Romans 12:10-13).

We ALL have failed in this regard. Hurt feelings, negligence, indifference, past sins or transgressions, not yet forgiven, have created — to a slight or perhaps even not so slight degree — a wall between us and our brothers and sisters, thereby preventing, to some extent, godly love to fully flow from us toward our neighbor. This problem — this LACK OF DILIGENCE — must be overcome. We must become more and more perfect in love (1 John 4:17; Matthew 5:43-48), as GOD IS PERFECT LOVE (1 John 4:16), without partiality or hypocrisy (compare James 3:13-17).

When God’s love in us flows from us toward others, God WILL do mighty things, as He did in the early days of the New Testament Church. We read in Acts 2:44-47: “Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need. So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.”

Yes, people recognized Christ’s disciples, when they showed their godly love for each other. As a consequence, God called many of those people into that loving group of believers — the Church of God. Each believer was part of that group. Each believer, as well as his or her example, did count!

It is not any different today. We must act and live today, as the Church did then. And what God performed then, He will accomplish now. So let us ask ourselves: “What’s Wrong With Godly Love?”

We find an interesting discussion between Christ and Peter in the 21st chapter of the book of John. Peter was repeatedly asked by Christ if he loved Him. You can sense by the responses of Peter that by the third time Christ asked him this question, he was a little frustrated. We see from the responses given by Christ in Verses 15-17 of John 21, that He, on the other hand, was focused on how this love was to be manifested. These responses were, “Feed My lambs,” “Tend My sheep” and “Feed My sheep.”

We can conclude by these responses to “Do you love ME?” that the way to demonstrate that love is by feeding and tending Christ’s sheep. This responsibility lies with the ministry and we in the ministry are to take that responsibility seriously.

Now, there are several ways to feed sheep. You can feed them sporadically, cut back on the amount you feed them or feed them a poor quality diet. All of these methods produce the same result — weakened, sickly sheep subject to disease and unable to ward off predatory attacks. It is unfortunate that some of the Churches of God have chosen this path in regard to their sermons, counseling and writings, thereby “feeding milk” to the sheep — messages that are more palatable, more appetizing, more appealing — instead of giving the flock meat in due season.

Is this the type of feeding that is expected of the ministry? Let us look at what Paul admonished Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:1-2:” I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.”

There is no hint here of watering down the truth to become more popular or make it more palatable. Rather, Paul admonishes Timothy to always tell the truth as it is, with love and longsuffering.

Can you imagine having a group of guests over for a fine dinner and serving a quality wine that was half watered down, and trying to explain to your guests that you were trying to be frugal and save a little money by watering down the wine by 50%? I suspect this would not go over very well, no matter how you presented your case.

The ministry in The Church of the Eternal God in the U.S, the Church of God, a Christian Fellowship in Canada, and the Global Church of God in England take very seriously the responsibility of feeding meat in due season to the sheep of Christ, as well as tending to them. We are not out to win a popularity contest and we are not out to offend, either. At the same time, we will not shrink from the responsibilities given to us by Christ and demonstrating our love for Him. That love is shown by our “Feeding His Sheep,” as He commanded.

We shall continue to give meaty sermons based on the Bible and not on speculation or merely on human tradition. Speculation may be titillating to the ear, but it does little for the stomach, as far as a strong diet is concerned. Our articles and booklets are Bible based. By doing this, we show our love to God the Father and Jesus Christ, as well as our determination to follow the admonition in Matthew 24:45-46: “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them FOOD IN DUE SEASON? Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find SO doing” (Emphasis added).

If we truly love God the Father who has called us to His Way, and if we truly love Jesus Christ who gave His life for us, we, as a church, must follow Christ’s command and feed His sheep.

Many of the most “brilliant” minds of our time do not believe that God exists or that we can really know that He exists. Most of their doubt comes from the fact that they have not seen, heard or touched Him. In other words they have no empirical evidence; that which is proved or derived from observation or experiment.

Yet, what is ignored is the preponderance of circumstantial evidence or indirect proof of God’s existence. Perhaps when we hear the term circumstantial evidence we have a tendency to not give it credibility because of the way in which it is bandied about on television and in other mediums.

If we were to go to sleep tonight and wake up the next morning to find that the whole city or county had a foot of snow covering it, we would think that we had direct proof that it snowed. But this isn’t the case. Even though there was no snow when we went to sleep and a foot when we woke up, this would still be circumstantial evidence. We didn’t see it snow so we couldn’t testify to the fact that it did, BUT it would be entirely ludicrous to assume otherwise.

In the same way this is a case for the existence of God.

Around us is all the proof that we will ever need that God does indeed exist. In Romans 1:20 it states, “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse.”

God says there is no legitimate reason that any one can give when Christ returns for being an atheist, because of the overwhelming evidence that was there all along. The more technically sophisticated man becomes, the more we are able to see just that, in the most minute, as well as the most grand of scale. With each advancement we make we can see more and more that there is a great design too incredible to have happened by chance.

If anyone saw a watch they would assume that someone produced the watch. When they look at its design and careful organization they would have to conclude that it required a designer. Even though they did not see it produced, its mere existence proves this.

As we look at the entire universe in its magnificence, the only conclusion that we can come to is that this creation and its design points to God who designed and created it. There truly are too many illustrations and occurrences of the fact that God exists to enumerate and expand on them here. However, if we have an eye to see, His handiwork, His circumstantial evidence will declare that He does exist without a doubt.

Images of death are all around us. We switch on the television news and right there in our living rooms are images of people dying or being killed, with all the trauma and upset that the bereaved go through. We pick up a newspaper and similar images assail us. We can become somewhat anaesthetized by the regularity of pain and suffering of others. But, when it comes close to home, our focus and attention are sharpened.

Both my wife and I have lost our fathers this year. They were “old and full of years”; nevertheless, when it happened, it was still a painful experience. More recently, two deaths occurred in our local congregation – after much suffering that preceded them.

While those of us who have been called into the Church and have been given the precious knowledge of God’s truth still grieve for the loss of a loved one, the understanding of future events is most comforting. Uniquely, we know that our loved ones who have never been called in this life will have their first opportunity, and those who died in the faith will be in God’s Kingdom at the first resurrection. What fabulous knowledge!

At the Feast of Tabernacles in England this year, we had a most marvelous piece of special music titled, “New Heavens, New Earth.” The words, “God shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There will be no more pain,” are taken from Revelation 21:4. What knowledge could be more inspiring? The last enemy to be destroyed is death (1 Corinthians 15:26), and death is to be swallowed up in victory (1 Corinthians 15:54). We know that death is an enemy that will be removed.

When a family member, a relative, a church member, a friend or an acquaintance dies, we can be saddened and it can weigh heavily on our minds. We also understand, however, that life here and now is temporary, and that our great Creator God has so much more in store for us in the future. We have to have that vision – and how comforting that can be.

This week much of the world has watched the presidential elections in the United States. People understand that the leadership of this nation will influence the course of events for the entire planet.

History is in many ways a chronicle of leaders: emperors, kings and queens, presidents, premiers, popes, priests, ayatollahs, chancellors, governors, generals, mayors–these and many, many more have shaped this world.

Entire generations have hung their hopes–indeed their very lives–on the promises or the commands of someone who holds a powerful or influential office. A new leader can electrify the hopeful with grandiose promises, but, as history has so often shown, the old leader once stood for these same unanswered dreams.

Bad leadership is the rule–it is certainly not the exception! There is a reason for this, and that reason falls on the shoulders of Satan the devil and his angels, the demons. They are the spiritual rulers of this age (Compare 2 Corinthians 4:4; 11:14-15). Consider what Satan boasted to Jesus Christ: “‘All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I WISH'” (Luke 4:6).

Jesus recognized that, for the time being, Satan was “‘the ruler of this world'” (John 16:11). However, Jesus also made this remarkable statement about Himself: “‘…be of good cheer, I HAVE OVERCOME THE WORLD'” (John 16:33). When asked by Pilate if He was the King of the Jews, Jesus answered: “‘You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world…'” (John 18:37). At the same time, He mentioned to Pilate that he “could have no power at all” against Him, “unless it had been given to [him] from above” (John 19:11). God is in overall control, and although He has not yet replaced Satan as the ruler of this world, He will intervene in human affairs, to appoint, at critical times, over the kingdom of men whomever He chooses (Daniel 5:21; 4:17, 32) — to see to it that prophecy is being fulfilled. You might want to listen, in this regard, to our sermon of July 3, 2004, titled,
“Who is in Control?”

Jesus pointedly told His disciples that “‘I WILL COME AGAIN…'” (John 14:3). Two of God’s faithful angels proclaimed the same message to the stunned disciples following Christ’s resurrection and at the time of His ascension to the Father: “‘This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven'” (Acts 1:11).

This good news is the only true hope for this world! As “ambassadors for Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:20), we proclaim this hope in the continuing work of the Church which Jesus Christ now leads (Compare Matthew 24:14). As representatives of Jesus, we also follow His lead–we no longer follow the lead of Satan and those to whom he gives authority and who practice his deeds.

As Christians we are to pray for the humans who now rule and to submit ourselves to their laws (Compare 1 Peter 2:13-17; Romans 13:1-7). Foremost, this kind of approach is how God requires us to act if He is ruling in our lives. The only exception is if man’s laws are against God’s laws (Compare Acts 4:19; 5:29).

Who leads the nations of this world at this time is not the most important issue facing Christians. God has preserved a warning for those who are called to His way of life: “‘Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins and lest you receive of her plagues'” (Revelation 18:4). This is a message for all of the people of God throughout the ages and leading up to the promised return of Jesus Christ.

Until then, it might be good to regularly check up on where we each stand, and to ask ourselves, “who leads us?”