Last Saturday here in San Diego, less than 20 minutes from where we meet in Ramona for Church services, a young man snapped and fired a gun in a synagogue and killed one person, and injured a few others. A senseless and cruel act of hatred! All around the world we are seeing a sharp rise in these types of deadly acts.

It is one thing to read about issues and problems halfway across the globe. But when we are confronted with them in close proximity, or people we know go through instances like the one above, things become much more “real”.

We know from Scripture that the early Church was plagued with many serious issues, including the members being persecuted in various ways. Christ’s bold statements in John 15:20 are a stark realization of what is coming: “Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also.“ And again over in John 16:1-4, Christ warns that these things would happen, then and now. The road of being a Christian has never been an easy one. But the trail is becoming increasingly more difficult with each passing year. When we read Scriptures such as the ones listed next, it becomes evident that we have a NEED to be as close to God as possible: Acts 14:22; 1 Corinthians 4:8-12; 2 Corinthians 4:7-12; 2 Timothy 3:1-17; Matthew 10:16-33.

These are very real warnings for our time. We can see the signs of the times as listed above in 2 Timothy 3. We can see from the news and with our own eyes that these types of attitudes and actions are becoming more and more prevalent. From the time when I was a youngster until now, things have dramatically become unstable, and it will only continue to deteriorate.

How prepared are we?  We just celebrated the Spring Holy Days, which pictured us removing leavening (symbolic for sin) and drawing close to God. How diligent are we in keeping up with that? Have we started to slip back into our old ways, thoughts or habits? Have we truly worked to put out sin?

What is this Way of Life worth to each of us? Are we willing to stand up for the Truth (Ephesians 6:13-18)? Do we love God’s Way and commandments with ALL of our heart (Matthew 22:37)? Are we seeking Him diligently in all areas of our lives (Isaiah 55:6-7)? Are we willing to give up our lives for this Way of Life (Matthew 10:39; 16:25; John 12:25)? And are we willing to give up things for the Way (Matthew 13:44-46)?

If we are close to God as we should be, we do not need to fear anything.  Philippians 4:6 states that we do not need to be anxious about anything, once we set our sight on God and truly learn to lean on Him in faith for ALL of our physical and spiritual needs. 1 Peter 5:6-7 states we need to humble ourselves before God. While this world spirals out of control, each of us should take stock of what we read in Scripture. It is easy to research what the Bible has to say about not fearing, about seeking Him. But when things are easy, we tend to not be ready. Now is the time to prepare and be ready. The return of Christ is close at hand. How ready are each of us for the things that lie ahead? We must take the time and make the effort NOW (Hebrews 3:7-12)!

Pictured during the Days of Unleavened Bread is the desire of putting sin out of our lives. Leaven is pictured as sin which if not dealt with can cause us to lose out on salvation. So it is a very important thing for us to remove sin from our lives and keep it out!

Since a little leaven leavens the whole lump (Galatians 5:9), and leaven is likened to sin, it’s crucial for us to remove it from our lives. Leaven, as sin, is similar to a rotten apple on the top of a barrel of good apples. If it is not removed in time the bad apple will rot all the good ones.

The importance of putting sin out is crucial for maintaining a good relationship with God, since sin acts as a barrier and a resistance in our communication with God.  It impedes our prayers and God tells us that He does not hear sinners, that is, those who are practicing sin and are making no effort to remove it from their lives.

John 9:31 states: “Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshipper of God and does His will, He hears Him.”

Someone doing the will of God is someone who is obeying God and keeping the commandments. We, as God’s people, fall short of the mark on occasion and sin. However, upon repentance we are forgiven. We also need to seek the spiritual help from God to keep sin out of our lives—which the Days of Unleavened Bread picture. Seven is often pictured as the number of completion; therefore, we need to work towards keeping sin completely out of our lives during the seven days of this Feast.

These days and the days prior to Passover are like a stop sign—an opportunity to examine ourselves, to slow down from our hectic lifestyles and reflect on just where we are.

We all live busy lives but there is a time to reflect on our progress in keeping sin out and make a real examination of ourselves. It takes this reflection to at times flush out sins that we may be overlooking and which are impeding our prayers and relationship with God.

God is so merciful and ready to forgive upon real repentance, and He is willing for a renewed relationship with us if we have fallen a little short of the mark.

Let’s remember that neglect of prayer will weaken our connection with God. On many occasions Christ went to a private place to pray, to strengthen and maintain His connection with His Father. He knew that God always heard His prayers, since He was sinless and there were no obstacles in the way for His prayers not to be heard.

Putting sin out and keeping it out is not a one-time occurrence, but a continual walk in the footsteps of Jesus Christ, who set us a perfect example of living and maintaining a relationship with God. So let’s ensure that we are staying on the narrow path which leads to eternal life.

As this Update (#872) is being published and sent out, many of those faithful to the Word of God will have already observed the Passover, the first of God’s annual Feasts. This will be followed by the Feast of Unleavened bread, which contains the first two of God’s commanded annual Holy Days.

These, and those Holy Days and Feasts which follow throughout the year, portray the plan of mankind’s salvation. The ultimate focus is on the role God gave to Jesus Christ in making this plan possible. This is why God the Father sent His Son into the world, and Jesus confirmed this:

“‘I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was'” (John 17:4-5; also, verses 24-25).

The “work” which Jesus “finished” represented two major accomplishments. First He qualified as the Messiah. The Apostle John wrote of the mission given to Jesus: “And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world” (1 John 4:14). Jesus said of Himself: “‘…I did not come to [condemn] the world but to save the world'” (John 12:47). Jesus also established the Church of God (Matthew 16:18)–into which those destined for salvation would be called.

Concerning the “glory” which Jesus previously had with the Father, consider the remarkable opening verses in the Book of John:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made… And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:1-3, 14).

Likewise, Paul wrote:

“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence (Colossians 1:15-18).

Following the Feast of Pentecost, Peter and John were arrested for preaching in the name of Jesus Christ and questioned for healing a lame man. Peter boldly stated that it was “‘…by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth'” that the man was made whole (Acts 4:10). Then Peter made this powerful declaration:

“‘Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved'” (Acts 4:12).

The Feasts of the LORD are holy convocations (Leviticus 23:2). God has commanded that they be observed in order for us to understand His great plan for mankind’s salvation and the vital role Jesus Christ has in giving us eternal life in the Kingdom of God.

The gods of this world go by many names and they belong to many religions. They have different origin stories and mythologies surrounding them. They each have purported special powers to allegedly influence the lives of their followers, for better or worse. And each of those gods figuratively competes for the top post, positioned above the others. Yet, there is only one true God, who puts all others to shame.

Since you are reading this editorial, there’s a strong likelihood that you proclaim your god to be the one true God; the Creator of Heaven and Earth, and all that lives upon it; the God who blessed Abraham because of his obedience; the God who is a Family, consisting of the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ; the God whose plan involves increasing His Family to include as many of mankind as will obey Him. If this is the one whom you proclaim to be your God, you do well.

However, merely claiming that He is our God is not enough. Do our actions prove it? The question of who our God is can be answered by observing whom we serve. Is the one we serve the same as the God that we proclaim, or do our actions provide contrary evidence? The way that we behave shows how we set our priorities in deed, and points to the God — or false god — in our life.

The first commandment provides us with a very clear instruction. That is, we are to have one God, who is the Eternal, and serve none other. As simple as this commandment is, we need to fully recognize what it means. It is not enough to proclaim that we are Christians who worship the true God. It is not enough to merely claim that we believe the Truth of the Bible. We have to obey God as well. If we choose not to serve God by obeying His commandments, we choose instead to serve someone or something else, and that in turn becomes our god. Any time we prioritize the desires we have above the obedience to God, we break that first commandment to serve the one true God.

Perhaps the one whom we serve is ourselves. Do we allow our own wants to get in the way of following God’s instructions? Do we choose to interpret the Bible in a way that is convenient to us, and ignore the Scriptures that contradict those interpretations? If we fall into these kinds of self-deceptive traps of pride, it can be very difficult to snap out of them and wake up to the Truth. The only way to protect ourselves from the trap of pride is to dedicate our love to God and His Way of Life, and objectively live by His instructions rather than the desires of our own.

Paul provides a warning about people who do not serve the true God in his letter to the Philippians, “For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame—who set their mind on earthly things” (Philippians 3:18-19). Clearly, those whom Paul describes have the wrong focus in their lives. By seeking earthly pleasures of an immediate nature, rather than the spiritual fulfillment of righteous living, they choose the way that leads to death. It’s a grim ending for those who choose to turn from God and serve themselves.

Fortunately, if we are called, we can always correct our path by recognizing that we have gone astray and repent of our sins. If we want our God to be the one true God, we must show it through our willingness to serve Him with obedience.

Is everything going well in your life? Or do you encounter trials and do you struggle with problems and obstacles? I dare to say, you do! And you would not be alone! The question is, How do you deal with setbacks? Do you view them as just being temporary and passing, or permanent and lasting?

When God revealed Himself to Moses at the burning bush and announced that He would use Moses to free Israel from Egyptian slavery, Moses did not believe him. So God convinced him through a set of miracles that it would happen as declared, and finally Moses reluctantly followed God’s command and returned to Egypt. God told Moses very clearly that there would first be obstacles—Pharaoh would not let Israel go until he was forced to do so by a mighty hand. God even told Moses that He would harden Pharaoh’s heart and multiply His signs and wonders in the land of Egypt (Exodus 7:3).

When Moses still doubted that the Israelites would believe him, God also told him that the elders of Israel would listen to Moses (Exodus 3:18), and this is exactly what occurred at first (Exodus 4:29-31).

But then things did not go too well, it seemed. When Moses and Aaron demanded of Pharaoh to let Israel go, Pharaoh’s response was to plague the people even more severely. The people were not prepared for this setback, and so they complained to Moses (Exodus 5:20-21), and Moses was likewise caught off guard and complained to God (Exodus 5:22-23). God gave him encouragement, which he passed on to the people, but now they did not listen “because of anguish of spirit and cruel bondage” (Exodus 6:9). And so, Moses, being frustrated, told God that Pharaoh would not listen to him either (verse 12). But God commanded him to carry out his pre-ordained task of bringing Israel out of Egypt (verse 13).

Moses, under inspiration, announced to Pharaoh that terrible plagues would be poured out if he were to refuse to let Israel go. They would even culminate in the death of Pharaoh’s firstborn son (Exodus 4:23). But as God had predicted, Pharaoh hardened his heart time and again, and God allowed it (Exodus 7:3, 13-14, 22; 8:15, 19, 32; 9:7, 12, 34-35; 10:1, 20, 27; 11:10). As a consequence, God did pour out plagues on the land, as He had announced through Moses and Aaron. This God did because of three reasons, which He clearly revealed to Moses: The Egyptians would recognize that He was God (Exodus 7:5); God’s name would be declared in all the earth (Exodus 9:16); and Israel would also know that “I am the LORD” (Exodus 10:2).

After the initial “setbacks,” it seemed that now everything would run smoothly. Didn’t Israel just have to wait until Pharaoh would give in? Not so! First, the people were still enslaved and they still had to suffer because of their cruel affliction; and then, they too were affected by the first three plagues. Only beginning with the fourth plague, God would protect Israel so that His plagues would not come near them (Exodus 8:22-23; 9:26; 10:23). God’s protection culminated of course during the Passover night when He would not allow the destroyer to touch the Israelites in their houses when He saw the blood on the doorposts, while all the firstborn in Egypt would be killed.

Finally, Pharaoh relented and allowed Israel to leave. They did so full of joy and boldness and thankfulness. But right afterwards, God hardened Pharaoh’s heart once again so that he pursued Israel with a huge army (Exodus 14:4, 8). Israel’s reaction to this new setback was telling: “So they were very afraid… and said to Moses, ‘Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you so dealt with us, to bring us up out of Egypt? Is this not the word that we told you in Egypt, saying, “Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians?” For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness’” (Exodus 14:10-12).

Moses responded that God would fight for them (Exodus 14:14), and He surely did. When the Red Sea opened, Israel “went into the midst of the sea on the dry ground” (verse 22), but when Pharaoh and his army followed them, the waters of the sea returned and drowned them all (verses 27-28, 30; Psalm 136:14-15).

NOW, when the people of Israel saw the great work which God had done, they feared and believed God and His servant Moses (Exodus 14:31). Sadly, it did not last long. A few days afterwards, the people did not find water in the wilderness, or only bitter waters which could not be consumed (Exodus 15:22-24). And so, they started complaining again about this new setback and their misery. God helped them and made the bitter waters sweet, but the same pattern would continue throughout their journey. When obstacles or setbacks occurred, the people forgot God’s mighty hand, which works miracles, and only focused on their seemingly hopeless condition.

Are we that different today? If things do not work out right away or in the way we expect or hope, are we falling into despair? Do we take into consideration that God may work things out in a very special way, which we do not quite understand yet, for HIS glory?

It is human to become frustrated in the face of setbacks. But notice how the sons of Korah addressed such a set of circumstances in their lives: “My soul thirsts for God, for the living God… My tears have been my food day and night, While they continually say to me, ‘Where is your God?’… When I remember these things, I pour out my soul within me… Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him For the help of His countenance” (Psalm 42:2-5).

Let us have the same mindset, knowing that when we go through fiery trials, we are never alone, and that God will intervene for us in HIS due time. Whatever setbacks we may encounter—they are temporary, and God knows about all of them. Let us have faith in Him and His doing, and let us allow Him to fight our battles in His unique way, and He will!

God specifies the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23. It consists of a number of components which, considered as a whole, make up this fruit, and actually are characteristics that everyone who has God’s Spirit will display in their lives to one degree or another.

The second component of this fruit is joy. So, what is joy? The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines joy as “the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires.” This implies that when things are going well, or expected to go well, we can be joyful.

There are many examples in the Bible of people expressing joy. Two of them are in the book of Ezra. This was a time when the temple had finally been finished after a great amount of local opposition and around twenty years since King Cyrus had made his decree that the temple was to be rebuilt. It was also a time between a little over a month before the Passover, and just after the Passover. Ezra 6:16 states: “Then the children of Israel, the priests and the Levites and the rest of the descendants of the captivity, celebrated the dedication of this house of God with joy.”

As well as that, they had finally received favour from the king of Assyria. Ezra 6:22 tells us: “And they kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days with joy; for the LORD made them joyful, and turned the heart of the king of Assyria toward them, to strengthen their hands in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel.”

So, after many years of opposition, trials, setbacks and difficulties, things were finally going well for them, and the people were joyful. Just like in the definition above. God had blessed them and made them joyful.

Both the apostle Paul and Titus were also joyful when things were going well in the Church. 2 Corinthians 7:13 reads: “Therefore we have been comforted in your comfort. And we rejoiced exceedingly more for the joy of Titus, because his spirit has been refreshed by you all.”

The apostle John also repeated this sentiment in 3 John 4: “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.”

This joy was mainly because of happy events in the present. There is an additional definition of joy that I found on the internet. It is the meaning used many times especially in the New Testament, and explains:  “Joy… remains even amidst the suffering… Joy is an emotion that’s acquired by the anticipation, acquisition or even the expectation of something great or wonderful.”

The greatest example of someone having this type of joy would be in Hebrews 12:2, describing Jesus Christ: “… looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Anticipating the beating and crucifixion that He had to endure was not something that would make Christ happy in itself. He had joy because He knew that the suffering He was going to go through would enable God’s Family to be vastly expanded—a great and wonderful result.

At this time approaching the Passover, we are reminded of just how much He suffered, and that this suffering was for us in this age and for all others in the future, and this can help us to be joyful as well as thankful. Following this example of Jesus, the next quote would likewise apply to us. James 1:2-4 states: “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”

Again, trials are not usually pleasant, but when we consider the intended outcome of trials, the patience and perfection (the marginal reading for “perfect” is “mature”), we can have joy because of the end result of those trials. They lead to eternal life as God beings with God the Father and Jesus Christ.

With the knowledge that Jesus went through extreme trials for us, and that we go through trials for our perfection, we can indeed be people of joy. We should remember and be encouraged by Psalm 16:11 in which David tells us: “You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures for evermore.”

In his “State of the Union Address” last month, US President Donald Trump raised the issue of abortion. Taken, word for word, from his speech, he said the following:

“Lawmakers in New York cheered with delight upon the passage of legislation that would allow a baby to be ripped from the mother’s womb moments before birth. These are living, feeling, beautiful babies who will never get the chance to share their love and dreams with the world. And then, we had the case of the Governor of Virginia where he basically stated he would execute a baby after birth.

“To defend the dignity of every person, I am asking the Congress to pass legislation to prohibit the late-term abortion of children who can feel pain in the mother’s womb. Let us work together to build a culture that cherishes innocent life. And let us reaffirm a fundamental truth: all children — born and unborn — are made in the holy image of God.”

When I heard the examples he raised, my blood boiled, but that was not the end of it. When he said this to a joint session of the United States Congress, one side of the chamber rose and applauded; the other side, with a handful of male exceptions, metaphorically, sat on their hands.

The Daily Mail wrote: “A group of Democratic women who wore white in honor of the suffragettes gave President Donald Trump an unexpected standing ovation at Tuesday evening’s State of the Union address. They stood slowly at first, then clapped joyously, as Trump spoke about the economic gains that have been enjoyed in the United States by women since he took office. ‘No one has benefited more from our thriving economy than women who have filled 58 percent of the newly created jobs last year,’ Trump said, prompting loud cheering from the section of women.”

These women were basking in self-congratulatory terms but when it came to the President’s statement about abortion, they obviously did not approve of even a small curtailment of this abominable practice; after all, abortion is another name for murder.

We read in 1 Timothy 5:14: “Therefore I desire that the younger widows marry, bear children, manage the house, give no opportunity to the adversary to speak reproachfully.”

God gave women a hugely important role in life but the tragedy is that today a woman who stays at home to look after her husband and family seems to be despised and looked down upon in society. Currently, many women seem to see children as a nuisance, and abortion is seen by too many to be the answer to that which would otherwise curtail their career. There are many other reasons, of course, but God formed women to have the caring and loving approach to their offspring and, in no way does He approve of abortion. The attitude of these American women elected to positions of importance was totally grievous.

The President did a good thing when he asked Congress to pass legislation to prohibit the late-term abortion of children. However, he didn’t go far enough; he should have said that ALL abortion is wrong but that may have been way too much for many in a nation that seems to have embraced this practice as something good, acceptable and worthwhile, and not the selfish self-indulgent and sinful action that it is. When God’s Word is not consulted on such issues, man’s reasoning comes into play which often has a disastrous end result.

In the true Church of God, members are not to vote nor take political sides, but it is disappointing in the extreme to observe a group of people (in this case, women) standing to applaud themselves but later not approving, as was seen by their inaction, a basic and fundamental right of the unborn to not have their lives snuffed out right at the beginning of their existence.

It is several weeks since I saw this “exhibition” by those who were elected to office and I still feel the same now – a feeling of righteous anger at the unfeeling and cruel approach of so many to the unborn.

These same representatives of the people–blind leaders–may wonder why the nation has so many problems but never align this to spiritual matters that need to be addressed. Their constant denial or ignorance of the right way to live leads to problems that they cannot solve, and it not only applies to the USA but to every nation around the world.

As for Church members, we should continue to “cry and sigh over all the abominations that are done within it” (Ezekiel 9:4). Although this passage was written about 2,600 years ago and was about idolatrous Israel at that time (which would include Britain and the USA today), the same principles still apply to us now when we see similar evil within our present world. The Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary explains “sigh and … cry—similarly sounding verbs in Hebrew, as in English Version, expressing the prolonged sound of their grief. “Sigh” implies their inward grief (“groanings which cannot be uttered,” [Romans] 8:26); “cry,” the outward expression of it.”

That should be our approach and it will be different from the world at large but that should, and must not be, our concern. The Church of God, of which we are a part, is being judged now (see 1 Peter 4:17), and that includes our conduct and approach towards politics and abortion. The judgment of others will be at a later time, and they will have to answer for their hypocritical political behaviour and their ungodly approach to the unborn.

They will have quite a lot of explaining to do!

For years I have run an online business on one of the large internet sales platforms. One of the important factors of my business deals with the customer rating of my past performance.  I not only receive monetary benefits from a high rating but it helps potential customers understand my selling history and honesty. It is easy to see the results from my actions, because I am incentivized to be successful. This has built-in motivation to excel in performance.

There is nothing wrong with this kind of goal but this accomplishment, along with all other physical pursuits, is not lasting. As Christians, it is critically important that we do not let these kinds of physical desires become the end-all in our daily lives. We must strive for something greater, something that the world sees as a closed-minded rejection of “enlightened” understanding. We must, by worldly standards, become fools if we are to please God. “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” (1 Corinthians 1:27).

The world is brimming with the proud. Whether it is because of accomplishment, wisdom or wealth, mankind has again built a tower to glorify themselves. But God sees this attitude, as He did in Babel, with the same disdain.  Christ tells the church of the Laodiceans: “… you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked” (Revelation 3:17).  And, as is prophesied, mankind will soon see all of the ungodliness that they have built fall into ruin. Greed can never be satiated. Instead, addicts will try to fix their greed with more of the same. This attitude, as Jude states, will lead to destruction: “Woe to them! For they have gone in the way of Cain, have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit, and perished in the rebellion of Korah” (Jude 11).

Paul also understood the effects this arrogance could have on those that have been called out of this world: “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows” (I Timothy 6:10). Our sense of accomplishment, even in the daily aspects of our lives, must hinge on God. We must be entrenched in our faith if we have any hope of pleasing God. John states, “… for whoever is begotten by God conquers the world. And the victory that conquers the world is our faith” (1 John 5:4, New American Bible).

Success that leads to true victory begins with and dwells on the love of God. There can be no greater accomplishment, no greater motivation to succeed, than to be told, having spent a life dedicated to pleasing God, “Well done, good and faithful servant… Enter into the joy of your lord” (Matthew 25:21).

The power to withstand something challenging defines the word endurance. This is what God had in mind when He chose specific people to fulfill His purpose; when He called people out of this world to an understanding of His plan that only He could reveal to those who answered His calling.  An everlasting commitment of obedience is the requirement to obtain everlasting life while also ruling with God the Father and Jesus Christ, as part of their Family, here on earth in the Kingdom of God, in the coming time ahead (compare Matthew 19:17; 2 Timothy 2:12; Romans 8:7; Revelation 20:4-6).

This tremendous calling, however, shouldn’t be taken lightly and for granted; rather, it requires obedient effort, perseverance and endurance until the end. “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” (James 1:12).

We will be blessed when we endure UNTIL the end.  This is a life-long commitment of living God’s Way of Life. If we have chosen to live this Way, by keeping ALL of His commandments, taken the necessary steps to becoming truly baptized, then we are in it for life.

If we haven’t, then even our physical life we are living now could be in jeopardy!  “Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth” (Revelation 3:10, NIV).  It should be quite evident that we must have much patience in our lives—especially when going through problems and hoping for answers right away.  The test we are faced with is whether we have the trust and confidence in God to deal with our situation and whether we have the belief that God will provide the answer in His due time, IF we let Him.

There is much worry in the world today.  Everywhere we look, what we hear about, what we read about, in some way or another involves concern. Satan is doing his job.  There may be temporary relief of “happiness” but a permanent outcome of joy is not possible without God in our lives. That is why it is highly important that we keep going, doing what is right, not letting distractions hinder us and prevent us from reaching our ultimate goal. The world will soon find out just how awful things will get, with conditions so horrible that if Jesus Christ wouldn’t return to put an end to all this destruction, NO ONE would be saved! Because we KNOW this, blessed are we who endure UNTIL THE END.

Many years ago, God promised Abraham that his descendants would be mightily blessed. That same promise was passed on to Isaac and his son Jacob and their generations (Genesis 15:1-21; 22:15-18; 26:1-5; 49:1-28; Hebrews 11:17-22).

Those blessings came to fruition. The United States of America and the British Commonwealth were two of the greatest nations or groups of nations that ever ruled on this earth. God saw to it that they were well taken care of. They both led the industrial revolution. They invented incredible and amazing things. They possessed some of the greatest natural resources known to man. They won many battles and conquered many lands.

And yet, we find today the United States with a debt deficit of 22 trillion dollars. Some analysts say while that number is on paper, it is more likely that the debt is actually around 70 trillion. We see the great debacle of the British people attempting to leave the EU with a “great deal,” and coming woefully shy of doing so. A number of companies are already leaving the UK and there could be many more in the future, including many of the financial services that once did massive amounts of business in London.

Yet only very few bother to stop and see why this is happening. The answers are in the Bible. Deuteronomy 28:18-68 shows aptly what is occurring. Verses 43-44 tell us: “The alien who is among you shall rise higher and higher above you, and you shall come down lower and lower. He shall lend to you, but you shall not lend to him; he shall be the head, and you shall be the tail.” This is not just a one-time warning. Haggai 1:3-7 states: “Then the word of the LORD came by Haggai the prophet, saying,  ‘Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, and this temple to lie in ruins?’ Now therefore, thus says the LORD of hosts: ‘Consider your ways! You have sown much, and bring in little; You eat, but do not have enough; You drink, but you are not filled with drink; You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm; And he who earns wages, Earns wages to put into a bag with holes.’ Thus says the LORD of hosts: ‘Consider your ways!’”

IF people would consider their ways and if they would pay attention to the warning signs of what is going on, they would be able to see that something is dreadfully wrong. David’s thoughts in Psalm 119:9-16 show that we must not forget God and turn from Him, but that we must delight in obedience to God’s laws. In fact, Deuteronomy 28:1-14 shows that when people are obedient, then the blessings that God rains down are innumerable.

From all appearances, our nations are on an inevitable crash course to swift destruction, because most people don’t want to change. They would rather enjoy life as they see fit (Romans 1:18-31).  It should be evident that things are getting worse, not better.  When the ancient city of Nineveh was confronted with their sin and their threat of punishment, all the people, from the greatest to the least, fasted and turned from doing wrong, and so God delayed for a time the destruction of that great city. Unfortunately, it appears that this world is asleep. Hopefully, we in the Church are awake and are working feverishly to draw closer and closer to God, so that we can escape the soon-coming prophesied great tribulation.