Questions and Answers
As members of the Church of God, we trust God because He is the great Creator and the source of all power. He is the greatest being in the universe and knows all that is going on in our lives and what we need. Human beings are fallible and make mistakes. God does not. Is it compatible to say that a man can trust both in God and man? Let us start with Psalm 118:8 where we read: “It is better to trust in the LORD Than to put confidence in man.” The explanations given by a number of Bible Commentaries on this verse are helpful. Let us look at a few of these: Barnes Notes on the Bible states: “It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man – This is stated apparently as the result of his own experience. He had found people weak and faithless; he had not so found God. Compare Psalm 40:4; Psalm 62:8-9. Literally, ‘Good is it to trust in Yahweh more than to confide in man.’ This is the Hebrew form of comparison, and is equivalent to what is stated in our version, ‘It is better’ etc. It is better, “(1) because man is weak –… In part 3, we looked at the fact that paganism is the very opposite of belief in a supreme Creator God and is inextricably linked with occult practices. We looked at a small selection of verses from the Bible to show its consistency in condemning such practices. In the last part of this four-part series, we will look at a number of well-researched sources that show that paganism has been a part of mainstream Christianity for a very long time. This practice is called syncretism—the mixture of godly and ungodly practices (is this meant to be repeated or is a word missing?). Syncretism was extant in Old Testament times. Let us look at just one section of Scripture outlining this in Deuteronomy 12:29-32: “When the LORD your God cuts off from before you the nations which you go to dispossess, and you displace them and dwell in their land, take heed to yourself that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed from before you, and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods? I also will do likewise.’ You shall not worship the LORD your God in that way; for every abomination to the LORD which He hates they have done… In the second part of this series, we specifically looked at Deuteronomy 18:10 in some detail. This section of Scripture showed that the practices mentioned were those which the people of God should not get involved with. Let us now look at Deuteronomy 18:11: “(There shall not be found among you) one who conjures spells.” J R Dummelow listed “this evil practice as the device by which one claimed to weave magic spells and curses by tying knots, etc.” By no stretch of imagination can this be related to “getting information from God”. Consulter with familiar spirits” – such persons, pretending to speak with ghosts or spirits, “were probably ventriloquists who claimed to hold communications with subterranean spirits.” They were in fact communicating with demons pretending to be communicating with the “ghosts” of departed ones. Verse 11 continues: “(There shall not be found among you) a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead.” The Authorized Version translates “who calls up the dead” as “necromancer.” Coffman’s Commentaries on the Bible observe: “‘Necromancer’—This referred to one who made inquiries of the dead, pretending to procure vital information by this device. Despite this evil, futile thing being condemned in the law of God, Saul, king of Israel sought out the witch of Endor… In the first part of this series, we looked at paganism in its many forms in the UK and the USA. Different websites gave us a brief but clear picture of the growth of this phenomenon in these two major nations, which are revealed in our free booklet “The Fall and Rise of Britain and America.” theconversation.com reports that “Nature religions, commonly described as Paganism (or neo-Paganism), are growing in Australia. In the last Census, 33,148 people claimed affiliation with a nature religion: including Animism, Druidism, and the many traditions of Wicca, the most practised Pagan pathway.” ca.paganfederation.org reports as follows: “With almost half a century of experience, the Pagan Federation (PF) started in England and shortly thereafter sowed the seeds for its sister organization: the Pagan Federation International (PFI), to respond to the needs of Pagans who did not reside in England. Now PFI has local branches all over the world: including Asia, South America, Australia, United Kingdom, Portugal, Germany, The Netherlands, Hungary, Germany, Belgium and of course Canada and the USA, and this list only continues to grow!“ This same website also states that in “Canada, we are always interested in talking with members to start pub moots, coffee cauldrons, festivals or events that… In October 2022, Antonio Pagliarulo wrote a piece on the nbcnews.com website under the heading “Why paganism and witchcraft are making a comeback” and below are a few excerpts: “Two weeks ago, in the run-up to Halloween, I visited Salem, Massachusetts, for the first time since the pandemic began. In renewing my annual Halloween pilgrimage, I was bowled over by what I found in the Witch City: bigger crowds, longer lines and a wider and welcome array of merchandise geared toward many different religious traditions and ethnic identities. “Amid the curious crowds in black capes and conical hats, bags overflowing with DIY spell kits and candles to enhance prosperity, I overheard the same question: Is magic really real? “Witchcraft, which includes Wicca, paganism, folk magic and other New Age traditions, is one of the fastest-growing spiritual paths in America. “For me, the answer is yes. “I am one of a million-plus Americans who — whether proudly, secretly or dabbling through the power of consumerism — practice some form of witchcraft. Witchcraft, which includes Wicca, paganism, folk magic, and other New Age traditions, is one of the fastest growing spiritual paths in America. “In 1990, Trinity College in Connecticut estimated there were 8,000 adherents to Wicca. In 2008, the U.S. Census Bureau… In the previous installments of this series, we showed that both the last revival of the Roman Empire [through the raising up of the ancient Chaldeans, and their subsequent defeat] and the preaching of the gospel are described as the Work of God. We then concentrated on God’s Work in these end times, as it relates to the preaching of the gospel and to the warning of the nations. In this final installment, we will talk about the connection between aspects of the Work of God and our salvation, as well as the marvelous Truth that the more we are involved in God’s Work of preaching the gospel, the more we will overcome our sins and our human nature… which is necessary to be able to enter the Kingdom and Family of God. First, we need to understand that some aspects and tasks might have been referred to as the Work in the past, even though that may not necessarily have relevance for us today. But whenever God used people to do His Work, they had to do it with their whole heart, and in complete obedience to God’s instructions. One of these aspects was the building of the tabernacle in the wilderness. When… In the previous installments of this new series, we have pointed out that at the time of the final revival of the ancient Roman Empire in Europe, God’s Church will be busy, with renewed strength, to fulfill its end-time commission to preach the gospel of the Kingdom of God in all the world as a witness, prior to Christ’s return. As the European power will only survive for a short time, so the preaching of the gospel will likewise be short-lived. We showed that both the last revival of the Roman Empire [through the raising up of the ancient Chaldeans, and their subsequent defeat] and the preaching of the gospel are described as the Work of God. We then concentrated on God’s Work, as it relates to the preaching of the gospel. In this installment, we will discuss that God’s end-time Church has been given the Work of warning the nations, which is actually part of the proclamation of the gospel message. We read in Amos 3:4-9, 13-14: “Will a lion roar in the forest, when he has no prey? Will a young lion cry out of his den, if he has caught nothing? Will a bird fall into a snare on the earth, where… In the first two installments of this new series, we have pointed out that at the time of the final revival of the ancient Roman Empire in Europe, God’s Church will be busy, with renewed strength, to fulfill its end-time commission to preach the gospel of the Kingdom of God in all the world as a witness, prior to Christ’s return. As the European power will only survive for a short time, so the preaching of the gospel will likewise be short-lived. Both the last revival of the Roman Empire [through the raising up of the ancient Chaldeans, and their subsequent defeat] and the preaching of the gospel are described as the Work of God. In this installment, we will concentrate on God’s Work, as it relates to the preaching of the gospel. We read previously in Acts 13:41 that the preaching of the gospel is defined as God working a work in our days. We also read in Romans 9:28 that God will finish this work and cut it short in righteousness, as He will make a short work upon the earth. The immediate context is salvation of a remnant of Israel and the warning not to despise God’s Word (compare… In the first installment of this new series, we began to address God’s Work in the context of the prophetic revival of the ancient Roman Empire in Europe and, in connection therewith, the preaching of the gospel in the world as a witness, which includes a warning message of impending disaster. We showed that God will raise the ancient Chaldeans—“modern Babylon”—under the leadership of an end-time Assyrian “Führer” —the “beast” in the Book of Revelation—to punish and destroy the modern Houses of Israel and Judah. (For more information on the identity of the king of Assyria and the descendants of the ancient Houses of Israel and Judah, please read our free booklets, “Germany in Prophecy” and “The Fall and Rise of Britain and America.”). In this installment, we will discuss in more detail how God will use the end-time “beast”—the coming king of Assyria—to punish the Houses of Israel and Judah—as being part of God’s end-time Work. We read in the Bible that God will raise the “king of Assyria” to conquer Israel and Judah. Isaiah 10:3-6 reads: “What will you do in the day of punishment, And in the desolation which will come from afar? To whom will you flee for help? And… The Bible uses the concept of “God’s Work” or the “Work of God” in many different ways. But as we will see, they all harmonize or complement each other; there is no contradiction. We will show how great God is and how His masterplan is being worked out here below. In this first installment, we will begin to address God’s Work in the context of the prophetic revival of the ancient Roman Empire in Europe and, in connection therewith, the preaching of the gospel in the world as a witness, because both concepts are necessary to lead to the soon-coming return of Jesus Christ to establish God’s Kingdom here on earth. In our free booklet, “Evil Empires and Evil People—Wild Beasts of the Bible,” we state the following: “In Daniel 7, four great world-ruling empires (called ‘kingdoms’ in Daniel 2 and 7) are described, which are seen by Daniel in a vision as four wild beasts… When Daniel saw the vision, only the first empire was in existence—the Babylonian Empire, which was symbolized as a lion (verse 4). It was to be followed by the Medo-Persian Empire, which was symbolized as a bear (verse 5). It, in turn, was to be replaced by the Greco-Macedonian Empire, which…Trusting in God – and Man?
How do you view paganism today, and exactly what is it? (Part 4)
How do you view paganism today, and exactly what is it? (Part 3)
How do you view paganism today, and exactly what is it? (Part 2)
How do you view paganism today, and exactly what is it? (Part 1)
What is the Work of God? (Part 5)
What is the Work of God? (Part 4)
What is the Work of God? (Part 3)
What is the Work of God (Part 2)?
What is the Work of God? (Part 1)
