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Do You Believe the True Gospel?

4uwzvo — Mon, 28 Feb 2022 18:55:48 +0000

Do You Believe the True Gospel? 4uwzvo Mon, 02/28/2022 - 18:55

Do You Believe the True Gospel?

Roderick C. Meredith (1930-2017)

Booklet Media

#Apostles

#Bible

#Christianity

#God

#Jesus Christ

#Kingdom of God

#Law of God

#Prophecy

What did Jesus really preach? Do you know? Do not be too sure! Just what did Jesus mean by “the Kingdom of God”? Here is the exciting Good News: there is a new world coming!

CHAPTER 1

A MESSAGE ABOUT THE MESSENGER?

Your eternity depends on your willingness to understand and believe the true Gospel! Yet the Apostle Paul warned the Christians of his day that “if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted—you may well put up with it!” (2 Corinthians 11:4).

Frankly, millions of sincere men and women have put up with a false gospel. They have been deceived all right—far too easily deceived. Why? Because too many have failed to obey God’s command to “Prove all things” (1 Thessalonians 5:21, King James Version). Jesus Christ said, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15). Have you believed the same Gospel Jesus preached? You need to be sure! There are many, many “gospels” being preached in the world today!

Have you ever heard something like this?

Just give your heart to the Lord. Jesus was born in the manger as the Christ, the Son of God, to save as many souls in this age as would accept Him into their hearts. When He grew up, He went around performing miracles and forgiving people. He kept God’s harsh law for all of us before finally being nailed to the cross along with that old law. He rose from the dead on the third day and appeared to many witnesses. Then He returned to heaven and began to set up His Kingdom in the hearts of men. He’ll forgive your sins and come into your heart—just as you are—if you’ll only accept Him. Jesus saves! Just believe on Him, and you’ll be saved—born again. And, when you die, you’ll go to be with Him in heaven—forever!

But is that really the Gospel Jesus taught? If you have accepted, without question, the almost unanimous voice of mainstream Christianity in this regard, you probably think that it is. Yet consider something Mark Twain wrote:

In religion and politics people’s beliefs and convictions are in almost every case gotten at second-hand, and without examination, from authorities who have not themselves examined the questions at issue but have taken them at second-hand from other non-examiners, whose opinions about them were not worth a brass farthing (Autobiography of Mark Twain).

Do you really know what constitutes the genuine Gospel that Jesus and His Apostles preached? Or have you made a careless assumption, following the crowd as Mark Twain noted, taking your beliefs from second-hand suppositions?

Probably you were taught the mainstream understanding of “the Gospel” while growing up. Or maybe you learned it from the barrage of religious publications and broadcasts that exist in our modern world. In any case, you have, more than likely, not seen the need to question your beliefs. After all, most professing Christian authorities are in agreement here. Surely, they must be right. Or are they?

In His famous Olivet Prophecy, Jesus Christ warned, “Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many” (Matthew 24:4–5, KJV). Many assume that Christ was talking about individuals who would claim to actually be Christ themselves. However, there have not been “many” such people over the centuries who have been taken seriously, much less who have deceived the “many.” Another interpretation some have offered is that Jesus was referring to false “Savior” figures like Hitler and Mussolini. But this is really taking liberties with the text. Remember, Christ said that “many shall come in My name….”

Here is a clearer rendering of what Jesus meant: “Take care that no one leads you astray. Indeed, many will appear, making use of My name, saying that I am Christ, yet deceiving many.”

What an astounding warning! Christ was foretelling that many false preachers would talk about Him and that they would proclaim that He is the Christ, the expected Messiah. Yet even after acknowledging Jesus’ Messiahship, the deceivers are prophesied to seduce the unwary from a correct understanding of Jesus’ genuine Gospel! How about you? Might they have deceived you, too? Do not make careless assumptions! Find out—prove—what is true. Then you will really know and nobody will be able to fool you!

FALSE ASSUMPTIONS AND FALSE HOPES

Jesus said this about certain false religious teachers of His day: “These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men” (Matthew 15:8–9). Jesus is plainly saying that one can worship Him to no purpose, uselessly—if the doctrines on which that worship is based have their source in men’s erroneous ideas about how to interpret Scripture, rather than on the plain, intended teaching of the word of God!

What, then, is the actual Gospel that Jesus preached? Did He simply tell people to believe in Him—or was it far more than that? This is a vital question, for if you believe a lie rather than the truth, you will eventually find yourself holding a bag of false hopes and unfulfilled expectations!

In Luke 13, Christ explained the plight of those holding false hopes:

When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, "Lord, Lord, open for us," and He will answer and say to you, "I do not know you, where you are from," then you will begin to say, "We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets." But He will say, "I tell you I do not know you, where you are from. Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity." There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves thrust out (vv. 25–28).

Does it really make a difference to God whether or not we adhere strictly to the exact same Gospel that Christ and His Apostles preached? On the authority of Jesus Christ, I say it makes a great deal of difference!

After Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection, He appeared to His Apostles and commissioned them to “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:15–16).

Christ later inspired the Apostle Paul to pronounce a double curse on anyone who would dare preach a different gospel.

But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed (Galatians 1:8–9).

The Apostle Paul took great pains to warn the Corinthian Christians about false ministers who would come preaching “another Jesus” and proclaiming a “different gospel” (2 Corinthians 11:4). This is why I say—as a minister of Jesus Christ—that it is critically important for you and your salvation to recognize the true Jesus Christ of the Bible and to prove for yourself what is the genuine Gospel that He preached! And Jesus Himself made that clear!

It can easily be shown from the Bible that the Gospel does not revolve solely around the personality of Jesus, the Son of God. Of course, Jesus is our Messiah who shed His blood so that our sins might be forgiven. We need to deeply appreciate and proclaim this truth. But that in itself does not constitute the complete Gospel.

Certainly, we need the understanding of Christ’s sacrifice. The Bible says, “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). Consequently, the name of Jesus Christ is absolutely vital. Yet it is absolutely false to say of Jesus, as many now do, “He is the Gospel. He is the Kingdom of God.” There is much more to the true Gospel message preached by Jesus Christ.

GOSPEL “OF” CHRIST OR “ABOUT” CHRIST?

At the end of the Old Testament, God inspired the following prophecy: “Behold, I send My messenger, and he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple, even the Messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight” (Malachi 3:1). According to Mark 1:2–4, the first messenger mentioned here refers to John the Baptist, who prepared the way before Christ’s First Coming. Christ is referred to next as “the Lord… even the Messenger of the covenant….” So Jesus Christ was sent as a “Messenger.” A messenger bears a message from someone else—and so Jesus did, as He made plain by stating that “the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me” (John 14:24).

God the Father sent Christ to announce a message from Him. What kind of message was it? The word “gospel” originates from the Old English word godspell, meaning “good news” or “announcement of glad tidings.” The New Testament translators used “gospel” for the Greek noun euaggelion. The English word “evangelism”—preaching the Gospel—is derived from it. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John have come to be known as “the four gospels” because they relate four separate accounts of Christ delivering His announcement of Good News!

What was this Good News all about? Let Scripture answer! Open your Bible and turn to Mark 1:14–15. Read what God inspired Mark to write: “Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.’” This is the Gospel. There is only one—and it is about the Kingdom of God.

Some will attempt to deny the prominence of the Kingdom of God in the Gospel by pointing out that Mark 1:1 mentions the “gospel of Jesus Christ.” It is also referred to as the “gospel of God” because it was a message from God. But the New Testament overwhelmingly calls it “the gospel of the kingdom of God.” That is what the Gospel is about! Look at what one scholarly work attests:

There is clear agreement among the synoptic Gospels [Matthew, Mark, and Luke] that the kingdom of God was the principal theme within Jesus’ message…. In aggregate, they present some fifty sayings and parables of Jesus concerning the kingdom…. It is, then, a matter of consensus within the canon that the kingdom constituted a primary focus of Jesus’ theology (The Oxford Companion to the Bible, 1993, p. 408, emphasis added).

Do not blindly believe this booklet—or any commentary or Bible study aid. Believe your Bible—believe God! People have gone off track spiritually by relying solely on men. Scripture commands you to “Test all things” (1 Thessalonians 5:21). Check up on this and examine it for yourself. Suspend your prior opinions and just read what God says. It will soon be clear in your mind that the Gospel of Christ is His message from the Father about the Kingdom of God. Jesus affirmed this after teaching in the city of Capernaum by saying, “I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent” (Luke 4:43). Matthew 9:35 testifies that this is exactly what He did: “Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom….”

According to Jesus, what should life’s primary focus be? “… seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:33). In what has come to be known as the “Lord’s Prayer,” Jesus said, “In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come” (vv. 9–10). The Gospel that Christ brought is indeed the Good News of this coming kingdom. That is the message Jesus preached. He sent His disciples out preaching that very same message. And they did preach it—for the rest of their lives!

It was not until false teachers began to subvert the early Church that Christ’s Gospel began to be perverted. Paul, writing more than 20 years after Christ’s death, was aware of one such distortion: “… there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ” (Galatians 1:7). Among a growing number of heresies, perhaps none was gaining as much momentum as the new gospel about the events of Christ’s life and of simply believing in His person to be saved. Gradually, then, the true Gospel of Christ was supplanted by a false gospel about Christ.

In the mouth of Christ and of those whom, while He was on earth, He sent forth to proclaim it… it was the good tidings of the kingdom of God… which He had come to establish…. After Christ’s death and resurrection it became the good tidings (not so much brought by, and proclaimed by, as) about Christ (James Hastings, A Dictionary of the Bible, 1899, vol. 2, p. 233, emphasis added).

WHAT ABOUT THE NAME OF JESUS?

Christ sent out His disciples “to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick…. So they departed and went through the towns, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere” (Luke 9:2, 6). When the Apostles returned, Christ took them to a deserted place. “But when the multitudes knew it, they followed Him; and He received them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who had need of healing” (v. 11).

According to Jesus’ example and instructions, preaching the Gospel is preaching about the Kingdom of God!

Then, in verse 18 of the same chapter, when He was alone with His disciples, Christ asked, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” They answered, “John the Baptist, but some say Elijah; and others say that one of the old prophets has risen again” (v. 19).

Matthew 16 contains a more complete passage paralleling this account: “He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Simon Peter answered and said, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven’” (vv. 15–17).

Clearly, Christ had not even told His own disciples this yet. But Jesus had already sent them out preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. Notice verse 20: “Then He commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that he was Jesus the Christ.” The reason He commanded this is that he did not want to be crucified prematurely. But what is absolutely certain from this verse is that the Gospel of the Kingdom of God cannot be a simple proclamation stating that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, for we have just seen in Luke 9:11 that they had already been preaching the Gospel—but obviously had not told the people that Jesus was the Christ!

Some might say, “Yes, but perhaps the Gospel preached by Christ and His Apostles was about the fact that the Messiah had to die for our sins and be resurrected, minus the actual identity of that Messiah.” To answer that, look at what happened after Peter recognized that Jesus was the Messiah, as recorded in Mark 8:

Then He strictly warned them that they should tell no one about Him. And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. He spoke this word openly. Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. But when He had turned around and looked at His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, “Get behind Me, Satan! For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men” (vv. 30–33).

It was only after Peter’s recognition of Jesus as the Christ that Jesus began to teach His disciples about His coming crucifixion and resurrection. But Peter did not receive this teaching very well at this point, so it ought to be plain as day that a proclamation of Christ crucified was not a part of the Gospel that Christ had previously sent Peter out preaching!

To further illustrate this, look at the same event as recorded in Luke 9:18–22. In verse 22, Christ instructed the Apostles that He would die and be resurrected. But, evidently much later, they still did not get it!

But while everyone marveled at all the things which Jesus did, He said to His disciples, “Let these words sink down into your ears, for the Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men.” But they did not understand this saying, and it was hidden from them so that they did not perceive it; and they were afraid to ask Him about this saying (vv. 43–45).

The Gospel that Jesus had sent the Apostles to preach was not centered on believing on Christ’s person or receiving forgiveness of sins through His sacrifice. Just talking about Christ is not the Gospel! Yes, Jesus Christ is the most important Person ever to have walked the earth. He was, indeed, God in the flesh, the Son of God, who came as the Christ to give His life to atone for the sins of mankind. And He has been resurrected to be the Savior of the world. All of this is true. And—although it is extremely necessary—none of this is the sole focus of the Gospel of the Kingdom of God.

It was only after Jesus was resurrected that He added this element to the message the Apostles were to preach:

And He [the risen Jesus] opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures. Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And you are witnesses of these things” (Luke 24:45–48).

The name of Jesus Christ—that is, His true name—comprises who He is, what He has done for us, and everything He has taught, commanded and stood for. This essential information was added—to be taught alongside the Gospel of the Kingdom of God—after the death and resurrection of Jesus. Is this an assumption? Not at all! Look at the preserved biblical account of the preaching of the early evangelists and Apostles, years after Christ’s death.

Notice what Philip preached in Samaria. “But when they believed Philip as he preached [first] the things concerning the kingdom of God and [second] the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized” (Acts 8:12).

The true Church is to preach both elements: first the Gospel of the Kingdom of God, and, second, the true name of Jesus Christ.

CHAPTER 2

WHAT IS THE KINGDOM OF GOD?

We have seen that the true Gospel preached by Christ and His Apostles was about the Kingdom of God. Exactly what is that kingdom? There have been many ideas. The Jews of Christ’s day thought that a Messiah figure would lead their physical nation to militarily subdue other governments until they reigned supreme over all men. Later, the concept emerged that the Church made up the Kingdom. Others have believed that the Kingdom of God is an ethereal realm set up in the hearts of men. Others see it called “the kingdom of heaven” in Matthew’s gospel account and conclude that it must refer to eternal bliss in heaven. Some also maintain that the Kingdom is the person of Jesus Himself.

The “Kingdom of God/Heaven” is a subject of major importance in the Bible for two primary reasons: its frequency in the first three canonical (synoptic) gospels of the NT, and the conviction that it stands at the very center of the message of the historical Jesus. Its meaning, which is derived from a world of oriental monarchs and monarchies that is very different from modern Western democracies, has been interpreted in various ways. Historically it has been associated with the future state of the resurrected, immortal blessed; the Church; monastic contemplation; mystical ecstasy; pious religious experience; the progressively redeemed society inspired by love; the future transformation of this world; apocalyptic hope for the next world; and an open-ended symbol possible of many interpretations (“Kingdom of God, Kingdom of Heaven,” Dictionary, 1992, emphasis added).

Scripture scholar George E. Ladd described how one particular theologian “reduced the Kingdom of God to the subjective realm and understood it in terms of the human spirit and its relationship to God. The Kingdom of God is an inward power which enters into the human soul and lays hold of it. It consists of a few basic religious truths of universal application.” A more recent interpretation, Ladd mentions, “conceives of the Kingdom as the absolute, the ‘wholly other’ which has entered into time and space in the person of Jesus of Nazareth” (The Gospel of the Kingdom).

He continues, “At the other extreme are those who, like Albert Schweitzer, define Jesus’ message of the Kingdom as an apocalyptic realm to be inaugurated by a supernatural act of God when history will be broken off and a new heavenly order of existence begun. The Kingdom of God in no sense of the word is a present or spiritual reality; it is altogether future and supernatural.”

Ladd also points out the view or interpretation that “relates the Kingdom of God in one way or another to the Church.”

Since the days of Augustine, the Kingdom has been identified with the Church. As the Church grows, the Kingdom grows and is extended in the world. Many Protestant theologians have taught a modified form of this interpretation, holding that the Kingdom of God may be identified with the true Church which is embodied in the visible professing Church. As the Church takes the Gospel into all the world, it extends the Kingdom of God. An optimistic version holds that it is the mission of the Church to win the entire world to Christ and thus transform the world into the Kingdom of God.

Are any of these interpretations right? What, in the midst of all this confusion, is the truth? What is the Kingdom of God?

WHAT IS A KINGDOM?

To understand the Kingdom of God, we should begin by asking what any kingdom is. A kingdom is primarily defined as a “community or major territorial unit having a monarchical form of government headed by a king or queen” (Merriam-Webster.com).

This is also the biblical definition of a kingdom. Four things are necessary to constitute a real kingdom: 1) a king or ruling agent; 2) land or territory; 3) subjects or citizens within that territorial jurisdiction; 4) laws and a form of government. If we leave out any of these elements, we do not have a real kingdom. And if we believe in some ethereal sort of “kingdom,” we do not believe in the true Gospel!

The truth on the subject of the Kingdom is revealed in God’s word. What men think may be interesting and appealing to the intellect, but the truth is in the Holy Scripture. “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth” (John 17:17).

The Bible reveals that Jesus’ message concerned government and governance. He was born to be humanity’s King! The prophet Isaiah wrote this of Him:

For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this (Isaiah 9:6–7).

Shortly before Christ’s human conception, the archangel Gabriel told Mary, who would be His mother, “He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end” (Luke 1:32–33).

During Jesus’ trial, Pontius Pilate asked Him if He was a king. “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, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice’” (John 18:37). Too many in this deceived world think of Christ as either “the little Lord Jesus, away in a manger” or as a frail weakling nailed to a cross. They do not contemplate His role as a coming, omnipotent Ruler and King.

NEBUCHADNEZZAR’S DREAM

What is the nature of the government that is to rest on Christ’s shoulders? Is it merely human devotion to “sweet Jesus”? Emphatically, no! God’s message and plan for mankind is consistent. The prophet Daniel was inspired nearly 600 years before Christ’s birth to write about the coming Kingdom of God.

During the Jews’ captivity in the ancient Neo-Babylonian or Chaldean Empire, Daniel served his masters in the palace of the emperor Nebuchadnezzar. This world ruler had a vivid dream, which so troubled him that he was losing sleep over it (Daniel 2:1). He just had to know its meaning! So Nebuchadnezzar ordered his court magicians, astrologers, and sorcerers to reveal to him the dream’s meaning. But this shrewd despot would not even tell his “trusted” advisors what He had dreamt! They were first required to tell him his dream—so that he could know their interpretations were trustworthy (vv. 2–9). They, of course, were unable to do so (vv. 10–11).

God, however, had given Daniel “understanding in all visions and dreams” (Daniel 1:17). When he was brought before Nebuchadnezzar (2:25), he explained, “The secret which the king has demanded, the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, and the soothsayers cannot declare to the king. But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days” (vv. 27–28).

So God’s purpose here was to reveal to this pagan ruler that there is a real God who rules the vast universe, as well as to reveal what would happen “in the latter days.” If you want to understand the exciting, advance news of future events—the culmination of which may occur in your lifetime—open your Bible, turn to this amazing chapter in Daniel, and read it for yourself!

You, O king, were watching; and behold, a great image! This great image, whose splendor was excellent, stood before you; and its form was awesome. This image’s head was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. You watched while a stone was cut out without hands, which struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were crushed together, and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; the wind carried them away so that no trace of them was found. And the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth. This is the dream. Now we will tell the interpretation of it before the king (vv. 31–36).

Did this dream mean something? Yes, because God had inspired it! It was prophetic. However, some people think that Bible prophecy is just melodic poetry—serving no guiding, foretelling purpose. Others believe prophecy does indeed have meaning, but that we cannot possibly decipher what that meaning is—at least until after its fulfillment and often not even then. There are still others who subscribe to the idea that prophetic meaning is subject to personal interpretation.

These views reject or distort a major aspect of Christ’s message. And since more than one fourth of the Bible is prophecy, such opinions about prophecy would make a major portion of God’s word basically useless to us.

Yet God tells us that “all Scripture… is profitable” (2 Timothy 3:16) and Revelation 19:10 teaches us that “the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” The Apostle Peter wrote that “we have the prophetic word confirmed… knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:19–21).

We must never try to interpret the Bible by reading our ideas into it! And we must not believe the personal interpretation of other human beings. We must deeply study the Bible—comparing scripture with scripture. We must let the Bible interpret itself.

A SUCCESSION OF WORLD-RULING KINGDOMS

Daniel gave God’s interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, saying first, “You, O king, are a king of kings” (Daniel 2:37). Nebuchadnezzar subjugated other kingdoms under his own. He was the first to rule over a really world-dominating kingdom or empire. But it was not through his own might, “For the God of heaven has given you a kingdom, power, strength, and glory” (v. 37). God was revealing His own supremacy in world events. “… you,” God told Nebuchadnezzar, “are this head of gold. But after you shall arise another kingdom inferior to yours; then another, a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth” (vv. 38–39).

Did you catch that? God is speaking here of literal kingdoms—a succession of world-ruling governments. This is clearly not talking about syrupy, sentimental concepts. God is making the truth plain! Nebuchadnezzar’s Chaldean Empire was represented by the head of gold. Following that would come another empire, to be succeeded by still another. If you check the history books, you will see that the Persian Empire came next, followed by Alexander the Great’s Greco-Macedonian Empire.

Yet another, represented by the two legs of iron, would immediately follow that one, “And the fourth kingdom shall be as strong as iron, inasmuch as iron breaks in pieces and shatters everything; and like iron that crushes, that kingdom will break in pieces and crush all the others” (v. 40). The Roman Empire did just that. We can see that it was divided into two “legs,” West and East, with capitals in Rome and Constantinople respectively.

If we compare this account with Daniel 7 and Revelation 13 and 17, we can understand that the Roman Empire system would have ten revivals or resurrections in later centuries. The last seven of these revivals would be controlled by a false religious authority. The last of the ten revivals equates to the feet and toes of this great image in Daniel 2. Its ten toes of “iron mixed with ceramic clay” (v. 43)—a strong but brittle mixture (v. 42)—symbolize ten contemporaneous political leaders who will give power to a charismatic, powerful ruler (Revelation 17:12–13). Together, these “kings” will make up the final resurrection of the fourth world-ruling empire. That final European superstate may rise before your very eyes! Remember that Daniel had told Nebuchadnezzar that this vision was to reveal events “in the latter days.”

Now we come to Daniel 2:44, the meaning of the stone “cut out of the mountain without hands” that smashes the image representing the succession of human world-ruling empires and then grows to fill the whole earth. This is the revelation we have been seeking! Here, in the plain words of God Almighty, is the explanation of what the kingdom of God really is: “And in the days of these kings [the last revival of the Roman Empire] the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.”

No more will there be any human “king of kings” like Nebuchadnezzar! Jesus Christ will then reign over the whole earth as King of kings and Lord of lords (cf. Revelation 19:11–16). Revelation 11:15 affirms Daniel’s prophecy. At the time of Christ’s Second Coming, loud voices in heaven will proclaim, “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!” Thus will tomorrow’s world finally be inaugurated!

Daniel’s prophecy, when studied with the book of Revelation, should make it abundantly clear that the future Kingdom of God will be a literal government, just as were the previously mentioned world-ruling empires. As Daniel concluded, “The dream is certain, and its interpretation is sure” (Daniel 2:45). This is gloriously wonderful Good News!

OTHER PROPHECIES OF TOMORROW’S WORLD

Other Old Testament prophets also clearly show that Christ’s Kingdom will be a future divine government having global, administrative authority over this earth. Has God’s Kingdom already been established? The answer is obvious from a few straightforward prophecies from Scripture about the coming Kingdom:

Now it shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow to it. Many people shall come and say, “Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, and we shall walk in His paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, and rebuke many people; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore” (Isaiah 2:2–4; cf. Micah 4:1–3).

Micah adds this additional information: “But everyone shall sit under his vine and under his fig tree, and no one shall make them afraid; for the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken” (v. 4). Would anyone today argue that this prophecy has already been fulfilled?

A statue depicting a man beating his sword into a plowshare stands outside the United Nations’ headquarters in New York City—but a quick look at the television or newspapers will show you that the United Nations has not fulfilled this wonderful prophecy of nations not learning war anymore!

Another famous prophecy of Isaiah should help give us a reality check on the arguments of those who maintain that the Kingdom is already present:

But with righteousness He shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt of His loins, and faithfulness the belt of His waist. The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze; their young ones shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play by the cobra’s hole, and the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper’s den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse, who shall stand as a banner to the people; for the Gentiles shall seek Him, and His resting place shall be glorious (Isaiah 11:4–10).

The picture of world peace—even in the realm of nature—portrayed by this prophecy has inspired many to sacrifice and labor for God’s Work. Jesus did not fulfill this prophecy of the Kingdom at His First Coming. After all, do bears graze or lions eat straw? Its fulfillment is yet future, awaiting Christ’s Second Coming. There is no confusion here.

Another prophecy about the coming Kingdom of God is found in the book of Zechariah:

It shall come to pass in that day that there will be no light; the lights will diminish. It shall be one day which is known to the Lord—neither day nor night. But at evening time it shall happen that it will be light. And in that day it shall be that living waters shall flow from Jerusalem, half of them toward the eastern sea and half of them toward the western sea; in both summer and winter it shall occur. And the Lord shall be King over all the earth. In that day it shall be; “The Lord is one,” and His name one…. And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles (14:6–9, 16).

Regrettably, many do not have faith that God Almighty means what He says and says what He means! God clearly states in these prophecies that He is going to completely transform civilization. God has repeatedly foretold His end-time rule over the nations of this earth: “He shall judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with His truth” (Psalm 96:13). Again, for emphasis, God repeated this prophecy: “For He is coming to judge the earth. With righteousness He shall judge the world, and the peoples with equity” (Psalm 98:9).

Why do we not hear that kind of Gospel in today’s world? You probably know why. This message is extremely unpopular with most of the religious, political, and social leaders in today’s power structures. They do not want to lose their power! This was one of the reasons the chief priests and the Pharisees sought to kill Jesus (John 11:47–53). Nevertheless, there will be a real new world order established under Jesus Christ’s leadership, totally changing this world’s political and religious institutions. Will you believe what God says, or will you swallow the philosophical concoctions brewed up by disobedient, sinful men who have been deceived by Satan the Devil, the “god” of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4)?

DID CHRIST SAY THE KINGDOM IS “AT HAND”?

When Jesus began His ministry in the late 20s AD, He “began to preach and to say, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand’” (Matthew 4:17). What did Jesus mean? Certainly, He was not implying that it was then the Millennium, when swords would be beaten into plowshares! In fact, about 40 years after Jesus made this statement, terrible massacres befell His kindred people when the Romans slaughtered hundreds of thousands of Jews during their brutal suppression of the Jewish revolt in the late 60s and early 70s AD (cf. Luke 23:28–31)! And this bloody, oppressive rule by avaricious human kingdoms would continue for centuries. How could the Kingdom of God have then been “at hand”?

Yet when Jesus was accused by His jealous adversaries of casting out demons by the power of Satan, Jesus responded that “if I cast out demons… surely the kingdom of God has come upon you” (Matthew 12:27–28). How could the Kingdom of God have then come upon them?

Answer: by the presence of the King—the Son of God—who was proclaiming the Gospel of that Kingdom! The Messiah Himself stood before them!

The Bible sometimes uses the terms “king” and “kingdom” interchangeably (cf. Daniel 7:7–18, 23). By the Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ exercised, while on earth, many of the functions typical of His position as the King of the Kingdom.

A striking characteristic of the Kingdom of God is miraculous, divine intervention. Jesus healed the sick, opened the eyes of the blind, raised the dead, and commanded the physical environment to behave as He wished! Like refreshing morning dew, the reality of the Kingdom of God settled—during Christ’s sojourn on earth—upon a physical world grappling to comprehend the spiritual reality of God Almighty.

When Jesus spoke of the Kingdom of God coming upon them, He spoke of His actions and their impact. He was neither transporting His hearers into the Kingdom nor implying that His Kingdom has already been established. Jesus was simply proclaiming that the King of God’s future Kingdom had arrived! This fact alone was to have profound repercussions. The Kingdom was “at hand” because, at Jesus Christ’s First Coming, His presence and actions would have an immediate impact on some people’s lives in advance of the Kingdom’s literal establishment on earth.

DID THE KINGDOM APPEAR IMMEDIATELY IN APOSTOLIC TIMES?

Because His disciples “thought the kingdom of God would appear immediately” (Luke 19:11), Jesus gave them the famous parable of the pounds or minas:

A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return. So he called ten of his servants, delivered to them ten minas, and said to them, "Do business till I come." But his citizens hated him, and sent a delegation after him, saying, "We will not have this man to reign over us." And so it was that when he returned, having received the kingdom, he then commanded these servants, to whom he had given the money, to be called to him, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading (vv. 12–15).

Christ was the nobleman in this parable. He went to a “far country”—the heaven of God’s throne—to receive the Kingdom of God. Then He would return with it. This has not yet happened; Christ is still in heaven. His Second Coming is yet future. At His Second Coming He will return with the Kingdom. In the rest of the parable, Christ showed how those who zealously and diligently used their talents and abilities—represented by the minas—to serve God would be given rulership over cities! To the one whose mina had increased ten minas, Jesus said, “‘Well done, good servant; because you were faithful in a very little, have authority over ten cities.’ And the second came, saying, ‘Master, your mina has earned five minas.’ Likewise he said to him, ‘You also be over five cities’” (vv. 17–19). Wow! Those who overcome in their Christian lives will be given authority and rulership in the Kingdom of God. How exciting to have an opportunity to serve others and teach them God’s ways!

This amazing Good News is related in numerous other scriptures. It is certainly not talking about “rolling around heaven all day.” The book of Matthew does not call God’s Kingdom the “kingdom in heaven.” It is the “kingdom of heaven”—it comes down from heaven. The Apostle Peter assures us that our inheritance (the Kingdom) is currently “reserved in heaven” for us (1 Peter 1:4)—to be brought to earth by Jesus Christ at His return, not before! Those in whom Christ resides by His Spirit are ambassadors for that Kingdom, which now waits in heaven (2 Corinthians 5:20). As Paul wrote, “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 3:20). But we will not go to live there (cf. John 3:13; Acts 2:29, 34). The Kingdom will come down to us at Christ’s return.

Jesus taught His disciples that there will be a time of judgment when He will come to “sit on the throne of His glory” (Matthew 25:31). “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’” (v. 34). This clearly speaks of a future time when the righteous will inherit the Kingdom when Christ comes in His glory. We are now heirs of the Kingdom that He will bring with Him, not yet inheritors.

The Kingdom of God is not the Church. Brethren in the Church must enter the Kingdom in the future: “Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:10–11).

THE SAINTS’ RULERSHIP IN THE KINGDOM

At the end of His ministry, Jesus addressed His disciples, saying this:

The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those who exercise authority over them are called "benefactors." But not so among you; on the contrary, he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who serves. For who is greater, he who sits at the table, or he who serves? Is it not he who sits at the table? Yet I am among you as the One who serves. But you are those who have continued with Me in My trials. And I bestow upon you a kingdom, just as My Father bestowed one upon Me (Luke 22:25–29).

The King James Version reads more clearly: “And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me” (v. 29). Jesus then provided His disciples with a view of their future rewards and responsibilities in that Kingdom to which He was appointing them: “… that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel” (v. 30). What is Jesus saying? He is pointing to a future time when they would judge the twelve tribes of Israel. Jesus was not referring to their immediate ministry.

If Jesus intended His disciples to understand that His Kingdom was on earth right at that moment, why did He give the following response to Pilate? “Jesus answered, ‘My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here’” (John 18:36).

Even after Jesus’ death and resurrection, He continued “speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God” (Acts 1:3). Jesus chose His words deliberately, knowing that His disciples were familiar with the prophecies of Isaiah, Daniel, and Zechariah. These prophets had clearly foretold a literal, divine government to be set up on this earth under the Messiah. The Apostles asked Jesus, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?”

He responded, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority” (Acts 1:6–7). Jesus never contradicted their scriptural understanding that a genuine kingdom was to be set up on earth—ruling over the nations. He merely told them that it was not yet time.

In the seventh chapter of his prophecy, Daniel had foretold what would happen at the Kingdom’s inauguration:

I was watching in the night visions, and behold, One like the Son of Man [Christ], coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days [God the Father], and they brought Him [Christ] near before Him [the Father]. Then to Him [Christ] was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom the one which shall not be destroyed (Daniel 7:13–14).

Where will that kingdom be? Notice that it is a Kingdom “that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve.” As so many verses show, that kingdom will be here on earth!

In Daniel 7, the exiled Jewish prophet dreamed about four wild beasts that symbolized the same four world-ruling kingdoms outlined previously by Nebuchadnezzar’s dream recorded in chapter two. Notice this: “Those great beasts, which are four, are four kings which arise out of the earth. But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever” (vv. 17–18). Verse 22 reveals that “judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom” (KJV). The saints of God will possess the Kingdom at that time—as glorified, immortal, divine beings!

An awesome future awaits God’s saints! They will be empowered to help bring genuine peace and joy to this suffering, bloody world. No more temporary and often worthless “Band-Aid” solutions! The immortal saints will assist Christ in enacting effective solutions and reforms for all humanity. Yes, they will join with Christ in ruling this world, straightening out the problems where the problems are—right here on earth. As Jesus said, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5).

The Apostle John wrote in the book of Revelation that Christ will have “made us kings and priests to our God; and we shall reign on the earth” (Revelation 5:10). The same book records Christ saying, “And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations… as I also have received from My Father” (Revelation 2:26–27). “To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne” (Revelation 3:21). The Father’s throne is in heaven, and Christ is now there at His right hand. However, the throne of Christ, from which the saints will rule with Him, will be the throne of David in Jerusalem (Luke 1:32).

We can be there after the prophesied last trumpet sounds and Christ returns as King of kings. “Behold, I tell you a mystery: we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed” (1 Corinthians 15:51–52). As that final trumpet blast pierces the air and a world-rocking earthquake shakes the earth to its foundation (Revelation 11:13–15; 16:18), the faithful saints in Christ will no doubt experience a special thrill of joy as they rise to meet Christ in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:13–18). Then they will descend with Him to the Mount of Olives (Acts 1:11–12; Zechariah 14:3–4) to begin the job of bringing peace to a rebellious world.

Under Jesus Christ’s authority, many of us may assist King David of Israel, a man after God’s own heart, who will be resurrected and given back his former job of leading the twelve tribes or the nations of Israel (Jeremiah 30:9; Ezekiel 37:24). We will get to know Moses, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the other faithful saints and servants of God from all generations, for then we will truly be born of God—born of the resurrection into God’s Family Kingdom.

God’s saints—the overcomers—will be given the opportunity, under Christ’s leadership, to deal with the tyrants who will bring humanity to the brink of annihilation: “Let the saints be joyful in glory; let them sing aloud on their beds. Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand, to execute vengeance on the nations, and punishments on the peoples; to bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron; to execute on them the written judgment; this honor have all His saints. Praise the Lord!” (Psalm 149:5–9).

In the New Testament, the Apostle John was inspired to write, “Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years” (Revelation 20:6). The Spirit-filled Apostles and early Church of God clearly understood and taught that the Kingdom of God would be set up at the end of this age as a literal government on this earth under Christ and the resurrected saints. This wonderful future time is often called the “Millennium”—meaning, simply, a 1,000-year period.

The noted historian Edward Gibbon chronicled the belief in the Millennium in his renowned History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. Concerning the history of early Christianity, Gibbon wrote the following:

The ancient and popular doctrine of the Millennium was intimately connected with the second coming of Christ. As the works of the creation had been finished in six days, their duration in their present state, according to a tradition which was attributed to the prophet Elijah, was fixed to six thousand years [cf. Psalm 90:4; 2 Peter 3:8]. By the same analogy it was inferred, that this long period of labour and contention, which was now almost elapsed, would be succeeded by a joyful sabbath of a thousand years [cf. Hebrews 3–4; Revelation 20:6]; and that Christ, with the triumphant band of the saints and the elect who had escaped death, or who had been miraculously revived, would reign upon earth till the time appointed for the last and general resurrection (1862, p. 176).

Man has been given 6,000 years to learn the lesson that, without God, he is totally unable to govern himself. The prophet Jeremiah points out that “the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man who walks to direct his own steps” (Jeremiah 10:23).

George Washington, the first President of the United States, conveyed the same sentiment in a letter dated October 31, 1786: “Mankind, when left to themselves, are unfit for their own government” (Columbia Dictionary of Quotations, 1993, p. 383). The terrible crises at the end of this age will finally bring humanity to the brink of total self-annihilation. Only then will people see the absolute futility of self-rule and be humbled enough to seek God’s absolute governance over their lives. Then God will intervene!

BORN INTO GOD’S KINGDOM

The Kingdom of God will rule the earth’s peoples. But these subject mortals will not be in the Kingdom—only ruled by it. Who then, will be in the Kingdom? Can you become part of it?

When Christ met with the Pharisee Nicodemus, who had come secretly at night, Jesus went right to the heart of the matter: “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). He then explained, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit” (v. 6)—that is, composed of spirit. Unless we have been changed into immortal spirit beings, as 1 Corinthians 15 describes our future resurrection, we have not yet been “born again.” Verse 50 of the same chapter assures us that “flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God.” But do “flesh and blood” humans enter the Church? Yes! So the Church cannot be God’s Kingdom! To be in that Kingdom, we must first be born of God as literal children in God’s Family.

In all of God’s physical creation, humanity alone has a conscience and can come to know the difference between good and evil. This is through what the Bible calls “the human spirit” (1 Corinthians 2:11, New Revised Standard Version).

It energizes the human physical brain with intellect—creating our wonderful minds, which are so incredibly superior to that of any other physical creature. God’s Holy Spirit joins with this human spirit at conversion (Romans 8:16).

The mainstream “Christian world” confuses “born again” with “conversion.” There is not space enough in this publication to prove in detail what God’s word reveals about being “born again.” However, we must mention it briefly here since it directly bears on the understanding of what God’s Kingdom actually is.

Initial conversion is merely the beginning of spiritual life—just as conception is the beginning of physical life. But that is not “birth.” Birth occurs after a period of gestation within the mother’s womb. Spiritual “birth” occurs after a period of spiritual gestation in this physical life. It is an amazing process. At conversion—our spiritual conception—due to the presence of the Holy Spirit, we become “partakers of the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4), the very nature of God. As we grow and overcome spiritually, God puts more and more of His godly nature within us. Finally, we are ready to be fully “born” of God at the resurrection.

Jesus is to be the “firstborn among many brethren” (Romans 8:29) or, as the New Revised Standard Version translates it, the “firstborn within a large family.” As our Savior, Elder Brother, and High Priest, He is “bringing many sons to glory” (Hebrews 2:10). At the resurrection, those who have truly accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior will certainly share in God’s glory. They will become “sons of the resurrection” like Jesus (Luke 20:36), for Jesus Himself was born of the resurrection and is twice called the “firstborn from the dead” (Colossians 1:18; Revelation 1:5). Of course, we, as younger members of God’s Family, will always be in submission to the Father and Christ in total love and obedience, as we have demonstrated to God through obedience, service, and overcoming.

Authentic Christianity—biblical Christianity—teaches that the Kingdom of God will, at the end of this age, be set up as a literal government on this earth, in which today’s true Christians will serve under Jesus Christ, bringing genuine world peace at last. That, indeed, is tremendous Good News! The Kingdom of God is the ruling Family of God, which we can enter at the future resurrection from the dead. The true Gospel is astounding!

CHAPTER 3

THE ONLY NAME THAT CAN TAKE US THERE

To truly succeed, a person must first have a goal or objective. God has given Christians the most remarkable goal there is—eternal life in the Kingdom of God. The next step is to be educated about how to reach this goal. How can God’s human saints enter His Kingdom? What does the Bible tell us about the way to go? Jesus said this:

“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know.” Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:1–6).

The Apostle Peter later stated, “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 name of Jesus Christ is absolutely vital; the early Apostles and evangelists preached it, along with the message about the coming Kingdom. We must have the same focus, but we must be sure it is the true Christ we are talking about.

Many today worship a false Jesus who supposedly did away with the Father’s commandments. He is often portrayed as an effeminate weakling with long hair and a haunting, far-off look in his eyes. People just praise his name and feel nice sentiments about him.

Is that what it means to preach the name of Jesus? No! We read the following in The Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible:

In biblical thought a name is not a mere label of identification; it is an expression of the essential nature of its bearer. A man’s name reveals his character…. This was a concept shared by the peoples of the ancient world. Hence to know the name of God is to know God as he has revealed himself (Ps. 9:10). The full disclosure of his nature and character is given in Jesus Christ, who has manifested his name (Jn. 17:6, 26)” (1991, vol. 3, pp. 500-501).

The name of Jesus includes not only who He was and everything He did, but also all that He taught and stood for. What did Jesus stand for? What is the way of life He came to reveal?

THE LAW OF THE KINGDOM

Remember that one of the requirements of any kingdom is a code of laws by which to govern. In the Kingdom of God, the supreme law of the land will be the Ten Commandments—the great spiritual law of Almighty God. Christ told the Pharisees, “The law and the prophets [the Old Testament] were until John [the Baptist]. Since that time the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is pressing into it” (Luke 16:16).

But this does not mean that the message of the Kingdom of God has displaced the “law and the prophets”—it has, rather, given full expression to it! At the beginning of Christ’s ministry, Matthew recorded that “Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people” (Matthew 4:23). Jesus, we know, preached “the gospel of the kingdom.”

As we are “pressing into” the Kingdom of God, what must we be pressing and striving to do? In the following three chapters, Matthew 5–7, Jesus expounded an entire way of life in what is called the “Sermon on the Mount.” Jesus’ exhortation to His followers to zealously obey the whole, godly intent of Scripture is shocking to many who have a mainstream Christian background. He said, “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill” (Matthew 5:17).

The word “fulfill” does not mean “do away with”—contrary to what you may have been falsely taught! Jesus magnified—enlarged—God’s law. He showed how we are to keep it in the spirit, or intent, as well as the letter, making the requirements of the law something you must obey in your thoughts (2 Corinthians 10:5) as well as by your actions. For instance, Jesus taught that not only must a true Christian refrain from murder, but also that he must not even harbor the attitude of hatred or violence (Matthew 5:21–22).

Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (vv. 27–28). In Jesus’ teaching, the Ten Commandments were the foundation for the entire way of life He proclaimed. It was not just a sentimental belief in Christ’s person that counted, but a total surrender to Him and to the Father as Lord and Master. In Luke 6:46, Jesus asked, “But why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do the things which I say?” Jesus never said, “Please accept Me; won’t you give Me your heart?” Rather, Christ taught us to live a God-centered life and said, “My Father is greater than I” (John 14:28).

If everyone lived by God’s perfect law code, there would be absolutely no problems. We would have a perfect society. As it now stands, all of man’s problems are the result of broken laws. The Bible clearly defines sin as “the transgression of the law” (1 John 3:4, KJV).

Sadly, after almost 6,000 years of deciding for himself which way to go, mankind is still blind to this reality. “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death” (Proverbs 14:12; 16:25). Man has sought peace and harmony for ages, yet it has eluded his grasp. “The way of peace they have not known” (Isaiah 59:8). In all of man’s legislating, he has not yet designed a governmental system that works apart from God’s law.

The law of God is a major aspect of the Gospel, because it is truly Good News—giving an understanding of the way of life that leads to perfect and lasting happiness, abundance, peace, and joy. The people of ancient Israel had that way of life explained to them through God’s law. However, it did them no lasting good because they did not have living faith to continue walking in God’s way: “For indeed the gospel was preached to us [first-century Christians] as well as to them [the Israelites of Moses’ day]; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it” (Hebrews 4:2). So they had the Good News delivered to them in part, but they did not have the understanding or the faith to receive it.

Today we know that the godly fulfillment of our human potential rests with Jesus Christ! He Himself pointed the way. When He introduced the subject of the Kingdom of God, He told listeners, “Repent, and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15). We must repent and believe—have faith. Paul preached the same message: “I have gone preaching the kingdom of God” (Acts 20:25). In doing so, he was also “testifying to Jews, and also to Greeks, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ” (v. 21).

We must go to God seeking forgiveness. To be accepted by Him, our first action must be to repent of breaking His spiritual law—summarized by the Ten Commandments. To “repent” means to be really sorry—so sorry that we turn around, go the other way, and start obeying God’s law, forever altering our way of life. We must also have “faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ”—the King of the Kingdom of God. This involves belief and acceptance of Jesus as our personal Savior, as our High Priest in heaven right now, and as our coming King.

At the beginning of the New Testament Church, on the Day of Pentecost, the Apostle Peter was inspired to announce the way to salvation for humanity, saying, “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. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call” (Acts 2:38–39). So Peter says that we must repent and be baptized for the remission—forgiveness—of our sins!

In John 3:16, Jesus said that “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” Upon our sincere faith in Jesus Christ and His death in our stead, the death penalty for having transgressed God’s law is removed from us. When truly converted, the Christian is “justified by His blood” (Romans 5:9). Being justified means to be declared guiltless—to receive unconditional pardon from the terrible penalty of everlasting death. This, too, is Good News!

RECEIVING THE WORLD’S MOST PRECIOUS GIFT

We should be deeply thankful to God that, through the death of His Son, we can be forgiven of sin. But does our justification now free us to go back and continue violating God’s spiritual law? Nothing could be further from the truth! The plain truth that many seem unwilling to understand is that a genuine Christian has—at conversion—really repented of breaking God’s law. He is, at that point, effectively making a “covenant with his Creator” to stop sinning—to stop breaking God’s Law, the Ten Commandments!

At baptism, having faith in the promised gift of the Holy Spirit, a new Christian is covenanting with God to stop sinning and to surrender his mind, his will, and his life to God so that the living Christ may now empower him to live an obedient life—obedient to the law and will of God. As Paul explained, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20, KJV).

It is through Jesus Christ literally living His life within us that we are able to keep the Ten Commandments as a way of life. Do we keep the commandments perfectly? No, nor do we do anything else perfectly! But we do surrender to Christ to let Him keep God’s law in us through the power of the Holy Spirit—and, to the extent we yield to Christ, we are able to more fully obey God’s law. Then we are told to continually “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18). As we grow spiritually in our Christian lives, we should be keeping God’s law with increasing zeal and faith.

How can you really obey God’s spiritual law as you seek to imitate and follow your Savior? Jesus Christ has promised to give you the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the very nature and love of God. By giving us His Spirit, God is “begetting” us and putting His empowering nature with us. Through His divine nature, we are able to grow spiritually. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of “power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7).

The Apostle Paul wrote that “hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit [that] was given to us” (Romans 5:5). How does the love of God function? In what way does it lead us? “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome” (1 John 5:3). So the Spirit-imparted love of God directly leads us to obey the Ten Commandments as a way of life. This also is Good News. It is a vital part of the Gospel.

By giving us His Spirit—His divine nature—God helps us to overcome sin and to grow spiritually. God Himself “qualifies” us for eternal life through this spiritual deliverance from sin and the sway of Satan the Devil. Through the Holy Spirit, He begets us into His Family. But we do not yet “have it made.” We must still earnestly “press toward the goal” before being finally born into God’s Kingdom at the resurrection of the dead (Philippians 3:13–14).

What wonderful Good News it is to be delivered from sin through Christ! “In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, [which]… is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory” (Ephesians 1:13–14). Yes, it is also Good News to truly know our Father and our Savior and to receive God’s empowering Holy Spirit, which enables us to live the life God wants us to live. What Good News to all humanity that we can experience the real joy of salvation—the love, the peace of mind, and the deep sense of purpose that we had never before experienced.

The Kingdom of God would not be such a wonderful message if there were no way that we could be a part of it! But, thankfully, God, in His great love and mercy, has provided a way—the way—through the death and resurrected life of His beloved Son, Jesus Christ. What awesome and marvelous Good News that really is!

WHAT JESUS CHRIST HAS DONE, IS DOING, AND WILL DO

The Gospel embraces God’s entire plan of salvation. It is a message centered on who and what God is and the purpose He is working out through humanity.

The fulfillment of this purpose for each of us, individually, rests on our willingness to trust in Jesus Christ. The Gospel reveals the perfect way of life He taught—that of living God’s law as outlined throughout the Old and New Testaments, both written through His inspiration.

The Gospel points to Jesus’ role as the sacrificial Lamb of God who came to take away the sins of those who accept Him as their personal Savior. The Gospel also directs us to Christ’s current role as our heavenly High Priest who continually intervenes with the Father on our behalf. It is through the Holy Spirit that Jesus lives His very life in us as we yield to Him. That is what empowers us to obey God’s spiritual law, the Ten Commandments!

Finally, the Gospel’s main focus is on Christ’s future return in power and glory as the Almighty King of kings, to rule this world and the entire universe under the authority of God the Father. And ruling with Jesus Christ for all eternity will be His resurrected, immortal saints. What a magnificent and stupendous plan is revealed in the Gospel of the Kingdom of God!

Salvation through eternal life in the Kingdom of God is our goal. And the true Jesus Christ is the only way to get there: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek” (Romans 1:16). Christ taught us the Way. Through acceptance of Him and obedience to Him as Lord and Master—which means we must keep His holy law, the Ten Commandments—we can enter into God’s Kingdom. What Good News that God has provided such a way!

HE WHO HAS THE SON HAS LIFE

The Apostle John stated that his gospel account was “written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name” (John 20:31). And, in his first canonized epistle, he wrote, “He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God” (1 John 5:12–13).

Christ tells us all to “believe the gospel” (Mark 1:15, KJV)—that is, believe His message. The message of God’s word is consistent. How, then, can one verse say, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31), while another verse says, “But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments” (Matthew 19:17)? John was also clear about the need for keeping God’s Ten Commandments. In 1 John 3:10, he wrote, “In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness [law-keeping—cf. Psalm 119:172] is not of God….” John continues, “Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit [that] He has given us” (1 John 3:24).

What is the answer? Does salvation come by belief or by keeping God’s commandments—by “faith” or by “works”? Let the Apostle James answer: “What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him?…. Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead… You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!” (James 2:14, 17, 19). In the same way, even demons know that Jesus is the Messiah who came to deliver humanity. But that does not save them. We must use the knowledge God gives us. “But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?… Do you see that faith was working together with his [Abraham’s] works, and by works faith was made perfect?… You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only” (vv. 20, 22, 24).

So we see that salvation is not a matter of faith or works—but faith and works! A dynamic, living faith is always accompanied by active obedience to the law of God. How does belief in Jesus and His message fit into this? The answer is simple: If we truly believe what Jesus stands for and tells us, we will obey Him. This is accomplished by our accepting Him and all that He taught. After repentance and baptism, we receive God’s Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38), by which the love of God is “poured out in our hearts” (Romans 5:5). And, as John wrote, “this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments” (1 John 5:3).

As 1 John 3:24 has shown us, our commandment-keeping is evidence of Christ living in us through the Holy Spirit. If we truly accept Jesus Christ into our lives, He will live His obedient way of life in us to the degree that we put to death our old nature and yield to Him. Paul explained, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20, KJV).

Notice: “the faith of the Son of God….” Revelation 14:12 shows that God’s true Church has the “faith of Jesus.” Initially, we must demonstrate “faith toward God” (Hebrews 6:1). But that is not the faith that saves us. We must have His very faith—by which He performed His miracles—acting in us. This faith is a fruit of God’s Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22, KJV). As we exercise this faith through law-keeping, it will grow, along with our trust in and reliance on Jesus Christ. Acting in faith brings faith to life!

There is no contradiction here. Living faith is active obedience—which is spiritual love. How do we know if we have the Son? “Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, ‘I know Him,’ and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him” (1 John 2:3–5).

A CALLING TO GLORY!

Yes, Christ died to reconcile us to God. But that was not the end of it! And neither is what Christ does through us in this life. Jesus Christ is going “to present you holy, and blameless, and irreproachable in His sight—if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard” (Colossians 1:22–23). As Christian overcomers, we should always hold fast to the hope of the true Gospel, the tremendous understanding of our ultimate destiny.

When the last trumpet sounds, those who have overcome and daily learned to “press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God” (Philippians 3:14) will feel themselves ascending in the air to meet Christ. Can you imagine the surge of exhilaration and ecstasy the saints will then have, knowing that they are now members of God’s Family? At long last, they will have finally overcome all obstacles to achieve their ultimate destiny—a destiny for which all of us were created! To learn more about this vital topic, please request our free booklet Your Ultimate Destiny or read it at TomorrowsWorld.org.

As we hurtle skyward to join Christ in the air, we will realize that we are forevermore part of the divine level of existence—members of God’s Family. This dramatic climax to our human lives inspired the Apostle Paul to write, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God” (Romans 8:18–19).

WHEN WILL THE KINGDOM COME?

Christ told His disciples in Matthew 24:36, “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.” He was referring here to His Second Coming to establish the Kingdom of God on earth. However, even though we do not know the exact day or hour that God’s Kingdom will be set up, we do know that it is near. Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21 give some “signs of the times” to watch. Jesus said this:

“Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.” Then He spoke to them a parable: “Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. When they are already budding, you see and know for yourselves that summer is now near. So you also, when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near. Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away” (Luke 21:28–33).

Terrible events are sharply increasing in the world today. In one way, even that is Good News, because it means that God’s Kingdom is drawing nearer. In Matthew 24:14, Jesus said, “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.” You are now in touch with those who preach this Gospel, even as you read this booklet! Also, the fact that Christ said “this gospel” in the middle of Matthew 24 proves that the Gospel does indeed include the prophetic events preceding the arrival of His Kingdom. It is Good News because God will be administering the only kind of medicine that will work on stubborn, carnal humanity: a forcible takeover of the planet—a divine coup d’état!

Many world leaders, leading scientists, and other brilliant men believe that a one-world government is the only way to prevent humanity from destroying itself. Yet everyone knows that humanity will never do this in a cooperative and right way. Only God can do it correctly—and, make no mistake, God will do it. Then world peace and joy will finally be ours. What fantastic Good News that is!

So when you hear people preaching about the wonderful “Gospel,” you had better make sure they are not just talking about the first phase of the Christian life—our forgiveness from past sins through Jesus’ blood. The true Gospel goes far beyond that! It goes far beyond what most people understand or comprehend, for the ultimate Good News is absolutely transcendent in its implications. It challenges you toward a glorious life of active service in the Kingdom of God throughout Christ’s soon-coming reign on this earth, and further serving and ruling over the vast universe for eternity! This is the full Good News. This is the real Gospel of Jesus Christ!

Booklet Category

The Bible: Fact or Fiction?

4uwzvo — Tue, 01 Mar 2022 16:42:44 +0000

The Bible: Fact or Fiction? 4uwzvo Tue, 03/01/2022 - 16:42

The Bible: Fact or Fiction?

Douglas S. Winnail

Booklet Media

#Bible

#Christianity

#God

Is the Bible just a collection of myths and legends, or is it the inspired word of God? Many assume that modern scholarship has discredited the Bible, but the facts of history — and the discoveries of archaeology — confirm its contents to be true! The Bible recounts the past with amazing accuracy — and it predicts the future like no other book! Most of the world has been misled and misinformed about the Bible. You need to understand the truth — and how it can affect your life!

Chapter 1
What Do You Believe About the Bible?

Is the Bible really the inspired word of God? Was it accurately preserved for thousands of years as a unique revelation from the Creator of the universe? Or is it just a collection of humanly devised myths and fables? Do we even have the right books in the Bible, or are important sources missing that would change our view of God, Jesus Christ and Christianity? Can we trust Scripture? Is the Bible vital and relevant today?

Discovering the truth about the Bible could prove to be one of the most important and exciting adventures you have ever embarked upon. Although critics attack the Bible, and preachers ignore or gloss over many of its teachings, the Bible contains a dimension of knowledge that is almost totally missing from our modern world. The Bible reveals the true purpose of life. Bible prophecies not only foretold the rise and fall of ancient nations; they also explain the real significance of world events making headlines today and where those events are heading. In spite of what millions have been led to believe, the Bible is much more than a pious devotional book or an incense-shrouded source of comfort for the troubled and bereaved!

Today, many educated people assume that science and modern scholarship have thoroughly discredited the Bible. This assumption thrives because so many know so little about the Bible. Many people today are simply unaware of discoveries that continue to confirm the historical accuracy of Scripture. Instead, people are encouraged to believe that all religions are equally credible—or equally fanciful—without ever comparing the sourcebooks of those religions. As a result, millions are unaware of how the Bible is unique, and what amazing features distinguish it from all other religious books.

Before you accept the idea that the Bible is “just like any other book,” you need to examine the evidence for yourself. That evidence is eye–opening and extremely informative, and it could change your life! You need to understand why so many today doubt the Bible’s credibility, and what the truth about the Bible can mean to your future.

A Change in Attitude

For thousands of years, Jews and Christians believed, and died for believing, that the Bible was the inspired word of an Almighty God. Down through the ages, antagonists and skeptics have challenged, attacked and ridiculed the Bible. Popes and pagan Roman emperors attempted to destroy Scripture, and even altered its words. Yet, during these same turbulent centuries, the Bible was carefully preserved and its message spread in remarkable ways!

The Bible is surely the most influential book ever written. It has been translated into more languages than any other piece of literature. More than two billion people alive today embrace, at least nominally, its teachings. Even so, many do not realize how profoundly the Bible has influenced the course of all Western civilization. Millions do not understand that biblical laws and teachings provided the basis for social values and legal systems throughout the Western world for centuries. Sir Isaac Newton, one of the most brilliant minds of his century, remarked, “There are more sure marks of authenticity in the Bible than in any profane history.” Britain’s Queen Victoria said of the Bible, “That book accounts for the supremacy of England.” U.S. president Andrew Jackson stated, “That book, sir, is the rock on which our republic stands.” U.S. president George Washington commented, “It is impossible to govern the world without God and the Bible.” France’s Napoleon observed, “The Bible is no mere book, but a Living Creature, with a power that conquers all who oppose it” (Halley’s Bible Handbook, pp. 18–19).

Yet much has changed since these statements were made. Today, Bibles can be found in far-flung corners of the globe. But in Western nations founded on biblical principles, there has been a steep decline in respect for the Bible. There is a pervading notion that the Bible is just another book, and that its teachings are archaic, outdated and irrelevant to our modern lives. Many seriously doubt that God inspired Scripture. Millions who live in nations that once learned to read from the Bible, and sent Bible-toting missionaries around the world, cannot even name books in the Bible or explain basic biblical doctrines. Surveys done in recent decades show that even many professing Christians have little real knowledge about the Bible. Coinage in the U.S. proclaims, “In God We Trust.” Yet recent legislation and judicial decisions have made it illegal in the U.S. to display the Ten Commandments in public buildings, or for students to pray in school!

What has produced such a profound shift in attitudes toward the Bible in the very nations that once professed strong belief in Scripture? Why do millions now doubt that God inspired the Bible? Why are billions searching everywhere else for answers found clearly in the Bible? Why do people fail to recognize that the Bible contains prophecies clearly revealing the course of world history, and even the future of specific nations? Why have modern generations chosen to ignore a book that reveals essential details about the future and explains the way to peace and the ultimate purpose for human existence? Why has such vital information remained hidden from so many today?

The answers to these important questions read like a novel laced with danger, intrigue and adventure. You will be surprised by information about the Bible that is readily available, yet has largely gone unappreciated or been ignored. You will be shocked to learn how power-seeking religious leaders have twisted Scripture to support misguided and anti-biblical doctrines.

The more you learn about Scripture, the more you will realize that you can believe the Bible, because it has been inspired and preserved by a real God who is alive today! The Bible is firmly based on the facts of history, not on myth and fiction. The evidence presented in this booklet will make this clear.

The Challenge of Scripture

Many today assume that to believe the Bible, you must ignore the facts of science and history and just proceed on “blind faith.” Some believers relish the old saying, “God said it. I believe it. That settles it”—but this does not fit well with the skepticism that dominates our age. Others want to ignore what Scripture plainly states, and invent ways to “harmonize” the Bible with modern preferences. Many theologians teach that the Bible is only authoritative when it speaks of broad spiritual principles, and suggest that details of science or history in Scripture are merely the untrustworthy additions of human writers.

This desire to accommodate the Bible to the modern world is reflected in an October 2005 document issued by Roman Catholic bishops from England, Scotland and Wales. In “The Gift of Scripture,” the bishops warned that while they consider the Bible true in passages regarding salvation, “we should not expect total accuracy from the Bible in other matters… We should not expect to find in Scripture full scientific accuracy or complete historical accuracy.” Even so, the bishops profess respect for Scripture, telling their flock: “We have rediscovered the Bible as a precious treasure, both ancient and ever new.” These double-minded statements reflect the mindset of many theologians today, who say they respect the Bible but deny its authority. When religious leaders urge people to believe in a book that cannot be trusted on many topics, it is not surprising that church attendance in many countries has fallen off dramatically in recent decades.

The plain teachings of the Bible, however, stand in striking contrast to what many religious leaders preach today. The Apostle Paul did not encourage first century Christians to “just believe” in Jesus and merely accept the teachings of the Bible and Christianity “on faith.” Instead, he told his audiences, “Test all things; hold fast what is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21). Paul urged people to check into the facts and believe what they could prove to be true! His admonition reflects Old Testament passages where God challenged the ancient Israelites to “prove Me now… if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it” (Malachi 3:8–10, KJV). God urged Israel to put His promises to the test, and promised that He would bless them, to prove that He was real and that His promises were true! Paul knew that true religious belief involves evidence, assurance and certainty, not “blind faith.” He wrote that “faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). According to the Bible, faith should rest on solid evidence, not just warm, fuzzy, emotional feelings in your heart. You should never believe something in spite of the facts, and that includes believing in the authenticity and authority of the Bible!

The Apostle Peter emphasized the credibility of Scripture and of the Christian message when he wrote: “For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty” (2 Peter 1:16). Peter also warned his readers to “be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets” because “scoffers will come in the last days” questioning and ridiculing Scripture, “saying, ‘where is the promise of His coming?'” (2 Peter 3:1–9). Peter challenged prevailing misconceptions about Scripture; he did not try to water down fundamental scriptural teaching.

The Bible clearly reveals that the apostolic writers were advocates of Scripture, and of the teachings of the Christian faith! They knew that they were preaching the truth! Their approach followed the example of their teacher, Jesus Christ. The New Testament shows that Christ’s manner of preaching surprised His audiences. “And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes” (Matthew 7:28–29).

The contents of Scripture can be verified by the facts of history and the discoveries of modern science and archaeology. What is more, the Bible provides answers to life’s big questions. Not only do the hundreds of detailed Bible prophecies accurately reveal the future course of world events; they set the Bible apart from all other religious books! The Bible provides a dimension of knowledge that is simply not available from any other source.

With so much evidence available, the real question that we face today is simply whether or not we can believe the Bible. As you read this booklet, you will see that the answer is, “Yes, we can!”

Chapter 2
Prophecy: The Bible’s Unique Dimension

Many assume that all religions are equally credible, that religious people all worship the same God and that the holy books of various religions are of equal value. Yet nothing could be further from the truth! Scholars confidently claim that no one can predict the future with assurance—and that only fools try! However, these assertions overlook or ignore the incredible phenomenon of Bible prophecy, which distinguishes the Bible from any other book that has ever been written.

The God of the Bible claims that He can predict the future and bring it to pass! The Bible contains hundreds of prophecies that have come true, and are confirmed by history. The Bible also contains dozens of prophecies that are coming alive today! Bible prophecies explain the real significance of global events making headlines today. Bible prophecies also reveal what is ahead for major nations of our modern world—and for the human race! No other book, religious or secular, does this with such accuracy and detail! Prophecy is clearly the Bible’s most striking feature!

Notice this amazing statement by Dr. Gleason Archer, a renowned Old Testament scholar: “The Holy Bible is like no other book in all the world. It is the only book which represents itself as the written revelation of the one true God, intended for the salvation of man, and demonstrating its divine authority by many infallible proofs. Other religious documents, such as the Muhammadan Koran, may claim to be the very word of God, but they contain no such self-authenticating proofs as does the Bible (for example, the phenomena of fulfilled prophecy)” (A Survey of Old Testament Introduction, Archer, p. 9).

Another authoritative source notes: “One of the strongest evidences that the Bible is inspired by God is its predictive prophecy. Unlike any other book, the Bible offers a multitude of specific predictions—some hundreds of years in advance—that have been literally fulfilled or else point to a definite future time when they will come true” (Geisler, p. 609). Old Testament professor Milton C. Fisher recognizes a “sharp distinction between prophetism in Israel and the outwardly similar phenomenon in surrounding cultures… both the type of message and the writings of Israel’s prophets is without parallel” (The Origin of the Bible, Bruce, pp. 105–106). Another scholar has noted that “the Bible… is the most remarkable volume that has ever been produced in some five thousand years… it is the only volume that has ever been produced by men, or a group of men, in which is to be found a large body of prophecies relating to individual nations, to Israel, to all the peoples of the earth, to certain cities, and to the coming One who was to be the Messiah. The ancient world had many different devices for determining the future, known as divination, but not in the entire gamut of Greek and Latin literature… can we find any real specific prophecy of a great historic event to come in the distant future, nor any prophecy of a Savior to arise in the human race” (Evidence That Demands a Verdict, McDowell, p. 22). These are absolutely remarkable statements that clearly recognize the unique nature of Bible prophecy!

The Challenge of Prophecy

Being able to predict the future accurately and consistently is simply not a human trait. Even the best strategic planners acknowledge that detailed prediction of future events—especially geopolitical events—is difficult in the short term, and practically impossible in the long term, at least at any level of detail. Yet the Bible repeatedly predicts the rise and fall of prominent individuals, nations and empires with amazing accuracy and in remarkable detail! Bible scholars have determined that more than one quarter of the Bible—about 27 percent—is devoted to prophecy, and that the Bible contains more than 1,800 predictions, many of which are very specific. Hundreds of specific prophecies, given centuries before their exact fulfillment, are undeniable evidence that an all-powerful God is alive and in control of future events!

Scripture makes this plain when the God of the Bible challenges skeptics to predict the future and bring it to pass! Through the pen of the prophet Isaiah, God thunders: “Show the things that are to come hereafter, that we may know that you are gods… indeed you are nothing, and your work is nothing; he who chooses you is an abomination” (Isaiah 41:23–24). And again: “Remember the former things of old, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will do my pleasure'” (Isaiah 46:9–10). These verses boldly state that no human being can predict the future and bring it to pass on the scale that the God of the Bible claims He can—and has, and will!

This unique capacity to predict the future accurately sets the Bible apart from any other piece of literature. Bible scholars recognize: “Other books claim divine inspiration, such as the Koran, the Book of Mormon, and parts of the [Hindu] Veda. But none of these books contains predictive prophecy. As a result, fulfilled prophecy is a strong indication of the unique, divine authority of the Bible” (The New Evidence That Demands a Verdict, McDowell, p. 13). Bible prophecy stands in marked contrast to human attempts to predict the future. A study of 25 top-rated psychics discovered that 92 percent of their predictions were totally wrong, and that chance or general knowledge of circumstances could explain the remaining 8 percent that were accurate (Geisler, p. 615). Anyone familiar with the so-called prophecies of Nostradamus (Michael de Nostredame), the 16th century French psychic who dabbled in astrology, alchemy and other occult practices, is aware that his vague and nebulous verses simply do not compare to biblical prophecies. Specific prophecies, given centuries before they were accurately and consistently fulfilled, are some of the most stunning proofs that the Bible is the inspired word of God!

Hundreds of Prophecies About Jesus Christ!

Some of the Bible’s most striking examples of fulfilled prophecies are those that accurately foretold specific details about the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, centuries before He was born! More than 200 prophecies, written centuries before His birth, foretold specific events in His life that were fulfilled to the letter. He would be born of a virgin and named Immanuel (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23), in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2; Matthew 2:3–8). He would be a descendant of David (Matthew 1:1; 22:42–45). He would sojourn in Egypt (Hosea 11:1; Matthew 2:13–15). His birth would prompt a massacre of children (Jeremiah 31:15; Matthew 2:16–18). He would live in Galilee (Isaiah 9:1–2; Matthew 2:19–23). He would enter Jerusalem on a donkey (Zechariah 9:9; Matthew 21:1–5). He would die with transgressors and be buried in the tomb of a rich man (Isaiah 53:9, 12). He would be resurrected after three days (Matthew 12:40; Jonah 1:17).

The remarkable fulfillment of hundreds of specific predictions, recorded centuries earlier in the Hebrew Scriptures, demonstrates beyond any reasonable doubt that Jesus was the prophesied Messiah of the Bible and the Son of God. It should be noted that “Mohammedanism cannot point to any prophecies of the coming of Mohammed uttered hundreds of years before his birth. Neither can the founders of any cult… rightly identify any ancient text specifically foretelling their appearance” (McDowell, p. 22). Some Muslim scholars cite Old Testament verses that they say prophesied Muhammad (Deuteronomy 18:15–18), but it was Jesus Christ who actually fulfilled those prophecies (see Matthew 21:11; Luke 1:76; 24:19; Acts 3:18–22) more than 600 years before Muhammad was born! The Bible’s prophecies about Jesus Christ are unique among religious writings.

Cities and Kings

The Bible contains more than 1,500 prophecies that foretell in remarkable detail the future of prominent cities, kings and kingdoms. Fulfilled prophecies about the ancient Phoenician city of Tyre stand as a sobering testimony to the power and accuracy of Bible prophecy. When Ezekiel recorded his prophecies (around 585bc), Tyre was one of the great cities of the ancient world. It was situated on an island at the center of a maritime trading network that controlled Mediterranean commerce. Tyre was a wealthy emporium of goods, surrounded by 150-foot-high walls that were considered impregnable. The Bible reports that Tyre’s citizens rejoiced when Nebuchadnezzar and his Babylonian army conquered Jerusalem; they anticipated gaining access to valuable inland trade routes passing through Jerusalem. In response, God delivered a series of specific prophecies of Tyre’s future devastation. Ezekiel wrote that, “because Tyre has said against Jerusalem, ‘Aha! She is broken who was the gateway of the peoples’… Therefore thus says the Lord God: ‘Behold, I am against you, O Tyre, and will cause many nations to come up against you, as the sea causes its waves to come up. And they shall destroy the walls of Tyre and break down her towers; I will also scrape her dust from her, and make her like the top of a rock. It shall be a place for spreading nets in the midst of the sea… they will lay your stones, your timber, and your soil in the midst of the water… you shall never be rebuilt, for I the Lord have spoken, says the Lord God'” (Ezekiel 26:2–14).

To appreciate the power and scope of Ezekiel’s prophecies, picture someone trying to predict what will happen to New York or London over the next 2,500 years! Yet history records how Ezekiel’s predictions have come to pass. In 585bc, Nebuchadnezzar began a 13-year siege against Tyre. His was the first of many nations that would come like waves against Tyre. Around 530bc, the Persians gained control of Tyre. In 332bc, Alexander destroyed the mainland portion of Tyre and threw the debris into the sea to build a causeway for assaulting the island city. When Alexander conquered the island fortress of Tyre, he battered down the walls and reduced the city to ruins. As Phoenician specialist Glenn Markoe wrote, “The conquest of Alexander… marked the beginning of the end for Tyre and Phoenicia… Tyre would soon recover commercially… yet it would never fully reclaim the pride of place it had enjoyed” (Phoenicians, Markoe, p. 61). Greeks and Romans later dominated what remained of the city. In 638ad, Muslim armies captured Tyre. Crusaders recaptured the city in 1124, and used it as a staging area for military operations. In 1291, the Muslims retook Tyre and laid it in ruins, “after which she never again regained any importance” (Geisler, p. 870). Today, there is a small fishing village near the ruins of the once proud city of Tyre, but the city’s ancient power and splendor, and its extensive trade network, are gone. The site of one of the wealthiest cities in the ancient world has become “a place for spreading nets,” just as the Bible predicted.

The Bible contains prophecies about other cities near Tyre that would have a bloody history but a different future. Sidon, an idol-worshiping Phoenician city about 20 miles north of Tyre, was noted for artistic metalwork and fine cloth. Bible prophecies reveal that Sidon would have a bloody history and suffer from pestilence, but would come to “know that I am the Lord” (Ezekiel 28:21–23). Nowhere did God prophesy total destruction or oblivion for Sidon. History records that the Assyrians destroyed Sidon in 678bc, but the city was rebuilt, and it submitted to Nebuchadnezzar after suffering from a devastating pestilence. Persians burned the city in about 351bc. Syria and Egypt fought over Sidon, and it became a free city under Roman rule. The Bible indicates that Jesus may have visited Sidon (Matthew 15:21) and that Sidonians heard Jesus preach the gospel (Mark 3:7–8). The Apostle Paul also visited Sidon (Acts 27:3). Today, modern Sidon is known for its gardens and orange groves. Bible prophecy outlined a very different future for Tyre’s sister city Sidon—and it came to pass, just as Scripture predicted!

Around 700bc, the prophet Isaiah recorded several specific prophecies about the downfall of the Babylonian Empire and the destruction of the city of Babylon (see Isaiah 13; 14). At the time of Isaiah’s prophecy, Babylon was subject to the Assyrians and would not become a major power for another hundred years. Yet Isaiah foresaw the future glory that Babylon would achieve under Nebuchadnezzar with its Hanging Gardens, magnificent palaces, luxurious living, massive walls and military conquests. Isaiah also foresaw the Medes’ destruction of Babylon, and the city’s ultimate desolation, several hundred years in advance! Isaiah’s prophecies foretold: “The burden against Babylon… I will stir up the Medes against them… And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldeans’ pride, will be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. It will never be inhabited, nor will it be settled from generation to generation; nor will the Arabian pitch tents there… but wild beasts of the desert will lie there… her days will not be prolonged” (Isaiah 13:1–22). History records that these prophecies were fulfilled: “In 539 [bc] Babylon fell to the Medes and Persians… Xerxes destroyed the city in 478, and it was finally abandoned in the 4th century bc” (Eerdmans’ Handbook of the Bible, p. 382).

The Chosen People

Some of the Bible’s most amazing and surprising prophecies deal with the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob—the twelve tribes of Israel, whom God chose to use for a special purpose (Exodus 19:1–6). God promised Abram (Abraham) that in return for obedience, his descendants would become great and be a blessing to the world (Genesis 12:1–3). Later prophecies stated that Jacob’s descendants through Manasseh and Ephraim would ultimately become a “great” nation, and a great “multitude [company, commonwealth] of nations,” who, along with the other descendants of Jacob, would in Bible prophecy be called Israelites(Genesis 48:14–22). In the Bible, the terms Israel and Israelite generally apply to the descendants of all twelve of Jacob’s sons. The Jews are the descendants of Judah, who was just one of Jacob’s sons. In a more specific sense, Israel applies to the descendants of the ten tribes that made up the nation of Israel (with its capital in Samaria), which broke away from the nation of Judah (with its capital in Jerusalem) when the kingdom of Solomon was divided (see 1 Kings 12). This biblical distinction between the Jews and the other Israelite nations is an important key to understanding Bible prophecy.

Genesis 49 contains a remarkable series of prophecies foretelling how the Israelites—descendants of Jacob’s twelve sons—will be recognized “in the last days.” Reuben will become powerful and have notions of grandeur, but will lack national stability; consider how this description could describe France. Judah (the Jews) will provide the Messiah and retain knowledge of the Law of God. Zebulun will dwell by the sea and become a mercantile people; a description evocative of modern Holland. Dan will leave its mark, having traveled from its base in the Middle East; a description evocative of Denmark and Ireland. Joseph (Ephraim and Manasseh) will become a colonizing people dwelling in the choice places of the earth—and dwelling “separate from his brothers”—a description perfectly apt to describe the former British Commonwealth nations and the U.S. (see Genesis 49:22–26). These remarkable prophecies were not to be fulfilled only by the Jews—to whom the world gives the name “Israel”—but also by eleven other nations that are part of the “whole house” of Israel. These prophecies reveal keys to the identity and location of the modern descendants of Jacob’s twelve sons—the children of Israel. For a more detailed discussion of this topic, please request our free booklet, The United States and Great Britain in Prophecy.

Understanding the true identity of the Israelite nations is not only a key for understanding Bible prophecy; this knowledge is also essential for God’s Church, which must fulfill the commission that Jesus gave. Jesus commissioned His disciples to “go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel”—to preach about the coming kingdom of God, and warn the Israelites about terrible trials they would face in the last days because of their disobedience to God’s laws (see Jeremiah 30:7–24). Jesus’ disciples took this commission seriously. In their day, the tribes of Israel were not “lost.” The Apostle James addressed his epistle “to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad” (James 1:1). Josephus revealed that in the days of the apostles, “ten tribes are beyond the Euphrates… and are an immense multitude” (Antiquities of the Jews, Book XI, 5, 2). This explains why several of the apostles, including Peter and Andrew, traveled in that direction.

Historical sources also indicate that Peter, Paul and others traveled to Western Europe and Britain preaching the gospel. The clear implication of these leading apostles’ journeys to the West is that Israelite peoples were there! Examine the history of ancient Ireland, and notice which Israelite tribal name appears in the records. When you study the Genesis 49 prophecies about the characteristics and future history of Jacob’s descendants, you will notice the connection with peoples that currently reside in, or emigrated from, northwest Europe! When you understand the identities of modern Israelite nations, you can begin to understand from Bible prophecy what lies ahead for these nations—and for other nations mentioned in Bible prophecy!

The Future of Nations

Bible prophecies are not just about ancient history. The book of Daniel contains detailed yet sweeping prophecies that provide an outline of history from the time of Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylon through the return of Jesus Christ at the end of the age. Modern critics, seeking to discredit the prophetic and supernatural elements in the book of Daniel, have revived ideas put forward by Porphyrius, a third-century pagan philosopher from Tyre. Porphyrius (also called Porphyry) claimed that the book of Daniel was a fraudulent work produced in the second century bc, after the events it recounts had already taken place! However, this theory does not square with the facts. The book of Daniel gives precise dates, locations and names that can be verified. The prophet Ezekiel was a contemporary of Daniel, and mentioned him very respectfully (Ezekiel 14:20). The book of Daniel was widely accepted as inspired, and was included in the Hebrew Bible in the second century bc. Jesus acknowledged Daniel as the author of the book (Matthew 24:15). One respected source notes: “In NT prophecy Daniel is referred to more than any other book in the OT. Moreover, it contains more fulfilled prophecies than any other book in the Bible”(see The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, vol. 7, p. 3).

Daniel recorded a dream about a huge image (Daniel 2). The four parts of the image—head, chest, belly and thighs, legs and feet—pictured four empires that would arise in the future to dominate the Mediterranean world. Bible scholars now recognize these empires as the Babylonian Empire, the Medo-Persian Empire, the Greco-Macedonian Empire under Alexander the Great and the Roman Empire. Daniel also revealed that Jesus Christ will strike the last remnant of the Roman Empire on its feet and toes (made of iron and clay) when He returns to set up His kingdom on this earth at the end of this age (Daniel 2:41–45). Daniel described the same four empires as four beasts, and gave additional details about each. The third empire (Greco-Macedonian under Alexander) was pictured with four heads (Daniel 7:6). History records that after Alexander’s death, his empire split into four parts, about 300 years after Daniel recorded the prophecy. Daniel described the fourth beast (the Roman Empire) as having ten horns representing “ten kings who shall arise from this kingdom” (Daniel 7:7, 24). History records the many attempts to continue or revive the Roman Empire down through the centuries. They have all occurred in Europe, including revivals under Charlemagne, Charles V of the Hapsburgs, Napoleon and Mussolini. According to Bible prophecy, the final revival will be lead by a person labeled “the beast,” backed by a religious leader called the “false prophet” (see Revelation 13 and 17). For more information about these end-time prophetic developments, please request our free booklet, The Beast of Revelation.

Daniel also mentions a “little horn” that will disown the first three attempts to continue the Roman Empire, but will be intimately involved with subsequent revivals of the Roman Empire in its various forms. This figure is prophesied as speaking “pompous words against the Most High… persecute the saints… [and] change times and law” (Daniel 7:8, 20, 24–25). This “little horn” foreshadows those religious leaders who have claimed to be the “vicar of Christ” (meaning “in place of Christ”), who murdered Bible-believing Christians through an Inquisition and who replaced commanded biblical Holy Days with pagan holidays. Other prophecies identify this “little horn” as a prominent religious figure whose latter-day counterpart will play a key role in events leading to Jesus Christ’s return (2 Thessalonians 2; Revelation 13; 17).

The ten toes of Daniel’s image (Daniel 2:40–43) correspond to ten kings who will give their power and authority to “the beast,” a powerful and deceptive political leader who will emerge on the scene in Europe just before Jesus Christ returns at the end of the age (Revelation 17:1–13). This political leader will receive support from, and be influenced by, a powerful religious leader—the final manifestation of the “little horn.” Like his predecessors, this “little horn” will play a key role in world politics (Revelation 13; 17). History records that Roman Catholic popes have crowned the emperors of the Holy Roman Empire, and that popes and bishops have long influenced European politics. The iron and clay of the ten toes of Daniel’s image foretells the attempts by squabbling European nations to form a union by surrendering their sovereignty to a central government (akin to what the E.U. has done in Brussels). Current attempts to create a united Europe modeled on the old Roman Empire have been backed by several popes and the Roman Church. Daniel and other books of the Bible indicate that the final fulfillment of these remarkable prophecies will occur in the years just ahead!

It is ironic that while these ancient and detailed prophecies are coming alive today, leaders of the Roman Church insist that the symbolic language used in Daniel and Revelation “is not to be interpreted literally. We should not expect to discover in this book [Revelation] details about the end of the world” (The Times, October 5, 2005)—yet that is exactly what these prophetic books claim to reveal! Today, for people who really want to understand where world events are leading, the challenge is: Whom do you believe, theologians or the Bible? This is why it is important to determine whether or not the Bible is truly the word of God—whether it is fact or fiction!

The End of the World

Sadly, modern skeptics—and even many who claim to believe in Jesus Christ—dismiss ideas about the end of the age as pure fantasy and wild-eyed doomsday talk. Yet the Bible takes a linear view of history, and pictures all events moving toward a climax. The prophecies in Daniel take this view, with the climax being Jesus Christ’s return to establish the kingdom of God on this earth. Jesus spoke freely and in detail about specific events that would signal the end of the age. When Jesus’ disciples asked Him, “what will be the sign of your coming, and of the end of the age” He did not beat around the bush or try to avoid answering the question, as many theologians do today (Matthew 24:3). He told His disciples to watch for a time when they would see widespread religious confusion and deception, and increasingly frequent reports of violence, wars, ethnic strife, famines, disease epidemics and natural disasters on a global scale (Matthew 24:4–7).

These are the very headlines dominating our news today! Yet Jesus said that this would be just the “beginning of sorrows” (Matthew 24:8). Christ went on to reveal that there will be a global persecution of Christians, but that the true gospel of the coming kingdom of God will nevertheless “be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14). Jesus said that all these events leading up to the climax of this age will occur at a time in history when the very existence of life on this planet will be threatened. Notice Jesus’ description that “unless those days were shortened [by Jesus’ return], no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened” (Matthew 24:22). Jesus admonished His disciples to watch—to remain alert—so that they will recognize when the civilizations of this world are entering their final hour (Matthew 24:36–44; 25:1–13; Mark 13:32–37; Luke 21:34–38).

In the 1950s, world leaders first realized that, with the development of nuclear weapons, mankind has created the capacity to destroy all life from the face of the earth. This was never possible until the last half of the 20th century! Is it just a coincidence that between 1950 and today we have seen the global spread of HIV-AIDS, the return of drug-resistant tuberculosis and the threat of international pandemics of bird flu and other infectious diseases? Is it just a coincidence that today we are concerned with the emerging threat of global warming and the sobering consequences of global climate change? Is it just a coincidence that all this is happening amid rising fears about international terrorism and escalating conflict in the Middle East—all of which Scripture predicted long ago? Is this all coincidence, or are we seeing the approaching fulfillment of ancient Bible prophecies that describe in detail the end of the age? These astoundingly accurate prophecies distinguish the Bible from any other book on this planet, and they offer proof that the Bible was written by “the finger of God.”

Chapter 3
Did God Inspire the Bible?

One of the Bible’s most striking features is that it plainly claims to be the inspired word of an Almighty God. We see this in the words of the Apostle Paul, a highly educated Hebrew who wrote, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God“ (2 Timothy 3:16). The Apostle Peter wrote that the content of Scripture “never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit”(2 Peter 1:21). To early Church leaders, “inspiration was not an ecstatic overpowering of the writer’s consciousness, but rather a high degree of illumination and calm awareness of God’s revelation… extending to every word of Scripture” (The Origin of the Bible, Bruce, et al., p. 38). Scripture indicates, and the early Church recognized, that God inspired the biblical writers to use their own minds and their own styles to write what God wanted them to write.

The Bible describes the process of divine inspiration in the way God worked with Moses, “And God spoke all these words… And Moses wrote all the words of the Lord… when Moses had completed writing the words of this law in a book… Moses commanded the Levites… Take this Book of the Law, and put it beside the ark of the covenant” (Exodus 20:1; 24:4; Deuteronomy 31:24–26). Centuries later, Ezra and Nehemiah read to the people of Israel from the “Book of the Law of Moses,” which was also called “the Book of the Law of God” (Nehemiah 8:1, 18). Jesus acknowledged its divine inspiration when He said, “have you not read in the book of Moses… how God spoke to him” (Mark 12:26). The prophet Jeremiah recorded a similar experience: “The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, ‘Thus speaks the Lord God of Israel, saying: Write in a book for yourself all the words that I have spoken to you” (Jeremiah 30:1–2). The phrase, “Thus says the Lord” is used more than 350 times in the Old Testament, clearly implying that the words of Scripture came from God.

As we will see, other religious books may claim divine inspiration like the Bible, yet they lack the specific characteristics that confirm the Bible’s authenticity.

Not only does the Bible claim to be divinely inspired, it claims to be the ultimate source of truth, revealed by the one true God. The Apostle John wrote, “Thy word is truth” (John 17:17, KJV). David wrote, “Your law is truth… all Your commandments are truth… The entirety of Your word is truth” (Psalm 119:142, 151, 160). The prophet Isaiah asserted, “To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them” (Isaiah 8:20). Isaiah meant that if statements and ideas do not agree with Scripture, we can recognize them as false. The Apostle Paul also calls Scripture “the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).

These statements stand in marked contrast to the uncertain words spoken by Pontius Pilate, “What is truth?” (John 18:38). Today, many skeptics and cynics share Pilate’s question. Yet the Bible’s bold claims show that its writers clearly believed that the words they recorded were absolutely true and inspired by a wise and all-powerful God (see Genesis 17:1; Psalm 86:10; Jude 1:25). What is truth? You need to prove that for yourself!

The Bible repeatedly emphasizes, “the Lord is the true God” (Jeremiah 10:10; see also John 17:3; 1 Thessalonians 1:9; 1 John 5:20). Scripture records that when the ancient Egyptian priests saw the miracles announced by Moses, and saw their own gods powerless, they concluded: “This is the finger of God” (Exodus 8:16–19). Daniel records that Nebuchadnezzar, pagan king of Babylon, came to the same conclusion after encountering the God of the Bible: “Truly, your God is the God of gods, the Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets” (Daniel 2:47). The Bible records that the Apostle Paul, distressed at seeing Athens “given over to idols,” taught superstitious Greek philosophers about the true God (Acts 17:16–34). For more information about the true God of the Bible, request our free booklet, The Real God: Proofs and Promises.

The Bible’s clear and unambiguous message is that Scripture is the inspired word of a real God, and is the ultimate source of truth! This is difficult for many today to believe, because we live in a skeptical age where even so-called biblical scholars doubt that the Bible really is God’s word. However, the Bible’s bold claim that it is the inspired word of an all-powerful God, and is true in its entirety, can be verified in the records of history and the discoveries of archaeology. The evidence is there for anyone willing to look!

Critics Challenge the Bible

Scripture boldly asserts that “the word of our God stands forever” and “the word of the Lord endures forever” (Isaiah 40:8; 1 Peter 1:25). King David wrote, “His truth endures to all generations” (Psalm 100:5). Yet, down through the centuries, antagonists and critics have tried to undermine, disparage, defy and destroy Scripture, and even mock the God of the Bible. The Bible warns, “Do not be deceived; God is not mocked” (Galatians 6:7). The Old Testament records that during the Assyrian invasion of Judah (ca. 700bc), Sennacherib, a pagan Assyrian king, mocked the God of Israel before king Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem (2 Chronicles 32:9–19). Shortly thereafter, “the Lord sent an angel who cut down every mighty man of valor… in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he [Sennacherib] returned shamefaced to his own land. And when he had gone into the temple of his god, some of his own offspring struck him down with the sword there” (2 Chronicles 32:21–22).

Historical records confirm that Sennacherib did not conquer Jerusalem, and that his own sons killed him. Secular history does not explain why this occurred. However, the Bible reveals that dire consequences can arise when doubters and critics mock the real God! Next to the exodus from Egypt, this is one of God’s most dramatic interventions in Israel’s history, and the facts of secular history support the biblical record. Incidentally, the Greek historian Herodotus relates that Sennacherib also suffered an embarrassing setback, with supernatural overtones, when his army invaded Egypt and a swarm of field mice chewed up their weapons, causing him to flee from the field near Pelusium with heavy losses (The Histories, 2:141). This truth of Scripture—that God will not be mocked—stands confirmed.

In the century after the apostles, historical sources confirm that Celsus, an articulate pagan philosopher, created a major stir when he wrote a blistering attack against the Bible and Christianity. Celsus wrote that biblical teachings were “absurd,” that the gospel accounts were “a deception” and that anyone who believed in one God was “deluded” (Is the Bible True?, Sheler, p. 9). The Bible survived, and Christianity spread around the world, but few people today have even heard of Celsus! Modern biblical critics who have resurrected Celsus’ ideas should remember that his attack on Scripture was answered by an early religious scholar named Origen, whose eight-volume Against Celsus gave a point-by-point rebuttal in defense of the Bible.

At the beginning of the 4th century, the Roman emperor Diocletian sought to wipe out the Christian religion. He unleashed a terrible persecution of Christians, and commanded that all Bibles be burned. However, within a few short years a new emperor (Constantine) actually ordered the production of 50 Bibles! During the Middle Ages (ca. 500–1500ad), scholars influenced by pagan philosophy taught that scriptural accounts were merely allegories and should not be taken literally. Their allegorical approach assumed that Bible passages hid a deeper meaning, making the literal meaning unimportant. The Bible survived, but this way of thinking also survives today in many theological schools. The allegorical approach is a very subtle way of undermining the Bible’s clear message, because it ignores what the Bible actually says.

Secular scholars in the 18th century became enthralled by the apparent power of human reason and the new discoveries of science. Regarding human reason as the ultimate authority, and armed with a bias against the supernatural, these critics began to offer speculative theories about the Bible’s supposed origins, apparent contradictions and assumed errors. However, the assumptions and speculations of these critics have not stood the test of time. In fact, some of their bold pronouncements now appear extremely presumptuous and naïve. Toward the end of the 18th century, the French philosopher Voltaire predicted that Christianity would be swept from existence within a century. Yet, 50 years after he died, the Geneva Bible Society produced stacks of Bibles in Voltaire’s house on his own press (The New Evidence That Demands a Verdict, McDowell, p. 10). The facts of history and the discoveries of archaeology make it plain: secular critics’ ill-founded pronouncements and theories are intellectual castles built on hot air.

Evidence from Archaeology

Over the last 200 years, the rise of biblical criticism spawned many confident assertions by scholars who doubted the inspiration of Scripture. Skeptics at first claimed that since there was no evidence outside the Bible of various people and places mentioned in the Bible, the writers of Scripture must have invented them. This approach found fertile ground in “progressive” schools of theology, and in secular academic circles. The press and media fed these ideas to society, furthering doubts about the Bible’s credibility. This doubt and skepticism persists today, even though ongoing archaeological discoveries continue to validate the Bible’s historical accuracy, and discredit the skeptics’ assumptions!

As recently as 1992, some scholars were confidently asserting, “There are no literary criteria for believing David to be more historical than Joshua, Joshua more historical than Abraham, and Abraham more historical than Adam” (see “House of David Built on Sand,” Biblical Archaeology Review, July/August 1994, pp. 54–55). Yet, just one year later, archaeologists digging in upper Galilee discovered a 9th century bc inscription about the “house of David.” Jeffrey Sheler, an award-winning journalist and a religion writer for U.S. News & World Report, wrote: “The fragmentary reference to David was a historical bombshell. Never before had the familiar name of Judah’s ancient warrior king… been found in the records of antiquity outside the pages of the Bible” (Is the Bible True?, p. 60).

For decades, critics viewed the biblical story of David and Goliath as a fanciful tale of religious fiction. Yet, recently, “archaeologists digging at the purported biblical home of Goliath [Gath, see 1 Samuel 17:4] have unearthed a shard of pottery bearing an inscription of the Philistine’s name, a find they claimed lends historical credence to the Bible’s tale of David’s battle with the giant” (The London Times, November 13, 2005). This is the oldest Philistine inscription ever discovered, dated to 950bc—within 70 years of the biblical narrative.

Doubting scholars for years assumed that “there were no Hittites at the time of Abraham, as there were no records of their existence apart from the Old Testament. They must be a myth” (McDowell, p. 11). However, later “archaeological research… uncovered more than 1,200 years of Hittite civilization” (ibid.). In similar fashion, critics assumed that the biblical patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, were fictional figures from Hebrew folklore. Yet cuneiform tablets discovered in the royal archives of the palace of Mari in northern Syria, dating from the start of the second millennium bc (the approximate time of the patriarchs) mention “such names as Abam-ram (Abraham), Jacob-el and Benjamites” (When Skeptics Ask, Geisler & Brooks, pp. 186–187). All these discoveries support the biblical record and refute the charges of critics.

Scholars skeptical of the Bible have noted the similarity between the Genesis creation account and Babylonian clay tablets describing the creation of the world. These scholars have glossed over major differences in the accounts, and suggested that biblical writers simply borrowed their material from other sources. However, the discovery of more that 17,000 clay tablets at Ebla (in modern Syria), dating from 2500bc, has overturned the critics’ theories. The Ebla tablets (which predate the Babylonian creation epic by some 600 years) contain “the oldest known creation accounts outside the Bible… The creation tablet is strikingly close to that of Genesis, speaking of one being who created the heavens, moon, stars and earth. Parallels show that the Bible contains the older, less embellished version… They [the Ebla tablets] destroy the critical belief in the evolution of monotheism from supposed earlier polytheism” (Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics, Geisler, p. 208).

There have been dozens of other remarkable discoveries. The Merneptah Stela describes an Egyptian pharaoh conquering Israel (ca. 1200bc). The Black Obelisk from Nimrud pictures Israelite king Jehu bowing before Assyrian king Shalmaneser III. An inscription near Jerusalem refers to “Joseph, son of Caiaphas” (Caiaphas was the high priest in Jerusalem at the time of Christ’s crucifixion; see Matthew 26:57). An inscribed stone from first century Caesarea reads, “Pontius Pilate, the Prefect of Judea” (Pilate was the Roman governor at the time of Jesus’ crucifixion; see Matthew 27:2). Such evidence, carved in stone, supports the conclusion that the Bible writers were recording facts and not fiction (see The Signature of God, Jeffrey, pp. 72–74; Is the Bible True?, Sheler, pp. 110–112).

The manner in which archaeology has verified the historical accuracy of the Bible has been nothing short of remarkable! As noted archaeologist Nelson Glueck has written, “it may be clearly stated categorically that no archaeological discovery has ever controverted a single biblical reference. Scores of archaeological findings have been made which confirm in clear outline or exact detail historical statements in the Bible” (Rivers in the Desert, Glueck, p. 136). Glueck’s comments echo the words of another prominent archaeologist, William F. Albright, who stated, “There can be no doubt that archaeology has confirmed the substantial historicity of Old Testament tradition… The excessive skepticism shown toward the Bible by important historical schools of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries… has been progressively discredited” (Evidence That Demands a Verdict, McDowell, vol. 1, p. 65). The evidence of history and archaeology defies the critics, and supports Scripture!

Chapter 4
Has the Bible Been Preserved Accurately?

How can we know whether the text of the Bible has been preserved accurately down through the centuries? Is it logical to believe that a book written by more than 40 authors in different locations over 1,500 years can be trustworthy? Can we prove that the text we have today is reliable?

If the Bible is the inspired word of an Almighty God who encourages people to “check the facts,” we should expect to find convincing evidence that Scripture has been preserved carefully and accurately over time. Such evidence is available—in Scripture itself! Evidence can also be found in Jewish historical literature, in the writings of early Church scholars and in a multitude of modern sources. The evidence for the accurate transmission of the Bible is remarkable, overwhelming and, indeed, irrefutable!

Old Testament Preservation

The Apostle Paul revealed where to find evidence of Scripture’s preservation when he wrote, “What advantage then has the Jew…? to them were committed the oracles of God” (Romans 3:1–2). Biblical scholar Bernard Ramm comments, “The Jews preserved it [the Old Testament] as no other manuscript has ever been preserved” (McDowell, p. 9). When God revealed His laws to their ancestors, they were given a mandate: “You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it… be careful to observe them [the statutes of God]… teach them to your children and your grandchildren” (Deuteronomy 4:1–10). History clearly shows how this has occurred.

The Bible records that God gave His laws directly to Moses (ca. 1400bc), and that “when Moses had completed writing the words of this law in a book… Moses commanded the Levites… Take this Book of the Law, and put it beside the ark of the covenant” (Deuteronomy 31:24–26). This ark was a box containing stone tablets of the law carved by God and the writings of Moses (see Deuteronomy 10:5). It was kept in the Tabernacle, and later in the Temple at Jerusalem. The Bible shows Ezra the priest reading and explaining the “Book of the Law of Moses” to Jews who had returned to Jerusalem from Babylon in the fifth century bc (Nehemiah 8:1–12). By 150bc, there is even evidence from extra-biblical sources that the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Old Testament) was attributed to Moses (The Origin of the Bible, Bruce, et al., p. 56). In the first century ad, Jesus and the apostles also quoted from and referred to the books of Moses as inspired Scripture (see Mark 12:19–27; John 1:17; Romans 10:5). Thus, the Bible provides its own account of how Scripture was preserved and used over generations.

Canon Vs. Confusion

Evidence also exists from the Bible, as well as from historical sources, that the Old Testament consisted of specific books that were widely recognized as divinely inspired. The list of books recognized as inspired became the canon of the Old Testament, the Hebrew Bible. In the first century ad, both Jesus (Luke 24:44) and the Jewish teacher Philo referred to three major divisions of the Old Testament canon: the Law, the Prophets and the Writings (see Bruce, p. 60). Josephus, a first-century Jewish historian, acknowledged that the Hebrew Bible consisted of 22 books—essentially the same text which, divided differently, forms the 39 books of our modern Old Testament—and that these books “have all been accepted as canonical from time immemorial” (ibid., p. 61). The fact that 22 books of the Old Testament and 27 books of the New Testament comprise the 49 books of the complete Bible (49 is considered a number of completion) indicates that a divine mind was guiding this process. The Bible is not just a haphazard collection of books!

Modern scholars generally agree that the Hebrew Scriptures were recognized as inspired from an early date. According to one source: “The evidence supports the theory that the Hebrew canon was established well before the late first century ad, more than likely as early as the fourth century bc and certainly no later than 150bc” (McDowell, p. 26). Another source states: “No one doubts that the Pentateuch was both complete and canonical by the time of Ezra and Nehemiah, in the fifth century bc… such evidence implies that by the beginning of the Christian era the identity of all the [Old Testament] canonical books was well known and generally accepted” (The Origin of the Bible, Bruce, et al., p. 56). It is worth noting that none of the biblical writers or early Church scholars accepted as inspired the apocryphal books written in the inter-testamental period.

Exact Copies Prepared!

But how reliable are the Old Testament books that we have today? Has the text of the Old Testament been transmitted to us accurately? Consider the evidence. “In Judaism, a succession of scholars was charged with standardizing and preserving the biblical text” during a period extending from about 500bc to about 1000ad(McDowell, pp. 73–77). The earliest scribes, the Sopherim (400bc to 200ad), worked with Ezra and “were regarded as the Bible custodians until the time of Christ” (ibid.). They were followed by the Talmudists (100ad to 500ad) and finally by the Masoretes (500ad to 1000ad). Numerous accounts confirm that these scribes copied the biblical texts with extreme care, counting the number of words in a book, counting the number of times a letter appeared in a book, and even pointing out the middle letter in the Pentateuch and the middle letter in the Bible!

Because of such careful attention to detail in the preparation and transmission of Old Testament manuscripts, modern scholars acknowledge that “the Hebrew Bible has been transmitted with the most minute accuracy… it may safely be said that no other work of antiquity has been so accurately transmitted… [it is] little short of miraculous” (Evidence That Demands a Verdict, McDowell, pp. 55–56). The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947 proved just how accurately the Jews have preserved and transmitted the Old Testament text. Before the discovery of the scrolls in a cave near the Dead Sea, the oldest copy of the Hebrew text dated from around 1000ad. The newly discovered scrolls dated to the first century bc—about 1,000 years earlier! The scrolls contained two nearly complete copies of the book of Isaiah, which proved “to be word for word identical with our standard Hebrew Bible in more than 95 percent of the text. The 5 percent of the variations consisted of obvious slips of the pen and variations in spelling” (When Skeptics Ask, Geisler & Brooks, pp. 158–159). The Dead Sea Scrolls provide solid evidence that the text of the Old Testament has not changed in more than 2,000 years!

The New Testament Preserved

The reliability of the New Testament rests on a wealth of material that is available. Scholars readily acknowledge, “There are earlier and more manuscripts of the New Testament than of any other book in the ancient world” (Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics, Geisler, p. 93). These manuscripts clearly reveal that the New Testament “has been transmitted to us with no, or next to no, variation” (Evidence That Demands a Verdict, McDowell, p. 44).

More than 24,000 manuscript copies of the New Testament in Greek, Latin and other languages provide evidence about the text. The earliest New Testament manuscripts date within a few decades or a few centuries of the apostolic writers. By comparison, there are only 643 manuscripts of Homer’s Iliad (written in the 8th century bc), and the earliest copy in existence today dates from about 400bc—some 500 years after it was composed. Only 10–20 copies of writings of Julius Caesar, the Roman historian Tacitus, and the Greek historian Herodotus exist today, with the oldest manuscripts copied 1,000 years after the originals were composed (McDowell, pp. 39–43). Compared against the New Testament, no other document from the ancient world has left such a wealth of material documenting the reliable transmission of its text. In addition to the many available manuscripts, early Christian writers quoted the New Testament so extensively that almost the entire New Testament could be reconstructed from other sources.

Critics have theorized that unknown authors composed the gospels centuries after the apostles. Yet the earliest fragment of John’s gospel is dated 130ad, about 30 years after the apostle’s death. This supports the traditional view that John wrote his gospel towards the end of the first century (see McDowell, pp. 39–47). Also, “there is no evidence from the first two Christian centuries that the gospels ever circulated without the names of the authors attached” (Sheler, p. 33). One scholar has observed: “If we compare the present state of the New Testament text with that of any other ancient writing, we must… declare it marvelously correct” (McDowell, p. 45). Another prominent scholar stated: “It cannot be too strongly asserted that in substance the text of the Bible is certain: Especially is this the case with the New Testament… This can be said of no other ancient book in the world” (ibid.).

New Testament Canon

For decades, critics have charged that the books of the New Testament were not written until a century or more after Jesus and the apostles lived, and were probably pieced together by anonymous authors. Such a late composition would allow time for myths and legends to creep into the text. Some progressive theologians and modern authors, as in The DaVinci Code, also assert that the books of the New Testament were selected by politically motivated committees, and that valuable books were deliberately omitted, thereby compromising the Bible’s accuracy and value. However, the internal evidence of the New Testament books, the facts of history and the weight of modern scholarship all refute these ideas!

Today, most credible scholars concur that “the New Testament canon with the Gospels and most of Paul’s Epistles was formed by the end of the first century… The attested date for the canonical Gospels is no later than 60–100” ad (Geisler, p. 520). Neither Luke’s gospel nor the book of Acts (also written by Luke) mention the 70ad destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple, which was for Jews the most significant event of the century. Indeed, no New Testament author mentions the destruction of the Temple, which strongly suggests early authorship of the New Testament canon.

The New Testament books themselves reveal that the authors recognized which writings God had inspired, and belonged in the canon. The Apostle Paul wrote that “the things which I write to you are the commandments of the Lord” (1 Corinthians 14:37). Paul wrote that the teachings of the apostles were divinely inspired and were to be read in the churches, “because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God” (1 Thessalonians 2:13; 5:27). Peter warned that those who were twisting Paul’s writings were twisting “the Scriptures” (2 Peter 3:15–16). Scholars in the early centuries of the Church accepted the apostles’ writings as Scripture, but they “all draw a clear distinction between their own [writings] and the inspired, authoritative apostolic writings” (Bruce, p. 71). This argues strongly that the New Testament canon was recognized very early in Church history.

Tertullian, a religious historian who wrote in the early 200s, appears to be the first writer to call Christian Scripture the “New Testament.” This is significant, because it “placed the New Testament Scripture on a level of inspiration and authority with the Old Testament” (Bruce, p. 66). From the 300s we have records showing that the New Testament canon consisted of 27 books—the same books we have today. A letter written in 367ad by Athanasius, bishop of Alexandria, provides the earliest documentation of the exact 27 books of the New Testament canon. His letter, which was “designed to eliminate once and for all the use of certain apocryphal books,” warns: “Let no one add to these; let nothing be taken away” (Bruce, p. 74). Later, in 397ad, a church council in Carthage decreed that “aside from the canonical Scriptures [which the council listed as 27 books] nothing is to be read in church under the Name of Divine Scriptures” (Bruce, p. 74). The clear purpose was to identify which books were part of the inspired New Testament canon, and to eliminate the use of apocryphal literature.

What About Apocryphal Books?

Just what are the apocryphal books? Why were they an issue of controversy in the early Church? Are they relevant today? The “Apocrypha” (which means hidden or concealed) refers to books that neither the Jews nor the early Church ever accepted as inspired or as part of the canon (see Bruce, pp. 79–94; Geisler, pp. 28–34). Most apocryphal books date to the inter-testamental period, and were written by anonymous authors or under the name of a person or a place named in Scripture. These books do not claim to be inspired. They contain no predictive prophecies, but instead contain historical and geographical errors and promote fanciful ideas and false doctrines that contradict canonical Scripture. Jesus and the New Testament writers never acknowledged the Apocrypha as Scripture. “No canonic list or church council accepted the Apocrypha for nearly the first four centuries” (Geisler, p. 33).

Although some apocryphal books were published along with canonical books in the Septuagint (a Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures produced by 70 scholars in Alexandria ca. 250bc), this translation was not supervised by scribes of the Judaic tradition, who had their centers in Tiberias and Babylon.

Josephus, writing in the first century ad, specifically excluded apocryphal books from the Hebrew canon when he wrote, “we have… but only twenty-two books, which are justly believed to be divine” (Against Apion, 1:8). Philo, a first century Jewish teacher in Alexandria, “quoted the Old Testament prolifically from virtually every canonical book. However, he never once quoted from the Apocrypha as inspired” (Geisler, p. 32). Prominent early writers such as Origen, Cyril of Jerusalem, Athanasius of Alexandria and Jerome all rejected the apocryphal books as inauthentic. In fact, it was Jerome (who prepared the Latin Vulgate Bible ca. 400ad) who first used the term Apocrypha when referring to books that were not considered part of the inspired biblical canon and should not be used to establish doctrine. Jerome disputed with the theologian Augustine, who felt that the apocryphal books were inspired and should be included in the canon, apparently because they had been included in the Septuagint.

The Apocryphal books became a major issue during the Reformation, when Protestants (following Jerome’s thinking) rejected the Apocrypha as uninspired. However, at the Council of Trent in 1546, Roman Catholic leaders (following Augustine’s ideas) declared those books part of the New Testament canon. This was an attempt by the Roman church to counter the influence of Martin Luther and other reformers who were teaching against celibacy, prayers for the dead, and purgatory—ideas that do not come from canonical Scripture but are found in some apocryphal books. Yet this was not the end of the controversy over apocryphal writings.

Gnostic “Gospels”?

In 1945, a group of books commonly called “Gnostic gospels” were found near Nag Hammadi, an Egyptian town north of Luxor, on the Nile. Gnosticism encompassed a collection of heretical ideas that early Church leaders attributed to Simon the Sorcerer (see Acts 8:9–25; Geisler, p. 274). Gnostic writings contain purported “secret sayings” of Christ that differ dramatically from His New Testament teachings. In the Gospel of Thomas, Jesus flies into a fit of rage and causes a child who has offended Him to wither (3:1–3). In another work, Jesus makes clay birds on the Sabbath; when His parents correct Him, He claps His hands and the birds fly away. The Gospel of Philip suggests that Christ had a romantic relationship with Mary Magdalene. The Gospel of Mary asserts that Mary was the real leader of Christ’s disciples.

Early Church leaders denounced the Gnostic writings as spurious and heretical. Yet modern biblical critics, along with revisionist theologians, creative writers and mystical New Agers, have resurrected these “alternative” gospels and present them as equally credible as canonical Scripture. Dan Brown, author of the widely read fictional novel The DaVinci Code, draws heavily on the heretical ideas of Gnostic writings, as well as on occult, pagan goddess worship and mysticism. In his novel, he “makes the case that Mary Magdalene was… a strong independent figure, patron of Jesus, cofounder of his movement, his only believer in his greatest hour of need, author of her own Gospel, his romantic partner, and the mother of his child. To the millions of women who feel slighted, discriminated against, or unwelcome in churches of all faiths today, the novel is a chance to see early religious history in an entirely different light… The DaVinci Code opens everyone’s eyes to a startlingly different view of the powerful role of women in the birth of Christianity. These themes have become mainstream at Harvard’s divinity school and other intellectual centers” (Secrets of the Code, Bernstein, p. xxvii).

When Dan Brown makes his leading characters say, “almost everything our fathers taught us about Christ is false” and, “The Bible is a product of man, my dear, not God,” he is promoting an agenda and world view that seeks to undermine and discredit the Bible, and the Jesus Christ of the Bible. Though the plot of The DaVinci Code appears to “advocate a courageous search for truth at any price, its real goal is to undermine one of the fundamental characteristics of the Christian faith—the belief that the original message of the Gospel, enshrined in the Bible, is the unique, inspired word of God” (Cracking the Code, Garlow & Jones, p. 72). The real danger of books like The DaVinci Code comes from doubts planted in the minds of people who lack historical and biblical knowledge. For such people, the fiction of apocryphal writings can appear to be fact, which leads to deception about the true nature of inspired Scripture. One of the primary reasons for public declarations about what books comprised the canons of the Old and New Testaments was to clearly distinguish between inspired books and the false and misleading writings of the Gnostics.

Chapter 5
Real Answers to Life’s Big Questions

Today, many people live in a materialistic world of affluence and abundance. More people enjoy a higher standard of living today than at any other time in human history. Yet with more money in our pockets and more time on our hands, millions of people still find life empty and meaningless. More and more people today are finding that money, material things and searching for the ultimate experience simply do not provide lasting happiness, remove the emptiness or provide meaningful answers to the big questions of life: Why was I born? Why am I here? Why do I exist? What is the real purpose of life? What happens when I die?

Those who take time to look beyond themselves soon notice the tremendous inequities in our modern world, and wonder: Why do millions of human beings suffer from a lack of food, lack of fresh water, lack of sanitation and inadequate shelter? Why are so many people exploited and abused by corrupt leaders in failing countries? Why are wars and deliberate acts of horrific violence and terrorism proliferating around the world? Why is there no peace? Millions want a better world, but know they cannot make it happen. Why, then, does God fail to intervene—if indeed there is a God?

Few people find satisfaction in the vague answers they hear from most religious leaders and secular philosophers. To hear that human beings are merely “trousered apes”—nothing more than bags of DNA struggling to survive in a purposeless universe, awaiting eternal nothingness at death—does not provide an inspiring reason to live. On the other hand, it seems like purposeless fantasy to believe that the goal of life is to spend eternity sitting on a cloud, playing a harp. To hear that “God is love”—and then to witness all the evil and inequality in the world—simply does not add up. Tragically, many today have been led to believe that these answers are “as good as it gets.”

But this is nonsense! Most people who assume that these are the best answers to life’s big questions have never heard the real answers that God recorded in the Bible! Many theologians either do not know or do not believe what the Bible actually says about life’s big questions. Because of our society’s prejudice against the supernatural, fostered by biblical scholars who do not believe in the personal and all-powerful God of the Bible, millions have been conditioned to be skeptical of whatever Scripture might reveal about these subjects. However, the Bible provides real answers to life’s big questions!

The Purpose of Life

Contrary to popular modern notions that life emerged from hot slimy pools of pre-biotic soup (akin to an idea espoused by pagan Greek philosophers) and that human beings evolved from an ape-like ancestor (as postulated by the disciples of Charles Darwin), the Bible reveals that God created human beings in His own image (Genesis 1:26–28). Whether or not you can believe this statement will depend on whether you can accept the plentiful evidence that the Bible is truly the word of God. According to Scripture, human beings were not created to amuse the gods, as some ancient philosophers assumed. The Bible reveals that God created humans so that they could learn to manage the earth (Genesis 1:26–28; 2:15), and build character by learning to discern right from wrong (Genesis 2:16–17). According to Scripture, God established the institutions of marriage and family (Genesis 2:18–24). He also established roles in marriage and revealed important guidelines so that these divinely ordained institutions would function smoothly and successfully (Matthew 19:3–9; Ephesians 5:22–33; 6:1–4; 1 Timothy 2:8–15; 1 Peter 3:1–7).

The reason for the biblical emphasis on learning to manage our own lives, and on functioning smoothly in marriage and family, is that we have been created to become members of God’s spiritual family (see Romans 8:15–17; Hebrews 2:5–11; 1 John 3:1–3). If we qualify to become members of that spiritual family, we will reign with Jesus Christ when He returns to establish the kingdom of God on earth (see Revelation 1:4–6; 5:10). The Bible, when properly understood, clearly reveals that we do not fly off to heaven when we die (see John 3:13; Acts 2:29, 34; 13:36). When you understand what Scripture actually reveals about the purpose of life, you can begin to understand why the teachings of today’s “mainstream” Christianity are not very satisfying or convincing. To learn more about the real purpose of life as it is revealed in Scripture, request our free booklet, Your Ultimate Destiny.

The Plan of God

But what is the cause of the human suffering that has occurred down through time? Why is there so much evil in the world? Why does God allow it? If there is a God, why does He fail to act? People ask these questions because they do not understand that God is working out a plan and a purpose on this earth. Scripture reveals His plan, and it is pictured in the Holy Days that He commanded His people to observe (Leviticus 23). God’s plan reveals not only the cause of, but also the solution to, the problems we see in our world.

Many today do not believe in God’s existence, but even fewer believe that Satan is real. However, Scripture reveals quite a bit about this spirit being. The Bible reveals that Satan was originally an “anointed cherub” covering the throne of God, who sinned, “became filled with violence” and led a rebellion against God involving one-third of the angels (see Ezekiel 28:1–19; Isaiah 14:12–17; Jude 6; Revelation 12:4). We see so much evil in the world today because Satan is the “god of this age… who deceives the whole world” by influencing people to reject the instructions and way of life that God has revealed in the Bible (2 Corinthians 4:3–4: Ephesians 2:1–2). You need to read these scriptures for yourself to verify what the Bible actually says about this individual who has deceived the whole world (Revelation 12:9).

The biblical Holy Days picture the major steps in God’s plan of salvation. Those steps reveal that Jesus Christ came to die for the sins of mankind, to replace Satan as the god of this world. Jesus then raised up His Church (Acts 2)—called the “Church of God” (1 Corinthians 1:2; 10:32; 15:9; 2 Corinthians 1:1)—to preach the gospel of God’s kingdom to the world (Mark 16:15) and to prepare a group of believers to become the “firstfruits” (James 1:18; Romans 8:23; Revelation 14:1–5) who will reign with Him in the coming kingdom of God for a thousand years—a period called the Millennium (Revelation 20:4–6).

The Bible also reveals that when Christ returns, Satan will be bound and put out of commission (Revelation 20:1–2). This is how God will eliminate evil, and will use the individuals whom He has prepared to solve the world’s problems. This will all happen according to God’s plan, which is revealed in Scripture. To learn more about God’s great plan for humanity, request our free booklet The Holy Days: God’s Master Plan. To learn more about the Church that began with Jesus Christ—and the remarkable and perilous course it has traveled through the centuries—request our booklet, God’s Church Through the Ages.

The Age to Come

But what is the real hope for the future? Why should we struggle against the trials and temptations of this world? What is the value of learning to live by God’s laws and the Bible’s instructions? The answers emerge when we understand what the Bible reveals about the kingdom of God, and why it is called the “gospel.” The word “gospel” means “good news” and the biblical message about the kingdom of God is good news—it is exciting news! The gospel of the kingdom of God, as described in the Bible, is not about some warm fuzzy feeling in your heart. It is about a coming world government that Jesus Christ will establish on this earth.

The Bible clearly reveals that Jesus will return to Jerusalem (Zechariah 14:4). He will take charge of the kingdoms of this world (Revelation 11:15–18) and set up a world government that will bring true justice and lasting peace to this planet. Jesus will be aided by the saints, individuals who understand the laws of God and have learned to function within the family of God, who will serve as civil and religious leaders—”kings and priests” (Revelation 5:10). God’s government will bring peace and justice to the earth (Isaiah 9:6–7). The saints will also function as teachers (Isaiah 30:20–21) who will explain the laws of God (Isaiah 2:2–4), show people the way to peace (Psalm 119:165) and help them understand the real causes of strife and war (James 4:1–4). Christians are urged to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord” (2 Peter 3:18) so that they will be prepared to rule with Christ in this coming kingdom.

The Bible reveals that in the coming kingdom of God, rebuilt cities will promote a sense of community and will be in harmony with the environment (Isaiah 61:4; 11:6–9; Amos 9:14–15). Our polluted planet will be restored and made productive (Isaiah 35:1–7; Amos 9:13). The global curse of disease will be eliminated as people learn to live by the Bible’s personal and public health laws (see Leviticus 3:17; 7:23–27; 11:1–47). The peoples of the world will learn to speak one language (Zephaniah 3:9), and “the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea” (Isaiah 11:9). The Bible speaks of the coming kingdom of God as the “times of refreshing” in which there will be a “restoration of all things” (Acts 3:19–20). The Apostle Paul called this “the world to come” or “the age to come” (Hebrews 2:5). We also call it Tomorrow’s World. The Bible holds out these scriptural teachings as our real hope for the future!

Modern critics scoff at taking Scripture literally, at face value. Many preachers do not even mention the exciting biblical information we have covered in this booklet. Instead, most willingly overlook or even ignore what history reveals about the teachings and beliefs of the early Church. Historian Edward Gibbon wrote: “The ancient and popular doctrine of the Millennium was intimately connected with the second coming of Christ… a joyful Sabbath of a thousand years; and that Christ, with the triumphant band of the saints and the elect… would reign upon earth… The assurance of such a Millennium was carefully inculcated by a succession of fathers from Justin Martyr and Irenaeus, who conversed with the immediate disciples… Though it might not be universally received, it appears to have been the reigning sentiment of the orthodox believers; and it seems so well adapted to the desires and apprehensions of mankind, that it must have contributed in a very considerable degree to the progress of the Christian faith” (The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Gibbon, vol. 1, pp. 187–188).

Gibbon wrote plainly that early Christians believed and taught about the Millennium—the coming kingdom of God. The Bible’s exciting and inspiring gospel of God’s kingdom motivated believers and spurred the growth of the early Church. However, Gibbon also recorded how early theologians, influenced by pagan philosophy—believing they knew better than God’s inspired word—gradually watered down this important teaching of Scripture and then explained it away, first calling it allegory, then calling it heresy. Millions have lost sight of—or have never heard—the real biblical answers to life’s big questions, because most scholars and religious leaders have rejected—or never heard—those answers! This is one reason why so many today find life empty and meaningless.

Conclusion:
Truth and Consequences

In our modern age, many seriously doubt or openly disbelieve that an all-powerful supernatural God inspired Scripture. Many assume that the Bible is no different than any other humanly authored book. Many also assume that modern scholarship has completely discredited the Bible, and that no evidence exists that proves otherwise. Yet, as we have seen in this booklet, the truth is just the opposite! These widely held beliefs and assumptions are, in reality, fictions that are totally contrary to the facts!

The big question that you face, and the challenge that confronts many others today, is: What exactly will you believe about the Bible? Will you believe the facts discussed in this booklet (which only scratches the surface of this vast subject), or will you accept skeptics’ speculations that undermine and discredit the Bible—largely by ignoring the facts?

The God of the Bible can challenge us to “examine all things” and “prove” whether He exists (and whether He inspired the Bible), because there is so much remarkable and irrefutable evidence available! True biblical scholars know that the Bible is unlike any other religious book in the world, and that the most distinctive feature of the Bible is prophecy. Students of prophecy know that the Bible contains hundreds of specific prophecies that have been consistently and accurately fulfilled. No other book on the face of the earth contains such remarkable prophetic material, and human efforts to predict the future simply do not compare to the scope and accuracy of Bible prophecy. All this provides powerful evidence pointing to the Bible’s divine origin.

The facts of history demonstrate that the Bible has been preserved and accurately transmitted for thousands of years, in spite of concerted efforts to outlaw, suppress, corrupt, burn and destroy it. The continued existence of the Bible under such adverse and hostile conditions offers strong support that an all-powerful God inspired such biblical statements as “the word of the Lord endures forever” and “My counsel shall stand.” The remarkable way that archaeological discoveries continue to confirm Scripture’s historical accuracy, and undermine critics’ speculative theories, clearly affirms that the Bible is the inspired word of God! The Bible provides real answers to life’s big questions, unlike academics, philosophers and theologians who offer mere platitudes. This strongly indicates that the Bible’s answers were revealed from a supernatural source.

But why do critics and skeptics—who are often highly educated—ignore the facts and continue to claim that the Bible is only a collection of myths and legends, and is untrustworthy as a source of historical, theological or scientific information? Is it significant that secular-minded scholars have planted doubts about the Bible in the minds of millions of people today? What are the consequences of ignoring evidence that the Bible is the inspired word of God? Scripture provides informative answers and offers sobering warnings.

The Bible reveals the cause of this widespread deception: Satan “deceives the whole world” (Revelation 12:9). We can certainly see this when we consider the incredible misconceptions that so many have acquired about the Bible. Jesus prophesied that one sign of the “end of the age” would be the increasing number of false teachers who “will deceive many” by spreading false teachings (Matthew 24:3–5, 11). The Apostle Peter warned that false teachers would subtly bring in “destructive heresies” that would discredit the truth of God and deceive many people (2 Peter 2:1–3). He also warned that “scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts”—casting doubts on Scripture and ignoring the facts of history (see 2 Peter 3:3–9). This deception will be widespread at the end of the age.

However, the Apostle Paul reveals that scoffers and false teachers will reap serious consequences from the God they are mocking and defying. He wrote: “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all… who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them… so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God… but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools” (Romans 1:18–22). Paul’s condemnation of the misguided pagan intellectuals of his day also applies to the misguided scholars and critics of today—who ignore the powerful evidence that points to God as the author and sustainer of the Bible. We need to remember that there is a judgment coming!

The stinging reproofs that the prophet Jeremiah leveled at his contemporaries also apply in our present day. Jeremiah warned that “the prophets become wind, for the word [of God] is not in them… The prophets prophesy falsely… and My people love to have it so… the false pen of the scribe certainly works falsehood… the prophets prophesy lies in My name. I have not sent them… they are prophets of the deceit of their own heart, who try to make My people forget My name by their dreams… and cause My people to err by their lies and by their recklessness… they shall not profit this people at all” (Jeremiah 5:13, 31; 8:8; 14:14; 23:26, 30–32). God said through Jeremiah that because His people “have forsaken My law… and have not obeyed My voice… but they have walked according to the dictates of their own hearts… I will scatter them also among the Gentiles… I will send a sword after them until I have consumed them” (Jeremiah 9:13–16). The Bible clearly reveals that serious consequences will befall those who forsake the laws of God and promote their own theories, or follow those who do.

However, wonderful benefits come to those who prove and believe that the Bible is God’s inspired word, and who follow God’s biblical instructions. King David wrote: “Blessed are [they]… Who walk in the law of the Lord… Your commandments make me wiser than my enemies… Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path… Great peace have those who love Your law, and nothing causes them to stumble… All Your commandments are truth… The entirety of Your word is truth”(Psalm 119:98, 105, 151, 160, 165). The Bible reveals that God will look favorably on those who develop a deep respect for His word, and are willing to follow its instructions. The prophet Isaiah wrote, “But on this one will I look: On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at My word” (Isaiah 66:2).

The Bible reveals that God has not left human beings to flounder without fundamental guidelines, or without important answers to life’s big questions. God has inspired and preserved the Bible in a way that no other book has ever been preserved. He has filled Scripture with hundreds of prophecies that accurately predict the future—setting the Bible apart from all other religious books on earth. The discoveries of archaeology and the facts of history continue to confirm the validity of Scripture, even though it was written thousands of years ago. These facts are simply astounding and cannot reasonably be denied!

When you weigh critics’ claims about the Bible against the tremendous evidence of the Bible’s divine inspiration, you are left with a clear choice. You can choose to believe that critics’ theories might have some foundation in fact, while waiting for the next theory to change and assumptions to be revised. Or you can trust the evidence from archaeology, history and fulfilled prophecy, which clearly reveals that the Bible is the inspired word of God—fact, not fiction!

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Doctrine

Bible

Grace

Twelve Keys to Answered Prayer

4uwzvo — Tue, 01 Mar 2022 21:45:23 +0000

Twelve Keys to Answered Prayer 4uwzvo Tue, 03/01/2022 - 21:45

Twelve Keys to Answered Prayer

Roderick C. Meredith (1930-2017)

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#God

#Prayer

Why does God not answer most people’s prayers? Do you know how to pray in a way that will get real results?

I know that what I am about to say is not “politically correct.” But let me put it this way: Why should you expect the God of the Bible to answer the prayers of people who pray to some other god? Who pray in a wrong manner? Who regularly disobey the true God? Who ask for the wrong things?

The answer is simple—you should not! Make no mistake. You have no reason to expect real answers to your prayers unless you pray to the true God in the rightway. This may seem outrageous to those who take Christianity for granted—just another of the many religions in the world. But the truth is that literally millions of professing Christians, world have NO IDEA who the true God is or how they should pray to Him.

Oh, I am quite aware that many people say they “feel better” after repeating some familiar or special mantra. And since problems oftentimes work themselves out, many people feel that they have had an answer to their prayers when they really have not. This often goes hand in hand with the practices of “mind science” or the “power of positive thinking.”

But that is NOT the kind of “answer” I am talking about in this booklet. What I mean is direct, divine INTERVENTION by the personal God of the Bible—the Creator of the heavens and the earth and active Ruler of the entire universe! How can you and your loved ones get this kind of answer to your prayers? Although other points could be offered, I want to set forth a number of basic “keys” to answered prayer. I am positive that if you follow these points literally, sincerely and wholeheartedly, you will begin to receive genuine ANSWERS to your prayers. And they may be so real and so forceful that it will surprise many who have never experienced this kind of power before.

Key #1—Pray Sincerely to the True God

It is absolutely vital that you pray to the very real God of the Bible if you expect genuine answers to your prayers. He reveals Himself to mankind in many ways—in creation, in the Bible, in His foretelling specific divine intervention in world affairs and in direct ANSWERS to those who seek and obey Him.

The Apostle Paul was inspired to describe the true God in this way: “For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many gods and many lords), yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live” (1 Corinthians 8:5-6).

In our modern, ecumenical approach to religion, we may think that praying to some vague “blob” off in the sky or to some kind of wood or stone idol is just the same as praying to the CREATOR—the God of Abraham, Isaac, Israel and Jesus Christ. But it is not the same at all!

The true God was revealed by Jesus Christ (Matthew 11:27). To one of His disciples, He said: “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me…? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me” (John 14:9-11).

We read of Jesus Christ acknowledging that God was a loving, divine Person—a “Father.” And we see the Father acting through Christ to heal the sick, to comfort the downcast and to teach those whom He calls to keep the Ten Commandments as a way of life (Matthew 19:17). This should certainly help us to better understand God’s character and His desire for us.

Christ also set an example for us in praying to the Father: “Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: ‘Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You'” (John 17:1). Again, when He taught His disciples the outline—the proper approach to prayer—He said: “In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen” (Matthew 6:9-13).

So once again, Jesus revealed that the God to whom we should pray is a Father. And what does Christ reveal about Him? He is “in heaven.” He—as our Father—is One who can give us daily bread, forgive our sins, deliver us from Satan and bring us into His everlasting Kingdom.

In describing this true God, whom so very few even today are acquainted with, the Apostle Paul stated: “Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you: ‘God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things. And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings'” (Acts 17:23-26).

We learn more about the true God from the Old Testament. The great Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar, was told that he would be driven from his kingdom “until you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses” (Daniel 4:32). And this God will not share preeminence with any other. He inspired Isaiah to write: “Look to Me, and be saved, all you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other. I have sworn by Myself; the word has gone out of My mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, that to Me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall take an oath” (Isaiah 45:22-23).

This is an awesome God, with limitless power and glory! When you get down on both knees and lift up your hands in prayer to the great CREATOR of the universe, you should think of to whom you are praying, and “hallow” or praise His name, as Jesus instructed. Remember that He is not only the Creator, but the active GOVERNOR of the entire universe—guiding the rise and fall of nations according to His will. He is the One in charge of the weather—sending “rain in due season” (cf. Deuteronomy 28:12)—or at times drought and destruction upon those nations that must be punished (vv. 24-25).

Yet, if you surrender to Him, obey Him and serve Him, God will become your loving Father, your Protector, your Healer, the Giver of “every good and perfect gift” (James 1:17) and the One who has abounding love and mercy. “For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. As a father pities his children, so the Lord pities those who fear Him. For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust” (Psalm 103:11-14).

Be sure you always pray specifically to this God—the true God—and to no other. As you begin your prayer, think about whom you are praying to and consciously worship this Great God who gives you life and breath.

Key #2—Study the Bible

It naturally follows that praying to the true God involves believing what He says. And we find His words—instructing human beings how they should live—in the Holy Bible. It reveals essential knowledge that we could not acquire in any other way. It is God’s “Instruction Manual” for humanity. It tells us who God is, what He is like and how we ought to serve Him. In its pages we find God’s own instructions as to how we ought to pray to Him.

But you will not receive this full instruction by just “going to church” or by carelessly reading bits and pieces of the Bible for comfort or inspiration. God commands us in His Word, ‘Earnestly STUDY to show yourself approved to God, a workman unashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth” (2 Timothy 2:15, J.P. Green’s Literal Translation).

To know God, to understand His will and to BELIEVE in His promises, you need to regularly STUDY His inspired Word in an orderly way—just as you might study a science textbook or a volume on history. A good place to start is the book of Matthew—the first book in the New Testament. Read this through slowly and carefully—noting what Jesus actually said, paying particular attention to the many examples of answered prayer.

It is beyond the scope of this booklet to thoroughly prove the divine inspiration of the Bible. But if you really want to, you can prove that the prophecies given ONLY in the Bible have either already been fulfilled in literal detail in the past, or are now beginning to be fulfilled in this exciting end-time age in which we live. When you understand the detail and the breadth of these prophecies, you can see that God practically signed His name to the Bible—clearly showing that this book is of DIVINE inspiration! The Apostle Paul wrote: “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 3:16-17).

So when you read specific promises in the Bible, ask for the Almighty to fulfill them in your life. When you see that Jesus and others asked for certain things, realize that this is an example for you to follow. In all your prayers, follow the example of Christ and the Apostles. Let your prayers be the same as theirs when you face similar trials and difficulties.

What about King David of Israel and the other great prophets of the distant past? Their heartfelt prayers and the awesome deliverance God granted them likewise instructs us and bolsters our faith: “Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come” (1 Corinthians 10:11).

One of the reasons King David was a man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14) is not only that he obeyed God, but that he walked and talked with Him and constantly worshiped and ADORED Him. You will clearly see this attitude all through the Psalms: “Bless the Lord, O my soul! O Lord my God, You are very great: You are clothed with honor and majesty, who cover Yourself with light as with a garment, who stretch out the heavens like a curtain.… I will sing to the Lord as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being” (104:1-2, 33).

Leaving behind the memorized, often meaningless, prayers of mainstream religion, begin to really STUDY the teachings and examples relating to prayer in your own Bible. Let the inspired Word of God teach you how to pray and what to ask for. And BELIEVE the teachings and the promises you find in this holy book.

Key #3—Deeply Repent of Your Sins

Although from time to time God hears the prayers of anyone who sincerely cries out to Him in time of need, He is not bound by His Word to do this. That is why men and women sickened by the horrors of war have demanded: “Where was GOD at the Battle of Leningrad, when hundreds of thousands perished?” They have asked: “Where was GOD when the Jews, Poles, Czechs, Danes and Dutch were being herded into gas chambers in World War II?” Or, “Where was God during the rape of Nanking?”

God’s Word answers: “Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; nor His ear heavy, that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear” (Isaiah 59:1-2).

The same principle is found in the New Testament. A man Jesus healed of blindness stated: “Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears him” (John 9:31).

It is not our job to psychoanalyze or “spiritually dissect” those who have not had their prayers answered in the past. But we all have a DUTY to ask ourselves: “Do I worship the true God? Do I do His will?”

Jesus said: “If you want to enter into life, keep the commandments” (Matthew 19:17). Do you keep the Ten Commandments? Or do you make excuses? The Apostle John was inspired to write: “And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight” (1 John 3:22). This New Testament scripture clearly shows us that we receive ANSWERS to our prayers when we KEEP GOD’S COMMANDMENTS!

Please be honest with yourself. It is easy to rationalize or to “reason around” this very clear scriptural teaching about obeying God’s law. But if you want real answers to your prayers, you need to REPENT of breaking the Ten Commandments—which is defined as SIN (1 John 3:4, KJV). And you need to accept Jesus Christ as your personal Savior (Acts 2:38). Then—through the help of the promised Holy Spirit—you will need to SURRENDER more and more each day to let Jesus Christ LIVE His obedient life in you. Keep in mind what the Apostle Paul declared: ‘I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20, KJV).

As you GROW in grace and in the knowledge of Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18), He will live His life in you more and more fully over the course of your Christian life. Certainly, you will not be “perfect” all at once! NO human being has ever been perfect except Jesus Christ Himself. But you WILL be walking in the “way” of the Ten Commandments by surrendering to Him. By “walking with Christ” in this manner, you can be ASSURED of having more powerful answers to your prayers than ever before!

Key #4—Forgive Others

Another vital key to answered prayer is our willingness to truly FORGIVE others. Frankly, our loving Father in heaven simply does not hear those who come to Him in a spirit of revenge, bitterness or hatred. Immediately after giving us the “Lord’s Prayer”—the outline prayer describing the right general approach to talking with God—Jesus went on to instruct His followers: “If you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Matthew 6:14-15).

The prophet Isaiah was inspired to warn us NOT to come into God’s presence while oppressing others, accusing others or being wrapped up in serving only the self. He wrote: “If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, if you extend your soul to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted soul, then your light shall dawn in the darkness” (Isaiah 58:9-10).

Jesus gives us the same admonition: “Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar; and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift” (Matthew 5:23-24).

So we need to come to God in a humble, repentant and forgiving attitude. Otherwise, as Jesus said, God will not forgive us! A spirit of humility and mercy is a key element in whether or not God will hear us as we pray. His inspired Word tells us: “But on this one will I look: on him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at My word” (Isaiah 66:2).

Key #5—God Often Hears the Unconverted

An important aspect of the above point about being merciful and forgiving others is the need to humbly realize that God often hears even the prayers of completely unconverted individuals who cry out to Him. Of course we know that God has said: “Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, That it cannot save; nor His ear heavy, that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear” (Isaiah 59:1-2).

It is certainly true that God will virtually never hear those who are sinning and in a wrong attitude. But, there are millions of sincere people who think they are truly worshiping God and are simply DECEIVED. God Himself has allowed this! And in His inspired Word, God explains that it is “the Devil and Satan who deceives theWHOLE WORLD” (Revelation 12:9). Also, Jesus Christ tells us very clearly: “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:44).

It is very important that we do NOT self-righteously assume that God only hears the prayers of those who are converted and are obeying Him. Again, what about those sincere people who are not yet called? And what about you and me before we were called and converted? As I look back on my own life, I definitely remember several times when God absolutely intervened in answer to my prayers. He was “calling” me. He was beginning to reveal Himself to me as a “real” God by intervening in my life. He has done and will do the same for many, many others all over the world.

Remember the story of the Pharisee and the publican in Luke 18:9-14: “Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: ‘Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, “God, I thank You that I am not like other men; extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.” And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, “God, be merciful to me a sinner!” I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.'”

So the Creator will often hear the prayers of weak or spiritually blinded people who humbly pray to Him. He will NOT hear them if they knowingly disobey Him or are in a wrong attitude. He will NOT hear those who directly pray to idols or to false “gods.” But our merciful Father will hear those who—though ignorant of His full revelation—sincerely cry out to Him as the Creator and the true God.

The above understanding is beautifully expressed in Psalm 107:23-24, 27-31: “Those who go down to the sea in ships, who do business on great waters, they see the works of the Lord, and His wonders in the deep.… They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits’ end. Then they CRY OUT to the Lord in their trouble, and He brings them out of their distresses. He calms the storm, so that its waves are still. Then they are glad because they are quiet; so He guides them to their desired haven. Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men!”

We all know of vain, disobedient or even “worldly” professing Christians who frankly “brag” about answered prayer or tell wild stories of constant “miracles” in their church or in their lives. This religious boasting and even falsifying is a real detriment to true Christianity and could easily be a stumbling block to those being called who see through this sham. BUT, if your friend or neighbor sincerely and heartfeltly prays to the God of heaven, he or she may be heard because God knows that their ignorance of His ways is not deliberate and that their sincerity is very real.

Key #6—Seek God’s Will

Another key to successful prayer is to be absolutely sure that—as far as possible—you align your will and your requests with GOD’s will. As you zealously study the Bible and yield to let Christ live within you, His will increasingly replaces your own. It affects how you pray. You come to realize that God has made all men and women in His image—that He will “call” ALL mankind to understanding and repentance in His time. With this in mind, you will not be praying just for your own good, but for the good of others as well. Then you can sincerely say to God, as Jesus did: “not Mywill, but Yours, be done” (Luke 22:42).

Remember this key phrase from the outline prayer in Matthew 6: “YOUR WILL be done on earth as it is in heaven” (v. 10). We all need to focus on this as we pray. What is really best for us and everyone concerned in the long run? Only GOD knows for sure.

On the other hand, the Bible contains literally dozens of promises and/or direct indications of what God has done or will do in regard to answered prayer. If we pray in faith that God will hear us—and in accordance with His will—we may be sure that He is listening. “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him” (1 John 5:14-15).

Key #7—Have Faith in God

The more you drink in of the Bible, the more deeply you will realize the importance of FAITH. “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).

So you cannot please God without real FAITH. And, generally speaking, the Bible makes it clear that God will not hear and answer your prayers unless you come to Him in faith: “But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord” (James 1:6-7).

Like the other keys we have examined, building faith is accomplished by truly SURRENDERING to let Jesus Christ live His life in you through the Holy Spirit! “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17). So allof us need to constantly read the Bible, and drink in of the examples of faith and obedience of the great men and women of God. In this way, we “feed” on Jesus Christ (John 6:57). We come to think like He thinks, want what He wants. And, through the Holy Spirit, He increasingly LIVES within us as we grow spiritually. Thus united with Christ, we can have TOTAL CONFIDENCE that God the Father will hear our prayers. And this absolute, unwavering confidence in God is what faith IS!

Note carefully this vital teaching of Jesus Christ with respect to prayer and faith: “Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, BELIEVE that you receive them, and you WILL have them” (Mark 11:22-24).

By continually drinking in of the Bible and praying for faith, you will find that your faith will increase more and more. Understand that living faith is produced by God’s Holy Spirit within us (Galatians 5:22-23). And Jesus said: “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” (Luke 11:13).

God wants to give you these things if you humbly ask for them. So pray to Him continually to give you the FAITH you need. Learn to BELIEVE in the promises of God. Learn to believe that God is real—that He has perfect wisdom, perfect love and perfect POWER. Realize that He will KEEP all His promises! Learn to imitate Abraham, the father of the faithful (Romans 4:16), for he “did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also ABLE to perform” (vv. 20-21). This is REAL FAITH. This is the attitude you must have to receive genuine answers to your prayers.

Key #8—Be Persistent

If your son asks you just once for a bicycle and then seemingly forgets about it and never brings the subject up again, how deep is his desire for it’? How much do you think he would appreciate it if he did get one? And so it is when we ask for something from our heavenly Father. Before He supernaturally intervenes, God wants to know that we deeply desire whatever we ask for, and that we will respectand worship Him for answering our prayer.

In other words, God uses our need or desire as a “vehicle” to draw us closer to Him spiritually—to cause us to focus on His will and on what is really best for us and for any others who might be involved. If we carelessly ask for something, and then virtually forget that we ever did, what would that indicate? It might tell God that we are not all that interested in His doing what we ask! Or it could be that all our desires are shallow, perhaps constantly changing, and that we would not feel a deep sense of appreciation and worship even IF He constantly answered such shallow prayers!

Perhaps you are familiar with Jesus’ parable of the “unjust judge” (Luke 18:1-8). This is the story of a certain widow who kept coming and kept coming to the “unjust” judge until he finally said: “Because this woman troubles me I will avenge her [thus honoring her request], lest by her continual coming she weary me” (v. 5). Then Jesus said: “Hear what the unjust judge said. And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them?” (vv. 6-7). When you have a really deep desire for something, you should cry out to God day and night—NEVER giving up.

God wants us to be persistent. He wants us to walk with Him, talk with Him and commune with Him continually—day after day in this age, and ultimately throughout eternity! The Apostle Paul instructs us to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17).

When I was courting my wife to be, I “just couldn’t spend enough time with her.” We talked in person, we talked on the phone, and I thought and prayed about her until we finally married! The true Church is pictured as the affianced bride of Christ. We NEED to spend a lot of time with Him and with the Father to become deeply acquainted. Remember, what we do in this life prepares us to spend ETERNITY together with these two divine Personalities. This is a REAL relationship and, as with any other, it must be developed over time.

So learn to pray regularly to God—spending enough time in prayer to become genuinely “acquainted” with Him. For He is the One in whom “we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28). According to the Scriptures, Jesus often rose early in the morning and spent long, uninterrupted TIME praying to His Father (cf. Mark 1:35).

The prophet Daniel rose to be one of the highest rulers of the Babylonian Empire. Nevertheless, he constantly took time to pray to God on his knees—three times each day (Daniel 6:10). This relationship with the Eternal God was so important to Daniel that He finally risked DEATH in order to continue this vital part of His spiritual life! (vv. 5-10).

King David also customarily prayed three times each day to his Creator: “As for me, I will call upon God, and the Lord shall save me. Evening and morning and at noon I will pray, and cry aloud, and He shall hear my voice” (Psalm 55:16-17).

So pray regularly. Spend plenty of TIME communing with Jesus Christ and your Heavenly Father. And never—EVER—stop praying to God! For, in more ways than one, your very life depends upon this contact!

Key #9—Pray Fervently

I once knew an extremely dedicated and zealous servant of God who often said: “Brethren, one of the reasons we in our modern society do not receive more answers to prayer is that we do not put our HEARTS into our prayers!” One of the key Scriptures he would then cite was Hosea 7:14, which describes one reason that God did not hear the prayers of the ancient Israelites. The Moffatt translation perhaps renders this verse the most clearly: “They never put their HEART into their prayers.

What about us? Do you and I pray with our entire being? Or do we just rattle off a memorized prayer like some pagan chant, or perhaps sleepily mumble a few half-hearted requests to God just before drifting off to sleep?

Again, remember Jesus’ example of getting up EARLY to pray to the Father! For prayer was vitally important to Christ. That is why He apparently put it first on His schedule—before anything else could interfere. And He probably came back to God repeatedly as the day progressed. The book of Hebrews tells us about Christ’s passionate, heartfelt prayers: “Who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement CRIES and TEARS to Him who was able to save Him from death… was heard because of His godly fear” (5:7).

It is good to go to a “private place” to pray as Jesus instructed in Matthew 6. Alone, we can occasionally CRY OUT to our Creator to help us, to chasten us, to DELIVER us from temptations or difficulties where only the help of God Himself can fully take care of the situation. The last night of Jesus’ human life, when He knew He was about to be arrested and crucified, He poured out His being to the Father in fervent prayer for help and deliverance: ‘And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. And His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground” (Luke 22:44).

Jesus was CRYING OUT to His Father in such an intense and passionate manner that some of His capillaries may have literally BURST—filling certain sweat ducts with blood! In our modern, secular, hedonistic, “laid-back” society, we need to grasp that the truly vital issues of life are not material! Rather, they are spiritual—having to do with our Creator and with ALL ETERNITY. They are certainly worthy of getting excited about!

So let us put our hearts into our prayers. Let us be FERVENT. Let us be PASSIONATE as we pour out our hearts to the awesome Personality who wants to be our real Father: “the High and Lofty One who inhabits eternity” (Isaiah 57:15).

Key #10—Ask God to Fashion and Mold You

A genuine man or woman of God is one who has totally surrendered to the will of the Creator. Through the prophet Isaiah, God tells us: “But on this one will I look: on him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at My word” (66:2).

This attitude of seeking God’s will rather than our own—of total submission to our Heavenly Father—is VITAL to our prayer life if we are to receive constant and POWERFUL answers. Note again Jesus’ attitude in one of His final prayers to God while He was still in this human flesh: “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not MY will, but YOURS, be done” (Luke 22:42).

Do you want to truly GROW spiritually—”till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ”? (Ephesians 4:13). If so, you—like we all—need to spiritually “wrestle with God” in our prayers as Jacob literally wrestled with Him and prevailed (cf. Genesis 32:24-32). We need to engage Him in long, thoughtful conversation about how we can more fully yield to Him, walk with Him and honor Him in our lives. We need to constantly ask God to help us fulfill the great PURPOSE for which we were born (please read for our booklet on this subject, titled Your Ultimate Destiny).

It is fine—within limits—to pray for “physical things.” But the ultimate purpose of prayer is to help us focus on GOD, yield to Him and surrender our will to His as we cultivate a vital, interactive relationship. In this way, He becomes increasingly REAL to us. Through constant and heartfelt Bible study and prayer we must SEEK God’s will. We must grasp that our past ideas and attitudes about God and religion in general need much improvement. God tells us through Isaiah: “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways.… For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8-9). And the Apostle Paul instructed: “Let this MIND be in you which was also in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5).

Learn to walk with Him, talk with Him, quietly “commune” with Him off and on all day long. Sincerely ask Him to MOLD you into His own image. The prophet Isaiah was inspired to write: “But now, O Lord, You are our Father; we are the clay, and You our potter; and all we are the work of Your hand” (Isaiah 64:8). The approach of yieldingto God as you pray, of asking Him to rebuke and chasten and fashion you, is one of the vital keys to really powerful prayer.

Key #11—Give Praise and Thanks to Almighty God

Another of the qualities that made King David a man after “God’s own heart” was the sincere love, worship and ADORATION that he continually expressed toward the great CREATOR who blessed him, sustained him and guided him. The entire book of Psalms is literally FILLED with David’s prayers of worship and adoration. Notice Psalm 18: “I will love You, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised; so shall I be saved from my enemies” (vv. 1-3).

Clearly, God—in the person of Jesus Christ, who was the “Rock” of Israel (1 Corinthians 10:4)—was David’s personal “Hero,” his Champion, his Protector and personal Friend. David rejoiced and EXULTED in the wisdom, power and MAJESTY of the Great God! Today, when tens of millions in the world tend to virtually WORSHIP rock stars, rap stars, movie or television “idols” (aptly named!) and sports celebrities, it has become unfashionable to worship and adore our Creator as David did. But rather than worshiping these vain, often misguided, human “stars,” why not give praise to the Great God, who gives us life and breath—the “Father of lights,” who, as we have seen, is the Giver of “every good gift and every perfect gift”? (James 1:17).

Why not truly worship Jesus Christ—through whom God the Father created EVERYTHING that is? (cf. John 1:1-3; Ephesians 3:9). Why not worship the One who “emptied” Himself of His divine GLORY in order to set us a perfect example? (cf. Philippians 2:7-9, NRSV). Why not worship our merciful and faithful High Priest (Hebrews 2:17-18), who willingly DIED for us on the cross? Why not worship HIM?

It is true that human beings want someone to “look up to.” But we are guilty of IDOLATRY when we PERVERT this desire to worship, using it to idolize or sometimes even to shout and scream and stand in awe of degenerate, God—rejecting men and women.

Rather, we all need to redirect this hero worship, including the awe and sense of EXCITEMENT it sometimes engenders, and rather worship the most truly “exciting” Personality in the entire universe—Almighty God! We need to picture how God “flung Out the stars” across the blackness of space, how He made this earth, put man upon it and made us in His image to be His full sons—literal brothers of Jesus Christ forever (Romans 8:29)! We need to appreciate every beautiful sunrise and sunset, every moving work of music, art or literature, every beautiful human being and the talents and love they possess—and realize that they all came from GOD! And He has a lot more in store for us!

We need to constantly thank and praise God for every good gift and for His help and blessing in every situation (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Instead of losing control in our enthusiasm for sports figures, rock stars or any other human “idols,” let us unashamedly pour out our WHOLE BEING in thanking, praising and WORSHIPING the God who made us and who gives us life and breath. This is the God who FORGIVES us time and time and time again, who guides and blesses us, and who in the end—plans to share His ETERNAL GLORY with us if we will only respond and learn to love Him as He loves us!

Key #12—Pray in the Name of Jesus Christ

In ancient Israel, the high priest ALONE was allowed to go into the Most Holy Place of the tabernacle or temple—which pictured entering into the direct presence of God. And even he was commanded to go there ONLY once a year—on the Day of Atonement (cf. Leviticus 16). With this sole exception on but one single day, anyone entering this sacred room would be immediately put to death by God Himself! Likewise, mankind, as a whole, has been cut off from direct contact with God.

But today, because Jesus of Nazareth died for our sins, true Christians have direct access to the Father. Instead of fearing DEATH in coming before God, we are rather instructed: “Let us therefore come BOLDLY to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need”! (Hebrews 4:16).

Through the “name”—the office and authority of Jesus Christ—we can directly approach God in prayer and worship. We do not need any human priest as a kind of intercessor. For we already have the greatest High Priest—Jesus Christ (v. 14). And He taught His true followers: “Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you. Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full” (John 16:23-24).

Of course, many misuse the name of Christ. For, citing Isaiah, Jesus described the religious leaders of His day: “IN VAIN they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men” (Matthew 15:9). Again Jesus said: “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46).

To truly and correctly use Jesus’ name, we must OBEY Him and ask according to His will. Remember that in the Sermon on the Mount, Christ warned: “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!”‘ (Matthew 7:21-23).

Frankly, those who teach or practice LAWLESSNESS—preaching that obedience to the Ten Commandments is not necessary—are not AUTHORIZED to use the name of Jesus Christ. For they are teaching and practicing a false Christianity that is completely contrary to EVERYTHING that Jesus lived and died for!

The Apostle John explained: “He who says, ‘I know Him,’ and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him” (1 John 2:4). One does not genuinely “know” God—is not acquainted with God—unless he truly surrenders to let Christ live in him, practicing the Ten Commandments as a WAY OF LIFE. Likewise, you cannot know God unless you are growing, overcoming and experiencing within your own life the very CHARACTER of God that is expressed in these commandments!

Those who do not really know the true God or His way are simply not capable of properly coming before Him in the name of Jesus Christ. However, as we have seen, a merciful God will sometimes even hear the prayers of sinners IF they are sincerely ignorant and IF they turn to Him with all their hearts. But for those who want consistent answers to their prayers, we must serve and obey the true God. As God’s Word tells us: “Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin” (James 4:17).

So as you approach God in heartfelt, regular prayer, be sure you are OBEYING your Lord and Master Jesus Christ. Though He does not expect instant spiritual maturity, He does want us to walk in this way through the help of the Holy Spirit. Then come to the Father through Christ ALONE to make the direct contact of effective prayer. And remember that coming through Christ’s name—that is, through His office or authority—includes most of the other keys to prayer given in this booklet. For coming fully and perfectly in Christ’s name would certainly include praying to the true God, being filled with the Scriptures, obeying God, forgivingothers, having deep faith in God, being persistent and fervent, learning to yield as malleable clay in God’s hands and heartily worshiping and adoring your Creator.

Finally, for your own good, please study and review ALL of these vital keys! Learn to constantly pray to God—communing and walking with Him. Then, as the end of this age approaches and the awesome trials and tests of the full Christian life come upon you—as they surely will—you will know exactly what to do and how to do it. In fact, you will be able to follow Christ’s own footsteps. Since He had cried out to God for strength and courage, He was not afraid when His time had come to die. In fact, as Judas and an entire detachment of troops came to seize Him, Jesus calmly “went forward” and asked them: “Whom are you seeking?” (John 18:4). For Jesus had done what He always did. Earlier, in the Garden of Gethsemane, He had fallen on his face and fervently PRAYED, calling out: “O My Father…” (Matthew 26:39).

God grant that you will learn to pray as Jesus did! For you should now understand how to use one of the most powerful tools in the entire universe. You have now been given real answers to unanswered prayer—12 keys to answered prayer!

Booklet Category

Prayer

Faith

Grace

Restoring Original Christianity

4uwzvo — Mon, 28 Feb 2022 21:09:27 +0000

Restoring Original Christianity 4uwzvo Mon, 02/28/2022 - 21:09

Restoring Original Christianity

Roderick C. Meredith (1930-2017)

Booklet Media

#Christian Living

#Doctrine

#False Religion

If Jesus of Nazareth were to return to the earth today, would He recognize the religion that is using His name? Not at all! Mankind has twisted Jesus Christ’s teachings so that the religion bearing His name has practically no relationship to what He and the Apostles actually lived and believed. Can you find a Church that strives to live by the original teachings of Christianity? Can you prove for yourself what God’s Truth really is? This booklet will give you the all

If Jesus of Nazareth were to return to the earth today, would He recognize the religion that is using His name? Would He be shocked to find that people claiming to be His followers have been waging war against each other almost continually for the last 1,900 years—Catholic fighting Catholic, and Protestant fighting Protestant? That His professed followers believe doctrines totally contrary to what He taught, observing different days of worship, different customs and—most importantly—having a totally different concept of God and of His purpose than Jesus and the original Apostles did?

Jesus might wonder: “Why are they putting My name on all this “stuff”?

Yet most genuine religious scholars recognize that vast changes have overtaken professing Christianity—rendering it totally different from the Christianity of Jesus and the Apostles! As respected mainline Protestant scholar Jesse Lyman Hurlbut acknowledges:

“For fifty years after St. Paul’s life a curtain hangs over the church, through which we strive vainly to look; and when at last it rises, about 120ad with the writings of the earliest church-fathers, we find a church in many aspects very different from that in the days of St. Peter and St. Paul” (Story of the Christian Church, p. 41).

If the leaders, during this time which Hurlbut elsewhere called an “age of shadows,” were filled with and led by God’s Spirit, then why would the Church suddenly be “very different”? For the Bible tells us that Christ is “the same yesterday, today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). Yet the professing Christian church today is not even remotely the same as the one Jesus founded.

Describing the time period after all the original Apostles and their successors had died out, Hurlbut writes:

“The services of worship increased in splendor, but were less spiritual and hearty than those of former times. The forms and ceremonies of paganism gradually crept into the worship. Some of the old heathen feasts became church festivals with change of name and of worship. About 405ad images of saints and martyrs began to appear in the churches, at first as memorials, then in succession revered, adored, and worshiped. The adoration of the Virgin Mary was substituted for the worship of Venus and Diana; the Lord’s supper became a sacrifice in place of a memorial; and the elder evolved from a preacher into a priest” (p. 79).

Notice Hurlbut’s statement that “some of the old heathen feasts became church festivals.” They “became” that way because God Himself had predicted that evilmen and false leaders would take over most of the Church! Remember this inspired warning the Apostle Paul gave the Ephesian elders: “For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves. Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears” (Acts 20:29–31).

When Paul realized the depth of the apostasy that would overtake most of the Church, it hit him emotionally. He then “did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears”! Very few people today seem to be concerned enough about this massive apostasy to even begin to shed tears over this awesome change.

HOW Could This Happen?

This massive apostasy occurred because men and women back then, just like today, did not zealously prove to themselves where God’s Truth was being taught. That is why the living Christ corrected those Christians living near the end of the Apostolic Era: “Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent” (Revelation 2:4–5).

And what about today? How can we account for the more than 400 different denominations and sects—all calling themselves “Christian”? And all of them having some type of different ideas, traditions and approaches and yet claiming to follow the same Jesus Christ?

Part of the answer is the fact that extremely few professing Christians really study their Bibles! So they do not “prove” virtually anything they believe by carefully researching it in the Bible! Oh, they may enthusiastically study books and articles on health, on self-improvement or on investing and making more money. But somehow it does not occur to them to thoroughly study the most vital subjects of all: Is there areal God? If so, what is His purpose in creating human beings? And how can we fulfill that purpose? Yet the Bible commands: “Prove all things, hold fast that which is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21, KJV).

Most people have just “accepted” the religion passed down through their families. Most have just “gone along” with the beliefs and the traditions taught to them as children. Noting the public’s lack of attention to their religion, Los Angeles Timesreligion writer Teresa Watanabe reported:

“According to one religious research firm, two-thirds of Americans don’t regularly read the Bible or know the names of the Four Gospels. More than half of Americans surveyed can’t name even five of the Ten Commandments. And the majority say they find the Good Book irrelevant.… ‘We still hold the Bible in high regard, but in terms of actually spending the time reading it, studying it and applying it—that is a thing of the past,’ said George Barna. The reasons cited range from changes in American culture to the intrinsic difficulty of the text itself.

Now religious organizations are making a major effort to jazz up the ancient Scripture’s doddering image. Bible publishers are producing a dizzying array of products, with translations and editions pitched to every conceivable niche market, to convince people that the book is neither arcane nor irrelevant” (Los Angeles Times, July 23, 1999).

Of course, the real underlying cause of this massive religious apostasy is that this is Satan’s world and that he has totally deceived the vast majority of humanity. In the comfortable surroundings of western civilization, most Americans, Canadians and others fail to realize that the overwhelming majority of human beings have never believed in any form of “Christianity”—let alone the real Christianity of Christ and the Apostles! The vast majority of humans are—and always have been—Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Shintoists, atheists or agnostics.

A Very REAL Satan Is Involved

If you will study and believe your own Bible, you will find that Satan the devil is described as the one “who deceives the whole world” (Revelation 12:9). You will also find Satan referred to as “the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience” (Ephesians 2:2). For Satan “broadcasts” a selfish, rebellious attitude throughout this earth. He is the one who is influencing deceived men into injecting enormous amounts of licentious sex, violence and a general spirit of disrespect and lawlessness into the so-called “entertainment” you and your children see or hear on television, at the movies, on the radio or when playing various kinds of perverted computer games which simulate almost indescribable acts of perversion or violence. Do you know who is really laughing at all this “fun stuff”? Satan is!

For by perverting mankind’s normal interest in sex and excitement, and by cleverly injecting sick humor into so many of television’s “situation comedies,” Satan is able to cleverly mislead mankind into abusing, degrading and ultimately destroying itself if God does not intervene at the last minute to stop it (Matthew 24:21–22). Satan is truly the “god” of this present world! The Apostle Paul was inspired to write, “But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them” (2 Corinthians 4:3–4).

Most important of all, Satan has injected into mainstream “Christianity” a whole series of totally false ideas about the origin and destiny of man, of what God is like, of what God’s awesome purpose is, and how we are to achieve that great purpose. Additionally, Satan has confused people about prophecy so much that most professing Christians and even most professing Christian ministers and priests simply throw up their hands and almost totally neglect biblical prophecy. Yet our Creator devotes about one-fourth of the entire Bible to the “sure word of prophecy” (2 Peter 1:19, KJV).

Have you ever looked at traditional Christianity and asked yourself: “Is this religion really based on the Bible? Is this the religion founded by Jesus Christ and taught by His Apostles?” If Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world, then his life should be an example for His followers. But practically no one actually follows His example!

Christianity Without Christ?

Instead, mankind has made its own religion that is almost completely different from what Jesus Christ preached and practiced. And they call that religion “Christianity,” as if it were connected with Jesus Christ! As the philosopher and theologian Soren Kirkegaard put it:

“The Christianity of the New Testament simply does not exist… what has to be done is to throw light upon a criminal offense against Christianity prolonged through centuries, perpetrated by millions (more or less guiltily), whereby they have cunningly, under the guise of perfecting Christianity, sought little by little to cheat God out of Christianity and have succeeded in making Christianity exactly the opposite of what it is in the New Testament” (Attack Upon Christendom, Kirkegaard, 1956, pp. 32–33).

Those are strong words, but they are hardly unique. Professor Rufus M. Jones concurs, noting how Christ’s true teachings were quickly detached from the religion bearing His name:

“If by any chance Christ Himself had been taken by His later followers as the model and pattern of the new way, and a serious attempt had been made to set up His life and teaching as the standard and norm for the Church, Christianity would have been something vastly different from what it became. Then ‘heresy’ would have been as it is not now, deviation from His way, His teaching, His spirit, His kingdom.… What we may properly call ‘Galilean Christianity’ had a short life, though there have been notable attempts to revive it and make it live again, and here and there spiritual prophets have insisted that anything else other than this simple Galilean religion is ‘heresy’; but the main line of historic development has taken a different course and has marked the emphasis very differently” (The Church’s Debt to Heretics, Jones, 1924, pp. 15–16).

We should not be surprised that mankind tried to remake Christianity its own way. Mankind has tried for thousands of years to find its own way. Humanism, materialism, socialism, communism or capitalism—human society has invented so many philosophies in the vain hope of giving meaning to life without God, and creating through human effort a happy and prosperous society on the earth.

The truth is clear. Modern “Christianity” has become “vastly different”—as Professor Jones wrote—from the Christianity of Christ! But what has been the result? Nations are almost constantly at war with each other, the rich prosper while the poor starve and disease runs rampant. “The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation,” wrote Henry David Thoreau. He was right! But neither Thoreau nor most of mankind have had their eyes opened to the solution, the Truth that would fill their lives with meaning and joy and peace.

Some might say, “So what?” But this is no small matter we are talking about. Frankly, we are talking about the way to eternal life on the one hand, or eternal death on the other (Romans 6:23). For if you do not have the Christianity of Christ, you have no Christianity whatsoever!

Jesus Himself warned, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” (Matthew 7:21–23). It is important to realize that Christ will say to those failing to do the “will” of the Father: “I never knew you.” In plain language, these deceived churchgoers will be told that they were, in fact, never acquainted with the Christ they claim to serve. They were never really converted. They were never really “Christian”!

Again, Jesus said, “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46). A “lord” or “master” is someone you obey. But most professing Christian ministers and their followers do not follow the clear teachings and examples of Jesus and the Apostles. And most of them do not even bother to deeply study their Bibles to find what those teachings and examples are!

Restoring Original Christianity

The key issue, then, is our desire and willingness to get back to the true Christian faith, “the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3). Are you willing to genuinely try to follow the Christianity of Christ? Or are you willing to “take a chance” in your relationship with God and in your quest for eternal life?

Frankly, the “little flock” (Luke 12:32)—the true Church of God—has always understood the need to pattern itself after the teachings and examples of Christ and the Apostles. Although very few have seriously attempted to follow this pattern, many scholars and religious historians have understood the concept of the “Jerusalem Church of God.” This is a vital concept to understand if we are sincerely interested in contending “for the faith once delivered.”

The Apostle Paul was inspired to write to the Thessalonians, “For you, brethren, became imitators of the churches of God which are in Judea in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 2:14). The book of Acts makes it clear that the earthly “headquarters” Church of God—for many decades—was the Jerusalem Church. It was here that the Holy Spirit was originally poured out on the true Christians (Acts 2). It was here where Peter, James and John carried on most of their ministry for many years (cf. Acts 4:1; 8:1; 11:1–2). Later, it was to the leadership at Jerusalem that Paul and Barnabas came to settle the major question of circumcision for the Gentiles and related questions (Acts 15:4-6).

As renowned historian Edward Gibbon wrote: “The first fifteen bishops of Jerusalem were all circumcised Jews; and the congregation over which they presided united the law of Moses with the doctrine of Christ. It was natural that the primitive tradition of a church which was founded only forty days after the death of Christ, and was governed almost as many years under the immediate inspection of his apostle, should be received as the standard of orthodoxy. The distant churches very frequently appealed to the authority of their venerable Parent” (The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, chap. 15, sec. 1, p. 389).

As indicated above, the only major ministerial conference indicated in the New Testament was held at Jerusalem. Here lived the leading original Apostles. Here was the true “mother” church (not Rome!). And it was to Jerusalem Paul and Barnabas had come even earlier, lest, as Paul had put it, “I might run, or had run, in vain” (Galatians 2:1–2).

After the major Jerusalem conference, Paul and Silas traveled through Asia Minor visiting the churches: “And as they went through the cities, they delivered to them the decrees to keep, which were determined by the apostles and elders at Jerusalem” (Acts 16:4).

Paul Looked to Jerusalem

Clearly the original Apostles and the Jerusalem Church of God set the inspired “pattern” for true Christianity—not just for that time—but for all time! Contrary to the heretical Protestant ideas that the Apostle Paul later was used by God to “reinvent” Christianity, the real Apostle Paul of the Bible—as we have seen—constantly showed deep respect for the original Apostles and deferred to the leadership at Jerusalem in all major matters! And it was the Apostle Paul who wrote the primarily Gentile church at Corinth: “Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing, but keeping the commandments of God is what matters” (1 Corinthians 7:19). Noted historian Carl von Weiszäcker wrote in 1895:

“Paul was far from confining his interest to the Gentile Christian Church which he had himself founded. His thoughts were much too lofty to leave Jewish Christianity to itself. He toiled not merely for his own work, but for the Church of God… the whole Church. He never forgot for a moment the true birthplace of the gospel. And for him the Christians in Jerusalem were always the [saints].… He did not however merely entertain a grand policy of ecclesiastical union, but his first and constant thought was that the primitive Church was the foremost divine institution under the Gospel.… In the early Apostles he saw… the Apostles of the Lord. From them the testimony of the Resurrection emanated (1 Corinthians 15:1 ff.). They were ever the apostles, whom God had placed at the head of His Church, the first of those divinely commissioned men who held the leading office in the Body of Christ” (1 Corinthians 12:28) (The Apostolic Age of the Christian Church, pp. 12–13).

Later in Paul’s ministry, he traveled again to Jerusalem: “And when we had come to Jerusalem, the brethren received us gladly. On the following day Paul went in with us to James, and all the elders were present” (Acts 21:17–18). Notice that Paul presented himself to James, the Lord’s brother, who by now was undoubtedly the chief Apostle at Jerusalem—Peter probably having gone to the “lost sheep” of the house of Israel in northwest Europe and the British Isles.

After rejoicing in the good news Paul brought about God’s Work among the Gentiles, the Jerusalem leadership told Paul: “You see, brother, how many myriadsof Jews there are who have believed, and they are all zealous for the law” (v. 20). The term “myriad” literally means “tens of thousands.” So as not to confuse or discourage these many Jewish Christians, Paul was asked by the Jerusalem Church to go through an offering ceremony to publicly demonstrate that he was notteaching in any way against God’s laws. The Jerusalem leaders exhorted Paul: “Take these men along and be purified with them and pay all the expenses connected with the shaving of their heads. This will let everyone know there is no truth in the reports they have heard about you and that you still regularly observe the Law” (v. 24, Jerusalem Bible).

If Paul had in fact been teaching against God’s Law in any way—especially the spiritual law containing the Ten Commandments—he most certainly would nothave gone through this ceremony of the law of Moses! That particular ceremony—probably a thanks offering at the conclusion of the Nazarite vow—was notnecessary for a New Testament Christian. But it was not “sinful” either! And Paul’s deep respect for God’s Law, for the original mother church and the pattern of obedience to God’s Law—all this guided Paul in his decision to go ahead and participate in this ceremony. By guiding Paul in this—and putting this example in the Bible—God is showing all of us that Paul’s approach was one of obedience to law, not one who tried to do away with or “reason around” God’s spiritual laws as so many Protestant theologians teach!

What Did Christ Do on Earth?

Nearly all professing Christians understand that in order to be an acceptable sacrifice for mankind’s sins, Jesus Christ had to keep the Law perfectly. But what law did He keep, and what did He expect of His followers? Here is how Christ Himself described His mission:

“Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:17–20).

Many Christians do not grasp the importance of those words. Christ said that not “one jot or one tittle” (the tiniest marks in the Hebrew script) of the law would pass from the law until heaven and earth pass away. Since heaven and earth have not passed away, we must understand that the law remains. And Christ condemned those who would falsely teach men to break even the “least of these commandments.” Rather, He explained that those who both do and teach the commandments will be called “great” in the kingdom of heaven!

Did His “fulfilling” the law somehow change these commands? Or did they change after Christ’s resurrection? No! Heaven and earth did not pass away at His resurrection. And we must understand what He meant when He said that he would “fulfill” the law. One scholar explains His words as follows:

“Did [Jesus] fill or fulfill the [Law]? The common word plerôsai means ‘to fill.’ At [Matthew] 5:17 most translations render it ‘to fulfill.’ The theological implications often drawn are that [Jesus] fulfilled all the prophecies of the [Old Testament] pertaining to the Jews, so that none remain for them now; and that he kept the [Law] perfectly, so that no one need obey it today. But these conclusions do not follow logically, and in fact they contradict [Jesus’] immediately preceding statement that he did not come to abolish (or destroy) the [Law]. More fundamental for translation, however, is the question of whether plerôsai in this verse should be rendered ‘to fulfill’ at all. [This] translator’s view is that [Jesus] came to fill the [Law] and the ethical pronouncements of the Prophets full with their complete meaning, so that everyone can know all that obedience entails. For this reason the Jewish New Testament says that [Jesus] came ‘not to abolish but to complete.’ In fact, this is the subject of the entire Sermon on the Mount; and [Matthew] 5:17, understood in this way, is its theme sentence” (Jewish New Testament, Stern, 1995, pp. xxii–xxiii).

In other words, Jesus came, as Isaiah prophesied (Isaiah 42:21), to “magnify” God’s law and to show its fullest intent and purpose. What Jesus Christ sought to abolish were the abuses of the law, and the man-made traditions that perverted the law. His sacrificial death, foreshadowed by the temple sacrifices, made those animal sacrifices and washings irrelevant for Christians. But His life showed that the spiritual law—the Ten Commandments—was and would remain relevant for those seeking to obey Him. One cannot properly understand His teachings without understanding the Old Testament scriptures and the law they contain, as noted by Frederick Holmgren:

“The Old Testament brings gifts to the Christian tradition. One of those gifts is the Torah (the Law).… Jesus embraced the Torah of Moses; he came not to end it but to fulfill it (Matthew 5:17)—to carry its teachings forward. Further, to those who came to him seeking eternal life, he held it up as the essential teaching to be observed (Luke 10:25–28). Despite Jesus’ conflict with some interpreters of his day, both Jewish and Christian scholars see him as one who honored and followed the Law. When Jesus proclaims the coming rule of God, he speaks nowhere in detail about the inner character of this rule. He does not need to because that has already been described in the Old Testament.… The Old Testament is not an antiquated Scripture; its life-giving teachings are needed by the church” (Frederick C. Holmgren, “Preaching the Gospel Without Anti-Judaism,” Removing Anti-Judaism from the Pulpit, ed. Howard Clark Kee and Irvin J. Borowski, 1996, pp. 72–73).

Indeed, Jesus Christ taught from the Old Testament, and He lived by it, as did His followers.

What Did the Apostles Teach?

We have seen that Jesus Christ plainly upheld God’s law. Yet some churches falsely accuse the Apostles—especially the Apostle Paul—of teaching that Christians need no longer follow Jesus Christ’s example. Indeed, even in the first century ad we see that some were twisting Paul’s words for their purposes (cf. 2 Peter 3:16). Yet when writing to the young evangelist Timothy, Paul plainly reminded him “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” (2 Timothy 3:15–16).

When Timothy was a child, the “Holy Scriptures” he knew were the Old Testament scriptures. Most of the New Testament books did not yet exist! Paul says that these Old Testament scriptures are “able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.” Paul saw no conflict between Old Testament scripture and Christian faith and practice, and confirmed that all Scripture (including the Old Testament) is profitable for doctrine and for instruction in righteousness. These are not the words of someone teaching that the God’s Old Testament laws have been done away!

The Apostle Paul instructed Christians: “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1). The Apostle John observed: “He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked” (1 John 2:6).

These two, like all the Apostles, knew that Jesus Christ came to show the perfect example, and that Christians ought to follow His example, strengthened by the Holy Spirit. This was the commonplace understanding in the Apostle Paul’s day, as Christianity spread across the Roman Empire.

“Everywhere, especially in the East of the Roman Empire, there would be Jewish Christians whose outward way of life would not be markedly different from that of the Jews. They took for granted that the gospel was continuous with [the religion of Moses]; for them the New Covenant, which Jesus had set up at the Last Supper with His disciples… did not mean that the covenant made between God and Israel was no longer in force. They still observed the feasts of Passover, Pentecost and Tabernacles; they also continued to be circumcised, to keep the weekly Sabbath and the Mosaic regulations concerning food. According to some scholars, they must have been so strong that right up to the fall of Jerusalem in ad70 they were the dominant element in the Christian movement” (Judeo-christianisme, “Paul and Jewish Christianity,” Davies, 1972, p. 72, quoted in Bacchiocchi, From Sabbath to Sunday, p. 151).

So for about the first 40 years of Christianity, guided by the Holy Spirit, the “dominant element” in the Church of God was still following Christ’s example of keeping the weekly and annual Sabbaths commanded by God. They were still following the example set by the Jerusalem Church of God!

Who dared to change all of that?

As we have seen, it was not the Apostle Paul. It was certainly not any of the original 12 Apostles. Rather, as the time period—which is fittingly called the “Dark Ages”—began to get underway, misguided false religious leaders began to change virtually everything that had made the Christian religion totally different from the pagan cults of the Roman Empire.

Some wrongly teach that after Jerusalem fell and the Temple was destroyed in 70ad, Christians were no longer to keep the law as had Jesus Christ and the Apostles. So it is important to note that the Apostle John, the last surviving Apostle, wrote the book of Revelation after the Temple was destroyed. And in that book, he upheld the law of God! “Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city” (Revelation 22:14). John heard these words from God, and knew the importance of obeying Him: “And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations” (Revelation 2:26). Clearly, Christians were keeping the law, living just as Jesus Christ did, long after the Temple was destroyed! Scholars concur. “The first Christians continued to observe the Jewish festivals [the biblically-taught festivals], though in a new spirit, as commemorations of events which those festivals had foreshadowed” (Encyclopædia Britannica, 11th ed., vol. 8, p. 828).

What Was First-Century Christianity Like?

Most professing Christians today have no idea what first-century Christianity was really like! Yet for decades—long after Christ’s death and resurrection and the disciples’ reception of the Holy Spirit—the true Christians all believed and practiced a way of life and worship totally different from professing Christianity today!

How was it different?

As we saw earlier from Professor Davies, the early Christians “took for granted that the gospel was continuous with [the religion of Moses]; for them the New Covenant, which Jesus had set up at the Last Supper with His disciples… did not mean that the covenant made between God and Israel was no longer in force. They still observed the feasts of Passover, Pentecost and Tabernacles; they also continued to be circumcised, to keep the weekly Sabbath and the Mosaic regulations concerning food.”

Subtly, but surely, Satan the devil has deceived most of today’s professing ministers into believing that Christianity was a “brand new religion”—seemingly cut off from the Old Testament and the teaching God gave through Moses. And although some may not be consciously aware of it, a definite anti-Jewish bias crept into early Christianity and has continued to this day!

But the biblical and historical facts show that Christianity was a continuation—an enlargement and “magnification” of the teachings God gave through Moses—notsomething brand new! As the Apostle Paul was inspired in the New Testament to explain to the Gentile Christians at Ephesus: “Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone” (Ephesians 2:19–20). So a basic part of the very “foundation” of Christianity was the writings and teachings of the Old Testament prophets—those writings which Christ and the Apostles referred to as “Scripture” again and again!

For Jesus Christ was a circumcised Jew (Luke 2:21–22; Hebrews 7:14). It was Jesus’ “custom” to keep the seventh-day Sabbath—right along with the other Jews (Luke 4:16). Far from abrogating God’s Sabbath, Jesus said that the Sabbath was made for “man”—not just the Jews, and that He was “Lord” of the Sabbath. So the Sabbath is, in fact, the true “Lord’s Day” as far as a day of rest and worship is concerned!

Long after the crucifixion, it was the Apostle Paul’s “custom” also to keep the seventh-day Sabbath (Acts 17:2). We also find Paul observing the annual biblical festivals such as Pentecost (1 Corinthians 16:8), Passover and Unleavened Bread (1 Corinthians 5:7–8) and other festivals.

The true Church of God—named “Church of God” 12 times in the New Testament—was itself started on the Day of Pentecost, one of the seven annual Sabbaths God gave Israel. At His second coming, Christ Himself will return at the “seventh trump” (Revelation 11:15)—pictured by the Feast of Trumpets, another one of the biblical Holy Days. And the Living Jesus Christ, who inspired the entire Bible, also inspired His servant Zechariah to explain that after Christ’s second coming the whole world will be observing the Feast of Tabernacles! (read carefully the entire 14th chapter of Zechariah). Also, during the soon-coming Millennial reign of Christ, Isaiah tells us, “‘And it shall come to pass that from one New Moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another, all flesh shall come to worship before Me,’ says the Lord” (Isaiah 66:23).

So true Christians who observe the biblical Sabbaths and biblical festivals are, in fact, “pioneers.” They are not only following the “pattern” of the original Christianity taught and practiced by Jesus Christ; they are “pioneering” the Way of life which allnations will soon be learning in tomorrow’s world!

For example, the seventh-day Sabbath pictures the reign of Christ during the coming seventh millennium of human history. It is the “rest” which God commanded from the beginning (Hebrews 4:4). That is why Paul was inspired to write, “There remains therefore a rest for the people of God” (v. 9). It is important to realize that the Greek word here translated “rest” is sabbatismos—the “keeping of a Sabbath”—whereas katapausin is the normal Greek word for taking rest and is the word used throughout the rest of Hebrews 4.

Incidentally, if you would like full, documented proof that Christians today should keep the biblical Sabbath, then write for our powerful and absolutely vital booklet, Which Day is the Christian Sabbath? It will be sent to you at no charge upon your request. Just write or call us at the address nearest you listed at the end of this booklet.

God’s Sabbath and His annual Holy Days picture His great Plan. But true Christianity, of course, involves far more than keeping the biblical Sabbaths. As we have already intimated, it involves an entire Way of life based on Jesus’ example and His teaching, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word of God” (Luke 4:4).

Jesus MAGNIFIED God’s Law

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus certainly did not “do away” with God’s spiritual law (Matthew 5:17). Rather, He “magnified” the Ten Commandments. He explained that we must not only refrain from killing other human beings, we must not even look on them with contempt or hatred (vv. 20–23), as that is the “spirit” of murder.We are not to “hate” even our enemies. As Jesus said clearly: “But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you” (v. 44).

We are never to commit adultery. But, as Jesus clearly said: “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (vv. 27–28).

The early Christians were taught that they should give in a very private manner—not showing off, or having a big “foundation” in their own name to perpetuate their honor in the giving (Matthew 6:1–4). True Christians were to pray regularly and privately—not showing off their oratorical skills before men or using certain words or phrases over and over in “vain repetition” (vv. 5–13). And true Christians certainly would fast regularly (vv. 16–18), following biblical examples of doing without food and water in order to humble the self and get closer to the invisible God as Jesus did (Matthew 4), Moses did (Deuteronomy 9:9, 18) and the Apostle Paul did (Acts 9:9).

In our materialistic age, we need to understand that the original Christians did not allow themselves to be overcome by the desires for money, or material things as most professing Christians do today (Matthew 6:19–20). As Jesus later warned His followers: “Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful” (Matthew 13:22). Rather, as the book of Acts explains: “Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common” (Acts 4:32).

First century Christianity was squarely based on the teachings of the “law and prophets”—except for those animal sacrifices and washings which pre-figured the sacrifice of Christ and the cleansing of the Holy Spirit. These sacrifices and washings were made obsolete (Hebrews 9:9–12). But the spiritual laws of God were never done away. Rather, as Jesus’ beloved disciple John was inspired to write: “Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus” (Revelation 14:12).

A View of First-Century Christianity

If you could somehow “look in on” true Christianity during the first century and even beyond, what would you see? You would see a group of dedicated believers in Jesus as the promised Messiah. You would see a community of believers to whom the God of Israel, the God of Creation, was real. For these people would not just talk about the person of Jesus Christ. They would do what He commanded.

With Christ living in them through the promised Holy Spirit, they would keep all tenof the Ten Commandments as a way of life. As they learned to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18), there would be in their community no crime—no murder, rape, robbery or assault. No fornication or adultery. And except in rare incidents of sexual misconduct, there would be no divorce and remarriage (Matthew 5:32). Obviously, such Christians would have in their society no pornography and no gross sex and violence of any kind in their “entertainment”—whether in books, plays, or (among today’s Christians) television, movies, computer games or the Internet. Rather, all these dedicated, wholesome families would be obeying their “Lord,” not just using His name while they contradicted by their lifestyle everything He taught (Luke 6:46). They would be resting and worshiping God on the seventh-day Sabbath as He commanded—constantly being reminded by this biblical day of worship that the true God is the Creator of all that is (Exodus 20:8–11).

True Christians, for instance, would never be found fighting or butchering their fellow Christians—as has happened over and over again in the last few centuries in France, Belgium, Germany and Italy. In first century Christianity, the members of God’s Church never prayed to dead, so-called “saints” or to idols. They neverworshiped the Virgin Mary. Of course, they understood that as a normal wife, Mary had at least six other children by her husband after Jesus’ supernatural birth had taken place (Matthew 13:55–56).

In first century Christianity, the dedicated ministers and elders in the Church of God were primarily husbands and fathers (1 Timothy 3:1–5; Titus 1:5–9). They were taught that in “latter times” some would be deceived by “doctrines of demons” into thinking it was wrong for men—certainly including ministers or priests—to marry (1 Timothy 4:1–3). Meeting regularly in plain surroundings on the day God made holy, His Sabbath, God’s ministers were instructed: “Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables” (2 Timothy 4:2–4).

Indeed, as we have seen, mankind has been turned aside to “fables.” Today, in dark, dank, foreboding cathedrals, priests and ministers in strange-looking “Mother Hubbard” gowns go through incomprehensible rituals, chant prayers and responsive readings—and expound the Bible itself very seldom. They have very little to say about the way of life which Christ and the Apostles taught or about the one-fourth of the Bible which was prophetic, or about the true purpose which God is working out here on earth.

As the New Testament makes plain, first century Christians would be “feeding on Christ” (John 6:57) by constant study of the Bible. Remember God’s description of the Bereans? “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” (Acts 17:11).

First century Christians, then, would be trying sincerely, with God’s promised help, to live by every Word of God. They would be following Christ’s example of obedience to God’s laws—not the ways, the rituals or the religious festivals learned from the pagans around them.

Again, they would not only believe in the person of Jesus Christ, but they would believe and practice what He taught: “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word;and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him” (John 14:23). And they would believe what the Apostle John wrote near the end of the Apostolic Age: “Therefore let that abide in you which you heard from thebeginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father” (1 John 2:24).

Most first century Christians would have deeply understood the fundamental teaching of the Apostle Paul: “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20, KJV). The Bible makes it clear that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).

So true Christians—through Christ living in them—would be obeying the Ten Commandments as Jesus did, keeping the seventh-day Sabbath and biblical Holy Days as Jesus did and following the entire way of life modeled by Jesus Christ and the original Apostles whom He taught. As they worshiped together, sang together and served one another, they would have been filled with love—with worship and adoration toward the Great God, and with kindness and out-flowing concern toward one another.

For Christ would be living within them His loving, serving and obedient life. And they would be filled with and led by God’s Spirit (Romans 8:14). That very love of God flows down the riverbed of the Ten Commandments. As Jesus’ beloved Apostle explains: “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome” (1 John 5:3).

HOW Was the Truth Lost?

Some teach that their denomination was given the authority to change Christ’s teachings, and that by this authority its members need no longer obey Christ’s commandments or follow His example. The largest professing Christian sect calls itself “universal” and claims to trace its human leadership back to the Apostle Peter—from whom it claims the authority to change biblical doctrines, even though Peter himself never did so.

Sincere members of that church would be shocked to learn that many of those who today call themselves Christians can trace their faith not to Peter, but to Simon Magus, mentioned in Acts 8! This Simon Magus was at the heart of the apostasy that turned much of the first-century Church away from Christ’s teachings.

Scripture recounts that all of Samaria gave heed to Simon Magus as someone great, calling him “the great power of God” (Acts 8:9–10). That phrase represents Simon’s “claim to be the bearer of divine revelation” (The New Testament Environment, Lohse, p. 269). Simon received baptism and became a nominal Christian, but the Apostle Peter recognized Simon as being “poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity” (Acts 8:23). Simon’s Samaritan religion was also greatly influenced by Greek philosophy, and early Christian writers reviled him. Eerdman’s Handbook to the History of Christianity notes: “Early Christian writers regarded Simon as the fount of all heresies” (p. 100). The Encyclopaedia Britannica (11th ed.) in its article on Simon Magus identifies him as the “founder of a school of Gnostics and as a father of heresy.” Noted historian Edward Gibbon says the Gnostics “blended with the faith of Christ many sublime but obscure tenets which they derived from oriental philosophy” (The Triumph of Christendom in the Roman Empire, p. 15).

Simon Magus and others sought to create a syncretistic faith, mixing popular devotions with their philosophies, and adding a covering of Christ’s words, to create a religion that could win mass acceptance. As noted historian Will Durant wrote:

“Christianity did not destroy paganism; it adopted it. The Greek mind, dying, came to a transmigrated life in the theology and liturgy of the Church; the Greek language, having reigned for centuries over philosophy, became the vehicle of Christian literature and ritual; the Greek mysteries passed down into the impressive mystery of the Mass. Other pagan cultures contributed to the syncretist result. From Egypt came the ideas of a divine trinity… and a personal immortality of reward and punishment; from Egypt the adoration of the Mother and Child, and the mystic theosophy that made Neoplatonism and Gnosticism, and obscured the Christian creed; there, too, Christian monasticism would find its exemplars and its source. From Phrygia came the worship of the Great Mother; from Syria the resurrection drama of Adonis; from Thrace, perhaps, the cult of Dionysus, the dying and saving god.… The Mithraic ritual so closely resembled the eucharistic sacrifice of the Mass that Christian fathers charged the Devil with inventing these similarities to mislead frail minds. Christianity was the last great creation of the ancient pagan world.… [The Eucharist] was a conception long sanctified by time; the pagan mind needed no schooling to receive it; by embodying the ‘mystery of the Mass,’ Christianity became the last and greatest of the mystery religions” (The Story of Civilization, Vol. 5, Durant, pp. 595, 599).

In the fourth century after Christ, the Roman emperor Constantine adopted Christianity as his religion. More properly, one might say that he “adapted” it, since what went by the name of “Christianity” was dramatically transformed under his imperial influence.

Under Constantine’s direction, the Council of Nicaea was held in 325ad. Though he had not yet been baptized, Constantine presided over the council’s opening session and took part in its discussions, believing that it was his duty as emperor to oversee the establishment of doctrine for the church. But was Constantine presiding over the council as a former pagan now turned Christian, or did he use the Council of Nicaea to infuse his pagan background into what would become “official” Christianity? Respected historian Paul Johnson has observed the following regarding Constantine’s religious views:

“There is some doubt about the magnitude of Constantine’s change of ideas.… He himself appears to have been a sun-worshipper, one of a number of late-pagan cults which had observances in common with the Christians. Thus the followers of Isis adored a madonna nursing her holy child; the cult of Attis and Cybele celebrated a day of blood and fasting, followed by the Hilaria resurrection-feast, a day of joy, on 25 March; the elitist Mithraics, many of whom were senior army officers, ate a sacred meal. Constantine was almost certainly a Mithraic, and his triumphal arch, built after his ‘conversion,’ testifies to the Sun-god, or ‘unconquered sun.’ Many Christians did not make a clear distinction between this sun-cult and their own. They referred to Christ ‘driving his chariot across the sky,’ they held their services on Sunday, knelt towards the East and had their nativity-feast on 25 December, the birthday of the sun at the winter solstice. During the later pagan revival under the Emperor Julian many Christians found it easy to apostatize because of this confusion; the Bishop of Troy told Julian he had always prayed secretly to the sun. Constantine never abandoned sun-worship and kept the sun on his coins. He made Sunday into a day of rest.…” (A History of Christianity, Johnson, 1976, pp. 67–69).

If you read the above historical quotes carefully, you will understand that—during the appropriately named “Dark Ages”—nearly all the aspects of paganism were introduced into professing Christianity. False concepts of the “mystery of the mass,” the worship of the Virgin Mary patterned directly after the worship of the pagan goddesses, the idea of a “little Lord Jesus” being born on December 25, calling it “Christmas” and connecting it with all the pagan rituals of the Saturnalia—all these false concepts and more were woven into what became “mainstream” Christianity.

Centuries later, the Protestant “reformers” were able to see a few of the problems of this Roman religion. But most of these pagan concepts were so thoroughly inculcated into their minds that the reformers made only a very few “surface” changes.

The “Reformation” Reformed Very Little

Martin Luther—the “father” of the Reformation—and other reformers still held hostile attitudes against all things “Jewish,” including the Sabbath of Jesus Christ, the annual festivals and, in fact, literal obedience to the Ten Commandments. That is one reason Martin Luther presumptuously added something to God’s own Word! In Luther’s translation of the New Testament, he deliberately added the word “alone” to Romans 3:28. Luther was so adamant against the necessity of obeying God’s law—confusing it perhaps with Catholic canon law and Catholic rituals—that he added a word to God’s inspired revelation!

Romans 3:28 in the New King James Version reads: “Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law.” Luther added the word “alone” (sola in Latin) so that in his German-language New Testament the phrase became “justified by faith alone”—a plainly wrong change without support in the text. When one critic raised an objection to his changing Scripture, Luther haughtily replied: “Should your Pope give himself any useless annoyance about the word sola, you may promptly reply: ‘It is the will of Dr. Martin Luther that it should be so.’” (John Alzog, Manual of Universal Church History, Dublin: M.H. Gill and Son, 1902, p. 199). And, we may add on good authority, no other reason for such unscriptural changes as these was ever given. When it came to Luther’s own personal doctrinal convictions, Martin Luther was truly a self-willed man.

His third tractate of 1520, On Christian Liberty, asserts that a Christian man is spiritually subject to no man or to any law. He contended that since we are justified by faith alone, we are no longer under obligation to keep the law of God.

And, as is well known, Luther called the book of James an “epistle of straw” because James clearly taught the necessity of obedience to the Ten Commandments! Notice James 2:10–12: “For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. For He who said, ‘Do not commit adultery,’ also said, ‘Do not murder.’ Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty.”

It is exceedingly clear in this passage of inspired Scripture that James is talking about the ten “points” of the Ten Commandments. He tells Christians to keep the whole law. James then concludes by teaching New Testament Christians to “speak and to do” as those who will be judged by God’s law.

So although often sincere, the Protestant reformers carried over most of the anti-law, anti-obedience attitudes they had come to adopt in their rebellion against “Mother Rome.” Yet, like Rome, they were still involved in a paganized system of false doctrines, wrong Holy Days and false concepts of God, which God Himself describes in Revelation 17:4–5: “The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication. And on her forehead a name was written: MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.”

As this form of “Christianity” became the state religion, masses of former pagans “converted.” Many did so out of convenience rather than conviction, and kept their old beliefs privately. Others came to the new syncretistic faith uneducated in its beliefs, and able to receive only the most basic instruction.

A PAGANIZED “Christianity”

The church gained from Constantine and the Empire not just new doctrines, but new organization. Rome had a long-standing imperial cult, and its practices found a home in this compromised Christianity. Will Durant observes:

“Christianity… grew by the absorption of pagan faith and ritual; it became a triumphant Church by inheriting the organizing patterns and genius of Rome.… As Judea had given Christianity ethics, and Greece had given it theology, so now Rome gave it organization; all these, with a dozen absorbed and rival faiths, entered into the Christian synthesis. It was not merely that the Church took over some religious customs and forms common in pre-Christian Rome—the stole and other vestments of pagan priests, the use of incense and holy water in purifications, the burning of candles and an everlasting light before the altar, the worship of the saints, the architecture of the basilica, the law of Rome as a basis for canon law, the title of Pontifex Maximus for the Supreme Pontiff, and, in the fourth century, the Latin language as the noble and enduring vehicle of Catholic ritual. The Roman gift was above all a vast framework of government, which, as secular authority failed, became the structure of ecclesiastical rule. Soon the bishops, rather than the Roman prefects, would be the source of order and the seat of power in the cities; the metropolitans, or archbishops, would support, if not supplant, the provincial governors; and the synod of bishops would succeed the provincial assembly. The Roman Church followed in the footsteps of the Roman state; it conquered the provinces, beautified the capital, and established discipline and unity from frontier to frontier. Rome died in giving birth to the Church; the Church matured by inheriting and accepting the responsibilities of Rome” (The Story of Civilization, Vol. 5, Durant, pp. 575, 618–619).

As new and false elements were added to this “Christianity,” the authentic elements were crowded out. Sometimes this occurred because of anti-Semitic feelings. Since Jesus Christ was physically from the tribe of Judah, many Gnostics denied His bodily appearance—they refused to accept that their God had been from this much-despised tribe. Others perverted Christ’s teachings because they hated the nation from which those teachings came. They knew that Christians kept the “Jewish” Holy Days and adhered to other practices that pagan observers found offensive. Early church historian Eusebius wrote of those who, holding this sentiment, sought to replace the New Testament Passover that Christ kept with the Easter festival drawn from Ishtar-worship:

“It appeared an unworthy thing that in the celebration of this most holy feast we should follow the practice of the Jews [of keeping Passover on the 14th of Nisan], who have impiously defiled their hands with enormous sin, and are, therefore, deservedly afflicted with blindness of soul.… Let us then have nothing in common with the detestable Jewish crowd; for we have received from our Savior a different way.… Beloved brethren, let us with one consent adopt this course, and withdraw ourselves from all participation in their baseness.… For how should they be capable of forming a sound judgment, who, since their… guilt in slaying their Lord, have been subject to the direction, not of reason, but of… every impulse of the mad spirit that is in them?… Strive and pray continually that the purity of your soul may not seem in anything to be sullied by fellowship with the custom of these most wicked men.… All should unite in desiring that which sound reason appears to demand, avoiding all participation in the perjured conduct of the Jews” (Eusebius, The Life of Constantine, bk. 3, chaps. 18–19, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, 1979, vol. 1, pp. 524–525).

A Far “Different” Way

Yes, many taught that “we have received from our Savior a different way.” But that way is not found in the Bible. Instead, it is found in the customs of the Greeks and Romans and other European converts who adopted Christianity on the surface but kept their old ways. With the passage of time, these old ways overwhelmed the teachings of Jesus Christ and the Apostles, as discussed by John Romer below:

“Subtly, so subtly that the bishops themselves had not seen them, the old gods had entered their churches like the air of the Mediterranean. And they live still in Christian ritual, in the iconography and the festivals of Christianity. When Julian arrived in Antioch in 362… the great Christian city was in mourning, bewailing in the Levantine manner the annual death of Adonis, Venus’s beautiful lover. At Ephesus, though the sanctuary of Diana, goddess of the city, was taken down… her statues were carefully buried in dry sand. And when the Third Council of the church assembly at Ephesus solemnly voted that henceforth the Virgin Mary should be honoured with the title of Theotokos, the God-bearer, Ephesus, itself for centuries the city of the virgin hunter Diana, became the city of the Virgin Mary, the Mother of God. In Egypt, too, the ancient sign of life, the ankh, which the gods had carried in their sculptures for thousands of years, was easily transformed into the Christian cross; the figure of Isis nursing her child Horus, Isis Lactans, became the figure of the Virgin with Jesus at her breast.… At Rome, Romulus and Remus were swapped for the biblical saints Peter and Paul. And still in the fifth century, the Pope had to stop the early morning congregation of St Peter’s from walking up the church steps backwards so as not to offend Sol, the rising sun god. Similarly, 25 December, now Christ’s birthday, was also the day of Sol Invictus’ festival and Constantine’s birthday. This festival was celebrated by cutting green branches and hanging little lights on them, and presents were given out in the god’s name. Sol’s weekly festival Sol-day—Sunday—became the Christian Sabbath. Just as Apollo of Delphi had made a beautiful transformation to become the Roman Sol Invictus, so later he became a Christ of the sun. All three of them are sometimes pictured in their fiery chariots… with… radiant haloes” (Testament: The Bible and History, Romer, 1988, pp. 230–31).

So we can see that true Christianity has been opposed from the very beginning by those who would turn it away from the true God whose commandments Jesus Christ upheld. But many of today’s professing Christians do not realize just where those commandments came from, and who proclaimed them on Mount Sinai.

The God of the Old Testament

In Matthew 22:42–45, Jesus challenged the religious leaders: “‘What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?’ They said to Him, ‘The Son of David.’ He said to them, ‘How then does David in the Spirit call Him “Lord,” saying: “The Lord said to my Lord, ‘Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool’”? If David then calls Him “Lord,” how is He his Son?’” The Pharisees were not able to answer. For they knew that King David of Israel certainly had no human “lord.” This scripture had to be describing two personalities in God’s Family—one greater than the other. And, as should be obvious to us, David’s immediate “Lord”—the one who later became Jesus of Nazareth—was told to sit at the right hand of the Father until it was time for Him to become King of kings.

Yet the Jews had known that the coming Messiah was to be a literal “son of David.” How could this one also be David’s “Lord,” but have a still “greater” Lord telling Him what to do?

In 1 Corinthians 10:1–4, we read that ancient Israel was baptized into Moses and they all “ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual rock that followed them, and that rock was Christ.” Again, it is clear—as a number of Bible commentaries acknowledge—that the spirit Personality who dealt with ancient Israel was the One who became Christ. For, as we have seen, Jesus said that “no one” had ever seen “God”—obviously meaning the One we call the Father.

Yet, right after giving the Ten Commandments and some of the statutes to ancient Israel, we find that the “God of Israel” did indeed appear to some of Israel’s leaders! “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. But on the nobles of the children of Israel He did not lay His hand. So they saw God, and they ate and drank” (Exodus 24:9–11). So more than 70 of the leaders of Israel “saw the God of Israel”—not God the Father, but the “Word” who later became Jesus Christ (John 1:1–12). Could anything be more clear?

It was the One who became Jesus Christ who literally walked and talked with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. He was the One who dealt directly with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He was the One who spoke “face to face” with Moses (Numbers 12:8). He was the One who spoke the Ten Commandments from the top of Mount Sinai! He was the One who commanded the seventh-day Sabbath.

If all professing Christians were taught the truth that the One who became their Savior is the One who gave the Ten Commandments, perhaps their actions would be quite different. The world would be a much safer place! All would realize that true Christianity is a law abiding religion—a way of life based on the great spiritual law of God. They would learn that—although no one is suddenly perfect, and we are commanded to grow in Christ’s character—it is possible to follow Christ’s inspired example through His Spirit within us.

How Can a Christian Live as Christ Did?

The Bible makes it plain that Christians are to keep God’s commandments. The Apostle John wrote: “Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, ‘I know Him,’ and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked” (1 John 2:3–6).

But how can Christians walk “just as He walked”? If Jesus Christ had to come and give His life because all have violated God’s law, how can anyone keep that law? Again, perhaps the most concise explanation was given by the Apostle Paul. “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20, KJV).

A Christian does not obey the law on his own, but through the power of Christ living in Him. Paul goes on to emphasize that law-keeping comes through the grace of God, and that law-keeping does not earn grace. “I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain” (Galatians 2:21). With God’s grace, a converted Christian will keep the law; but without that grace, no amount of effort will bring righteousness and salvation.

What Should a Christian Do?

One can recognize a true Christian as someone striving, through Christ’s help, to live by every word of God (cf. Matthew 4:4). “Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). By yielding to Jesus Christ, the fruits of the Spirit will become more and more evident in a Christian’s life.

A Christian is more than someone who “knows” the truth. The Gnostics believed that “knowledge” brought salvation, and some today would deny that one has to “do” anything as a faithful Christian. Yet Scripture gives a very different instruction: “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves” (James 1:22).

Christians are to do as Christ did. In the “Great Commission” He instructed His followers: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations… teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19–20). Christians are to take His message to “all the nations” and teach “all things” that He commanded! They were not to change His message so much that it is today almost unrecognizable!

Sadly, many who call themselves Christians today—even commandment-keeping Christians—have turned inward. Saying that they must “prepare the bride” (the Church) for Christ’s return, they neglect the Bridegroom’s instructions. How can the Church “prepare” for His coming by neglecting His instruction to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom to all nations? (Matthew 24:14). It cannot! That is why the Living Church of God has sent you this booklet, and why we print booklets, magazines, a Bible study course and other publications. It is why we broadcast the Tomorrow’s World telecast. It is why we use the Internet and other tools that God provides to do His work as He opens doors for His Message to be given to the world as a witness before He returns!

It is important that all our readers fully recognize that those of us in this Work—those of us on the staff of the Tomorrow’s World magazine, of the Tomorrow’s Worldtelevision program and, indeed, all of us involved in this Work of the Living Church of God—are all dedicated to the task of restoring the original Christianity taught and practiced by Jesus Christ and His Apostles!

As you read our articles and booklets, and as you view the Tomorrow’s World program, it is vital that you recognize “where we are coming from.” For we intend to continue to preach and teach the same message that Jesus and the early Apostles did. We intend to restore—in all of its spiritual aspects—the way of life that Jesus and the Apostles lived and taught. Also, guided by God’s Spirit, we will continue to preach the inspired prophecies of the Bible and warn those willing to listen of what lies ahead.

As the time of God’s intervention in human affairs and the soon-coming Great Tribulation approaches, it is absolutely vital that you and your loved ones make sure that you truly belong to Jesus Christ—the Christ of the Bible—that you are worshiping God “in spirit and in truth” (John 4:23), and that you are part of the true Church of God which teaches and practices the Christianity of Jesus and the original Apostles. “He who has an ear, let him hear” (Revelation 3:13).

Booklet Category

Christianity

Grace

Grace

Do You Believe the True Gospel?

CHAPTER 1

A MESSAGE ABOUT THE MESSENGER?

FALSE ASSUMPTIONS AND FALSE HOPES

GOSPEL “OF” CHRIST OR “ABOUT” CHRIST?

WHAT ABOUT THE NAME OF JESUS?

CHAPTER 2

WHAT IS THE KINGDOM OF GOD?

WHAT IS A KINGDOM?

NEBUCHADNEZZAR’S DREAM

A SUCCESSION OF WORLD-RULING KINGDOMS

OTHER PROPHECIES OF TOMORROW’S WORLD

DID CHRIST SAY THE KINGDOM IS “AT HAND”?

DID THE KINGDOM APPEAR IMMEDIATELY IN APOSTOLIC TIMES?

THE SAINTS’ RULERSHIP IN THE KINGDOM

BORN INTO GOD’S KINGDOM

CHAPTER 3

THE ONLY NAME THAT CAN TAKE US THERE

THE LAW OF THE KINGDOM

RECEIVING THE WORLD’S MOST PRECIOUS GIFT

WHAT JESUS CHRIST HAS DONE, IS DOING, AND WILL DO

HE WHO HAS THE SON HAS LIFE

A CALLING TO GLORY!

WHEN WILL THE KINGDOM COME?

The Bible: Fact or Fiction?

Chapter 1 What Do You Believe About the Bible?

A Change in Attitude

The Challenge of Scripture

Chapter 2 Prophecy: The Bible’s Unique Dimension

The Challenge of Prophecy

Hundreds of Prophecies About Jesus Christ!

Cities and Kings

The Chosen People

The Future of Nations

The End of the World

Chapter 3 Did God Inspire the Bible?

Critics Challenge the Bible

Evidence from Archaeology

Chapter 4 Has the Bible Been Preserved Accurately?

Old Testament Preservation

Canon Vs. Confusion

Exact Copies Prepared!

The New Testament Preserved

New Testament Canon

What About Apocryphal Books?

Gnostic “Gospels”?

Chapter 5 Real Answers to Life’s Big Questions

The Purpose of Life

The Plan of God

The Age to Come

Conclusion: Truth and Consequences

Twelve Keys to Answered Prayer

Key #1—Pray Sincerely to the True God

Key #2—Study the Bible

Key #3—Deeply Repent of Your Sins

Key #4—Forgive Others

Key #5—God Often Hears the Unconverted

Key #6—Seek God’s Will

Key #7—Have Faith in God

Key #8—Be Persistent

Key #9—Pray Fervently

Key #10—Ask God to Fashion and Mold You

Key #11—Give Praise and Thanks to Almighty God

Key #12—Pray in the Name of Jesus Christ

Restoring Original Christianity

HOW Could This Happen?

A Very REAL Satan Is Involved

Christianity Without Christ?

Restoring Original Christianity

Paul Looked to Jerusalem

What Did Christ Do on Earth?

What Did the Apostles Teach?

Who dared to change all of that?

What Was First-Century Christianity Like?

Jesus MAGNIFIED God’s Law

A View of First-Century Christianity

HOW Was the Truth Lost?

The “Reformation” Reformed Very Little

A PAGANIZED “Christianity”

Chapter 1
What Do You Believe About the Bible?

Chapter 2
Prophecy: The Bible’s Unique Dimension

Chapter 3
Did God Inspire the Bible?

Chapter 4
Has the Bible Been Preserved Accurately?

Chapter 5
Real Answers to Life’s Big Questions

Conclusion:
Truth and Consequences