Rene Messier will be giving the sermon this Sabbath, September 13, 2003, from Oregon, where he and Delia are visiting the brethren. The title of his sermon is, “Fear and Humility.”

The services can be heard at www.cognetservices.org at the appropriate time, just click on “Connect to Live Stream.”
 

From our youth, we have played games in which some would lose and some would win. That elusive goal of running faster, jumping higher or in some way being considered the best, has always been a powerful motivation in our personal development.

Nations fight wars to win. Athletes and sports teams measure their success in the win/loss column. Businesses are considered winners if they dominate the competition.

Some of these approaches have given winning a bad name!

How about each of us? Do we live our lives with the motivation to win? There is a real danger for those who would be Christian to participate in the process without truly attaining the ultimate goal. Jesus taught about this in Matthew 7:13-14: “‘Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.'”

Again, speaking to the Church identified as Laodicea, Jesus said: “‘I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot'” (Revelation 3:15). In the world of Christianity, having a “Laodicean attitude” is indicative of one who is compromising with the truth–of someone who isn’t serious enough about their calling to completely and without reservation follow the way of Christ.

Paul, in 1 Corinthians 9:24, states: “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain (win) it.” Paul is here explaining that we who have been called are competing for an “imperishable crown.” Also, he has this to say about his own approach: “I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14).

The Biblical evidence is overwhelming that we must not neglect our call to salvation and that we must not just drift along with the incomparable knowledge God has bestowed upon us. Furthermore, the Word of God reveals that Christians are offered the ultimate reward of eternal life–the greatest prize of any endeavor for which anyone will ever struggle!

Let us never lose sight of that, and let’s do with all our might what we have set our hand to do. With the help that is promised from God and Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit, this is surely the race WE WILL WIN!
 

ROADMAP TO WAR?

The vicious cycle of violence and death is continuing in the Middle East. Palestinian suicide bombings in Israel and Israeli attacks on Hamas strongholds have almost become commonplace. The road map to peace appears dead — and has been replaced with a road map to continued war and bloodshed. The resignation of Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas and the designated replacement of Palestinian parliament speaker Ahmed Qureia seem to have driven the last nail in the coffin. Very few observers believe that a peaceful solution can still be found under Yasser Arafat, Qureia, and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

This week has seen additional violence in the region. As washingtonpost.com reported on September 9, “at least 13 people were killed and dozens wounded in two suicide bombings today, the first at a bus stop and hitchhiking post near the entrance to a major military base south of Tel Aviv, followed about six hours later by an explosion at a popular cafe in Jerusalem. The attacks came after the radical Islamic Resistance Movement, known as Hamas, vowed revenge for Israeli assassinations that have killed 14 of its leaders in the past three weeks and narrowly missed its founder, Sheik Ahmed Yassin, on Saturday… Earlier today, in a firefight in Hebron in the West Bank, Israeli troops killed two Hamas members and a 12-year-old bystander, and blew up a seven-story apartment building where the Palestinians were hiding.”

Hamas claimed responsibility for the subsequent suicide bombings. In the rush-hour bombing at the bus stop, eight Israeli soldiers were killed, at least three of them women, and at least 15 were wounded. Seven additional people were killed in the attack at the cafe, and 31 were injured, according to an article by the Associated Press of September 10. “Among the dead at the Hillel Cafe were two U.S. citizens — a doctor who headed to a Jerusalem hospital emergency room and his daughter, who was to have been married Wednesday. Instead of a wedding, a funeral was held for both.”

Associated Press also reported that “Israel bombed the home of a Hamas leader Wednesday, killing his eldest son and a bodyguard in retaliation for [the] two suicide bombings.” The article pointed out that in addition, twenty-five people were wounded, including the Hamas leader, Mahmoud Zahar, his wife and his daughter. The article continued, “Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon… [allegedly] consider[s] far-reaching options, such as forcing Yasser Arafat into exile or ordering a large-scale invasion of the Gaza Strip. The spiral of violence drew calls for retaliation from Israelis and Palestinians alike… Hamas… said it would now begin targeting Israeli homes and high-rises in response to Wednesday’s airstrike on the home of [Zahar].”

In the meantime, the European Union has declared Hamas to be a terrorist organization, according to Der Spiegel Online of September 11. Israel and the United States had for a long time asked the EU to make this determination, but so far, France had resisted doing so. Now, Hamas supporters can be criminally prosecuted, and Hamas’ funds can be frozen.

The Biblical gospel message of peace also includes the fact that war only breeds more war. The events in the Middle East confirm this timeless truth. Christ told us very clearly in Matthew 26:52, “Put your sword in its place, for ALL who take the sword will PERISH BY the sword.” Man does not believe this. Man does not accept this. Man has chosen instead the way of war and violence. We read that “their feet are swift to shed blood; Destruction and misery are in their ways; And the way of peace they have not known” (Romans 3:15-17). When Jesus thought of Jerusalem’s coming destruction, He wept. He knew what would happen, because man would not believe Him and His words, choosing war rather than peace. He said, “If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes” (Luke 19:42).

This is WHY we don’t have peace in the Middle East. This is WHY we hear of wars and rumors of wars, of assassinations and suicide bombings, of “retaliations,” death and destruction. In Matthew 23:37-38, Christ said, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! See! Your house is left to you desolate.”

Total desolation will come upon that part of the world. Soon, there will be “the abomination of desolation” standing in the holy place (Matthew 24:15). People will look for peace, but won’t find it. War can only heal “the hurt of My people slightly,” while “counselors of war” are assuring them that war will bring peace, “when there is no peace” (Jeremiah 6:14). Until man has learned that war does not produce peace, man will have war. The prophet Isaiah tells us, “Surely their valiant ones shall cry outside, The ambassadors of peace shall weep bitterly. The highways lie waste, The traveling man ceases. He has broken the covenant, He has despised the cities, He regards no man. The earth mourns and languishes, Lebanon is shamed and shriveled; Sharon is like a wilderness, And Bashan and Carmel shake off their fruits” (Isaiah 33:7-9).

The road map to peace won’t lead to peace, as long as man is unwilling to live in peace with his neighbor.

SWEDEN, THE EURO AND MURDER

According to the latest polls, as published by Die Welt on August 29 and Spiegel Online on September 11, the percentage of Swedes who intend to vote “Yes” to the euro on 14th September is between 32% and 37%, as against between 47% and 50% who intend to vote “No.” The Swedish daily, Dagens Nyheter, has calculated that the “Yes” camp would have to convert 25,000 Swedes a day for it now to win. The “Yes” camp has been severely damaged by infighting within the government, which contains opponents of the euro. For instance, the Finance Minister has attacked the Trade Minister for using “unfactual” arguments in favor of the single currency. The Environment Minister has similarly been accused of spreading “false information.” Even the prime minister himself felt moved to attack his own culture minister. He said that she did not know what she was talking about when she said that the EU was evolving into a superstate to which it was a risk to attach oneself. A split within the Social Democratic Party is now being openly talked about.

The world was shocked when it learned that extremely popular Swedish Foreign Minister Anna Lindh (46) died Thursday from multiple stab wounds, after she was knifed in an upscale department store Wednesday by an unknown assailant. Lindh was a leading campaigner for replacing the Swedish krona with the euro — an issue that had inspired vehement opposition, as USA Today reported on September 11. Lindh was the second Swedish politician to be murdered in the Scandinavian country in 17 years. Prime Minister Olaf Palme was killed in 1986. His murderer has never been found. In spite of Lindh’s murder, the vote on the euro will go forward on September 14.

EU AND THE CATHOLIC CHURCH

euobserver.com reported on September 4 that “the former head of the French government and president of the European Parliament, Robert Schuman, is on the path to beatification.” The article continued, “The French Minister of Foreign Affairs Robert Schuman put forward a proposal for establishing the European Coal and Steel Community, which led to the subsequent institutionalization of European integration. The Schuman plan unveiled on 9 May 1950 is regarded as a milestone in European integration and celebrated as ‘Europe Day.'”

In related news, the pope made another appeal to continental Europe not to forget its Christian past. As Zenit reported on September 9, the pope wrote, “The Christian roots are not a memory of religious exclusiveness, but a foundation of freedom because they make Europe a melting pot of different cultures and experiences… From these ancient roots, the European peoples have obtained the impulse that drove them to touch the limits of the earth and to reach the depth of man, of his intangible dignity, of the fundamental equality of all, of the universal right to justice and peace.” He wrote that the city of Aachen in Germany “speaks clearly of the ancient tradition of Europe: It speaks of its ancient roots, beginning with the Christian, which harmonized and also consolidated the rest.” The pope also wrote, “Europe will be that much stronger for the present and future of the world the more it drinks from the sources of its religious and cultural traditions.”

It is perhaps interesting to note that the city of Aachen was mentioned in the context. It was of course in Aachen were Charlemagne was crowned, in A.D. 800, as the first emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. It is also a well-know historical fact that Charlemagne brutally killed and massacred thousands of Saxons who refused to become baptized into the Catholic faith.

GERMANY AND ITALY

Der Spiegel Online reported on August 23 that Germany and Italy support a speedy course of action to adopt the European Constitution by the end of the year. German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder assured the Italian government that he will do everything to guarantee the success of Italy’s presidency of the European Parliament. He said that he would welcome it if the European Constitution would be signed in Rome.

EUROPE AND THE U.S.

euobserver.com reported on September 5 that “Europeans have grown more critical of US global leadership, while American support for a strong European partner has increased over the last year… Overall, only 45% of Europeans… see strong U.S. leadership as desirable… While majorities in France (70%), Germany (50%) and Italy (50%) believe global US leadership is ‘undesirable,’ the contrary feeling is found amongst the British, the Dutch, and the Poles… 71% of Europeans want to see the European Union become a superpower like the United States in order for the EU to cooperate better, rather than to compete, with the US… Americans were more likely than Europeans to support the use of military force to rid countries of weapons of mass destruction and to bypass the United Nations if vital national interests are at stake.”

Stern Online reported on September 10 that the relationship between the United States and Germany must be newly defined, according to German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer. He stated that the United States is absolutely necessary for global peace and stability. “The worst that could happen to us would be if the United States were to withdraw from world affairs,” he said. He added that both countries must “come together again.” He also mentioned that the American policy in Iraq has failed, and that therefore, the United Nations must play the central role in Iraq. He confirmed that Germany has no plans to send troops to Iraq.

EUROPE TO THE RESCUE?

Time Europe Magazine reported on September 8 that “62% of French citizens surveyed would support their troops being sent to Iraq; 44% of Germans questioned would support a deployment of German soldiers. Nothing of the kind will happen, though, without delicate negotiations to calibrate a level of American control acceptable to Paris and Berlin.” Der Spiegel Online and ABC News reported on September 10 that “France, Germany and Russia are urging a speedy transfer of power from the U.S.-led coalition to an interim Iraqi administration.” Proposed amendments to a U.S. draft resolution demand more power for Iraqis and the United Nations in running the country. The Russian amendment does not go as far as the French-German amendments “in demanding the immediate handover of authority to the Iraqis… under the auspices of the U.N.” The U.S. “also wants the resolution to spur financial contributions for Iraq’s reconstruction. President Bush said Sunday he will ask Congress for $87 BILLION primarily for Iraq, but also for Afghanistan.”

USA Today reported on Thursday that at the United Nations, the United States “dismissed a proposal by France and Germany that would give the U.N. expanded authority over reconstruction of Iraq.”

Washingtonpost.com reported on September 10 that “Germany and the United States asked NATO on Wednesday to consider expanding the mandate of the alliance’s Afghan peacekeeping force beyond Kabul to protect reconstruction teams outside the capital.” The article continued, “Western nations have been reluctant to do that, but in recent days, U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder have backed an expanded role.”

AMERICANS QUESTION WAR IN IRAQ

ABC News reported on September 8 that “Americans express a growing suspicion that the war in Iraq will boost rather than ease the long-term risk of terrorism against the United States, a concern that directly challenges President Bush’s rationale for invading. This finding of a new ABC NEWS poll follows continued attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq and on civilians elsewhere in the world, and marks a sharp turn in public attitudes.” The article pointed out that 58 percent of Americans thought a week after the fall of Baghdad, that the war would reduce the long-term risk of terrorism. Today only 40 percent believe that, while 48 percent think that the war has raised the risk. “At the same time, the number of Americans who say the war was worth fighting has slipped to 54 percent — a new low, down from the 61 percent in mid-August and a high of 70 percent as the main fighting wound down.” The article also pointed out that “a new high, 57 percent, term the level of U.S. casualties ‘unacceptable,’ compared with 38 percent — fewer than four in ten for the first time — who say it’s acceptable.”

U.S. vs. IRAN

Washingtonpost.com reported on September 10 that “the Bush administration accused Iran today of violating the nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty but said the Iranian government had a ‘last chance’ to prove it wasn’t running a covert weapons program.” The article quoted Kenneth Brill, the U.S. ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency, as saying, “‘The United States believes the facts already established would fully justify an immediate finding of noncompliance by Iran.’ Still, he said, U.S. officials were ready to give ‘Iran a last chance to drop its evasions’ before pushing FOR PUNITIVE ACTION.” This language is reminiscent of the vocabulary used prior to U.S. invasion in Iraq.

U.S. vs. NORTH KOREA

USA Today reported on September 3 that “North Korea’s parliament on Wednesday approved the communist government’s decision to increase its ‘nuclear deterrent force’ in angry reaction to what it calls a hostile U.S. policy.” The article pointed out that “North Korea’s envoy… last week warned that the reclusive state might test a nuclear device to prove itself a nuclear power.”

IGNORED WAR IN NORTHEASTERN CONGO?

As USA Today reported on September 10, “the fighting in northeastern Congo has created ‘the worst humanitarian crisis on the planet, and the worst documented war in the history of Africa,’ [Jessica] Lange told the Associated Press. “The actress spent a week in the volatile area last month as a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Children’s Fund.” The French-led international force handed over the task to U.N. peacekeepers in the town of Bunia in Ituri province. French troops arrived in June after 500 people were killed in weeks of fighting. While foreign troops have withdrawn, “fighting continues in the northeast,” according to the article.

A: Our Question and Answer section in Update #100 (July 4, 2003), explained the facts pertaining to the ancient and modern origins of Mother’s Day. We emphasized that it is a Christian’s personal decision to determine whether the evidence presented was “sufficient or not to establish a direct and immediate connection between pagan origins, Catholic Church influence, and our modern custom of celebrating Mother’s Day — especially in the United States, Canada and continental Europe.”

The same will have to be said regarding the observance of Father’s Day. One source (“About,Inc.”) describes the modern origin of Father’s Day in this way: “The modern origin of Father’s Day in the United States is not clear. Some say that it began with a church service in West Virginia in 1908. Others say the first Father’s Day ceremony was held in Vancouver, Washington. The president of the Chicago branch of the Lion’s Club, Harry Meek, is said to have celebrated the first Father’s Day with his organization in 1915; and the day that they chose was the third Sunday in June, the closest date to Meek’s own birthday! Regardless of when the first true Father’s Day occurred, the strongest promoter of the holiday was Mrs. Bruce John Dodd of Spokane, Washington. Mrs. Dodd felt that she had an outstanding father [Mr. Smart]. He was a veteran of the Civil War. His wife had died young, and he had raised six children without their mother. In 1909, Mrs. Dodd approached her own minister and others in Spokane about having a church service dedicated to fathers on June 5, her father’s birthday. That date was too soon for her minister to prepare the service, so he spoke a few weeks later on June 19th. From then on, the state of Washington celebrated the third Sunday in June as Father’s Day… States and organizations began lobbying Congress to declare an annual Father’s Day. In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson approved the idea, but it was not until 1924 when President Calvin Coolidge made it a national event…” The holiday was made official in 1972 by President Richard Nixon (see below).

The Daily Beacon, Volume 90, Number 5 (June 14, 2002), elaborated: “In 1909, as Smart [i.e., Mrs. Bruce John Dodd, daughter of Mr. Smart] was listening to a sermon celebrating Mother’s Day, she thought of her father… Smart wanted a day to honor fathers with special religious services, special meals, small gifts and flowers. After sharing her idea with local religious leaders…, a resolution was passed to observe a Father’s Day.” Biography.com concurs, “… The inspiration behind the celebration of a Father’s Day is owed at least partly to its slightly earlier counterpart, Mother’s Day.” The article also points out that Smart had the idea of setting aside a Father’s Day, when hearing a sermon on the “merits of setting aside a day to honor one’s mother.” (Compare, too, PageWise, Inc., 2002, “History of Father’s Day”).

“Hallmark Press Room” explains, under “Father’s Day 2003”: “Father’s Day is always the third Sunday in June… Father’s Day is the fourth-largest card-sending occasion with nearly 90 million Father’s Day cards expected to be given this year in the United States… Smart’s daughter [Mrs. Bruce John Dodd] got the idea for Father’s Day in 1909 while listening to a Mother’s Day sermon at church. She encouraged local churches to institute a Father’s Day observance the following year on one Sunday in June, the month of her father’s birth… The holiday was made official in 1972 when President Richard Nixon signed a presidential resolution that declared Father’s Day as the third Sunday in June.”

Apart from its obvious connection with Mother’s Day and its religious church background, is there any evidence that Father’s Day is of pagan and/or Catholic origin?

The Laboratorium writes under “Happy Father’s Day”: “Father’s Day was originally a pagan holiday, the Great Sky-Father’s Day. Part of the week of celebrations leading up to the summer solstice, the day was given over to celebrating the Sky-Father’s providing for his human children with rich gifts of sun and rain. Gifts of sacrificial goats and sheep (recognizable by the festive ribbons bound about their necks) were supplemented with prayers for his continued guidance in the human journey towards spiritual adulthood. The precise transition to the Father’s Day we know today is lost in the mists of time, but it seems that several generations of CHRISTIAN PRIESTS gradually ATTEMPTED TO NEUTRALIZE THE PAGAN RITUALS by focusing on the literal steps of the ceremonies, rather than their spiritual meanings. The passing of celebratory garlands from sons to fathers was retained, and reemphasized as the central act of the great Sky-Father’s celebration, rather than the sacrifices and prayers. As part of this reinterpretation, the practice of tying ribbons was moved from the animals to the fathers, and appears to be recognizably the origin of the custom of giving ties on Father’s Day.
(www.laboratorium.net/HappyFather’sDay.html)

The connection with pagan and/or Catholic origins becomes even clearer, when considering modern Father’s Day celebrations and customs in certain European countries. In Palermo, Italy, Father’s Day is celebrated on March 19 in order to honor “Holy Joseph.” On that day, old furniture, tables and other items are burned. As “Bank4Fun” explains, “this custom is derived from the Worship of the Sun, which has an historical origin in Palermo.” In Austria, Father’s Day, which is celebrated in June, is a Christian CHURCH holiday. In Germany, “Father’s Day” is celebrated, since 1936, on the same day as “Ascension Day.” This CATHOLIC holiday, also known as “the Day of the Lord,” is always kept on a Thursday — 40 days or on the 5th Sunday after Easter — to celebrate Christ’s ascension. On this day, men visit restaurants, consuming a lot of alcohol, while it is unfashionable to travel with a woman on that day. “Glaube Aktuell” and Professor Gottfried Rehm, Fulda, explain that these restaurant visits, as well as Catholic processions on that day, have their origins in Germanic customs, when men drank alcohol and asked their gods to bless the harvest for the year. Others, such as Dr. theol. Manfred Becker-Huberti, point out that the Father’s Day celebrations might be derived from honoring Pope Leo III (795-816).

Studying these facts in conjunction with our article on “Mother’s Day,” we must again emphasize that it is the personal decision of each Christian whether or not to keep those days. His decision must be based on personal faith and conviction, knowing that whatever is not from faith is sin (Romans 14:23).

We have placed another Standing Watch program on our Website, titled, “Why did Israel Fight?”

Our new booklet on “Angels, Demons, and the Spirit World” has nearly completed the second review cycle. We hope to be able to give all Feast-goers a copy of this new booklet at our Feast sites in California and in Great Britain.

The Global Church of God in the UK has recently advertised two booklets, “God’s Commanded Holy Days” and “Don’t Keep Christmas,” and to date have received 677 responses with more expected in the next few weeks. The advertisement was placed in “The Consumer Centre” booklet, which is distributed throughout the UK. Previously “the Information Centre” booklet has been used, but it was thought the new medium might be distributed to a new or different audience. The text of the recent ad reads: “Which days did God command us to keep? What does the Bible, which is the Christian’s manual, have to say on this subject? This eye-opening booklet entitled “God’s Commanded Holy Days” is available free to all who are open minded. In addition, those who apply early will also be sent a copy of the origins and background of Christmas.”

Edwin Pope will give the sermon this Sabbath, September 6, 2003. The title of the sermon is, “Four Great Enemies of Faith.”

The services can be heard at www.cognetservices.org at the appropriate time, just click on “Connect to Live Stream.”
 

It is always an extremely joyous occasion when someone decides to surrender fully to God and His Way of Life, and to become baptized as an outward sign of inner repentance and faith in Christ’s sacrifice. Even the angels of God shout for joy when a sinner comes to repentance. Once baptized, the gift of the Holy Spirit is bestowed on the newly-baptized person.

Why is it so important that we receive God’s Holy Spirit, and that it continues to dwell in us? Primarily, because without it, we are not even Christians (Romans 8:9, 14). Secondly, we will only be changed to immortality if God’s Spirit dwells in us (Romans 8:11).

Still, there is more, and rightly understood, it is the most fundamental reason why we must have God’s Holy Spirit. We might try to explain this reason by pointing out how God dealt with ancient Israel.

Surprising as it may be to some, God never offered ancient Israel the gift of His Holy Spirit. He never offered them spiritual salvation. Note this quote from our booklet, “And Lawlessness Will Abound…”, page 29:

“God made a covenant with the nation of Israel at the time when He brought them out of slavery to fulfill His unconditional promise that He had made, through a covenant or agreement, to Abraham, later to Isaac, and then to Jacob. But, as we will see, God expected… the nation to obey Him — at least in a general way. Since God never offered them the gift of the Holy Spirit, He knew that they could not obey Him in the same way we can today. Still, God expected obedience to an extent. In fact, when they refused to do so, He expelled them from their land.”

Total obedience — and the lack thereof — is inseparably connected with the gift of the Holy Spirit. Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong explains this fact very forcefully in his book, “Mystery of the Ages,” on pages 169 and 175:

“He [God] was going to prove to the world that without [His] Holy Spirit their [ancient Israel’s] minds were incapable of receiving and utilizing such [spiritual] knowledge of the true ways of life. He was going to demonstrate to them that the mind of man, with its own spirit, and without the addition of God’s Holy Spirit, could not have spiritual discernment — could not solve human problems, could not cure the evils that were besetting humanity… The problems and evils are of a spiritual nature. And a carnal mind without God’s Spirit cannot come to grips with spiritual problems… The Holy Spirit meant more than spiritual knowledge of good. Not the hearers of the law (good) but the doers of the law (good) are justified (Rom. 2:43). Love is the fulfilling of the law, but not human love. It requires the ‘love of God… shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy [Spirit]’ (Rom. 5:5).”

Only with God’s Holy Spirit in us CAN we keep God’s Law. Only if we keep God’s Law, can we become born-again members of the Family of God. THAT is WHY the receipt and the utilization of the Holy Spirit is so important.

Ancient Israel was never offered the gift of the Holy Spirit. God does offer it today to you and me! To quote again from pages 48-49 of our booklet, “And Lawlessness Will Abound…”: “First of all, before the New Covenant came, there was no forgiveness of sins — animal sacrifices do not forgive sins (Hebrews 10:4, 11). Also, there was no promise for receiving the Holy Spirit, which alone gives us the strength and power to conquer sin, and to obey and keep God’s law. The Israelites had the law written on tablets of stone (2 Corinthians 3:2-3). These tablets of stone never became part of their being — they never entered their hearts. As the tablets were of stone, so were their hearts. That is the reason why God, in a New Covenant, replaces our stony hearts with hearts of flesh (Ezekiel 11:19).”

God gives you and me the opportunity to receive and to utilize His Spirit — an opportunity that He has withheld so far from the vast majority of mankind, including ancient Israel and Judah. How thankful are we for this tremendous and uniquely priceless gift? How deeply do we understand that we MUST have God’s Spirit WITHIN us to live a life pleasing to God — that we are only entitled to be called Christians and God’s children, if the Spirit of God the Father and of Jesus Christ dwells in us? It is ONLY by the Holy Spirit in us that we can LIVE, by putting to death the evil deeds of the body (Romans 8:13).

Our new booklet, “Baptism — a Requirement for Salvation,” which is fresh off the press, explains in detail how you can receive God’s Holy Spirit. Please order a free copy, unless you are already on our regular mailing list. This new booklet will show you, as you have probably never heard it explained before, WHY you NEED God’s Holy Spirit. You just cannot afford to be without this precious and priceless knowledge.
 

THE “JESUS BOX” — FACT OR FAKE?

As we had reported earlier in our Updates, “after nearly 2,000 years, historical evidence for the existence of Jesus has come to light literally written in stone,” according to an article of Biblical Archaeology Review, published in November 2002. The article continued, “An inscription has been found on an ancient bone box, called an ossuary, that reads, ‘James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus.’… The new find is also significant in that it corroborates the existence of Joseph, Jesus’ father, and James, Jesus’ brother and a leader of the early Christian church in Jerusalem… The container is one of very few ancient artifacts mentioning New Testament figures. One such object is the ossuary of Caiaphas, the high priest who turned Jesus over to the Romans, according to the Biblical account. Caiaphas’s tomb was uncovered in 1990. Also, some 40 years ago, archeologists discovered an inscription on a monument that mentions Pontius Pilate.” The article pointed out, too, that “Laboratory tests performed by the Geological Survey of Israel confirm that the box’s limestone comes from the Jerusalem area [and that]… it shows no trace of modern elements.”

On July 4, 2003, “The Hindu,” reported that “tests on a 2,000-year-old stone support claims that it once held the bones of St. James, said to have been the brother of Jesus and an important early Christian leader, scientists have concluded. The results of the experiments, which are disclosed in a television documentary, back the suggestion that the ‘bone box,’ or ossuary, may be the oldest archeological link with Christ. Last year, the tomb ossuary, inscribed with the words, ‘James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus,’ came to light in Israel… Since then, the box has been subjected to tests which are consistent with it coming from the right place and the right time, said Ed Keall, a curator at the Royal Ontario Museum, Canada.” The article continued, “A team at the Geological Survey of Israel extracted the patina, a cream-coloured film adhering to the stone, and found it matched that inside one of the letters after a study with electron microscopy, as would be expected with the genuine item. The Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto subjected the inscription to a tougher test, using long-wave ultraviolet light, which should highlight attempts to fake it. Again, it looked genuine, said Dr. Keall.”

However, on or about June 18, 2003, it was reported that Israel’s Antiquities Authority had concluded that the artifact was a fake. They had confiscated the artifact during a two-day display in Israel. CNN.com, New Scientist.com, and BBC News quoted the panel as stating that “while the box may date from the correct era, the inscription is a forgery added at a much later date. ‘The inscription appears new, written in modernity by someone attempting to reproduce ancient written characters,’ the official said in the statement.”

Scholars and scientists have heavily disputed the “findings” of the Israel’s Antiquities Authority. The Biblical Archaeology Society pointed out, “A committee appointed by the Israel’s Antiquities Authority (IAA) has declared the inscription on an ancient bone box that refers to ‘James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus’ to be a modern forgery. Case closed? Far from it — this is only the last chapter in a fascinating story. Two other groups of specialists — from the Geological Survey of Israel and the Royal Ontario Museum, in Toronto — also studied the bone box and concluded the inscription was ancient. And some of the world’s leading paleographers — specialists in ancient scripts — have dated the inscription’s style of writing to the first century A.D. Who is right? We still await a scientific report from the IAA [So far, only a two-page summary has been released, but not a full report].”

ChristianityToday.com stated on July 20, 2003, that “Witherington, a professor of New Testament at Asbury Theological seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky, is not convinced [that the artifact is a forgery]…. ‘The commission report is incomplete, and possibly inaccurate,’ he told Christianity Today. ‘They did not take into account all of the detailed and meticulous work that the Royal Ontario Museum did after the museum exhibit closed in January,’ Witherington maintains, ‘For example, under an electron microscope they found surface marks, which are deeply cut scratches that go through the box and through the letters. And these are ancient.'”

The United Methodist News Service stated on June 19, that according to Witherington, “what you have here is a case of dueling scholars.” He also pointed out that “The Israeli Geological Survey found conclusively that the ossuary stone and the dirt found in the ossuary both came from the Silwan area of Jerusalem. How did dirt from Silwan get encrusted in a box that Israel’s Antiquities Authority claims is from Cyprus or northern Syria?… No paleographer or Aramaic specialist in the world has suggested that a modern forger tried to imitate an older Aramaic style prior to the report by Israel’s Antiquities Authority.”

Crosswalk.com quoted Hershel Shanks of the Biblical Archaeological Review in Washington, stating that there “may be disagreement among the scientists. ‘There may be some archaeological politics involved.'”

Subsequently, the owner of the artifact, Israeli antiquities dealer Oded Golan, was arrested on the suspicion of forgery, but soon released on bail. The Jerusalem Post and Southern Cross Online from Sydney, Australia, reported on July 24 and 29, that Canadian Jewish filmmaker Simcha Jacobovici, who had made a documentary on the subject, “stands by the authenticity of the ossuary inscription. She pointed to the belief of noted paleographer Andre Lemaire of Paris’s Sorbonne, an expert in the study of ancient inscriptions, that the inscription was authentic. ‘Normally the opinion of Andre Lemaire of the Sorbonne, the world expert on Aramaic inscriptions, who first declared the inscription as real, would be enough,’ she told reporters in Jerusalem this week. ‘As far as I’m concerned, the Antiquities Authority [of Israel] is conducting a disinformation campaign against the ossuary because it believes that antiquities should be found in their archaeological settings.’ Dr. Gabi Barkai of Bar-Illan University in Tel Aviv, who also believes the inscription on the ossuary is genuine, expressed similar views…. ‘The ossuary itself is genuine. The only question is whether the inscription was added later, and the shape of the letters suggests it was not.'”

Whether the truth of the artifact will ever be “scientifically” proven may be doubtful. Too many interest groups with different goals and agendas are involved. This might include those who want to deny the existence of Christ (see our O&A in this Update), or who claim that Christ had no brothers. Also, as has been suggested, motives of personal hurt or rejection might play a role.

Maybe that’s the way it’s supposed to be: Those who don’t want to believe in God, Jesus Christ, and the Bible, may be “permitted” for a while to find “excuses” as to why they don’t have to, while believers will be strengthened by archeological findings supporting the accuracy of their belief. As we read in Daniel 12:10, “Many shall be purified, made white, and refined, but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand.”

Let’s also note Christ’s pronouncement, through the voice of an angel, in Revelation 22:10-12: “And he said to me, ‘Do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand. He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still. And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work.'”

THE CATHOLIC CHURCH AND EUROPE

As Zenit reported on August 31, 2003, the pope “placed Europe in Mary’s hands, so that it will ‘become a symphony of nations committed to building together the civilization of love and peace.’ Last Sunday, the [pope] urged that the final draft of the European Constitution should recognize explicitly the Christian roots of the continent, as they constitute a ‘guarantee of a future.'”

The Spectator in the United Kingdom commented on August 30 on the pope’s “recent demand that ‘God’ be featured in the emerging European constitution,” stating that it had been “echoed by many leading Catholic politicians and bishops. While on the surface such a reference may offend only Europe’s atheist and humanist contingent, it must be observed that when the Vatican refers to God, she sees herself as God’s
infallible vice-regent upon earth, the leading organ of divine expression; indeed, according to its publication Dominus Iesus (5 September 2000), as the only mediator in the salvation of God’s elect, insisting that all other Churches, including the Church of England, ‘are not Churches in the proper sense.'” The article continued, “The Roman Church is founded on a political dogma claiming that the Pope is ‘supreme ruler of the world’; superior to all kings, prime ministers and presidents. These spiritual and temporal claims remain very much fundamental dogmas of Catholic teaching, permitting the Pope, through Cardinal Ratzinger, the Prefect for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, to issue clear directives to Catholic politicians on how they should vote. Since their obedience is considered a ‘moral duty’, devolve everything [sic] to the overwhelmingly Catholic European Council of Ministers, Commission and Parliament, and the ultimate Caesar is the Pope.”

The article continued to point out: “There is much debate about whether the EU is a democracy, a theocracy, an oligarchy or a collective dictatorship, but at root it is none of these. It is an amphictyony – a confederation of states established around a religious centre. A Catholic EU will inevitably result in the subjugation of Britain’s Protestant ethos to Roman Catholic social, political and religious teachings. The Queen’s coronation oath ‘to govern the peoples of the United Kingdom according to their laws and customs’ and ‘to maintain the Protestant Reformed religion established by law’ is negated by the process of deeper European integration. It is almost a symbolic confirmation of the Queen’s vassal status that a 20p coin of Gibraltar bears an engraving of Mary crowned ‘Our Lady of Europa’ – the suzerain spiritual authority…”

COMMON EUROPEAN SECURITY

As Stern Online reported on August 29, Germany’s Foreign Minister, Joschka Fischer, said in an interview that the German government will accelerate the European Foreign and Defense Policy, with or without Great Britain’s participation. He rejected Great Britain’s concerns against the draft of the European Constitution, stating that Great Britain’s position would create a “rebirth of a debate of central European issues.”

TERROR ATTACKS IN THE UK

“Britain faces a threat from suicide bombers, with a terror attack almost inevitable, Britain’s top police officer [Sir John Stevens] says,” according to MSNBC News. The article continued, “Stevens also said al-Qaida was recruiting in Britain and that a real threat existed of chemical and biological attacks. ‘We are at the highest level of alert, I think, that we have ever been,’ he said.”

EARTHQUAKES & ASTEROIDS

New Zealand and Samoa have experienced strong earthquake actvitiies during the last two weeks, fortunately causing no injuries or casualties. “A powerful earthquake struck the remote southern coast of New Zealnd on Friday… The magnitude 7.1 quake, about 12.5 miles deep… was felt across southern New Zealand… The quake shook parts of Sydney, Australia, 1,330 miles away… Hundreds of aftershocks occured in the first six hours after the temblor, including one with a magnitude of 6.2” (Associated Press, August 21). On September 2, 2003, Associated Press reported, “A strong earthquake shook the small South Pacific nation of Samoa early Wednesday… The magnitude 6.2 quake struck… 2000 miles northeast of Wellington, New Zealand.”

CNN reported on September 2 that “a giant asteroid is heading for Earth… It’s potential strike date is March 21, 2014… On impact, it could have the effect of 20 million Hiroshima atomic bombs.” Scientists tried to calm our nerves by assuring us that the “chances of a catastrophic collision are just one in 909,000.” Still, as one commentator pointed out, it’s a bigger chance than hitting the jackpot in the lottery.
 

A: Very few educated people doubt the existence of Christ. There are more than 1,000 works of literature written very early in Church history affirming the existence of Christ. Much of it was written by pagans or Jews.

H.G. Wells wrote in “Outline of History”: “…one is obliged to say, ‘Here was a man. This part of the tale could not have been invented.'” Will Durant, professor of philosophy and a non-Christian, wrote extensively about Christ’s existence and His effect on society in “The Story of Our Civilization.” The Encyclopedia Britannica refers to Christ more than 20,000 times; more than Socrates, Aristotle, Buddha, Napoleon, Confucius, Mohammed, or Shakespeare. It says on one occasion, “These independent accounts prove that in ancient times even the opponents of Christianity never doubted the historicity of Jesus, which was disputed for the first time and on inadequate grounds by the end of the 18th, during the 19th, and at the beginning of the 20th centuries.”

John Singleton Copley, also known as Lord Lyndhurst, one of the greatest legal minds in British history, commented once in this way on the existence of Christ, His death, and His resurrection: “I know pretty well what evidence is: and I tell you, such evidence as that for the resurrection has never broken down yet.” Also, Lord Chief Justice of England, Lord Darling, once said that “no intelligent jury in the world could fail to bring in a verdict that the resurrection story is true.”

From the many non-Biblical sources attesting to the historicity of Jesus Christ, the following is just a brief synopsis:

The Huleatt fragments were written in AD 50 and contain the quote from Matthew 26:7-15, referring to Christ’s anointment with oil. Tatian the Syrian wrote in AD 170 that “God was born in the form of a man” (Address to the Greeks 21). Melito of Sardis wrote in AD 177 about the baptism of Christ and His miracles (Fragment in Anastasius of Sinai’s The Guide 13). Thallus, a Samaritan historian, wrote in AD 52 about the darkness that occurred at the crucifixion of Christ. Mara Bar-Serapion wrote in AD 73 to his son about the death of Socrates, Pythagoras and Jesus. Cornelius Tacitus wrote in AD 112 or AD 115 in his Annal (15.14) that “Christus, the founder of the name, was put to death by Pontius Pilate, procurator of Judea in the reign of Tiberias.” Lucian of Samostasa (AD 115 -200) wrote about Christ as “the man who was crucified in Palestine because he introduced this new cult into the world.” Phlegon wrote in his “Chronicles,” in AD 140, about the ability of Jesus to foresee future events.

In addition, Christian authors such as Clement of Rome [AD 30-101], Ignatius [martyred in AD 117], the epistle of Barnabas [written between AD 70 and 135], and Justyn Martyr [AD 100 – 165] wrote about Christ and His followers.

The Jewish Talmud contains several references to Jesus Christ. It states on one occasion, “On the eve of the Passover Yeshu was hanged” (The Babylonian Talmud, vol. iii, Sanhedrin 43a, p. 281). Another quote states, “Our rabbis taught: Yeshu had five disciples — Mattai [i.e. Matthew], Nakkai, Netzer, Buni and Yodah” (from Sanhedrin 43a). Other sources talk about Christians who were following Christ (compare, Aristides, Apology 16 [AD 140]; Pliny the Younger [AD 112]; and Suetonius [AD 120]).

In addition, the famous Jewish historian, Flavius Josephus, mentions Christ on at least two occasions, in addition to John the Baptist; Herod; James, the brother of Christ; and Ananias, the High Priest. An undisputed reference about “James, brother of Jesus Who was called Christ” can be found in Antiquities of the Jews, Book 20, chapter 9, paragraph 1. A rather lengthy reference to Christ, which can be found in Antiquities of the Jews, Book 18, chapter 3, paragraph 3, has been disputed as not genuine by some “scholars.” This quotation reads:

“About this time appeared Jesus, a wise man (if indeed it is right to call Him man; for He was a worker of astonishing deeds, a teacher of such men as receive the truth with joy), and He drew to Himself many Jews (many also of Greeks. This was the Christ). And when Pilate, at the denunciation of those who are foremost among us, had condemned Him to the cross, those who had first loved Him did not abandon Him (for He appeared to them alive again on the third day, the holy prophets having foretold this and countless others marvel about Him.) The tribe of Christians named after Him did not cease to this day.”

Some “scholars” regard the whole passage as spurious. Others regard the passage as authentic, with some spurious additions. Then, there are scholars who regard the entire passage as completely genuine. The Catholic Encyclopedia points out:

“The main arguments for the genuineness of the Josephan passage are the following: … all codices or manuscripts of Josephus’ work contain the text in question; to maintain the spuriousness of the text, we must suppose that all the copies of Josephus were in the hands of Christians, and were changed in the same way… Eusebius…, Sozomen…, Isidore of Pelusium…, St. Jerome…, Ambrose, Cassiodorus, etc., appeal to the testimony of Josephus; there must have been no doubt as to its authenticity at the time of these illustrious writers.”

The Catholic Encyclopedia continues to state about other Jewish writers (sources omitted): “The historical character of Jesus Christ is also attested by the hostile Jewish literature of the subsequent centuries. His birth is ascribed to an illicit…, or even adulterous, union of His parents… The later Jewish writings show traces of acquaintance with the murder of the Holy Innocents…, with the flight into Egypt…, with the stay of Jesus in the Temple at the age of Twelve…, with the call of the disciples… , with His miracles…, ‘Schabbath,’… with His claim to be God…, with His betrayal by Judas and His death… Celsus… tries to throw doubt on the Resurrection, while Toldoth… repeats the Jewish fiction that the body of Jesus had been stolen from the sepulcher.”

The evidence of Jesus’ existence becomes of course indisputably compelling, when considering the Bible itself. Some scholars of the “Historical Jesus” movement hold that the Gospels were fabricated or seriously distorted as the stories of Jesus evolved into the late 1st or early 2nd century. However, this theory is not supported by the evidence. Time and again the New Testament writers claim to be eyewitnesses to the facts. As one source explains:

“For instance, we know from sources outside the Bible that the Apostle Paul died during Nero’s persecution in 64 A.D. We also know that Paul was still alive at the close of Acts, so Acts must have been written sometime before 64 A.D. Since Acts was a continuation of Luke’s Gospel, we know that Gospel must have been written even earlier still. Any scholar, including those in the ‘Historical Jesus’ movement, will tell you that the Gospel of Mark predates the Gospel of Luke. This supports the writing of Mark in the 50s A.D., only about two decades after the crucifixion of Jesus. Outside the Gospels, no legitimate scholar will dispute that Paul wrote Romans in the mid-50s. Why is this important? Because Paul declares that Jesus is the resurrected Son of God in the opening lines of that New Testament letter. Galatians is another undisputed letter of Paul written in the mid-50s. Why is this important? Because Paul discusses his interaction with Peter and James, two of Jesus’ primary disciples, at least 14 years earlier in Galatians 1:18 and 2:1. Finally, in 1 Corinthians 15:3-8, Paul proclaims the earliest record of the Christian creed, in which Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and was raised from the dead three days later. Why is this early creed so important? Because scholars, using the historical records of Paul and his early travels to Damascus and Jerusalem, place the above creed at about 35 A.D., just 3 to 5 years after the death of Jesus Christ.”

Further, Paul’s testimony of Christ’s resurrection and His appearance to His disciples is important, as Paul was referring to over 500 witnesses who saw the resurrected Christ, “of whom the greater part remain to the present” (1 Corinthians 15:6). In other words, Paul was naming witnesses of the events who were still alive when he wrote the letter. Paul was describing these events and naming witnesses, so that people could check up on them. Are we to assume that all of these witnesses had collaborated to lie — including Paul, who had formerly PERSECUTED Christianity?

As the Catholic Encyclopedia states, “The four great Pauline Epistles (Romans, Galatians, and First and Second Corinthians) can hardly be overestimated by the student of Christ’s life; they have at times been called the ‘fifth gospel’; their authenticity has never been assailed by serious critics; … it is the testimony of a highly intellectual and cultured writer, who had been the greatest enemy of Jesus, who writes within twenty-five years of the events which he relates.”

In conclusion, considering the overwhelming and undisputed evidence, it is nothing less than willful and deliberate ignorance that would bring one to believe that Jesus Christ never existed.

We have placed another StandingWatch program on our Website, titled, “What’s Wrong with the Legal System?” A new program will be recorded on Friday.

Our current member letter, which you can find at: http://www.eternalgod.org/lit/letters/brethren-20030905.pdf will be sent out this Monday, together with a hard copy of our new booklet, “Baptism – a Requirement for Salvation.”
 

Dave Harris will give the sermon this Sabbath, August 30, 2003. The title of the sermon is, “If You Would Be Perfect.”

The services can be heard at www.cognetservices.org at the appropriate time, just click on “Connect to Live Stream.”
 

Are you familiar with the proverbial frog in the pot of boiling water? The way the folk tale goes is, if a frog jumps into a boiling pot of water it will jump out immediately. If it is placed into tepid water and the temperature is increased gradually, the frog will stay in until it boils to death due to its cold-blooded nature.

The problem is that the potential harm is ever so slightly increased in minute increments, almost unnoticeable, until the harm is actually done.

This same phenomenon is going on in the world around us. Take TV for example. What has happened to TV in the last 40 years? It seems that the envelope is being pushed every which way. Programming seems to have an agenda to subtly introduce more and more sex, violence, and things God abhors. We are being asked to accept actions contrary to God’s ways as being OK. You may be able to recall some shows once considered risqué. By today’s standards most would be considered tame.

Well, the same thing could be happening to us each and every day as we battle Self, Satan and Society.

Are we compromising and giving in a little here and a little there? Are we accepting what God says we shouldn’t? OR, are we standing up for what’s right? Are we following Christ’s example and living by every Word in the Bible?

One way to keep from being affected by these never ending little temperature increases is to take a page from the Bereans. They… received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily… (Acts 17:11).

What it boils down to is this; if we are armed with the Word of God and use it as our meter of right and wrong, we will be less likely to succumb to error or stray from the narrow path that leads to the Kingdom of God.
 

THE US — SPREADING TOO THINLY?

As the United States and its allies continue to struggle to bring about a resolution in Iraq, many leading experts warn that there are not enough “boots” on the ground. They caution that America must provide more soldiers, more money and a much greater commitment to this effort if there is to be any success. USA Today reported on August 27, that “Iraq will need tens of billions of dollars in contributions from overseas in the next year to fund the reconstruction effort,” according to the top U.S. civil administrator in Iraq, Paul Bremer. The article continued, “Bremer said it would cost $2 billion just to meet current electrical demand and an estimated $16 billion over four years to deliver clean water to all Iraqis. The figures, which must be added to the $4 billion the Pentagon spends each month on military operations in Iraq, offer the latest evidence that the price of the Iraqi occupation is growing substantially.”
In addition, American soldiers are being killed in Iraq almost on a daily basis. More American soldiers have already died in Iraq since the end of combat, than while in combat. When the war broke out, Germans were quoted as saying: “They are now spending billions of dollars to blow Iraq to pieces, and then they will spend billions of dollars to rebuild it. What insanity!”

In the meantime, China is hosting a conference concerning North Korea. Along with Russia, efforts are being made to ease this potential powder keg. For their part, the North Koreans are playing nuclear blackmail in an attempt to establish a more friendly relationship with the United States and Japan. In answer to this threat, the U.S. is planning a “war game” that will specifically prepare its navy to interdict the export of weapons from countries such as North Korea. USA Today commented on Wednesday, “Policy experts see no good solutions. A diplomatic breakthrough is unlikely; a war on the peninsula would be so destructive as to be unthinkable; and regional diplomats warn that the status quo is unsustainable.”

Then, there is still Afghanistan. As USA Today reported on Wednesday, “American and Afghan forces killed about a dozen insurgents Wednesday and recaptured a mountain pass in southeastern Afghanistan — the scene of heavy fighting and U.S. bombardments this week.” The article continued, “The battles follow a series of strikes by suspected Taliban against Afghan police and government officials in recent weeks, particularly in the south and the east of the country. The assaults have created new doubts about how much progress has been made by the U.S.-led effort to secure and rebuild the war-battered nation.”

As if all of this was not enough bad news, it even gets worse for the U.S. Der Spiegel Online reported on August 27 that, according to the “Congressional Budget Office,” the government deficit will likely have grown by 2013 to 5.8 trillion dollars — even if the U.S. economy were to show great progress within the next five years.

The United States now finds itself in a role that is clearly headed for disaster! With more and more “hot spots” presumably requiring U.S. involvement, the tasks will eventually overwhelm America’s resources. That these international quagmires are draining the might and the will of countries like Great Britain and the United States relates directly to their national character and to their sins which are separating them from God’s blessings.

Long ago God warned the people of Israel and their eventual descendants that He would punish them if they rejected Him and His ways. These warnings can be found in Deuteronomy 28 and in Leviticus 26, but note this scripture in particular: ” ‘I will break the pride of your power…’ ” (Leviticus 26:19). Unless our nations who have been so richly blessed by God turn back to following His ways, the dire warnings of national punishment will come about in ever increasing fulfillment–until we truly do repent!

CANADIAN FIRES

Reports from Rene Messier:
Memo, dated August 22, 2003, 7:40PM:

Our power, phone etc. has been out since 4:00PM this afternoon. I do not know if it will go out again. This was caused by a fire south of here. So far 15 homes were burnt in the Kelowna area and the fires are affecting 10,000 people. We are OK but it is smoky by the lake. This is the worst this province has had to go through. Some facts: 850 fires now burning, 673 caused by lightning, 177 by people. 1615 square kilometers have been burnt since April 1. 3450 people are fighting the fires, cost per day $6,000,000.00 — and rising since the fires are getting bigger. We are presently the only ones in the area with power.

Memo, dated August 22, 2003, 8:53PM:

Our daughter just called from Kelowna and informed us that 30,000 people are now directly affected by the fire in East Kelowna. They are either evacuated or on the alert. She was crying because she said it was so awful.

Memo, dated August 23, 2003, 8:23PM:

It has been a quiet day, winds have died down and the fire has been easier to work on by the crews. The official count of homes burnt is 203, with 26,000 evacuated and 16,000 on notice. The fire south of us is moving in the mountains, not populated so no one is in danger at this time.

Memo, dated August 27, 2003, 8:19PM:

In the last few days people were allowed back to their homes — except for 6500 which are still not able to go home because of potential danger. The fire in the north — near Kelowna — is still not contained, but it is burning away from populated areas. The fire south of here is burning south-east. Some people have been evacuated, but I know of no homes burned. The count of homes burnt in the Kelowna area and south of Kelowna is just over 250. The smoke in the air has subsided and it looks promising at this point in having both these fires contained soon.

GERMANY AND ISRAEL

The following includes experts from a speech by Joschka Fischer, Germany’s Foreign Minister, on receiving an honorary doctorate from the University of Haifa, Israel, on 29 May 2002. The speech was published in its entirety by the German Federal Foreign Office on May 29, 2002. Mr. Fischer’s comments made over a year ago appear as relevant today, as they were then:

“… Germany, my country, cannot separate itself from its history, cannot leave it behind, cannot forget it. It is our history. We have no other. And responsibility for Auschwitz, for the genocide against German and European Jews, that horrific crime against humanity, is forever part of our history. German democracy has accepted this historical and moral responsibility. The very special relationship between democratic Germany and the State of Israel, which began with Konrad Adenauer and David Ben Gurion, is based on this. The people of Israel can trust in democratic Germany as a reliable friend and partner, both today and in the future. That is not a question of changing political conditions. It is and will be a permanent and solid feature of German politic…

“The responsibility for our history does not vanish or disappear. I am ashamed when Jewish Germans have the feeling that they are left alone again. And I am even more ashamed when German Jews today seriously discuss whether is was not a mistake to stay and live in Germany. This must never happen again, not in democratic Germany. Therefore, the question whether Jews are safe and feel ‘at home’ in Germany is the crucial question of credibility for our German democracy. A question which we Germans have to ask ourselves time and again…

“Our own history teaches us: all forms of anti-Semitism have to be met with our determined opposition. What Hitler and the Nazis did to German Jews, they did first and foremost to Germans, Germans of the Jewish faith. The Holocaust monument in Berlin will also be a symbol of this tremendous loss which is still so painfully felt in my country and its culture…

“We Germans not only have a historical obligation here but also, as Germans and Europeans, our own security interests. We are direct neighbors of the Middle East. War and peace in this region affect us directly, and for that reason we also feel compelled to help the peace process in your region for very egoistical reasons. We regard the current situation with great concern. For many months now, the hope, indeed the expectation, of a substantial peace settlement has given way to new rounds of terror and violence. This week a year ago I was witness to the horrific attack on the “Dolphinarium” during my visit to Tel Aviv. I witnessed the horror and the anger provoked here in Israel by this carefully calculated terror. I do not know how many times since then I have seen television images of new attacks — also here in Haifa only a few weeks ago. Images of horror and grief and of desperate relatives – and then, time and again, images of innocent victims also on the Palestinian side…

“What will the road to such a peace settlement look like? How can we move closer to this goal? One thing seems to me to be more certain than ever: there is no viable military solution. Only a political agreement can bring and guarantee lasting security and peace…

“The Israeli-Palestinian Peace Coalition has a wonderful programmatic statement, which I want to quote in concluding my speech this morning: ‘We are each other’s most important allies in the struggle for peace.’ We should never forget that you don’t have to make peace with your friends, but with your enemies. Just like war, peace begins in the minds of people. Peace begins with the recognition of and respect for the dignity of my enemy.

“Thank you. Shalom.”

TEMPLE MOUNT COMPOUND REOPENED

The WorldNetDaily reported on August 26, 2003, about a clash between Israeli police with Muslims on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem after the compound was reopened to Christians and Jews. The article continued: “Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat ordered the site closed to non-Muslim visitors when riots erupted between police and Muslim worshippers a day after Ariel Sharon, now the Israeli prime minister, visited in September 2000 — a visit Arafat used to rationalize the current terrorist uprising, or intifada, that has resulted in more than 5,000 casualties… Last week the Israeli government announced it would reopen the complex to Jewish and Christian visitors for two hours every morning. The Waqf, or Muslim council, which oversees day-to-day affairs at the compound objected, complaining it was not consulted… The compound is known to Jews and Christians as the Temple Mount, having been the site of two Biblical Jewish temples. To Muslims it is the Haram al-Sharif, or Noble Sanctuary. Within the complex is the Dome of the Rock, or Al Aqsa mosque.”
 

Q: Would you please explain 1 Corinthians 9:20-21?

A: 1 Corinthians 9:20-21 is one of those Scriptures that has been used by some for the support of their false claim that Paul no longer taught obedience to God’s law. This is, however, not at all what Paul was saying here.

Let us read, in context, the entire passage of 1 Corinthians 9:19-23:

“(Verse 19) For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win the more; (verse 20) and to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might win those who are under the law; (verse 21) to those who are without law, as without law (not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law; (verse 22) to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. (verse 23) Now this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I may be partaker of it with you.”

In a recent “theological” article, the following “explanation” of this passage was conveyed to the readership:

“Paul acted like something he was not. Some people might call that hypocritical or deceptive; Paul calls it part of his evangelistic strategy… For someone to act like a Gentile, they would eat foods that Jews could not, and they would not observe the Sabbath… When Paul was with Jews, he kept the old covenant food laws and weekly and annual Sabbaths. When he was with the Gentiles, he did not. He sometimes acted differently from what he believed.”

Is this “explanation” correct? Was Paul a hypocrite? Did he fail to keep the Sabbath or the Holy Days, when in the presence of Gentiles, so as not to offend them? Did he teach the Gentiles that they did not have to keep the Sabbath, the annual Holy Days, and the dietary laws?

Of course not. The idea that Paul acted as a hypocrite — that he lied and deceived — that he had double standards, and that he refused to keep God’s law and taught others they did not have to keep it, is highly offensive and unscriptural.

Paul recognized the ongoing validity of God’s Law (especially the Ten Commandments, which includes the command to keep the Sabbath holy). Our free booklet, “And Lawlessness Will Abound…”, explains in detail that the Sabbath, the Annual Holy Days, and God’s dietary laws are still binding. They are not “old covenant laws,” — in fact, to call them such reveals total ignorance as to what a covenant is. A covenant is a contract, which is based on law — it does not bring law into existence. When a covenant becomes obsolete, this does not affect the laws on which the covenant is based. To term certain laws “old covenant laws” is just an idle and futile attempt to somehow make those laws obsolete.

We should note that Paul kept the Sabbath and the Holy Days, when in the presence of Gentiles. In fact, as our booklet, “And Lawlessness Will Abound…” points out, Paul even COMMANDED the Gentiles to keep the Sabbath, the Holy Days, and the dietary laws.

What, then, did Paul mean in 1 Corinthians 9:20-21?

The New Testament makes clear that certain SACRIFICIAL laws are no longer binding today. Paul calls them “a tutor” in Galatians 3:24. This ritual law, which is referred to as a “LAW,” “was added because of transgression” (Galatians 3:19). Sin is the transgression of the Law (1 John 3:4), the Ten Commandments (James 2:8-12). We see, then, that the Ten Commandments — the “LAW” — had to be in effect BEFORE the sacrificial law system was added — as it was added BECAUSE OF transgression. The sacrificial system with its ritualistic rules is no longer necessary to be kept — at the same time, it would NOT be SINFUL to keep it, while in the presence of Jews. Therefore, when Paul was with Jews, he would not offend them by refusing to keep their customs. He would not keep those customs, of course, when he was with Gentiles, as these customs or ritualistic laws are no longer binding. Paul DID make clear, however, that he DID teach and keep the spiritual LAW of God (Romans 7:14) that IS still binding, including ALL of the Ten Commandments (Matthew 19:17-19).

Notice how the “Nelson Study Bible” explains 1 Corinthians 9:19-23:

“Paul put his ministry of the gospel above his personal desires. He was willing to conform to the customs of other people, whether Jew or Gentile, in order to bring them to Christ. For example, in order to relate to the Jews in Jerusalem he made a Nazarite vow in the temple (Acts 21:23, 24). Around those who were under the Law — the Jews — Paul obeyed the Law. Around those who were outside the Law — the Gentiles — Paul did not observe JEWISH CUSTOM. Paul clarified this, however, lest anyone misunderstand his actions. He obeyed GOD’S LAW through obedience toward Christ.”

The New Bible Commentary concurs, referring to the ritualistic sacrificial law as the “Mosaic” law:

“Paul has surrendered more than his right to personal subsistence. Though he is free from all men, i.e. in no sense bound by the standards or fashions of others, he is prepared to make himself a slave to all, and conform to their standards or fashions, providing no real principle is at stake, in order to win as many as possible… So when among Jews he acts as a Jew, conforming to their customs under the Mosaic law (Acts 16:3; 18:18; 21:26), though as a Christian he himself is no longer obliged to keep that law (cf. Gal. 2:11-21). Similarly he is ready to identify himself with those who are not bound by the Jewish law, i.e. Gentiles; though he adds an important proviso. Gentiles not only disregard the Mosaic law [our comment: that part of the law of Moses that is ritual and no longer binding], but may also refuse to recognize any divine commandments [our comment: the Ten Commandments with its statutes and judgments — including the Sabbath, the annual Holy Days, and the dietary and tithing laws].”

Paul never taught others to sin, and he was careful that he did not sin, either. He would have never disobeyed God by breaking His law, only to “win” the Gentiles. He was NOT without God’s law, although he did no longer preach as binding and mandatory physical circumcision or other sacrificial rituals, as those — temporary — laws had been abolished by God in the New Testament. At the same time, he did not offend his Jewish audience by violating their customs and traditions, as long as he could keep them without sinning against God.

Finally, although he was not “under the law,” he became as one “under the law,” so that he might win those under the law. As we explain in our booklet, “And Lawlessness Will Abound…” the term “under the law” refers to its penalty. When we sin, the penalty of sin — death — is hanging over us like the sword of Damocles. Through the sacrifice of Christ, our repentance and our belief in and acceptance of His sacrifice, we can have forgiveness of our sins, that is, we won’t have to die anymore. The death penalty is no longer hanging over our heads. In order to win those who had not yet accepted Christ’s sacrifice, Paul became as one of them. He showed them compassion and sympathy, rather than condemning and offending them. He became as one under the penalty of the law, as he understood what it was like to live in sin, being cut off and separated from God.

Paul never taught that any of God’s abiding laws could be broken. He taught, “It is the duty of the people of God to keep the Sabbath” (Hebrews 4:9; Lamsa translation). Those who want to REFUSE to keep God’s spiritual law, including the weekly and annual Sabbaths, twist certain Scriptures and invent arguments to justify their sinful conduct. They do this, however, “to their own destruction” (compare 2 Peter 3:14-16).

For more information about the ongoing duty of a true Christian to keep God’s weekly and annual Sabbaths, please read our free booklet, “God’s Commanded Holy Days.”

On August 21, we conducted a technology meeting in Colorado. Goal of the meeting was to plan for the Church of the Eternal God’s future uses of the Internet to support the work of the Church.

Topics discussed:

1. In order to accommodate current and future growth, a redesign of the site has been planned. This will include a new “look” with the goal being to make our home page more appealing and much more useable.

2. Part of the redesign will focus on utilizing the abundant material already produced. For example, the sermon summaries, editorials, Q&A, etc. will be made more accessible.

3. Steps to establish STANDINGWATCH as an independent website for a public liaison to CEG are now being taken. This will serve much as did “The Plain Truth” in times past.

4. With new technologies emerging quite rapidly, it was determined to review availability of options in both software and hardware for CEG’s purposes.

5. Sermon broadcast requirements will be standardized to assure timely production. This will include securing better hosting facilities.

6. Different strategies for bringing more traffic and attention to the CEG website were explored.

7. Those attending this meeting: Eric and Shana Rank, Robb and Laura Harris, Shelly Bruno and Dave and Peggy Harris.

STANDING WATCH

We have placed another Standing Watch program on our Website, discussing “Heaven and Hell.” A new program will be recorded on Friday.

Norbert Link will give the sermon this Sabbath, August 23. The title of the sermon is, “True Friendship.”

The services can be heard at www.cognetservices.org at the appropriate time, just click on “Connect to Live Stream.”
 

Quite recently, I got caught, really caught. I was sent, by e-mail, details of a virus that, if not eliminated, would cause havoc on my computer. It was suggested that I eliminate this virus and forward the message on to my address book. When I followed the instructions, the “offending” virus was there and I duly eliminated it. I also let scores of other people know about this potential problem. However, after all of this effort, a few people who understand computers far better than I, advised that it was a hoax! I then went through the same procedure again, this time advising all those whom I had written to originally, that it was a hoax. I had to re-install the feature that I had erroneously removed as it was necessary in some of the programs that I use. For that exercise I had to enlist help! By this time, others were writing to me because I was in their address book and the whole exercise kept going round and round for a few days. I must have spent at least half a day on this hoax which was a complete and utter waste of my time. I felt also guilty that I had wasted the time of so many others, albeit trying to be of service to them.

It got me to thinking about the lessons we can learn from such an exercise.

(1) First of all, I learnt that if I receive another such, no doubt well-meaning virus warning, I will check with those who understand these problems far better than I, and I will check with web-sites that contain up-to-date information on viruses.

(2) It didn’t take me more than an instant to realize that when destruction, chaos, lying and time-wasting are involved, we can usually look in one specific direction and we shouldn’t be surprised that the problems created all emanate from the same source. Of course, human beings are used, but the basic modus operandi simply doesn’t change from the originating being.

Passing on viruses and details about viruses can create chaos. Scripture tells us that originally, there was no chaos when the heavens and the earth were created. As we have understood for decades, through the influence of Satan, the earth became waste and empty. Satan brought to this earth chaos and confusion. We know that God is not the author of confusion (1 Corinthians 14:33). Wherever chaos and confusion reigns, Satan is in the thick of it.

(3) Creating and intentionally passing on viruses is destructive. God is the Creator and Sustainer of positive and good things. Wherever Satan is involved, destruction follows. Satan knows that we have the potential to become members of the God Family. He will do everything he can to prevent us from attaining that wonderful position. If he can destroy us he will, but with the help of God’s Holy Spirit, we can out-maneuver the adversary. Satan caused Job many problems, but he was only allowed to go so far. We have to be on our toes to avoid his destructive attacks on us.

(4) A hoax is a lie. Who is the father of lies? John 8:44 gives us the answer from the lips of Jesus Christ. The ninth commandment tells us not to bear false witness (not to lie). A hoax is a deliberate attempt to deceive. That is not God’s way, but it originates and emanates from the evil one.

(5) Both a virus and a hoax are time wasters. If Satan can side-track us, he will. He will attempt to keep us so busy with those matters that we can become deluded into thinking that we have little or no time for the spiritually essential areas. When we have to deal with a virus or a hoax, it results in a negative and a complete waste of time. Oh, how Satan loves to waste our time.

If God was the center of everyone’s life, viruses and hoaxes would simply not exist. Everyone would have first and foremost the best interests of others in their minds, and they would never dream of doing anything to harm others. They would practice the golden rule of doing to others as they themselves would like to be dealt with (Luke 6:31). They would be esteeming others better than themselves (Philippians 2:3). They would be service orientated, serving others in a Godly way. That is exactly the opposite way to Satan’s approach. We should thank God daily that Satan can only do to us what God specifically allows, and that in the Kingdom of God, our adversary, with his destructive attributes, will have been crushed under our feet (Romans 16:20).
 

PEACE, PEACE!

The fragile plight of this earth and its nations came shattering into the headlines this week as bombings in both Baghdad and Jerusalem continued the downward spiral of terror.

The attack on a so-called “soft” target in Baghdad now stands as the worst directed at the U.N. in its history. A leading and respected U.N. representative, Sergio Vieira de Mello (55), was among the many dead. According to USA Today, “At least 20 U.N. workers and Iraqis were killed… and 100 were wounded.”

After a very short respite, Jerusalem witnessed another unspeakable incident of carnage on Wednesday as some 20 people were killed, and about hundred were injured, nearly reaching the same numbers of deaths and injuries as those in Baghdad. There was an edge in the Israeli response that portends of reprisals that may well take on shocking proportions. As USA Today reported on Thursday, “Israel killed a senior Hamas political leader [Ismail Abu Shanab] in a missile strike Thursday, retaliating for a suicide bombing of a bus in which 20 people died including six children. Hamas vowed revenge and, along with Islamic Jihad, formally abandoned a truce declared eight weeks ago.” The newspaper continued, “Abu Shanab was widely regarded as a moderate in the group, and served as a liaison with [Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud] Abbas during the prime minister’s efforts to persuade Hamas to halt attacks.”

The suicide bombing in Jerusalem followed an Israeli announcement on Tuesday that “it would press on with construction of a barrier through the West Bank, confiscating Palestinian property near Jerusalem for a project that has drawn harsh criticism from the United States,” according to USA Today. The article continued: “Israel plans a series of massive cement walls, electronic fencing, barbed wire and trenches between the West Bank and Israel to prevent suicide bombers from launching attacks. The plan, which already has seen sections built in Jerusalem and the West Bank, has outraged Palestinians, and President Bush has called it ‘a problem.’ But Israel’s defense minister was adamant Tuesday that the project had already prevented attacks and would go ahead at full-speed.”

In the meantime, as reported by the Associated Press, “Pope John Paul prayed Wednesday that world leaders find wisdom to end a ‘woeful spiral of hatred’ after deadly bombings in Baghdad and Jerusalem.”

Jeremiah conveys warnings from God about a future time when people would talk about peace and resolution of problems, but this peace would not materialize into anything lasting: “They have also healed the hurt of My people slightly, Saying, ‘Peace, peace!’ When there is NO PEACE” (Jeremiah 6:14).

Those who look to God must realize that true peace, lasting peace, will not be brought about between people who hate each other. Rather, Jesus Christ will return and ESTABLISH PEACE–with great power! At that time peace will become the order of the day, and no longer will there be wars or senseless, hate-filled bombings and reprisals that destroy lives. It might be timely to once again review our booklet, “The Gospel of the Kingdom of God.” The only time when mankind can truly proclaim, “Peace, peace!,” is when that Kingdom and God’s perfect government are established on the earth! It is then that Matthew 6:10 will find its fulfillment: ” ‘Your kingdom come, Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.’ “

THE GREAT DARKNESS

“The largest blackout in American history prompted new calls Friday for overhauling the nation’s electricity system even as investigators searched for clues to what might have triggered the power outrages from New England to Michigan,” according to USA Today. “The early confusion underscored the bedeviling complexity woven into the North American electricity network in recent decades, the boom in cross-border power trading, and the interdependence of the many parts and partners multiplied by energy deregulation… ‘We’re the world’s greatest superpower, but we have a Third World electricity grid,’ said former Energy Secretary Bill Richardson, now governor of New Mexico.” In a follow-up article, USA Today stated, “The electric power grid might be more vulnerable to a cyperattack today than it was on September 11, 2001.”

Der Spiegel Online published an article on August 18, 2003, titled, “The great darkness.” It pointed out: “America between appearance and reality. The collapse of the power grid in the Northeast revealed the weaknesses of the superpower’s infrastructure.” It continued, “All of this because of a faulty fuse? Is it that easy to tie down the muscle-bound Gulliver, to cripple his massive force? What can terrorists learn from this amazingly banal weakness of the hated USA? In Europe, especially in the ‘old’ part bordering the ‘new’ NATO member states of Eastern Europe…, people were rubbing their eyes in disbelief. This could not be true. The Americans… can’t even provide electricity to a large portion of their population?”

According to Bild Online, a similar blackout is presently not a threat for Europe. However, unless 30 billion Euros are spent within the next ten years to invest in the electricity system and network, a similar blackout could occur by then.

HEATWAVE IN FRANCE

USA Today reported on Thursday, August 21, that “some 10,000 people had died” from the recent heat wave in France. Bild Online pointed out that this “unique national catastrophe” has created additional problems relating to the disposal all the corpses. The government of France is blamed for “insufficiencies” in the health care system, and that it did “too little, too late in the face of the heat wave and the scores of deaths it caused,” according to USA Today.

WHY GERMANY NEEDS EUROPE

According to Hanns Maull, Chairman for Foreign Policy and International Relations at the University of Trier, Germany needs to chose France, Europe, and supranationalism over America, NATO, and transatlantic cooperation. In an article, titled, “Why Germany Needs to Chose Europe Over America,” published by www.deutsche-aussenpolitik.de, he also stated, “A European Union which seriously moved towards a Defence Union would enable security co-operation to be re-equilibrated from one-sided dependence towards a meaningful division of labour. This would no doubt require duplication in military assets — yet American objections to that ultimately reflect a desire to keep the European allies on a leash… Europe and the transatlantic community both need a stronger, more purposeful European Union, including a European Defence Union.”

EUROPE AND THE POPE

USA Today reported this week that, according to Pope John Paul II, “Europe is suffering a crisis in values and expressed hope that the addition of 10 more countries in the European Union next year would be an occasion for the continent’s renewal. The pontiff in recent weeks has decried what he calls a movement away in Europe from its Christian roots. ‘You can’t deny, that in these times of ours, Europe is going through a crisis in values, and it is important that it recovers its true identity,’ John Paul told pilgrims and tourists… Of the 10 nations scheduled to join the European Union next year, some, like Malta, Slovakia and the pope’s native Poland, are heavily Roman Catholic. The Vatican has mounted a campaign to persuade EU leaders to include a reference to Christianity’s role in Europe in the Union’s new constitution, which is being prepared.”

AGAINST NATURE?

In another bizarre twist of human deviation and depravity, “Scientists in China have for the first time used cloning techniques to create hybrid embryos that contain a mix of DNA from humans and rabbits,” according to “The Charlotte Observer” of August 14. “More than 100 of the hybrids made, by fusing human skin cells with rabbit eggs, were allowed to develop for several days before the scientists destroyed them… Although scientists in Massachusetts had previously mixed human cells and cow eggs in a similar attempt to make hybrid embryos for stem cells, those experiments were not successful… Some wondered what, exactly, such a creature would be if it were to develop to term… No one knows if such an embryo could develop into a viable fetus, though experiments with other species suggest it would not.”

As early as in the book of Genesis, God warns that “nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them” (Genesis 11:6). At that time, God stopped “human progress” by confusing their language and by scattering them abroad over the face of all the earth (vv. 7-9). May God intervene soon a second time, before man’s unlimited madness will actually be successful in creating such hybrids of animals and people.

WEST NILE CASES INCREASE IN COLORADO

USA Today stated on Wednesday that “Two Colorado counties declared public health emergencies and the state has requested federal money for mosquito spraying as the peak of West Nile season approaches. Colorado leads the nation with 392 human West Nile cases and seven deaths… Nationwide, the agency [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] has confirmed 536 West Nile cases and 11 deaths.” This last figure is undoubtedly too low, as the same agency had only confirmed 257 Colorado cases and only six deaths, according to the newspaper.

“CO” FACES MILITARY COURT

thestar.com reported on August 16 that a “Conscientious Objector” is the first American during the Iraq war to face possible court-martial for his refusal to serve. Stephen Funk, a 21-year-old gay marine reservist, admits that he missed 47 days of training but says that he was preparing his conscientious objector (CO) application. “To be approved as a CO by any of the forces involves a three-to 12-month investigation. ‘They have to prove conclusively, shortly after joining, that they have had this conviction, if you will,’ [according to] marine reserves spokesperson Capt. Patrick Kerr.” The article continued, “Funk explains he became opposed to military service after ‘Kill! Kill!’ orders during boot-camp drills… ‘I had figured out that war itself was immoral and could not be justified… Yet everyone told me it was futile to try to get out. We were trained to be subordinate in our thoughts, words and actions.’… After being called to join the Iraq war, he said,’ I could no longer just obey.'”

10 COMMANDMENTS

“Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore on Wednesday lost a last-minute appeal to the Supreme Court to save a Ten Commandments monument he installed in a judicial building, clearing the way for its removal” (Associated Press). As USA Today reported, the monument “was walked off from public view Thursday.”

Over the past few weeks a legal battle has raged in Montgomery, Alabama, over a monument with at least a short form of the Ten Commandments. Yet, when examined closely, this current battle reflects the anti-God, anti-religion element in America, and it additionally shows how little impact signs and monuments of this nature actually have.

Note God’s view as recorded of His people in Isaiah 48:1-2: ” ‘Hear this, O house of Jacob, Who are called by the name of Israel, and have come forth from the wellsprings of Judah; Who swear by the name of the LORD, And make mention of the God of Israel, But not in truth or in righteousness; for they call themselves after the holy city, And lean on the God of Israel; The LORD of hosts is His name.’ “

Just how certain and true these words are is reflected in the fact that even the Supreme Court of the United States displays the Ten Commandments — the same court which rejects an appeal to uphold the freedom to retain God in public life. One of those commandments among the ten has something very specific to say about the Sabbath, while others forbid the worship of foreign gods or the creation of images of the true God, as well as adultery, killing, stealing, lying, or coveting. The point remains, it does very little good to post rules on conduct if those rules have no real bearing on how people actually live their lives! Looking at the removed monument from that standpoint, the practical difference whether it can be viewed or not may not be all that great.

CANADIAN FIRES

There are currently over 800 fires burning in the Province of British Columbia. The closest one is only 6 kilometers away. We are in no immediate danger since the fires are burning on the other side of the lake. There are1000 homes on one hour evacuation notice affecting 3000 people. Some are located in East Kelowna and the rest in Naramata, a town north and east of Penticton. Today on the way home from work I could not see the mountains on the east side of the lake because of the smoke. The whole Okanagan valley is filled with smoke. I was working outside this morning and the smoke made the sun look red. It reminded me of the Scripture in Joel 2:31: “The sun becomes darkness and the moon as blood” (paraphrased). The smoke made the sun look red, a bit of a reminder of what lies ahead in the Great Tribulation. The fire has tripled in size in one day, so who knows what tomorrow will bring. –Rene Messier
 

A: In Revelation 3:7-8, Christ tells the angel of the church in Philadelphia: “These things says He who is holy, He who is true, ‘He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens’: … ‘See I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it.'”

Whatever that open door is, it is still open for those who belong to the church in Philadelphia. “The church in Philadelphia” is mainly a reference here to faithful Christians who have developed in their lives a “Philadelphian spirit” or attitude — as applied to us today, it does not refer to a specific local church or particular organization. Those are simply Scripturally wrong who claim that they — as an organization — are THE remnant of the Philadelphia era. Christ makes clear that it is He who opens and shuts. To the church in Philadelphia, He specifically says, “I have set before YOU an open door, and NO ONE can shut it.”

What is this open door?

(1) At least four Scriptures explain that the term “open door” refers to the ability of the church in Philadelphia to preach the gospel in all the world as a witness to all nations, prior to Christ’s return. Acts 14:27 states, “He had opened the DOOR OF FAITH to the Gentiles.” 1 Corinthians 16:9 points out, “…a great and effective DOOR has opened to me” in Ephesus. 2 Corinthians 2:12 says, “…when I came to Troas to preach Christ’s gospel, and a DOOR was opened to me by the Lord…” Finally, Colossians 4:3 states, “…that God would open to us a DOOR for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ.”

These Scriptures show that the open door is associated with preaching Christ’s gospel of the Kingdom of God. However, the term “open door” is not limited to just preaching the gospel message to the world. There are other Scriptures that identify additional aspects of the “open door”:

(2) In the parable of the ten virgins, the five wise virgins, who were ready, went with Christ to the wedding, and, as Matthew 25:10 tells us, the open door was shut. When the foolish virgins, who were not ready, came and said, “Lord, Lord, open to us!”, Christ answered them, “I do not know you” (verses 11-12). Likewise, in Luke 13:25, we read that the time will come when the Master of the house (the church of God) will shut the door and won’t let those in who are standing outside, knocking.

The open door, then, is also associated with the ability of the five wise virgins to enter God’s Kingdom. The foolish virgins were unable to do so — for them, the door was shut. Christ told us to “enter” by the narrow gate which leads to life, and that only few will find it (Matthew 7:13-14). Only for the few, then, the spiritual Philadelphians, and for those who may still become spiritual Philadelphians, before Christ’s return, the door to the gate of eternal life is and remains to be open. For the overwhelming majority of mankind, it is closed at this point in time, and it has been closed since God placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, to guard or protect the way to the tree of life. (This door to eternal life WILL be opened later to mankind, after Christ’s return, during the Millennium and the Great White Throne Judgment. For more information, please read our free booklets, “Do We Have an Immortal Soul?” And “God’s Commanded Holy Days.”)

We read in Revelation 3:20 that the church of the Laodiceans — those with a Laodicean attitude of spiritual blindness and self-righteousness (Revelation 3:16-18) — has shut the door. Christ is outside, standing in front of the door, knocking. Christ says, “IF anyone… opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me [at the Wedding Supper].” Christ, then, must give us an open door to let Him into our lives — to let Him live His life within us (Galatians 2:20). As long as we are and remain spiritual Philadelphians, Christ has given us that open door. Christ WILL live His life in us, and NO ONE can shut Him out. No one — except we ourselves can do it. If we shut Him out, Christ is not going to force us to keep the door open. He does not force us to go God’s Way of Life. As we continue to shut Christ more and more out of our lives, we cease to be spiritual Philadelphians and become lukewarm and self-righteous Laodiceans. It is the spiritual Laodiceans who have shut the door, while Christ stands outside — at the door of their hearts — knocking for a while to be received back into their lives. We are living at the very time when God IS knocking at the doors of many Laodiceans. If they don’t repent, refusing to let Christ become again center stage of their lives, it will be they who will be knocking at HIS door at the time of Christ’s return to enter the Wedding Supper. By then, the door will be shut for them. Unless the spiritual Laodiceans repent, open the door of their hearts and let Christ in, and become thereby spiritual Philadelphians, the door to eternal life remains shut for them.

(3) Christ identifies Himself many times as the “open door.” In John 10:1-9, Christ talks about Himself as the door to the sheep. He says that he who enters the sheepfold by the door (verse 2) is the true shepherd, and that everyone will be saved who enters through Christ. That is what the five virgins did, when they entered the wedding room through Jesus Christ, the open door, going in and finding pasture (compare John 10:7, 9).

We of ourselves have only a little strength (Revelation 3:8). Our strength of overcoming and living a Christian life must come through Jesus Christ, the open door to God the Father. Paul was confident that God would complete the good work in those in whom He had begun it (Philippians 1:6). Christ said that those who endure to the end WILL be saved. They are the VERY elect. They follow the Lamb wherever He goes, because they are the called, and the chosen, and the faithful ones (Revelation 14:4; 17:14).

The “open door” is associated with Christ Himself who has given Himself to the spiritual Philadelphians. Christ said that He gave the Morning Star to those in Thyatira. Those Christians can be described as spiritual Philadelphians, because they will rule in the world to come (Revelation 2:26-28). Christ later identified Himself as that very Morning Star (Revelation 22:16; 2 Peter 1:19). He, the Morning Star, gives Himself to His people. The same symbolism is used regarding the open door — Christ gives Himself, as an open door, to the spiritual Philadelphians.

Revelation 3:12 says that the true Philadelphians will be “pillars” in the temple of God, and that they will go out no more. It is given to them to go through the open door, Christ, into the temple of God, in order to be pillars there.

What does it mean, practically, that Christ, the open door to God the Father and to God’s Kingdom, has opened the doors of our hearts to let Him live in us?

When Peter and some of the other disciples went fishing, the resurrected Christ appeared to them and asked Peter, “Do you love Me more than these?” The Lamsa translation says, “Do you love Me more than these THINGS?” (John 21:15). The reference is to the fish that they had just caught.

When Peter confessed three times that he loved Christ, Jesus admonished him three times to “feed” and “tend” the lambs and sheep (verses 15-17). Peter’s love for Christ would be manifested and seen in his tending and feeding of Christ’s church — by looking after the sheep, by taking care of them, and by feeding them with the word in season and out of season (2 Timothy 4:2). Christ said to Peter, “Follow Me” (verse 19). That is, follow My example of being a good shepherd of My sheep, who would even be willing, if necessary, to lay down his life for the sheep (verse 18).

Christ also said that the harvest was plentiful, but that the laborers were few, and that we should pray for laborers (Luke 10:2). We have today, potentially, a plentiful harvest as the result of the preaching of the gospel through Mr. Armstrong.

(4) God closed the door of the ark, after Noah and his family, as well as the selected animals, had entered the ship. Genesis 7:16 reads, in the Revised English Bible, “The Lord closed the door on him.” God did so, after righteous Noah and his family had entered the ark through the open door, which no one could shut for them. They entered the ark to be saved from destruction. This is interesting, as Revelation 3:10 points out that the church in Philadelphia — those who have a Philadelphian spirit — will be protected from the hour of trial or tribulation which shall come upon the whole world. The flood destroyed the whole world at the time of Noah, and Christ said that the Great Tribulation to come would destroy all of mankind, if Christ would not intervene at the very end (Matthew 24:21-22). The open door, that has been given to the Philadelphians, is also associated with physical protection from the Great Tribulation.

In conclusion, our preaching of the gospel to the world needs to continue and must not stop. God has given to the spiritual Philadelphians the open door of preaching His word, and NO ONE can shut this door. At the same time, we must strive to enter the narrow door that leads to eternal life, by letting Christ — the door to God the Father and to God’s Kingdom — live in our hearts. If we do, God promises us entrance into His Kingdom as born-again members of His Family (2 Peter 1:10-11), as well as physical protection from the Great Tribulation (Revelation 12:14).

We have placed another Standing Watch program on our Website, discussing baptism. A new program will be recorded on Friday.

The text for our new booklet on Angels, Demons and the Spirit World has been written and has entered the first review cycle.