Dave Harris will give the sermon this Sabbath, August 16. The title of the sermon is, “The Church Is Important!”

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

This might seem like a simplistic question to ask of people who claim to be Christians. However, it appears by what has been happening in the USA, Canada, and other countries around the world, that the concept of sin or the understanding of what it is, is totally lacking.

To those of us familiar with the Bible, our answer would be, “Sin is the transgression of the law,” or — as it is phrased in the NKJ version — “Sin is lawlessness” (1 John 3:4).

The next logical question would be, what law is John referring to? We understand that he is talking about the Ten Commandments, as well as the many biblical principles or injunctions given by God and Christ that explain and magnify the Ten Commandments. For example, Proverbs 6:16-19 lists things which God hates. A proud look is one of them. If God hates a proud look, one has to conclude that pride is sin, yet pride is not listed as one of the Ten Commandments. I use this as an illustration to show that sin goes beyond the literal bounds of the Ten Commandments.

Another example is 1 John 5:17, “All unrighteousness is sin.” Recently, same sex marriages were made legal in some Canadian provinces. The Bible says that such conduct is an abomination. We know of “non-Christian” cultures, having no knowledge of the Bible, that do not allow this kind of behavior or union to take place. Some professing Christians who endorse such conduct could learn a lesson from people whom they would look down on as “pagans.” Romans 2:14-16 gives us an interesting warning in that regard.

Romans 1:26-32 shows how God abhors and hates homosexual deeds, condemning them in His Word. This passage also shows that those who perform or approve of such deeds are not guiltless in His sight. This is a real description of our times.

Another recent incident, illustrating the sinful world in which we live, involves a large denomination in a US Church appointing someone to the office of bishop who is known to be openly homosexual.

What does the Bible tell us about the office of a minister? 1 Timothy 3:1-7 states that a minister must be blameless, the husband of one wife and of good behavior, just to name a few requirements.

To appoint an openly gay man as bishop makes a mockery of the Word of God and of God Himself. In Revelation 21:8, God gives us a list of those who will not be in His kingdom. One of the categories of people listed includes those described as sexually immoral. Unless those engaged in sexually immoral conduct repent and recognize the seriousness of their lifestyle and ways, they will not be in the kingdom of God.

Brethren, we know what sin is. We are neither deceived nor ignorant of what is sin or how God views sin, knowing full well that God absolutely hates sin, yet He loves the sinner. It is apparent that the lessons of sinning and the havoc it causes are yet to be learned by the nations of this world. Those striving to obey God and to overcome sin can be comforted, however, by the words of God in Revelation 21:7, “He who overcomes (sin) shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.”

PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST?

“Israeli troops killed a top Islamic Jihad fugitive in a raid Thursday, prompting threats of revenge by the militant group and putting new strain on an already shaky cease-fire,” according to a report posted by USA Today on August 14. It continued:

“Israel and the Palestinian Authority are deadlocked over how to handle the Palestinian militant groups, and the argument is holding up implementation of a U.S.-backed peace plan, the so-called ‘road map’ to Palestinian statehood by 2005. Israel demands that the Palestinian Authority begin dismantling the two main groups, Hamas and Islamic Jihad, as part of its obligations under the road map. Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas says he will not confront the militants for fear of sparking a civil war. Israel, in response, says it will not go on with the road map under these circumstances, and instead keeps chasing militants.”

Later in the article, a Palestinian spokesman is quoted as saying, “Without a firm stand from the United States that the two sides live up to their obligations with one grand gesture — that is the immediate implementation of monitoring — the cease-fire is finished.”

HEAT WAVE IN EUROPE

USA Today reported on August 14: “About 3,000 people have died in France of heat-related causes since the abnormally high temperatures swept across the country about two weeks ago… Record-high temperatures have been set in numerous cities across France, and the capital has baked under heat exceeding 98 degrees. The average August temperature in Paris, which has warm but not torrid summers, is 75 degrees Fahrenheit. The French haven’t suffered alone. In Bern, Switzerland, it was nearly 98 on Wednesday — the hottest day since 1865.”

Record-high temperatures have also been set in other parts of Europe, including Portugal, Spain, Austria and Germany, causing numerous forest fires. In Germany, a “record high temperature overnight of 81.7” was “measured in Neustadt, in southern Germany,” according to Associated Press. On Sunday, England “recorded its hottest day ever — 100.58 degrees at Gravesend, in southern England,” according to A.P. A monsoon from Africa is blamed for the heat wave. Commentaries have said that it was as if African deserts were coming to Europe.

USA Today reported on August 14: “About 3,000 people have died in France of heat-related causes since the abnormally high temperatures swept across the country about two weeks ago… Record-high temperatures have been set in numerous cities across France, and the capital has baked under heat exceeding 98 degrees. The average August temperature in Paris, which has warm but not torrid summers, is 75 degrees Fahrenheit. The French haven’t suffered alone. In Bern, Switzerland, it was nearly 98 on Wednesday — the hottest day since 1865.”

Record-high temperatures have also been set in other parts of Europe, including Portugal, Spain, Austria and Germany, causing numerous forest fires. In Germany, a “record high temperature overnight of 81.7” was “measured in Neustadt, in southern Germany,” according to Associated Press. On Sunday, England “recorded its hottest day ever — 100.58 degrees at Gravesend, in southern England,” according to A.P. A monsoon from Africa is blamed for the heat wave. Commentaries have said that it was as if African deserts were coming to Europe.

MOST AMERICANS OPPOSE SAM SEX UNIONS

The Washington Post reported on August 14, that a “strong majority of the public disapproves of the Episcopal Church’s decision to recognize the blessing of same-sex unions, and a large share of churchgoing Americans would object if their own faith adopted a similar practice, according to a new Washington Post Poll. So broad and deep is this opposition that nearly half of all Americans who regularly attend worship services say they would leave their current church if their minister blessed gay couples — even if their denomination officially approved these ceremonies, the survey found. As courts, companies and congregations across the nation consider what standing to give gay couples, the poll demonstrates strong public disapproval of any RELIGIOUS sanctioning of same-sex relationships. It underscores THE SHARP DISTINCTION MOST AMERICANS MAKE BETWEEN THE RELATIONSHIPS BLESSED BY THE CHURCH AND THOSE RECOGNIZED BY THE LAW.”

The article also pointed out that “Three out of four frequent churchgoers opposed the Episcopal convention’s decision, and a similar proportion said they would object if their own faith took a similar step. But even among those who acknowledged that they rarely or never attended church, nearly six in 10 objected to blessing gay couples… The poll also found… that public acceptance of same-sex civil unions is falling. Fewer than four in 10 — 37 percent — of all Americans say they would support a law allowing gay men and lesbians to form civil unions that would provide some of the rights and legal protections of marriage… The survey found that 60 percent of all Americans opposed last week’s decision by the Episcopal Church’s general convention to give its bishops the option of allowing the blessing of same-sex relationships in their dioceses.”

WHAT MOST AMERICANS BELIEVE…

In a nationwide poll, conducted by the Barna Research Group and published early August by Webminister.com, Americans were asked pointed questions regarding the Bible, Christian lifestyle and beliefs about God, among other things. 58 percent of all Americans surveyed believe the Bible is totally accurate in all it teaches. At the same time, 61 percent say Satan is not a living being, but a symbol of evil, and 43 percent believe that Jesus Christ committed sins. In addition, 24 percent of “born again Christians” believe that lying is sometimes necessary. “Born again Christians” were defined as those who had made “a personal commitment to Jesus Christ that is still important” in their lives today, and who believe that they will go to heaven when they die.

Our free booklets, “Do We Have an Immortal Soul?” and “And Lawlessness Will Abound…” explain in detail what happens to man when he dies and whether God requires of us to keep all of the Ten Commandments.

WHAT THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH BELIEVES…

The L’Obsservatore Romano published an article on August 6, 2003, reporting about a “reflection” of the pope on Sunday, August 3. He said, among other things, “Special attention should be paid to safeguarding the value of Sunday, Dies Domini [“the Lord’s Day”]. This day is the symbol par excellence of all that Christianity has stood for and still stands for, in Europe and throughout the world: the perennial proclamation of the Good News of the Resurrection of Jesus, the celebration of his victory over sin and death, the commitment to the human being’s full liberation. By preserving the Christian meaning of Sunday a notable contribution is made to Europe for the preservation of an essential part of its own particular and cultural heritage. May the Blessed Virgin, to whom so many churches and chapels are dedicated in the different regions of Europe, make her protection felt over all the peoples on the Continent.”

e recommend that you read our free booklet, “Europe in Prophecy,” if you want to learn more about the truth on the “value of Sunday.” You might also want to read our free booklet, “The Gospel of the Kingdom of God,” which explains in detail what the “Good News” or the “Gospel” really is.

A: We should realize that members over the years, in following Church teaching, have declared bankruptcy. Bankruptcy is a recognized and legal means in this world to free oneself from debts, under certain circumstances. Court decisions have been rendered, involving Church members, dealing with questions regarding tithes and offerings in bankruptcy procedures. Certain state laws allow churches to keep tithes, up to a certain amount and percentage, which were received from members who subsequently filed for bankruptcy.

More importantly, the Bible endorses the concept of declaring bankruptcy in certain circumstances. What is the biblical basis for the Church’s long-standing teaching that the declaration of bankruptcy is not against Scripture, under certain circumstances?

We have always taught that bankruptcy is not to be taken lightly, but that it is a very serious matter. Normally, a person should do everything he or she can to pay back any debts incurred by him (2 Kings 4:7), or to at least try to arrange an extension of time with the creditors. There are unforeseen circumstances, however, which justify and sometimes even necessitate the declaration of bankruptcy. These circumstances might involve debts incurred in a business transaction, inherited debts, unexpected debts, or even incorrect allegations, falsely claiming that debts are due and owing, leading to a lawsuit by the “creditor” against the “debtor,” against which the “debtor” has no financial means to defend him- or herself.

If a debtor finds him- or herself in such a situation, he or she is Scripturally allowed to file for bankruptcy in order to reorganize his or her debts or, failing this, to extinguish his or her debts. There are numerous Biblical passages which, judging by their spiritual implications, allow for the same.

These passages deal with God’s institution for ancient Israel of the “Sabbath” and the “Jubilee” Year.

(1) On the “Sabbath Year,” that is, at the end of every seventh year, “debts of fellow Jews [correctly: Israelites] were to be canceled” (Halley’s Bible Handbook, 24th ed., p. 139). One needs to note that this was an automatic release of debt, by God-given law. It was not required that an agreement was reached between creditor and debtor, or that the creditor agreed to release the debt of the debtor. Quite to the contrary, the debts had to be released every seventh year, whether the creditor liked it or not. This was not just a postponement of debts, either; it was, rather, a cancellation of debts.

Notice Deuteronomy 15:1-3, 9: “At the end of every seven years you shall grant a release of debts. And this is the form of the release: Every creditor who has lent anything to his neighbor SHALL RELEASE IT; HE SHALL NOT REQUIRE IT OF HIS NEIGHBOR OR HIS BROTHER, because it is called the Lord’s release. Of a foreigner you may require it; but you SHALL GIVE UP YOUR CLAIM TO WHAT IS OWED TO YOUR BROTHER… Beware lest there be a wicked thought in your heart, saying, ‘The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand,’ and your eye will be evil against your poor brother and you give him nothing [knowing that by the time of the seventh year, the lender or creditor would never receive back what he gave] and he cry out to the Lord against you, and it become sin to
you.”

References to the Sabbath Year can also be found in Exodus 21:2, Nehemiah 10:31, and in Jeremiah 34:14. The release of debt was to occur automatically, without the necessity of an agreement between creditor and debtor. An interesting application of these principles can be found in Nehemiah 5:1-13.

(2) In addition, every fiftieth year, God’s civil law for ancient Israel demanded that ANOTHER release be granted. This was, again, not a matter of choice or agreement between creditor and debtor, but automatic. Halley points out on p. 139: “Jubilee Year was every 50th year. It followed the 7th Sabbatic Year, making two rest years come together. It began on the Day of Atonement. ALL DEBTS WERE CANCELED, slaves set free, and lands that had been sold returned.”

The Year of Jubilee is mentioned in several places, for instance in Leviticus 25 and Numbers 36:4. It is associated with the proclamation of “liberty” (Leviticus 25:10) and referred to as the “Year of Liberty” in Ezekiel 46:17. In Leviticus 25:24, 28, 39-41, it is stated:

“And in all the land of your possession you shall grant redemption of the land… But if he is not able to have it restored to himself, then what was sold shall remain in the hand of him who bought it until the Year of Jubilee, and in the Jubilee it shall be RELEASED, and he shall return to his possession… And if one of your brethren who dwells by you becomes poor, and sells himself to you…, [he] shall serve you until the Year of Jubilee. And then he shall depart from you — he and his children with him — and shall return to his family. He shall return to the possession of his fathers.”

The New Testament does not abolish the principles set forth in these Scriptures. In fact, Jesus came to preach liberty, as expressed in the Year of Jubilee, at His first coming (Isaiah 61:1-3; Luke 4:17-21), applying it to total freedom of God’s people, including freedom from all sickness, disease, sin, death, and every curse (compare, for example, Edward Chumney, “The Seven Festivals of the Messiah,” p. 147). It is true that there are New Testament Scriptures describing how creditors freely forgave their debtors (compare, Luke 7:41-42; 16:5-8). These additional Scriptures do not negate the principle, however, that debts can be forgiven by law and in God’s sight, regardless of whether the creditor is agreeable to such cancellation or not. In conclusion, the concept of declaring bankruptcy is Biblical under certain circumstances.

We have placed another Standing Watch program on our Web site that was recorded last Friday. It is titled, “What Happened to Sin?”

Our new booklet on baptism is finished and on its way to the printer in the UK. It has been placed on our Web site, under http://www.eternalgod.org/lit/booklets/baptism.htm.

Edwin Pope will give the sermon this Sabbath, August 9, from Colorado, where he and his wife Joan are visiting with the brethren. The title of the sermon is, “Strive for Perfection.”

When we review the approach to religious ideas today, we find a situation which is very tenuous. Christ likened our times to ten virgins, who “took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.” Five of these virgins, Christ said, “were wise, and five were foolish.” The foolish “took their lamps and took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.” The bridegroom, however, delayed His coming, and ALL the virgins “slumbered and slept” (Matthew 25:1-5).

This portends a very grave situation for God’s people, today. They “all” slumber and sleep; speaking of the entire Church!

There was a recent article in “the Californian,” which was syndicated by “Knight-Ridder/Tribune,” written by Tom Schaeffer, relating to a term which was coined by Jonathan Rauch. The article speaks to the atheists and agnostics of today, as well as to the “believers.” Mr. Rauch also addressed a new breed, which he referred to as the “apatheists.”

Who are these apatheists? Mr. Rauch wrote an article in the May issue of the “Atlantic Monthly,” where he defined “apatheism” as “a disinclination to care all that much about one’s own religion, and an even stronger disinclination to care about other people’s.” He further defined this term as “an attitude, not a belief system.” He also stated, “It’s not that they don’t believe in a higher power. They simply don’t care one way or the other.”

This apathy concerning religion has been increasing in recent years and since the early 1990’s is not an uncommon thing. In fact, we have seen this attitude building in the very Church of God over the past 10 years, which seems to parallel the growth of this idea in society in general.

In the Book of Revelation, chapter 3, verses 15 and 16, speaking to the Laodicean Church, Christ notes “…that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of my mouth.”

It is so easy to look at these Scriptures and ascribe them to “that other group.” However, brethren, this attitude permeates all of God’s people at the end time. That’s why Christ noted that all ten virgins were asleep. It is time for all of us to examine our own personal lives and determine if these Scriptures apply in our personal situations.

We must be honest in this analysis. If this state of apathy, which has been brought into the Church from the world around us, is affecting our personal relationship with God, we must not kid ourselves about it. Christ says that the answer is for such a one to be “zealous and repent” (Revelation 3:19). We must not discount this idea. It is the “overcomers” who will rule with Christ in His Kingdom.

World News Headlines

We are living in terrible and frightening times. The following Current Events section will show the dangerous state of affairs that this world is confronted with. People hope that things will improve — but the reality looks grim. Only God’s intervention in human affairs can bring lasting solutions. Just judge for yourself:

CHANGE IN CALIFORNIA?

As USA Today reported on August 7, “Actor Arnold Schwarzenegger told a roaring audience on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno Wednesday that he’ll run for governor… In the first statewide use of California’s 92-year old recall law, the ballot will have two parts: a yes-or-no on dumping [current governor of California, Gray] Davis and a list of replacement candidates if a majority decides to remove him… Davis, who won re-election last year, saw his popularity plummet as California dealt with a record $38 billion deficit. He has also been scorched by criticism of his handling of the state’s energy crisis in 2001… Schwarzenegger is a moderate Republican who supports ABORTION RIGHTS, GAY RIGHTS, environmental protections and some gun controls… ‘I do not have to bow to any special interests,’ he said. ‘I have plenty of money. No one can pay me off.'”

Der Spiegel Online commented on August 7 that “the Democrats could sink into utter chaos through the coup of the Terminator.” Bild Online stated that “California is in a deep economic crisis… The Democrats are very nervous… Arnie [Arnold Schwarzenegger] would not be the first Hollywood star to become governor of California. Before his time as U.S. President, Ronald Reagan” led California as governor.

CHANGE IN RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN US AND GERMANY?

Since Arnold Schwarzenegger is from Austria, the question may be raised whether his good relationship with the Bush family might help to improve Germany’s relationship with the United States. The Washington Post reported on July 18, that German foreign minister Joschka Fischer’s visit in Washington did not materially change the respective positions of the two countries. “On Iraq, Fischer said Germany was ready to contribute to humanitarian efforts, but indicated that his county’s decision not to send troops was unchanged… ‘I think the relevant Security Council Resolution 1483 made it quite clear that the responsibility on the ground is in the hands of the coalition,’ Fischer told reporters… ‘We are not part of the coalition.'”

Italy’s highly controversial Minister President, Silvio Berlusconi, who is also presently chairing the European Parliament, stated in an interview with Bild Online that he, too, would be interested in helping to improve the relationship between the U.S. and Germany. He said that “the relationship between Europe and the U.S.” is “decisive for peace, security and the growth of the West.” He also mentioned that Germans and Italians were in disagreement on some points, but that “we are fundamentally on the same page.” He continued, “Without the ability to defend ourselves, we will not have peace or security. A common European military… is the true guarantee for peace and freedom.” When asked whether Joschka Fischer should become the next foreign minister of Europe, Berlusconi responded, “Fischer is an excellent German foreign minister. Therefore, he is a very logical candidate for the office of spokesman of the European diplomacy. He has competency and idealism – – two gifts that don’t always harmonize with each other.”

Berlusconi has been referred to in the German press as “little Caesar” and “Il Duce.”

SEX CRIMES COVER UP BY VATICAN?

CBSNEWS.com reported on August 7 that “for decades, priests in this country [the USA] abused children in parish after parish while their superiors covered it all up. Now it turns out the orders for this cover up were written in Rome at the highest levels of the Vatican. CBS News Correspondent Vice Gonzales has uncovered a church document kept secret for 40 years. The confidential Vatican document, obtained by CBS News, lays out a church policy that calls for absolute secrecy when it comes to sexual abuse by priests — anyone who speaks out could be thrown out of the church. The policy was written in 1962 by Cardinal Alfredo Ottaviani… Bishops are instructed to pursue… sexual assault cases committed by a priest “with youths of either sex or with brute animals” “in the most secretive way… restrained by a perpetual silence… and everyone (including the alleged victim)… is to observe the strictest secret, which is commonly regarded as a secret of the Holy Office… under the penalty of excommunication.'”

IRAN’S LONG-RANGE MISSILES

WorldNetDaily reported on July 31: “U.S. officials have confirmed claims by Iran that its military has deployed the new Shihab-3 long-range missile with the Islamic shock troops for the first time… The Shihab-3 ballistic missile (Shihab in Farsi means meteor shooting star) is a road-mobile, medium-range missile that travels up to 930 miles… The missile is capable of hitting Israel, Iraq, Turkey, Russia and parts of southern Europe… A Russian military specialist said that Iran likely would have 20 Shihab-3s deployed by 2005.”

SYRIA’S LONG-RANGE MISSILES

WorldNetDaily reported on August 1: “Syria is aiming at least 100 long-range ballistic missiles equipped with VX — the most lethal nerve gas — at central Israel, according to a senior Israeli defense source… German and Israeli sources… have asserted Syria possesses and can weaponize anthrax, botulinum toxin and the toxin ricin.”

IRAQ’S DIRTY BOMBS

The Halifax Herald Limited reported on August 3:

“David Kelly, the British weapons expert at the centre of the Iraq dossier row, had amassed firm evidence to show that Saddam Hussein built and tested a ‘dirty bomb.’ Designed to cause cancer and birth defects, the radiological weapon could have been used by terrorists to create panic and widespread contamination in a crowded city. Kelly, who committed suicide last month, presented evidence of the bomb to the government in 1995… In an interview with The Sunday Times in June, Kelly said the dirty bomb was originally built by Saddam for use against Iranian troops during the Iran-Iraq war as a tactical weapon and an instrument of terror. He said Iraq still ‘possessed the know-how and the materials to build a radiological weapon.’ The threat was potentially more serious than some other weapons of mass destruction, he said, because Iraq still retained the main ingredients – nuclear material and high explosives… Iraq’s dirty bomb was made from a material called radioactive zirconium which was packed into a bomb casing with high explosives. Iraq had access to zirconium stored at its Al-Tarmiya reactor site – under United Nations safeguards – ostensibly for use in its peaceful nuclear power program.”

HIROSHIMA REMEMBERED

On Wednesday, August 6, the mayor of Hiroshima, Tadatoshi Akiba, led a ceremony in Hiroshima, remembering the 58th anniversary of the city’s devastation through an atomic bomb, according to Der Spiegel Online. In his address, the mayor stated that “all nuclear weapons are fundamentally evil [and] inhuman.” He asked all leaders of countries with nuclear weapons to visit Hiroshima and see for themselves the reality of nuclear war. On August 6, 1945, the first atomic bomb was used in combat. 160,000 people died in Hiroshima as a consequence. Three days later, another atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, killing 70,000 people. World War II ended with the capitulation of Japan on August 15, 1945.

RUSSIA HIT BY METEOR

NETZEITUNG.DE reported that a meteor hit the Siberian desert last September, devastating an area of 100 kilometers. “This gigantic meteor had the explosive force of an atomic bomb,” according to the newspaper.

FURTHER VIOLENCE IN IRAQ

As USA Today reported on August 7, “a powerful car bomb exploded outside the Jordanian Embassy [in Iraq] on Thursday, hurling vehicles in the air and killing at least 11 people, including a woman and two children… More than 50 people were wounded in the blast. Later Thursday, a fierce gunbattle broke out in central Baghdad, wounding at least two U.S. soldiers. The violence followed a firefight the night before in which two American soldiers were killed…[bringing] to 55 the number of U.S. troops killed in combat since May 1.” The newspaper pointed out that “tensions between” Iraq and Jordan “have been high because of Jordan’s support of the U.S.-led war on Iraq.” It also stated, “Shortly after the blast, young Iraqi men stormed the embassy gate and began destroying pictures of Jordanian King Abdullah II and his late father, King Hussein. They were shouting anti-Jordan chants.”

HOMOSEXUALITY IN CHURCH LEADERSHIP

This past week Gene Robinson was confirmed as the first openly homosexual Episcopal bishop. Shortly on the heels of the ordination, the same tribunal issued the following statement: “We recognize that local faith communities are operating within the bounds of our common life as they explore and experience liturgies celebrating and blessing same-sex unions.” This for all intents and purposes endorsed same sex marriages.

MSNBC.com also mentioned that [Archbishop] Akinola, whose church is the largest branch of the Anglican Communion after Great Britain’s, expressed astonishment that U.S. Episcopalians were willing to “turn their back on the clear teaching of the Bible on the matter of human sexuality.”

Many in the U.S. have become blind to Biblical teaching. Some even accused the “conservatives” of character assassination when concise Biblical injunctions were being quoted.

The U.S. has some serious lessons to learn and unfortunately those who do not learn will have a tough road ahead of them. God forsakes us when we forsake Him. For more information, please read, The Great Tribulation and The Day of The Lord.

It is, of course, true that the Bible teaches that we must change, and that Jesus Christ does not accept us “as we are.” Our new booklet, “Baptism — a Requirement for Salvation?” explains in detail that we must repent BEFORE Christ accepts us — and, before we can properly “accept” Him.

The mere fact that some misuse and misapply a certain Biblical term is not enough reason for us not to use it. For instance, many preach a wrong gospel message (compare Galatians 1:6-9), or even a false “Jesus” (compare 2 Corinthians 11:4). This does not mean, however, that God’s Church should therefore refrain from using the terms “gospel” or “Jesus.”

In regard to the expression, “accepting Jesus Christ as our personal Savior,” the Church has used similar language for a long time (as it has used, of course, the terms “gospel” or “Jesus” for a very long time). As early as 1948, Mr. Armstrong wrote about “our acceptance of [Christ’s] death, burial and resurrection,” and our belief “on Jesus Christ as personal Savior.” (Compare WCG’s old booklet on water baptism, copyrighted 1948, 1954, and 1972, pp. 11 and 15.)

These expressions are Biblical. We understand, of course, that believing on Christ (compare Acts 19:4; Romans 10:14; Philippians 1:29; 1 Timothy 1:16) includes obeying Him (compare Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 6:46; John 15:14). Our new booklet on baptism explains this truth in much more detail. We must indeed accept Christ’s sacrifice and Jesus Christ as our personal Savior. At the same time, we must also accept God the Father as our personal Savior, as BOTH deserve that title. Remember, we read in John 3:16 that “God [the Father] so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

We are told in several Scriptures that Jesus Christ is our personal Savior. Isaiah 43:3 reads, quoting the “LORD” of the Old Testament — generally a reference to Jesus Christ: “For I am the LORD your God, The Holy One of Israel, YOUR SAVIOR.” Also, we are told in Luke 1:47 that God the Father is our personal Savior. When Mary was told by the angel that she would give birth to Jesus, she stated, “And my spirit has rejoiced in God MY SAVIOR.”

Christ was recognized by the Samaritans as the “Savior of the World” (John 4:42). At the same time, God the Father is called “the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe” (1 Timothy 4:10).

In 2 Timothy 1:10, Christ is called “OUR Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.” In Titus 1:4, Paul is wishing Titus “Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ OUR Savior.”

The Bible conveys the concept that we must ACCEPT Jesus Christ — and what He did and does for us — as our personal Savior. That is, we must accept Christ as the One who died for us individually and personally, and who thereby made possible a way for us to escape death and obtain salvation. Christ died for you and me. The amazing and mind-boggling truth is that if you had been the only person on the face of the earth, and if you had only sinned once, Christ still would have died for you, to offer you salvation. His death is to be understood quite personally. Paul understood it in that way. Although he explained that Christ died for all of us, he also emphasized the very personal sacrifice that Christ brought for him. He stated in Galatians 2:20 that Christ, the Son of God, “loved ME and gave Himself for ME.”

We read in Colossians 2:6 that “as you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him.” The Revised English Bible, as well as the Luther Bible and the Menge Bible, render this phrase in this way, “Since you have ACCEPTED Christ Jesus AS Lord, live in union with him.”

Before baptism, we must accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior who was willing, through His sacrifice, to pay on our behalf the death penalty for our sins (compare Romans 6:23). We must also accept Jesus Christ as the One who is now living His life in us. After all, we WILL BE SAVED by Christ living in us. Romans 5:8-10 reads:

“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we SHALL BE SAVED from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son [by accepting Christ’s sacrifice, the process of our salvation began], much more, having been reconciled, we SHALL BE SAVED BY HIS LIFE.” Christ is willing to live His life in us, but we must follow and be submissive to His lead. Our ultimate salvation will come when we will be changed into Spirit beings.

We read that we “shall be saved” by Christ’s LIFE. Paul said in Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me…” Both God the Father and Jesus Christ live in a converted person, through the Holy Spirit. Christ told us in John 14:23, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make OUR home with him.” (To learn more about the Biblical teaching that BOTH the Father and the Son live in a converted person, please read our free booklet, “Is God a Trinity?”)

It is therefore appropriate to say that we must accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior, as long as we understand what is conveyed with that meaningful expression.

Our new booklet on baptism is finished and on its way to the printer in the UK. It has been placed on our Webpage, under http://www.eternalgod.org/lit/booklets/baptism.htm.

Our last member letter, which you can find at: http://www.eternalgod.org/lit/letters/brethren-20030805.pdf was sent out this week.

We have placed another StandingWatch program on our Webpage, titled, “The Abomination of Desolation.” Another program will be recorded on Friday and placed on our Web.

Edwin Pope will give the sermon this Sabbath, August 2, 2003. The title of the sermon is, “Be Strong and of Good Courage!”

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

In the latter times–spoken of as the end of this age–it is prophesied that people will give themselves over “to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons” (1 Timothy 4:1). Paul further warns in verse 2 that the consequences of this way of thinking would lead many to “having their own conscience seared with a hot iron.”

For those who are being called into the true pattern of living which is based on God’s laws, Paul taught the following: “This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness” (Ephesians 4:17-19).

In the very next verses we find this powerful reminder for all Christians in all generations: “But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus” (Ephesians 4:20-21).

Is our conscience “seared,” and are we “past feeling”?

If we are not ever-mindful and if we don’t stay close to God, it is far easier to fall into step with this world. However, Christians are to be different. Our difference is summed up in the example left for us by Jesus. Philippians 2:5 states: “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.”

Even though He faced rejection and violent hatred, Jesus was filled with compassion for the multitudes (compare Mark 8:2). His reaction to His enemies who were in the act of putting Him to death is recorded in Luke 23:34: “Then Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.’ “

David speaks of God in this way: “But You, O LORD, are a God full of compassion, and gracious, Longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth” (Psalm 86:15). James tells us, “[T]he Lord is compassionate and merciful” (English Standard Version, 2002).

So, those of us who either are already begotten children of God, or whom God has called to become His begotten children, should be tender hearted, filled with compassion, forgiveness and eager to let the light of godly love emanate from us! Let each of us who understand these things go beyond just knowing what is true, and let us be moved to actually live in this way.

Let us remember the inspiring words of Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, “And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32).

It may be good advice to really concentrate on handling everything with compassion and in a tender hearted way. All of us need to think about what we do before we do it, and then do it in a way that is pleasing to God.

HOMOSEXUALITY AND THE BIBLE

Last month, the U.S. Supreme Court threw out a Texas ban on consensual gay sex, and Canada’s highest court ruled Ontario could allow same-sex marriages (USA Today, 7/31/03). Vermont and some European nations — including Germany, France, Sweden, Denmark, The Netherlands and Belgium — have “civil union” laws giving same-sex couples rights and responsibilities comparable to the laws of marriage (USA Today, 7/31/03; Der Spiegel Online, 7/31/03).

On 7/31/03, the Vatican began to launch a global campaign against gay marriages. The “Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith,” which is led by German Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, issued a 12-page set of guidelines with the approval of Pope John Paul II, strongly opposing same-sex marriages. The document states, amongst other things, the following, showing an interesting mixture of truth and error:

“Marriage is not just any relationship between human beings. It was established by the Creator with its own nature, essential properties and purpose. No ideology can erase from the human spirit the certainty that marriage exists solely between a man and a woman, who by mutual personal gift, proper and exclusive to themselves, tend toward the communion of their persons… In the first place, man, the image of God, was created ‘male and female’ (Gen. 1:27). Men and women are equal as persons and complementary as male and female… There are absolutely no grounds for considering homosexual unions to be in any way similar or even remotely analogous to God’s plan for marriage and family. Marriage is holy, while homosexual acts go against the natural moral law… Under no circumstances can they be approved. Sacred Scripture condemns homosexual acts ‘as a serious depravity’… (cf. Rom. 1:24-27; 1 Cor. 6:10; 1 Tim. 1:10). This judgment of Scripture does not of course permit us to conclude that all those who suffer from this anomaly are personally responsible for it, but it does attest to the fact that homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered… Nonetheless, according to the teaching of the Church, men and women with homosexual tendencies must be accepted with respect, compassion and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided. They are called, like other Christians, to live the virtue of chastity. The homosexual inclination is however objectively disordered and homosexual practices are sins gravely contrary to chastity.”

The reaction to the Vatican’s document was swift and divided. According to USA Today of 7/31/03, President Bush said that marriage “should be between a man and a woman, and the White House lawyers were looking at legislation that in effect would deny gays and lesbians the right to marry. But Bush also called on Americans to be tolerant of gays and lesbians. ‘I think it is very important for our society to respect each individual, to welcome those with good hearts, to be a welcoming country.’… Bush was also asked about his view toward gays. ‘I am mindful that we’re all sinners, and I caution those who may try to take the speck out of the neighbor’s eye when they’ve got a log in their own,’ Bush replied, paraphrasing from the Bible.”

USA Today continued, “Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., sent a letter to the president complaining that he ‘seemed to equate homosexuality with sin. While you may not approve of homosexuality, as the leader of all Americans, you have no right to make such judgments.'”

As Der Spiegel Online reported, Guido Westerwelle, leader of Germany’s Free Democrat Party, said that the declaration of the Vatican exemplified “a totally obsolete understanding of society.” He continued, “If the Catholic Church were to listen to their own believers, it would be doing much better.”

Volker Beck, a lawmaker from Germany’s Green party (Green party member Joschka Fischer is Germany’s foreign minister), described the Vatican guidelines as “a document of narrow-minded fanaticism.” He stated, “Cardinal Ratzinger’s application of his understanding of sin, stemming from the Middle Ages, is deeply undemocratic.” (USA Today, Der Spiegel Online).

Other opposition to the Vatican’s document came from the Green Party in predominantly Catholic Austria. As USA Today reported, “Ulrike Lunacek, a party spokeswoman, said Catholic politicians should follow human rights conventions, ‘not the old-fashioned views of the Vatican.’ ‘This hierarchy, which also rules on other issues like forbidding the use of condoms to avoid AIDS, is far from reality,’ she said in a statement.”

That the Old and the New Testaments strongly condemn homosexual conduct as sinful cannot be denied. Leviticus 18:22 tells us, “You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination.” Homosexuality must be overcome. The good news is that with God’s help, it CAN be overcome — as can be ANY sin. Notice Paul’s statement in 1 Corinthians 6:9-11:

“Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators (those who engage in pre-marital sex), nor idolaters, nor adulterers (those who engage in extra-marital sex), nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such WERE SOME OF YOU. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified IN THE NAME OF THE LORD JESUS AND BY THE SPIRIT OF GOD.”

We are told that if we don’t repent and give up wrong habits, replacing them with God’s righteousness, we will not enter the kingdom of God. Homosexuality is most certainly a SIN that must be overcome — but it is NOT the ONLY sin that must be overcome. Notice Revelation 21:7-8:

“He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be my son. But the cowardly [those who know better, but are afraid to change and stand up for what is right], unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and ALL LIARS shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

Those who know better, but WILLFULLY and with HATE AND ANGER permanently and irrevocably REFUSE to repent of their evil conduct will end up in the lake of fire. They will NOT enter the New Jerusalem. Revelation 22:14-15 states:

“Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. But outside are dogs [compare Phil. 3:2] and sorcerers and sexually immoral [including homosexuals, AS WELL AS those who engage in other sinful sexual conduct, such as fornication and adultery] and murderers and idolaters, and WHOEVER LOVES AND PRACTICES A LIE.”

For some, it is easy to see that homosexuality is sinful. At the same time, it is very difficult for them to see that lying or killing (even in war) is sinful and must be repented of as well. God calls homosexuality an “abomination.” Note, however, what else is an “abomination” in God’s eyes:

“These six things the LORD hates, Yes, seven are an ABOMINATION to Him: A proud look, A LYING tongue, Hands that shed innocent blood, A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that are swift in running to evil, A FALSE witness who speaks LIES, And one who sows discord among brethren”(Proverbs 6:16-19).

The Biblical teaching is clear and consistent: EVERY SIN that we REFUSE to repent of will keep us out of the kingdom of God.

A WALL IN THE WEST BANK?

As USA Today reported on July 29, “Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon rebuffed a request from President Bush on Tuesday that he consider abandoning the construction of a fence separating Israeli and Palestinian territory on the West Bank… Bush called the fence ‘a sensitive issue.’… Palestinians fear the fence will cut deep into West Bank territory and set borders for a future Palestinian state. The peace plan is intended to establish an independent state by 2005.” Zenit reported on July 30, that “Israel continues to deny visas to religious [people] wishing to enter the Holy Land,” according to Catholic priest Giovanni Battistelli. “Commenting on Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s Tuesday visit with George W. Bush, the Franciscan… expressed his opposition to the construction of a wall in the West Bank that would separate the Palestinian territories. ‘It would distance these two peoples even more and would cut the center of Bethany, where many Christians live…,’ he said.”

RELIGIOUS PERSECUTION IN EUROPE

On July 26, 2003, Zenit published a synthesis of a 2003 Report, stating that there is still religious persecution in some European countries. According to the report, most prominent violators are Turkey and Russia.

Regarding Turkey, Zenit points out: “In spite of the reforms approved by the government, in view of joining the European Union, there are no signs of liberalization for religious freedom. The state persists in invoking the 1936 legislation to confiscate ecclesiastical property. Although the Turkish Constitution admits freedom of worship, religious services are only permitted in ‘buildings created for this purpose.'”

Regarding Russia, the article states:

“The U.S. State Department said 2,095 religious organizations risk being disbanded in Russia; many others have already de facto been forbidden. Yet, there have been legal successes for religious movements, such as the Constitutional Court’s verdict overturning the Russian authorities’ decision to disband the Moscow Salvation Army group.”

Zenit also reported that the “Russian President [Vladimir Putin] is scheduled to make a State visit to Rome on November 5-6, following a European Union-Russia summit.” The article indicated that it is hoped that Mr. Putin’s visit will improve the rights of the Catholic Church in Russia. It pointed out that “following the creation in February of 2002 of four Catholic dioceses in Russia, a Catholic bishop and several priests were expelled by the country’s authorities without giving any reasons.”

NEW TERROR ATTACKS IN SIGHT?

USA Today reported on July 29, that the U.S. “federal government is warning of a potential terrorist plot similar to the attacks of Sept. 11… [T]he Department of Homeland Security outlined a possible al-Qaeda plan to use suicide hijackers who would seize control of airplanes and crash them into government, military or economic targets. The warning… said the attack could come by SUMMER’S END… Attacks could come in the UNITED KINGDOM, AUSTRALIA OR ITALY, or on the EAST COAST OF THE USA.” Bild Online commented that these hijackings and attacks are expected to occur SIMULTANEOUSLY in different parts of the world, including on the East Coast of the USA, in Australia or somewhere in Europe

A: In order to properly answer this question, we need to go back and review the biblical basis for a decision that the Worldwide Church of God made under Mr. Herbert Armstrong in 1974, involving divorce and remarriage. Prior to 1974, it had been the understanding of the Church that every marriage was bound in God’s eyes. This included civil marriages, whether or not the married couple “invited God into their lives,” and — arguably, it included even marriages of persons who didn’t even claim to believe in the God of the Bible. Mr. Armstrong explained our growth in Biblical knowledge regarding this point in a member letter, dated May 14, 1974:

“God has revealed HIS LAW OF MARRIAGE — His TRUTH about marriage — God’s PURPOSE in marriage, its sanctity, its PERMANENCY — to His Church. And we applied that truth to ALL marriages, ASSUMING that God entered into every marriage, EVEN THOUGH GOD HAD NOT ENTERED INTO THE LIVES OF THOSE we SUPPOSED He had bound… Unconverted people have never let GOD enter their lives. They live APART from God — CUT OFF from God — because sin cuts one off from contact with God (see Isa. 59:2). When they have never let God come into their lives — have been CUT OFF from contact with Him — could He enter into their MARRIAGE and BIND them?… The unconverted are BOUND by the state, but NOT DIRECTLY BY GOD! Their marriages are LEGAL. Their children are LEGITIMATE — in no sense bastards — but the children of the unconverted are not HOLY.”

Mr. Armstrong reiterated this understanding in the Pastor General’s Report, dated August 21, 1979: “Jesus gave fornication (prior to marriage) as the grounds for nullifying a marriage. This clearly was a form of fraud. When discovered (in nearly all cases) immediately after the marriage, it simply meant God, knowing of this ‘fraud,’ had actually not bound the marriage — and what followed therefore was actually an annulment, not a divorce. However this did not apply in cases of marriage by unconverted people. God never bound them anyway — they were bound by man’s law, and any divorce and/or remarriage would be according to man’s civil law. But the church would not apply this annulment if the couple had continued living together for a period of time. There could be other types of fraud — such as a marriage enforced at the point of a gun.”

The Church of the Eternal God, and its corporate affiliates, concur with and apply the Worldwide Church of God’s teaching, as set forth above. God created marriage. He married Adam and Eve. Christ later said, “Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female’ and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what GOD HAS JOINED TOGETHER, let no man separate” (Matthew 19:4-6). A marriage BOUND by God is for life (notice Romans 7:1-3; 1 Corinthians 7:10-11).

When Adam and Eve sinned, God drove them out of the garden of Eden, and prevented their return whereby they could not eat from the tree of life and live forever (Genesis 3:22-24). Man was from that time forward CUT OFF from God. Man is, in general, still CUT OFF from God. Only those whom God specifically and individually calls out of this world find themselves in a different category. They respond to God’s call, and God DOES become a part of their lives. When THEY marry, they are making a covenant between themselves, AND with God, asking God to BIND their marriage. They WANT God to be a part of their lives, and they understand that their covenant is WITH God. If they divorce, they break their word and promise towards each other, AS WELL AS with God. (You may want to review our Q&A in Update #61, dated October 4, 2002, addressing the meaning of 1 Corinthians 7:14.)

A minister of Christ will be happy to perform and officiate over a marriage of those who UNDERSTAND God’s Way of Life, and who want to obey God. Both marriage partners should already have been baptized. It would not be appropriate for a minister of Christ to perform a marriage of a “believer” and an “unbeliever.” The Bible CLEARLY states in 1 Corinthians 7:39: “A wife is BOUND by law [Paul is talking here about God’s law, and he is addressing a marriage that had been bound by God] as long as her husband lives; but if her husband dies, she is at liberty to be married to whom she wishes, ONLY IN THE LORD.”

Most everyone agrees that Paul’s statement refers to a marriage between two Christians. Paul is CLEARLY stating here that a Christian is to marry only another Christian. The Ryrie Study Bible comments, “… only in the Lord, i.e., only to another Christian.” The Living Bible interprets the passage in this way, “The wife is part of her husband as long as he lives; if her husband dies, then she may marry again, but only if she marries a Christian.” Jamieson, Fausset and Brown, Commentary on the Whole Bible, state: “… only in the Lord — Let her marry only a Christian (II Cor. 6:14).” The “New Bible Commentary: Revised,” points out, on p. 1062, “But only in the Lord, i.e., to another Christian; for she is a member of Christ’s body (cf. 6:15).”

Although it is generally understood that Paul requires of a Christian to marry only another Christian, some argue that Paul is just explaining a principle, or that it is just Paul’s opinion, which is not a binding commandment. They may say that marrying outside the Church may be ill-advised, but they claim there is no Scriptural basis to refuse to perform the marriage between a believer and an unbeliever. Those who say this violate the clear Biblical COMMAND, as set forth in 1 Corinthians 7:39. To argue that Paul is just setting forth a principle is ludicrous. Paul says in verse 39, “She is at liberty to be married to whom she wishes, ONLY IN THE LORD.” This is not just a principle that can be disregarded or neglected by the Church at whim — this is a clear and unequivocal COMMAND. To say that Paul was just uttering his personal opinion which can be disregarded or neglected by the Church at whim is equally ludicrous. With that rationale, we might as well tear out of the Bible whole pages of commandments set forth in Scripture, as they were communicated to us by God’s apostles, rather than by Jesus Christ directly. If we believe that Christ inspired the authors of the Bible to write down HIS WORD, then any argument that those words contain just personal opinions by those men is blatantly unbiblical.

Given the clear Biblical command only to marry “in the Lord,” the ministry of the Church of the Eternal God and its corporate affiliates will not conduct or perform a marriage between a “believer” and an “unbeliever.”

In addition, given the clear Biblical teaching that God does not bind a marriage between two unbelievers, the ministry of the Church of the Eternal God and its corporate affiliates will not conduct or perform a marriage between two unbelievers. You might want to read Judges 17:13, setting forth the example of Micah. Note the attitude Micah had in the midst of his idolatry, when he asked a Levite, perhaps a relative of Moses, to stay with him and to function as his priest: “Then Micah said, ‘Now I know that the LORD will prosper me, seeing I have a Levite as priest.'” We need to ask those who might want a minister of the Church of the Eternal God or of its corporate affiliates to perform their marriage, why they want them to do so. Is it because they want to live from now on lives which are pleasing to God, including the observance of all of God’s laws and statutes? If not, why do they want a minister of Christ to perform their marriage? If it is because of family approval or to just have a “nice wedding” with a “religious touch” to it, then this would not be sufficient reasons for a minister of Christ to perform such a marriage.

Worldly marriages are bound by the laws of the land. God’s ministry is not to wear the mantle of the justice of the peace. Jesus attended a wedding, but He did not officiate. Christ wants His ministry to administer matters within the Church — relating to those whom Christ calls out of this world. When the ministry of CEG and its affiliates perform a marriage, the following is stated during the ceremony: “Since marriage is a divine institution, and since we are asking God now to join you as husband and wife, it is fitting and right that each of you should faithfully promise before God to enter into the sacred marriage covenant according to the divinely-ordained conditions and laws enacted by God Almighty.” Later in the ceremony, the minister states, “Please now join your right hands and with the laying on of my hands, I will ask the Eternal God in prayer to unite you as husband and wife.”

As can be seen from the foregoing, it does not appear to be appropriate for a minister of Christ to say those words, and to ask God in prayer to “unite” an “unbelieving” couple as husband and wife, when we know that God does not bind such a marriage

We have placed another Standing Watch program on our Webpage, titled, “Babylon the Great” Another program will be recorded on Friday and placed on our Web.

We have started a new French Webpage with several French articles. We have also placed several new German articles on our German Webpage.

The final text of our new booklet on baptism was sent this week to our graphics designer, Shelly Bruno.

Norbert Link will give the sermon this Sabbath, July 26, 2003. The title of the sermon is, “Church Persecution.”

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

Some weeks ago I wrote to my local MP (Member of Parliament) and asked him if he could arrange a tour of Parliament in London and also obtain tickets for “Prime Minister’s Question Time.” I made this request because my daughter had arranged to have two young church people from America, friends of her eldest son, stay with her. I thought that they would be interested in touring such an historic site and I got a quick and positive response from the MP. So, last week, I took these two visitors together with my eldest grandson and grand-daughter on a trip to London to visit the usual sites. The highlight was the tour of Parliament where we were shown around the House of Commons and the House of Lords as well as the other rooms and lobbies. We saw where royalty, over the centuries, had been involved in State occasions.

The few acres that house the palace of Westminster has been estimated at a value of at least £1 billion and the buildings and all of its treasures are priceless. Paintings of royalty over many centuries, gold and silver everywhere, statues and busts of politicians as well as many other treasures make up a storehouse that has few equals anywhere. I had previously toured Westminster 20 years ago and it had quite an effect on me all those many years ago, and this latest visit again had the same effect.

We also saw “Prime Minister’s Question Time” where the verbal jousting between the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition and other MP’s takes place. It is half an hour each Wednesday when the house is sitting and where sound bites proliferate and point scoring is the order of the day. Finger pointing, shouting, accusation and some humor abound – the politics of confrontation, not co-operation. Those not in government who belong to other political parties are called the opposition. It is an adversarial system of government.

The wealth of the place and the system of debate caused me to think through, again, the differences between the way of God and the way of man. Man can get very carried away with his own importance and wealth but God states that “the silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine, saith the Lord of hosts” (Haggai 2:8). We are allowed the use of the earth’s resources whilst we live out our physical lives but it is the great God who owns it all. The wealth that we saw in the palace of Westminster (as well as the priceless Crown Jewels in the Tower of London that we also had the opportunity to see) will pale into insignificance when the reality of Revelation 21 takes place. In verse 18, it states that “the city was pure gold like unto clear glass.” Both before and after this verse, other treasures are revealed that will make the current earthly treasures seem very ordinary indeed — yet, at this time we can only stand and wonder at the workmanship and beauty of man’s creative art with such precious metals. Maybe we got just a glimpse of the future wealth that God has in store for us in His Kingdom.

The verbal confrontations that took place was the direct opposite of how we, as true Christians, should behave now, and how members of the God Family will live forever in the Kingdom. There will be no more slanging matches, no more adversarial confrontations, no more insults — just love and outgoing concern for other members of the God Family in a spirit of total cooperation. How different will that be to the way that the politicians today conduct their business?

It was an inspiring visit to see the “mother of Parliaments” in action. It was also a sobering lesson that what God has in store for us in His Kingdom will be greater than we can ever contemplate at this time. We will be surrounded by unimaginable wealth and unimaginable peace and cooperation — for all eternity. Now that’s something to get really excited about!
 

EUROPE’S RENEWED SELF-CONFIDENCE

On July 21, 2003, Der Spiegel Online published an article which reveals in clear terms Europe’s growing self-confidence — while America seems to observe this development as an uninvolved bystander. The article is titled, “The new unrestrainedness.” It continues, “Europe stretches its muscles — and the Americans are surprised.”

Der Spiegel Online reported that Europe encouraged Russia to, from now on, bill Europe in euros for its oil and gas — rather than, as it was done so far, in U.S. dollars. “This,” according to the magazine, “would be a triumph for Europe and a devastating blow for the U.S…. Should the euro replace the U.S. dollar in Europe’s economic dealings with Russia, that would not even impair the relationship between Washington and Brussels — as that relationship is already as bad as it could be. The Americans see themselves confronted with a European challenge which EXCEEDS BY FAR EUROPE’S PREVIOUS EMANCIPATION ATTEMPTS.”

Der Spiegel Online also explained that America’s supporters have become less vocal, while observing America’s “obvious inability to solve the problems in Afghanistan and Iraq.” The magazine also quoted President Bush as commenting about the European Union “as something on the move, while nobody knows for sure in what direction it is developing.”

The clincher was stated at the end of the article, as follows: “The EU chiefs decided unanimously to create a European military agency in 2004.” The magazine explained that the new agency’s main task will be to achieve more effective results, through cooperation and coordination between its 25 member states. Presently, 160 billion euros are spent for the defense (which is more than 50% of America’s defense budget). However, according to the article, Europe achieves only 10% of effectiveness in comparison with the American “war machinery,” due to lack of European coordination and cooperation. Although America “is without question the world leader militarily, the beginning European self-assertiveness in matters of security worries the U.S.”

WHAT MANY GERMANS THINK…

The following may be hard to comprehend for Americans living in the US: The German weekly “Die Zeit” reported on July 24, 2003, that 20 percent of Germans believe it to be possible that the U.S. government might have instigated or sponsored the terror attacks on September 11th. In addition, when focusing on Germans under 30 years of age, one-third believes this to be a possibility. 68% feel that not enough information about the attack was given in the media — while 78 percent of Germans under the age of 30 feel that the media had not reported the full truth behind the attacks. This means, according to Die Zeit, “only 27 percent of all Germans believe that they were told by the media the full truth about the terror attacks on September 11th.”
When describing the possible reasons for those feelings, Die Zeit pointed out that “conspiracy theories” are very attractive to people these days. It also speculated that “widespread disbelief about the reasons given by the United States for going to war in Iraq and suspicion about media coverage of the conflict had” contributed to the feelings of many Germans, according to Reuters.

EUROPE AND THE CATHOLIC CHURCH

In a recent address at Castel Gandolfo, pope John Paul II stated the following, according to Zenit of July 20, 2003:

“Over the last month INTENSE WORK HAS BEEN DONE on the redaction of the new European Constitution, the final version of which will be approved by the intergovernmental conference to be held next October. To this important task, which concerns all components of European society, the Church also feels the duty to make its own contribution. The Church recalls … that ‘Europe has been widely and profoundly permeated by Christianity’… It can be said that the Christian faith has shaped the culture of Europe constituting a whole with its history and… Christianity has become ‘the religion of the European peoples’… [T]he new Europe must be helped ‘to build herself by revitalizing her original Christian roots’… May Mary, Mother of Hope, watch over the Church in Europe…”

MORE NEWS ON IRAQ

USA Today stated on July 23, 2003, “Hopes that the killing of Saddam Hussein’s sons Uday and Qusay by U.S. soldiers would calm a bloody insurgency were dimmed Wednesday after attacks claimed the lives of two American soldiers. A new tape aired by an Arab satellite TV broadcaster and purportedly made by Saddam on July 20, two days before Saddam’s sons perished in a four-hour gunbattle here, called on fighters loyal to him to persist in their uprising against the U.S.-led occupation force. In related news Wednesday, [it was] announced that another high-ranking regime member had been nabbed… The capture lowers the number of the 55 most-wanted still at large to 18 after the deaths of Uday and Qusay.”

The article continued to explain that the two deaths of the American soldiers on Wednesday “brought to 155 the number of American soldiers killed since the war began March 20, surpassing by eight the death toll in the 1991 Gulf War.”

JERUSALEM — WORLD CAPITOL?

The WorldNetDaily reported on July 23, 2003, that “Israeli opposition leader Shimon Peres, a former Israeli prime minister, is proposing Jerusalem be declared the capital of the world as a way of getting around competing Israeli and Arab claims to the city.

“According to his spokesman, Yoram Dori, the dovish leader of Israel’s opposition Labor Party suggested putting the important religious shrines in Jerusalem under United Nations stewardship. He said the holy sites in Jerusalem’s walled Old City could be declared a ‘world capital.'”

The article explained that the “world capital” idea appeared to be largely symbolic. It pointed out that the United Nations had “in the past taken a position on Jerusalem, one of the most intractable issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict: Under a 1947 General Assembly resolution partitioning British mandatory Palestine into Jewish and Arab states, the city was to be internationalized, belonging to neither side.

“During the 1948-49 war that followed Israel’s creation, Israel seized the western part of the city and Jordan the eastern side, including the walled Old City with its Christian, Jewish and Muslim holy sites. In the 1967 Mideast war, Israel recaptured east Jerusalem… along with the West Bank and Gaza.”

The article continued: “Among the ideas reportedly considered during those talks were divine sovereignty or no sovereignty over the chief point of contention in the city… a holy site known by Jews as the Temple Mount and Muslims as Haram as-Sharif, where the Al Aqsa Mosque was built on the site of the biblical Jewish Temples.”

The Bible predicts that Jerusalem WILL become a peaceful capital of the world — but only AFTER, not BEFORE Christ’s return. We read that Christ will rule from Jerusalem (compare Isaiah 2:1-3). Prior to that peaceful time of godly rulership, we will witness, however, fierce battles involving the city of Jerusalem (compare Zechariah 14:1-2). Some will seek to establish Jerusalem as the religious capital of this earth. Strong evidence of a yet future time when a powerful false religious leader will enter Jerusalem to further establish his dominance is found in 2 Thessalonians 2:4: “…who (“the man of sin”–verse 3) opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.”

This and other Scriptures indicate that the problems of the Holy Land and Jerusalem in particular will continue. In the see-saw diplomacy between Arab and Jewish interests, we may soon witness an urgent religious movement on the part of Jews worldwide to once again establish a temple in Jerusalem. The eventual consequences to this will be such hostility from the Moslem world that only the intervention of the then powerful European Union under Catholic religious leadership will be able to neutralize the situation and “preserve” Jerusalem–at least temporarily. We find, in Daniel 11:45, that the future political and military leader of the European Union will move his residence to Jerusalem. When all of this happens, we know that the return of Christ is very near.
 

A: Many Scriptures prohibit the charging of interest or usury in certain circumstances.

For example, Exodus 22:25 states, in the Authorized Version, “If thou lend money to any of my people that is poor by thee, thou shalt not be to him as an usurer, neither shalt thou lay upon him usury.”

The Hebrew word for “usury” is “neshek” or “neshech” and has the meaning of “biting” (Young’s Analytical Concordance). Its root word is “nashak” or “nashach.” Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, under Nos. 5391 and 5392, gives the following explanation: “…to strike with a sting (as a serpent); fig. to oppress with interest on a loan.”

Soncino points out: “That which ‘bites’ (nashach) like a snake. The victim of a snake does not at first feel the bite, but soon the wound swells and spreads over the whole body; likewise it is with usury: at first the borrower does not feel its pinch, but little by little it grows until it amounts to a crushing sum. Do not impose usury on the borrower in consideration of an extended time limit for repayment.”

Commentaries disagree whether any kind of interest is prohibited, or just excessive interest (what we would call today “usury”). Also, depending on the understanding of the translator, the words “neshek” and “nashak” are rendered with “interest” or “usury,” respectively. While the Authorized Version translates “usury,” most other translations say “interest,” but not consistently so. Sometimes, they also say “usury.” In addition, the NIV translates “neshek” in Exodus 22:25 as “interest,” but states in a footnote, “Or excessive interest.”

In any event, the context of the prohibition is “exacting” or “demanding” interest or usury from a NEEDY or POOR Israelite. Although a few Scriptures, if read in an isolated way, may suggest that charging an Israelite with any kind of interest is prohibited under any circumstances, reading all the passages together shows that charging interest is only prohibited to a POOR or NEEDY Israelite.

We quoted Exodus 22:25, clearly involving a POOR Israelite. Note also Leviticus 25:35-37:

“If one of your brethren becomes POOR, and falls into POVERTY among you, then you shall help him, like a stranger or a sojourner, that he may live with you. Take no usury [Hebr., “neshek”] or interest [Authorized Version: “increase”; Hebr. “tarbith” or “tarbuwth”; meaning “multiplication,” according to Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, No. 8636] from him… You shall not lend him your money for usury [Hebr., “neshek”], nor lend him your food at a profit” [Authorized Version: “for increase”, Hebr. “marbith” or “marbiyth”; i.e., “increase, abundance, multitude,” according to Young’s Analytical Concordance of the Bible; see also Strong’s, No. 4768]. This passage, too, only applies to a needy or poor Israelite.

A passage in Deuteronomy 23:19-20, if only read by itself, might give the impression that charging an Israelite interest is prohibited under any circumstances, even if the Israelite is not poor or needy. We read, in the Authorized Version, “Thou shalt not lend upon usury [Hebr., “nashak”] to thy brother; usury [Hebr., “neshek”] of money, usury [Hebr., “neshek”] of victuals [or food], usury [Hebr., “neshek”] of any thing that is lent upon usury [Hebr., “nashak”]: Unto a stranger thou mayest lend upon usury [Hebr., “nashak”]; but unto thy brother thou shalt not lend upon usury [Hebr., “nashak”]…”

However, from the context with the other Scriptures already mentioned, and still to be mentioned, this prohibition only applies to a POOR Israelite. See, for example, what God says in Psalm 15:5 (Authorized Version): “He that putteth not out his money to usury [Hebr., “neshek”]…shall never be moved.”

Taking this Scripture out of context, without reading it together with other passages, one could conclude that one could never lend money out for interest (or usury), not even to foreigners. As we have seen, however, in other passages, charging foreigners interest is permitted.

WHY does the Bible permit charging interest to foreigners?

The ancient Israelites, not being a commercial people, were not accustomed to lending amongst themselves for the purpose of business, trade and commerce. “But the case was different with foreigners, who, engaged in trade and commerce, borrowed to enlarge their capital, and might reasonably be expected to pay interest on their loans” (Jamieson, Faussett and Brown, Commentary on the Whole Bible, 1961, p. 159, commenting on Deuteronomy 23).

The New Bible Commentary agrees with this distinction, when it comments on Deuteronmy 23:19-20, as follows: “Loans to foreigners were usually of a commercial nature, and thus an interest charge could be levied without objection. When the loan was from a rich man to his poor neighbor, the imposition of interest violated the law of brotherly love.”

Hasting’s Dictionary of the Bible also concurs. In its article, “Usury, Interest, Increase,” it states: “The loans here contemplated are therefore not advances required for trading capital, but for the relief of a poor ‘brother’ temporarily in distress, who would otherwise be compelled to sell himself as a slave.” In its article, “Trade and Commerce,” Hasting’s points out: “The Israelites seem to have become merchants only relatively late, and commercial dealings were for a long time in the hands of foreigners.”

Passages similar to Deuteronomy 23 and Psalm 15 can be found in Jeremiah 15:10 and Ezekiel 22:12 and must be read with all of the other Scriptures. Therefore, taking all the passages together, the Bible only prohibits to charge a brother interest, if that brother is poor or needy.

On the other hand, the spiritual intent of the Scriptures also clearly shows that no one should ever charge exorbitant amounts of interest or usury to anybody, including “foreigners.” This kind of greed is clearly condemned in the Bible. Further, the spiritual intent of those passages also prohibits to charge a poor and needy “foreigner” interest — that is, no interest should be charged to a poor “foreigner” when a loan is given to him to provide for his necessities. This means for us today, a true Christian should not charge any poor person interest for a charitable loan, whether or not the person is a Church member (Galatians 6:10).

Let’s review a few more Biblical passages regarding the prohibition to charge interest to an Israelite. Notice Proverbs 28:8 (Authorized Version): “He that by usury [Hebr., “neshek”] and unjust gain increaseth his substance, he shall gather it for him that will pity the POOR.” The context shows, that the lender exacted usury from a poor person, rather than showing mercy to the poor by not charging him interest.

In addition, note Ezekiel 18:8 (Authorized Version), “He that hath not given forth upon usury, neither hath taken any increase…, he is just, he shall surely live.” Taken all by itself, this passage could cause misunderstanding. When we read on, the meaning becomes clear. It is stated in verses 14-17, “Now, lo, if he begat a son…that..hath given his bread to the hungry, and hath covered the naked with a garment, that hath taken off his hand from the POOR, that hath not received usury nor increase…, he shall not die…”

Another example can be found in Nehemiah 5:1-13. Verse 10 says specifically that the Jews should “leave off this usury.” The context is, that some Jews charged interest to other needy and poor Jews (vv. 2-5).

The New Testament confirms the understanding that charging interest under certain circumstances is not wrong.

In Matthew 25:27, Christ tells the unprofitable servant that he should have deposited the money with the bankers or “exchangers” (Authorized Version), so that the returning master would have received the money loaned to the servant “with usury” or “interest.” The Greek word here is “tokos,” and is defined by Young’s with “offspring” or “usury.” Strong’s writes, under No. 5110, “interest on money loaned (as a produce) — usury.” In the parallel passage in Luke 19:23, the word “tokos” is used again and translated as “usury” in the Authorized Version and as “interest” in most other renditions.

Without entering the debate whether the translation “usury” or “interest” is appropriate, we see, nevertheless, that Christ used, in this parable, the concept of gaining interest in an approving way. Since Christ spoke this parable to the Jews, some of the bankers or exchangers giving interest would have been Jewish. As commentaries, such as Rienecker, point out, at the time of Christ, many of the bankers were also Jewish “moneychangers” (Matthew 21:12; Mark 11:15; John 2:14), as well as those who collected the temple tax (Matthew 17:24). So, in Christ’s mind, it would not have been a violation of Old Testament Scriptures to have Jewish bankers or “exchangers” grant Jews interest for loans. This is understandable, as the Jewish bankers were not “poor” or “destitute,” so that Jews loaning them their money were not prohibited to receive interest from them. This means that it is not Biblically prohibited that a Christian lender receives interest from a Christian borrower for a loan, as long as the loan was given as a business transaction.

Unger’s Bible Dictionary,” ed. 1966, page 1129, para. 1 and 2, captures this distinction well, when it states: “The Israelites not being a commercial people, money was not often loaned for the purpose of business, but rather to aid the struggling poor. This last is the only kind of usury forbidden in the law…The taking of usury in the sense of a reasonable rate of interest for the use of money employed in trade is different, and is nowhere forbidden; and is referred to in the New Testament as a perfectly understood and allowable practice.”

In an old (undated) document which had been published by the Worldwide Church of God, under Herbert W. Armstrong, on the issue of charging interest, the following conclusion was given, agreeing with the foregoing, “Based on all this information, the Church concludes that the prohibition on receiving interest applies to charitable loans, not to business investments in which the loan will be used to gain increase. When the loan is earning an increase, it is only fair that the lender receive a fair share of that increase as interest… The biblical instructions concerning usury… pertain to the poor and needy… True Christians should not charge the poor interest on a loan that is intended to provide necessities. However, a loan as a business deal — and this would include buying a home — is an entirely different matter.”

To summarize, the ancient Israelites were forbidden to charge interest to a poor Israelite. However, they were not forbidden to charge reasonable interest to a foreigner (as foreigners were usually receiving loans in a business context). They were also not forbidden to charge reasonable interest to another Israelite if the loan was not given to help a poor and needy brother, but as a business transaction, in a commercial context.

These same principles apply today regarding Church members. Judging from the spirit of the law, it would seem inappropriate for a converted Christian to charge a poor and needy person interest, whether or not the poor person is in the Church (Galatians 6:10). On the other hand, it would not be wrong for a converted Christian to charge another person or institution interest for a loan strictly given in a business context.

We have placed another StandingWatch program on our Webpage, titled, “What’s Ahead for the U.S.?” Another program will be recorded on Friday and placed on our Web.

We are also constantly adding new German articles on our German Webpage, and we are in the process of creating a French Website.

Our new booklet on baptism will enter the final review cycle early next week. We hope to send the booklet to the printer by early August.