Are You Already Born Again?

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Introduction

Have you been born again? It’s a catchy phrase. It invokes thoughts of piety and gives the appearance of true Christianity. It claims to describe spiritual maturity—the release from sin and the receipt of salvation. It has become the litmus test for many professing Christians to determine whether one is “saved” or “lost”—whether one will “go to heaven” or “hell” after death.

Many professing Christians think they are already born again, and they readily share their convictions with others, presenting what would seem to be a convincing case for the need to be “born again” in this life. In reality, they miss one of the most important teachings of the Bible—what man’s ultimate potential is and how to attain it.

To quote from a Catholic article, “Catholics and Protestants agree that to be saved, you have to be born again… When a Catholic says that he has been ‘born again,’ he refers to the transformation that God’s grace accomplished in him during baptism. Evangelical Protestants typically mean something quite different when they talk about being ‘born again.’ For an Evangelical, becoming ‘born again’ often happens like this: He goes to a crusade or a revival where a minister delivers a sermon telling him of his need to be ‘born again.’… But is the minister right?”

Good question. But more importantly, we need to ask, “Are either one of the two viewpoints correct?” According to Catholic teaching, “Since all Catholics have been baptized, all Catholics have been born again… If the Evangelical has not been properly water baptized, he has not been born again.”

Are we born again when we “accept” Christ? Do we become born again at the moment of our baptism? In both cases, the answer is an emphatic “NO,” as we will see from the pages of the Bible. But, even if one were to become born again at the time of proper baptism, a baby cannot be “properly” baptized. Our free booklet, “Baptism—a Requirement for Salvation?” makes this truth abundantly clear and explains why the baptism of babies or little children is not acceptable in God’s sight.

What, then, is the correct Biblical understanding regarding the important question of being “born again”? We will explore God’s Word to gain a clear explanation, but first we must understand one important principle, or key, in order to rightly comprehend Biblical concepts. The clear and unambiguous Scriptures must be studied first before focusing on more difficult ones. In other words, let the Bible explain itself.

Christ Explains Born Again in John 3

In John 3, Jesus Christ explained when man becomes born again to Nicodemus, a leading Pharisee and ruler of the Jews. Nicodemus visited Christ by night, apparently because he did not want to be seen talking to Jesus. He confessed, in verse 2, that he and the other Pharisees knew that Christ was “a teacher come from God,” and that God was with Him.

Nicodemus, as well as the other Pharisees and Sadducees, believed that the Messiah would come soon to free the Jews from Roman occupation and to restore the kingdom, or rulership, to Israel. They envisioned that the kingdom would be an earthly government. Christ went right to the crux of the matter. He explained that the kingdom was nothing like any human kingdom. Rather, the Kingdom of GOD would be ruling OVER man.

He also explained that no human being could be IN the Kingdom of God, and that in order to enter God’s Kingdom, one had to become a Spirit being—a member of the God Family. Christ also made it clear that just KNOWING Him would not be enough either. Knowledge requires action. When we KNOW that we need to change, we MUST then CHANGE. Only those who bring forth fruits worthy of repentance (Matthew 3:8), and produce the fruit of the Spirit (compare Galatians 5:22–23), will enter the Kingdom of God. So, Jesus answered Nicodemus in John 3:3, 5–6, 8: “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God… Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit… The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

Anyone who can read these verses with an open mind and set aside any preconceived notions, ideas and interpretations, would have to admit that Christ could not possibly have spoken about a “born again” experience in this physical life. Notice it again: One who is born of the Spirit IS spirit. He is like the wind which cannot be seen but can be felt—like a powerful hurricane or tornado. Christ also said that unless one is born again, he could not see nor enter the Kingdom of God. In other words, as long as someone is flesh and blood—not spirit—he cannot see or enter God’s Kingdom.

Misinterpretations of John 3:6

Since most commentaries promote the wrong concept that we are already born again, they are compelled to “explain away” Christ’s clear statement that a born-again person must be spirit. Notice in the following examples how they try to misinterpret and twist Christ’s words in order to make them fit with their preconceived erroneous ideas:

Jamieson, Fausset and Brown, Commentary on the Whole Bible, explains the term “is spirit” as “partakes of and possesses His spiritual nature.”

A similar statement can be found in Matthew Henry’s Commentary, page 1518: “… it is spirit, v. 6. Those that are regenerated are made spiritual. The dictates and interests of the rational and immortal soul have retrieved the dominion they ought to have over the flesh.” [The idea of an immortal soul is another wrong concept. Compare our free booklet, “Do You Have an Immortal Soul?”]

These commentaries, and many others, re-interpret Christ’s clear statement that in order to be “born again” we must BE spirit, as saying that we must be “spiritual.” Charles B. Williams, The New Testament: A Translation in the Language of the People, even renders this phrase as, “whatever is born of the Spirit is spiritual.”

This is a blatantly false rendering. Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible and Young’s Analytical Concordance to the Bible confirm that the correct translation is “spirit”—not “spiritual.” The Greek word for “spirit,” used twice in John 3:6, is “pneuma.” The Greek word for “spiritual” is “pneumatikos,” a word that is not used in John 3:6. The word “pneumatikos” is used, for example, in 1 Corinthians 12:1 in talking about “spiritual gifts.” However, the word “pneuma” NEVER means “spiritual.”

To translate the word “pneuma” as “spiritual” in John 3:6 is dishonest, especially since the word is translated in the first part of the phrase as “Spirit.” Nobody, to our knowledge, translates John 3:6 in this way: “Whatever is born of the Spiritual is spiritual.” Why then would one want to render the word “pneuma” as “spiritual” in the second part of the same phrase? Only to make it fit with pre-conceived wrong ideas.

Others render John 3:6 differently but still convey the wrong concept that we are already born again. Rather than translating, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit,” they say: “Flesh gives birth to flesh” (J.B. Phillips, The New Testament in Modern English); or “…it is the spirit that gives birth to spirit” (The New English Bible). These “interpretations” are not literal renditions. They actually obscure and change the intended original meaning.

The Englishman’s Greek New Testament, An Interlinear Literal Translation, gives the following literal rendering, word for word, of the original Greek: “That which has been born of the flesh flesh is; and that which has been born of the Spirit spirit is.”

The truthful conclusion is inescapable: Those who HAVE BEEN BORN of the Spirit ARE Spirit.

Entrance Into the Kingdom of God—How and When

Paul clearly understood that we, as long as we are human beings, cannot enter the Kingdom of God, as he says in 1 Corinthians 15:50: “Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption.” Paul is saying that there is only one way for a Christian to inherit or enter God’s Kingdom. He explains it in verses 51–53: “Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.”

Paul is telling us in this passage that we must first be changed into spirit. Only then will we be able to see and enter the Kingdom of God (compare, again, 1 Corinthians 15:50). We read in verses 42–45: “So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. And so it is written, ‘The first man Adam became a living being.’ The last Adam [Jesus Christ] became a life-giving spirit.”

Christ became a Spirit being. We, too, in the resurrection to eternal life, will become Spirit beings, and we “shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is” (1 John 3:2; compare, too, Philippians 3:20–21). As Spirit beings, we will be able to see God, both God the Father and Jesus Christ the Son. As flesh and blood human beings, we cannot see God in His glorified state. (We read, in Exodus 33:18–23, that Moses wanted to see God’s glory. God responded, “You cannot see My face; for no MAN shall see Me, and live” (v. 20)).

As glorified beings we will be able to see God in His glory, “as He is,” as 1 John 3:2 says. This Scripture refers to the returning Jesus Christ “in the glory of His Father” (Mark 8:38). We will be able to see the glorified Christ, as He is, and we know from Titus 2:13 that Christ IS God. We will then be glorified beings ourselves (Romans 8:30). Further, when we, as glorified beings, see God, we actually see the Kingdom of God, as God IS the Kingdom—the governing, ruling Family of God. So then, it can be said that when we enter the Kingdom of God, we enter the Family of God, thus becoming members of the very Family of God. (For more information, please read our free booklets, “The Gospel of the Kingdom of God,” and “God is a Family.”)

Christ told Nicodemus that we would become spirit, but not until we are born again. He explained that we would be invisible to the human eye, as God is invisible to the human eye. We would be like the wind that cannot be seen, although its power can be felt. Jesus Christ Himself became spirit when He was born again—when He was resurrected—not before.

Christ—the Only Begotten Son

Christ is called the only begotten Son of God. For instance, we read in John 1:14,18 “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth… No one has seen God [the Father] at any time. The only begotten Son [margin: “God”], who is in the bosom of the Father, He [Christ] has declared Him [the Father].” References to Christ as the “only-begotten Son” can also be found in John 3:16, 18.

In the Greek, the word for “only begotten” is “monogenes.” It means, literally, “only-born” or “chief” (Young’s Analytical Concordance to the Bible). Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible defines it as “only-born, i.e. sole,” pointing out that the word “monos” in “monogenes” means “sole” or “single” and by implication, “only” or “alone.” These Scriptures do not tell us that Christ is the only one who had been or will be spiritually begotten of God—that is, who had been given God’s Holy Spirit. As we will see in this booklet, it is the potential of all of mankind to become spiritually begotten, and ultimately born, of God. Everyone who has received the Holy Spirit has been spiritually begotten of God, but no one, except Christ, has been born again—born of God—changed from human to Spirit.

When referring to Christ, the term, “only begotten Son,” shows that Christ was miraculously conceived by Mary through a miracle from God. Christ’s physical begettal and birth were unique. No other human being has ever been physically begotten by God the Father, through His Spirit, in a human mother’s womb. In that sense, Christ is, and always will be, the ONLY begotten Son of God. Further, Christ will always have the preeminence over all of God’s children. (Remember that the Greek word “monogenes” also means, “chief.” Hebrews 11:17 refers to Isaac as the “only-begotten” or “chief” son of Abraham. Although Abraham had another son, Ishmael, God viewed Isaac as Abraham’s “chief” son—the “only-begotten” son of Sarah.) Christ will always be the “chief” Son of God the Father, but we, too, have the potential to also become God’s sons and daughters, under Christ.

There have been others who have been spiritually begotten of God, but not in the same way that Christ was begotten of the Holy Spirit at conception. The Bible tells us that David was begotten of, and had received, God’s Spirit (Psalm 51:10–11). We also read that the Spirit of Christ was IN certain people of the Old Testament (1 Peter 1:11).

Only Christ Has Been “Born Again”

Though others have been begotten of the Holy Spirit before Christ, no one but Christ was resurrected to eternal life (compare Hebrews 11:39–40). That is to say that no one, except Christ, has been BORN AGAIN. Christ was the only begotten Son in the way that He was conceived by Mary as flesh and blood, and He is the ONLY BORN, or BORN AGAIN, Son through the resurrection from the dead. Romans 1:1–4 reads, in the Moffat rendering: “Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God (which he promised of old by his prophets in the holy scriptures) concerning his Son, who was BORN of David’s offspring by natural descent and installed as Son of God WITH POWER by the spirit of holiness [which is a Spirit of power, compared with a mighty wind] WHEN HE WAS RAISED FROM THE DEAD…”

The New Jerusalem Bible also reads that Christ was “designated Son of God in power by resurrection from the dead.”

Paul is not saying here, however, that Christ BECAME the Son of God through the resurrection. Christ was already called the Son of God while still alive, and in fact, had been the Son of God before His birth as a human being (For proof, please read our free booklet, “God is a Family.”).

What Paul is saying is that Christ, the Son of God, once again, became a powerful SPIRIT BEING through the resurrection. At that time, the glory and the power He had before He became a human being were restored to Him.

Christ sustains the universe with His mighty word of power (Hebrews 1:1–3). He walked through closed doors after His resurrection (John 20:26). He made Himself invisible (Luke 24:31), and He manifested Himself in a different form (Mark 16:12). He has a glorified, spiritual body (Revelation 1:14–16; John 17:5), but He appeared as a human being (John 21:1–14). He went to God in heaven and returned to this earth within a very short time of less than a few hours (compare John 20:17 with Matthew 28:9).

When we are born again—born of spirit—we will have the same kind of power that Christ has, and we will also possess the same kind of glorified body that Christ has. We will be invisible to the human eye, as the wind is, but we will be able to manifest ourselves to humans, as a human being, not as a glorified Spirit being, just as Christ did after His resurrection. Though some have received God’s Spirit at this time, they do not yet have the same kind of power or glory that Christ has. They are not yet composed of spirit. Simply put, they are not yet born again.

Christ—the Firstborn from the Dead

Christ did not need to be baptized. He had the Holy Spirit while still in His mother’s womb. He, in fact, had been conceived in Mary’s womb by the Holy Spirit. He was only baptized to fulfill all righteousness (Matthew 3:15), giving us an example to do likewise. He was not born again when He was baptized. He did not even receive the Holy Spirit at the moment of His baptism, since He already had the Holy Spirit from His mother’s womb, “without measure” (John 3:34, Authorized Version). Rather, He became born again when He was resurrected to Spirit. It was at that time that He became the firstborn among many brethren. Romans 8:29 tells us that we are to be “conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.” We also read in Colossians 1:15, 18: “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation… And He is… the beginning, the firstborn from the dead.”

Christ was the first human who became born again as a Spirit being. The Greek word for “firstborn,” “prototokos,” designates the person who is born first. It can refer to the firstborn Son of the spiritual Family of God, and it can also refer to the firstborn son in a physical family. We read, for example, in Hebrews 11:28 that Moses kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood by faith, “lest he who destroyed the firstborn should touch them.” Christ was also, quite literally, Mary’s firstborn Son (Compare Matthew 1:25; Luke 2:7. The Greek word, “prototokos,” used here does not mean “only” or “only begotten” son. That concept is conveyed by the Greek word “monogenes”; see discussion above). Since Christ was Mary’s firstborn Son, it goes without saying that Christ as a human being had younger brothers. In fact, He also had sisters (compare Matthew 13:53–58).

The same Greek word, “prototokos,” is also used in Revelation 1:5. The New King James Bible translates the entire passage quite accurately in this way: “… and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth.” (The Authorized Version’s rendition, “first begotten of the dead,” is clearly wrong. The context here is the resurrection from the dead. The Ryrie Study Bible comments that “Christ was the first [man] to receive a resurrection [glorified] body which is immortal.”)

Rulership at the Time of the New Birth

When we are Spirit beings, we will be ruling with and under Christ, as born-again members of the God Family in the Kingdom of God. Notice how this future time of our rule here on earth is referred to in Scripture. Christ told His disciples in Matthew 19:28 (Elberfelder Bible; Luther Bible; Menge Bible): “Assuredly, I say to you that at the new birth, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” E.V. Rieu, The Four Gospels, translates, “…when the world is born anew.” Gaus, The Unvarnished Gospels, states, “in the time of rebirth…”

All of these translations reflect the understanding that Christ equated the time of the “new birth” with the time of the future rule of His disciples in God’s Kingdom, after they had been resurrected. At that time, they would be born again, not before then. This understanding is also confirmed by the Broadman Bible Commentary, vol. 9, p. 241, where we read: “To be sure, the Pharisees did envision that in the day of the Messiah the entire world would be renewed, and they called this transformation a ‘rebirth’ (cf. paliggenesia in Matt. 19:28).”

In Matthew 24:8, Christ compared certain events just prior to His return with “the beginning of sorrows.” The Greek word for “sorrows” describes “labor.” The New International Version translates, “the beginning of birth pains.” The Revised Standard Version states, “the beginning of birth-pangs.” The New American Bible says, “the beginning of labor pains.” The New English Bible renders the phrase as, “…with all these things, the birth-pangs of the new age begin.”

The fact that Christ stated that His disciples would rule in the Kingdom of God, after His return, shows that the “rebirth” or “new birth” is going to occur after the resurrection of the just.

Church Born in One Day

The Church of God is oftentimes compared with a nation—the holy nation of God (1 Peter 2:9). The sixty-sixth chapter of the book of Isaiah confirms, too, that true Christians will be born again—in the resurrection to eternal life—“in one day,” or, as Paul said, “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet” (1 Corinthians 15:52). Isaiah 66:8–9 states: “‘Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Shall the earth be made to give birth in one day? Or shall a nation be born at once? For as soon as Zion [symbolic for the Church] was in labor, She gave birth to her children. Shall I bring to the time of birth, and not cause delivery?’ says the LORD. ‘Shall I who cause delivery shut up the womb?’ says your God.”

We will be born again at the time of our resurrection—not before then. All who believe and teach that they are already born again while still in this flesh, are mistaken.

A Born-Again Christian CANNOT Sin

Additional Scriptural proof that we are not yet born again is found in 1 John 3:9, where we read: “Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed [the Holy Spirit] remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.” Notice, too, 1 John 5:18, “We know that whoever is born of God does not sin.”

According to these passages, one who is born again CANNOT and DOES NOT sin. The only being that CANNOT sin is God. Even Jesus Christ, when He was here on earth as a human being, COULD HAVE sinned. He was in all points tempted as we are, though He did not sin (Hebrews 4:15). The fact that He was tempted shows that it was possible for Him to sin. It also shows that He was fully man, as God cannot be tempted to sin (James 1:13). When it comes to Christians, however, they DO sin from time to time, even after receiving the Holy Spirit.

We read in 1 John 1:7–10: “But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son CLEANSES us from all sin. If we say that WE HAVE NO SIN, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.”

Notice that John says two things here. He emphasizes that we DID sin in the past, and also, that we still DO sin now. He uses the past and the present tense. He is talking to Christians—those who have received the Holy Spirit. Yes, Christians DO sin from time to time! They CAN sin, which means that they CANNOT already be born again, because those who are born again CANNOT sin. God will bring many sons and daughters into His Family through a resurrection or change to immortality. THEN, they will be BORN AGAIN God beings, and as such, they will be UNABLE to sin.

Some who want to uphold their teaching that we are already born again translate 1 John 3:9 as, “cannot abide in the state of sin.” However, this is not what the Scripture says. Rather, the correct translation, word for word from the Greek, reads, “… he is not able to sin.” The Biblical truth is very plain: One who is born again is UNABLE to sin.

The “Born-Again” Process

Using the process of human conception, gestation and birth as an analogy, we can gain a clearer understanding of the concept of being born again into SPIRIT. In this physical life, one is not born immediately at the time of conception. There is a time interval between conception and birth. A human baby must be conceived. A human baby must grow in the womb (the period of gestation). A human baby gains life of its own through birth.

The same principles apply to our spiritual birth. Although we will be born again at the time of our resurrection or our change to immortality, something else must happen first so that we CAN become born again. The Bible describes this prior event as spiritual conception or “begettal.” Simply put, before we can be born again, we must be begotten again—a spiritual begettal. This spiritual begettal takes place at the time of our baptism, after repentance, and after coming to an understanding of, and belief in, Christ’s sacrifice and the gospel of the Kingdom of God. At the time of baptism we then receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, through the laying on of hands, as a down payment—a guarantee—(Ephesians 1:14; 2 Corinthians 5:5) of our ultimate new birth at our resurrection to spirit.

In applying the analogy of human birth to spiritual birth, the receipt of God’s Spirit at conversion is a type of spiritual begettal. With the receipt of God’s Spirit, we acquire God’s divine nature (2 Peter 1:4), but there is still another step in the process. Just as an embryo must grow and develop, we must also grow spiritually and develop the fruit of the Spirit—the actual character of God. God considers those who have received His Spirit as being His children (2 Corinthians 6:17–18). Finally, Spirit-begotten children become SEPARATE SPIRIT BEINGS upon being born again—at their resurrection and change to immortality.

Romans 8:11 tells us that “…if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit [which] dwells in you.” 1 Corinthians 6:14 adds, “And God both raised up the Lord and will also raise us up by His power.” In other words, God will resurrect us by His Spirit, which is a spirit of power (Acts 1:8; 2 Timothy 1:7).

To come to the point of being “born again” is a process. It starts with the moment we receive God’s Holy Spirit, in the same way that a human being begins to live in his mother’s womb at the time of conception. God baptizes us through His Holy Spirit into the Church, which is called “the mother of us all” (Galatians 4:26–27, 31). A human baby grows in his mother’s womb until he is ready to be born. Likewise, we are to grow in our Christian lives in the womb of the Church, increasing in the “grace and knowledge of Christ” (2 Peter 3:18; compare Ephesians 4:11–13), until we can become born again—Spirit beings.

A father begets a child, while the mother delivers it. After the father has initiated the process, there is an intervening time of about nine months before birth, or parturition, occurs. During this intervening time, the mother nourishes and protects the unborn child in her womb for the entire gestation period. The same is true for our spiritual begettal, growth and birth. During the spiritual “gestation” period, after our conversion, it is the duty and responsibility of the Church, of which Christ is the Head (Ephesians 5:23), to nourish and protect the begotten children of God. These spiritually begotten children of God, the Father, need nourishment from good spiritual food supplied by God, and they need to absorb the food so they can grow spiritually, striving to become perfect in this life. In this way, they can become born again children at the time of Christ’s return. As Christ became born again at the time of His resurrection, so shall we.

Notice Luke 20:35–36: “But those who are counted worthy to attain that age, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage; nor can they die anymore, for they are equal to the angels and are sons of God, BEING SONS OF THE RESURRECTION.”

We will be born-again children of God when we have been resurrected—not before then. Christ calls us the “sons of the resurrection” for a reason!

Process of Salvation

The process of “being born again” can also be compared to the process of salvation. When we obtain forgiveness for our past sins (Romans 3:25), we have been saved from those sins (Matthew 1:21), and from the death penalty for those sins (Romans 6:23). This does not mean, however, that we have, at that time, reached our ultimate salvation. Rather, when we sin and repent and obtain forgiveness, we are “being saved” (Acts 2:47; compare 1 John 1:9), looking forward to our final salvation when we will be changed into spirit beings. Only those who endure until the very end will ultimately be saved (Matthew 24:13; 10:22). Christ also said: “He who believes and is baptized WILL BE saved” (Mark 16:16). Baptism BEGINS our journey to salvation, but ultimate salvation doesn’t come until later. We read in Romans 5:10: “For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.”

As we explain in detail in our free booklet, “The Gospel of the Kingdom of God,” our ultimate salvation is identical with entering the Kingdom of God and inheriting eternal life. In Mark 10:17–30, a rich young man asked what he needed to do to inherit eternal life (v. 17). Christ equated inheriting eternal life with entering the Kingdom of God (vv. 23–25). The disciples understood that He was talking about salvation (v. 26). Again, Christ emphasized that “entering the kingdom” and reaching salvation meant receiving “in the age to come, eternal life” (v. 30).

That is why we have to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12). We can start on our way to ultimate salvation, but we can still fail, by giving up. Paul warns us not to neglect “so great a salvation” that awaits us (Hebrews 2:3).

Spiritual Abortion Possible

After we have received the gift of the Holy Spirit and have begun our journey to our final birth into the Kingdom of God, we can still become spiritually “aborted,” so to speak. Though we have been begotten, we have not yet been born. It is simply incorrect to say: that the Bible does not recognize such a possibility of “abortion”; that once we have been “begotten” we have already been “born”; or that the way to our final birth has been guaranteed and assured (compare Revelation 2:5; 2:21–23; 3:14–16). Rather, we must continue to “overcome,” be “faithful until death,” keep Christ’s “works until the end” and “hold fast” what we have been given (Revelation 2:10–11; 2:25–26). We must allow God to continue to lead and direct our lives, and we must stay obedient and submissive to Him (2 Peter 1:5–11; James 4:6–10).

Some who do understand that there is a spiritual growth process between “conception” and “birth,” nevertheless state that the Greek word designating the beginning stage of conception never refers exclusively to that stage. They understand that conception is included, but claim that it also always includes the actual final birth. Begettal can include birth, and it does in many cases (compare Matthew 1:1–16). However, this is not true in every case. Otherwise, it would negate the Biblical possibility of a “miscarriage” or an “abortion” of someone who, due to lack of spiritual growth in the “mother’s womb,” is not found worthy by God to enter His Kingdom (compare Hebrews 10:26–31, 36–38; Matthew 22:8).

A Lesson from Physical Abortion

As there is the possibility of a physical miscarriage or abortion, so there is the possibility of a spiritual miscarriage or abortion. To suffer a miscarriage is a tragedy, whether physically or spiritually. Every parent—expecting and anticipating with joy the birth of his child—hopes that his child will be born as a healthy baby. God, our Father, also hopes, and is confident, that we will be delivered into His Kingdom as healthy born-again Spirit beings (Philippians 1:6; Romans 8:31–32).

God, our Father, will never abort us, unless we force Him to do so, by refusing to grow and to obey Him. Tragically, in this world that is ruled by Satan the devil (John 14:30), parents sometimes decide to abort their child. They don’t realize that abortion is murder in God’s eyes, but it is—it DESTROYS human life. All human life belongs to God. Only God has the right to take human life. No human being has the right, unless directly ordered by God Himself (compare Genesis 22:1–2), to take the life of another human being.

Some have said that an embryo is not yet a human being. They are wrong. A human being comes into existence when the egg of a woman is fertilized by a male sperm. A brief overview of the development of human life in the womb of the mother clearly reveals that an embryo is a living human being.

By the time a human embryo is only 7 to 9 days old, several hundred cells have been formed, and contact with the uterus has been made. Blood cells begin at 17 days and a heart as early as 18 days. The baby’s eyes begin to form at 19 days. By the end of the 20th day, the foundation of the child’s brain, spinal cord and entire nervous system has been established. The heart begins to beat heavily on the 21st day. By the 24th day, it beats 65 times per minute. By that time, all of the embryo’s organ systems can already be seen and compared with the organs of an adult. At the end of the first month, the primary brain is present and the eyes, ears and nasal organs have started to form. By the beginning of the second month, the unborn child looks distinctly human. By the sixth week, the mouth and the face of the child are formed. The lines in the hands start to be engraved by eight weeks and remain a distinctive feature of the individual. The hands and the feet are fully developed by the eighth week. At that time, the child occasionally places his thumb into his mouth.

Earliest reflexes begin with the 42nd day. Brainwaves from the child’s brain have been noted at 43 days. After the eighth week, everything is present that will be found in the full term baby. Between the eighth and the twelfth week, the child can already feel pain and can suffer. A nine-week-old baby in its mother’s womb reacts with strong movements toward the slightest touch. Before the aborting doctor touches the nine-week-old victim with his instruments, the tiny baby moves strongly with its arms, trying to place its thumb into its mouth. The body moves strongly, and the heartbeat increases to 200 times per minute. The child RESISTS being killed.

Abortion violates God’s commandment against murder (Exodus 20:13; Deuteronomy 5:17)! It is also painful for the innocent child.

In applying human abortion to the spiritual realm, however, spiritual abortion, unlike human abortion, is self-inflicted. When God aborts a spiritual child, it is because His child has rejected Him. It is the child who commits spiritual suicide, and it is equally painful for both the Father and the child. God does not want anyone to perish (2 Peter 3:9). He desires that all come to the understanding and knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:4). Some, though, will resist, and God will not force anyone to accept His way of life. Those who want to commit spiritual suicide are free to do so (Matthew 22:13; 24:51; 25:30, 41, 46).

The Spiritual “Born-Again” Process in John 3

To more fully understand the process from spiritual conception to spiritual birth, let’s look again at Christ’s statements in John 3. He said that one must be born again—changed to Spirit—in order to be able to see the Kingdom of God. He said, too, that the person who is born of the Spirit IS spirit. He also said that one cannot enter the Kingdom of God unless he is first born of water and the Spirit (verse 5). In every case, the Greek word for “born” is “gennao.”

As we already mentioned, we cannot enter God’s Kingdom unless God’s Spirit dwells within us, and we cannot receive the Holy Spirit (except in very unusual and exceptional circumstances) unless we are first baptized. Baptism, then, is a prerequisite to being born into the Kingdom through a resurrection, or change to immortality.

Christ told Nicodemus that “unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God” (John 3:5). With proper water baptism, the laying on of hands and the prayer to God the Father, one will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. At that time, one is a spiritually begotten child of God. We read in Galatians 4:4–7, in the New International Version: “But when the time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under [the penalty for violating God’s] law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit [which] calls out, ‘Abba, Father.’ So you are no longer a slave [of the basic principles of this world, v. 3], but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir.” Note that we are heirs—not yet inheritors—but we WILL inherit the Kingdom of God in the future.

After the necessary growth, one can become a born again child of God at the time of the resurrection or change to immortality. So then, water baptism, in that sense, is necessary to become born again and “heirs according to the hope of eternal life” (Titus 3:4–7).

Herbert W. Armstrong wrote about this in “Mystery of the Ages,” page 186 (soft cover edition): “The Pharisees knew about water baptism. They had used it for years in converting gentile proselytes to Judaism. They knew of John the Baptist’s baptism—a baptism of repentance ‘for the remission of sins’ (Mark 1:4). Jesus’ meaning should have been PLAIN to Nicodemus—that water baptism was an initiatory rite preparatory to the start of being BORN of the Spirit. Jesus made it doubly PLAIN when he said, ‘That which is born of the flesh IS flesh.’ That which is born of humans IS mortal HUMAN—composed of flesh and blood—composed of MATTER from the ground. ‘That which is born of the Spirit IS SPIRIT’—no longer human but composed of SPIRIT, immortal! No longer composed of matter or flesh. Jesus explained even further. ‘Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.’ Then he compared one born again to INVISIBLE WIND—invisible to human eyes. ‘The wind blows where it wills, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know whence it comes or wither it goes; so it is with every one who is born of the Spirit’ (John 3:8, RSV).”

“Born Again” or “Born From Above”?

Many commentaries state that Christ did not talk to Nicodemus about a second birth, and that Christ’s words should be translated as “born from above,” rather than “born again.” The Greek words are “gennao anothen.” The Nelson Study Bible explains that the word “anothen” could be translated as “again” or “from above.” The Ryrie Study Bible points out that the word is correctly translated as “again” in Galatians 4:9, where we read, “But now after you have known God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements, to which you desire again to be in bondage?” In this passage, the word can only mean, “again.”

However, this distinction seems to be one of semantics, unless those commentaries want to say that we are already born “from above.” This is, of course, what many suggest. The Nelson Study Bible is no exception, but they are forced to admit that Nicodemus did not understand it that way at all. They say (emphasis added): “The birth that Jesus spoke of was either a new birth or a heavenly birth—or both. It seems that Jesus was speaking of a heavenly birth because He later used the analogy of the wind, coming from some unknown, heavenly source, to depict the spiritual birth. But Nicodemus clearly understood Jesus to be speaking of a second birth—being born again. Jesus explains this new or heavenly birth in [John] 3:6–8, contrasting being born of the flesh with being born of the Spirit.”

Even if one were to use the expression, “born from above,” the truth remains that we are not yet spirit, and the “second” birth—or the birth “from above”—requires that we ARE spirit. So, in either case, we have NOT yet been BORN “again” or “from above.”

“See” or “Perceive”?

The Nelson Study Bible does not agree with the Biblical teaching that we are not yet “born again,” and neither do many other commentaries. Listen to this convoluted reasoning: “The Greek word translated again can mean either ‘from above’ or ‘anew.’ The new birth… is the act by which God imparts spiritual life to one who trusts Christ. Without this spiritual birth, a person cannot perceive spiritual things… nor can he or she enter the kingdom of God” (Nelson Study Bible).

These statements lump together the entire process of begettal, growth and birth, as if all were one and the same. We did see, however, that one is not born again unless one IS spirit. The moment God imparts spiritual life through the gift of the Holy Spirit, is NOT the moment one becomes “born again.” Rather, it is just the BEGINNING of the process that leads to a new birth—the conversion from flesh to spirit.

The statement quoted above also misconstrues Christ’s words that one cannot SEE the kingdom of God unless first born again. The Nelson Study Bible attempts to say that Christ only meant that one needs to be born again in order to “perceive” spiritual things, not that we actually need to be able to SEE God—a “perception” of the powers of the Kingdom is all that Christ was allegedly referring to.

This interpretation of the words of Christ is incorrect and misleading. We discuss this issue at length on pages 14–19 of our free booklet, “The Gospel of the Kingdom of God.” To briefly summarize here: When Christ spoke in John 3:3 about “seeing” the Kingdom of God, the Greek word “eidon” is used. On the other hand, when a perception of spiritual things is conveyed, the underlying Greek word is NOT “eidon,” but “horao.” In John 3:3, Christ was not referring to the perception of spiritual things, but He was speaking about the ability to quite literally SEE [Greek: “eidon”] God the Father and Jesus Christ. [Another example, where “eidon” is used, is in reference to the transfiguration on the Mount. Some of Christ’s disciples SAW in a vision the glorified Christ coming in His Kingdom (Matthew 16:28), together with the glorified Moses and the glorified Elijah. Christ introduced this vision by stating that the disciples would be able to SEE the Kingdom of God with power, Luke 9:27, Mark 9:1. In each case, the Greek word for “see” is “eidon,” not “horao.”]

Born of Water and Spirit

When Christ spoke to Nicodemus about being born of water and the Spirit, He brought into focus the growth process, which starts and ends at a certain point. Commentaries offer several possible explanations as to what they think Christ might have meant with this phrase. We present here some of their explanations:

(1)   It stands for the act of repentance, which John the Baptist’s baptism signified (Luke 3:3, 7–8).

(2)  It refers to water baptism as a requirement for salvation (Acts 2:38).

(3)  Water is to be understood as a symbol for the Holy Spirit (John 4:13–14; 7:38). Thus the phrase could be translated, “born of water, even the Spirit.”

(4)  Water is to be understood as a symbol of the word of God (John 15:3; Ephesians 5:26).

Correctly understood, Christ explained in John 3 that we have to be baptized in order to receive God’s Holy Spirit, and that after a certain period of time, we will be born again, as Spirit beings, when Christ returns. Considering all of Christ’s statements to Nicodemus, it is clear that a new or second birth is described, which is from God through the Holy Spirit. This new birth is a process that starts with receiving the Holy Spirit and ends, after sufficient spiritual growth, with a change from flesh to spirit. Until this change has occurred, one is not born again (or from above), because one who is born of the Spirit IS spirit.

Definition of “Gennao”

Some claim that the word “gennao” (translated as “born ” in John 3) can only mean “born.” As we will see, the word “gennaocan refer to an event that happens during this physical life. Based on this, many claim that we—flesh and blood human beings—are already born again in this life. As we saw from John 3, this concept is clearly false, as we are NOT yet born again. We are not yet spirit, but still flesh and blood human beings.

On the other hand, the Greek word “gennaocan refer to an event, a process that begins in this life at the time of proper baptism and that eventually culminates in our resurrection or change to immortality.

The Greek word “gennaonot only means “born,” it also means “begotten.” The word “gennao” is defined as “to procreate (prop. of the father, but by extens. of the mother); fig. to regenerate: —bear, beget, be born, bring forth, conceive, be delivered of, gender, make, spring” (The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, Number 1080). Young’s Analytical Concordance to the Bible defines “gennao” as “to beget, bring forth.”

W.E. Vine, An Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, 1965, writes regarding “gennao”: “… to beget, in the Passive Voice, to be born, is chiefly used of men begetting children…; more rarely of women begetting children.”

We find that in many cases, the word “gennao” has been rendered, or should be rendered, as “begotten.” The Greek word “gennao” can both mean “beget” or “born,” depending on the context, and it can even describe the process of the entire “pregnancy,” lasting from conception until delivery. Since it is up to the translators to decide when to use “begotten” or “born,” no translation has been found to be completely accurate.

“Gennao” Can Refer to Conception

We read in the first chapter of Matthew that Mary was found with child of the Holy Spirit (v. 18). When Joseph discovered that Mary was pregnant, he wanted to leave her. An angel appeared to him in a dream, saying, “…do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins” (vv. 20–21).

As the margin of the New King James Bible correctly points out, the literal meaning of the Greek word translated, “conceived,” is, in this case, “begotten.” The Greek word is “gennao.” Jesus was already (physically) BEGOTTEN in Mary’s womb, but He was not yet born. This shows that the word “gennaocan mean “begotten,” and in this example, it can ONLY mean, “begotten.”

Due to incorrect or misleading translations, many have concluded that they are already born again. The fact that the word “gennao” can mean “begotten” and “born,” and that it also describes a process of growth from conception to birth, has been hidden from them.

Incorrect Translations

Notice the following examples that point out the confusion in translations, and that show, when correctly understood, the growth process.

John 1:12–13

John 1:12–13 is rendered in the New King James Bible as follows: “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were BORN [“gennao”], not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”

It is God who calls man to salvation, but not because of works, so that no man should glory in His sight (Ephesians 2:8–9). Those who believe in Christ and obey Him will receive eternal life (John 3:36, Revised Standard Version: “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; he who does not obey the Son [New Revised Standard Version: “whoever disobeys the Son”] shall not see life, but the wrath of God rests upon him.”). Being baptized and receiving the Holy Spirit BEGINS our spiritual travel toward the Kingdom of God. At that time, we have been begotten of God and His Holy Spirit. We have not yet been born. With this understanding, we know that the translation of John 1:12–13, as rendered by the New King James Bible, is false. The correct rendition is given, for example, by Dr. Menge and the Zürcher Bible, as follows: “…who were BEGOTTEN… of God.” Dr. Menge gives the rendering “born” in parenthesis, as an alternative, but as we have seen, “gennao” can only mean “begotten” in this passage.

1 John 2:29

Another example is 1 John 2:29. The New King James Bible writes, “If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born [“gennao”] of Him.”

John is speaking in the present tense. He is not talking about the future resurrection to eternal life. He is saying that everyone who practices righteousness is “born” of God. Since no one is already born again, except Christ, we know that the translation of the New King James Bible is wrong, and that the correct rendering is, “begotten.” Notice how the New American Bible translates this verse: “If you consider that he is righteous, you also know that everyone who acts in righteousness is BEGOTTEN by him.”

The Elberfelder Bible and Dr. Menge give both alternatives (“begotten” and “born”) as possible renderings. The Zürcher Bible translates this passage as, “…everyone who does righteousness is begotten of Him.” The Berkeley Version of the New Testament writes, “… is his offspring.”

1 John 4:7

A third example can be found in 1 John 4:7: “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born [“gennao”] of God and knows God.”

Again, since John is speaking to the Christians of his time, the word “gennao” cannot be translated as “born” in this passage. True Christians love and know God, but they are not yet born again. Therefore, the rendering of the New American Bible in this case is quite correct, which states, “…everyone who loves is BEGOTTEN by God and knows God.” The Zürcher Bible concurs, while the Elberfelder Bible and Dr. Menge offer both alternatives.

1 John 5:1

A fourth example is found in 1 John 5:1. When reading the rendition of the Authorized Version or the New King James Bible, we see the difficulties that the translators had with this passage. The Greek word “gennao” appears three times in this passage, and, in this case, it should be consistently translated as “begotten.” However, the Authorized Version states, quite inconsistently: “Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born [“gennao”] of God: and every one that loveth him that begat [“gennao”] loveth him also that is begotten [“gennao”] of him.”

Most of the translations don’t even try to render the passage literally. The Revised Standard Version says, “Every one who believes that Jesus is the Christ is a child of God, and everyone who loves the parent loves the child.”

The Zürcher Bible translates quite consistently and accurately: “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is begotten of God; and everyone who loves him who begat him, loves him, too, who is begotten of him.”

The New American Bible reads, “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is BEGOTTEN by God, and everyone who loves the father loves [also] the one BEGOTTEN by him.”

1 John 5:4

Let’s also take note of 1 John 5:4 as another example. The New King James Bible states, “For whatever is born [“gennao”] of God overcomes the world.” Since the present tense is used, the correct rendering must be “begotten.” A born-again Spirit being does not have to overcome the world anymore. Christ said that He overcame the world when He was here on earth as a human (compare Revelation 3:21). The New American Bible and the Zürcher Bible translate, consistently: “For whatever is BEGOTTEN of God overcomes the world.” Dr. Menge and the Elberfelder Bible give both alternatives (“begotten” and “born”). Henry Alford states, “…because all that is begotten of God…” The Twentieth Century New Testament writes, “Because all that has received new life from God conquers the world.” Knox renders it in this way, “Whatever takes its origin from God must needs triumph over the world.”

Correct Translations

The translators of the Authorized Version and the New King James Bible clearly understood that the Greek word “gennao” CAN mean, “begotten.” Let’s look at a few Scriptures that were correctly translated in this regard.

1 Corinthians 4:15

The New King James Bible renders 1 Corinthians 4:15 in this way: “For though you might have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I have BEGOTTEN [“gennao”] you through the gospel.”

Through the preaching of the gospel and subsequent baptism and the receipt of the Holy Spirit, these Christians had become BEGOTTEN children. They were not yet BORN AGAIN children. The Elberfelder Bible, the Zürcher Bible, and the Luther Bible all concur that the translation here should be “begotten.”

Philemon 10

In Philemon 10, Paul states, “I appeal to you for my son Onesimus, whom I have BEGOTTEN [“gennao”] while in my chains…” Again, Onesimus became a begotten Christian, while Paul was in prison—he was not yet born again. J.B. Rotherham states, too, “… whom I have begotten in my bonds.”

Hebrews 1:5; 5:5; Acts 13:33

Another passage that is correctly translated by the Authorized Version and the New King James Bible is Hebrews 1:5: “For to which of the angels did He ever say: ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten [“gennao”] You’? (NKJB).” Compare, too, Acts 13:33 and Hebrews 5:5.

Clearly, “begotten” is the correct rendering here, as it refers to Christ’s conception in Mary’s womb. When the Father spoke these words, Christ was not yet born as a human being—let alone as a resurrected Spirit being. The New American Bible, Zürcher, Luther, Elberfelder, and Rotherham likewise say, “begotten,” while the New Jerusalem Bible reads, “…today I have fathered you.”

James 1:18

Another example is James 1:18. The Authorized Version translates, “Of His own will BEGAT [“gennao”] he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.” We are not yet born again—only begotten.

What we can see from these different renderings is that the translators were very well aware of the fact that the word “gennao” can mean “begotten” and “born.” They knew that these two English words do not convey the same meaning. They also knew that the context dictates which rendering to choose. To put it bluntly, they knew—or at least, they should have known—that we are only begotten, not yet born again. Regardless, they decided—perhaps in order to follow the “dictates of their hearts,” or to satisfy preconceived notions and ideas—to use the erroneous translation “born” rather than “begotten” in many instances.

Deliberate Deception?

A classic example of this kind of ignorance, or possibly even deliberate confusion, is the blatant inconsistency in the New King James Bible’s translation of 1 Peter 1:3 and 1 Peter 1:22–23. Let’s notice it (v. 3): “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has BEGOTTEN us AGAIN [Greek: “ana-gennao”] to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead… (vv. 22 & 23) Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, having been BORN AGAIN [Greek, “ana-gennao”], not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever…”

Which translation is correct in this context? “Begotten” or “born”? Obviously, since it is talking about the same event and timeframe, it has to be one or the other. The rendering of the New King James Bible is clearly false, in any case. Since Peter talks to Christians who were alive at his time, the correct rendering is, in both cases, “begotten.” They were “begotten again” to a living hope through the resurrected Christ who was now living His life within them, through the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:10; 8:3–4; Galatians 2:20). They had been begotten again of incorruptible seed—the Holy Spirit—and through the Word of God. Again, this passage is not talking about a time when they would be born again to immortality. We can see from this how translators, held captive by wrong concepts, got confused and chose inaccurate renditions (compare Isaiah 28:13). They did not have the knowledge of God that would have guided them to choose the correct alternative.

It is also interesting how some translators, apparently confused by the different meanings of “gennao” when judged by the context, have tried to “avoid the issue” altogether, and have instead given their “interpretation” of what they thought was being conveyed in a given passage. In the case of 1 Peter 1:23, the Twentieth Century New Testament renders it this way, “… your new Life has come, not from perishable, but imperishable seed.” Sometimes “human interpretations,” as stated in commentaries, may be quite accurate, but not always, and we should NEVER use human interpretation as a basis for doctrinal understanding.

Firstborn or First-Begotten?

We mentioned earlier that Christ has been called the firstborn from the dead. The Greek word for firstborn is “prototokos.” However, the word “prototokos” can ALSO refer to a first-begotten person—one who has not yet been born. As with the word, “gennao,” it all depends on the context. W.E. Vine, An Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, defines “prototokos” as “first-begotten, firstborn,” and states that the Greek word is derived from “protos,” meaning “first,” and from “tikto,” meaning “to beget.”

In Hebrews 1:6, the Authorized Version states, “And again, when he [the Father] bringeth in the firstbegotten [“prototokos”] into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.” The New King James Bible says here, “firstborn.” The Authorized Version’s rendering could not be correct in this case, as Christ was not the first “begotten.” As we saw earlier, others had been begotten of the Spirit before Christ’s appearance as a man.

 In addition, Vine explains that this passage seems to make reference to Christ’s Second Coming. He says: “Heb. 1:6, R.V., His Second Advent (the R.V. ‘when He again bringeth in’ puts ‘again’ in the right place, the contrast to His First Advent, at His Birth, being implied).” This would show, too, that the correct rendering in this case of Hebrews 1:6 must be, “firstborn.”

Some claim the word “prototokos” only refers to rank. Although rank is included [a “firstborn” son would inherit a double portion of his father’s inheritance, compare Deuteronomy 21:17], the word clearly also refers to the timing of one’s begettal and birth, as we saw from all the Scriptures. The firstborn son had certain additional rights (compare Genesis 25:31, 33–34; 27:36), because he was born first.

In Hebrews 12:23, the word “prototokos” is used for Christians who died in the faith. Although both the Authorized Version and the New King James Bible give the rendering, “firstborn,” the correct meaning in this case is “first-begotten,” as no Christian has yet attained to the new birth—the resurrection from the dead. Hebrews 12:22–23 reads: “But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn [“prototokos,”] who are REGISTERED IN HEAVEN, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect…”

The Christians who died in the faith, and whose spirits returned to God at the time of their death (Ecclesiastes 12:7), are registered in heaven (Luke 10:20). They have not been resurrected from the dead, so they are not yet firstborn—but they are first begotten—the firstfruits (compare James 1:18). They were called out of this world “first” (Ephesians 1:11–14) and they received the Holy Spirit, and it will be they who are going to be in the FIRST resurrection (Revelation 20:5; 1 Corinthians 15:23–24). Christ is the first of the firstfruits (Acts 26:23; 1 Corinthians 15:20). He is, up until now, the ONLY firstborn, the only one who has been born again from the dead. Those called by God WILL BECOME firstborn as well. They will be in the first resurrection, born again first, when comparing them with the rest of the vast majority of mankind who will be called to salvation later (always excluding Jesus Christ, of course, who was the very FIRST of all the subsequent firstborn). (For more information regarding those who will be called later, please read our free booklet, “God’s Commanded Holy Days.”)

“…as Little Children”

Sometimes, the Bible compares converted Christians with little children. Some claim that this proves that we are not “begotten” children of God, but that we are already “born again” children of God.

We understand, of course, that a baby in its mother’s womb is the unborn child of his or her parents. The fact that the Bible calls us children or “sons of God” (Romans 8:14) does not disprove the concept that we are not yet born children of God.

Some quote 1 Peter 2:1–2 to substantiate the concept that we are already “born again.” The passage reads, “Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby.” Notice that Peter does not say that we are already born again. When we are born again, we are spirit, and we don’t need to grow anymore in overcoming malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy or evil speaking.

Peter is simply making a comparison. He says that AS newborn children grow, so WE must grow spiritually in this life, having been begotten of God’s Holy Spirit. Christ also said that we must become and behave AS little children, in order to inherit the Kingdom of God (Matthew 18:3–4). With that analogy, He meant that we must have the humility of little children.

However, we are not to stay little children in spiritual understanding. Rather, Paul tells us in Ephesians 4:14 that “we should no longer be children [let alone newborn babes], tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may GROW UP in all things into Him who is the head—Christ.” Paul also says, in the previous verse (v. 13), that we all need to “come to… a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.”

Paul realized that sometimes Christians don’t show the progress in their spiritual growth that they should. He wrote in 1 Corinthians 3:1–3: “And, I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; for you are still carnal…”

Notice, again, that this is a comparison. While Peter told the disciples to desire the “pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby,” Paul chides them for being unable to go beyond receiving “milk,” because they were still carnal. Both instances use figurative speech to tell the disciples the same thing: “Get rid of carnality and grow in the spiritual character of God.” Notice the additional statement by Paul in Hebrews 5:12–14, again showing that, as teachers, we must go beyond just absorbing milk and that “solid food belongs to those who are of full age” (v. 14).

These comparisons and metaphors don’t show, as some believe, that we are already born again. Frankly, they have nothing to do with the “born again” question, except for the fact that they show the need to grow in Christ’s knowledge. Neither can one use those Scriptures to say that the Bible does not teach a “fetal analogy.” Rather, one has to look at all of the Scriptures in context.

For instance, Christ gave a parable in which He compared the decision of a person to follow Him, with a king who was considering whether to wage a war (Luke 14:31–32). His point was that we must count the cost before we make an important decision, in order to see whether we have enough to carry it out (verses 25–33). If one takes the analogy too far, one would have to conclude that Christ was endorsing our involvement in war, something that He was not conveying at all, as shown in many other Scriptures (compare, for instance, Matthew 26:52).

The “Fetal Analogy ” Is Biblical

Some do claim, however, that the Bible nowhere says that our spiritual begettal, growth and birth can be compared with the physical begettal of a child, his growth in his mother’s womb, and his delivery from the mother. They claim that the human reproductive process does not picture the process of spiritual salvation—the Father’s act of bringing many sons and daughters into His glorious God Family (Hebrews 2:10). We have shown in this booklet that the “fetal analogy” is clearly taught in Scripture, and as we will discover now, there are even further astonishing parallels that clearly support the analogy.

To reiterate, each human being starts from a tiny ovum in the body of the mother. It is then fertilized by a life-giving sperm cell from the human father. Life can only begin when that sperm cell enters the ovum and impregnates it. Once the human ovum is fertilized, it becomes the begotten human life—the embryo. After several weeks, it is called a fetus, until it is born. This pictures, precisely, our spiritual begettal and birth.

We might compare our minds with the “egg” or “ovum.” We might also compare God’s Holy Spirit with the “sperm” of eternal life. At baptism, God begets our minds with the Holy Spirit. We can then begin to grow spiritually, developing the mind of Christ. Just as a physical embryo or fetus must mature before his birth, so we, too, as spiritually begotten sons and daughters of God, must mature and become more and more perfect before spiritual birth into God’s Family and Kingdom can take place. The analogy is unmistakable! But, we can draw even more startling lessons from this analogy!

Medical Discoveries About the Unborn Child

Medical authorities tell us that ovulation usually occurs about the 14th day before the next monthly menstrual cycle, and that the egg must be fertilized by the male sperm during a 24-hour period. The fertilized egg then travels from the fallopian tube to the uterus where it implants itself. This travel begins on the 15th day of the first month and takes up to seven days to complete. Fifty days after fertilization, the embryo is called a fetus. By that time, it has developed a heartbeat, arms, legs and a blood-producing liver. By the seventh month of pregnancy, the ears have fully developed. By the 10th day of the seventh month, the blood of the fetus changes to allow oxygen to circulate independently of the mother. By the 15th day of the seventh month, the lungs of the fetus have developed sufficiently to allow it to survive in case of a premature birth.

Spiritual Discoveries about God’s Annual Holy Days

God has instructed us to observe weekly and annual Holy Days. Our free booklet, “God’s Commanded Holy Days,” explains these days and their dates and meanings in much detail. To briefly summarize here, God’s first annual festival, Passover, occurs on the 14th day of the first month. It pictures Christ’s sacrifice for sins, individually repented of by those whom God calls in this life. Passover is followed by the Days of Unleavened Bread, a seven-day period, symbolizing the removal of sins from our lives. The Days of Unleavened Bread begin on the 15th day of the first month. Fifty days later, the annual Holy Day of Pentecost is observed. It pictures the giving of God’s Holy Spirit to the New Testament Church. The next Holy Day is the Feast of Trumpets, which is celebrated on the first day of the seventh month. It pictures Christ’s return to this earth and the resurrection of His disciples. The Day of Atonement is observed on the 10th day of the seventh month. It symbolizes the reconciliation between God and all of mankind through Christ’s sacrifice, as well as the removal of Satan. This day is followed by the Feast of Tabernacles and the Last Great Day, an eight-day period that commences on the 15th day of the seventh month. It pictures the salvation of all mankind, to be governed by the Family of God here on earth.

The Astonishing Parallels

By now, you have undoubtedly caught the similar time elements involved between pregnancy and birth of a human child, and the annual Holy Days that picture the plan of God. Let’s review those time elements:

(1)   Physical life is begotten on or about the 14th day before the next menstrual cycle. Passover is celebrated on the 14th day of the first month of God’s holy calendar.

(2)  The physical journey of the fertilized egg begins on the 15th day of the first month and lasts for about seven days. The Days of Unleavened Bread begin on the 15th day of the first month of the Hebrew Calendar and last for seven days. If the physical journey of the fertilized egg is not completed successfully, there will be no birth. Likewise, if sin is not removed from our lives, neither will we be born again into God’s Kingdom.

(3)  After about fifty days, when the primitive skeletal system has been completely developed, the embryo (Greek for “to swell” or “to teem within”) is called a fetus (Latin for “young one” or “offspring”). It can now be recognized as a “human.” Pentecost is celebrated fifty days after the first Sunday that falls during the Days of Unleavened Bread. When the Church received the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, it began to be recognized as being the body of spiritually begotten children by beginning to display God’s characteristics through the indwelling Holy Spirit.

(4)  By the seventh month, the ears of the fetus have been fully developed. The Feast of Trumpets is celebrated on the first day of the 7th month. It pictures Christ’s return at the last or seventh trumpet, and the resurrection to eternal life (1 Thessalonians 4:16; 1 Corinthians 15:52). Christians who died in the faith will “hear” the 7th trumpet and the voice of Christ calling them out of their graves (John 5:28–29).

(5)  By the 10th day of the seventh month, the fetus can breathe on its own because its blood has changed. (Prior to this time, the baby could only receive his oxygen through the blood of his mother.) Atonement is observed on the 10th day of the seventh month. While, at Passover, we are reminded of Christ’s sacrifice for those who individually accept it, at Atonement, the whole world will collectively begin to accept Christ’s sacrifice. Satan will be removed and will no longer be able to deceive mankind as he does today. Christ’s shed blood was ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY, so that the world can begin to “breathe” on its own, freed from Satan, and begin to follow God. The whole world will then have the opportunity to receive God’s “breath” or “Spirit” (the Hebrew word, “ruach,” can mean “breath” and “Spirit”) when Satan’s spirit is removed.

(6)  By the 15th day of the seventh month; i.e., 7.5 months after fertilization, the lungs of the fetus have sufficiently developed to permit it to live outside the mother’s womb. The Feast of Tabernacles begins on the 15th day of the seventh month. It lasts for seven days. By that time, Christians, having been born again, will rule the world. They are no longer fed and nourished by the Church, their spiritual mother. Rather, they will have become members of the God Family.

(7)  A child has been born. But, the parents may still have additional children. With each new child, the entire cycle of human conception, pregnancy and birth starts all over again. This new cycle is pictured or foreshadowed by another, final annual Holy Day. After the seven days of Tabernacles, there is a separate one-day festival, called the Last Great Day. During that time, all who died having never heard of God the Father and Jesus Christ (through whose name ALONE we must be saved, Acts 4:12), will receive their first opportunity to accept God’s Way of Life. For them, too, birth into the Kingdom of God will be made possible.

Are all of these parallels just coincidental? Or, do they reveal God’s master plan in action? It is God who forms the inward parts of every human being (Psalm 139:13–14). God designed the timetable, and He also decreed when to keep His annual Holy Days.

God created man. God decreed that we should understand, by looking at the development of the physical embryo or fetus, the process of our spiritual birth into the Family of God. He told us in Romans 1:20: “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse.”

Why It Matters

Why did we write this booklet? Why did we bother explaining and emphasizing in detail the truth about the “born again” question? After all, we have referred to this issue in several of our previous publications, which have also been quoted throughout this booklet. Why does it even matter? Is it really that important to understand whether we are only begotten again or already born again? Isn’t all of this just a matter of semantics?

We must emphatically say that it DOES matter! It is absolutely VITAL and CRITICAL that you understand the truth on this matter!

The writer of this booklet and all of the reviewers on the editorial team once belonged to a different church organization. For the purpose of this booklet, it does not matter whether or not you, as the reader, are familiar with that organization. Even if you have never heard of that organization, the following should still be very revealing as to why it is important that we understand, and never deviate from the truth of the “born again” teaching. The organization referred to had taught the truth of the “born again” question for decades. A few years after its founder died, the new leadership began to introduce doctrinal changes. One of the very first changes had to do with the “born again” question. Articles that had been written in the past, proving from Scripture that we ARE NOT yet born again, were re-written, attempting to now show, from the same Scriptures, that we ARE already born again. The change was subtly introduced, and at that time, it did not seem to be a big deal for many. After all, it was just a change in terminology, was it not?

It might have seemed so, but, sadly, it was not.

It went much deeper. It opened the floodgate to future, more drastic changes. When the change on “born again” came, some noted that this would ultimately lead to a change regarding the nature of God and the potential of man. A few years later, those changes, anticipated by some, actually had taken place. How could anyone have foreseen this development?

Simply, because the correct “born again” understanding goes hand in hand with other important Biblical concepts and teachings. When we understand that Christians—those who have received the Holy Spirit—are “begotten” of the Father, we also understand that the Father is reproducing Himself through us. We understand that God is a Family, and that God wants to enlarge His Family through us. We also understand that Christ, the SON of God and the firstborn among many brethren, will marry His church at the time of His return (Revelation 19:7–9; Matthew 22:2; 25:10; Ephesians 5:31–32).

One important principle taught in the Bible is that a kind only reproduces according to its own kind (This is, by the way, one of the many proofs showing that the Evolution Theory is false. For further information on that question, please write for our free booklet, “Evolution—a Fairy Tale for Adults.”). The fact that a kind only reproduces after its kind shows that Christ will NOT marry a church that is physical. Christ is God—a Spirit being. Christ will only marry Spirit beings. We understand that we are not yet Spirit beings. We also understand, however, that we WILL BE Spirit beings at the time of our resurrection and change to immortality. THEN we WILL BE spirit. THEN we WILL BE born again. THEN Christ WILL marry us. And NOT BEFORE!

All of these Biblical concepts go together. After we are begotten of God’s Spirit, we have to grow in Christ’s knowledge. We have to become perfect (Matthew 5:48). The receipt of the Holy Spirit is just the BEGINNING of our journey toward perfection and ultimate entrance into the Kingdom of God.

We understand, too, that the Kingdom of God has not yet come. Christ has not yet established the Kingdom of God on earth. He will do so when He returns. At that time, we will be IN the Kingdom of God. Why? Because we WILL BE God—and God is a Kingdom—the Family of God RULING over creation.

We understand that the gospel message is the good news of the Kingdom of God. It is the message from the Father and Christ that Christ proclaimed. It is the same message that His Church MUST continue to proclaim until He returns, and even after His return. It is the good news that God will rule over all things, and that man CAN become God. Today, Satan is the ruler of this earth—not God. So, the gospel of the Kingdom of God is the gospel OF Christ, the message that Christ brought. It is also a message ABOUT the Kingdom of God. Since Christ’s death made it possible that man can become God, and since Christ will rule as King of kings and Lord of lords in this Kingdom, under God the Father, the gospel message also includes information about the Kingdom of God—the Family of God—and Christ Himself. However, the gospel message goes beyond the person of Christ. It’s a message brought by Christ—not a message limited to the personage of Christ. It is the message OF Christ and OF the Kingdom of God. It is not merely the gospel about Christ.

We understand that our ultimate salvation is still in the future—that we will be saved when we enter God’s Kingdom—at which time we will be God.

We understood all of this in our former association. Then, as we said, the floodgate of change came. It started with the “born again” teaching. Then another change came, followed by another. In time, it was no longer taught that the gospel was a message of Christ about and of the Kingdom of God. More and more, we heard the terminology of a gospel about Christ, or that Christ was the gospel. At the same time, we were taught that the Kingdom, although still future to an extent, had already arrived, that we were already in the Kingdom, and that Christ would only come to “inaugurate” the Kingdom.

We were also taught that we were already saved. All of these “new” teachings were “logical” extensions of the false understanding of “born again.” IF we were already “born again,” then we could see and enter the Kingdom. Therefore, so the reasoning went, since we “were already” born again, we “were already” in the Kingdom and already saved. Since we were already saved, we were gradually taught that we didn’t have to “grow” anymore in Christ’s knowledge as how to keep the law, since the law was allegedly no longer in force and effect. No more Ten Commandments, let alone any commanded observance of God’s annual Holy Days, as Christ supposedly did away with them all! Christ’s statement that we cannot see the Kingdom was incorrectly interpreted, as discussed before, in a way that He was merely talking about “perceiving” the powers of the Kingdom. Of course, these so-called new concepts also required a “re-definition” of what the Bible says about the Kingdom of God.

Then, we were told that it is incorrect to say that God IS a Family—rather, we should say that God HAS a family. With that “subtle” change, the truth of the nature of God began to become obscure. If God were not a Family, then God was not reproducing Himself, either. Again, we see the “logical” consequence of the “born again” change. This, then, led to the ultimate change regarding the nature of God. God was no longer perceived as consisting of two Beings (God the Father and God the Son), but as just ONE Being. Since God was no longer a Family, there was no longer a duality in the Godhead, either. Clear Scriptures proving the duality of the Godhead were re-interpreted, twisted, or simply ignored.

In fact, these ideas were not new. Paul and others warned that similar events and developments were already occurring in their time, and that they would continue to occur (compare Galatians 1:6–9; 2 Timothy 2:17–22; Jude 3–4; 2 Peter 2:1–3). Scripture reveals that another falling away from the truth would again happen in the end time. Paul said that the Day of Christ’s return “will not come unless the falling away comes first” (2 Thessalonians 2:3). (If you want to do an in-depth study of some of the Biblical concepts raised in this booklet, in order to make sure that you are not deceived by wrong teachings, please request our literature that is listed at the end of this booklet.)

We were also taught that God, although one Person, represents Himself within a “threefold mode of being.” A “clever” argument was presented that a person can have three functions—that of a father, a husband, and a president. In other words, God was described as consisting of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, but these three “functions” were not Persons, but “hypostases.” This concept had been adopted from a Greek Orthodox idea that stemmed from pagan Greeks like Plato and Aristotle. It was then reasoned that Jesus Christ was a created being who did not exist prior to His human birth. So, we suddenly were introduced to God (one Person in three hypostases), and Christ (another—created—person), who was or somehow became a son, but separate and apart from the “Son”-hypostasis of the God-Person. We were even told that the Son was still in heaven (as one of the three hypostases), while Christ was here on earth, and that the Son remained alive when Christ, the physical person, died. With that idea, the supreme sacrifice of Christ had been denied and rejected.

To add further to the confusion and heresy, we were subsequently told, without any explanation, that God was a Trinity, the same concept taught by the Catholic Church and most Protestant churches—one Person in three Persons (no longer “hypostases,” as previously represented). Christ had now become part of the Trinity, although it remained unclear what He was before He became man, what He was when He was here on earth, and what He became after His resurrection. God, in any event, had become a closed Trinity. Since He was no longer a Family, man could not become a part of that Family. It was taught that God would “adopt” Christians, but Christians would never become God’s real sons and daughters. God was no longer reproducing Himself through man. It was taught that God was CREATING or building a somewhat figurative “family.” However, God was no longer adding to the very Family that He is and that He always has been. Christians were no longer understood as becoming members of the very God Family, with God being their true and real Father, and Christ being their true and real elder Brother.

So, obviously, it does matter! Without the “born again” change, the subsequent changes could not have occurred. It is, therefore, imperative that we not tamper with the correct understanding of “born again.” If we do, even in seemingly unimportant areas of “terminology” or “explanations,” we will change the proper understanding of what “born again” means, and we will thereby open a floodgate of change, again. In the end, we might very well find ourselves being totally void of all correct Biblical understanding. It happened before to those who apparently understood the truth at one time. Let us not think that it could not happen again. “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says…” (Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 29; 3:6, 13, 22).

Letter to the Brethren – June 15, 2004

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Dear Brethren and Friends:

I am writing this letter from Canada. Delia and I are looking forward to meeting with our brethren at the Feast of Tabernacles 2004 in California. We are busy, with the help of competent volunteers, with the translation of some of our English booklets into French. At this time, two French booklets plus other French articles have been posted on our Websites (www.eternalgod.org; www.churchofgodacf.ca; and www.globalchurchofgod.co.uk). We are also investigating the possibility of printing hard copies of some of our French booklets for our French readers around the world who don’t have access to the Internet.

In Canada we will very shortly have a general election to select the next government for the next three to four years. I find it most interesting that the two major issues that have surfaced are not the economy or health care, but same sex marriages and abortion rights for women. It is really a travesty when governments rise or fall on issues like these. What are our countries coming to? I know similar issues are being faced in the United States and Great Britain, where the legal right to kill unborn children or to marry someone of the same sex are also major issues in the elections of their future governments.

Almighty God, through Paul, one of Christ’s apostles, addressed the issue of same sex relationships. We read in the book of Romans 1:24ñ27: “Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature [or, creation] rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust [not, love] for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.”

This “penalty” might very well include the curse of AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases. God makes it very clear in His Word that our sins eventually will catch up with us. Paul continues to state in Romans 1:32: “…who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.”

God hates the sin, but He loves the sinner. He does not want anyone to perish, but His desire is that all will gain eternal life in His kingdom. However, those who refuse to repent of their sins and continue to practice them will not enter the Kingdom of God.

It is also notable to read what Christ had to say regarding the last generation, prior to His return. We find His sobering prophecy in Luke 17:26ñ27: “And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, UNTIL the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.” This passage does not seem to address homosexual practices per se, the people were apparently living in other types of sin. However, the next two verses are most revealing in regard to ancient Sodom: “Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all” (Luke 17:28ñ29).

The quoted passages in Romans and Luke paint a picture of the times we live in today. We might note that all men, young and old, appeared in front of Lot’s house to molest the two strangers who were lodging with Lot (Genesis 19:4ñ5). They did not know, of course, that these young men were angels. Not ten righteous people could be found in Sodom to spare the city from destruction. The prevailing attitude was live and let live, that it did not matter as long as it did not harm them, individually. They approved of what was going on. They were living what appeared to be “normal lives”, they were buying, selling, planting and building. But the longer they stayed and lived in the environment, the more they approved of, and got themselves involved with, perverted activities which were being carried out around them. Sodom’s lifestyle had become “normal” for everyone living in the city, with the exception of Lot. But even Lot lingered when he was told to leave the city (Genesis 19:16).

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.” The Bible is clear, then, that 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 extortionists 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. These who lived before the flood were apparently involved in other types of sin (compare Genesis 6:1-6, 11-12) but they, too, were destroyed, as they were unwilling to repent of their sins and change their lives. 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 (including killing in war or abortion) 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: ANY SIN that we REFUSE to repent of will keep us out of the kingdom of God.

We, as part of the Body of Christ, have a duty to cry aloud and show the people their sins. We fulfill our duty through our literature, booklets, sermons and StandingWatch programs. This may seem insignificant to some, but we are commissioned by Christ to do this as His Church and to continue to do this as long as God allows us.

That is the reason why we are so busy writing, producing and publishing new booklets, in addition to our weekly Updates, sermons, and our StandingWatch programs, warning the nations as to what is to come, and offering them hope for a better world. Our most current booklet, “Sickness and Healing, What the Bible Tells Us,” is being printed. We will send it to you, once we receive it from the printer. We are planning to produce soon a StandingWatch program (www.standingwatch.org) in the German language, in our continued efforts to reach the international non-English speaking communities. In addition to the French webpage, mentioned earlier, we have also already in place a German Webpage on which we constantly post new German booklets and articles.

When you look at conditions around the world, you should be able to determine the signs of the times: Wars, rumors of wars, earthquakes, and moral decay. These are troublesome times. We hear on an almost daily basis of continued violence in the Middle East. America and other nations are bogged down in Iraq and Afghanistan. In spite of all this, the average person thinks things are not that bad; that they will get better; and that there is not really any cause for alarm. This is exactly the symptoms and the attitude Christ was warning about: The people before the Flood and at the time of Sodom and Gomorrah did not think, either, that there was cause for alarm, until their destruction was imminent.

There is no question that our nations are going down economically, socially, and morally. God even warns that they will eventually be conquered in war and taken into slavery, unless, they repent. It is our job to continue warning the English-speaking nations and other nations of the world of impending disaster and to reveal a better Way of Life. In order to receive the strength to do God’s work, we ourselves must stay close to God and pray ever fervently for God’s kingdom to come soon, and for His Will to be done on earth, as it is being done in Heaven.

In Christ’s service

Rene E. Messier

Letter to the Brethren – May 21, 2004

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 Dear Brethren and Friends,

In the very short history of the Church of the Eternal God and its affiliated associates in both Canada and Great Britain (Church of God a Christian Fellowship and The Global Church of God), we have witnessed sweeping changes in the world! Now, East and West Europe are uniting! America has been effectively more and more REMOVED from world dominance in terms of its international prestige! We are beginning to see a more dominant role emerging for the Pope and Catholicism!

All of these things – and more – are the fulfillment of Biblical prophecy. The unfolding timeframe of Matthew 24 that Jesus Christ gave for His disciples – especially for those faithful to Him at the end of the age – is playing out before our eyes! In Matthew 24 and 25, we are told by Jesus to WATCH and to BE READY!

The work that God is leading us to accomplish focuses on these very things. Just as we began with what God had given us faithful men and women and their families who believed in standing firmly in the truth – so we now continue to seek to carry on with the work given to us.

True to what the Church of God must ALWAYS DO, we have grown in our understanding, in our zeal and in our love for one another. Notice how Paul states this principle: “but speaking the truth in love, [we] may grow up in all things into Him who is the head – Christ” (Ephesians 4:15). Peter also admonishes us: “but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ”(2 Peter 3:18). (You might want to read the Editorial in our Update for May 14, 2004, by Norbert Link on this subject entitled, “How Do You Grow?”)

Our blessings – including our continued existence – are a direct outgrowth of our mutual commitment to do what we can and what God grants for us in fulfilling the instructions of Matthew 24:14: “And this gospel of the kingdom WILL BE PREACHED IN ALL THE WORLD AS A WITNESS TO ALL THE NATIONS, and then the end will come.”

We understand that the gospel was not preached to the world at large after the first century and until God called Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong in the last century. We also know that some will arise to finish this awesome task at the very end of this age – notably, the two witnesses spoken of in Revelation 11 and Zechariah 4. Right now, the job remains unfulfilled in this, our generation! Although there was a work that reached the lives of millions in the recent past, a whole new generation has arisen. We must build on the foundation of truth we have received and carry on with the work of God.

The knowledge of the TRUTH that we have been given is what we must impart to all who will listen. Some will embrace the way of God while others, perhaps most at this time, will reject it. Regardless, God’s message must go out powerfully in the days, weeks, months and precious FEW YEARS AHEAD! Each month, we send out letters to all of you who stand together with all of us in this calling, and, indeed, it is an unparalleled CALLING from God! Always, we say, “thank you,” for all that you do and for your continuing faithfulness!

But we must remind one another that the job is still ahead of us! It HAS NOT BEEN FINISHED! God is indeed allowing us to be productive in so many ways, but He expects us to do more than what is required. An interesting exchange occurred between the apostles and Jesus when they asked him to “Increase our faith” (Luke 17:5). The sum of what Jesus said to them is found in verse 10: “So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, ìWe are UNPROFITABLE SERVANTS. We have done what was our DUTY to do.”

That means that if we are to really please God, our Master, then we must all do more. Most importantly, we are to persevere without quitting and to overcome the obstacles that hinder us in our service to God. These might seem inconsequential at first glance, but we start the process by being faithful in the little things! Jesus taught in the parable of the Minas this basis for true faithfulness. Here is the principle that Jesus related as recorded in Luke 19, verses 11-27, but note, in particular, verse 17: “and he said to him, ìWell done, GOOD SERVANT; BECAUSE YOU WERE FAITHFUL IN A VERY LITTLE, have authority over ten cities.”

Brethren, this translates to our circumstances, today. What we have been given to shepherd is the truth of God. We indeed KNOW what the Church of God must do in terms of its commission. We KNOW what God expects of us in terms of how we now live our lives. We must be careful to not bury the talents given to us to accomplish these things! Also, consider this stern caution from Jesus: “And that servant who KNEW his master’s will, and did not PREPARE himself or DO according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes” (Luke 12:47). We are about to observe the Feast of Pentecost on May 30. This most remarkable time commemorates God giving His Holy Spirit to mankind so that we could truly become like God, even to the point of having perfect character just like Him (Compare Matthew 5:48). That wonderful truth is the very heart of the message of good news, which we have a part in boldly proclaiming to this dying age.

Luke 9:62 states, “But Jesus said to him, ‘No one, having put his hand to the plow, and LOOKING BACK, is fit for the kingdom of God.'”We have been called out of this world, and we are among those who have continued to look forward to the job at hand as well as what surely lies before us in future times.

Our own good news is that we have been given God’s Holy Spirit to help us complete what God has begun in us; we have Jesus Christ as our High Priest to help us and to protect us from the forces of darkness ruled over by Satan; we have a future and a hope because God has included us in His great master plan.

Paul, a very faithful servant of God and apostle of Jesus Christ, completed the work that God gave to him. Here is his approach, one that helped strengthen him in his own calling and one that can encourage us in our calling, today: “For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39).

Brethren, this must be our persuasion as well. Let’s also keep in mind the kind of ZEAL that the Father and Jesus Christ want to see in us: “You shall love the LORD your God with ALL your heart, with ALL your soul, and with ALL your strength” (Deuteronomy 6:5).

In Christ’s Service,

David J. Harris

Letter to the Brethren – April 19, 2004

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Dear Brethren, Co-workers and Friends:

The people of God are truly well blessed. We have been given so many answers to the big questions & answers that even the most brilliant minds of this world today can’t understand. The booklets that we produce are a gold mine of information and truth as they faithfully reflect our understanding of the Bible.

However, we can learn positively from some of the ways in which people in the world conduct themselves. Christ encouraged us to learn from the “unjust steward” (Luke 16:1-8), and He told us that the people of this world, in their generation, are even smarter or more shrewd than the children of light. That is why we are to be harmless as doves, but at the same time “wise as serpents” (Matthew 10:16). Recently, the Prime Minister in the United Kingdom as well as the President in the USA have been locked in debate over the validity of the war in Iraq. The term, “Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD),” has become a phrase commonplace in the vocabulary of most people. In the UK, we are to have yet another inquiry, and the Prime Minister and other leading politicians on both sides of the divide, have toured the radio and television studios to promulgate their case. We are confronted with claim and counter claim.

Their zeal for the cause is admirable and is a quality that we can learn from. Zeal is defined as “earnestness or fervor in advancing a cause or rendering a service; hearty and persistent endeavor.” Even in the many different corporate Churches of God, there is a consensus that we are now living in the Laodicean era – even if there is considerable disagreement as to what group or person belongs to it. The main characteristic of a Laodicean is a lukewarm attitude (Revelation 3:16) – an attitude lacking in zeal (verse 19). This lukewarm attitude amongst some or many of Godís people is not the same state of mind exhibited by the proponents in the political arena on both sides of the Iraqi war debate. Rather, zeal, activity and considerable energy are eaten up in this ongoing saga.

In addition, the Democratic Party in the USA has been going through the process of choosing its candidate to take on President George W. Bush in the Presidential election later this year. Television pictures of their energy, vitality and excitement can be in stark contrast to the way that some Church of God people behave. Their zeal for the cause is certainly an area that we can try to emulate.

Of course, politics is full of Commandment breaking as it reflects the moral deterioration in society at large, with the Ninth Commandment suffering as much as any. Lying, or the making of promises, which are subsequently broken or “forgotten,” is endemic in the human condition. We have historically seen and heard politicians who were “economical with the truth” as they vie for votes, public attention and general support. This is an area that we, as true Christians, must ensure that we don’t slip into, however inadvertently.

Even a cursory look at current events clearly reveals a world that is ill at ease with itself in almost every aspect of its activities. Relying on our fellow man is an exercise in futility, irrespective of the promises of political candidates for the Presidency or their equivalent counterparts in the UK who have the same agendaóthat of being elected or re-elected. The only real security we have is belief and faith in the one true God.

In the UK, politicians are never heard to mention God unless the word is used as an expletive. God, His ways and His Commandments are completely overlooked or ignored by mortal man who thinks he knows best. In the USA, God might be mentioned at times, but it is obvious that the real and true teachings of God have been forgotten. I recently heard a comment that said that in spite of 32 million laws having been passed, they had not improved on the original 10 (Commandments). This is a pithy and telling comment, acknowledging the fact that Godís Law is far above any human concepts and ideas regarding the kind of law that should regulate our conduct.

For almost 2,000 years, there has been the expectation of a new world order with Christ reigning on earth as King of kings in the Kingdom of God, supplanting the current order ably led in defiant rebellion against God by the god of this world (compare 2 Corinthians 4: 4). At one time Paul felt that Christ would return in his lifetime (1 Thessalonians 4:15). Others believed this, too, down through the ages. And the church in our generation has had the same level of expectation. The fact that Christ has not yet returned has caused many to lose their zeal, although right now zeal is extremely important! It is now that we need to use all our energies and strength to continue. Paul encouraged all of us in this way: “… now is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed” (Romans 13:11). Many, however, have decided to do the absolutely worst thing that they possibly could have done: They have failed to continue with the Christian way of life. In addition, scoffers which were predicted to rise up (2 Peter 3:3-4) don’t help those who are still “hanging in there,” struggling with their dedication to God and His way and who may be experiencing severe trials of one sort or another in their lives. But this is when God finds out about us. Are we in it for the long haul and are we sold on His way of life? Have we made such a firm commitment with God that we will NEVER give up – no matter what may happen?

Zeal can help us to stay the course. Mr. Herbert Armstrong said that he had to keep a prod on himself and the church by his sense of urgency. With such a sense of urgency it is difficult to become lukewarm. In recent years, many of the people of God have become lax in many ways. When viewing those zealous, dedicated and committed politicians and public figures, even though their agenda is only temporary and motivated by human desires, it is something that we can try to emulate on a permanent basis, and in a godly way.

Christ asked whether He would find faith on the earth (Luke 18:8) at His return. With events in recent years, shattering the church and scattering Godís people, it becomes clearer why He had this in mind, and it is imperative that we stay dedicated to God and His way. If we have any traces of this lukewarm attitude, we must do everything in our power to eliminate them immediately.

It really cannot be emphasized too much that this condition which is roundly condemned in Godís Word (Revelation 3:14-19) is not something that we must ever be found guilty of. Most politicians and leading figures in society are usually zealous and dedicated to their cause and endeavors. This is something that must also be at the heart of our Christian commitment. Anything less, according to Scripture, is unacceptable and the consequences are dire.

Let us all make sure that we receive a positive evaluation from Jesus Christ when He returns to this earth, irrespective of when that most wonderful event occurs. Will we all hear Him say to us: “Well done good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21)? These are the words that will be spoken to those who have zealously and faithfully endured to the very end. Will those words be said to each and every one of us?

With brotherly love,

Brian Gale

Letter to the Brethren – March 18, 2004

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Dear Brethren and Friends

The third annual ministerial conference is now behind us as we approach the upcoming Passover season. The meetings, held in San Diego, began the evening of March 6 and were completed on March 10, 2004. Those attending the conference sessions were: Edwin and Joan Pope; Norbert and Johanna Link; David and Peggy Harris; Rene and Delia Messier; Brian and Jill Gale; Margaret Adair; and Wray and Jule Zehrung. Church representatives were present from the UK, Canada and the US.

Our meetings were extremely successful. Following an extensive review of the Church’s Internet activities, plans for new design elements and greater use of Church web pages occupied the first part of this conference. The STANDINGWATCH program, which is currently available at the Church of the Eternal God website (www.eternalgod.org), will soon be available at an additional site now under construction (www.standingwatch.org). These video programs, presented by Norbert Link, highlight news events relating to prophecy along with commentary on Christian living.

Increasing the circulation of the weekly news “Update” of the Church, along with recommendations for new booklets received detailed discussion. The plan is to publish and print five (5) new booklets for distribution during 2004, addressing topics such as the authority of the Bible, healing and tithing, among others. Additionally, recent steps have been taken to provide computer backup and expanded software capabilities for live Internet Sabbath services (www.cognetservices.org). Plans were finalized to release approximately seventy-five Question and Answer reprints plus additional Editorial reprints from the “Update” for Internet access and direct mail distribution.

Several specific doctrinal questions were addressed, and general plans for Church related functions in the upcoming months were established.

But now we come to Passover, the first step in the great plan of God and the first of God’s annual festivals. God commanded the observance of this event, which pictured the death angel going throughout the land of Egypt performing his assigned task, which was to kill the firstborn but passing over those homes protected by the blood of the Passover Lamb.

We understand the great significance of this event, which has been taught to many called-out brethren during this age; yet so many of these brethren have rejected this truth because of negligence and false teaching. God had a specific purpose in mind as He stipulated the requirement of the people to be diligent in their observance of these events.

In the New Testament Christ commanded that we continue to observe these events year by year, but with new symbols which He established, so that we would never forget the tremendous sacrifice made by Him and by the Father while Christ was on this earth in the flesh.

We see this command in Luke 22:19-20: “And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.’ Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.’”

Rather than following God’s command, many have turned to the pagan custom of observing Easter, a festival which is nowhere proclaimed by Christ or the early Christian Church which He established. The festival of Passover, along with all of God’s required festivals and holy days, are fully explained in our free booklet— “God’s Commanded Holy Days.”

As noted, Christ never observed the pagan festival called Easter; neither did any of the New Testament apostles or disciples. The Passover, however, was observed by Christ, the apostles, and the New Testament Church and that fact is clearly revealed in numerous places in the Bible.

Note, Matthew 26:17-20: “Now on the first … of the Feast of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying to Him, ‘Where do you want us to prepare for you to eat the Passover?’ And He said, ‘Go into the city to a certain man, and say to Him, “The Teacher says, ‘My time is at hand; I will keep the Passover at your house with My disciples.’”’ So the disciples did as Jesus directed them and they prepared the Passover.”

This observance was on the very night of Christ’s betrayal. But this was not something new for Christ. This Way He had been taught from childhood. Luke 2:40-42. “And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him. His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the Feast.”

No, Christ never attempted to change His Father’s Law. Thus, He kept the Passover and all of God’s Holy Days and He commanded that we do likewise.

Passover and the Holy Days are a critical part of our training and in properly observing these days we draw closer to God and to His Way of Life. They are critical to our salvation, dear brethren and friends, and we must never let down in their proper observance. Therefore, let us all begin to think on these Holy Days and their significance for us as we prepare for Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread.

In Christ’s Service

J. Edwin Pope

Norbert Link

David J. Harris

Rene Messier

Brian Gale

Sickness and Healing – What the Bible Tells Us

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Sickness is something everyone has had to deal with at one time or another, and to varying degrees—some don’t seem to get sick very often, while others suffer from chronic illnesses.  Still others are subjected to terminal disease.

Have you ever wondered whether it is “natural” to be sick? Have you wondered if there is a correlation between sin and illness?  Is sickness the punishment that God brings on us because of sin?

What about healing? Do you know anyone who has actually been healed of an illness? Perhaps you yourself have experienced healing in your life. What do you think caused this healing? Was it a competent doctor or an appropriate medication? Are we to place our faith in doctors and medicines to heal our bodies? Did God have anything to do with this healing? Or does God even heal today?

If we have not been healed of a present illness, is it due to lack of faith? If so, what kind of faith would we be lacking? If faith in God is necessary, how do we acquire that faith, and even if we do place our faith in God to heal, is there anything we should do personally in order to have complete healing? Or, could there be other reasons that have delayed or prevented healing from taking place?

There are many concepts and deeply rooted beliefs when it comes to the subject of sickness and healing. Some feel that it is wrong to go to doctors. Some feel that, given enough faith, God will heal every sickness in this life and that going to doctors or taking medications always constitutes a lack of faith. Some feel that ONLY God can heal. Some feel that every sickness is the result of personal sin, thereby invoking direct punishment from God. Some feel that sickness is just a matter of time and chance, like the toss of a coin.

That’s what some people may “feel.” But human feelings and human reasoning cannot be the basis on which we make our determination. In this important booklet, we will be discussing these issues and answering these and other questions that might have caused undue concern and misunderstanding. We are not interested in human opinions or traditions; rather, we will base our discussion strictly on the revealed Scriptures of the Holy Bible. God clearly shows us in His Word what sickness is and how we are to deal with it.

What IS Sickness?

Where is the concept of “sickness” mentioned for the first time in the Holy Scriptures? This may come as a surprise to many, but the first reference to the concept of sickness is found in the third chapter of the book of Genesis.

After Adam and Eve had eaten from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, God pronounced judgment on both of them, as well as on Satan, who had deceived Eve to disregard God’s command. God had told Adam and Eve NOT to eat from that tree. They disobeyed God and submitted to Satan when they ate of that tree. This means that Satan, as well as Adam and Eve, had SINNED.

Let us now focus on the judgment that God pronounced on Eve. Genesis 3:16 reports that God rendered a judgment that would affect not only Eve, but also her entire female offspring. We read: “To the woman He said: ‘I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; In pain you shall bring forth children…’”

Pain and Sorrow During Pregnancy and Childbirth

This pain and sorrow during pregnancy is in fact called “sickness” in the Bible. This “sickness” originated with, and was caused by, the sin of one woman, and it has affected all women since Eve. However, those women did not do anything, individually, that resulted in their pain and sorrow during pregnancy and childbirth.

Notice the following additional passages that deal with pregnancy and childbirth. Isaiah 26:17–18 states: “As a woman with child Is in pain and cries out in her pangs [or, sharp pains], When she draws near the time of her delivery, So we have been in Your sight, O Lord.”

In John 16:21, Jesus Christ confirmed the known fact that women in pregnancy and at childbirth suffer pain: “A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come; but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world.”

Jeremiah 4:31 adds: “For I have heard a voice as of a woman in labor [childbirth], the anguish as of her who brings forth her first child…”

The Hebrew words for “woman in labor” literally mean, “woman in sickness.” The Authorized Version has here, “woman in travail.” In the Hebrew, the word for “labor” or “travail” is “chalah.” It should be translated as, “to be sick or weak.”

Let us note the following examples that prove this fact. 1 Samuel 19:14 states: “So when Saul sent messengers to take David, she said, ‘He is sick [Hebrew, “chalah”].’”

1 Samuel 30:13 points out: “Then David said to him, ‘To whom do you belong, and where are you from?’ And he said, ‘I am a young man from Egypt, servant of an Amalekite; and my master left me behind, because three days ago I fell sick [Hebrew, “chalah”].’”

Genesis 48:1 uses the word “chalah” in the same way: “Now it came to pass after these things that Joseph was told, ‘Indeed your father is sick [Hebrew, “chalah”]’; and he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.”

In this context, let us read Isaiah 33:24, which contains a prophecy for the future: “And the inhabitant will not say, ‘I am sick [Hebrew, “chalah”]’; The people who dwell in it will be forgiven their iniquity.” We will discuss this Scripture in more detail later in this booklet. At this point, we conclude that the Hebrew word “chalah” means, literally, “sick.” We saw that this word is used for a woman in labor.

From this we learn important concepts relating to sickness: 1) sickness is not necessarily the result of individual sin, and 2) not every sickness is healed in this life.

First of all, pain, anguish and travail in pregnancy ARE the result of sin, but it was Eve’s sin. Eve’s female descendants have not brought this “sickness” on themselves because of individual sins committed by them.

Secondly, God has not removed or healed the pain and anguish of pregnancy and labor that is common to all pregnant women today.

Do we understand what this means?

The Bible calls pain and anguish during pregnancy “sickness.” This “sickness” affects all pregnant women when they bring forth children. But this “sickness” is NOT the result of individual sin of the pregnant woman, and this “sickness” is not “healed” in this life as long as the woman is able to bring forth offspring.

The Woman’s Menstruation

 Let us review another important condition that is described as or associated with “sickness” in the Bible. It is mentioned in Isaiah 30:22: “You will also defile the covering of your images of silver, And the ornament of your molded images of gold. You will throw them away as an unclean thing; You will say to them, ‘Get away!’”

The English words, “unclean thing,” are translated in the Authorized Version as  “menstruous cloth.” In the Hebrew, the word for “menstruous” is “daveh” and means “sick.” Literally, then, this cloth is called in Hebrew a “sick cloth.” The reference here is to the blood of the woman that covers the cloth during the time of her menstruation.

Leviticus 20:18 confirms the foregoing, describing the time of the woman’s menstruation as “sickness.” We read: “If a man lies with a woman during her sickness [Hebrew, “daveh”; the margin adds here, “or customary impurity”] and uncovers her nakedness, he has exposed [literally, made bare] her flow, and she has uncovered the flow of her blood. Both of them shall be cut off from their people.”

Leviticus 15:32–33 adds the following: “This is the law for one who has a discharge, and for him who emits semen and is unclean thereby, and for her who is indisposed because of her customary impurity…”

The Authorized Version translates “indisposed” as “sick of her flowers.” In the Hebrew, the word for “indisposed” or “sick” is “daveh.”

That the Hebrew word “daveh” means, literally, “sick,” can also be seen from two passages in the book of Lamentations.

Lamentations 1:13 reads: “From above He has sent fire into my bones, And it overpowered them; He has spread a net for my feet And turned me back; He has made me desolate And faint all the day.”

The Hebrew word for “faint” is “daveh.” The Living Bible and the New Jerusalem Bible translate it correctly as “sick.” The Revised English Bible says, “He made me an example of desolation, racked with sickness all day long.”

Notice, too, Lamentations 5:16–17: “The crown has fallen from our head. Woe to us, for we have sinned! Because of this our heart is faint; Because of these things our eyes grow dim.”

The Hebrew word for ”faint” is again “daveh.” The Revised Standard Version and several other translations render the phrase as, “our heart is sick.”

The fact that the Bible associates the woman’s menstruation with sickness may become more plausible when considering the following quote from a German Encyclopedia, the “Grosse Brockhaus”: “Menstruation, also period: It is very rare that women are without pain at the beginning or during their menstruation… Pain in the spine or a general feeling of sickness are the most common side effects, that can still be called ‘normal.’”

What does the fact that the menstruation of a woman is associated with “sickness” (“daveh” in Hebrew) tell us about the concept of sickness and healing in general?

Every woman has menstrual periods. They are NOT the result of an individual sin that was committed by that particular woman. We also must acknowledge that God does not heal this “sickness,” at least not prior to the time of the woman’s menopause, which ends the woman’s periods and her ability to bear children.

We might feel a little bit puzzled by the fact that the Bible associates sickness with women having pain in pregnancy and child bearing, or women having periods, since it is considered a “normal” process. When we are faithful with the Biblical account, however, we must admit that the Bible is the Word of God, and that its teachings are not disputable (John 10:35).

Barren Women

This leads us to another interesting concept. Not every woman has the ability to bear children, even before the time she reaches menopause. (We might add here that even menopause could be, and often is, associated with “sickness.” The “Grosse Brockhaus” explains that many women suffer physical and psychological pain during menopause).

Let us notice several Biblical examples of women who were, at least temporarily, unable to bear children.

We read in Genesis 11:30 that “Sarai was barren; she had no child” (compare also Genesis 16:1–2). Sarai, Abram’s wife, was unable to bring forth offspring. She believed that God had restrained her from doing so (compare Genesis 16:2).

Two questions need to be asked and answered: Does the Bible refer to a woman’s inability to bear children as “sickness”? If so, does the Bible teach that this “sickness” is the result of individual sins of the barren woman?

We read in Genesis 20:17–18 that God had closed up all the wombs of the women of Abimlelech’s house because of SIN. We also read that God HEALED Abimelech, his wife and his female servants. We don’t know what sickness Abimelech was afflicted with, but we are told that the women were unable to bring forth children, and that this inability was associated with sickness in the Bible, because, as the Bible points out, the women were healed.

This “sickness”—the inability of the women to bring forth children—was not the result of the individual sins of the women. It might have been caused by Abimelech’s intent to take Sarah as his wife, even though he did it innocently, believing Abraham, who actually had lied to him by telling him that Sarah was his sister. So we see that the inability of the women to bring forth children may have been caused by Abraham’s sinful conduct, not by any of the sinful conduct on the part of the women who were barren.

A woman’s inability to bring forth children, as well as her misfortune in having a miscarriage, or for the baby to die prematurely, is at least to an extent associated with “sickness” in Biblical terminology. Besides what we just read in Genesis, this fact is also hinted at in Exodus 23:25–26, where we read: “So you shall serve the LORD your God, and He shall bless your bread and your water. And I will take sickness away from the midst of you. No one shall suffer miscarriage or be barren in your land; I will fulfill the number of your days.” This shows that God CAN and DOES heal those “sicknesses,” or that He can and does prevent them from occurring.

We need to reiterate here that to be barren is not necessarily the result of individual sin, although it can be, of course. Sarai was originally barren until God intervened and healed her. We are told that Rebekah, Isaac’s wife, was also originally barren, but that God heard Isaac’s pleas and Rebekah was then able to conceive (Genesis 25:21). Further, Jacob’s wives, Leah and Rachel, were both originally barren until God opened the womb of both women (Genesis 29:31 and 30:22).

Surely, Jacob, Rachel and Leah sinned (as Sarai had) when the women offered their maid servants to their husbands in order to bring forth offspring through them. But the Bible does not show that they had become barren BECAUSE of that sin.  To the contrary, they were ALREADY barren when they promoted the idea of producing offspring through their maids. Again, we see that their “sickness” of being barren was NOT necessarily the result of their individual sins. At least, the Bible does not tell us that it was.

Let us note a New Testament example in Luke 1:6–7. We are told here that Zacharias and Elizabeth, the future parents of John the Baptist, “were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well advanced in years.”

We are specifically told that Elizabeth was righteous, walking blameless in all of God’s commandments, but she was barren. There is not even a hint here that Elizabeth’s “sickness”—her inability to bring forth offspring—was the result of individual sins on her part for which God had punished her by closing her womb.

Sickness Not Always Punishment for Individual Sin

In the context of sickness not always being the result of punishment for sin, let us turn to John 9:1–3. In this passage, Jesus and the disciples observed a man who was blind from birth. His disciples, apparently believing that his blindness had to be the result of his individual sin and the punishment for it, asked a pointed question: “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered: “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him.” He then proceeded to heal the blind man.

Christ made it clear that the blindness of the person was NOT the result of individual sin of either the blind person or his parents.This passage proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that teaching that every sickness is the result of individual sin of the sick person is patently wrong and unbiblical.

Lessons from David’s Life

For further proof, let us turn to 2 Samuel 12. Here, David had greatly sinned by committing adultery with Bathsheba, and then arranged the murder of Bathsheba’s husband in battle. God was very displeased about David’s terrible conduct and told him that his son by Bathsheba—the resulting offspring of their adulterous relationship—would die (2 Samuel 12:13–14). Although David pleaded with God, asking for the life of the innocent child, God’s purpose in that matter was unalterable—the child first became ill, and then he died (2 Samuel 12:15, 18).

Clearly, the sickness and death of the child was NOT the result of the individual sin of the child. Sin was involved, but it was not the sin of the child that caused the child to become sick and to finally die.

Another mistake that David made was when he violated God’s law against murder and war, showing lack of faith in God by counting his army to ascertain how strong he would be in battle. Again, God was very displeased with David’s sinful conduct (compare 2 Samuel 24:10). “So the LORD sent a plague upon Israel,” and “seventy thousand men of the people died” (verse 15). David pleaded for the people, pointing out: “Surely I have sinned, and I have done wickedly; but these sheep, what have they done?” (verse 17).

The plague was not the immediate result of the individual sins of the people. Although the people were guilty of wrongdoing as we see in verse 1, it was David’s sin and his subsequent choice of a plague that caused the death of the people through the plague.

This is not to say that sickness can never be the result of individual sin. There ARE quite a few examples where individual sin IS the cause for sickness. At the same time, we must also realize that sickness is not necessarily the result of individual sin. We need to read and study the Scriptures to understand the lesson to be learned from the examples.

Blindness

To further prove the important point that sickness is not necessarily the punishment for individual sin, let us turn to Genesis 27:1: “Now it came to pass, when Isaac was old and his eyes were so dim that he could not see…” We learn from this Scripture that Isaac became blind. Notice, however, that it does not say that he became blind because he had sinned and God then inflicted him with blindness as a punishment. Rather, he became blind because he had gotten old. It is in the normal course of aging that the eyes of older people become weaker.

Sometimes, but not always, God intervenes and heals the eyes of a person or stops the process of deterioration of eyesight, as He did in Moses’ case: “Moses was one hundred and twenty years old when he died. His eyes were not dim nor his natural vigor diminished” (Deuteronomy 34:7). However, most people, including the righteous servants of God, have poorer eyesight in their old age and some have even turned blind.

We read, for example, that Eli, the priest, was blind in his old age (1 Samuel 3:2; 1 Samuel 4:15). It is true, of course, that Eli sinned when he failed to restrain his evil sons. But we don’t read that his blindness was a direct punishment for that sin.

We are also told in 1 Kings 14:4 that Ahijah the prophet was blind—not because of individual sin, but “by reason of his age.”

Herbert Armstrong, the late human leader of the Church of God in these last days, was almost blind when he died. He had to write in large letters in his later years until his eyesight got so bad that he could not even read those large letters any more. We have no reason to believe that his blindness was caused by anything else but his old age (he was 93 years old when he died).

The eyes of Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, were very weak. He also had to write in large letters so that he could still read them, as Galatians 6:11 tells us.

Again, this is not to say that blindness can never be the result of individual sin and the consequence of God’s direct punishment for sin. Remember that Saul, before he became Paul, was blinded by Jesus Christ because of his sinful ways. God allowed this to happen to Saul, to help him reflect on his need to repent and change (compare Acts 9:1–9, 17–18).

Further Lessons from the Life of Paul

Paul seems to have had another sickness that was not healed by God during his lifetime. We read in 2 Corinthians 12:7–10: “And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations [Paul had just described how God let him see, in a vision, the third heaven, or paradise, where God dwells], a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet [beat] me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times [he asked God three times in a very formal way that he be healed from that sickness] that it might depart from me. And He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities [or weaknesses or sicknesses], that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

We see from this passage that Paul’s sickness—some think it was malaria—was NOT the result of an individual sin of Paul. We can also see that this particular sickness was caused by Satan, not God, but God did allow it. Further, God chose not to heal Paul from this sickness during his life. The reason God allowed this sickness was so that Paul would NOT sin and so that he could more fully appreciate and recognize what it meant to suffer, just as Christ suffered. Christ said, when he called Saul, that Saul had to experience what it meant to suffer for Christ’s name (Acts 9:16). Paul later commented that he bore in his body “the marks of the Lord Jesus” (Galatians 6:17).

Righteous Dorcas

In Acts 9:36 we are introduced to Tabitha, or Dorcas, a disciple “full of good works and charitable deeds which she did.” This righteous woman became sick and died (verse 37). It is obvious that she did not become sick due to sin and that God did not inflict her with sickness as a punishment. In fact, the Bible makes it very clear that her sickness was NOT a punishment for sin when it reports that Peter came and resurrected her from the dead (verse 40).

Righteous Daniel

Another remarkable example proving that sickness is not necessarily the result of individual sin can be found in the 8th chapter of the book of Daniel. Beginning in verse 15, Daniel saw, in a very powerful and vivid vision, a mighty angel in his glory who was sent from God to give Daniel special spiritual revelation and insight. This angel was none other than Gabriel (verse 16). When Daniel saw this angel and heard his voice he “fainted and was sick for days” (verse 27). The appearance was too overwhelming for Daniel. As we should clearly be able to see, Daniel’s resulting sickness did not occur because he had sinned and it was not punishment that had been inflicted on him by God. Rather, Daniel received this testimony from God through the mouth of the angel Gabriel: “… you are greatly beloved” (Daniel 9:23; compare, too, Daniel 10:11, 19).

Righteous Israel

Turning to the 47th chapter of the book of Genesis, we find in verse 29 that the time “drew near that Israel must die.” We then read, in Genesis 48:1–2, 10, that Israel became sick and blind, and that he died. Nothing is said here that his sickness, as well as his blindness and his resulting death, were a punishment for individual sins committed by him. And we don’t read that God healed Israel from his sickness and kept him alive. Rather, the Bible teaches that it is appointed to man once to die (Hebrews 9:27).

Back in the 32nd chapter of the book of Genesis, we find another remarkable episode in Israel’s life. At the brink of his conversion, Israel, who was also called Jacob, wrestled with a Man, who, as other Scriptures reveal, was Jesus Christ. When Christ—the God of the Old Testament Who directly and specifically dealt with man—saw Jacob’s tenacity and perseverance, He “touched the socket of his hip; and the socket of Jacob’s hip was out of joint as He wrestled with him” (verse 25). After God had blessed Jacob and departed from him, “he limped on his hip” (verse 31).

The Bible does not tell us whether this injury was ever healed. In any event, it was not the result of individual sins on Jacob’s part. Quite to the contrary, God blessed Jacob for his perseverance.

Death of Rachel

We also find that Rachel—Jacob’s beloved wife—died when she gave birth to her child Benjamin (Genesis 35:16–19). Nothing is said here that Rachel died because of individual sin. Further, we find that God did not heal her or keep her alive.

Righteous Elisha

It is interesting to read about the sickness and death of the prophet Elisha, one of the righteous and faithful servants of God. 2 Kings 13:14 tells us that “Elisha had become sick with the illness of which he would die.” Verse 20 adds that “Elisha died, and they buried him.” However, an event subsequent to his death proves that Elisha did not become sick and die because God punished him for sins that he had committed. Verse 21 informs us: “So it was, as they were burying a man, that suddenly they spied a band of raiders; and they put the man in the tomb of Elisha; and when the man was let down and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived and stood on his feet.”

Even though Elisha was dead, God brought about this miracle to show the people that Elisha had died in the faith and that he was resting securely within the hands of God. He had not died because God had forsaken and punished him for sin. Rather, God had chosen to let him die instead of healing him from his sickness.

Jesus Christ

We understand from the Bible that Jesus Christ never sinned. Still, we find that He knew about sickness, having experienced it as a human being. It is true, of course, that He carried our sicknesses so that we today can be healed from them, but we must still say that Christ became sick, even though He never sinned. This again shows that not every sickness is the result of individual sin. We read in Isaiah 53:3–4: “He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows [lit. pains] and acquainted with grief [lit. sickness; compare the margin of the New King James Bible]… Surely He has borne our griefs [lit. sicknesses] And carried our sorrows [lit. pains].” Also, we read in verse 10: “… Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief.” The Revised Standard Version states in a footnote that the words, “He has put Him to grief,” literally mean, “He has made Him sick.”

As we already mentioned, this is not to say that sickness is never the result of individual sin or that God never heals sick people. Quite the contrary is true. The Bible teaches very clearly that God does heal people; that sickness can be the result of individual sins; and that when sins are involved, God forgives their sins at the time they repent, and He may also remove the consequence of their sins—their sickness—at that time or later.

What we need to fully realize is that these are not necessarily equivalent—that is, not every sick person has sinned and became sick as a consequence of his or her sin, and not every healed person has had to repent of individual sins that might have caused him or her to become sick.

Many who have embraced this wrong concept have brought upon themselves much unnecessary pain and misplaced guilt, thinking that God must have punished them for some horrible sins they must have committed, while trying to figure out what horrible sins these might have been. At the same time, some people who believe this wrong concept have become very judgmental toward sick people who were not healed, condemning them by assuming they must have sinned and that God must have refused to forgive them. Those judgmental people should have learned valuable lessons from the book of Job, where Job’s three friends wrongfully condemned Job.

We must be careful not to judge the sickness of others—not to place ourselves in a position that only God is allowed to be in—and to say that we KNOW why this person is sick and we KNOW why this person is not healed. It would have been easy for people with such a mindset to condemn Paul for not being healed, believing that God had punished him for terrible individual sins. They would have totally missed the point, as Paul was not punished with sickness because of sin; in fact, God allowed Paul’s sickness to afflict him, and to remain, in order to keep Paul from sinning.

Righteous Epaphroditus

Finally, let us note, in this same context, the example of the disciple Epaphroditus as described in Philippians 2:25–30. Paul reported that this loyal servant had become sick “almost unto death.” Again, he had not become sick because of punishment for personal individual sin. Rather, we read in verse 30: “[B]ecause for the work of Christ he came close to death, not regarding his life, to supply what was lacking in your service toward me.” He became sick when he tried to do God’s Work the best he could, not because God punished him for his sins. Paul tells us in verse 29 to “hold such men in esteem,” not to condemn them—even in our thoughts—because we are motivated by wrong ideas and beliefs.

What about Medicines?

While some believe and teach that every sickness is the result of personal and individual sin, others claim that we must never use medicines when we are sick. They postulate that the use of medicines is always a sign of lack of faith in God, since, as the argument goes, God brought the sickness upon the ill person and only God can remove it again.

Regardless of what men may believe and teach, what does the Bible tell us about using medicines? Does the Bible teach that it is sin to use them or that their use constitutes a lack of faith?

To begin our survey, let us notice Genesis 37:25 where it is mentioned that the Ishmaelites were trading with “balm.”  What is meant by the word “balm”? What is it and how is it used?

Exodus 30:34–35 gives us part of the answer. We are told in that Scripture that God instructed Moses to use “stacte” as one of the ingredients for incense, to be “holy for the Lord” (verse 37). The word for “stacte” describes a substance taken from the wood of the balsam or balm tree, according to the Hebrew Commentary Soncino. So balm was used for a holy purpose in connection with the holy anointing oil.

But that was not its only use. We read Jeremiah’s complaint in Jeremiah 8:22: “Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then is there no recovery For the health of the daughter of my people?”

Jeremiah’s question is quite revealing. He knew that balm was used as a medicine to bring about comfort and recovery. He is using an analogy here, wondering why his people did not receive spiritual healing. The implication, however, is clear: Sick people can receive help through balm and a physician.

Continuing with our Biblical survey regarding medicines, we need to note Jeremiah 46:11, stating: “Go up to Gilead and take balm, O virgin, the daughter of Egypt; In vain you will use many medicines; You shall not be cured.”

First, we find that balm is indeed described in the Bible as a “medicine.” However, in this particular Scripture, Jeremiah is saying that the people cannot be cured by any medicines, including balm. Some have used this passage and similar passages like this and concluded that we should not take any medicines, such as balm, as they cannot bring about recovery, comfort or healing. The context of this passage, in light of other Scriptures that will be discussed in this booklet, does not allow for such a conclusion. Rather, God is merely saying that in THIS particular case, medicines like balm would not help because it was not God’s will that the people be (spiritually) cured, as they were not repentant. (Remember that Paul had asked God for physical healing three times, but in that particular case, God was not willing to heal Paul; therefore, he was not healed. If Paul had used medicines to obtain healing, he still would not have been healed, as it was against God’s will.) This does not mean, however, that medicines, like balm, should never be used.

For proof, notice Jeremiah 51:8–9: “Babylon has suddenly fallen and been destroyed. Wail for her! Take balm for her pain; Perhaps she may be healed. [Menge: “perhaps healing is still possible.”] We would have healed Babylon, But she is not healed [Revised English Bible: “We tried to heal Babylon, but she is past healing.”]. Forsake her, and let us go everyone to his own country; For her judgment reaches to heaven and is lifted up to the skies.”

This is of course a symbolic and figurative statement. If Babylon would have been willing to repent and forsake her sins, she could have been spiritually healed. But Babylon refused and nothing could be done to heal her. God uses this analogy to point out a physical principle. It pictures God’s servants as following God’s instruction and being willing to heal Babylon with balm, but Babylon refused to accept such medication in order to be healed. This would be indeed a strange statement if it were sinful to use medicine like balm, and if such medicine could not help in the healing process.

So we see that end-time Babylon (comprised mainly of Germany, Austria, Italy, France, Spain, Poland, and other European Catholic nations) is “beyond healing” or help. But not only her. God says the same about end-time Israel (the lost ten tribes of the ancient house of Israel who are mainly the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and certain other European nations) and Judah (mainly the state of Israel and the modern Jews). We find this strong and stern warning in Jeremiah 30:12–13: “For thus says the LORD: ‘Your affliction is incurable, Your wound is severe. There is no one to plead your cause, That you may be bound up; You have no healing medicines.’”

Since modern Israel and Judah are unable to use “healing medicines,” and since all of their “lovers” or political allies have “forgotten” them in their times of need (verse 14), God Himself will have to intervene and “restore health” to them and “heal” them of their “wounds” (verse 17).

Again, this is figurative language. God often uses physical concepts to convey the spiritual meaning. His use of the term, “healing medicines” is interesting. It is obvious that, in God’s eyes, “healing medicines” exist, and that it is not wrong to use them when they are available. In the case of modern Israel and Judah, the spiritual application of those “healing medicines” was not available.

We find an interesting prophecy in Ezekiel 47:12, describing the peaceful situation during the Millennium when Jesus Christ will rule on this earth. We read: “Along the bank of the river, on this side and that, will grow all kinds of trees used for food; their leaves will not wither, and their fruit will not fail. They will bear fruit every month, because their water flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for medicine.”

The margin adds that the word for “medicine” could also be translated as “healing.” The Hebrew word translated as “medicine” conveys the meaning of “healing” or “healing medicine.” The context of the Scripture shows that physical sickness and physical healing are both addressed (compare especially verses 8–11). In Revelation 22:2, something similar is described, but in that case, a spiritual world with some kind of spiritual healing or refreshment is addressed. Even Spirit beings can be “refreshed,” as Exodus 31:17 reveals.

But how is it there will be “medicines” for physical healing in the Millennium? Doesn’t this contradict Scriptures such as Isaiah 33:24 (mentioned earlier), telling us that God will heal everyone in the Millennium as their sins will be forgiven? There is no contradiction when we understand how God often chooses to heal today.

To continue with our survey regarding “medicines,” let us turn now to Proverbs 17:22. It reads: “A merry heart does good like medicine, But a broken spirit dries the bones.”

If we take God’s word for what it clearly says, there is no argument here against the use of medicine, per se.

Are We to Do Nothing?

The concept that we are to do nothing when we are sick and simply wait for God to do everything for us, is not supported in Scripture. Let us notice God’s words in Ezekiel 30:21: “Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and see, it has not been bandaged for healing, nor a splint put on to bind it, to make it strong enough to hold a sword.”

This passage, although it conveys a spiritual concept, uses a physical principle—when we are injured, we are to take action regarding our injury to obtain healing.

We find the same principle expressed in Isaiah 1:5–6, where God is addressing the modern tribes of the houses of Israel and Judah: “Why should you be stricken again? You will revolt more and more. The whole head is sick, And the whole heart faints. From the sole of the foot even to the head, There is no soundness in it, But wounds and bruises and putrefying sores; they have not been closed or bound up, Or soothed with ointment.”

We read earlier that modern Israel and Judah can’t be spiritually healed because they have rejected their God. However, God WILL heal these nations later, AFTER Christ’s return. God is saying here that normal medical procedures, including the closing of the wounds, the binding them up, or the soothing of the wounds with ointment, all to give comfort and to assist in the healing process, are futile and useless in the case of modern Israel and Judah because they are “beyond healing.” But again, the principle is clear: It is not wrong to do something when we are sick.

The Good Samaritan

This principle is also expressed in the famous parable of the “good Samaritan” who had mercy and compassion for a man who had fallen into the hands of robbers. The robbers had wounded him, leaving him half dead. Luke 10:34–35 states: “So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denari, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.’”

The good Samaritan is doing something to the injured person. He is not just praying that God would heal him, without helping the half-dead person in the healing process.

King Hezekiah

We find another very convincing proof that God does not condemn us if we do something ourselves when we are sick. In the famous passage in the 38th chapter of the book of Isaiah, God used the prophet Isaiah to announce to a very sick King Hezekiah that he would die (verse 1). Hezekiah rendered a heartfelt prayer to God, pleading with Him for healing and recovery. God responded that He would add 15 years to his life (verses 2–5). God even gave him a sign to prove the accuracy of His promise (verses 7–8). We are then told, in verse 9, that Hezekiah “recovered from his sickness.”

But now notice what Isaiah did to help in the healing process. Verse 21 informs us: “Now Isaiah had said, ‘Let them take a lump of figs, and apply it as a poultice on the boil, AND HE SHALL RECOVER.” (Compare, too, the parallel Scripture in 2 Kings 20:7.)

God wanted to heal Hezekiah. He had promised him already that He would heal him. If God had not wanted to heal Hezekiah, he would not have been healed. Still, God expected Isaiah to do something for the king, to apply some kind of a “healing medicine” that would assist in the healing process. Isaiah, himself, understood that he was to do something. There is not even a shred of evidence in the Bible that his command to apply the lump of figs as a poultice to assist in the healing process, was against God’s will or constituted a lack of faith in God’s healing powers.

But, you might ask, could God have healed Hezekiah without the lump of figs? Of course He COULD HAVE! However, God had this incident recorded to teach us a lesson. The lesson is that WE need to be part of the process. We need to do what WE can do, assuming we know what we can do, then God will do the rest. Sometimes it takes some work on our part, through research or through talking with competent health advisors, to find out what we can do. It is interesting to note that James says faith without works is dead (compare James 2:17).

Timothy

The same principle is expressed in Paul’s words to Timothy in 1 Timothy 5:23: “No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for your stomach’s sake and your frequent infirmities” (or, as the margin has it, sicknesses). Paul did not say to Timothy to ONLY pray to God for healing of his frequent sicknesses while doing nothing himself. He advised him to drink a little wine to assist in the healing process and to strengthen his immune system. In regard to wine, the Kalifornische Staatszeitung published an article on March 5, 1998, discussing the health benefits of wine. The article stated: “We have always known it—wine is good for our health… Modest consumption of wine decreases the danger to die of a heart attack and of cancer.”

Laodiceans

In Revelation 3:18 we find another passage that uses physical principles to discuss a spiritual concept—the lukewarm attitude of the Laodiceans. Christ’s words regarding the physical principles are quite revealing. We read: “I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.”

If it were wrong to anoint our eyes with eye salve or to use other methods to help our eyes, Christ would hardly have used this analogy. Further, no one would conclude from this example that it is wrong for a naked person to put on clothes or for a poor person to accept gold, if it is lawfully and properly offered to him.

What About Doctors?

While some may concede that there might be certain “medicines” that can be used by sick people without constituting a lack of faith, they claim that we must never consult doctors, let alone receive treatment from them, as this would clearly mean that we place our trust in doctors, rather than in God. Yet, they don’t seem to have a problem with consulting those who profess to have knowledge regarding “health foods” herbs or other “natural” substances, and asking them for a “prescription” of numerous vitamins or vitamin supplements.

Then, there are those who would allow a doctor to conduct “repair surgery” but they would be strongly opposed against any operation going beyond such “repair surgery.” When those people are asked what they mean by “repair surgery,” the answers vary and are many times dependent on the “need” of the individual being asked. While they would perhaps agree that medical assistance regarding the healing of a fractured bone might be “repair surgery,” they would vehemently deny that “laser surgery” of an impaired eye would fall into that category, until they themselves are confronted with the question of whether or not to undergo such surgery themselves.

First of all, we need to categorically state that the Bible nowhere talks about the concept of “repair surgery.” This is strictly a term invented by man, for which there is no Scriptural basis. In addition, if consulting and accepting the help of doctors in going beyond “repair surgery” constitute lack of faith in God, why is it that “repair surgery” or the help of a “natural” consultant selling vitamins and supplements don’t constitute a lack of faith in God? Who draws the line between the two?

When looking strictly into the Bible for answers to our questions, we are reminded of Jeremiah 8:22 (mentioned before). This Scripture, as we saw, addresses the use of medicines and it also addresses the use of doctors or physicians. Jeremiah’s questions were: “Is there no balm in Gilead, Is there no physician there? Why then is there no recovery For the health of the daughter of my people?”

The Hebrew for “physician” is “rapha.” It literally means, “who heals.” It is the same word used in Exodus 15:26, where God says to the ancient nation of Israel: “I am the Lord who heals [in Hebrew: “rapha”] you.” This word is also used in the famous passage of Isaiah 53:5 in addressing the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, where we are told: “By His stripes we are healed [in Hebrew: “rapha”].”

We also find that this word is used in Genesis 50:2. We read: “And Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father. So the physicians embalmed Israel.”  Both times, the word “rapha” (meaning, “those who heal”) is used in the Hebrew, which is translated as “physicians.”

The same Hebrew word is used in Job 13:4, where Job chides his “friends” for hurting, rather than helping him in his trial. He exclaimed: “But you forgers of lies, You are all worthless physicians [in Hebrew “rapha,” that is, “those who heal”].” In this particular case, Job desired spiritual “healing” from his friends, but they were “worthless,” as they did not offer such healing.

We can deduce from those passages that physicians can “heal,” when we correctly understand what the Bible means by that terminology. We saw that the Bible describes “physicians” as those “who heal” but we need to analyze carefully in what way they “heal.”

The Healing Process

In order to analyze how physicians “heal,” let us focus on the “healing process” of a sick person, as revealed in Scripture. We all know, from experience or observation, that a finger that has been cut with a knife heals in time, at least under normal circumstances. This shows that God has put into place certain “natural laws” that affect the human body and help to heal the sick or wounded person.

Also notice Exodus 21:18–19, where we find proof of the existence of such active laws of “healing” or recovery: “If men contend with each other, and one strikes the other with a stone or with his fist, and he does not die but is confined to his bed, if he rises again and walks about outside with his staff, then he who struck him shall be acquitted. He shall only pay for the loss of his time, and shall provide for him to be thoroughly healed.”

The assailant was to provide for the injured party to be thoroughly healed. Again, this is  talking about taking some sort of action to help in the healing process. Note also that the Hebrew word for “healed” in this passage is “rapha.”

We can realize from these passages that God HAS provided for a healing process. God has created and set in motion physical laws that bring about healing. When a person is wounded with a knife, the wound will heal after a while. When a person becomes sick with a cold or flu, the person’s immune system will eventually overcome the cause of the illness and, under normal circumstances, the person will be healed. Of course, there is always a chance for complications, especially if the person has a suppressed immune system, but we are addressing normal circumstances here. God has created the human body in such a way that it will heal, to an extent and under normal circumstances, when it is sick or injured.

There are several Scriptures that address leprosy and its subsequent healing, in Leviticus 13:18, 37; 14:2–3: “If the body develops a boil in the skin, and it is healed… But if the scale appears to be at a standstill, and there is black hair grown up in it, the scale has healed. He is clean, and the priest shall pronounce him clean… This shall be the law of the leper for the day of his cleansing: He shall be brought to the priest. And the priest shall go out of the camp, and the priest shall examine him; and indeed, if the leprosy is healed in the leper…” then the person had to go through some ritual cleansing, which is no longer in force and effect today. (For a thorough discussion regarding those Old Testament laws that are still in effect today, and those that are not, read our free booklet, “And Lawlessness Will Abound…”).

After the Israelites were circumcised, under Joshua, “they stayed in their places in the camp till they were healed” (Joshua 5:8). Circumcision was ordained by God in the Old Testament (it is no longer commanded for Christians in the New Testament), but the Bible still calls it a “sickness” or an “injury” that needs to be “healed.” It did heal “naturally,” without requiring God’s direct intervention, although some soothing “medication” might have been applied to the wound.

We see, in 2 Kings 8:29, that a wound is called, in Biblical terminology, “sickness.” We read: “Then King Joram went back to Jezreel to recover from the wounds which the Syrians had inflicted on him at Ramah, when he fought against Hazael king of Syria. And Ahaziah the son of Jehoram, king of Judah, went down to see Joram the son of Ahab in Jezreel, because he was sick.”

The Authorized Version translates “to recover from the wounds” as “to be healed of the wounds.”  This translation is correct, as the Hebrew word for “recover” or “heal” is “rapha.” We see that the Bible says that the king was “sick,” waiting to be healed from his wounds.

The fact that God has set in motion physical laws to bring about healing of certain sicknesses under normal circumstances does not mean, as we have seen already, that we cannot support such a  healing process with healing medications. The same must be said about physicians who understand God’s health laws and who can therefore properly assist with the healing process.

Is God Against Physicians?

When we carefully review the examples of Christ’s supernatural healing in the New Testament, we find that in many cases, physicians could not help.

We read in Luke 8:43–44: “Now a woman, having a flow of blood for twelve years, who had spent all her livelihood on physicians and could not be healed by any, came from behind and touched the border of His garment. And immediately her flow of blood stopped.”

This example shows the great power and might of God, in the Person of Jesus Christ, that far exceeds anything humans can do. But this passage does not say that physicians cannot “heal” or be of help, per se, or that they must never be consulted. Rather, it points out that the physicians at that time did not know how to help the woman with her particular sickness. It is true, of course, that this passage contains a similar warning for us today. We do need to use great discretion in the choice of a physician we may want to consult. Unfortunately, many today have also “spent all their livelihood on physicians and could not be healed by any.”  In many cases, they could not even receive appropriate advice as to what the cause or the nature of their sickness was.

Spiritual Healing of Depression

The same must be said about those who claim they can help or can heal a patient who may be having spiritual problems. Today’s “science of psychology” is operating from a fundamentally wrong foundation, and as such, very few, if any, will receive lasting help from such treatment.

A recent article in a German magazine pointed out that five to ten percent of all people in the Western World suffer depression. In Germany alone, 12,000 people commit suicide each year because of depression, and 250,000 people are hospitalized because of depression-related suicide attempts (Online Focus, February 15, 2004).

Clinical depression may well be, amongst other things, the end result of a development beginning with feelings of temporary frustration and self-pity. Rather than fighting and overcoming those feelings, affected people are often told by medical “experts” to concentrate on their own selves and to bolster and inflate their ego—their inner self—thus developing a better “self-esteem.” At the same time, they are told to place the blame for their condition on others, including parents, friends, relatives, or society as a whole. THAT, however, is the surest way NOT to overcome depression!

The feeling of self-pity, the “woe-is-me syndrome,” may even lead to suicide if not overcome in time. Judas committed suicide when he realized what he had done. Rather than truly repent in a godly way and rather than seek help from GOD to go on, he succumbed to his own grief and took his own life (see Matthew 27:3–5).

Paul, like Judas, had a lot to be sorry about. As Saul, he zealously persecuted the Church and caused true Christians to be killed. But, unlike Judas, he repented in a godly way. He never forgot what he had done nor did he blame others for his deeds. Rather, he looked to God for mercy and forgiveness and began to live a new life (compare Acts 26:9–18).

We ALL have sinned (see Ecclesiastes 7:20; Romans 3:23). We ALL have done things in our lives that we are not proud of. We ALL could find fault in others, blaming them for what we have become, but such conduct is neither productive nor healthy. We are what we are, but we ALL must change, and that change must be continuous in order to become better persons. To do that, we must look to God for help and we must develop a love for others, the same kind of love God has for humanity.

Christ said that it is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35). When we focus on others and how we can help them, we are less concerned about and occupied with ourselves—what WE are and what WE can get from others. It is in giving to others that we are “more blessed” and happier persons. Christ tells us that it is more rewarding, more profitable, more important, more productive and healthier to try to make others happy than it is to try to make ourselves happy. It may seem to be a contradiction, but if we concentrate on others and how we can help them, we WILL become happier persons ourselves. This is the godly way of overcoming depression. It includes forgiving others of what they might have done to us, recognizing that we have done wrong things to others as well (compare Ephesians 4:32 and Colossians 3:13). It includes an understanding that true love “covers all sins” (Proverbs 10:12).

God does not become depressed. He is a very happy Personage because HE IS LOVE (1 John 4:16). And love—true godly love—is outflowing. It shares and it is concerned about the welfare and benefit of others, seeking to make others happy. We need to leave the past behind us (compare Philippians 3:13) and begin a new life of hope and trust in God, realizing that God knows what He is doing.

Depressed or frustrated persons who practice these principles as a way of life will soon find that feelings of depression and frustration will leave him or her and they will see that there is hope for the future (Jeremiah 31:17). They will come to realize that we can, and must, love others as ourselves (Matthew 19:19). They will learn that having an interest for others can become a new way of life, including praying for enemies (Matthew 5:44), with the understanding that Christ died for all of mankind while WE were still His enemies (Romans 4:25; 5:1; Colossians 1:21). And, finally, they will experience true happiness and joy, putting feelings of frustration and hopelessness in the past.

Depression originates from Satan. We are told to resist Satan, and he—with his destructive feelings—will flee from us (James 4:7). We must submit to God and He will lift us up (James 4:7–10), which is to say that He will give us comfort, consolation, happiness and hope for the future. Christ showed us how to do it. When Satan tempted Him to sin, to give up the purpose for His First Coming, Christ told him: “Away with you, Satan!” (Matthew 4:10). As a consequence, Satan had to leave. God’s angels then came to serve Christ (Matthew 4:11). Later, in the garden of Gethsemane, Christ prayed to God the Father for spiritual help and an angel came to strengthen Him (Luke 22:41–44). All the time, Christ had His great purpose in mind—that He had come to give His life for OTHERS so that OTHERS could live (compare John 10:10; 17:4; Matthew 16:21–23). God the Father and Jesus Christ loved us so much that They were willing to bring this supreme sacrifice for YOU and for me (John 3:16–17; Galatians 2:20; Ephesians 5:2). Christ never allowed Satan’s feelings of frustration, hopelessness and depression to find a place in His mind. Satan offered Him the kingdoms of this world, and he tried to bring Christ to the point where He would feel more important than was fitting (Compare Matthew 4:5–9). In effect, Satan was saying to Christ, “Prove to me that YOU are the Son of God! You don’t have to go through all these trials set before you. All you need to do is to worship me and all will be yours! Take the easy way out!”

But Christ rejected all of those feelings and temptations, which could have led to depression and frustration. Christ always upheld and maintained His love for God and man, thereby resisting the devil. He did not blame others for His situation, thus justifying “the easy way out.” He came to die for us because of His great love for us. He came to share His love with us so that we could overcome depression and become happier persons, ultimately entering into the very Kingdom of God, a kingdom of unspeakable happiness and joy (Matthew 25:21; Psalm 16:11). And so, the devil had to depart from Him. We must act the same.

This, however, is not the advice we would receive from most psychologists who claim that they can heal us from depression and frustration. God wants those who have the ability to “heal” physically and, more importantly, spiritually, to use that ability. But it must be used in the right way and it must be based on God’s premises and laws.

Ministers’ Part in the Healing Process

We read in Ezekiel 34:4 that ministers who were supposed to “heal” God’s sick flock, refused to do so: “The weak you have not strengthened, nor have you healed those who were sick, nor bound up the broken, nor brought back what was driven away, nor sought what was lost; but with force and cruelty you have ruled them.”  Since His ministers failed to do so, God will do it Himself when He returns in the person of Jesus Christ: “‘I will feed My flock, and I will make them lie down,’ says the Lord GOD. ‘I will seek what was lost and bring back what was driven away, bind up the broken and strengthen what was sick; but I will destroy the fat and the strong, and feed them in judgment’” (Ezekiel 34:15–16).

We note, too, that Zechariah 11:16 prophesies that there will arise a very influential and powerful shepherd in the land “who will not care for those who are cut off, nor seek the young, nor heal those that are broken, nor feed those that still stand.”

God is displeased that His shepherds haven’t healed His flock. God WANTS the true shepherds to spiritually heal the sick and to bind up the broken. But since they haven’t, God will do it Himself, and only very few of the shepherds will be found worthy by actually doing the job they were given to do.

Something similar can be said, to an extent, when we look at the examples of Christ’s physical healing. It is correct, of course, that we always, when we are physically sick, must place our faith in God for our healing—but this does not mean that it is wrong to get help from physicians, and that seeking such help constitutes, by necessity, lack of faith in God’s power to heal. This is true in the spiritual realm as well. When we are in need of spiritual healing, we must understand that only God can provide such healing, but He does do so, many times, through His trusted and faithful ministers (James 5:14). We are not to place our faith in God’s faithful ministry, however, but we must place our faith in God. Still, God has established certain procedures, as we will see, that need to be applied and that involve His ministry, when it comes to physical, as well as spiritual healing. For instance, in order to receive the Holy Spirit, one must be baptized by one of God’s ministers. Our faith is not to be placed in the baptizing minister, but in God who gives us His Holy Spirit, after repentance, belief, baptism, and the laying on of hands (see our free booklet, “Baptism—a Requirement for Salvation?”).

The Sick Do Need Physicians

Contrary to what some people believe, Christ did not teach that sick people don’t need physicians.  In applying the physical concept of sickness and recovery to the spiritual realm, Christ stated in Matthew 9:12: “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.”

Paul later referred to Luke, the author of the third gospel record, as “the beloved physician” (Colossians 4:14). This means that Luke was known as a practicing physician at the time Paul wrote this. It was not believed that Luke was acting against the law of God when he did so. If Luke had stopped practicing medicine many years before Paul’s writing, he could not have been referred to as the “beloved physician.” Further, since Paul was addressing the Church in Colossae, it may well be that Luke was providing medical services to Church brethren as well, and that they, too, knew him as their “beloved physician.”

The Greek word for “physician” is “iatros” and has the same meaning as the Hebrew word, “rapha,” that is, “a healer.”  The Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words by W.F. Vine states that the word “iatros” is “akin to iaomai, to heal.” The Greek word “iaomai” is used many times in describing the healing of people through Christ (compare, Matthew 8:8, 13; Luke 5:17; 8:47). It also describes spiritual healing (compare John 12:40).

Does 2 Kings 1 Condemn Physicians?

Some who claim that consulting doctors or physicians is always wrong and constitutes a lack of faith in God have used 2 Kings 1 to try to prove their point. A careful analysis of that Scripture, however, shows that such a conclusion is not Biblically justified.

We read in 2 Kings 1:2–6: “Now Ahaziah fell through the lattice of his upper room in Samaria, and was injured; so he sent messengers and said to them, ‘Go, inquire of Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron, whether I shall recover from this injury.’ But the angel of the LORD said to Elijah the Tishbite, ‘Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say to them, “Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to inquire of Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron?”’ Now therefore, thus says the LORD: ‘You shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone up, but you shall surely die.’ So Elijah departed. And when the messengers returned to him, he said to them, ‘Why have you come back?’ So they said to him, ‘A man came to meet us, and said to us, Go, return to the king who sent you, and say to him, Thus says the LORD: Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are sending to inquire of Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron? Therefore you shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone up, but you shall surely die.’”

In verse 16, God gives the king a third warning, through Elijah directly, but we don’t find that the king repented. We read in verse 17: “So Ahaziah died according to the word of the LORD which Elijah had spoken.”

Baal-Zebub, the “god of Ekron”—literally, the “Lord of Flies”—is later identified in the Bible as Satan the devil, the ruler of the demons (compare Matthew 12:24, spelled there as “Beelzebub.”). King Ahaziah died of his sickness because he asked Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron, who was none other than Satan the devil, whether he would recover from his sickness. The context here is not necessarily healing at all but the foretelling of the future and the consulting of Satan and his demons (compare a similar passage describing the consultation of a witch in 1 Samuel 28:7). If one were to extend this Scripture to healing “methods,” one could list the superstitious belief in “holy water” from alleged “miraculous” places, or the trust in “witch doctors” that might be demonically influenced, or other alleged “healers” whose fraudulent public performances in so-called tent meetings and crusades, along with their demonic help, and this should be obvious to any objective Christian observer with a sound mind.

Does 2 Chronicles 16 Condemn Physicians?

Some have used the following Scripture as proof that it is wrong to consult doctors. We read in 2 Chronicles 16:12–13: “And in the thirty-ninth year of his reign, Asa became diseased in his feet, and his malady was severe; yet in his disease he did not seek the LORD, but the physicians. So Asa rested with his fathers; he died in the forty-first year of his reign.”

The problem was that Asa did NOT seek God. He placed his confidence and trust in physicians, leaving God out of the picture. We read that Asa, in his sickness, did NOT seek the Lord, but instead, he sought physicians—“those who heal.” Leaving God out of the picture is a terrible mistake to make! Although this Scripture does not say that it is wrong to consult physicians, the Scripture does say that it is wrong to place our trust in physicians instead of God. Physicians can only “heal,” that is, assist in the healing process, within the parameters of God’s health laws and God’s will. As mentioned, no medicine and no physician can help us if it is not God’s will that we should be healed. We are told that in everything we do, we must acknowledge God first (Philippians 4:6).

On the other hand, the passage in 2 Chronicles 16 does not say that Asa died BECAUSE he went to doctors. Clearly, he died because he did NOT SEEK GOD in his sickness. The problem was that he had apparently forgotten God’s role in his life. God was no longer first in his life. Christ said that we cannot follow Him unless we consider Him as most important in our lives. We cannot serve both God and mammon—material wealth. This is not to say, of course, that we cannot use money, as long as it does not become more important to us than God. The same is true for using medicines and physicians. It is not a sin to use them, as long as we don’t forget that whatever we do physically, it MUST be subject to God’s will.

We are not to do ANYTHING in our lives by leaving God out of the picture!(1 Thessalonians 5:18). If we think that doctors or medicines can “heal” or help us without asking God first that His will and His healing be done in our lives, then we have missed the point and misplaced our trust.

NO ONE or NO THING can help us if it is AGAINST God’s will. And if we come to realize that it is against God’s will to heal us immediately, we must analyze the situation and examine our lives to see why it is against God’s will—whether the sickness is perhaps a direct punishment from God for spiritual sin—and we must make amends in our lives in order to reap the benefit of God’s healing.

Sickness Caused by God’s Punishment

For a very powerful example of God’s direct intervention and infliction of a deadly sickness as punishment of sin, please note 2 Chronicles 21:12–20: “And a letter came to him [King Jehoram of Judah] from Elijah the prophet, saying, Thus says the LORD God of your father David: Because you have not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat your father, or in the ways of Asa king of Judah, but have walked in the way of the kings of Israel, and have made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to play the harlot like the harlotry of the house of Ahab, and also have killed your brothers, those of your father’s household, who were better than yourself, behold, the LORD will strike your people with a serious affliction—your children, your wives, and all your possessions; and you will become very sick with a disease of your intestines, until your intestines come out by reason of the sickness, day by day… After all this the LORD struck him in his intestines with an incurable disease. Then it happened in the course of time, after the end of two years, that his intestines came out because of his sickness; so he died in severe pain. And his people made no burning for him, like the burning for his fathers… He reigned in Jerusalem eight years and, to no one’s sorrow, departed.”

God pronounced the sickness and death of this evil king and He afflicted him, as punishment for his sins, with an INCURABLE DISEASE. God said that he would die of his sickness and that no human physician and no medicine could have changed the outcome. The only One who could have changed it would have been God, and God might have done that, IF the king had repented of his wicked deeds and had begun to humble himself before God. However, there is no indication at all that he was repentant.

On a larger scale, God proclaimed thousands of years ago that He would strike the modern houses of Israel and Judah with INCURABLE DISEASES for their individual and collective sins, unless they would repent. We are beginning to see those curses unfold in our modern nations—in front of our very eyes—and no vaccine or antibiotic or other medical intervention will be able to stop or heal those diseases. The reason is that God Himself is directly involved, and no human wisdom, knowledge or science can do anything against God’s will.

Let us notice God’s stirring prophecy for us today in Deuteronomy 28:27–28, 35: “The LORD will strike you with the boils of Egypt, with tumors, with the scab, and with the itch, from which you cannot be healed. The LORD will strike you with madness and blindness and confusion of heart… The LORD will strike you in the knees and on the legs with severe boils which cannot be healed, and from the sole of your foot to the top of your head.”

But, although national punishment, sicknesses and disease epidemics have been prophesied by God, this does not have to include YOU. The Bible tells us that God’s faithful people may be spared from the terrible time to come (compare Luke 21:34–36).

Sickness Caused By Demons

In the context of sickness and healing, we must recognize another spiritual element that can be a great influence on the cause for sickness and/or freedom from it, which is, unfortunately, completely ignored and overlooked in our Western civilized world. Without an understanding of this element and the necessity to look to God for answers, no human help can bring about lasting “healing.” We are addressing here the fact that Satan and his demons can cause sickness, and that those sicknesses can only be healed by the removal of the influence of the demonic spirit.

For instance, we read in Luke 13:10–13: “Now He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up. But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, ‘Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity.’ And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.” Here a demon caused the sickness of infirmity. Christ Himself reconfirmed that “Satan” had bound this woman for eighteen years (compare verse 16).

Apparently, in Paul’s case, as mentioned earlier, a demon or Satan himself caused his infirmity. It should be obvious that no physician and no medicine could help or “heal” such a person from a sickness caused by Satan. Only God could because God is more powerful than Satan and his demons.

God’s Supernatural Healings

The Bible tells us that God does heal! We are to rely on God for our healing, including especially supernatural healing, believing that God has the power and the might to supersede natural laws or accelerate their natural effects, if necessary, and to restrict and remove spiritual influences on our health and our bodies in general that stem from Satan and his demons.

However, when we turn to God for healing (which we should always do when we are sick), we are not to fold our hands in passive laziness without doing for ourselves what we are able to do.

Many Biblical examples show that when we are sick, God may expect, and even require us to do something to help ourselves get better. There is a very interesting and telling example in 2 Kings 5. We are told that Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a leper. He was advised that Elisha, prophet of Israel, might be able to heal him. Naaman traveled to Israel to meet with Elisha, but Elisha’s response to Naaman’s plea for healing was not quite what the commander had expected.

We read in 2 Kings 5:10–14: “And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, ‘Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored to you, and you shall be clean.’ But Naaman became furious, and went away and said, ‘Indeed, I said to myself, He will surely come out to me, and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, and wave his hand over the place, and heal the leprosy. Are not the Abanah and the Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?’ So he turned and went away in rage. And his servants came near and spoke to him, and said, ‘My father, if the prophet had told you to do something great, would you not have done it? How much more then, when he says to you, Wash, and be clean?’  So he went down and dipped seven times in the Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God; and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.”

God healed Naaman through Elisha the prophet but God also required Naaman to do something in the process.  Though Naaman did not want to do it at first, he finally followed God’s instruction and was completely healed. Sometimes, God requires us to do more than just passively wait. God most certainly could have healed Naaman without the requirement that he wash himself in the river, but He chose not to, just as He chose to inspire Isaiah to use a lump of figs when He healed Hezekiah.

Healing Through Christ and the Early Apostles

It is interesting to study how Jesus Christ and His disciples healed people. The Biblical record shows us that the “methods” used by them varied, according to individual circumstances. Many times sick people were already healed when Jesus just “spoke a word” to them (compare Mark 2:10–12; Mark 3:5; Luke 7:2–3, 7, 10).  Sometimes healings occurred when people simply touched the “hem of His [Christ’s] garment” (compare Mark 6:56).

We find that when Christ’s disciples anointed a sick person with oil, the sick person was healed (compare Mark 6:12–13). In order to receive the benefit of God’s healing today, God’s ministers are instructed by God to anoint sick persons with oil (James 5:14).

We read that God healed sick people when only the shadow of Peter fell upon them (Acts 5:12–16).

We are told that people were healed when they touched the aprons or handkerchiefs from Paul’s body (Acts 19:12). Based on this Biblical example, God’s ministers use a variation of that “method” today—they may anoint a cloth with oil, pray over it, and send it to the sick person who lives too far away from a minister to make a personal visit.

Many times, Christ touched sick persons and healed them by simply taking them by the hand (Mark 1:31, 41–42; Mark 5:40–42).

It is also recorded that He placed His hands on sick people when He healed them (Mark 6:5; Luke 4:40). God’s ministers today lay their hands on the sick person’s head, then they anoint him or her with oil, setting him or her apart to receive God’s power of healing. Christ said in Mark 16:18 that sick people will recover when His ministers lay their hands on the sick. When they send a cloth, they place their hands on the anointed cloth while praying to God for healing for the sick person.

On another occasion, Christ put His fingers in the ears of a person who could neither hear nor speak, and He spat and touched His tongue (Mark 7:32–35). We are also told that He spit on the eyes of a blind person and put His hands on him twice until the blind person could see clearly (Mark 8:22–25).

On still another occasion, He made clay from the ground with His saliva, anointed the eyes of a blind person with that clay, and commanded him to wash himself in the pool of Siloam. (This reminds us of God’s command, through Elisha, that Naaman wash himself in the river Jordan.) After the person had done that, he was able to see (John 9:6–7, 10–11, 14–15).

We see from the previous examples that Christ did not always heal in exactly the same way. Sometimes, the person to be healed had to do something.

Our Responsibility

We can’t expect to be healed by God if we refuse to do what we CAN and ought to do for ourselves. For instance, somebody who is a diabetic and who needs insulin would act foolishly if he or she were to say: “I believe that God will heal me, so from this moment on I will stop taking insulin.” Rather, a diabetic should continuously look to God to heal this terrible sickness in this life, asking God to prevent long-term complications from affecting the diabetic. In the meantime he or she must do what is necessary to stay alive. Any doctor will tell you that a person who takes insulin because of juvenile diabetes, for instance, is only trying to simulate what the pancreas of a healthy person does naturally. Taking insulin does not constitute healing in any way. It does not regenerate the pancreas nor induce it to start producing insulin again. But taking insulin is necessary to sustain the life of that person and it would be dangerous not to take it.

Although it is not inherently wrong to take medications, nor does it show a lack of faith, we must be very careful in the choice of the medications. A recent study published in the Kalifornische Staatszeitung on March 14, 1998, revealed that one-third of all medications offered in Germany do not help at all, and, in many cases, the medications produced harmful side-effects. The Journal of the American Medical Association pointed out in July, 2000, that “doctors are the third leading cause of death in the United States, causing 250,000 deaths every year… from correctly prescribed drugs.”

Whether or not to use doctors or medicines also raises conscientious issues and ethical issues. How far one wants to go in regard to doctors, medications, and operations must be an individual choice. If someone believes that he or she should not have an operation or an organ transplant, or that he or she should not take a particular medication, then that is his or her decision. Additionally, when we become aware that cells to be transplanted have been obtained from aborted fetuses, then the issue of ethics is raised.

In regard to what we can do to stay healthy or to correct poor health, God does expect us to make healthy choices in life, both in what we eat and how we live. Wrong diet is a leading cause for many sicknesses. It is true that God promised in Deuteronomy 7:15 and in Exodus 15:25–26 that none of the sicknesses that plagued the Egyptians would befall the ancient and modern Israelites if they would live righteously and obey Him. We saw earlier, however, that He will bring terrible and incurable diseases on the modern houses of Israel and Judah because they are not obeying Him. This is mainly talking about spiritual disobedience, but it does include, to an extent, violations of physical health laws that God put in place for our good.

Some might think that in Psalm 103:2–3, God gives us an unconditional promise to heal all of our sicknesses, whether or not we do something about it ourselves. God states in Psalm 103:3 that He “forgives all your iniquities” and “heals all your diseases.” But this is NOT an unconditional promise.

God expects us to do some things in our physical lives to avoid getting sick, and also if we do get sick, He expects us to do what we CAN to help with our recovery. God is NOT going to do for you what you CAN do for yourself! This is true both in physical and in spiritual matters. God gave us intelligence for a reason!  He expects us to act and think as intelligent beings. If we know that our car is low on gas, we had better fill up the gas tank, rather than driving off, praying for a miracle that God will somehow “increase” the gas and bring us to our desired destination. We are to do what we reasonably can do to help ourselves.

We cannot expect that God will heal us every time we are sick if we continue to violate laws that God created to regulate our health and well-being. Some have drawn an analogy with spiritual sin and the penalty for spiritual sin; i.e. death, and have pointed out that the violation of God’s physical health laws could be compared with “physical sin,” which brings about the “physical penalty” of sickness. But this is strictly an analogy. Some have carried this analogy too far and have concluded that the Biblical use of the term “sin” would strictly apply and be limited to “physical” sin. Such conclusions are erroneous.

There are, however, certain “foods” that are not to be eaten because they are not made for human consumption. The most blatant example is pork, but it also includes other unclean animals, such as lobster, shellfish, and other seafood. A complete list of such “unclean” animals can be found in Leviticus 11:1–47 and Deuteronomy 14:3–21.

Some claim that these were ritual laws, and that they are no longer in effect today. Others state that these laws were only given to the Israelites to distinguish them from other nations but that they are not health laws that regulate what is good and what is bad for human health. All of these are false statements and are in violation of Scripture. Although the consumption of unclean meat is a physical matter and could be termed as “physical sin” that will eventually bring about the physical penalties of sickness, it also constitutes “spiritual” sin—or “sin” in Biblical terminology—as it violates God’s clear command prohibiting such consumption. For more information on the validity of these health laws, please read our free booklet, “And Lawlessness Will Abound…”

Many doctors know today that pork and other “foods” derived from unclean animals, such as lobster or clam, are not healthy. But instead of making this universally known, they wait until a person gets sick and then tell them to avoid eating pork or shellfish or such unclean food, sometimes labeling it simply as an allergy.

Addictive vices, such as smoking, excessive consumption of alcohol, or the use of illicit or recreational drugs, such as marijuana or hashish, are sure to bring on sickness. If a person who smokes develops cancer, that person cannot expect God to heal him or her if he or she is determined to continue smoking. The same can be said about one who consumes an excessive amount of alcohol and who has been diagnosed with liver or kidney problems.  Why should we expect God to honor our request for physical healing if we continue to abuse our bodies?

Some doctors or “health experts” have gone to the other extreme and prohibit foods that the Bible clearly reveals as being fit for human consumption. Some teach that we should not eat any meat, including fish or eggs, that we shouldn’t eat salt, or that we shouldn’t eat dairy products, such as milk, cheese or butter. They recommend that we strictly use margarine instead of butter, while others claim that the consumption of margarine is cancer-causing. Then there are some who prohibit the consumption of any alcohol, including the moderate use of beer or wine. Who can you believe?

God made sure to include principles of healthful living in the Bible. We can realize from reading His instructions that a little wine, a little salt, as well as clean meats, are appropriate for human consumption. The Bible also teaches that the moderate consumption of honey is healthy. The Kalifornische Staatszeitung wrote on April 23, 1998, that honey actually destroys and kills bacteria, and that it can help people with indigestion and diarrhea.

Some doctors may question these Biblical instructions, so we must be very careful in accepting research results from doctors. We should always try to determine their underlying philosophy or the nature of the companies for whom they work. One can hardly expect that a doctor working for the “Sugar Company” will publish findings stating that it may be harmful to eat a lot of sugar. There are other doctors who teach that we should eat muesli, rather than eggs or meat for breakfast. Surely, the consumption of muesli is healthy, but when we find out that some of those doctors believe in the theory of evolution and base their ideas of what constitutes appropriate and healthy food on the concept that apes and monkeys did not originally eat meat (which assumption is incorrect), and that humans, who allegedly evolved from apes, should eat no meat either, we can clearly see the erroneous basis for their conclusions.

The mere fact, then, that the Bible does not prohibit the use of doctors or medicines, per se, does not mean that we can use any and all medications or that we should go to just any doctor that we can find, regardless of his or her competency or philosophical background. One is always well-advised to check out the physicians and the medications very carefully, and in a major case, to obtain more than one medical opinion.

Responsibility of Parents

If, as a parent, your individual conviction prohibits you from consulting doctors or taking medications, then you are not to violate your conviction (compare Romans 14:23). But it is always good to evaluate your conviction based on the Bible, to make sure that it is not the product of human reasoning or pre-conceived notions. In addition, the law in most countries prescribes that, as a parent, you are to seek medical help for your sick child. If you fail to do so, the government might take your child away from you, or, if the child should die, you may face charges of involuntary manslaughter, or worse.

Additionally, faith is necessary in order to be healed. But what if your child does not have the required faith? God does not transfer your faith to that of the child. The Bible clearly states that God does not apply the righteousness of the parents to the children (Ezekiel 14:19–20). Romans 14:22 asks, “Do you have faith? Have it to yourself before God!”

This is not to say that parents are not to teach their children the necessity of having faith in God when they are sick. They are, in fact, supposed to encourage them to ask God for healing by asking the elders of the church to anoint them with oil and to pray over them. We are only addressing here those parents who, because of conscientious reasons, would refuse to consult and work with doctors and get medical help. Even though parents are to teach their children to place their faith in GOD for healing, they should not withhold medical help from them, if it is due (compare Proverbs 3:27).

Spiritual Health

God has revealed additional principles to us in the Bible that we need to follow if we want to live healthy and vigorous lives. These principles show the relationship between a healthy spiritual outlook and physical health, and vice-versa.

A famous German athlete and coach once said, “A sound spirit lives in a sound body.” This statement is not necessarily true at all, and, if used and applied the wrong way, can and does bring about much harm and misery. It is true, however, that an unsound or a sick spirit can make a body sick. We all know that stress can make us physically sick. Many doctors feel that certain allergies or skin problems are the result of stress, and that many sicknesses are psychosomatic. Tests have shown that the stomach of an angry person turns red and begins to shrink. It is therefore very important, even for our physical well-being, that we become spiritually healthy and see to it that we remain that way. Spiritual frustration and depression can and does affect our physical well-being. It may also reduce the effectiveness of our immune system. Likewise, the effects of a guilty conscience for unrepented sins can definitely affect our physical health.

Obey God’s Word

We read in Proverbs 3:7–8: “Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and depart from evil. It will be health to your flesh, And strength to your bones.”

Proverbs 4:20–22 adds: “My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh.”

Use and Misuse of the Tongue

The Bible teaches us that we can even afflict others with sickness if we are not careful, through the unrestrained use of our tongue. Conversely, we can help others, even contributing to their “healing” process by using kind and comforting words. Proverbs 12:18 points out: “There is one who speaks like the piercings of a sword, But the tongue of the wise promotes health.”

Proverbs 15:4 adds: “A wholesome tongue (literally, a healing tongue) is a tree of life, But perverseness in it breaks the spirit.” A healing tongue can give encouragement and will actually help a person to feel better. On the other hand, a perverse tongue can make a person sick—psychologically and physically—since the psyche does have an effect on the body. When we end up in an angry shouting match with others, we might later feel physically sick as a result.

Proverbs 16:24 emphasizes the positive effect our tongue might have on others and on ourselves: “Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, Sweetness to the soul and health to the bones.”  Again, God tells us very clearly here that pleasant words can bring health or healing to a sick person.

From these scriptures, we can glean the following principles:

(1) Avoid using piercing words that may inflict wounds on others.

(2) Use comforting words that may help others to heal.

(3) Avoid those who speak perverse words, as they can make us physically sick.

Depression

We have already discussed the terrible sickness of depression and frustration. One possible cause of depression is worry—worry about the future, worry about the present, worry about the past. Such worry is unwise and can make us physically ill. Proverbs 12:25 warns: “Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression, But a good word makes it glad.” So we must be careful not to worry needlessly about things we can’t change. Most of our worries never even come to pass. There are actually some people who can’t be “happy” unless they can worry about something. This negative approach to life is unhealthy and in violation of Christ’s clear commands in Matthew 6:25–34.

The effect of a “heavy” or “broken” or “depressed” spirit on the body is also emphasized in Proverbs 17:22: “A merry heart does good like medicine [margin, “makes medicine even better”], But a broken spirit dries the bones.” Proverbs 18:14 elaborates: “The spirit of a man will sustain him in sickness, But who can bear a broken spirit?” This shows that a strong spirit can contribute to the healing process of a sick person, whereas a broken or depressed spirit might delay and even prevent healing.

Envy

God tells us through His Word that certain ungodly feelings and desires can make us physically sick. For instance, Proverbs 14:30 points out: “A sound heart is life to the body, But envy is rottenness to the bones.” Envy can make one sick. So we need to fight envy, which is against God’s law anyway, and replace it with the godly character trait of wanting and desiring the best for others.

So we see that God expects of us to do whatever we can do, and to avoid stressful situations or people that we can avoid, so that we don’t get sick, or so that our recovery can progress more smoothly.

God Does Heal Today!

Yes, God still heals today!  He is our Healer! We have shown that this does not mean that God will do everything for us while we sit back and do nothing in the process. We also saw that sickness is not necessarily the result of individual sin and that God may decide not to heal a sick person right away for a very good reason. That reason is not necessarily lack of faith on the part of the sick person.

When somebody is sick, it is NOT our job to condemn that person by saying: “He or she is sick BECAUSE they must have sinned; or, he or she is NOT being healed right now BECAUSE he or she is not repentant of his or her sin; or, he or she does not have enough faith to be healed.” Only GOD has the right to condemn. We are NOT the judge of others, including our spiritual brothers and sisters.

The Bible gives us very stern warnings in this regard. We read in James 4:11–12: “Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you to judge another?”

Romans 14:4 adds: “Who are you to judge another’s [that is, God’s] servant? To his own master [God] he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be able to stand, for God is able to make him stand.”

The individual reader must personally answer these questions as they apply to HIM- or HERSELF: “Am I sick because I have sinned, or because I have not repented, or because I don’t have enough faith?” We are NOT to look at our neighbor and think that we know what their problem is, thus judging them. Remember, not every sickness is the result of sin (though a particular sickness can be the consequence of sin), and God is NOT healing every sickness immediately in this life, even if one had “perfect” faith that He would do so.

Individual Sin May Be the Cause for Sickness

It is with this background that we will review some additional Biblical passages that describe sickness as being the result of individual sin of the sick person.

Sickness of Mdiriam

We read in Numbers 12:1–2, 9–15 that Miriam and Aaron murmured against Moses by questioning his righteousness and condemning his conduct. Miriam was apparently the influential spokesperson, based on what we can learn from God’s reaction. God became angry with Miriam and caused her to become a leper. The record is clear that Miriam became sick with leprosy because of her sin. After Moses and Aaron pleaded for Miriam, and, undoubtedly because Miriam was repentant, God healed this sickness after a short while by removing the leprosy.

Sickness of David

In Psalm 31:9–10, David is very aware of his own sins that had caused him to become sick. We read: “Have mercy on me, O LORD, for I am in trouble; My eye wastes away with grief, Yes, my soul and my body! For my life is spent with grief, And my years with sighing; My strength fails because of my iniquity, And my bones waste away.”

David realized that he had become sick because of iniquity. It is not revealed exactly what that iniquity was, but it is clear from David’s words that he fell ill because of sins he had committed.

David gives us more details about the cause and the removal of his sickness in Psalm 32:1–5: “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity, And in whose spirit there is no deceit. When I kept silent, my bones grew old Through my groaning all the day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; My vitality was turned into the drought of summer. Selah. I acknowledged my sin to You. And my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, ‘I will confess my transgression to the LORD.’ And you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah.”

As long as David tried to hide his sin, as long as he did not want to repent of it, he remained sick. We understand, of course, that David is speaking here of spiritual sin, not necessarily of physical violations of certain health laws. But once he repented of his sin or iniquity, God forgave them, and the implication here is that David’s sickness was removed as well since the spiritual cause for his physical sickness was removed!

Further details are revealed by David in Psalm 38:3–18: “There is no soundness in my flesh Because of Your anger, Nor any health in my bones Because of my sin. For my iniquities have gone over my head; Like a heavy burden they are too heavy for me. My wounds are foul and festering Because of my foolishness. I am troubled, I am bowed down greatly; I go mourning all the day long. For my loins are full of inflammation, And there is no soundness in my flesh. I am feeble and severely broken; I groan because of the turmoil of my heart… My loved ones and my friends stand aloof from my plague… For in You, O LORD, I hope; You will hear, O Lord my God… For I will declare my iniquity; I will be in anguish over my sin.”

Again, David became sick with a plague because of personal iniquity. In this psalm, he confesses his iniquity, asking God to forgive him. We don’t know for sure what this plague was, and this psalm does not specifically say that he was healed from it, but again, the implication is there, considering why David became sick to begin with.

In Psalm 39:8–11, David, who became sick because of individual sin, adds some additional light on the reason why God inflicted him with sickness: “Deliver me from all my transgressions; Do not make me the reproach of the foolish. I was mute, I did not open my mouth, Because it was You who did it. Remove Your plague from me; I am consumed by the blow of Your hand. When with rebukes You correct man for iniquity, You make his beauty melt away like a moth; Surely every man is vapor. Selah.”

This psalm contains another example of sickness because of iniquity. But David is telling us, too, that God may bring sickness upon a sinning person to “correct” him for his iniquity. In doing so, God is trying to “wake up” the person so that he can see his sin and repent of it so that he can be healed from his sickness.

Sickness Used by God as Correction

We find a clear connection between sickness brought about as correction and punishment for individual sin, and forgiveness of sin and healing, in Psalm 107:17–21: “Fools, because of their transgression, And because of their iniquities, were afflicted. Their soul abhorred all manner of food, And they drew near to the gates of death. Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, And He saved them out of their distresses. He sent His word and healed them, And delivered them from their destructions. Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men!”

In this passage, a clear connection is being made between sickness as the result of individual sin, and healing as the result of repentance and forgiveness of sin. We already referred to a remarkable passage in Isaiah 33:24, which reads: “And the inhabitant will not say, ‘I am sick’; The people who dwell in it will be forgiven their iniquity.”

This is describing what will happen in the Millennium. It applies to individual and collective guilt. Note that the word “their” is in italics, which means that it is not found in the original Hebrew. The inspired text only says that iniquity will be forgiven. This applies, then, to the individual and/or collective guilt of sin. All of the collective consequences of the sin of Adam and Eve will be removed as much as the individual consequences of personal sin. Notice, too, that the word for “sick” here is the same word that is translated as “weak” in other places. But the intended meaning is clearly one of “sickness,” not just of “weariness.”

Christ Forgave Sins and Healed

As we saw, sickness may be the consequence of sin in general, and it may be, in certain circumstances, the consequence of individual personal sins of the sick person. For another example, let us notice Matthew 9:1–8: “So He got into a boat, crossed over, and came to His own city. Then behold, they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, ‘Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you.’ And at once some of the scribes said within themselves, ‘This Man blasphemes!’ But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, ‘Why do you think evil in your hearts? For which is easier, to say, Your sins are forgiven you, or to say, Arise and walk? But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins’—then He said to the paralytic, ‘Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.’ And he arose and departed to his house. Now when the multitude saw it, they marveled and glorified God, who had given such power to men.”

We need to note that Christ first forgave the paralytic his sins. At that moment, he was not physically healed yet from his sickness. It appears, however, that his sickness was in some way caused by, or related to, individual sins that he had committed earlier in his life. In order to prove that Christ had power to forgive sins, He healed the man and told him to get up. This is not to say, of course, that sins of sick people are only forgiven when they are also physically healed, and that the absence of healing is proof that their sins are not forgiven. First of all, not every sickness is the result of individual sin. Secondly, God may forgive sins, without immediately removing the physical penalty or consequence that a sin might have brought about. In this particular case, though, Christ did forgive the individual sin AND He removed the consequence or penalty of the sin—the sickness of the man.

Here Christ was forgiving individual spiritual sin. Some have argued that Christ was only forgiving some violations of physical health laws that had somehow brought about the injury and sickness of the person. This interpretation, which is based on a wrong understanding of the analogy of  “physical sin,” cannot be supported by Scripture. Christ spoke about sin being the transgression of the law (compare 1 John 3:4), God’s spiritual law (compare Romans 7:14). Christ was not merely speaking here about the forgiveness of physical violations of physical health laws, while ignoring forgiveness of spiritual sin.

Let us note another, even more powerful and clear example of the relationship between individual (spiritual) sin and the resulting penalty of sickness in John 5:1–9, 14: “After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had. Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, ‘Do you want to be made well?’ The sick man answered Him, ‘Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk.’ And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked. And that day was the Sabbath… Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, ‘See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.’”

The clear implication is that the man had become sick because of  individual sin, and when Christ healed him, He forgave him his sins at the same time. He later warned him, though, not to continue sinning, as otherwise, a worse kind of sickness might come upon him. (Note, too, that Christ told the adulteress in John 8:11 to “sin no more”—He clearly was not talking here about “physical” sin or violations of physical health laws.) Just as sickness CAN be the result of sin, so righteousness CAN be a protection against sickness and plagues (compare Ezekiel 14:12–14). Remember though, this is not always the case. Sickness, or the lack of it, must not be looked upon as a measuring stick to determine whether someone is righteous or not. We have seen that even righteous people became sick.

Christ’s Sacrifice Includes Physical Healing

We understand that Christ died for our sins and that we can have forgiveness of our sins by repenting, believing in God, and accepting the sacrifice of Christ as both necessary and sufficient payment for our sins. The sacrifice of Christ makes possible forgiveness of sins. It also restores a relationship between the Father and us, a relationship that has been alienated through our sins, essentially cutting us off from God. We understand that sin has penalties and consequences. When we sin—violating God’s law—we reap what we sow (Galatians 6:7). Sins of theft or adultery, for instance, would likely destroy the happiness of our relationship with a friend or our mate.

As we saw, spiritual sin may bring about physical sickness. God’s forgiveness of our sins may include removal of the penalty for our sins. Even though we might not have personally sinned and brought the sickness upon ourselves, others might have sinned. For instance, those who pollute our environment because of greed are guilty of sinning against God when they create unhealthy air that ultimately leads to people getting sick. Also, those who might have sinned against their body through pre- or extramarital sex, the consumption of excessive alcohol, drugs or smoking, might have produced children with birth defects.

Remember the example of Adam and Eve who were driven out of the Garden of Eden by God after they sinned. God then prevented mankind from eating from the tree of life and living forever. Physical mankind would stay physical and would ultimately die. With a physical body, physical weaknesses would be acquired and passed on to future generations so that, in time, sicknesses would develop “quite naturally” based on the fact that man, cut off from God, would continue to live in a world inspired by Satan—a world deprived of the knowledge of God’s health laws, including healthy food.

Ultimately, then, physical sickness was introduced into the world through the original sin of Adam and Eve. Christ’s sacrifice, which can be applied to obtain forgiveness of spiritual sin, can also be applied, then, to obtain freedom from the consequences of sin, two of which are physical and mental sickness.

The Bible teaches that the sacrifice of Jesus Christ clearly includes physical healing. To say that Christ’s sacrifice only deals with forgiveness of spiritual sin to bring about spiritual healing, overlooks and, in fact, negates the important aspect of Christ’s broken body. Christ shed His blood for the remission of our sins, but also He was beaten and tortured before He died. During the Passover evening, “Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, ‘Take, eat; this is My body’” (Matthew 26:26). In 1 Corinthians 11:24, the following is added: “… when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, ‘Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you.’” Just as the wine, which the disciples were to drink during the Passover service, represented Christ’s blood, “which is shed for many for the remission of sins” (Matthew 26:28), so the broken bread represented Christ’s body, which would be broken for us.

The fact that Christ’s body would be broken for us is of specific importance and meaning. We already touched upon the pivotal Scripture of Isaiah 53:3–5. Let us read the key statements, in context: “A Man of sorrows [margin, pains] and acquainted with grief [margin, sickness]… Surely, He has borne our griefs [margin, sicknesses], And carried our sorrows [margin, pains]… He was wounded [margin, pierced through] for our transgressions, He was bruised [margin, crushed] for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes [margin, blows that cut in] we are healed.”

This aspect of Christ’s sacrifice, that His body was brutally beaten and crushed, pierced through and viciously wounded, deals with our physical healing. This fact is confirmed in Matthew 8:16–17 where we read: “When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: ‘He Himself took our infirmities And bore our sicknesses.’”

We find a remarkable forerunner or type of Christ’s sacrifice in the Old Testament, in Numbers 21:6–9. Because of sin, God sent fiery serpents to bite and kill the Israelites. The Israelites acknowledged their sins and repented, asking Moses to pray to God for removal of the penalty. God instructed Moses to make a bronze fiery serpent and to set it on a pole, and “it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live” (verse 8).

We see in this account that the sickness of the Israelites was a consequence of their personal, individual sins. But upon repentance, they would be healed and would not die. This episode foreshadowed the crucifixion of Jesus Christ (compare John 3:14–15; 8:28). Today, when we look, in spirit, with deep and genuine repentance at Christ’s suffering and death on the cross, we can obtain forgiveness and healing. We don’t have to continue in sickness and fear of death, physically and, more importantly, spiritually.

The spiritual aspect of “healing” must not be overlooked. Christ suffered and died for us, so that we can have both physical and spiritual healing. In 1 Peter 2:21–25, the aspect of our spiritual healing is emphasized. We read: “For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: ‘Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in his mouth’; who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but now have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.”

There is clearly a connection between physical and spiritual healing. Colossians 1:21–22 tells us: “And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight.” Also, we read in Hebrews 10:10, that “we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”

What, then, is the connection between physical and spiritual healing? As we saw, the broken bread symbolizes our physical healing from sickness. At the same time, we must also be spiritually reconciled with God, having obtained spiritual healing from God (Acts 28:25–27). Further, we need to be reconciled with our fellow man. As Paul explains, if we devour each other, especially in the church, the “body of Christ” (compare Colossians 1:18), we cannot expect to receive physical healing (1 Corinthians 10:16–17; Galatians 5:15). This is the reason why James tells us, in James 5:16, to “confess” our “trespasses to one another.”

Christ’s sacrifice—His broken body and His shed blood—did more for us than just heal us physically and preserve our physical lives. In referring to the bronze serpent in the wilderness as a type, Christ explained the ultimate purpose of His sacrifice on the cross. John 3:14–15 tells us: “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”

Christ WANTS to give us eternal life. That is the ultimate goal! This means that if we are plagued with a sickness that is not being healed in this life, it may be necessary for us to suffer so that we can enter the kingdom of God. If this is the case, then we must accept this. Remember, Paul was not healed because God feared that he could become proud and haughty, and, in fact, may not make it into the kingdom.

Is Healing an Absolute Promise from God?

At this point, we need to address in detail whether God gives us an absolute, unconditional promise to heal us of EVERY sickness in this life if we only repent of our sins, believe in the sacrifice of Christ, and have faith in God’s healing. Some claim that such an unconditional promise is contained in Psalm 103:1–3, which we have briefly mentioned earlier. In verses 2 and 3, David says to his soul not to forget all of God’s benefits, “Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases.” This passage does not contain an absolute promise, neither for forgiveness of sin, nor for physical healing; instead, it clearly does include conditions.

God does NOT forgive our sins or iniquities unconditionally. God does require that we fulfill certain conditions, such as showing fruits worthy of repentance, having faith in the sacrifice of Christ, and forgiving those who have wronged us. One absolute requirement for healing today is faith, but faith is not the only condition.

Some say that if we only have enough faith in God to heal, then we have an unconditional promise for healing in each and every case. But even this is not correct. If it were so, why was the apostle Paul not healed? Why were righteous prophets, like Elisha, not healed? Let’s look closer at what the Bible tells us.

Meaning of Psalm 103

When reading Psalm 103:3, very carefully, we discover that God does not use the common word for “sickness” here. He uses a different Hebrew word that is translated as “diseases.” The Hebrew word is “tachaluim.” It is only used five times in the entire Old Testament. One use is here in Psalm 103:3.

Let us notice the other four occurrences:

(1) One passage is found in 2 Chronicles 21:18–19, where God directly and specifically brought a disease upon King Jehoram, because the king was a sinful, unrepentant man (compare verses 4–6, 11–15).

(2) Another passage is Deuteronomy 29:21–22. We read that God would bring “sicknesses” over Israel, because of their sins and their unwillingness to repent (compare verses 23–27). The word for “sicknesses” in the Hebrew is “tachaluim.” So, we see again that these diseases were brought directly by God because of unrepented sin.

(3) Another use of the word can be found in Jeremiah 14:18 (“…And if I enter the city, Then behold, those sick from famine!…”). The word “sick” in the phrase “sick from famine” is again a translation of the Hebrew word “tachaluim.” God brought this sickness upon the people because they wickedly sinned against Him (compare verses 19–20).

(4) Finally, the word “tachaluim” can be found in Jeremiah 16:4 (“They shall die gruesome deaths…”). The word for “gruesome” in the phrase, “gruesome deaths,” is a translation of the Hebrew word, “tachaluim.” The death, accompanied by sickness, occurred because of unrepented sins (compare verses 10–12).

With that background, let us return to Psalm 103. We note that David praised God in verse 2 for the BENEFITS that HE, David—David’s soul—obtained and would be obtaining from God. David did not say specifically when he would obtain God’s benefits. He told his soul, that is, himself, that he should give thanks to God for those benefits. But did David obtain healing from God of EVERY sickness that he has had in his life? The answer is NO!

Notice, for example, 1 Kings 1:1: “Now King David was old, advanced in years, and they put covers on him, but he could not get warm.” This lack of blood circulation leading to coldness was not healed! But again, we don’t read that David became sick with this lack of blood circulation because he had sinned. Rather, he could not get warm anymore because of hisold age.

We saw that the word in Psalm 103, translated “disease,” had to do with a disease brought directly by God upon the person because of his or her unrepented sin. There was a direct correlation. Not every sickness is the result of personal sin, but the ones that are, will be removed by God upon repentance, if the sickness was brought upon the person by God for the express purpose of leading him or her to genuine repentance.

It is interesting that the Ryrie Study Bible defines “diseases” here with “spiritual afflictions, parallel with iniquities.” As God forgives all our iniquities upon repentance, so He removes, upon repentance, all our diseases from us that He brought upon us because of iniquity, to lead us to repentance. David did repent when he realized that he had done wrong, and so God removed from him those sicknesses that He had brought upon David to lead him to repentance. In other words, if the sole purpose for the disease, brought by God upon a person because of sin, was to bring the person to genuine repentance, and if the person repents, then God will remove the disease, as the purpose for the disease has been accomplished.

This passage does not apply to each and every sickness. Further, this passage does not even tell us WHEN God removes those diseases from us. God MAY just wait until the time of our resurrection to free us from those diseases; otherwise, our “repentance” might not be lasting and we might forfeit our entrance into the kingdom.

Healing Requires Faith

God may very well heal in this life, and quickly. Although God may heal people with little or no faith in Him, He generally only does so, if we believe that He can and will heal us. But without faith, there is no reason to think that God will heal us.

Christ healed a blind man, saying to him: “according to your faith let it be to you” (Matthew 9:29). He healed the demon-possessed daughter of a Gentile woman when He saw the woman’s faith. He said to her: “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire!” (Matthew 15:28). He healed a blind man, telling him: “Your faith has made you well” (Luke 18:42).

Sarah was healed and received a child, “because she judged Him faithful who had promised” (Hebrews 11:11).

Again, this does not mean that if we only have enough faith, we have an absolute unconditional promise that God will heal us immediately. More than faith may be involved. God may decide that it is best for us not to be healed right away. We need to always submit to the will of God, saying, as Christ did in the garden of Gethsemane: “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will… O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done” (Matthew 26:39, 42). Christ did not doubt God’s power to intervene; likewise, we must never doubt God’s power to heal. Still, Christ was willing to submit to the Father’s will. Christ prayed to the Father, as it says in Mark 14:36: “Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will.”

Christ experienced what it was like to suffer in the flesh, so that He could become our merciful High Priest (Hebrews 2:17; 4:14–16; 5:6–8). All of us need to be compassionate and merciful toward others. In going through trials and suffering, including [a prolonged] sickness, we develop empathy for others who are also afflicted with sickness (compare 2 Corinthians 1:3–7). This may be, at times, one of the reasons why God may decide not to heal us right away.

Without faith, however, we have absolutely no guarantee that God will heal us, even though He otherwise might have done it. Notice the following revealing examples: We read that Christ “did not do many works” in Nazareth “because of their unbelief” (Matthew 13:58). We are even told in Mark 6:5–6 that He could not do mighty works there because of their unbelief.

If we do not have enough faith in God, then we are to pray and fast in order to GROW in faith. Christ said that given enough faith, “nothing will be impossible for you” (Matthew 17:20). At the same time, He explained to His disciples that they needed to pray and fast MORE in order to be given the kind of faith that was necessary to cast out a powerful demon (verse 21).

We Must Please God

Faith is necessary for healing, but faith alone is not enough. Our way of life has a great deal to do with whether God may choose to heal us or not. We read in 1 John 3:22: “And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.” (Compare, too, Matthew 21:22.)

If we please God, by keeping His commandments, then we CAN have confidence that God WILL heal us, in HIS time, and when it is BEST for us.

If we REALLY love God, then we will have developed such a close relationship with Him that we will understand and accept the fact that God may respond to our plea for healing with the words, “Not yet, My child.” God will make His Will known to us as He did to Christ in the garden, and to Paul, and we will accept it, knowing that God will never do anything that is bad for us. We will understand that “all things work together for good to those who love God” (Romans 8: 28). When Paul understood that God would not heal him from his sickness in this life, he said, “Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities… for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:9–10).

At the same time, we are not to give up. In Paul’s case, God revealed it very clearly to him, leaving no doubt that He would not heal him. But even Paul asked three times for healing before God made His will known to him. We must, therefore, in faith, continue to pray to God for healing when we are sick, never doubting that He can heal us and that He will do so (compare James 1:6–8), unless important reasons prevent Him from doing so. We must never have the frame of mind, “I will ask God for healing, but I’m not sure whether He will heal me, since He might not be able to, or want to.” Rather, we must be convinced that God WILL heal us, and we must ask Him in faith, while making sure that we do everything we can so that God is not prevented from healing us by our conduct (such as lack of faith, refusal to repent of sin, etc.).

This is the reason James says in chapter 5, verses 13–16: “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray… Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”

We are being told in James 5:16 that we are to “confess [our] trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that [we] may be healed.” The Greek word for “trespass,” paraptoma, is used in numerous additional passages, for instance in Galatians 6:1; Ephesians 2:1; 2:5; or 2 Corinthians 5:19. It is consistently and correctly translated in the New King James Bible as “trespasses” in those passages. We are told in Colossians 2:13 that God, upon our repentance, forgives us all of our “trespasses.” We are also told that if we forgive men their “trespasses,” our Father will forgive us our “trespasses” as well, but if we do not forgive men their “trespasses,” our Father will not forgive us our “trespasses,” either (Matthew 6:14–15; compare Matthew 18:35).

The “trespasses” which we need to confess to our brother or sister, in order to obtain his or her “forgiveness,” are those that we have committed against our brother or our sister. Mark 11:25–26 tells us: “And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.”

Unresolved problems between brethren might even prevent healing of physical sickness. James 5:16 tells us, “Confess your trespasses to one another [with the goal to “clear the air”], and pray for one another, THAT you may be healed.” After all, Christ told Peter to forgive his repenting brother “seventy times seven” (Matthew 18:22). In Peter’s question, the brother had sinned against Peter and had come to him to express to him his sorrow—in other words, to “confess” to Peter his trespass or sin against Peter.

We also read in Luke 17:3, “Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.” Notice, too, Matthew 5:23–24, “Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First, be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.”’

If we commit a sin or trespass against someone else, resulting in an offense and a problem within our relationship with that other person, we are to “confess” our sin or trespass to that person, asking him or her for forgiveness, with the goal of restoring our relationship. At the same time, we are NOT to “confess” or talk about our sin or trespass with others, unless a situation develops as described in Matthew 18:15–17. Notice, however, the very first step in the Matthew 18 process: “Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him ALONE. If he hears you, you have gained your brother.” At that moment, the process is supposed to end, and the sin or trespass against the brother is supposed to be forgiven, buried and gone. It is not to be “resurrected” by the parties, and it is most certainly not to be talked about to others.

At the same time, the Bible does not teach that we should “confess” or tell others (including a minister) sins that we might have committed against God. God can forgive and forget (Hebrews 8:12)—people, though, being human, have a long memory many times when it comes to the sins of others.

The Scripture in James 5:14–16 is a command for us, that if we are sick, we are to ask for God’s true ministers to anoint us with oil [a symbol of God’s Holy Spirit of power] and to pray over us. We have to pray with faith, and we have to repent of our sins, if our sickness is a result of sin. This shows that not every sickness is the result of sin, but sin CAN be the cause of it. Further, we have to repent of our trespasses towards others, and we have to forgive others the trespasses committed against us. Then, we are told, God will heal us if we are sick. He might do it immediately, or within a short while. But then again, He might not do it in this life. He will, however, do it without question at the time of our resurrection. We read that God will raise up the sick person. The word for “raise up” is the same Greek word used when God talks about the resurrection from the dead.

The connection is clear: IF we fulfill the conditions mentioned in James 5, we WILL be in the resurrection, having had our sins and trespasses forgiven and our sicknesses healed. If, on the other hand, we do NOT repent of our sins AND of our trespasses committed against our brothers and sisters, and if we do not forgive our brothers and sisters their trespasses, we will NOT be in the resurrection, nor will we receive physical healing from God.

In effect, God is saying: “I will raise you up, perhaps right now to honor your faith in Me, but for sure at the time of Christ’s return, IF you have faith in Me and IF you repent of your sins and IF you confess your trespasses to your brother and sister, against whom you have sinned, thereby bringing about reconciliation between the two of you.” We are not to confess sins against God to others, but if we have wronged another human being, we must go to that person and bring about reconciliation.

Does God Heal Outside His Church?

Some may wonder whether God has promised to heal only converted members of His church, and whether ministers of the Church of the Eternal God and its corporate affiliates, the Church of God, a Christian Fellowship in Canada, and the Global Church of God in the United Kingdom, will only anoint sick members of their organizations. The answer is “No” in both cases. The Bible is very clear that God heals sick people who try to obey God and who have faith that He will heal them. He tells us in Exodus 15:26, “If you diligently heed the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the LORD who heals you.”

We are also told how healing from sickness has been made possible. We are healed by the stripes of Jesus Christ who gave His life for us, and who was tortured and beaten so that we can obtain forgiveness of our sins and healing from our sicknesses and diseases (Psalm 103:1–3; Matthew 8:16–17; 1 Peter 2:21–25; Isaiah 53:5).

Generally, God tells us that when we are sick, we are to call for the elders of the Church of God—the body of Christ, a spiritual organism—to pray for us and to anoint us with oil (a symbol of the Holy Spirit) and to lay hands on us, so that we can be healed (James 5:14–15; Mark 16:18).

Many times, a ministerial visit may not be possible, as the sick person might live in a remote area. If this is the case, then elders are permitted to pray over a cloth, anointing it with a drop of oil as the symbol of the Holy Spirit and asking God to heal the sick person who will receive this cloth. This is based on numerous passages in the Bible, showing us that people were healed when they touched the garments of Christ (Mark 6:56) or the aprons or handkerchiefs from Paul’s body (Acts 19:12).

We understand, of course, that there is no magical importance attached to an anointed cloth. It cannot, and will not, heal anyone. Rather, it is through the stripes that Christ endured that we are healed.

When a person who is sick receives the anointed cloth, he is to place it on his head and pray to God (as the minister would have already done when anointing the cloth) that God would heal him or her from the sickness. Since our faith must be in God and not in any man or in the anointed cloth, the cloth should be destroyed immediately after it has been used.

As the Bible shows, the sick person does not have to be a baptized member of the Church of the Eternal God, one of its corporate affiliates, or the spiritual body of Christ (of which the Church of the Eternal God and its corporate affiliates are a part). It is necessary, however, that the sick person has faith in the sacrifice of Christ, believing that he or she will be healed by God because of what Christ did for us.

We find that Christ healed many people who were not converted. In fact, when Christ was here on earth, prior to His death and resurrection, the Bible does not reveal that ANYBODY—other than Christ and John the Baptist—had the Holy Spirit dwelling within them. After the New Testament Church began in 31 A.D., as Acts 2 reports, God continued to use the apostles and elders to heal people who were not members of the body of Christ, some of whom were even demon-possessed (Acts 5:12–16; 8:5–8; 28:7–9). One incident that is recorded shows that a person was healed without asking for healing, so that the power of God the Father and Jesus Christ would be magnified (compare Acts 3:1–10, 12–16). It appears, however, that in that particular case, the sick person did have faith that God, through Christ, would heal him (compare verse 16). Paul later healed a man who had been a cripple from his mother’s womb, after Paul had observed him “intently,” seeing that “he had faith to be healed” (Acts 14:9).

Many times, healing may be one of the means for God to lead a person to total surrender to Him—or it might be a witness for others to turn to God (compare Acts 9:32–35). In particular, children of parents in the church, as well as unconverted mates, may experience healing, sometimes in unusual ways, so that their faith in God the Father and Jesus Christ may be strengthened. (Compare 1 Corinthians 7:14. Note that both the children and the unconverted mates are “sanctified” or “holy,” that is, they have access to God and can respond to God’s call. Also compare 1 Peter 3:1–2.)

If a sick person asks one of our ministers for anointing or an anointed cloth, believing that God will heal them, they will receive what they request. God commanded His servants to preach the gospel of the Kingdom of God and to “heal the sick” (Matthew 10:8; Luke 9:2; 10:9).

If a sick person has the faith in God to be healed, they should take advantage of the tremendous benefit that God bestows on us to heal us from our sicknesses and diseases. Our sicknesses are important in God’s eyes. If we are suffering with a sickness, let us ask God for His intervention. After all, He is the God Who heals us!

Let God’s Will Be Done!

Whatever trials or sicknesses we have to deal with in our lives, let us ALWAYS be subject to God’s Will, giving Him the honor, praise and thanks for whatever He does for us. God created us, and He knows what is best for us. When Job was plagued with sickness, he thanked God for it, knowing that God would not have allowed it unless there was a purpose. Job did not understand that purpose for a long time, and neither might we be able to see God’s purpose clearly during a particular illness, but God knows, and that should ultimately be sufficient for us.

Once everything in God’s plan for all of mankind has been accomplished, sickness and death will be a thing of the past. Let us always have this hope of a better future in mind when we go through trials and sicknesses, because the time will come when EVERYTHING will be different.

Revelation 21:3–4 prophesies about that future time: “And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”

Europe in Prophecy – The Unfolding of End-Time Events

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Introduction

The Bible tells us to watch and be ready for the return of  Christ. But watch what? With so much going on in the world, how can we distinguish between important and unimportant news? Just where do we focus our attention?

We see a European power bloc developing. We hear of right-wing activities in Germany and Austria. We listen to the Catholic Church proclaim that it is the only true Church of Christ. Some speculate that these developments could lead to a European economic superstate with one single currency, one political and military system, and even one religion. But would this be a good thing? Would such a Europe be on good terms with the United States of America? Just what does it all mean?

As surprising as it may seem, what is developing in Europe has been foretold, and is happening exactly as prophesied in the pages of a very ancient book—­­the Holy Bible. God inspired the writings in His Book, and His prophecies are real. No man could have foreknown these things, nor could any man have had the power to direct such events to happen exactly as told. But Almighty God has done just that. And He has made it possible for us to know what He is doing in world affairs—past, present and future (Amos 3:7). Without viewing history through the pages of the Bible, we cannot correctly interpret current events. So let us see where God says these events are leading.

Daniel the Prophet

When the Babylonians conquered and destroyed the ancient city of Jerusalem, they took some of the Jews captive and brought them to Babylon. One of the Jewish prisoners was Daniel, who was at that time still a very young lad. You may be familiar with the story of how Daniel was thrown into the lions’ den and how God spared his life. Or you might have heard about his three friends, also Jewish captives, and how God spared their lives in the fiery furnace. But did you know that Daniel was also one of the greatest prophets ever? God revealed events to Daniel that are NOW coming to pass. Daniel himself did not understand everything God inspired him to write, as these things were written for us to understand today (Dan. 12:8-10).

In Daniel 2, Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, had wondered about what would happen after his reign. He wanted to know the future, so God sent him a peculiar dream to let him know what would happen. However, the king could not interpret the dream. So he turned to his sorcerers and astrologers. But in order to trust their interpretation, he did not tell them what he had dreamt, requiring instead that they tell him. Yet none of them could.

When Nebuchadnezzar learned that Daniel was able to interpret dreams, he sent for him to interpret this strange dream. God revealed the contents of the dream and its meaning to Daniel, and he was able to relay this to the king. Daniel first tells the details of the dream: “You, O king, were watching; and behold, a great image! This great image, whose splendor was excellent, stood before you; and its form was awesome! This image’s head was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. You watched while a stone was cut out without hands, which struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold, were crushed together, and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; the wind carried them away so that no trace of them was found. And the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth” (Dan. 2:31-35).

Imagine Nebuchadnezzar’s amazement! How could this Jewish slave know these things when none of his magicians could tell him? Verse 36: “This is the dream. Now we will tell the king the interpretation.” Daniel refers to “we,” yet he was alone. Daniel acknowledged that God was speaking through him. This was not Daniel’s own private interpretation.

He continues in verse 37, “You, O king, are a king of kings. For the God of heaven has given you a kingdom, power, strength and glory…you are this head of gold.” Nebuchandnezzar was pictured in this image as the king of the first world-ruling empire from that time forward, the Chaldean or Neo-Babylonian Empire. But this dream was not just about Nebuchadnezzar. It also pictured events that would take place after his reign. Daniel continued in verse 39, “But after you shall arise another kingdom, inferior to yours; [depicted in the statue as the chest and arms of silver] then another, a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth [the belly and thighs of bronze]. And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron…and [it will] crush all others [the legs of iron].” The ten toes [iron and clay] symbolized ten kings who would rule together at the very end before the return of Christ. When these ten kings come into power they will rule for only a short time. For God will send Jesus Christ to set up a kingdom that will crush all human governments, symbolized by the STONE dashing the feet of the image and crushing it (vv. 41-45).

The dream depicts ONLY FOUR successive world-ruling empires in history from the time of Daniel. The first, as we’ve seen, was the Neo-Babylonian Empire. What was the second one? Daniel 5 gives us the answer. The Babylonian King Belshazzar, a descendant of Nebuchadnezzar, gave a feast during which he desecrated the holy things taken from the temple in Jerusalem. Suddenly, fingers of a hand were seen writing the famous words “MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN” on the wall (vv. 24-25). No one could explain the meaning until Daniel, now an old man, was called. He told Belshazzar that God had decreed that his kingdom would be taken from him and given to the Medes and the Persians. That same night, Belshazzar was slain and Darius the Mede received the kingdom (v. 30). Thus, the arms of the statue of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream represented the kingdom of the Medes and the Persians.

What, then, is the identity of the third kingdom? In Daniel 8, God gave Daniel himself a vision. In it he saw a ram with two horns. The second horn came up later and was higher than the first horn. This ram was a conquering animal, which no other animal could withstand, until a male goat with one horn very swiftly entered the scene. It attacked the ram, cast him down to the ground and trampled him. After that, this goat became very great.

God sent the angel Gabriel to explain the meaning of the vision. Verse 20: “The ram which you saw, having the two horns, they are the kings of Media and Persia.” As we’ve seen, when Babylon was conquered by the Medo-Persian Empire, the conquering kingdom was ruled by Darius the Mede. But later, the Persian side of the kingdom became more powerful, which is why the second horn, which came later, was greater than the first one. In any case, it should be clear that the goat which trampled the ram symbolizes the third world-ruling empire. And just what empire did the goat represent? Daniel 8:21: “And the male goat is the kingdom of Greece. The large horn that is between its eyes is the first king.” In studying history, we can see that Greece, after its takeover by the Macedonians, did subdue and conquer the Medo-Persian Empire. That would make its most powerful king, Alexander the Great, the large horn in Daniel’s vision. Indeed, when Alexander was later in Judea, he would be shown this account in the book of Daniel and would himself acknowledge that this prophecy was about him.

The angel Gabriel went on to explain that after Alexander’s death, his empire would be divided among four powers. Verse 22: “Four kingdoms shall arise out of that nation, but not with its [same] power.” Again, history confirms that that is exactly what happened. When Alexander died, his empire ended up divided among four of his generals. It’s awesome to realize that this prophecy, given hundreds of years before these events, was fulfilled exactly as it had been foretold.

We have now identified the first three world-ruling empires from Daniel’s time—the Neo-Babylonian, the Medo-Persian and the Greco-Macedonian Empires. What is the fourth? In chapter 7, God had given Daniel another dream—this one involving four great beasts coming up from the sea. An angel explains that the beasts represent four kings or kingdoms. Daniel 7:4: “The first was like a lion, and had eagle’s wings. I watched till the wings were plucked off; and it was lifted up from the earth and made to stand on two feet like a man; and a man’s heart was given to it.” This clearly describes the Babylonian Empire and its most powerful king, Nebuchadnezzar. Because of his pride, Nebuchadnezzar was made insane for seven years, living like an animal, until God restored his sanity (Dan. 4). This restoration is symbolized here by the heart of man being given to the beast, and by the fact that it is now standing like a man, having lived previously like an animal.

Daniel then describes the second beast as a bear (7:5), which represented the second world-ruling empire, the Medo-Persian Empire. This would be followed by a third beast described by Daniel as a leopard in verse 6: “After this I looked, and there was another, like a leopard, which had on its back four wings of a bird. The beast also had four heads, and dominion was given to it.” The third empire, as we’ve seen, was the Greek Empire. The wings of the bird show how swiftly Alexander conquered the world, as also symbolized by the swiftness of the goat in the other vision. The four heads of this beast represent the four generals among whom the empire became divided after Alexander’s death. They were also symbolized as the goat with four horns.

So what about the fourth kingdom of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream in Daniel 2, symbolized by legs made of iron? In this vision of the four beasts in chapter 7, Daniel describes the fourth in verse 7: “After this, I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, exceedingly strong. It had huge iron teeth; it was devouring, breaking in pieces, and trampling the residue with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns.”

The meaning is explained in verse 23: “The fourth beast shall be a fourth kingdom on earth, which shall be different from all other kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, trample it and break it in pieces. The ten horns are ten kings who shall arise from this kingdom.” So the beast with iron teeth would be different from the previous kingdoms because ten kings or kingdoms would arise from it. Keep in mind now Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of the statue with its iron legs and its feet and ten toes of iron and clay.

What kingdom or empire replaced the Greek Empire and its four divisions? History tells us that it was the empire of Rome. The fourth beast that Daniel sees in this vision with its iron teeth symbolizes the fourth world-ruling empire—the Roman Empire—which is to last until the return of Christ. But how can that be? Is not the Roman Empire long gone—a relic of the past? We must remember that the Bible tells us that ten kings would come out of the fourth kingdom. In other words, the Roman Empire would fall, but it would survive through ten renewals or resurrections, all the way up until the return of Christ. Amazingly, the tenth and very last resurrection of the Roman Empire is in the process of forming in Europe right now! And this tenth resurrection will last until the coming of Christ. Yes, Christ’s return is imminent! This is why it is critical to watch and understand what is happening on the world scene.

End-Time Events Revealed to John

In the Book of Revelation, Jesus Christ revealed end-time events to the Apostle John. Like Daniel, John sees peculiar looking beasts that symbolize world-ruling empires. John describes what he saw in one of those visions in Revelation 13:1: “I saw a beast rising out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name. Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion.” The parallels with the four beasts that Daniel saw earlier are remarkable—the first beast in Daniel’s vision was like a lion, the second like a bear and the third like a leopard. Here John sees only one beast, but it has combined elements of all the beasts that Daniel saw—a lion, a bear, and a leopard. In addition, the beast John saw had seven heads. And if you count the heads of the four beasts Daniel saw, there are seven heads too—the head of the lion, the head of the bear, the four heads of the leopard, and of course the head of the fourth beast. Furthermore, the beast John saw had ten horns, and the fourth beast Daniel saw had ten horns as well.

The beast John saw represents the Roman Empire. It is seen as one composite beast, as it had swallowed up the previous three kingdoms. The Babylonian, Medo-Persian and Greek empires had already come and gone—although their territory and characteristics had been absorbed by Rome.

Rome Rises Again—and Again

Let’s follow the history of the Roman Beast. Revelation 13:3: “I saw one of its heads as if it had been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed.” The Roman Empire fell and the world believed it would never rise again (symbolized by the deadly wound). But God revealed through Daniel and through the Apostle John that there would actually be ten revivals of the Roman Empire, nine of which have already occurred.

After the destruction of Rome, three so-called “barbarian” powers, who were all followers of an unorthodox nominally Christian faction called Arianism, revived the Roman Empire. This happened under King Gaiseric of the Vandals, under King Odoacer of the Heruli, and under King Theodoric of the Ostrogoths. These are the first three horns of the fourth beast that Daniel saw—the first three resurrections of the Roman Empire.

The fourth resurrection then occurred under Justinian in A.D. 554. At that time, lands of the old West Roman Empire were taken back from the Arian “barbarians” by the Romans of the Eastern Empire under its emperor, Justinian. He also restored the rule of “orthodox” Roman Catholicism to the West. Known in history as the Imperial Restoration, this is understood by many to be the biblical “healing of the deadly wound” the Roman Empire had received from the barbarian powers.

The fifth resurrection occurred under Charlemagne (Charles the Great) in A.D. 800. The sixth occurred under Otto the Great in A.D. 962. The seventh occurred under Charles V of Hapsburg in 1530, the eighth under Napoleon Bonaparte ruling from 1804 until 1814, and yes, the ninth has also already occurred, under Mussolini and Hitler. Thus, what is happening right now in Europe is the tenth and final resurrection of that same Roman Empire. As we can see, putting the prophecies of the Bible together with history gives understanding to the past, the present and the future.

Let us look now at Revelation 17, where John is given another vision of a beast with ten horns. He writes, “The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority for one hour [for a very short time] with the beast. These are of one mind, and they will give their power and authority to the beast. These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings” (v. 12). These ten kings will try to conquer Jesus Christ when He returns, but will be defeated—as depicted by the stone in Daniel 2 shattering not only the toes, but the whole statue.

These prophecies, we can see, fit together like small pieces of a big puzzle, and, once put together, they form a big picture. It is exciting to understand what God reveals about world events through these prophecies! According to these visions of Daniel and John, the final resurrection of the Roman Empire would involve ten kings, all in power at the time of Christ’s return. Europe is being directed to fulfill these prophecies as nations attempt to unite, first on the basis of economics, but ultimately on the grounds of military interests and religious unity as well. There is already talk among European leaders about a federal constitution to govern the participating nations. History unfolds exactly as the Bible foretells.

Identity of the End-Time Beast

The word “beast” in biblical terminology can refer to a system of government and to the leader of that system, just as the words “kingdom” and “king” refer to an empire and also to the leader of that empire. Daniel and John both saw beasts in their visions, identified as world-ruling empires. But every empire has a leader. Can we identify the actual leader of the final resurrection of the Roman Empire?

Revelation 19:19 says that the Beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gather together to fight against the returning Jesus Christ. The Beast here refers to an individual who will lead the kings of the earth and their armies to fight Jesus Christ when He comes back. He is the final end-time leader of the revived Roman Empire.

God reveals more about this end-time leader in Daniel 11. This prophecy starts with the rule of Persia (the second empire) and covers the subsequent centuries and events all the way up to the return of Christ. The king of the North is the final leader of the revived Roman Empire and the king of the South is a mighty leader in the Arab region of the world. We may not yet know the emerging European leader who will become the king of the North, but the Bible describes his nature. Daniel 11:36 says, “Then the king shall do according to his own will; he shall exalt and magnify himself above every god, shall speak blasphemies against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the wrath has been accomplished; for what has been determined shall be done.” The “wrath” is a reference to the wrath of God spoken of in the book of Revelation. God will be angry with all nations because they have forsaken Him and are living so wickedly, just as in the time of Noah. This final leader of the Roman Empire, then, will exalt himself until God’s wrath strikes him down.

Continuing in Daniel 11:38, “He [the Beast] shall honor a god of fortresses; and a god which his fathers did not know he shall honor with gold and silver, with precious stones and pleasant things. Thus he shall act against the strongest fortresses with a foreign god, which he shall acknowledge, and advance its glory.” This conquering military leader will have no regard for the Almighty God of heaven. Verse 40: “At the time of the end the king of the South shall attack him; and the king of the North shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, horsemen, and many ships; and he shall enter the countries, overwhelm them, and pass through.” Remember the swift leopard in Daniel? The king of the North will essentially come against the king of the South in a blitzkrieg! Then it says, “He shall also enter the Glorious Land, and many countries shall be overthrown.” In World War II, Mussolini invaded the Middle East, but he never reached Jerusalem. The next and final leader of the Roman Empire will do just that! Verse 44: “But news from the east and the north shall trouble him [threats coming from countries northeast of Jerusalem, such as Russia, China, India and Japan]; therefore, he shall go out with great fury to destroy and annihilate many.”

This means war in the Middle East! A war that will spread to countries of the former Eastern bloc. A coming “United States of Europe,” under the leadership of the king of the North, will engage in a worldwide war with the Middle and Far East! Yes, another world war!

Then in verse 45: “And he shall plant the tents of his palace between the seas and the glorious holy mountain [Jerusalem]; yet he shall come to his end, and no one will help him.” Why will no one help him? What about the United States of America, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Great Britain? They don’t seem to be mentioned here in this war triggered by the united Europe. Are they neutral? No. By the time this prophecy is fulfilled, these nations will no longer be free to help.

The United States and Britain in Prophecy

Historical and archaeological records in the light of biblical evidence have clearly shown that Great Britain and the United States of America are descended from Ephraim and Manasseh, the sons of Joseph of the tribe of Israel. (The modern state of Israel is descended from Judah, also of the tribe of Israel.) It has also been learned that the modern German-speaking nations are the descendants of the biblical Assyrians.

With this background information, notice Hosea 5:13: “When Ephraim [modern Great Britain and the nations of the British Commonwealth] saw its sickness, and Judah [the modern state of Israel or the Jews] saw his wound [apparently inflicted in a war yet to come], then Ephraim went to Assyria [modern Germany] and sent to King Jareb; yet he cannot cure you, nor heal you of your wound.”

Jareb was not the name of any historical Assyrian emperor. Instead, King Jareb of Assyria is actually the king of the North and the leader of the end-time united Europe. The word Jareb in Hebrew connotes a fighter, one who is quarrelsome or one who will contend. And indeed, he will be a fighter and will be quarrelsome. Many Bible translations call him the Great King. He may be even called by the title, “the Great,” just like others before him—Otto the Great, Charles the Great and Alexander the Great.

This prophecy seems to indicate that Ephraim, England and the British Commonwealth, as well as Judah, the Jews, are first on good terms with Assyria, Germany. They even ask them for help, but it won’t come. And soon thereafter, any friendly relationship will change. Right now Europe enjoys a fairly good relationship with Great Britain and the United States. But this will not last, and the whole world will be astonished at the change!

Hosea 7:11: “Ephraim also is like a silly dove, without sense—they call to Egypt [for help], they go to Assyria [for help]. Wherever they go, I will spread my net on them; I will bring them down like birds of the air; I will chastise them according to what their congregation has heard.” Now why would God do such a thing? Hosea 9:1 answers: “Do not rejoice, O Israel, with joy like other peoples, for you have played the harlot against your God.” In other words, the modern nations of Israel and Judah have adopted pagan customs and rejected the worship of the true God. God warns through prophecy what He is going to do and why, so there can be no doubt.

Hosea 9:3 gives details about the future of these wayward nations: “They shall not dwell in the Lord’s land, but Ephraim shall return to Egypt, and shall eat unclean things in Assyria.” Just as Old Testament Israel was enslaved in Egypt, so the modern descendants of Israel, mainly the British peoples and the peoples of the United States of America, will be enslaved. It surely seems unbelievable right now that they will become prisoners of war, yet it is prophesied to happen! Jeremiah 50:33 says, “The children of Israel were oppressed, along with the children of Judah; all who took them captive have held them fast; they have refused to let them go.”

Another clear and sobering prophecy of Israel and Judah’s punishment can be found in Ezekiel 6:6: “In all your dwelling places the cities shall be laid waste, and the high places shall be desolate…. The slain shall fall in your midst, and you shall know that I am the Lord. Yet I will leave a remnant, so that you may have some who escape the sword among the nations, when you are scattered throughout the countries. Then those of you who escape will remember Me among the nations where they are carried captive, because I was crushed by their adulterous heart which has departed from Me.”

In Ezekiel 39:23, God states, “The Gentiles will know that the house of Israel went into captivity for their iniquity; because they were unfaithful to Me, therefore I hid My face from them.” Even Gentile nations will know why God is allowing this captivity of the modern-day descendants of Israel and Judah. The Germans will be the dominant people of the coming united Europe, which.will conquer both the United States of America and Great Britain as well as the Jews, transporting captives to Europe and Egypt. This will all happen just prior to the return of Jesus Christ—for, in the remainder of Ezekiel 39, the prophet reveals that Christ will come to free the captives and bring them back into their land.

Hosea 11 confirms this. Jesus Christ says, “How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, Israel…? [God] will roar like a lion. When He roars, then His sons shall come trembling… like a bird from Egypt, like a dove from the land of Assyria, and I will let them dwell in their houses, says the Lord” (vv. 8-11). Jesus Christ is going to come back to end this captivity. Also, in Jeremiah 46:27, He says, “Do not be dismayed, O Israel. For behold, I will save you from afar, and your offspring [all your descendants] from the land of their captivity.”

Christ will come back to make an end of the war and destruction going on. Conditions will be so terrible that if Jesus Christ were not to intervene, all of mankind would be annihilated. He states in Matthew 24:22, “And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved [alive], but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened.” That means no human being on the face of the earth would survive. You need to understand what is happening and what you need to do to be saved.

Isaiah 10:5 reveals more about the person who will launch the world into a devasting war: “Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger and the staff in whose hand is My indignation.” God will use Assyria to punish Israel and Judah, but afterward, He will deal with Assyria. Verse 6: “I will send him against an ungodly nation and against the people of My wrath I will give him charge, to seize the spoil, to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets.” God Himself is calling the modern house of Israel an ungodly nation because they have forsaken Him! But then He says something interesting about Assyria. “Yet he does not mean so, nor does his heart think so, but it is in his heart to destroy, and cut off not a few nations.” The king of Assyria will not realize that God is using him. Indeed, as we’ve seen, He will blaspheme the true God. He will choose to follow a foreign and strange god. So it isn’t in his heart to be a tool in God’s hands. He intends to conquer nations and gain power. But God will eventually bring him down because of his arrogance and pride. Verse 12: “Therefore, it shall come to pass, when the Lord has performed all His work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, that He will say, ‘I will punish the fruit of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his haughty looks.’ ”

How? Isaiah 14:25 says, “I will break the Assyrian in My land [remember, King Jareb, the king of the North, will ultimately move his headquarters to Jerusalem] and on My mountains tread him underfoot. Then his yoke [the yoke of slavery that he inflicts on Israel and Judah] shall be removed from them, and his burden removed from their shoulders.”

Isaiah 30:30-33 specifies how God will deal with the king of Assyria. “The Lord will cause His glorious voice to be heard, and show the descent of His arm, with the indignation of His anger and the flame of a devouring fire, with scattering, tempest, and hailstones. For through the voice of the Lord Assyria shall be beaten down, as He strikes with the rod. [Remember the stone that came from heaven and struck the ten toes of the statue? The ten toes are the ten kings who give their allegiance to the Beast, the King of Assyria.] And in every place where the staff of punishment passes, which the Lord lays on him, it will be with tambourines and harps; and in battles of brandishing He will fight with it.”

Verse 33: “For Tophet was established of old, yes for the king of Assyria it is prepared.” Now who or what is Tophet? Tophet is a Hebrew word meaning “a burning place” or “a lake of fire.” A lake of fire, then, is prepared for the king of Assyria. God has made this Tophet, this lake of fire, deep and large. Verse 33 continues, “Its pyre is fire with much wood; the breath of the Lord like a stream of brimstone, kindles it.” This correlates with Revelation 19, where the Beast, the end-time leader of the Roman system, will be thrown into a lake of fire and brimstone when Jesus Christ returns.

It is clearly Jesus Christ and not a man who will throw the King of Assyria into this lake of fire. As it says in Isaiah 31:8-9, “Then Assyria shall fall by a sword not of a man and a sword not of mankind shall devour him… whose fire is in Zion, and whose furnace is in Jerusalem.”

It is interesting to note that at least three leaders, and possibly as many as seven leaders, of the various revivals of Roman Empire were descendants of the Assyrians. And the Bible informs us that the last leader, called the king of the North, the Beast and King Jareb, will also be an Assyrian. For this reason, we must pay close attention to what is happening in Europe, and among the Germans in particular.

The Scarlet Beast

In Revelation 17, the Apostle John is given a vision of a different beast than the one in chapter 13—this one being a scarlet beast but also having seven heads and ten horns. The most striking difference, however, is that the scarlet beast is ridden by a woman—a harlot. Revelation 17:5 identifies the woman as “mystery, babylon the great, the mother of harlots and of the abominations of the earth.” This woman is depicted in verse 6 as drunk with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. In verse 18 the woman is also identified as that great city that reigns over the kings of the earth, the city that sits on seven mountains (v. 9). Though here called Babylon, the famed City of Seven Hills is the city of Rome!—successor to ancient Babylon politically, militarily, economically and religiously. It is this city that rides the scarlet beast with the seven heads and the ten horns. The seven heads of the Beast are seven kings or seven kingdoms (v. 10). These are successive kingdoms, one following the other. Five have already fallen, one is, and the last one has not yet arrived.

In Revelation 13, the ten horns of the beast depicted ten resurrections of the Roman Empire. Nine, as we’ve seen, have already taken place, and the tenth is now in the preliminary stages of forming. Comparing the beast in Revelation 13 with the beast in Revelation 17, we can see that the heads of the beast in Revelation 17 depict the seven last resurrections of the Roman Empire—the very last resurrection being just ahead of us, which will include the ten horns or rulers mentioned earlier. The woman sits on these last seven resurrections of the beast. That is, the woman was only instrumental in the last seven revivals of the Roman Empire—not the first three.

This woman or city is described as both an economic power and a religious power. The Ryrie Study Bible comments in a footnote to Revelation 17:5, “Though the famous city of Babylon was on the Euphrates River, the name seems to be a symbolic reference to Rome. In chapter 18 it represents more the political and commercial aspect of the revived Roman Empire. Thus the term stands both for a city and for a (religious and commercial) system related to the city (much like ‘Wall Street,’ which is both a place and a system).”

An interesting statement in Halley’s Bible Handbook agrees with this assessment: “The description of Babylon the great… exactly fits Papal Rome. Nothing else in world history does fit.” Unger’s Bible Handbook states, “The great harlot denotes a religious system that compromises truth for worldly power. She is guilty of prostituting truth and purity, intoxicating men by her doctrines and practices which violate the Word of God. She heads up the corrupt religious system of the end-time. It represents in fullest scope all apostate religious movements—from the inception in the ancient Babylon of Nimrod to the terrible consumation and apostate Christianity and other evil religious forces of the last day. The revived Roman Empire, with its end-time emperor—the Beast—appears as the agent of the harlot’s destruction. The woman has her headquarters in the Beast’s capital, which is the seven-hilled city of Rome” (p. 870).

Note that it is the seven last revivals of the Roman Empire that are ridden by the woman, a religious power. The first three were not. The first three revivals occurred under leaders with a different religion, that of Arianism, which was labeled a heresy by the Roman Catholic Church. But the last seven occur under the control and with the approval of the Church of Rome. Let’s review what has happened historically, looking at the various Roman revivals we’ve already seen:

The first of the seven last resurrections of the Roman Empire occurred under Justinian in A.D. 554. He was the one mainly responsible for wiping out the barbarian tribes, but he did so at the behest of a succession of Roman popes. The second of the seven last resurrections occurred under Charlemagne or Charles the Great, who was crowned in A.D. 800 by Pope Leo III. The third of the seven last resurrections occurred under Otto the Great, under whose name the “Roman Empire of the German Nation” was coined. He was crowned in 962 by Pope John XII. The fourth of the seven last resurrections occurred under Charles V Habsburg, who was crowned in 1530 by Pope Clement VII. By this time, the name “Holy Roman Empire” was in popular usage because of the close contact between the state and the so-called Holy Roman Church. Then the fifth resurrection of the last seven occurred under Napoleon Bonaparte, who was also crowned by a pope.

The sixth of the last seven resurrections occurred under Hitler and Mussolini. Although neither Hitler nor Mussolini were crowned by a pope, a close partnership existed between the city of Rome under Pope Pius XI and Italy and Germany. In this partnership, Mussolini signed the Lateran Treaty with the papacy in 1929, establishing papal sovereignty over Vatican City. This event affirmed Roman Catholicism as the only religion of Italy and, in turn, the papacy officially recognized Mussolini as the rightful Italian governor. Later, Mussolini would proclaim that he had revived the Roman Empire and would call himself a Roman emperor. Also, the Vatican signed a concordat with Hitler in 1933, protecting the rights of the church under the Nazi regime. This gave Hitler’s government an outward semblance of legitimacy.

The seventh and last resurrection of the Roman Empire, though yet ahead of us, is already beginning. As with the previous six resurrections, the woman—the papal city of Rome—will “ride,” or direct the activities of, the seventh resurrection as well.

This too was prophesied in Daniel’s vision of the four beasts—with the fourth beast having ten horns. The ten horns pictured the ten resurrections of the Roman Empire. Daniel 7 deals with the first three of these resurrections. Then, in verse 8, Daniel says, “I was considering the [ten] horns, and there was another horn, a little one, coming up among them, before whom three of the first horns were plucked out by the roots.”

Who or what is this little horn? An angel was sent to Daniel to explain. He says in verse 24, “The ten horns are ten kings who shall arise from this kingdom. And another shall rise after them; he shall be different from the first ones, and shall subdue three kings.” He would be responsible for the demise of the first three resurrections of the Roman Empire. “He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, shall persecute the saints of the Most High, and shall intend to change times and law.” This little horn, the religious power synonymous with the woman riding the scarlet beast, would change times and law, or rather, change the law regarding holy times. This power is described in still another way in the book of Revelation.

In Revelation 13:11-17, John sees a second beast that has two horns like a lamb but speaks like a dragon. It is a religious power, claiming to be the Lamb or Jesus Christ, but is influenced by the dragon, or Satan. The second beast, we are told, exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence. From the time the second beast arrives on the scene, both beasts will continue to exist, side by side. This beast performs great signs, even making fire come down from heaven in the sight of men. “And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the [first] beast.” The first beast, the political power, does not do any signs, but the second beast, the religious power, does. “He [the second beast, identical with the little horn and the woman riding the beast] causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the [first] beast, or the number of his name.”

eip chart

How Will You Be Identified?

What is this mark of the Beast? And what has the second beast, the religious power, to do with it? The mark comes from the first beast. But the second beast causes all people to accept this mark. We can get a clue about its character from what has gone before in the Roman Empire and its revivals. Notice what historian Will Durant says in The Age of Faith, volume 4 of his renowned work, The Story of Civilization, about the Code of Justinian: “This Code, like the Theodosian, enacted orthodox Christianity into law. It began by declaring for the Trinity…. It acknowledged the ecclesiastical leadership of the Roman Church, and ordered all Christian groups to submit to her authority…. Relapsed heretics were to be put to death… and other dissenters were to suffer confiscation of their goods, and were declared incompetent to buy or sell, to inherit or bequeath; they were excluded from public office, forbidden to meet, and disqualified from suing orthodox Christians for debt” (1950, p. 112).

So those who were not orthodox Catholics were forbidden from buying and selling—i.e. conducting business. Indeed, those branded “heretics” faced a death sentence. Thus, the mark of the Beast apparently means general participation in the worship system of the revived Roman Empire. Of course, there are some aspects of worship which delineate those who refuse to participate more than other factors.

The little horn, remember, intended to change times and laws—indeed, to change the law regarding holy times—and persecuted God’s people who did not accept its change. God has commanded His people to keep certain times holy and, during these holy times, His people are not to engage in commerce. The little horn changed those times, replacing God’s holy times with times designated by man to be holy. A very obvious aspect of the mark of the Beast, then, will apparently revolve around worship days—indeed, this itself would impact days on which “buying and selling” could be conducted. And the little horn, the woman riding the beast, will cause people to accept the mark of the Beast under pain of death. As in the past, it appears that the woman will influence the political power of the Roman Empire to command people to work during God’s holy times, while prohibiting work at other times, thereby “causing” (cf. Rev. 13:15) true Christians who will refuse to comply to be put to death.

The Bible is very clear about which days GOD has made holy—the weekly Sabbath (Friday sunset to Saturday sunset) and certain annual Holy Days, which are also called Sabbaths in the Bible (cf. Lev. 23). God commands His people in Exodus 31:13-17, “Surely My Sabbaths [plural—the weekly Sabbath and the seven annual Sabbaths] you shall keep, for it is a sign between Me and you…. You shall keep the Sabbath… for it is holy to you…. Whoever does any work on it, that person shall be cut off from among his people.” So, in contrast to the mark of the Beast, we have a sign of God and His people—the observance of His Sabbaths.

The Sabbath command, it must be understood, is not just for the Jewish people, as many today will argue. Rather, the Sabbath was made, as Christ said, “for man” (Mark 2:27) at the very time when man was created—when there was no distinction between Jews and non-Jews. It was clearly made for both Israelites and Gentiles (Is. 56:6-7).

The Bible makes clear the difference between keeping the Sabbath holy and refraining from using the Sabbath for our own pursuits. Isaiah 56:2 reads, “Blessed is the man who does this, and the son of man who lays hold on it; who keeps from defiling the Sabbath, and keeps his hand from doing evil.” God says in Isaiah 58:13, “If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on My holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy day of the Lord honorable, and shall honor Him, not doing your own ways, nor finding your own pleasure, nor speaking your own words, then you shall delight yourself in the Lord.”

The Bible associates the right hand with our actions and it associates the forehead with the seat of our thoughts. Remember, the mark of the Beast would be accepted on the right hand and on the forehead. In Ezekiel 3:7-9 God laments the fact that Israel, both ancient and present, will not listen to Him. He says, “The house of Israel will not listen to you [i.e. Ezekiel], because they will not listen to Me…. I have made… your forehead strong against their foreheads.” God was talking about the thoughts, or the minds of people. In Exodus 13:9 the keeping of God’s Sabbaths is associated with the right hand and the forehead as well. We read, “It shall be as a sign to you on your hand and as a memorial between your eyes [i.e. in your forehead], that the Lord’s law may be in your mouth.”

It is interesting to note that, as the people of this world accept the mark of the Beast on their foreheads, so God will place a mark or a sign on the foreheads of those people who anguish over the atrocities at that time. And He will do this to protect them from harm. God tells His angels in Ezekiel 9:4, “Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and cry over all the abominations that are done within it…. Do not come near anyone on whom is the mark.” The book of Revelation also talks about God protecting His servants. He tells His angels, “Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads” (7:3).

In Revelation 20:4, John says, “Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.” Those who REFUSE the mark of the Beast will be rewarded with eternal life and will rule with Christ during the Millennium, God’s Millennium. Those who DO receive the mark of the Beast will be punished by God: “If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God which is poured out full strength into His cup of His indignation” (14:9). These are serious warnings! We must be sure that we are identified by the sign of God, not the mark of the Beast.

Sabbath or Sunday Worship?

Have you ever questioned why people worship on Sunday instead of the Sabbath? Or why they keep Easter and Christmas? Or why they don’t keep God’s commanded Holy Days? We will now look into these matters and see what they have to do with the mark of the Beast.

Let’s review again the influence that the little horn has had down through history. Though the weekly and annual Sabbaths are holy to God and He commanded Christians to keep them, the little horn changed the law regarding holy times by substituting other worship days—replacing the weekly Sabbath with Sunday and the annual Sabbaths with traditional holidays like Easter and Christmas. Christmas and Easter are rooted in paganism, as any good encyclopedia will show. Even weekly Sunday worship comes to us from paganism—the honoring of the sun god on the day of the Sun.

Some argue that the Bible has endorsed a change from the Sabbath to Sunday. But an honest study of the Scriptures shows that the Bible does not justify such a change. In the New King James Version of the Bible, Hebrews 4:9 says, “There remains therefore a rest for the people of God.” The Greek word for “rest” here is sabbatismos. It literally means “keeping of the Sabbath.” The New International Version reads, “There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God.” Perhaps the clearest rendering is in the Lamsa translation which reads, “It is therefore the duty of the people of God to keep the Sabbath.” Yes, if we are God’s people, then it is our DUTY to keep the Sabbath!

At the time of King Charles I of England, Cox wrote in Sabbath Laws, “For it will not be found in scripture where Saturday is no longer to be kept, or turned into the Sunday wherefore it must be the church’s authority that changed the one and instituted the other.” He stated that because there is nothing in the Bible to justify this change, it had to be the church’s authority to change the Sabbath and replace it with Sunday.

Issac William, Doctor of Divinity of the Church of England, concurs with Cox. He wrote in Volume 1 of Plain Sermons on the Catechism, “Where are we told in Scripture that we are to keep the first day at all? We are commanded to keep the seventh; but we are nowhere commanded to keep the first day. The reason why we keep the first day of the week holy instead of the seventh is for the same reason that we observe many other things, not because the Bible, but because the Church has enjoined it.”

Of course, not everyone agreed. John Milton wrote, “It will surely be far safer to observe the seventh day, according to the express commandment of God, than on the authority of mere human conjecture to adopt the first.” He’s saying that it’s far safer to follow the commandment of God than to go along with what human beings have come up with. A German commentator, Dr. Eck, writing as early as 1553, states, “The church has transferred the observance from Saturday to Sunday by virtue of her own power, without Scripture.”

Theologians and commentators alike know that Sabbath observance is biblical, and that Sunday observance was instituted without God’s authority. Too many people have accepted this unauthorized change of God’s holy time, thus allowing themselves to be deceived. The Swiss reformer, John Calvin, admitted that the Bible teaches the observance of the Sabbath, not of Sunday. But, like Martin Luther, the father of the Protestant Reformation, he was unwilling to go back to Sabbath worship. He justified it by saying, “The old fathers [the church fathers, not the patriarchs of the Bible] put in the place of the Sabbath the day which we call Sunday. King Charles I of England declares that the celebration of the feast of Easter was instituted by the same authority that changed the Sabbath into the Lord’s day, or Sunday; for it will not be found in scripture where Saturday is discharged to be kept, or turned into Sunday. Therefore, my opinion is that those who will not keep this feast of Easter may as well return to the observation of Saturday, and refuse the weekly Sunday, since it was the church’s authority that changed the one and instituted the other.”

Now what church or what human authority was responsible for changing the Sabbath to Sunday, and replacing God’s designated Holy Days with pagan holidays, such as Easter and Christmas? History shows that it was the Roman Catholic Church. In fact, the Protestant churches that refuse to keep the Sabbath have essentially submitted to the Roman Catholic Church’s authority in this matter. They have not submitted to the Bible’s authority, because the Bible nowhere endorses such changes. Even churches that keep the Sabbath but also keep the pagan festivals of Christmas and Easter, while failing to keep God’s ANNUAL Sabbaths, have, however unwittingly, accepted the authority of Rome as well.

In 1845, American Elder Preble observed, “Thus we see Daniel 7:25 fulfilled. The little horn changing times and laws. Therefore it appears to me that all who keep the first day for the Sabbath are the Pope’s Sunday-keepers and God’s Sabbath-breakers.” A very strong statement indeed!

Christina Tolingerin, a German martyr of the 16th century, stated concerning holy days and Sundays, “In six days the Lord made the world, on the seventh day He rested. The other holy days [referring to holidays like Easter, Christmas, New Year’s, etc.] have been instituted by popes, cardinals, and archbishops.”

Wolfgang Capto wrote about the Sabbatarians in Lichtenstein at the end of the 16th century, “The Sabbatarians teach that the outward Sabbath, i.e. Saturday, still must be observed. They say that Sunday is the Pope’s invention.”

The Roman Catholic Church knows full well and teaches that the Bible does NOT endorse or permit a change from Sabbath to Sunday worship. It is clearly expressed in Roman Catholic theology, however, that the church can override the Bible. And this is the basis for their change.

Quoting from The Convert’s Catechism of Catholic Doctrine, published in 1946: “Q: Why do we observe Sunday instead of Saturday? A: We observe Sunday instead of Saturday because the Catholic Church transferred the solemnity from Saturday to Sunday.” They admit to changing the day of worship from the Sabbath to Sunday. “Q: By what authority did the church substitute Sunday for Saturday? A: The Church substituted Sunday for Saturday by the plenitude of that devine power which Jesus Christ bestowed upon her.” But did Jesus Christ bestow on her the power to change the Sabbath law? Christ says that HE is the Lord of the Sabbath (Mark 2:28), and nowhere in the Bible does He say anyone has the authority to change what He instituted!

In the late 19th century, Archbishop James Cardinal Gibbons challenged the Protestants for their refusal to accept the Roman Catholic Church’s authority over biblical matters. The Protestants believed that ONLY the Bible can tell you how to live. Gibbons pointed out that if they really believe that, then they must return to keeping the Sabbath. He admitted that the Bible nowhere authorized the sanctification of Sunday, but that it teaches the observance of Saturday.

Consider these challenging words by the archbishop, first published in 1893 in the Catholic Mirror: “Either Protestantism and the keeping holy of Saturday, or Catholicity and the keeping of Sunday. Compromise is impossible. Will they [the Protestants] keep the Sabbath of the Lord, the seventh day, according to Scripture? Or will they keep the Sunday according to the traditions of the Catholic Church? God’s written word enjoins His worship to be observed on Saturday, absolutely, repeatedly, and most emphatically, with a most positive threat of death to him who disobeys…. This teacher [he is talking about the Bible] most emphatically forbids any change in the day for paramount reasons.”

Gibbons makes clear the Catholic Church’s position: “The Catholic church for over one thousand years before the existence of a Protestant, by virtue of her Divine mission, changed the day from Saturday to Sunday…. The Protestant world at its birth found the Christian Sabbath [Sunday] too strongly entrenched to run counter to its existence; it was therefore placed under the necessity of acquiescing in the arrangement, thus implying the [Catholic] Church’s right to change the day, for over 300 years. The Christian Sabbath [Sunday] is therefore to this day the acknowledged offspring of the Catholic Church…. [The Protestants] adopted the written word as their sole teacher, which they had no sooner done than they abandoned it promptly… and by a perversity as willful as erroneous, they accept the teaching of the Catholic Church in direct opposition to the plain, unvaried and constant teaching of their sole teacher [the Bible] in the most essential doctrine of their religion.”

Gibbons does not stand alone with this attack on what he considers Protestant hypocrisy. Other Catholic authors have repeated the same accusations. The Catholic Church Extension Society in Chicago published the following statement by Peter R. Kraemer, a Catholic priest: “Protestants, who accept the Bible as the only rule of faith and religion, should by all means go back to the observance of the Sabbath. The fact that they do not, but on the contrary observe the Sunday, stultifies them in the eyes of every thinking man. We Catholics do not accept the Bible as the only rule of faith. Besides the Bible we have the living church, the authority of the church, as a rule to guide us…. We accept her change of the Sabbath to Sunday. We frankly say, yes, the church made this change, made this law, as she made many other laws…. It is always somewhat laughable, to see the Protestant churches, in pulpit and legislation, demand the observance of Sunday, of which there is nothing in their Bible.”

T. Enright, a Roman Catholic priest in Kansas City, Missouri, states, “Take, for instance, the day we celebrate—Sunday. What right have the Protestant churches to observe that day? None whatever. You say it is to obey the commandment, ‘Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.’ But Sunday is not the Sabbath according to the Bible and the record of time. Every one knows that Sunday is the first day of the week, while Saturday is the seventh day, and the Sabbath, the day consecrated as a day of rest. It is so recognized in all civilized nations. I have repeatedly offered $1,000 to anyone who will furnish any proof from the Bible that Sunday is the day we are bound to keep, and no one has called for the money…. It was the holy Catholic church that changed the day of rest from Saturday to Sunday, the first day of the week.”

He goes on, “Which church does the whole civilized world obey? Protestants call us every horrible name they can think of—antichrist, the scarlet colored beast, Babylon, etc., and at the same time profess great reverence for the Bible, and yet by their solemn act of keeping Sunday, they acknowledge the power of the Catholic Church. The Bible says, ‘Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.’ But the Catholic Church says, ‘No, keep the first day of the week, and the whole world bows in obedience.’ ”

These remarkable quotes fit with what the Bible teaches. The Protestant churches compromised on a very essential matter. They accepted a major aspect of the mark of the Beast imposed on them by the Catholic Church (for, as stated earlier, it is likely that the mark of the Beast most visibly involves the rejection of God’s Sabbath and the adoption of the pagan Sunday). There are historical records, though, showing that some individuals and some Christian groups did not accept the Roman system of worship. They stood fast in keeping the weekly and annual Sabbaths as commanded by God. And many were tortured and killed as a result.

In the History of the Norwegian Church, under the years 1435 and 1436, appears the following: “We counsel all the friends of God throughout all Norway who want to be obedient towards the holy church to let this evil of Saturday-keeping alone [so there existed Sabbath-keeping Christians at that time]; and the rest we forbid under penalty of severe church punishment to keep Saturday holy. It is forbidden under the same penalty to keep Saturday holy by refraining from labour.”

Here is a report from 1618 about a Mrs. Traske, a Sabbatarian in England: “At last for teaching only five days a week [she was a teacher, but refused to teach on the Sabbath], and resting upon Saturday she was carried to the new prison in Maiden Lane…. Mrs. Traske lay fifteen or sixteen years a prisoner for her opinion about the Saturday Sabbath.” She chose to follow the Bible and the Bible alone!

In 1604 in Ethiopia there were some who kept the Sabbath, but due to the influence of the Jesuits, the king of Ethiopia prohibited his subjects, upon severe penalties, to observe Saturday any longer.

Much has been written about the Waldenses. They taught and kept the Sabbath, for which they were severely persecuted by the Roman Catholic Church. Reading from A General History of the Sabbatarian Churches, pages 88 and 89, “Of the many who were burned, and otherwise destroyed for Judaism, observes a Spanish author of the sixteenth century, it is not probable that one-tenth were of the race of Israel, but heretics, who, for persisting in saying that the law of Moses was still binding, were accused of Jewish practices, such as circumcision and sabbatizing, to the latter of which [Sabbath keeping] they uniformly plead guilty.” This book shows how Sabbath keepers were identified, how they were then arrested, tortured and finally killed.

Recall now the mark of the Beast and how there would be severe penalties for those who would not accept that mark on their forehead or on their right hand. As has been stated, there is strong indication that it has to do with the observance of worship days. Failure to comply with the Roman system in this regard will result in being forbidden to conduct business, which could put true Christians out on the street with no money to buy food. And the easiest way to identify someone’s religious convictions when it comes to keeping such days is to observe when he will and will not work or, if a business owner, when his business is open or closed.

Again, we already have examples in history. The account about the Waldenses goes on to say, “A Dominican inquisitor, in giving an account of the proceedings of that infernal tribunal in the north of Spain, declares that since it was known that many of the heretics were accustomed to solemnize the old Sabbath by religious worship, and an absolute inattention to secular employments [on the Sabbath], it became the policy of the Holy Office to take notice of such shops as were shut up on that day, and of such persons as were found to be absent from worldly engagements [again on the Sabbath]. The result answered my expectations, he continues, for when those people were arrested, and being brought before me, were shown the rack, they generally confessed their Judaical practices, at least so far as it related to sabbatizing, which the holy church had expressly forbidden.”

God’s Holy Days or Pagan Holidays?

So you see, the little horn, the woman that rides the Beast, has been around for a long time, and has blatantly changed what God Himself sanctified. In the process, God’s annual Holy Days were discarded and pagan holidays, such as Easter and Christmas, were adopted.

God specifically warned ancient Israel not to incorporate pagan elements in their worship of Him. He says in Deuteronomy 12:30-32, “Take heed to yourself… that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods? I will also do likewise.’ You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way; for every abomination to the Lord which He hates they have done to their gods…. Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it, you shall not add to it nor take away from it.” The same warning is for us today!

But the Christian world today celebrates holidays steeped in paganism, while refusing to keep God’s weekly Sabbath or His annual Holy Days. For example, as already mentioned, Sunday was the day on which pagans worshiped their sun god since ancient times. That is where the name Sunday comes from. Easter was a feast of fertility for the goddess Astarte, also called Ishtar, Ostara or Eostre. Christmas was the holy day of Mithras, of Attis, and of other pagan gods. Remarkably, many pagan “saviors” were supposedly born on December 25, killed on a Friday, and resurrected on a Sunday during Easter time. Christ Himself was not born in December, nor killed on a Friday nor resurrected on a Sunday. Rather, Scripture indicates, with the support of history, that He was born in early autumn, before the rainy season. He couldn’t have been born later than that because shepherds were still in the fields with their sheep. Records confirm that He was crucified on Wednesday and resurrected on Saturday, just before sunset, thereby fulfilling the only sign He gave—that He would be in the grave for three days and three nights (Matt. 12:40).

In Jeremiah 7:18, God condemns “Easter cakes.” Notice: “The children gather wood, the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead dough, to make cakes for the queen of heaven; and they pour out drink offerings to other gods, that they provoke Me to anger.” According to the Ryrie Study Bible, the queen of heaven is a reference to the Assyro-Babylonian goddess “Ishtar,” the ancient name for Easter—known in Hebrew as Ashtoreth. The prophet Jeremiah rebuked them for these practices but Israel refused to listen. Again, in Jeremiah 44:19, “The women also said, ‘And when we burned incense to the queen of heaven and poured out drink offerings to her, did we make cakes for her, to worship her, and pour out drink offerings to her without our husbands’ permission?” So they justified it by saying, “Our husbands told us to do it.”

Surprising as it may be to some, the Christmas tree is a relic of pagan tree worship, which is condemned in Jeremiah 10:3: “For the customs of the peoples are futile; for one cuts a tree from the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the ax. They decorate it with silver and gold, they fasten it with nails and hammers so that it will not topple.”

It is no secret that the early Roman Church absorbed pagan elements into their worship, and it was done in direct contradiction to God’s command not to do so. Why? To make the new faith attractive to Gentiles who were already steeped in pagan customs. These pagan customs were placed under a “Christian” mantle so that they would have the appearance of being godly. Traditional Christianity clearly violates God’s command to not learn our ways of worship from the Gentiles, to not add pagan elements to holy worship, and to not delete godly elements that are to be observed, such as the weekly and annual Holy Days. Traditional Christianity has, in effect, accepted the mark of the Beast by embracing human traditions that violate God’s laws. And there have been voices over the centuries warning against such conduct.

Although we hear a lot about religious cooperation between sister churches, the Catholic Church has recently made its long-standing doctrinal position very clear, pointing out that all churches outside of the Roman Catholic Church are not “sister” churches. Instead, the Catholic Church considers itself to be the only true Church of Jesus Christ, and it looks upon those in other churches as needing to return to the true fold of Christ, the Roman Catholic Church. Of course, even Protestant churches have never really left that fold completely anyway. For, though they claim sola scriptura (“only the Bible”) as the determinant of their faith, they still follow major doctrines contrary to the Bible that came through the Roman Church from the mystery religions of the ancient world, beginning with Babylon.

What the Protestant churches, and all people, need to do is to make a true break with Babylon and really turn to the Bible as their sole teacher. Now imagine for a moment if they were to do that. What would this mean? It would mean they would have to start keeping the Sabbath. They would have to start keeping God’s Holy Days. They would have to cease keeping festivals like Christmas and Easter, New Years, Halloween and other days steeped in paganism. They would have to repudiate a whole host of unbiblical teachings. And they would have to acknowledge the need to obey the law of God and start striving to do so in everything.

Don’t Be Deceived

You don’t have to follow the wayward world around you. You can be different. In 2 Thessalonians 2, the Apostle Paul warns,“Let no one deceive you by any means [indicating that you could be deceived]; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first [the falling away from true Christian worship to a false religion], and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who 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” (vv. 3-4). Paul then says, “And then the lawless one [this False Prophet] will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth, and destroy with the brightness of His coming. The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved” (vv. 8-10). Do you have a LOVE of the truth? You must in order to be saved.

The end-time religious leader will claim to be God. And the military leader—the Beast, also called the king of the North—may even believe this for a while. For this religious figure, as we’ve seen, will be given the power to perform signs and wonders. Revelation 19:20 states that the False Prophet “worked signs” in the presence of the Beast “by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast.” Yet would people really fall for such deception in today’s world?

The masses historically follow strong leadership. And the last revival of the Roman Empire, ridden by the woman, will be infiltrated by demonic forces. In Revelation 16:13, we are told that both the Beast and the False Prophet will be demon-possessed, and that they will be able to influence other world leaders as well. It says, “And I saw three unclean spirits, like frogs, coming out of the mouth of the dragon [Satan], out of the mouth of the beast [the politico-economic leader], and out of the mouth of the false prophet [a religious leader]. For they [these unclean spirits] are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.”

How can Satan’s demons ever be successful in influencing the armies of this world to fight the returning Jesus Christ. How could people ever think that they were able to fight Jesus Christ? Unfortunately, people will apparently be so deceived that they will NOT recognize the returning Jesus Christ. The woman riding the beast has a great deal of influence on people. Revelation 17:2 says, “The inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication.” They are made drunk spiritually. They will not know right from wrong, truth from error. They will apparently be deceived into thinking that the returning Christ is the Antichrist. They will believe that He comes to destroy Christianity. It appears that they won’t realize that He is Jesus Christ, our Savior, who has come to restore true worship and to destroy the deceivers.

Yes, people can be deceived. A book titled The Nazi Persecution of the Churches from 1933–1945 is quite revealing about events just prior to and during World War II, when the German people literally worshiped their Führer. In this case, the past may indeed be quite telling about the future, as Hitler was a forerunner of the final end-time dictator that will soon appear on the world scene.

A few key excerpts show how easily people can be deceived. We should never assume that it couldn’t happen again. One Pastor Leutheuser was quoted as saying, “Christ has come to us through Adolf Hitler. He was the decisive figure when the people were just about to go under. Hitler struck out for us and through his power, his honesty, his faith, his idealism—the Redeemer found us. We know today the saviour has come. We have only one task—to be German, not to be Christian.” The book also points out Hitler’s popularity at Nuremberg: “The crowd burned with fervour around Hitler—the saviour—the creator—the defender of the German Fatherland. Whatever he said was right and good. Whatever he proclaimed was destined to happen. However he acted, it was for the best. Hitler in the hearts of all, was held to be the Great Deliverer—sent from on high to herald the hoped-for deliverance of our nation.”

For another striking example of what was happening as early as 1936 in Germany, note this excerpt from a Christmas sermon preached in Solingen: “Christmas is a Feast of Light of our ancestors—the ancient Germans, and so is several thousand years old. In the height of the winter solstice between 23-25 of the Yule month (December), the various members of each family came together under the leadership of the head of the family and met under a tree in the woods. The Winter man—Old Ruprecht—as the representative of the old dying year, appeared and gave out gifts. Burning torches were attached to a tree, and soon the night of deepest darkness was lit up by the burning flames of the Christmas tree. With wide open eyes, young and old stood around the tree. The deepest darkness of the longest night could not take away from them the hope of seeing again the light of the sun, which their god would give them in the coming year. And this is why we still give gifts around the Christmas tree. Having sung some Christmas songs, our forefathers went home with the knowledge and the joy in their hearts that despite the deepest night, despite the ice and snow and the darkness, they were not forgotten or forsaken by their god. From now on the sun rose higher day after day and brought warmth and joy into the hearts of our ancestors. And just as our ancestors did not lose their faith in the coming light and the sun—despite the ice and cold of the longest night—yes indeed, even celebrated the Festival of Light—so we took stand today in the light of the long darkness. Germany, after the great war was threatened with collapse. But then he came who, despite the great darkness in so many German hearts, spoke of light and showed them the way to the light. His appeal found an echo in hundreds of thousands of German souls, who carried the appeal further. It swelled out like a sweeping cloud and then happened that greatest miracle—Germany awoke and followed the sign of the light—the swastika. The darkness is now conquered. Now suffering is over, which so long gripped our people. The sun is rising even higher with our ancient German symbol, the swastika, and its warmth surrounds the whole German people, melts our hearts together into one great German community. No one is left out—no one needs to hunger or freeze—despite the deep night, and snow and ice, because the warmth from the hearts of the whole people pours out, in the emblems of the National Socialist Welfare programme and the Winter Help work and carries the German Christmas in the most forsaken German heart. In this hour, Adolf Hitler is our benefactor—who has overcome the winter night with its terrors for the whole people, and has led us under the swastika to a new light and a new day.”

Historical records suggest that Adolf Hitler was demonically possessed—and that this demonic influence affected and influenced those with whom he came in contact. A book written by Klaus Fischer, titled Nazi Germany—a New History, has much to say about the personal life of Hitler. In describing an incident which took place when Hitler was nearly 17 years old, he says, “His only friend in Linz [at that time he was still in Linz, Austria], Gustl Kubizek, reports that Adolf enjoyed speechifying for him while the two friends were walking through deserted fields, punctuating his orations with violent movements and vivid gestures. One night, after listening to Wagner’s ‘Rienzi,’ Hitler led his friend atop a steep hill, where with feverish excitement he began speaking in a strange raspy voice that did not seem to belong to him. According to Kubizek, Hitler seemed possessed by his own daimon; and in a state of complete ecstasy and rapture, he transferred the character of Rienzi with visionary power to the plane of his own ambitions. This was the first time that Kubizek had seen this aspect of Hitler’s developing personality. Adolf’s belief that he was singled out to play a providential role in world history must have sounded strange to his young friend.”

The author goes on to state, “It is well-known that Hitler believed that he possessed the rare gift of prophetic sight (“Vorsehung”), and based some crucial decisions on this presumed insight…. He sensed invisible demonic forces all around him” (p. 303). Hitler’s anti-semitism, Fischer tells us, went “beyond prejudice; it was a psychopathology of a sort that must be ranked with witchcraft and demonology in the history of the human race” (p. 89).

When Hitler was 29 years old, “while still suffering from the effects of a mustard gas attack (at that time he was temporarily blinded), his mind appears to have snapped. It is suspected that he lapsed into a prolonged hysterical condition that seems to have triggered a number of insights of such power that he attributed them to a higher spiritual source” (p. 99).

Later, the same book informs us, German audiences seemed particularly mesmerized by Hitler’s voice. “There was something mysterious about it to many Germans, because it didn’t seem to be rooted in any local dialect or class” (p. 124).

And notice this regarding the now-famous Bierhallen-Putsch in Munich, November 1923, when Hitler was 34: “Hitler stepped back into the main hall, where the audience had become noticeably restless and impatient, and gave one of the most compelling performances of his life—so compelling that Professor Alexander von Müller, who was in the audience that night, referred to it as ‘a rhetorical masterpiece’ and confessed that ‘never before have I seen the mood of a mass audience change so quickly and dramatically. It was almost as if a sorcerer were casting a magic spell over them’ ” (p. 154).

Fischer points out that whenever Hitler listened to music, his friend Kubizek had observed years before, he was a changed man. His violence—because he was very well known for a violent temper—left him. He became quiet—yielding and tractable. Similarly, when King Saul of ancient Israel was plagued by a demon, David played music for him and he too was calmed and soothed (cf. 1 Sam. 16:14-23).

Additionally, hundreds of people have attested that the force of Hitler’s personality could not only attract, but convert, those who fell under its spell. Fischer reports about Hitler’s hypnotic eyes, “His eyes fascinated those who came under the influence. They were unusually light blue, with a faint tinge of greenish-grey. Hitler himself confessed that he had inherited them from his mother, whose eyes he compared to those of the Greek Medusa, whose piercing glance could turn a man into stone” (p. 300).

Hitler made a remarkable statement in 1938, when British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain announced that he wanted to visit with him. “On September 13th, Chamberlain dispatched a telegram to Hitler, suggesting a personal meeting with the Fuehrer in hopes of peacefully resolving the Czechoslovakian crisis. The prospect of being visited by a British Prime Minister twenty years his senior, making his first flight to see him, immensely appealed to Hitler’s vanity. ‘Ich bin vom Himmel gefallen’ (I fell from heaven), he reportedly exclaimed after receiving Chamberlain’s telegram” (p. 426). This is not just some common expression in the German language. One can say, “Ich bin aus allen Wolken gefallen,” meaning “I fell out of all the clouds,” in expressing surprise. But the statement “Ich bin vom Himmel gefallen,” “I fell from heaven,” is totally unprecedented in the German language, as used in context by Hitler. But there is a personage who did fall from heaven—many, many, many years ago. This, of course, was Satan the Devil, when he tried to overthrow God (cf. Luke 10:18).

The French ambassador later on would say about Hitler, “The same man, good natured in appearance and sensitive to the beauties of nature, who across a tea table expressed reasonable opinions of European politics, was capable of the wildest frenzies—the most savage exultation—and the most delirious ambition…. This much is certain: he was no normal being. He was, rather, a morbid personality, a quasi-madman… a man possessed” (p. 431). And that is what he was! He called his invasion of Poland, “Teufelswerk,” the devil’s work.

When it was all over, notice the state the people of Germany were left in: “Germans, now released from the spell, were dumbfounded by what had happened to them. Karl Jaspers [a professor of philosophy] summed it all up well by confessing that ‘during the past twelve years, something has happened to us that seems like the remolding of our entire being. To put it in the form of an image: Devils have been raining blows upon us and have swept us away, together with themselves, into a chaos which has robbed us of sight and hearing…. We have experienced something like the witchcraft madness of the latter Middle Ages’” (p. 345).

The Choice Is Yours

You see, people worshiped Hitler, thinking he was their savior. Yet he didn’t perform any miracles whatsoever. But the end-time False Prophet will perform apparent miracles and will, thereby, deceive most people.

Make no mistake, accepting the mark of the Beast and rejecting the sign of God will affect your future. God commands us to watch the signs of the time and to pray always to be counted worthy to escape the horrible things in store for this world. God warns us to reject the mark of the Beast, and He commands us to keep His weekly and annual Sabbaths, the sign of His people. You are now being challenged to make a decision—either to go along with the rest of the world, which is headed for soon-coming destruction, or to seek God and live by His Truth as it is revealed to you. God’s true servants will receive His blessing and strength. They will live and reign with Christ the King when He breaks these kingdoms in pieces and rules the world in righteousness.

The choice is yours to make. We hope and pray that you will make the right one.

Letter to the Brethren – January 7, 2004

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Dear Brethren and Friends:

As most modern societies count the years, we have entered the year of 2004. When reflecting on what the world experienced in 2003, chances are, the year of 2004 will hear more of the same bad news, except, perhaps, in an even worse way. Let us briefly remind ourselves of some of the news in 2003 (You might want to ‘read along with us,’ by looking at the headlines in our Current Event sections of our weekly Updates of 2003):

January 2003: Worldwide Times of Terror; Captivity-Beyond the Pale; Big Brother in the U.S.; The European Union and the United Nations vs. the U.S. and Great Britain; U.S. Divided Against Itself; The Roman Catholic and Protestant Churches vs. U.S.

February 2003: America’s Troubles – And No End; America and Europe – a Great Divide; Is the World Facing World Destruction?; Droughts in Australia and the U.S.

March 2003: Assassination in Serbia; Moab – the Mother of All Bombs; Ongoing Conflict with North Korea; Will There Be Peace?

April 2003: Victory – but at What Price?; Cold War in Asia; How Safe Is This World?

May 2003: Earthquakes; World Hunger; U.S. Deflation; SARS – and No End in Sight

June 2003: Unprecedented U.S. National Debt; Apocalypse Now; Iraq – a Thorn in the Flesh; HIV; Supreme Court Strikes Down Gay Sex Ban; Ongoing Attacks in Iraq

July 2003: Nuclear Attacks on the U.S.?; U.S. States Deficit Highest Since World War II; U.S. National Missile Defense System Useless?

August 2003: Religious Persecution in Europe; New Terror Attacks in Sight?; Sex Crimes Cover Up by Vatican?; Iran’s and Syria’s Long-Range Missiles; Russia Hit by Meteor; Homosexuality in Church Leadership; The Great Darkness; West Nile Cases

September 2003: Terror Attacks in the U.K.; Earthquakes and Asteroids; Road Map to War? Sweden, the Euro and Murder; Ignored War in Northeastern Congo

October 2003: Water Shortage in Australia; Firestorms in California, Colorado and B.C.

November 2003: Witches Accepted; Unbalanced Fear of Anti-Semitism; Reinstitution of the U.S. Draft; Religious Persecution in Germany; Homosexuality in England; Russia – Stalin Remains Popular; Terror in Istanbul; U.S. Dollar Keeps Falling; Gay Rights on the March; Religious Rights Are Threatened

December 2003: EU Warns Israel; Iraq War Opponents Barred From Bidding; U.S. Retreats From Germany; Zimbabwe Resigns From Commonwealth; Mad Cow Disease in the U.S.; Earthquake in California

This was just a representative sample of topics discussed in our weekly Updates “bad” news that is nevertheless interesting, important and perhaps even necessary to occur, in light of Biblical prophecy. (If you have not carefully read our weekly Updates during this past year, you see what you might have been missing.)

But then, we also brought you very encouraging news – as it relates to our part in God’s Work of preaching the gospel and feeding the flock. Every Update contains a Biblical Question and Answer section, as well as an Editorial discussing Christian living or other Biblically related issues. These columns include many Biblical quotes backing up what is being said. (In carefully reading our Updates, you were able to conduct your own personal Bible studies in regard to almost 100 Biblical topics.)

By the end of 2003, we had produced 13 booklets and a reprint article in English, as well as two booklets and several articles in German, and one booklet and several articles in French, all of which have been posted on our Websites. We conducted advertising campaigns in England and Canada, offering some of our booklets. We received hundreds of responses from brand-new people. Further, we had produced, by the end of 2003, almost 25 StandingWatch Internet broadcasts, discussing current events in the light of Biblical prophecies, and pointing the listener and viewer to the right way of living, as revealed in God’s Word. (We also began, in 2003, the process of designing an additional Webpage, directed mainly at brand-new people who have had little or no contact with any of the Sabbath-keeping Church of God organizations.) In addition, we sent out our monthly member letters, as well as taped audio sermons for our scattered brethren without Internet access, who are unable to listen to our live Internet Sabbath services.

All of this is VERY good news, as the truth of God is thus being made available to everyone who has Internet access, and to many, who heard about, and requested, our written publications. So far, we have received email messages and letters from readers in the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Continental Europe, Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Africa.

It is important not to lose sight of why we are here. In light of all the “bad” news, which we had in 2003, and which can be expected to continue and worsen in 2004, coupled with personal trials and shortcomings, it is easy to lose faith and the desire to continue with zeal and dedication in the most important task which could possibly exist today – the task of giving hope to this dying world and to the called-out disciples of Christ. We do this by preaching and teaching God’s truth to all that are willing to listen. We may do this directly and immediately, by writing and reviewing articles and booklets, speaking in sermons, sermonettes or on Internet broadcasts; helping before, during and after Sabbath services; assisting with Internet broadcasts; maintaining and updating our Websites; sending out our booklets and Updates; preparing and ó 3 ó distributing audio sermon tapes; sending interesting news articles to San Diego for the Updates; or translating articles and booklets into foreign languages. There are many other immediate and direct ways to assist in the great Work of God, not even mentioned here. At the same time, we are commanded by God to faithfully bring our tithes and offerings to “God’s storehouse,” (compare Malachi 3:8-10), so that God’s Work can continue. Tithing is a personal obligation toward God. It is a sin not to tithe, either because of flagrant intentional disobedience, or because of continued neglect or indifference. God will not hold guiltless those who are rebellious, or even negligent toward His Word. And, to be sure, tithing is an obligation of man (Malachi 3:8), not just of Church members. Finally, one of the most important ways of supporting the Work of God is heartfelt prayer, coupled with occasional fasting. Christ commands us to pray for the Work of God (compare Luke 10:2), which goes forward on the knees of all of those whom God has called to have a part in His Work.

And so, there is no time to become slack and lackadaisical. We KNOW that our trials for, and our efforts in the Work are not in vain (compare Galatians 3:4; 1 Corinthians 15:58). We KNOW that Christ will come soon to give us our full reward (2 John 8) for our diligence and perseverance (Revelation 22:12). We KNOW that we must overcome (Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 26; 3:5, 12, 21). We must overcome our sinful nature, this world, and Satan the devil, the ruler of this world. It has been a time-proven fact that the best and must successful way of overcoming these three enemies is direct and continuous involvement in the Work of God. This is the case, as we focus on others, rather than on ourselves. We develop outgoing love for others, thereby becoming more and more like God (Matthew 5:48), Who IS love (1 John 4:16).

Yes, there will be trials and difficulties. We must through MANY tribulations enter the Kingdom of God (Acts 14:22; compare also Psalm 34:19). The righteous may fall seven times, but he does not give up. He gets up every time and continues to walk the walk (compare Proverbs 24:16). He has the HOPE of eternal life in the Kingdom of God clearly in front of his eyes (compare Titus 1:2). This hope motivates him to continue (compare Hebrews 6:17-20).

We have much to do in 2004. We have been discussing new projects, including the writing and publication of additional booklets and ad campaigns. Doors are open before us, but only through the combined efforts of all those, whose heart God has touched, will we be able to go through those doors. And MOST IMPORTANTLY, we must do so because we want to serve God, and because we LOVE those whom He wants us to reach. We MUST NEVER develop the attitude of becoming “big” in our own eyes, because of the success, which God might grant us. This was the downfall of King Saul. This has become the downfall of many in recent years who had joined the Worldwide Church of God, because it had become a somewhat “respectable” organization, with expensive buildings, and with a human leader who was invited by governmental officials all over the world. None of those activities and possessions were wrong, of course. In fact, due to the diligence and perseverance of its human leader, God blessed his and the Church’s efforts, even in physical respects. But, the motives of those were wrong who “joined” the Church BECAUSE of those “prestigious” activities and costly buildings. We must keep our right perspective. God will not continue to use someone in His Work who is more concerned about his status, financial security, salary or pension, as well as his personal image – as to how he is viewed by others- than he is concerned about God’s truth, including a genuine humility on his part and his willingness to repent of his sins and mistakes. The Bible is very clear on this point. Let’s not forget this vital lesson. As experience and the record of history have shown, it is easy to fall into the pit of self-glorification, thereby misappropriating for oneself titles that exclusively belong to Christ, or titles which God did not bestow on a particular person.

At the same time, let all of us, in the Church of the Eternal God, and in its corporate affiliates in Canada and Great Britain, remain humble, always abounding in the Work of God, and in the faith of Jesus Christ. Then, no obstacle will be too difficult for us to overcome, and no trial will defeat us. Nobody knows when Christ will return. But those who understand Biblical prophecies know that it is not very far away. That is why we must continue to watch world events – but we must do so as a MOTIVATION to grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ, and to overcome our weaknesses. The Church is asked to preach, as part of the gospel message, REPENTANCE to all that are willing to listen (Luke 24:46-47). Most people think today that they have no need to repent. This is even true for some – if not many -in the Church. Christ warns all of us, in Revelation 3:19: ‘” be zealous and repent.'” If we don’t repent, He will vomit us out of His mouth (compare Revelation 3:16). This warning must be taken very seriously.

We are called to succeed – individually and also collectively, as a part of Gods s Church. God did not call us out of this world so that we should fail. God did not inspire us to continue with preaching the gospel and feeding the flock, only to meet miserable defeat. God does not want us to give up and cease doing the Work, by wrongly convincing ourselves that the Work of God has been completed. If we only concentrate on “feeding the flock” how WE can “make it into the Kingdom of God” then we act selfishly. If we only join a Church organization to have “a good time” in Church, by being together with friends and engaging in social activities, then, again, we act selfishly. And selfishness is not a character trait or a fruit of God’s Holy Spirit of love (compare 2 Timothy 1:7) which is outgoing concern for the benefit of others. Also, we must not be ashamed of God’s Word (Romans 1:16). If we are afraid to proclaim the truth boldly and without compromise, because we fear that someone might become upset about the truth, then we do not obey the express command of Christ, not to be ashamed of Him and His Word in this “adulterous and sinful generation” (Mark 8:38; Luke 9:26).

But, it is always our choice. We can choose to stay zealous and dedicated to God and His Work, or we can decide to give up. We pray to God that YOU will continue to please God and others – not merely yourself -by showing genuine love for the welfare of a world that is suffering with anguish and pain. When God is WITH and IN you, who can defeat you? NOBODY will be able to – except you yourself.

With Christian love

Norbert Link

Letter to the Brethren – December 10, 2003

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Dear Brethren and Friends,

The Church of the Eternal God came into existence because of issues of compromise. Likewise, both the Church of God, a Christian Fellowship in Canada and the Global Church of God in the United Kingdom have had to withstand these unacceptable alterations to Godís revealed truth. All of us were unwilling to settle for some very critical changes in doctrine as well as doctrinal approach, explanation and practice that would begin to erode the true teachings and administration of Godís Church. In that tumultuous time of transition, each of us made difficult decisions about our individual involvement in the future Work that God has so clearly called us to complete – at least, our part in it!

Weeks, months and now years have passed since we first organized together in order to carry on in the calling we have been given. Some who began with us have not continued. God chose to add others, in their stead, to our fellowship. Little by little -almost incrementally- God has rewarded our efforts to faithfully serve Him.

As we reported earlier, we were blessed to have five baptisms here in the United States at the Feast of Tabernacles held at Morro Bay, California. What is of particular note in these instances was that these individuals were all young adults. They had studied and proven the Biblical teachings regarding baptism. They stepped out in faith as each of us has done, and they committed their lives to God’s Way of living.

God has immeasurably blessed their lives through the work of all of us in the Church of the Eternal God and our corporate affiliates under the guidance of Godís mighty hand. They read booklets, listened to sermons, fellowshipped and sought counsel all within this faithful little organization. It is important for each of us to keep this perspective in mind.

Yet, this is only the beginning! We have been given the opportunity to bring the good new’s, the Gospel of the Kingdom of God to many others. In a world that is so estranged from its Maker, knowledge of even the proper way to live has been turned upside down and inside out! The societies that inhabit this earth at the present time donít even begin to understand the terrifying events that are about to descend on this unsuspecting world!

It is the responsibility of God’s Church to bring a message of warning and to serve those whom God is calling to salvation. Note what Jesus taught His disciples: “Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!” (John 4:35).

It is truly significant that Jesus challenged His disciples with these words shortly after meeting a woman from Samaria – a Gentile. At that time, Jesus and His disciples were dealing with the Jews and those of the rest of the tribes of Israel.

Later on, Peter, then Paul, was sent to the Gentiles to also bring the Way of God to them.

Consider, also, that Jesus spoke of a saying that was popular then regarding the time of harvest. He, however, made a point of explaining that the harvest was ready NOW! He was talking about those who were ready to hear the truth of God, to repent and be baptized and to receive the Holy Spirit of God!

Paul adds insight for us: “How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!'”(Romans 10:14-15).

It is through the joint efforts of those who support this work of the Church that we are steadily progressing in the ability to tell others of this Way of life. Not all are called upon to preach, not all have a direct role in writing or editing or designing our publications or serving directly in the Church, but ALL OF US do have a direct role in supporting this Work! We can ALL DO SOMETHING! And that is what God expects of each one of us – to do what we are able to do!

Your loyalty, encouragement and continuing faithfulness to God and His Truth in spite of individual hardships are a source of inspiration and strength. Regularly meeting with one another on the Sabbath is important for us to do – even if it is the chat room on the internet. Notes of encouragement and responses to helpful publications and sermons establish a bond throughout the body of Christ. Praying for the sick and remembering those in great trials are examples of the kind of support that the early Church practiced. We can all work on caring for and praying for one another as friends and brethren, just as Christ does for us. This kind of approach is also well pleasing to our Father.

In this same context, consider the rest of what Jesus taught in John 4: “And he who reaps [that is, gathers the harvest] receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. For in this the saying is true: ‘One sows and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors” (verses 36-38).

Brethren, the Church of the Eternal God and its corporate affiliates have entered into this labor, as well. It is God Who will continue to bless us as we seek to zealously serve Him through obedience to those things that He has revealed to us.

A long ago time, King Hezekiah turned to God and sought to lead Judah and Israel back to God. He sought to re-establish the observance of Godís Holy Days beginning with the Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread. For those who listened, note what God did: “Also the hand of God was on Judah to give them singleness of heart to obey the command of the king and the leaders, at the word of the LORD” (2 Chronicles 30:12).

Verse 26 of 2 Chronicles 30 states: “So there was great joy in Jerusalem, for since the time of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel, there had been nothing like this in Jerusalem.” We have the same opportunity to have God give us “singleness of heart”. Indeed, we will need it! The job out ahead of us is awe-inspiring! Just as we have begun with the unity that is an outgrowth of love, so now, we must forge onward as God directs the work He wants us to accomplish.

We are currently making plans for a ministerial conference in very early March of 2004. Also, we have secured the web name, STANDINGWATCH.ORG, which is the basis for creating a separate web page that will be directed to the public. More than twenty STANDINGWATCH programs already completed along with select news items and booklets will be some of what appears on this new site. Programming work to get this up and running is currently being done. By the time you receive this letter, our newest booklet, entitled “Are You Already Born Again?”, will be on its way to the printer for distribution in January.

The Church of the Eternal God along with its corporate affiliates is bearing fruit, and the most important is that each of us is growing individually. In truth, brethren, the more we commit ourselves to the Work of God and to our involvement in His Church, the more we will grow in spiritual understanding and Christ-like character.

In these dark times of wars, famines, diseases along with natural disasters all around the globe, let us remember that these are “the beginning of sorrows” (Matthew 24:8). We must continue to do our part to sound the alarm of greater dangers ahead. Finally, brethren, we must strive to be faithful examples of true Christianity teaching others the way to life everlasting and the true salvation that only God can give!

In Christís Service,

David J. Harris

God is a Family

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Introduction

The Bible reveals that God is not just a single being, but is comprised of two separate beings. These two beings are often referred to as the “Father” and the “Son,” illustrating the fact that God is actually a Family. While the Bible reveals that God is, in fact, a Family, it also shows that God is not a trinity. The Holy Spirit is not God, nor is it a separate being within the God Family. It is literally the power of God through which the God Family works.

When we pray to God, asking that He give His Holy Spirit to us so that we might live more effectively in His way of life, we are asking for God’s power that emanates directly from the Father and from the Son.

We will show in this booklet that the New Testament Scriptures, as well as the Old Testament Scriptures, clearly reveal that God IS a Family, presently comprised of two separate beings. Many who erroneously believe that the Old Testament teaches the existence of only one God being, have glossed over some very revealing passages without realizing the full meaning of what they are reading.

In the very first chapter of the Bible we are introduced to the fact that God is a FAMILY, consisting of more than just one person. We are also taught the mind-boggling truth that God wants to enlarge His Family—through US! It’s an awesome thing to understand that God created man to ultimately make him a part of His very Family!

“Let Us Make Man in Our Image…”

Notice what God says in Genesis 1:26: “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness…’” Why does God use the plural form when talking about the creation of man? Why does He say, “Let US make man in OUR image, according to OUR likeness…”?

We find the same terminology in Genesis 3:22, after Adam and Eve had eaten from the forbidden fruit, “Then the LORD God said, ‘Behold the man has become like one of US, to know good and evil…’”

To whom is God speaking in these passages?

Is God Speaking to Angels?

Some claim that the words “Us” and “Our” in Genesis 1:26 and 3:22 refer to God and His angels. They say that God is speaking here to angels. However, we know from Scripture that many angels do not look like men at all, especially the highest-ranking angels—the cherubim. They don’t look like men, but rather like certain animals; and sometimes their appearance reveals a combination of different animal features. Would God, then, have told those angels to create man in “their” image and according to their “likeness”?

Note, for instance, that Lucifer, a former high-ranking cherub (Isaiah 14:12; Ezekiel 28:14, 16), who became Satan the devil, looks like a serpent or a dragon (compare Genesis 3:1; Revelation 12:3, 9). The book of Ezekiel describes four cherubs or cherubim. First, Ezekiel 1:5 tells us that the “likeness of four living creatures” or cherubs appeared in “the likeness of a man.” The account continues, however, to point out important differences, “As for the likeness of their faces, each had the face of a man; each of the four had the face of a lion on the right side, each of the four had the face of an ox on the left side, and each of the four had the face of an eagle” (Ezekiel 1:10).

The predominant facial characteristic of these four cherubs was that of an ox, as Ezekiel 10:14 and 20–21 reveal: “Each one had four faces: the first face was the face of a cherub, the second face the face of a man, the third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle… This is the living creature I saw under the God of Israel by the River Chebar, and I knew they were cherubim. Each one had four faces and each one four wings.”  Comparing Ezekiel 1:10 with Ezekiel 10:14, we note that the “face of an ox on the left side” is equated with the “face of a cherub.”

We see, then, that the appearance of the four cherubim, described as the “likeness of a man,” only referred to their relative form, but not to their individual characteristics. They showed a combination of human and animal features. They did not reflect the image of a man—therefore, they did not reflect the image of God.

In the fourth chapter of the book of Revelation, four high ranking spirit beings are described before the very throne of God: “The first living creature was like a lion, the second living creature like a calf, the third living creature had a face like a man, and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle” (Revelation 4:7). Only one of these high-ranking spirit beings is referred to as having the face of a man, implying that his overall appearance does not reflect human features.

We also read about seven spirit beings who are sent out into all the earth (Revelation 5:6). Their appearance is that of horses, as parallel Scriptures in the book of Zechariah reveal (compare Zechariah 1:8–11; 6:1–8).

Wouldn’t it be strange if God had told His angels to create man after their image and according to their likeness, when many of them don’t look like men at all, while others show a combination of animal and human features?

Additionally, consider this: IF God were speaking to angels in Genesis 1:26, then that means that angels would have been participating in the creation of man. Nowhere does the Bible teach that angels participated in the creation of man. In fact, we are told that God created everything through Jesus Christ—not through angels (compare Ephesians 3:9; Colossians 1:16; Hebrews 1:1–2). The Bible specifically reveals who created man. We read in Genesis 2:7: “And the LORD GOD [i.e., Jesus Christ—not angels] formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.”

We also read that God made man a little lower than the angels for the present time, but with the goal to be superior to, and to actually rule over angels (Hebrews 2:5–9). Angels were created by God as “ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation” (Hebrews 1:14).

Again, wouldn’t it seem strange to assume that God used angels to create man, with man’s ultimate goal and purpose to rule over angels? Keep in mind that what is created is below the creator—not above him. Christ pointed out that the disciple is not over his master (compare Matthew 10:24). At best, the disciple is like his master (Matthew 10:25). Angels, however, will be under man, and man will actually judge angels (1 Corinthians 6:3).

Adam Clarke confirms in his “Commentary on the Old Testament,” on pages 38 and 39, that God could not have been speaking to angels in Genesis 1 and 3, because the Bible nowhere says that angels are created in the image and likeness of God. In fact, Adam Clarke emphasizes that no other creature but man was made in God’s image, according to the express testimony of Scripture.

Did God Use “Pluralis Maiestatis”?

Some claim that the statement, “Let Us make man in Our image,” does not reveal a plurality of persons in the Godhead, but that it is like an expression of a king who speaks of himself in the plural form. They point out, for instance, that the queen of England might say something like, “We have decreed…” She is referring to herself, but she says, “we.” This way of speaking is called “pluralis maiestatis” or “pluralis maiestaticus.”

The problem with applying this concept to God’s statements in Genesis 1 and 3 is that God did not use this kind of speaking in His inspired word, the Bible—in fact, the early Hebrews knew nothing about this way of speaking. The concept that a king speaks of himself in a plural form was only developed much later by the Greeks, and then adopted by the Romans, as noted in a German encyclopedia, the dtv-Lexikon: “The pluralis maiestatis was created at Greek courts and reached the kingly titles of modern times through Rome.”

George Knight wrote a book in 1959, published in England, entitled, “A Christian Theology of the Old Testament.” He points out on page 66 that we cannot assume God was speaking by using the grammatical form of pluralis maiestatis, as this would mean to read into the Hebrew a modern way of speaking. He explains that if we look strictly at the Bible, we find that the kings of Israel and Judah are exclusively referred to by others—and exclusively refer to themselves—in the singular form, never in the plural.

God Created Man in His Image

Having ruled out the possibility that God was speaking to angels, or that He was referring to Himself by using a plural form as a manner of speaking, we are left with the understanding that God is, in fact, not just one being.  We might say that the word, “God,” itself is a “name,” rather than just a reference to a single being. In other words, God is a Family. Man was created in God’s image with the very potential of becoming part of His Family. The God Family presently consists of God the Father and Jesus Christ the Son (Hebrews 1:1–2, 5; Luke 1:30–33).

The God Family is destined to grow. Once we become converted, we become begotten children of God—to be born into the very God Family at the time of our resurrection or change to immortality. Once we fully understand the fact that God is a Family and that converted Christians are destined to become a part of this Family, we can appreciate why Jesus Christ is called our elder brother—the firstborn among many brethren (Romans 8:29)—and why we are called the children of God (1 John 3:1–2; John 1:12–13). We also understand why we are called sons and daughters of God (2 Corinthians 6:18), and why we are privileged to call God our Father (Romans 8:15–17; Galatians 4:6).

In addition, Christ is referred to as the bridegroom who is to marry His bride—the church (Revelation 19:7–9; Matthew 9:15; 25:1, 5, 6, 10; John 3:22–30). The church is comprised of all those who have God’s Spirit—including those who will be called after Christ’s return. (Note that the new or heavenly Jerusalem, mentioned in Hebrews 12:22 and Revelation 3:12, will descend from heaven to this earth long after Christ’s return. However, it is still associated at that time with the “bride”—the church—in Revelation 21:9. We are told, in Revelation 21:24; 22:14, that all those will be able to enter the holy city, “who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life,” and “who do His commandments.”) The Bible tells us that Christ will actually marry His begotten disciples in whom His Spirit dwells.

The amazing truth is that it is God’s plan and desire to bring all of mankind to salvation (1 Timothy 2:4). In talking about the ancient and modern house of Israel and using it as a symbol for all mankind, Paul makes clear that “all Israel will be saved” (Romans 11:26). Christ is the “Savior of all men” (1 Timothy 4:10). He died for “the world”—not only for those who have responded to God’s calling today and who have become His disciples (John 3:16). However, no one can be saved unless he or she accepts Jesus Christ as his or her personal Savior (Acts 4:12). Also, “no one can come” to Christ “unless the Father… draws him” (John 6:44). Therefore, God planned that those who have died without having heard the truth prior to their death will have the same potential of becoming God members in His Family in due time.

Revelation 20:5, 11–12 reveals that those people will be resurrected in a “second resurrection” for the purpose of learning and accepting God’s way of life. If they choose to obey God, they, too, will become God beings in the Family of God. After God’s plan will have reached its completion, God says this about all of His children: “He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son” (Revelation 21:7). We also read that all of them “shall reign forever and ever” (Revelation 22:5). (For more information on God’s awesome plan of salvation for all mankind, please read our free booklets, Do We Have an Immortal Soul?” and God’s Commanded Holy Days.”)

What we can see from all of these statements is that God is a Family, and that He is in the process of enlarging His Family—through man.

Man Looks Like God

The fact that God created man in His image and likeness is to be understood quite literally, showing that man looks like God. Of course, man is a physical being, while God is Spirit (John 4:24; 2 Corinthians 3:17). Still, when God manifests Himself so that He can be seen with human eyes, His appearance is that of a man, having a head with white hair, a mouth, eyes, chest, arms, hands, waist, legs, and feet. The Bible confirms that God has “form and shape”—although He is Spirit. It is difficult for physical beings to understand that Spirit can have “form and shape”—but it does, and the Bible clearly reveals this truth to us. Notice God’s own testimony in Numbers 12:8: “‘I speak with him [Moses] face to face, Even plainly, and not in dark sayings; And he sees the form of the LORD.’” Indeed, God spoke to Moses “face to face,” that is, “plainly, and not in dark sayings” (compare, too, Deuteronomy 34:10–12), and Moses did quite literally see “the form of the LORD.” We read about that account in Exodus 33:18–23:

“And he [Moses] said, ‘Please, show me your glory.’ Then He said, ‘I will make all My goodness pass before you…’ But He said, ‘You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live.’ And the LORD said, ‘Here is a place by Me, and you shall stand on the rock. So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by. Then I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back; but My face shall not be seen.’”

God the Father is described in His glorified state in the book of Revelation. The Father is described as the “Lord God Almighty,” sitting on a throne, having a scroll in His “right hand” (Revelation 4:8; 5:1). He is also described in the book of Daniel as the “Ancient of Days,” with the “hair of His head… like pure wool” (Daniel 7:9).

In addition, the Bible contains numerous descriptions of Jesus Christ in His glorified state. As we will prove in this booklet, Jesus Christ is God—the second member of the God Family. He is the image of God the Father (2 Corinthians 4:4; Colossians 1:15). Christ told His disciple Philip in John 14:9, “He who has seen Me has seen the Father.” God the Father and Jesus Christ the Son look the same—in their outward appearance. Now note how Jesus Christ manifested Himself in His glorified state:

In Revelation 1:13–16, John sees Christ as “One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire; His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and His voice as the sound of many waters; He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength.”

We find an almost identical description of God in His glorified state in the book of Ezekiel. As we will see later in this booklet, the personage who manifested Himself in this passage (as well as in the previous passage in Exodus 33) was, in fact, Jesus Christ. We read: “And above the firmament over their heads [the heads of the cherubim] was the likeness of a throne, in appearance like a sapphire stone; on the likeness of the throne was a likeness with the appearance of a man high above it. Also from the appearance of His waist and upward I saw, as it were, the color of amber with the appearance of fire all around within it; and from the appearance of His waist and downward I saw, as it were, the appearance of fire with brightness all around… This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD” (Ezekiel 1:26–28).

God Reproduces Himself Through Man

We read that God created man in His image and after His likeness. We saw that God looks like a man (or more correctly phrased, man looks like God), though God is, of course, a glorified Spirit being, while man is matter, made of the dust of the ground. In addition, Genesis 5:3 explains what it means to be created in the image and likeness of someone else: “And Adam lived one hundred and thirty years, and begot a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth.”

As Adam’s son Seth looked like Adam, so Adam, when God created him, looked like God. Both God and Adam were “reproducing” themselves in their own likeness, after their image.

Genesis 1 reveals that God began to reproduce Himself through man, by first creating man physically—in His image and after His likeness—and with the potential to become a spirit being and a full member of the God Family.

In reading the entire account of Genesis 1, beginning in verse 3, we find that God created plants and animals according to their own kind. He created great sea creatures according to their kind. He created every winged bird according to their kind. He created cattle, and creeping things, and beasts of the earth according to their kind. However, when it came to the creation of man, God said: “Let Us make man in Our image!” So, God created man according to the God kind. That is why Adam is called the “son of God” in Luke 3:38. Also, mankind is called “the offspring of God” in Acts 17:28–29.

So then, rightly understood, the Bible reveals in the very first chapter that God IS a Family, and that man was created for the purpose of ultimately joining the Family of God.

This truth is confirmed throughout the Bible, including the New Testament. Ephesians 3:14–15 tells us, “For this cause I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven [presently God the Father and Jesus Christ] and earth [begotten children of God, to be born into the very Family of God at the time of their resurrection, or change, to immortality] is named.”

At this time, the Family of God in heaven consists of God the Father and Jesus Christ the Son. In one sense, angels are also called “sons of God” (Job 1:6), since God created them, as He created man. However, angels are not part of the FAMILY of God of which we speak. We read in Hebrews 1:14 that angels are “all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation.” Angels were not created to inherit salvation—to become members of the Family of God.  In the same way, the passage just quoted in the letter to the Ephesians speaks about those who are already begotten members of the Family of God here on earth—those, who are already “children of God” (1 John 3:2). It describes converted Christians, in whom God’s Spirit dwells, which Spirit is a guarantee, a down payment or an earnest toward their salvation (Ephesians 1:13–14). In a more general sense, though, unconverted people are also “sons of God”—since God created them as well (compare Luke 3:38, calling Adam the “son of God”). However, they are not (yet) begotten members of the God Family. The only distinction between unconverted people and angels is that unconverted people—unlike angels—can become members of the God Family, after they repent, believe, become baptized, and receive the Holy Spirit which is to continue to dwell in them until the time of their death or change (Romans 8:8–11).

Note, too, how the New International Version renders Hebrews 2:11, “Both the one who makes men holy [God] and those who are made holy [God’s chosen disciples] are of the same family.”

Our free booklet, “The Gospel of the Kingdom of God,” proves from the Bible, in much more detail than we can provide here, man’s incredible potential of becoming a born again member of the God Family.

“Elohim”—Proof that God Is More than One Being

The very Hebrew word translated “God” in Genesis 1:26 reveals that God consists of more than one person. That Hebrew word is “Elohim,” which can be used as a plural word. It can be singular in grammar, but plural in meaning. For example, some English words that are singular in grammar are “church,” “club,” “family,” “school,” “government,” or “nation.” However, these words are all plural in meaning, or at least, the plural meaning is included. It is understood that the unit consists of more than one person. Unless there is more than one person, it is not considered a family, or a nation, or a church, etc.

The same is true for the Hebrew word “Elohim.” Grammatically, it can be a singular word, but it can have a plural meaning. Some reject this understanding, falsely claiming that the word “Elohim,” as used in Genesis 1:26 and translated as “God,” cannot convey a plural meaning. But this objection has been correctly refuted by many commentaries, pointing out that the word “Elohim” does most certainly convey a plural meaning. They explain that the Hebrew word “Elohim” is the plural form of the singular Hebrew words “El” or “Eloah,” concluding that many theologians have understood this to refer to a plurality within the Godhead.

“Elohim”—Singular in Grammar but Plural in Meaning

George Knight writes in his book, cited earlier, that the word “Elohim” is clearly a plural word. He explains that the same is true for the word “Adam.” Normally, “Adam” is translated as “man.” The word “Adam” can refer to the individual; it can refer to both man and woman; and it can even refer to “man-kind.” That the Bible refers to man and woman as “Adam” is remarkable, because the Bible also says that the two are to become “one.” [We might interject here that Jesus said on numerous occasions that the Father and He were “one” (compare John 10:30). In fact, He said that His disciples should also be “one,” as the Father and Christ are “one” (John 17:20–22). Christ was not saying, of course, that the Father and He are one being; neither was He saying that all the members of the Church should become one being. Rather, He was talking about unity, harmony, purpose, goal, and mindset. This will become clearer, as we proceed.]

George Knight goes on to explain that there are several words in the Hebrew, all ending with “-im,” which are derived from a grammatically singular word that conveys plural meaning. One of these words is “Cherubim,” the plural form of “Cherub.” Another word is “Elohim.” Other words are “ne’urim,” meaning “youth,” or “mayim,” meaning “water.” The concept of water, in particular, is very interesting, as it can refer to a single drop of water or to a vast ocean. We understand though that it is the same kind of water in either case, and it is always referred to as “water.” In that sense, water is both singular and plural. Knight goes on to point out that the same is true for the word “Elohim.” When we read that “Elohim,” or “God,” said: “Let US make man in Our image,” we should realize that the word for man, “Adam, as well as the word for God, “Elohim, can be singular or plural in meaning, depending on the context.

Some disagree. They claim that when the word “Elohim” refers to the God of Israel, it only conveys singular meaning, stating that the word “Elohim” is allegedly always connected with a singular verb. (We will see later that this statement is false, since the word “Elohim,” when referring to the God of Israel, can very well be connected with a plural verb.) They cite, in particular, Genesis 1:27: “So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” In this passage, the verb for “created” is, indeed, in the singular.

“Elohim” Followed by a Singular Verb

The objection that “Elohim” cannot describe more than one God being, since it is followed by a singular verb in Genesis 1:27, is without merit, for several reasons. Let’s take a closer look.

Adam Clarke points out in his Commentary that the singular verb “created” does not necessarily reduce God or “Elohim” to a single person, as it could refer to the unity or oneness of more than one acting person. In other words, there was total harmony between the God beings when they created man. Further, the word for man, “Adam,” is also first referred to in the singular, but it includes both male and female, and the statement ends with the concept that God created “THEM.”

In addition, the fact that a singular verb follows a noun that is plural in meaning is not unusual. This is a question of grammar, not of meaning. We don’t say, “The family ARE big,” but rather we say, “The family IS big.” We still understand, however, that the word “family,” although followed by a singular verb, conveys a plural meaning, because a family must consist of more than one person in order to be called a family.

We also need to remember that the word “Elohim,” or “God,” can refer to either one of the two beings in the Godhead. Each one is called, and referred to as “Elohim,” or “God.” In Genesis 1:26, God, or “Elohim,” says, “Let US make man in OUR image.” One God being speaks to the other God being, referring to both of them as “Us.” When we read in Genesis 1:27 that GOD, or “Elohim,” created man in HIS image, we understand that it was the one God being who actually did the creating, and we already know from the New Testament that God the Father created everything through Jesus Christ.

It was God the Father who spoke to the One who is also called Jesus Christ, the Son of God, or the “Word” (John 1:1–3, 14; Revelation 19:11–13). God the Father said to Christ, “Let Us make man in Our image.” [If we were to conclude that Christ spoke these words, rather than the Father, then we would have to say that it was Christ who was in control and who gave command to the Father—a conclusion not supported in Scripture. It was God the Father who created everything THROUGH Jesus Christ.] It was Christ, then, who did the actual work of creating man, and He created man in His image. Remember, though, that Christ is also the image of the Father (compare 2 Corinthians 4:3–4 and Colossians 1:15). Therefore, when Christ created man in His image, He also created man in the image of the Father. Man, then, was created in the image of GOD—in the image of both God the Father and God the Son.

“Elohim” Followed by a Plural Verb

We saw earlier that the word “Elohim,” although singular in grammar, can be plural in meaning. We saw, too, that “Elohim” can be followed by a singular Hebrew verb—as this is a matter of grammar, and not of meaning. Some claim that because of the fact that “Elohim” is often followed by a singular Hebrew verb, this somehow proves that the word “Elohim” cannot have a plural meaning. We have seen the falsity of this argument. However, there are Scriptures where the word Elohim,” referring to the God of Israel, is accompanied by a plural Hebrew verb, not a singular Hebrew verb. This fact totally rules out the possibility that the word “Elohim, when referring to the true God, can only have singular meaning.

Note the following examples:

In Genesis 20:13, Abraham states, “And it came to pass, when God caused me to wander from my father’s house, that I said to her [Abraham’s wife, Sarah], This is your kindness that you should do for me: in every place, wherever we go, say of me, He is my brother.” The Hebrew word for “God” here is “Elohim.” The word for “caused” is in the plural in the original Hebrew, not in the singular.

In Genesis 35:6–7, we read, “So Jacob came to Luz (that is, Bethel), which is in the land of Canaan, he and all the people who were with him. And he built an altar there and called the place El Bethel, because there God appeared to him when he fled from the face of his brother.” The Hebrew word for “God” is “Elohim.” The word for “appeared” is in the plural in the original Hebrew, not in the singular.

In 2 Samuel 7:23, we read this prayer of David: “And who is like Your people, like Israel, the one nation on the earth whom God went to redeem for Himself as a people, to make for Himself a name…” The Hebrew word for “God,” “Elohim,” is followed by a plural Hebrew verb, translated as “went” in the English.

The fact that the word “Elohim,” when referring to the God of Israel, can be accompanied in the Hebrew by a plural word is important, as it rejects the claim that the God of Israel (“Elohim”) can only be one personage. The above-cited examples of plural Hebrew words (the Hebrew expressions for “caused,” “appeared” and “went”) make this very clear. In the Hebrew, the words for “caused,” “appeared” and “went” are distinctively plural, and cannot be understood to be singular. The same can be seen in other languages, for instance in German (a language related to Hebrew), although it might not be all that clear in English. In German, we might say, “Der Hund bellte.” (“The dog barked.”) The word “dog” or “Hund” is clearly accompanied by a singular verb (“barked” or “bellte”). Then, we might say, “Die Hunde bellten.” (“The dogs barked.”) In the English language, it is not clear, strictly judging by the word “barked,” whether the subject is singular or plural, as the verb is “barked” in either case. In German, however, it is clear that the verb (“bellten”) refers to a plural noun (if one wants to refer to a single dog, one would have to say, “bellte”—not “bellten”).  The same is true for Hebrew. The fact that the Hebrew word “Elohim” is at times accompanied by a plural (not a singular) Hebrew verb proves that “Elohim” consists of more than just one being.

Another Lesson in Grammar from the German Language

It is true, however, that in most cases, the Hebrew word “Elohim,” when referring to the God of Israel, is accompanied by a singular verb. This fact—that the word “Elohim” can be either singular or plural, and the verb that follows the noun “Elohim” may be in the singular in either case—should not surprise us. For instance, in German, we can observe the same principle when looking at the word for “police,” which is “Polizei.” One can refer to “Polizei” as conveying a singular or a plural meaning, but the verb in German is always in the singular. As an example, a single policeman could say: “Hier steht die Polizei,” meaning, “Here are the police.” Note that in German, the verb is in the singular. Or, the policeman could say, “Die Polizei befiehlt.” (“The police order you.”) Note again, that in German, the verb is in the singular, although now the single officer who gives the order speaks on behalf of the entire police force. At the same time, a group of police officers could all refer to themselves as “the police.” When they do, the verb associated with “Polizei” is still singular in German.

So now we have clearly established the fact that the Hebrew word for God, “Elohim,” can refer to more than one God being, or it can refer to either one of the two God beings. The verb associated with “Elohim” may be singular. Again, this is a matter of grammar, not of meaning.

Plural Nouns Referring to God—”Elohim”

We also saw, however, that the word “Elohim,” when referring to the God of Israel, does at times associate with a plural verb, showing clearly that God must consist of more than one person. In addition, there are several nouns that refer to and describe the God of Israel that are used in the plural, again showing that the God of Israel must consist of more than one person.

Ecclesiastes 12:1 reads, “Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth.” In the original Hebrew, the word for “Creator” is in the plural, which should be translated as “Creators.” Both the Father and the Son are Creators. God the Father created everything, including man, through Jesus Christ.

Notice, too, Isaiah 54:5, “For your Maker is your husband, The LORD of hosts is His name.” Translating literally from the Hebrew, it should read: “For your Makers [are] your husbands.” Both “Maker” and “husband” are plural nouns in the original. There is no verb in the Hebrew, but it needs to be implied as a plural verb, since both the subject and the object are in the plural in the original Hebrew.

We find a similar statement in Job 35:10, “But no one says, Where is God my Maker…?” In the original, it says, “Where is God my Makers?”

In addition, Proverbs 9:10 states, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” The original says, however: “The fear of the LORD (is) the beginning of wisdom; and the knowledge of the Holy Ones [or: “of the Holies”] (is) understanding.” “Holy” or “Holy One” is a plural noun in the original Hebrew. Similar passages can be found in Proverbs 30:3 and in Hosea 11:12.

These passages provide additional evidence that God is not just one being, but that He is a Family, consisting of the Father and of the Son.

Jesus Christ WAS—and IS—God!

Yes, Jesus Christ WAS—and IS—God! This is a profound statement that many may not have heard before! Some may well believe that God the Father created everything Himself. Many may have been taught that God is only one being, and that Christ is, at best, an angel, or, that He did not even exist before He was born as a human being. You may have heard those who claim that Jesus Christ is not God, therefore God the Father did not create everything through another God being—Jesus Christ.

The Bible clearly reveals, however, that both the Father and Jesus Christ ARE God, and that they have ALWAYS been God throughout eternity!

Reading from John 1:1, “In the beginning was the Word [the “Logos” in Greek, meaning “Spokesman”], and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” We see that it is Jesus Christ—the “Word”—the One who “SPOKE, and it was done” (Psalm 33:9), and the One who later became flesh (John 1:14), who is referred to in John 1:1 as “God.”

Some say that the phrase in John 1:1 should be translated as, “The Word was divine,” in the sense that everything that God says is divine. That proposal is wrong. The Greek word for “divine” is “theios,” while the term for “God,” as used in John 1:1, is “theos.” The term “theos” can only mean “God.” The “Word” was not only “divine”—the “Word” was “God.”

There are many other passages that clearly reveal that Jesus Christ always was, and now is, God. He was God before He was changed into flesh and blood—a human being like us—to live for a short while on this earth. Then after His resurrection, He again became the powerful God being that He had been prior to His human birth.

John 1:18 tells us: “No one has ever seen God [the Father]. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known” (New Revised Standard Version). Notice the rendering of this passage in the New American Bible: “No one has ever seen God. The only Son, God, who is at the Father’s side, has revealed him.”

Additionally, Romans 9:5 refers to Jesus Christ as “the eternally blessed God.” Philippians 2:5–7 explains that Christ was “equal with God” the Father, but that He took the “form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.” Hebrews 1:8 refers to Jesus Christ, the Son of God, as “God.”

In John 20:28–29, Thomas calls the resurrected Christ “God,” and Titus 2:13 speaks of Jesus Christ as “our great God and Savior.” Christ is also referred to in the Old Testament, in Isaiah 7:14, as “God with us,” or “Immanuel,” and He is referred to as the “Mighty God” (in Hebrew, “El”), in Isaiah 9:6.

Clearly, it is Jesus Christ who is “the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). He is the second God being in the God Family. It is He who created man, but in doing so, He followed the instruction of God the Father, who is the Highest in the God Family (compare 1 Corinthians 3:23; 1 Corinthians 11: 3; 1 Corinthians 15:20–28; John 14:28).

Jesus Came to Reveal the Father

The Jews at the time of Christ did not know—and most still don’t know today—that God is a Family, presently consisting of two God beings. Christ came to REVEAL the Father to them (Matthew 11:27; Luke 10:22). The Jews thought they knew the Father, not realizing that the God of the Old Testament, who directly worked with and dealt with Israel, was Jesus Christ—not God the Father.

We have already read in John 1:18 that “no one has seen God at any time.” John 5:37 confirms that “you have neither heard His [the Father’s] voice at any time, nor seen His form.” Again, we read in John 6:46: “Not that anyone has seen the Father, except He who is from God,” that is, Jesus Christ. Finally, 1 John 4:12 repeats, “No one has seen God at any time.”

Still, we have read that God did appear to the ancient Israelites. They did hear His voice many times. Some even saw the form of God, to an extent, in His glorified state (compare Genesis 32:30; Exodus 33:11, 17–23; 34:6–8; Numbers 12:8; Deuteronomy 34:10; Isaiah 6:1–10; Ezekiel 1:26–28; 3:23; 8:4).

According to Biblical testimony, some did see “God” in Old Testament times, and they did hear His voice.  On the other hand, Christ and the apostles taught that no human has ever seen or heard the voice of “God.” Since God does not contradict Himself in His Word, He is obviously talking about two different personages here. Indeed, the Bible clarifies that no one has ever seen God the Father (compare again John 5:37; 6:46). But some did see “God”—that is, the second being in the God Family—Jesus Christ, in His glorified state.

The Bible confirms that it was Jesus Christ who appeared to people and spoke with them in Old Testament times (compare John 8:56–58; 1 Corinthians 10:4, 9). In doing so, the Bible emphasizes again that Jesus Christ was GOD before He became a man, and that God is a Family, consisting of God the Father and God the Son, Jesus Christ. It was, in fact, Christ who dealt directly with Israel.

Did the Ancients Understand the Duality in the Godhead?

Did Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, David, Daniel, and the other prophets understand that God, or “Elohim,” is more than one person? The Bible reveals that they did know.

Acts 3:13 states that the “God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified His servant Jesus.” Abraham, Isaac and Jacob understood that their God was the Father, who would later glorify Jesus Christ, the Son. They also understood—as we will see in a moment—that the God being who directly dealt with and appeared to them, was Jesus Christ—not the Father.

Notice Psalm 45. The sons of Korah wrote this Psalm, but it stands to reason that David knew it. Psalm 45:6–7 reads, “Your throne, O God [“Elohim”], is forever and ever; A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom. You love righteousness and hate wickedness; therefore God [“Elohim”], Your God [“Elohim”] has anointed You With the oil of gladness more than Your companions.”

These verses refer to one of the persons in the Godhead, calling Him God or “Elohim,” and then to a second person in the Godhead, calling Him also God or “Elohim.” We are told here that “Elohim” anointed “Elohim” with the oil of gladness. The one being, “Elohim,” is also identified as God or “Elohim” of the other being, also referred to as “Elohim.” Here we see a reference to the Word or the Son, Jesus Christ—Himself God—and to the Father, who is also God. The Father is above all. He is the Head of Jesus Christ (compare 1 Corinthians 11:3). So we learn from this that God the Father is God of the Son, or the Word, who is also God.

The word “Elohim” is used for both personages in the Godhead. The patriarchs, David, and other Biblical writers did, indeed, understand this duality in the Godhead.

Note, for instance, Isaiah 41:21–26, where God is challenging the futility of idols: “Present your case, says the LORD. Bring forth your strong reasons, says the King of Jacob. Let them bring forth and show US what will happen; Let them show the former things, what they were, That WE may consider them, And know the latter end of them; Or declare to US things to come. Show the things that are to come hereafter, That WE may know that you are gods; Yes, do good or do evil, That WE may be dismayed and see it TOGETHER… Who has declared from the beginning, that WE may know? And former things, that WE may say, He is righteous?”

God is using the plural in this passage to reveal that God is more than one being. Isaiah is not referring here to God and himself. Note that Isaiah quotes verbatim a statement from God (Note Isaiah 41:21: “Present your case, says the LORD…”). We find a similar statement by Jesus Christ, when He talked to the Pharisee Nicodemus, a “ruler of the Jews” (John 3:1). Nicodemus had visited Christ privately by night. Christ told him: “‘Most assuredly, I say to you, WE speak what WE know and testify what WE have seen, and you do not receive OUR witness’” (John 3:11). Christ was referring to God the Father and Himself (compare verse 16).

The Prophet Daniel Understood

God repeatedly refers to Himself in the plural. It is made very clear in the book of Daniel, who these two God beings are. Notice the vision in Daniel 7:9–10, 13–14: “I watched till thrones were put in place, And the Ancient of Days [a reference here to God the Father] was seated; His garment was white as snow, And the hair of His head was like pure wool. His throne was a fiery flame, Its wheels a burning fire; A fiery stream issued And came forth from before Him. A thousand thousands ministered to Him; Ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him. The court was seated, And the books were opened… I was watching in the night visions, And behold, One like the Son of Man [a reference to the resurrected Jesus Christ, appearing before God the Father in heaven], Coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, And they brought Him near before Him. Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, Which shall not pass away, And His kingdom the one Which shall not be destroyed.”

Jesus Christ—the future King of Kings and Lord of Lords (Revelation 19:16)—is described as ruling in the Kingdom of God over man. The Father will give Him the kingdom. Daniel knew and understood that the God Family presently consists of two God beings. He knew that God is not just one being.

The Prophet Zechariah Understood

Reading in Zechariah 4:8–9: “Moreover the word of the LORD [in Hebrew, “Yahweh”] came to me, saying: The hands of Zerubbabel Have laid the foundation of this temple; His hands shall also finish it. Then you will know That the LORD [in Hebrew, “Yahweh”] of hosts has sent Me [“Yahweh”] to you.”

We see in this passage that the LORD [“Yahweh”] sent the LORD [“Yahweh”]. The expression, “Yahweh,” then is applied to both God beings. As we will see in more detail, both God the Father and Jesus Christ are referred to in Scripture as “Yahweh”—the “I AM” (compare Exodus 3:14)—basically meaning, “the Eternal,” or, “the Ever-living One.” This fact alone proves that both the Father and Jesus Christ have always existed—that they are God beings, and that the Old Testament teaches that there is more than just one God being.

Zechariah 6:9, 12–15 confirms this conclusion: “Then the word of the LORD [“Yahweh”] came to me, saying… (v. 12) Then speak to him, saying, Thus says the LORD [“Yahweh”] of hosts, saying: Behold, the Man whose name is the BRANCH! From His place He shall branch out, And He shall build the temple of the LORD [“Yahweh”]; Yes, He shall build the temple of the LORD [“Yahweh”]. He shall bear the glory, And shall sit and rule on His throne; So He shall be a priest on His throne, And the counsel of peace shall be between them both. Now the elaborate crown shall be for a memorial in the temple of the LORD [“Yahweh”]… Even those from afar shall come and build the temple of the LORD [“Yahweh”]. Then you shall know that the LORD [“Yahweh”] of hosts has sent Me to you. And this shall come to pass if you diligently obey the voice of the LORD [“Yahweh”] your God.”

Again, we see, that the God being, referred to as “Yahweh” here, sent the second God being, also referred to as “Yahweh.” It is “Yahweh” who says that “Yahweh” sent Him to the people. This passage does not refer to just a human messenger, or to an angel to convey the “word of the LORD,” while the “LORD” is speaking about Himself. Note that the New King James Bible capitalizes the word “Me” in “…the LORD of hosts has sent Me to you.” They convey the intended meaning that the word “Me” refers to one of the two God beings, and not to a human or angelic messenger.

A third passage in the book of Zechariah, proving that the word “Yahweh” applies to both God beings, can be found in chapter 2, verses 8–11. Again, we read what the LORD [“Yahweh”] says, “And I will dwell in your midst. Then you will know that the LORD [“Yahweh”] of hosts has sent Me to you” (verse 11).

The Prophet Jeremiah Understood

Notice in Jeremiah 23:5–6 where the term “Yahweh” is used for both God beings in the same context: “Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD [“Yahweh”], That I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness; A King shall reign and prosper, And execute judgment and righteousness in the earth. In His days Judah will be saved, And Israel will dwell safely; Now this is His name by which He will be called: THE LORD [“Yahweh”] OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.”

Jeremiah shows that the LORD (“Yahweh”—the Father) will raise a “Branch of righteousness,” to also be called the “LORD” (“Yahweh”Jesus Christ).

The Prophet Micah Understood

Reading from Micah 5:2–4: “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting. Therefore He shall give them up, until the time that she who is in labor has given birth; then the remnant of His brethren shall return to the children of Israel. And He shall stand and feed His flock in the strength of the LORD [“Yahweh”], in the majesty of the name of the LORD [“Yahweh”] His God; and they shall abide, for now He shall be great To the ends of the earth.”

Christ is identified in this passage as the Ruler in Israel, whose “goings forth are from of old, From everlasting.” In the original Hebrew it states, “from days of eternity.” Again, we are told that Christ has lived forever—which means, that He is God. Further, He is described as coming “in the majesty of the name of the LORD His God.”  This is a reference to God the Father, who is called here LORD or “Yahweh.” The word for “GOD” is “Elohim.” Again, we see the structure within the Godhead—God the Father is the “Most High God” (compare Mark 5:7), and Jesus Christ, although a God being Himself, refers to the Father as His God (notice, too, John 20:17).

The Prophet Isaiah Understood

There are certain passages in the book of Isaiah, which, at first sight, may not seem to reveal the plurality in the Godhead, but they do just that, if we study them carefully.

Isaiah 34:16 reads: “Search from the book of the LORD, and read: Not one of these shall fail; not one shall lack her mate. For My mouth has commanded it, and His Spirit has gathered them.” If this passage were only addressing one God being, we would expect to read: “My mouth has commanded it, and My Spirit has gathered them.” Interestingly, a distinction is made between “My mouth” and “His Spirit.”

Isaiah 45:1 states: “Thus says the LORD to His anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have held.” Again, if the passage were to only speak about one God being, we would expect to read: “Thus says the LORD to His anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand He has held.” However, God does not say it that way. He makes a distinction between “His anointed” and the fact that “I have held” his hand. In other words, it was the Father who gave Christ a command (“Thus says the LORD”), and it was Christ who quotes this command to Cyrus, and who holds Cyrus’ hand, in obedience of God the Father’s command. (Remember that the word “LORD”—“Yahweh”—can refer to both the Father and to Jesus Christ.)

Once we realize that those changes in reference are not merely “accidental,” we can find many more passages in the Old Testament along the same line that reveal that God is not just one person.

For example, Isaiah 29:22–23 says: “Therefore thus says the LORD, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob: Jacob shall not now be ashamed, Nor shall his face now grow pale; But when he sees his children, the work of My hands, in his midst, They will hallow My name, and hallow the Holy One of Jacob, and fear the God of Israel.” Notice the distinction between “My hands” and “My name” on the one hand, and “the Holy One of Jacob” and the “God of Israel” on the other hand. In the future, the children of Israel will recognize and believe in both the Father and Jesus Christ.

In Isaiah 62:6–7, God reveals that He has set watchmen on the walls of Jerusalem. Notice, what else the LORD is revealing in this passage: “I have set watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; they shall never hold their peace day or night. You who make mention of the LORD [ note that it does not say, “of Me”], do not keep silent, And give Him no rest [ note again, it does not say, “And give Me no rest”] till He [not, “I”] establishes And till He [not, “I”] makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth.”

Does Deuteronomy 6:4 Teach that God Is Only One Being?

Deuteronomy 6:4 reads: “Hear, O Israel, The LORD [“Yahweh”] our God, the LORD [“Yahweh”] is one!” Many perceive that this Scripture teaches monotheism—that is, the existence of only one God. And indeed, it does. There is only one God. But in our thorough study until now, we have learned that God is a Family, consisting of more than one being. Since God does not contradict Himself in His Word, what can we learn from Deuteronomy 6:4? “Yahweh” is one being. The being who dealt directly with Israel was Jesus Christ. He was called “Yahweh”—He was and is one being. So, it is true that “Yahweh”—Jesus Christ—is one being.

In addition, “Yahweh” refers to the Father as well—and the Father is, of course, also one being. Thirdly, since “Yahweh” refers to both the Father and the Son, they are also “one”—one in purpose, goal, mindset, willpower and determination. They are unified. There is no division in the God Family.

Recall that Christ said that the Father and He are ONE. Christ was not saying that the Father and He were one being. In fact, He won a legal argument with the Pharisees by proving that the Father and He were TWO beings (John 8:17–18). Recall, too, that Christ prayed to the Father that His disciples should become “one” (John 17:20–23). We also know that Adam and Eve were to become “one” flesh (Genesis 2:24). We can learn from these examples that the disciples, or Adam and Eve, were not to become one being, but they were to reach, or achieve, oneness in mindset, in purpose, and in action.

Further, many commentaries, including the Jewish Bible or Tanakh, feel that the passage in Deuteronomy 6:4 should be translated, “The LORD is our God, the LORD alone.” This would make sense too, given the fact that both God the Father and Jesus Christ are referred to as “LORD” or “Yahweh” in Scripture. In this sense, the prohibition is against worshipping other gods. Deuteronomy 6:4 definitively DOES NOT teach that there is only one God being, as this would contradict all the other Scriptures in the Bible that establish a duality in the Godhead.

Usually, the Term “Yahweh” Applies to Jesus Christ

We should take note of the fact that in most cases, the expression LORD or “Yahweh” does not refer to the Father, but actually refers to Jesus Christ. Notice, for instance, in Hebrews 1:1–12 where God the Father (vv. 1, 5) says to the Son, Jesus Christ (v. 10): “You, LORD, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth…” This is a quote from Psalm 102:25–27, referring to “Yahweh’s” creation of the earth. Paul, in the book of Hebrews, applies this Psalm, and the term LORD or “Yahweh,” to Jesus Christ, again confirming that it was Christ who did the work of creation.

There are a few statements in the Old Testament, however, as we have seen in the books of Zechariah and Jeremiah, which use the expression LORD or “Yahweh” to also describe God the Father. Additional Scriptures that refer to the Father as “Yahweh” are to be found in Psalm 2:2, 7, 11. There, Christ is identified as “Yahweh’s” Anointed, and as “My Son.” We might also note Psalm 110:1, which is quoted by Christ in Matthew 22:42–45, referring to the Father as the LORD or “Yahweh,” while referring to Christ as “Lord” (“adon” in the Hebrew, meaning, “Lord, sir, master”).

Does Isaiah 48:16 Teach a Trinity?

Another passage that proves that there is more than one person in the Godhead is Isaiah 48:16. Some claim, however, that this passage shows that the Holy Spirit is also a God being, and a third member of the Godhead. The passage reads: “Come near to Me, hear this: I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; From the time that it was, I was there. And now the Lord GOD and His Spirit Have sent Me.”

This translation may give the impression that the Holy Spirit is a separate entity. However, in the original Hebrew, the words “Have sent” are in the singular, as the margin of the New King James Bible points out. As a consequence, the New International Version translates this passage more accurately as: “The Sovereign God has sent Me with His Spirit.” The Jewish Bible or Tanakh renders this passage as follows, “And now the Lord God has sent me, endowed with His spirit.”

Others claim that 1 John 5:7 teaches the Trinity. This passage is quoted as stating that “there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one.” Although this statement would not teach a Trinity, even if it were genuine, most scholars agree that these words were added by the Catholic Church to “prove” the Trinity, and that these words are not in the original writings. Our free booklet “Is God a Trinity?” discusses this passage in detail and proves from the Bible that the Holy Spirit is not God or a person—but is the power of God through which the God Family works.

Who and What Was Jesus Before His Human Birth?

Some deny that God always has been a Family. They might perhaps admit that God is a Family now, but they state that there was a time when God was not a Family. The Bible is clear, however, that God always has been a Family—and that the Father and the Son existed as members of the God Family throughout all eternity.

Some say that Jesus Christ did not exist prior to His birth as a human being. They teach that there was only one God being—now known as the Father—who created Christ in Mary’s womb. Others admit that Christ did exist prior to His human birth, but teach that He was an angel. Even though some teach that Jesus BECAME a God being upon His resurrection from the dead, they deny that Christ was God PRIOR to His human birth.

As we have seen in this booklet, the Bible teaches clearly that Jesus Christ existed on the God plane BEFORE He gave up His divinity for a short while to become a human being.

In passing, some deny that Christ gave up His divinity, when He became a human being, claiming that He was “fully God and fully man.” This concept is false, too. If Christ had not given up His divinity to become “fully man,” He could not have died (as God cannot die—and neither can we, once we are God beings, compare Luke 20:35–36). If Christ did not die, and if He was not subsequently brought back to life by a resurrection from the dead, then our faith is “empty” and “futile” (compare 1 Corinthians 15:3–4, 12–18). In addition, you and I would not have a Savior, as it was necessary for Christ to overcome sin in the flesh (compare Romans 8:3). He “was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15).

The truth is that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, BECAME a human being. He was not “fully God” and “fully man,” possessing two natures—rather, we read in John 1:14 that “the Word BECAME flesh.” He gave up His divinity and His divine glory. The only way in which He was still the “Son of God” was that He was the person that had been God, BEFORE He became human. A king who becomes a beggar is still the person that had been the king at one time. In other words, Christ knew of His existence prior to His human birth—He knew of the person that He had been. Christ was that person. However, He laid aside His divinity and became FULLY man. When Christ BECAME flesh, He ceased to be what He had been—a divine glorified being. For additional information, please read our free booklet, “The Gospel of the Kingdom of God.”

Since it is very important to clearly understand that Christ existed prior to His birth as a human being, let us notice some additional proof:

I John 4:9 states: “In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.” WHO was sent into the world? According to this verse, it was the Son—God’s Son! Both the Father and the Son planned for Christ’s coming into the world, as 2 Timothy 1:9 explains: “[God] who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began.” Again, we read in Revelation 13:8, Christ—the Lamb of God—was “…slain from the foundation of the world.”

John 17:5 adds these words of Christ, “‘And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.’” Earlier, Jesus had this to say while instructing His disciples: “’I came forth from the Father and have come into the world.  Again, I leave the world and go to the Father’” (John 16:28).

As we continue to follow the story of Jesus Christ, we find a scene depicted in the fifth chapter of the book of Revelation that actually shows that Jesus Christ was glorified by the Father. The seventh chapter of the book of Daniel also describes the time after Christ’s resurrection when that former glory was restored to Him by the Father. There are many other Scriptures that refer to Christ being glorified (compare John 12:16; John 20:17; Hebrews 4:14; Hebrews 8:1; Ephesians 1:20).

There is another incontrovertible proof that Jesus was willingly sent into the world—leaving His place as the spiritual Son of God to become a flesh and blood, physical man (begotten in the flesh) who would live a sinless life in order to save all of mankind. No other sacrifice than that of God Himself—the Creator of man—could pay the price for man’s sins and allow man to have access to the gift of eternal life. Yet, in order to be able to die, Christ, the Son of God, had to become flesh and blood.

Philippians 2:6–8, documents this: “…who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (New American Standard translation). Notice, too, Hebrews 2:9, “But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower [or, for a little while lower] than the angels, FOR THE SUFFERING OF DEATH, crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, MIGHT TASTE DEATH FOR EVERYONE.”

To believe that Jesus Christ did not exist as a God being before His physical life is to deny the very meaning of the priceless sacrifice both He and the Father made. Alarmingly, at the core of this false belief, there lies the danger of one actually denying the Father and the Son, and that is the belief in and practice of “antichrist” (compare 1 John 2:22–23). The Father and the Son have existed throughout time—even before “time” itself existed.

Jesus Christ spoke of His own pre-existence over and over again. At one time, He stated boldly that He—AS God—had lived before Abraham. The Jews were so outraged that they were willing to stone Jesus. Notice the dialogue and the reaction of the Jews to Christ’s words in John 8:56–58: “[Jesus said,] ‘Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.’ Then the Jews said to Him, ‘You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?’ Jesus said to them, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.’” When Jesus said, “I AM,” rather than, “I WAS,” the Jews understood that He identified Himself as God—as “Yahweh,” the “I AM” or Eternal of the Old Testament. That is why they “took up stones to throw at Him” (verse 59).

Consider, too, this statement that He made to His disciples very early in His three and one-half year ministry: “’I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven’” (Luke 10:18). This event marking Satan’s failed rebellion against the Family of God happened long before even mankind was created. However, deeply rooted in this rebellion was Satan’s attempt to stop the great master plan of God in enlarging His kind to actually stop the future development of the sons and daughters of God. In that struggle, Satan lost—yet he continues to deceive and fight against the will of God. However, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, has fulfilled a great step in the plan of God that is only open to mankind. It is not open to Satan and his demons, although they obviously have wanted to attain what was not offered them. Christ has become the firstborn of many brethren. Understanding and acting on this truth will assure that none of us denies either the Father or the Son!

A Spiritual World Before Christ?

In addition, the Bible reveals a very intriguing insight for us to consider. Hebrews 9:11 states: “But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, NOT OF THIS CREATION.”  Later, in Hebrews 11:3, we find that “By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were NOT made of things which are visible.”  What the Bible states here is that the physical world was formed from the spirit world.  Even science acknowledges that the entire physical creation is winding down, and that—given enough time—would all return to energy.

The book of Hebrews reveals even more in showing that spiritual things exist in addition to physical things.  In the eighth chapter of Hebrews, in verse 5, the ancient earthly tabernacle and priesthood are categorized collectively as “the COPY and SHADOW of the heavenly things, as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make the tabernacle.  For He said, ‘See that you make all things according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.’”  (Compare, for further proof, Acts 7:44–50.)  Christ is called “a Minister of the sanctuary and of the TRUE TABERNACLE which the LORD ERECTED, and not man” (Hebrews 8:2).

Hebrews 9 continues to explain: “Therefore it was necessary that the copies of the things in the heavens should be purified (cleansed) with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.  For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us” (verses 23 and 24).

What these verses show us is that there is a spiritual world—and that this spiritual world already existed prior to the birth of Jesus Christ as a human being. Most Biblical “scholars” won’t deny this—yet, paradoxically, some deny that Jesus Christ existed on a spiritual plane prior to His birth as a human being! The Bible is very clear, however, that Christ did exist as a God being prior to His human birth. We read that God (the Father) created everything that was created—including in the spiritual world—by and through Jesus Christ.

Let’s read again Colossians 1:16: “For by Him [Christ] all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, VISIBLE AND INVISIBLE, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.” Jesus Christ is identified, in Revelation 3:14, as the “beginner of the creation of God,” as it should be correctly rendered. The Authorized Version translates this passage as, “the beginning of the creation of God,” falsely implying that Christ had a beginning. Christ, however, had no beginning. He is identified in Hebrews 7:1 as “Melchizedek,” the “priest of the Most High God.” Hebrews 7:3 explains that He had “neither beginning of days nor end of life.” Therefore, Revelation 3:14 is more accurately translated as “beginning” or “source” of God’s creation (compare, for instance, Revised Standard Version; New Revised Standard Version; Revised English Bible; and New American Bible). Christ EXISTED as a God being from all eternity, and it was He—the second member of the God Family—who began the creation of everything.

Was the Father Always the Father—and Was Christ Always the Son?

Some advance another argument in an effort to disprove the Biblical truth that God has always been a Family. Although they might admit that God has always consisted of two beings, they state that God was not a Family before Christ’s human existence, as Christ was allegedly not the Son and the Father was allegedly not the Father prior to Christ’s human existence—hence, God could not have been a Family prior to Christ’s human existence.

Is it true that Christ BECAME the Son, and that the Father BECAME the Father at one given moment in time—or does the Bible teach that the two God beings ALWAYS were the Father and the Son?

Some quote Romans 1:4 as proof of the concept that Jesus Christ—the second being in the Godhead—BECAME the Son of God at the time of His resurrection from the dead.

In Romans 1:3–4, Paul states that God made a promise before “concerning HIS SON Jesus Christ our Lord who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection of the dead.” Does this Scripture say that Christ became the Son of God through the resurrection of the dead? Without analyzing the rest of the Scriptures, and focusing on this passage alone, another possible way of understanding Paul’s statement could also be that the Son, who had been flesh, became again a powerful being through the resurrection from the dead. In other words, Romans 1:3–4 is not conclusive proof that Jesus Christ BECAME the Son of God at the time of His resurrection from the dead.

Before we clearly present from the Bible what Romans 1:3–4 is saying, let us note another passage, Hebrews 1:5, which has been used in an attempt to prove that Christ BECAME the Son of God—that He was not the Son of God from all eternity. Hebrews 1:5 states, “For to which of the angels did He ever say: ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten you’? And again: ‘I will be to Him a Father, And He shall be to Me a Son’?”

Does this passage mean that Christ became the Son of God when He came into the world (verse 6), and that God became the Father at that time? Another explanation—again, just looking at this passage alone—could be that God the Father begot the Son, Jesus Christ, as a human being at that time, and that God the Father will be, and has been, to Christ a Father in the truest sense of the word, as Christ showed through obedience in His human life that He was an obedient Son, even while in the flesh.

 When we view the passages in Romans 1 and Hebrews 1 in context with the other Biblical testimony, we must conclude that they cannot be used to validate the concept that Christ BECAME the Son of God at the time of His resurrection. If it were true that Christ became the Son of God through the resurrection, why did God the Father say before Christ’s resurrection, “This is My beloved SON, in whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:17)? When this event occurred, John the Baptist exclaimed, “’And I have seen and testified that this is the SON OF GOD’” (John 1:34). Christ is identified many times in the New Testament as the “Son of God,” prior to His death and resurrection (compare John 1:49; Matthew 4:3, 6; Matthew 8:29; Matthew 14:33).

Notice Christ’s own words in John 3:17, “’For God did not send HIS SON into the world to condemn the world…’” Another remarkable dialogue is recorded between Christ and Peter. Christ asked Peter, “’But who do you say that I am?’ Simon Peter answered and said, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven’” (Matthew 16:15–17).

Christ is not saying here that He would BECOME the Son of God at the time of His resurrection. Peter had identified Him as “the Son of the living God,” and Christ told Peter that God the Father had revealed this truth to him. Compare, too, John 6:68–69.

The Jews KNEW that Christ claimed that He WAS the Son of God (compare Matthew 27:40, 43; Luke 22:70; John 9:35–37; John 10:33–36; John 11:4; John 19:7). When Christ died, the centurion recognized that Christ was “the Son of God” (Matthew 27:54).

In addition, we find a few Scriptures in the Old Testament that refer to Christ—the second being in the God Family—as the Son (compare Psalm 2:1–2, 7, 11–12; Proverbs 30:4).

Generally, however, this terminology is not used in the Old Testament, as God was not clearly revealed as Father and Son in ancient times.

Christ, as the Son of God, had to come to reveal the Father. The Jews were under the misimpression that they were worshipping “the Father.” They did not understand that the God being functioning as the Messenger or Spokesperson of the Father and the God Family, who had been dealing directly with the ancients, was actually Jesus Christ. (Compare Christ’s words in John 8:54, “’It is My Father who honors Me, of whom you say that He is your God.’”)

Still, there are Old Testament passages that speak about God as “the Father.” References to “the Father” in the Old Testament can be found in Isaiah 63:16; Malachi 1:6; 2:10; 2 Samuel 7:13–14; 1 Chronicles 22:10; and Deuteronomy 32:6. In those passages, Christ—the “Word” or Spokesman for the Father—communicated to the people the words of the Father.

Since God created everything through Christ, it is also said in Isaiah 9:6 that Christ will be called in the future—after His Second Coming—the “Everlasting Father.” This statement proves, too, that Christ existed for all eternity. He is referred to here as the “everlasting Father” or “the everlasting Source” of everything—the “beginning of the creation of God.” However, when the Bible speaks of the “Father,” it normally refers strictly and exclusively to the highest God being in the God Family.

We find, then, that God was identified in Scripture as the Father and the Son prior to the human existence of Jesus Christ. God has been a Family for all eternity.

We should also note that Christ spoke, of course, about God as His FATHER. He made repeated statements to this effect PRIOR to His death and subsequent resurrection. We might also recall that He told the Jews that they had never seen the FATHER or heard the FATHER’S voice (John 5:37).

Returning to Romans 1:3–4, Paul is addressing the fact that Jesus was resurrected from the dead. This showed WHO Christ was. Notice again what Romans 1:2–4 really says. God the Father made a promise concerning His Son Jesus Christ. We read that the SON was born of the seed of David according to the flesh. We also read that the SON was declared to be the Son of God WITH POWER according to the Spirit by the resurrection from the dead. Christ was already the SON when He was born as a human being—but He became POWERFUL when He became once again a glorified God being. He came back to His disciples after His resurrection to prove who He was, that God the Father had raised Him back to life, and that all authority or “POWER” had been given to Him by the Father (compare Matthew 28:18 in the Authorized Version; see also Hebrews 1:3).

We also read in Romans 8:3 that God sent “His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh.” Note whom God the Father sent to become a human being. It says, He sent “His own Son.” Notice the same statement in Galatians 4:4: “When the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth HIS SON, born of a woman, born under the law.” Hebrews 5:8 also emphasizes that Christ had to suffer in the flesh, although He was “a Son.” He was already the Son of God PRIOR to His resurrection.

In light of the foregoing, we understand that Hebrews 1 does not state that Christ was not the Son prior to His human existence. Rather, the Bible teaches consistently that the Son of God came into the world. He became a human being. Thus, He became the Son of Man as well.

In thinking about Jesus in His preincarnate life, it is hard to describe the Father and Son relationship that existed from eternity in physical analogies. It is plain that although Christ was equal to God in one sense, He still said that God the Father was greater than He was (John 14:28). Also, Christ is and always has been the Spokesman for the Father and the Family of God. John 1:1 states: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was WITH God, and the Word WAS God.”  What is important to understand from this verse is that Jesus was with God (the Father) at the beginning of creation. Further, Christ will be known again to the nations as the Word of God, when He returns to this earth. Revelation 19:13 describes His Second Coming in this way: “He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.”

God the Father holds a superior position in the God Family in that He represents the final authority. Christ was, always is, and always will be subject to the Father—a structure of relationship that has always existed.

The role in the Family of God between Father and Son not only stretches back through eternity, but it is a role that will continue forever into the future.  Several decades after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we find a statement that was recorded by John, an apostle of Jesus Christ: “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which GOD GAVE HIM to show His servants—things which must shortly take place.  And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John” (Revelation 1:1).  Jesus is not doing this by Himself. Rather, the revelation is received from God the Father, and Christ, as Spokesman for the Family of God, then sends it through His angel to John.

We read in 1 Corinthians 15:24, 27–28, “Then comes the end, when He [Christ] delivers the kingdom to God the Father… For ‘He [the Father] has put all things under His [Christ’s] feet.’ But when He says ‘all things are put under Him,’ it is evident that He who put all things under Him is excepted. Now when all things are made subject to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subject to Him who put all things under Him, that God may be all in all.” The head of Christ is and will be—and always has been—God the Father  (1 Corinthians 11:3).

It may be difficult for us to comprehend that Christ WAS always the Son, and that the Father WAS always the Father. We may not be able to explain how that could have been the case, thinking, in using a human analogy, that God the Father must of necessity have existed prior to the Son’s birth.” This is not true, however, since the Bible tells us that the Son—Jesus Christ, the Word— did not have a beginning. The Bible teaches us that God the Father was always the Father and that Christ was always the Son. We cannot explain this revelation with our limited human understanding. Neither can we explain how God could have lived from all eternity, or that there were even two God beings from all eternity. However, we know this to be true. The Bible teaches it, and we must accept it “by faith” (Hebrews 11:6), although the human mind might not be able to fully comprehend it (compare Romans 11:33; 1 Corinthians 13:12).

We have also learned from the Bible that God the Father is the highest in the Godhead. The Bible nowhere says that He was NOT the highest from all eternity. In fact, we read that God the Father created everything THROUGH Jesus Christ—so the highest God being created everything, including the spiritual world, through a God being “lower” than He. If we were to speculate, we could imagine, perhaps, that BEFORE anything was created, the two totally “equal” God beings decided between themselves that one should become the highest. However, the Biblical record does not leave room for such speculation. We are clearly taught that the Father always was the highest. We can’t explain or comprehend how that could be. Likewise, we might not understand how Christ could have always been the Son, or how the Father could have always been the Father. Still, the Biblical record is clear in this regard.

Therefore, we must conclude that God HAS ALWAYS BEEN a Family—and that God IS a Family today, presently consisting of the Father and the Son.  The great hidden knowledge—the mystery hidden since the foundation of the world—is that God has begun a process that will lead to the vast increase of His Family!  As we have seen in 1 John 3:2, “now we are children of God.”  We are now begotten—not yet born!  However, a few people throughout the time from the creation of man and leading up to the return of Jesus Christ have already been called, and they have also been chosen, and they have proven themselves faithful (compare Revelation 17:14). These, and yet others still to come, will join the Family of God in the first resurrection.

These are the ones who have received God’s Holy Spirit prior to Christ’s First Coming. We read that the Spirit of Christ was IN the prophets of old (1 Peter 1:11). [This proves, too, that Christ existed at that time, prior to His human existence, and that He gave His Spirit to the prophets.] These prophets were already BEGOTTEN children of the God Family PRIOR to Christ’s First Coming. Again, this shows that God WAS a Family, and that He was already in the process of enlarging His Family, PRIOR to Christ’s birth as a human being.

The Bible also indicates that the vast majority of all of mankind who have ever lived, or who shall ever live, will come up in the second resurrection (compare Revelation 20:5) and will be given an opportunity to enter the Family of God as well (Please read our free booklets, “Do We Have An Immortal Soul? and, “God’s Commanded Holy Days,” which explain the truth of the “second resurrection” in more detail.)

Just as the Father reveals the Son, and the Son reveals the Father, the resounding truth of just who God is can be understood by us!  God has indeed given us a future and a hope.  We, too, can become a part of what God IS—the GOD FAMILY!

Man’s Ultimate Potential and Destiny

In Hebrews 1, verse 2, it says of Jesus Christ that God the Father “…has appointed [Him] heir of all things.” It is further revealed in Hebrews 2:7 that although man was created “for a little while” lower than the angels, as the margin has it correctly, he will ultimately have “’…all things in subjection under his feet’” (verse 8).

 The eighth chapter of the book of Romans presents us with even more astounding proof of the tremendous future God has in store for man. “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption [correctly translated, “son-ship”] by whom we cry out ‘Abba, Father.’ The Spirit Himself [Itself] bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together” (verses 14–17).

Romans 8:18–19 continues: “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God.”

These two short verses open up the truth of the vast master plan of God and the very purpose for man’s creation—to increase His Family by having sons and daughters born into His very Family! We are told in 2 Corinthians 6:17–18, “Therefore ‘Come out from among them And be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you.’ ‘I will be a Father to you, And you shall be My sons and daughters, Says the LORD Almighty.’”

After explaining that mankind was to become conformed to the image of His Son, Jesus Christ, God shows the underlying purpose in His plan in Romans 8:29: Christ was to “be the firstborn among many brethren.” So important is the purpose of God in bringing many sons and daughters to glory that He was willing to give His only begotten Son in fulfillment of His objective (compare John 3:16). Romans 8:32 also clarifies this point: “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?”

“All things” means exactly that—it includes rule over the entire universe AND the unending future of God’s Kingdom. Man is to become a “joint heir” with Christ in “all things”! John, an apostle of Jesus Christ, was fervently aware of man’s tremendous future. In 1 John 3:1–2, he writes: “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.”

Paul also addressed this tremendous future transformation: “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself” (Philippians 3:20–21).

Notice again God’s promise to man in Revelation 21:7: “‘He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.” Revelation 22:5 adds, “And they shall reign forever and ever.” A careful analysis of the entire passage in Revelation 22:3–5 shows that the reference of eternal rulership is indeed to God’s children who will have been made immortal. While “God and the Lamb” are referred to in the singular in this passage—in order to show God the Father’s rule over everything and everybody, including the Lamb, Jesus Christ—the children of God are referred to in the plural. Notice the entire passage in Revelation 21:3–5: “And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him. They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. There shall be no light there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever.”

The Bible reveals that God is a growing Family, currently comprised of God the Father and Jesus Christ. God made man so that man could eventually become part of the God Family. God’s purpose for man is introduced to us in His own words at the very beginning of the Bible: “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness.” The Bible is given to help us understand the reason we exist, and to help us to reach our ultimate potential.

We would like to encourage our readers to read or re-read our free booklet, “The Gospel of the Kingdom of God,” which proves from the Bible that it is indeed the potential of man to enter the kingdom of God—by becoming a member of the Family of God.

The very last book of the Bible tells us the destiny of those who become born again members, that is, Spirit beings—God beings—in the God Family. We read in Revelation 3:12, “He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God.” They will receive God’s name—they will enter the very Family of God as born again spirit beings. Revelation 22:4 confirms this, “They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads.” At that time, they will be truly “born again”—and not before then. At that time, they will truly have inherited “all things.”

Yes, God IS a Family—and He wants YOU to truly become a born again member of His Family—His spiritual offspring. This is the reason WHY you were born. Just imagine YOUR awesome potential and destiny—to become, and to be named, GOD!

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